When the Earth Shakes

Our winner from last week is Holly who left a comment on Aug. 24 at 10:14 am. Holly, would you email me your address to amy@proverbs31.org. I'll send you Renee's book!

If you haven't noticed that NC has had some major news from nature in the past couple of weeks, maybe you've been out of the country. While the earthquake didn't cause many problems in our area, it was great fodder for conversation. Stuff like, "Well, an earthquake in Holly Springs. Who would have thought it?" (Imagine this being said by Scarlett O'Hara for the general effect.)

The hurricane which some have said was over-hyped in reality has been both problematic for many and tragic for some. My parents say that it's some of the worst damage that they've ever seen in Greenville, NC.

There was a story this week out of Burlington, NC that has truly changed everything, though. On Monday night, Harry Cohen, a high school senior and quarterback of his football team, died suddenly. He and his family attended church with us before our move. His parents and extended family are known for their faith and how much they all adored Harry. I remember being at sports events with teams full of tiny boys and Harry's cheering section filling the stands.

On Monday night the earth shifted for Harry's friends and family. Buildings damaged from earthquakes and hurricanes will be repaired. Trees will be cut up and hauled away. Flood waters will subside. But the world will never be the same without Harry.

Hanging in There

I'm sorry I'm posting so late today. Our India team met today to continue planning our Oct. 22 trip. More about that later!

Our winner from last week is Holly who left a comment on Aug. 24 at 10:14 am. Holly, would you email me your address to amy@proverbs31.org. I'll send you Renee's book!

Following your calling has a honeymoon period just like anything else new. At first it's all new, all exciting and all fulfilling. All honeymoons come to an end, though, and soon commitment and determination to finish the race are necessary additions to pure love.

And then there are the downright stinky days. The days when leaving your reality for a hammock on a tropical island where the birds sing in the swaying palm trees and waiters bring you steaming trays of food...oops! Sorry! See, I've had these days too and the daydreams get pretty specific.

Those are the days when you need reminders. We need to hold on to God's words that were given to us at the beginning. "I've called you. I've equipped you. I'll strengthen you. I'll guide you...."

Micca Campbell gave me great advice at the beginning of my speaking journey. She told me to write it all down so that when the doldrums hit that I'd have a reminder of all the Words, scripture confirmations, God-sized events and encouragement from friends.

Some days those stories from the beginning are the only thing that keep me from packing for that island. I'm so glad, though, that I've hung in there. This God-adventure isn't something I'd ever give up.

Jesus in Every Season of My Life

I should have read ahead in the book. You know, the pregnancy "bible" What to Expect When You're Expecting? Then I might have known that nightmares are one of the side-effects of the post-partum hormone wash.

But I didn't know, so I was terrified when I woke up standing beside my newborn's crib. I was wakened from a horror house dream where he was laying in a room with blood streaming down the walls. Dead. Because I was such a neglectful mother. (Sorry if this is more than you bargained for today.)

Looking with wide awake eyes, I saw that my firstborn was fine. His tiny chest rose and fell peacefully with extended night-time breaths, but I stumbled back to bed with a pounding heart.
Once back in bed, fear paralysis set in and kept sleep at bay. I lay board stiff and thought about all the things that could go wrong--everything from Sudden Death Syndrome to a drug addicted teen. My night-time imagination knows no bounds.

Suddenly a very loud but completely silent voice interrupted my doomsday revery. "I love him more than you do."

What?

"I love him more than you do."

Because He's my Shepherd, I knew Jesus' voice, and peace flooded my soul and washed away my fearful thoughts.

I didn't need to be fearful about the tiny life in the nursery across the hall, because my Jesus loved and cared for him even more than his smitten mother.

Yesterday, I realized that as we enter into this final year at home with our firstborn, Jesus has been faithful. He has shown us that He truly does love Anson more than we do. He has been there for all the "firsts", even this last first day of regular school.

Thank you, Jesus.

Building God-Confidence

It’s been about a year and a half since Barry and I had the conversation that I referenced in today’s devotion. One night recently as we talked at bedtime, I asked, “So how do you think my confidence is doing?”

His reply blessed my heart and made me smile. “I see you as a jet roaring down the runway just about to take flight.”

I love that he sees my confidence restored, but I especially love that it’s more solidly in Christ than ever before. Rereading today’s devotion coupled with the release of Renee Swope’s new book A Confident Heart have created an inner desire to really examine what’s happened in the past year that has led my husband to see a change in me.

