How are you?

  "I'm good! How are you?"

    I have been struggling with this for some time now but today, as I was a greeter at my church, it hit me very powerfully. Today, was actually the first time in a long time where my, "I'm good." was actually truth. I wonder, how many people are facing huge trials and are putting on their "I'm good!" face.
   Why can't we be real with each other? WHY?

  I have come to a point in my life where I want time to slow down and I want to be more observant of the people around me. I don't want to be tied down to all these responsibilities so I can have the opportunity to sit and talk with someone should that time come. I am not there yet! I do sound two weeks a month, I greet the door once a month, and various other life trials like job, family, bills, etc. My struggle is  I have a servants heart to the max. I want to help everywhere and I am working so hard at not doing that and letting others stand up. (that is a whole other blog post!)
   The thing is, we should be helping in our church families! And undoubtedly, we all have jobs, families, etc. so there goes that. But how do we become a people where we can push pause a moment when you see someone hurting?
    Today, I had two people be honest with me when I asked them how they were. One person, I stood aside from my duties and prayed for. I knew I should. I should have with the other as well but that one slipped away. It is OK to push pause on your duties to love on people, to pray for people! It is OK!
   It is also OK to be real!
  I challenge you, when someone asks how you are, answer them honestly. If you are in pain, let them know. If you are happy, let them know. If you are sad, let them know. If you are depressed, let them know. Etc! Etc! Etc! And, if you are the one asking, don't ask unless you are prepared to listen and to be a friend.
   My goal is to be a friend, a loving friend to all, like Jesus was. And if you catch me being too busy, tell me please, because I don't want to be that person! I don't! And I know I have been.
   I am going to start being real with people at my new church as hard as it is. I don't know some of them very well but you know what? They know Jesus, I know Jesus, and He knows all, so that makes it OK for me!
  I am tired of being fake and being a people pleaser, time to be real and it is time to start loving like I have been called to love!

W.W.J.D. ? ? ?

What Would Jesus Do?

  We have all heard this saying before. It was big, BIG, when...like the 90's? But, it was just a saying right? Did you ever give it much thought?

    Let me tell you, I sure have been lately!

  With the way the world is today, they way people are all about doing what feels good, instant gratification, and self love, about how our kids should and should not be raised, about who we should be able to love and who we should say can and can not do this or that. I have been thinking!

   My amazing pastor and friend has been teaching lately about showing people what we are for, not what we are against and I whole heartily agree! Sure, I don't believe in same sex marriages, sure I don't believe in abortion under any circumstance and am very passionate about that, and sure, I don't believe in the legalization of marijuana BUT....

     What would Jesus do?

  About two years ago, there was a HUGE news story about a business who would not sell a cake to a same sex couple. Two years ago, I agreed with them. I probably posted about it on Facebook. I was probably verbal about it too! We are supposed to stick up for what we believe right???

  What would Jesus do?

  I am a photographer and have contemplated that very incident many times, what if?? What if a same sex couple wanted me to photograph them. What would I do? That surely is not the question. The question is, what would Jesus do?

  When Jesus was on earth as a Man, did He only go to saints and "good" people? Did He only offer His services to those who were perfect and who went to church? Did He only offer Himself to those who looked good on the outside?

   No, He didn't. He went with the sinners, He ate with tax collectors, He was with people who truly needed to see His light and His grace. Are we not supposed to be like Jesus?
 
  Here is the thing. If you are going to draw a line in the sand saying I will not be around people who do ___________________ because that is a sin....then, don't hang around people who look at porn or who smokes cigarettes. Don't hang around people who gossip or who cuss. Oh, don't forget not to hang around judgmental people either because that is sinful too!

  Just in case you didn't know, there is no one perfect aside from Christ. None of us can be perfect so if you are going to call out someone else's, remember your own. For me, a sin is a sin and I am the last person who should be judging anyone!

  For me, if I, as a business owner, am going to not help people who I feel their sin is too great, then what does that make me? If I served them, and showed them Gods amazing grace, wouldn't that be more of what God is calling us to do? I don't have to agree with you to love you. I don't have to agree with same sex marriages, marijuana, or abortions to love those who do because that is what Jesus would do and I know that is what He wants me to do.

           What is Jesus calling you to do?

Does your Jesus fit in a box?