Renee has a quote in the book that stopped me in my tracks and resonated in the recesses of my heart. She says, “Isn’t it easy to neglect ourselves to meet the needs of everyone around us and call it self-sacrifice? It sounds godly. But in doing so we risk shutting down a place in our soul where God’s dreams and gifts are waiting to be revealed.”

I love that thought. We are called to service and even self-sacrificial service at times. What we aren’t called to do is to neglect, abuse or suffocate the unique vision-filled person that God created. A huge part of regaining what Renee calls my God-confidence (as opposed to self-confidence) was allowing myself to dream God-sized dreams again and taking steps of obedience to pursue those dreams.

Next Step Speaker Services, born from one of those big dreams, was launched at She Speaks 2010, and it’s the fruition of all kinds of God-work in me done over decades. I’ve found a big part of my true calling. Walking in my calling has done a restorative work on my God-confidence that I could have never imagined.

That’s only part of the story, but it’s a big part. Rather than tell more of my story, I’d love to hear yours. Please leave a comment at this blog today (please also visit the Next Step blog, but leave your comment here) telling something that has helped restore your God-confidence or asking for prayer for restoration of your confidence. Your comment will enter you to will a copy of Renee Swope’s book A Confident Heart. I’ll be praying for every prayer request left and rejoicing with those who leave restoration stories. The winner will be announced in Monday’s blog post. It would be a great help if you'll leave both your name and email address in case you win. :)

Fulfilling Your Calling in Two (Not So) Easy Steps--Part II

Last week I talked about hard work as being irreplaceable in fulfilling your calling, but this week's step is one of the passions of my heart. Finding a mentor is the second important step to fulfilling your calling.

The Bible gives us so many examples of mentor pairs: Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth. These are just a few.

This passage from Titus 2 gives us God's consummate plan for the older generation teaching the younger:

"1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." (Titus 2:1-7)

God has given me mentors over and over again to guide and inspire my spiritual growth, and He's also generously given mentors to lead the way in my calling. There's a woman in my church who spoke to a large study group for years and our Proverbs 31 speaker team has been a boundless resource for me.

I've had lots of women tell me that they haven't had the opportunity to have mentors. I'd encourage any of you that fall into that category to do two things: 1. Actively look for (and pray for) a godly woman who is further down the path that you want to follow. 2. When you find her, attach yourself to her like a crazy stalker-girl.

I'm only half kidding!

I remember hearing a story from a young woman who was on Beverly LaHaye's staff. On one trip, the younger staff member asked Mrs. LaHaye if she would mentor her. Mrs. LaHaye's response stunned her. She said, "I'd be so honored to mentor you. No one has ever asked me."

Not everyone will respond that way, but I think most women would be honored to be asked and sadly most have never been asked.

I'd love to hear about any mentors you've had!

This blog post at "Lateral Action" stoked the last two blog entries. You can enjoy reading more about mentors here.

Coming Soon to Your Child's School

I went in search of some good news today and found an interesting article about another positive use of social networking on the front page of USA Today. Students are using Twitter and Facebook to develop "PLNs", or Personal Learning Networks.

PLNs were developed by a loose consortium of teachers to help their students access experts on every subject imaginable. The idea is to give students access to learning beyond the school building and beyond the scope of their teacher's knowledge base. It's said to be especially needed and effective in rural school systems.

As both a former teacher and parent, I love this idea on lots of levels as long as it's implemented with rigorous safeguards. I believe that education should be weighted on the side of developing life-long students, people who love to learn and know how to access the desired information, more than rote memorization (which is also legitimate learning and has its place). PLNs would be a great way for a teacher to be able to tell a student that there's a way to access the information that she doesn't have and point them in the right direction.

I think it also has the potential to add to a child's list of mentors and expand a child's idea of what's possible career-wise. Will Richardson, c0-author of a book on PLNs, says that although only 5% of teachers are currently using them, he believes that their use will soon become commonplace.

Have any of you heard about PLNs being used in your child's classroom? What do you see as some positive uses for social networking?

Fulfilling Your Calling in Two (Not So) Easy Steps

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." Thomas Edison

OK. Before you switch me off, I'm not going there. I know that the Bible doesn't contain, "God helps those who help themselves."

However...

I deeply believe that one aspect of fulfilling any calling (you'll get the second next week) is very hard work. I'll start with some scripture so that you'll stick with me. :)

While it’s true that God ultimately accomplishes His purposes in ways far beyond what we can ask or imagine, we have a part to play in His plans. God recently had me read the book of Nehemiah to see how one of His servants accomplished the huge task of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. I came away with a deep appreciation for my part of success—organization, communication, energy, delegation and hard, hard work. Scripture actually says that Nehemiah and the Israelites, “…continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.” (Nehemiah 4:21 NIV)

I'm ashamed to say that I've gotten a little jaded over the years with sentences that begin with "I know that God has called me to _____________." It sounds harsh, but I'd rather see your calling than hear about it. Too many Christians talk about their calling and spiritualize "trusting God" without being willing to follow Him in obedience into the day-to-day labor required to build His Kingdom.

I promise that I'm not all self-righteous on this subject. I could list the times I've done it myself--all talk and no follow-through--but I'd just bore you. Trust me when I say that I've done it, and I'm not proud of myself.

I've come to a place, though, that I find the thought of working toward my calling encouraging rather than discouraging. I'm encouraged that it doesn't take innate genius or prodigal gifting to fulfill my calling. I don't have either of those.

This quote came from an article published in the NY Times and speaks to the place of hard work in success:

"The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft." --David Brooks

The study that was being cited said that musicians who were said to be virtuoso practiced 10,000 hours, 5,000 more than those simply considered to be good.

I loved hearing an interview recently with my friend Lysa TerKeurst. She said that many people had been asking her how she became a NY Times bestselling author overnight. Her answer was simply, "Through 17 years of hard work." She followed with this inspiring quote, "I determined that I would do all that I could do while completely trusting God to do what only He could do."

I'm called to become an increasingly effective speaker, not so that people can stand in awe of Amy Carroll but so that they can stand in awe of the One I speak about--Jesus. I'm called to help other women who speak as they grow too. I can't do that unless I'm a life-long student, learner and worker.

What's your calling? Are you doing the work? My definition in this case is simply moment by moment, day by day obedience to God's Word and the leading of His Spirit. Some days that will look like moving forward while other days it will be stillness, waiting and listening.

What keeps you from doing the work? The paralyzing questions posed by fear? "What if you try and fail?" "What if nobody else believes in you?" "What if God doesn't show up?" or worse "What if I've mis-heard God and am missing His will?"

Or are you not working to fulfill your calling because of the distractions of life? Are your days already filled with time-suckers that aren't part of God's plan for you?

Here's the last and hardest question...Are you called but unwilling to do the hard work? Your calling will remain unfulfilled as long as excuses take the place of obedience and the work.

Next week I'll write about the second crucial step to fulfilling your calling. I'd love for you to comment as you ponder on this issue of work as part of the calling.

Jesus the Shepherd

Our family has spent some very happy days at a farm owned by our friends and mentors Paul and Macon. Instead of a traditional vacation home, their family chose a home away from home where both work and very happy memories happen.

When my boys were young, Macon taught us a powerful lesson that has stuck with me. She told my boys to call the sheep that dotted the field in front of them. When they looked unsure, she said, "Just call to them. Call them to come here for some food."

The boys delightedly began giving it their all. "Here sheep! Here sheepy, sheep, sheep." They yelled, jumped up and down and tried some bleating, but the sheep continued to graze. They didn't even raise their heads to look.

When the boys' ruckus stilled to a puzzled silence, Macon began calling, "Come here sheep. Come get some food!" Immediately the sheep stopped their grazing and ran to the fence.

"See boys," Macon explained. "The sheep know their shepherd's voice. You could have called them forever, but they wouldn't have come. They don't know your voice." Macon followed by telling us how dumb sheep are, and how we're the dumb sheep. Ha!

I was once again reading this passage in John this morning, "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice....I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:2-5, 14-15 NIV)

I am definitely a dumb sheep, and I'm willing to own it. But this morning I'm overwhelmingly grateful for Jesus who has trained me to know His voice and flee from other voices. He is truly my Good Shepherd.

What's Going on in England? (And Why Should We Care?)

The news story that has caught my eye this week has been the violence and looting that began in London and has spread to other cities. Riots started following a peaceful gathering protesting the police shooting of an innocent citizen, but the current riots seem to have taken a life of their own with very little to do with the original cause.

Just in case you haven't heard or read about these riots, here are some quotes from BBC reports:

"These have been the worst scenes of violence and disturbance on our streets for many, many years, and this sort of violence, this level of criminality, this thuggery, this looting, this theft, is completely unacceptable," Home Secretary Theresa May told BBC Breakfast.

Catherine Holmes, a resident in Hackney, said: "The common feeling in Hackney Central is that our community has been hurt and damaged by causeless violence.

"We spoke to looters trying to get home - the only explanation they gave for their behaviour was that they had no money today.

"It is sad to think that these people are thinking of only the next moment, and the moment they have created is a nightmare."