   Do you put Jesus in  a box? I used to. I thought I didn't, but I did. I am going to warn you, I am going to be real with you. So, lets get real!
   Since I finished The Love Project with the book of Luke, I was sort of in a dry spot. I wondered why, after all that work, after all that research, why my heart felt the same. I knew I needed to love people more, I knew I was judgmental instead of loving, but it was as if, what I learned or thought I knew, it didn't penetrate my heart.
  I have been praying constantly for God to show me how to love like He does. And funny, when God speaks to me, it takes multiple outlets for me to finally get it. I was reading His word, reading books, seeing things on Facebook about love, seeing things on Youtube about love. I get it! I have been changed in this past week and let me tell you, it is amazing. The freedom of love. Simple. Free.
   My pastor at our church is showing us the importance of loving yourself in order to love your neighbor. For the verse says, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."  Mark 12:30-31
  Before when I would read this, I just thought it meant, treat your neighbor like you would want to be treated. Oh heavens no. This is so much more, so much deeper. Love. LOVE! We are created in God's image therefore, we need to love what He created. He created us! The way we are. Some of us are thin, some are heavy, some are tall, some are short, some are gifted speakers, while others stutter. We are all different, yet all in His image and He does not make mistakes.
   Once you understand how much He loves you, He loves me, through our mistakes, our sins, then we can see how to love each other.
  So this is where I ask the question, Do you put Jesus in a box? I laughed in church this morning because I have been talking to my husband about this very thing for a week now. How we, as American Christians tend to be all about what we are against. How it is important to vote and let everyone know who or what you are voting for or against. And here my pastor was saying the same thing. AMEN!
   If a lesbian couple walked in the door of your church holding hands, what would you do? If a tall, thin, tattooed young man walked in with nose rings and spiked mo-hawk, what would you do? Do you make a stand in your business to say no, I wont sell to a gay couple, no, I wont sell to a transgender person. Is that what God would do? Is God not bigger than it all?
  Who did Jesus hang out with? Did He say, "Look, you are sinning, straighten up and then we can hang?" NO!!! He didn't. He loved them. He loves us, no matter what our sin looks like.
   If you are a married man and woman and you protest on your social outlets about how you vote against gay marriage, against transgendering, against etc....but you drink a lot of alcohol, how are you different? Maybe you don't drink but you look at pornography? Is your sin better than theirs?
  I think it is about time we love. We treat people with love and respect. You don't know their circumstances, you don't know their past, you don't know them. PERIOD. Get to know them.
     If you think heaven is going to be full of Christian neighborhoods, prim and proper, think again. If you think their wont be any people who were gay on earth, who were transgender, who were drug addicts, who were porn watchers, who were Muslim, think again. If that is what you think, you have Jesus in a box. He doesn't belong in a box. He is so much bigger!  Yes, sin is sin and needs to be dealt with. That is God's job. We are called to love them. LOVE them!
  I do realize some of you will not agree and some of you will quit reading, maybe even send me not so nice emails, but you know what, I am FOR GOD and God is for LOVE. So, I know what He is doing in my heart and I know I am called to love, LOVE everyone, not just some, but all!

Prayers appreciated!

  Hello wonderful, beautiful children of God. I wanted to ask those of you who read my blog to be praying. I have a direction and ideas for where I feel God is calling me and leading me. I have changes that need to be made and hard decisions to be decided. So, could I ask you to pray for me now and again! I am excited to start these changes but they will be a slow process over all. You may not notice them right away but when the time is ready, I will make a post about what God is doing in my life! I pray that He leads you on His path and grants you wisdom in your own lives! 

Thank you for your support and for your prayers! Love you all! 

~His Nicole

REMINDER

Over in the "Pages" section is "The Love Project." If you have been wondering why there are not a lot of posts lately, it is because this is the project I am working on so most of my time is being spent updating there! I would encourage you to join in. We are studying Luke and seeing how to love like Jesus loves!

Why I gave myself Christmas Presents this year.

    Why? So, our family is not well off in the least. We barely make it by each month and so our focus at Christmas of course is Jesus number one, but we focus gifts on just our son.  We usually make things for the family and then buy our son a few gifts.
     This year, I bought my husband a few things as I had some extra money and I wanted to bless him. He works so very hard for his family. He gets up before five every morning, works hard, and doesn't come home until after four most days. He doesn't complain. He doesn't make us feel bad. He does it because he loves us.
   So, he deserves to be bought a gift now and then and I wanted to! So, I did. But, knowing him, I knew he would be upset that he didn't get me anything. Though I don't work as much as him, he loves me and appreciates me just the same. He knows I work hard outside the home and inside the home. He knows how much I love our family. He knows I would do anything for this family. But, what he doesn't understand is, I don't need anything. I have everything I need.
   Here is some honesty though. I am human. I love opening gifts just as much as a six year old child. Yes, I can be immature like that :) But, I have never been about what is inside the package. I truly like opening gifts. So, on some Christmases, I have been a little bummed I didn't get to open anything.
   So, that along with knowing how my husband would feel gave me an idea. Gifts for myself. !
   Novel idea right?
No, I did not run out and buy myself gifts.
No, I did not give myself gift cards, and cash, and shoes.
   What I did was this, I wrote out things that bless me to the core that my boys do for me. Things like. "The best gift is that you work so hard for me every day and never complain." "The best gift is when you do your chores to help me out." etc. I wrote down on paper things that make my heart so full of joy during the year to remind me of how incredibly blessed I am, to show them how much they mean to me, and to explain to them that they are my best gifts I could ever get.
   I then spent 2 dollars and bought some dollar store boxes and wrapped them putting them under the tree. So, Christmas morning, as my son passed out gifts, he was so confused, "Where did these come from?" "What is this?" "Did you buy yourself something?"
   As I opened them I said, "The gift I love the most is ......" and I would read it to them. I don't know if they got it, well, I know my son didn't. He really wants me to "stuff". But, I know my husband understood my point.
   So, that is why I gave myself Christmas presents! This was one of our best Christmas's too!