Prof. John Pitts, a criminologist in London, says looting makes "powerless people suddenly feel powerful" and that is "very intoxicating".

"The world has been turned upside down. The youngsters are used to adults in authority telling them they cannot do this or this will happen. Then they do it and nothing happens."

He says a large number of youngsters are involved in these riots because it is the school holidays and the nights are longer.

One of the main reasons that I've been interested in following this story is because of my own personal history with Great Britain. When I was 14, my family lived in Oxford for a year while my dad did a professional sabbatical. After my freshman year in college, I spent the summer in Scotland with a missions group.

I'm not an economist, a psychologist or a sociologist, but even at 14 and 20 (over 20 years ago) I saw two trends in England that I really believe are core causes of this week's chaos. Why should we care? Because these are trends that I see emerging currently in America.

1. A sense of entitlement toward government programs--Even at 14 I remember friends railing against the woes of work and how much easier it is to "be on the dole" (gov. social programs). One friend actually told me her father quit work because he could make more money "on the dole". We're seeing anger everywhere in Europe now as socialist governments cut back. Do we really want to be so dependent on the government that we lose a sense of our own responsibility and control? It's a really important question.

2. Empty churches--At 14, I was the ONLY one of my friends that attended church the year I lived in England. One of my friends described our church-going as "sweet". I remember being incensed that it was treated as if I embraced belief in fairy tales. When I was 21, we did outreach in a village in Scotland where the teens had never heard the gospel at all. The country that at one time sent missionaries into the developing world has churches that serve more as museums than places of worship. When we'd go as a missions group to do programs in churches, there would be no one under 70 attending. (Although that was not true of a vibrant Methodist church that my family attended in Oxford. I'm sure our faithful God has a remnant in England.)

Last week I wrote about Gen Yers (Millennials) and the decline of Christianity in that generation. I truly believe that in England we're beginning to see the effects of several generations of almost non-existent Christianity. Even in the comments on the BBC online reports, I saw lots of calls to spend more money on schools or social organizations for children and even lots of calls for mandatory military service but I didn't run across one who called for anything that would change hearts or teach morality. My heart cried out that their culture is missing the point entirely.

I really don't want to be a dooms day prophet, but then again.... Christians need to be saying this. We need to be paying attention. We need to be willing to flex on our own preferences (I'm not talking about core truths here but rather worship styles, etc) as we passionately focus on transmitting Jesus to the next generation. If we don't, our churches will be museums within a generation and we may find ourselves in a mess like England. That's why we should care (and pray for God to use the Christians in England to begin a cry for revival).

I'd love to know...where do you get your news? What sources do you trust? What sources do you watch/read to challenge you?

Unfolding

"Time is the longest distance between two places." ~Tennessee Williams

I stared into the frustrated eyes of my friend last week as we talked about her calling to write. She has big, big dreams, and those dreams seem to be coming far too slowly.

Can you relate?

In sharing my story to stepping into calling, I thought I'd better start with the reality of it. It's been a long time coming.

My specific calling is to teach, speak and write. Your calling may fall into a myriad of other categories, but every calling is equally high when it's in obedience to The Most High. We're ALL called to ministry, I have just had a desire for vocational ministry for almost 20 years.

My calling didn't materialize last year. It has unfolded during the last 35 years, and each phase of that unfolding has shaped and redetermined the final product (which I understand isn't ever final until my last breath!).

The unfolding looked kind of like this:

Becoming a passionate teacher of young children.

Marrying my best friend.

Investing years in my little boys' lives.

Teaching adults as they chased dreams that passed them by in their teens.

Volunteering in women's ministry.

Visiting home after home as the "Welcome Wagon Lady" in my new town. (Really? How could that fit in to the dream, the calling?)

Walking through doors open to speak.

Joining the P31 team.

Returning to a frustrating year of teaching.

Stepping in to the calling.

You might read this list and think, "Wow. She wasted a lot of years." I've thought that at times too, but it's just not true.

Every relationship, every job, every opportunity has prepared me for this time. With each change, I've had an opportunity to view that next step as stepping into a calling. Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't.

Often I was irritated at the seeming meaninglessness of what I was doing, but now I see. Every diaper changed, every knee kissed, every book read, every late night listening, every dying to self, every lesson plan made, every story attended to, every presentation made, every meeting attended, every spreadsheet created, EVERY THING...

It all counted.

Every moment was an unfolding of my eventual calling.

Don't despair today when you can't see it. Obey God and trust that He is working. His timing is so rarely ours, but it is always perfect. Instead of chaffing under the seemingly mundane, embrace each task as a building block for the dreams in your heart. Don't give up hope.

I promise...it's coming.

Where Have All the Millennials Gone?

I'm fascinated by the generations. I love talking about Builders, Boomers, Gen x and Gen Yers--their characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.

Aimy Steele and I have taught a breakout on intergenerational women's ministry for the past few years at She Speaks. This year as she described Gen. X characteristics, I tuned in sharply to hear about my own generation. (You can find lots of information about your generation at Aimy's blog by clicking here.)

There was one phrase that really caught my attention. Aimy explained, "Gen Xers are disillusioned by the political system. They've lost hope in it and are largely apathetic."

That's been so true for me. I've found myself tuning out entirely--skipping the news for more HGTV, cancelling my newspaper subscription and reading blogs on a very narrow spectrum.

When I heard Aimy speak about my generation, the "Me" generation, I realized that I had fallen into that disillusionment, and I needed to pull myself out. The world doesn't need checked out Christians. The world needs engaged, informed, involved, salt-and-light Christians.

So on Wednesdays I'm going to start writing about a current event. I'll do my best to make it something interesting for you, but it's also forcing myself to shift my gaze back to the world I live in and process it through my Christian world view.

I'm cheating a little this week, because I'm using an article from a Christian publication. I think it's relevant, though, on lots of levels to the world around us, and it taps into my fascination with generations.

In Lifeway's publication "Facts and Trends" this month, Thom Rainer forecasts what he believes will be the 5 major trends for churches. Here are some facts that struck me:

• Millenials (sometimes called Gen Y born between 1980 and 2000) have just surpassed the Boomers as the largest generation.


• Lifeway research estimates that only 15% of American Millenials are Christian.


• With nearly 80 million members, that means that almost 70 million American young people aren't Christians.

Rainer comes to so great conclusions about how that affects the church. Click here to read the whole article. (There's some great news about Boomers!)

I began thinking about how 70 million young Americans with a world view that's largely unaffected by Christianity shape our culture. The church is surely flawed (there are people there after all), but let's think about some of the values that the church espouses--telling the truth, treating others justly, caring for the poor, orphans and widows, seeking a non-relative Truth, behaving with the fruits of the Spirit....

Even though existing Christians fall far short, we're a group that is mostly trying to live these values. What happens when those values are seen as passe or irrelevant?

That's not to say that this generation is amoral. In fact, one of the reasons I've read they ignore the church is that they are a very socially aware generation, and they see the church as a group that's irrelevant in this arena. Ouch! What a painful but often accurate indictment.

Lisa Whittle and our She Seeks team is focused on reaching Millennials with the hope of Jesus. Is your church reaching out to this generation in any way? What kinds of things are you doing? I'd love to hear.

Stepping In

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." ~Judy Garland

After a moments return to my old, default thinking, I began to rejoice for my sister authentically, wholeheartedly and happily. It was a huge step for me.

A second of "I'll never be that good" turned into "I love seeing her stand in the fulness of her calling even as I'm starting to stand in the fulness of my own different calling."

It's so good to be back with you after a break for She Speaks! As I listened to Lysa TerKeurst's message in our opening, I was convicted, challenged and inspired. I really can only describe the message as dazzling. Lysa has pursued God's highest for her calling, and the fruits are abundant in her ministry.

For so long (way toooo long!) I stood outside of my calling to speak, cowed by comparison and intimidated by my own fears. In fact, I wrote about how that attitude invaded my whole life in this devotion. Last night I asked Barry, "How do you think I'm doing with the whole confidence thing?"

His reply made me smile. He said, "I see you as a jet roaring down the runway. Two years ago, you weren't even in the airport."

I don't tell you all this to toot my own horn. I just feel inspired to write about calling on Mondays for the next little while. I've learned some lessons the really hard way through too much failure and too much fear. I have to confess that I understand that if I had followed God more closely that I wouldn't have taken such a self-destructive route. I'd love for you to be able to learn from my school of hard knocks.

You have a calling. Have you stepped into it, or are you still standing outside of it looking in with longing?

I want to share some of my story that brought me to this place where I could applaud Lysa with unreserved joy--no jealousy of her calling or feeling less than in my own.

I want to encourage you in your unique calling and cheer you on as you celebrate walking in or stepping into it.

Where do you feel like you are right now? Are you walking in your calling or working to step into it?

So here's the plan for the blog for a while (no promises--you must know by now that I'm have attention deficit when it comes to writing): Mondays--quotes and callings, Wednesdays--comments on current events, Fridays--Jesus (what I'm learning about Him, seeing fresh about him, etc)