let the branding begin...

GREAT article from my Daddy! What does Jesus say about branding??

My daughters are students at the University of Florida ~ Go Gators! just saying…

Emily is in a Marketing class that is teaching her about “branding”; the concept of making your product stand out among all the other products. identifying the unique characteristics of you ideas, thoughts, organization, group etc.

you see it everyday with companies like Nike. Starbucks. Apple. etc.

When the branding question came up to Jesus…he responded:

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13v34-35 msg

branding for Christ following is not in church attendance.

bible versions.

standards for clots, music, movies

branding for following Christ, the way Christ followers stand out, are unique is in the way you love other Christ followers….

you know your , spouse.

children.

parents.

pastor.

worship leader.

small group leader.

singer.

guitar player.

youth pastor.

organist.

people who criticize you.

consume the resources but contribute nothing.

whatever whoever, agitates you, you don’t see eye to eye to…others see then who you really are! period. no ya-buts, however, if you knew this about them…blah blah blah

SHUT UP!

if you are serious, If I’m serious about following after Jesus Christ we MUST TRUST Him and obey his words and love the peeps that make us mad! That’s what Jesus did…and thats what Christ followers do!

Lent is a season for you and I to examine how we love ONE ANOTHER.

More than an election in November.

The deficit reduced.

Abortion abolished.

Addictions overcome.

What we really need…you and me…is to…if you are saying with your lips and brain that you are a Christ follower…is to start loving other Christ followers the way Jesus loves you!

I suggest if that happens, if we who claim to be following Jesus Christ start loving each other instead of criticizing, complaining, dividing, demonizing…all the above listed social issues will be solved, fixed and restored in the Story of God!

Now turn off your computer, shut down gossip book…I mean Facebook….and go love someone like Jesus…you know that someone that agitates you the most….: )

let the branding begin…

lent.

Lent is traditionally known as the 40 days of preparation observed by Christians leading to the celebration of Christ's Resurrection. Over the years, different denominations have dominated the tradition, often adding extra biblical meaning to the season of lent, causing the original intent to be lost.

Lent focuses on the why behind the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The reason Jesus had to die is you and I are sinners. We violated God, and justice is required. Lent reminds us that it was our sinful actions that required Christ's death. We are responsible. We are guilty in our sin. Wrestling with this truth is weighty, dark, and depressing. However, the dark moments of lent will be over shadowed by the light of the RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST.

Lent isn't just about dying to habits, patterns, ways of thinking, living, and acting. Yes, that's a part of it. But lent is also about embracing new ways of life that replace those habits, patterns, and old ways of living.

If you’re in Ocala, I invite you to join me on this journey, beginning tomorrow--February 22nd for Ash Wednesday. There will be a personal time of prayer and communion with Pastor Mark & Linda at Church of Hope between the hours listed below:

7-9 AM

11 AM - 1 PM

5-7 PM

*For more on Lent, click HERE.

Learning to Live

I'm a part of this culture that never ceases to intrigue me--always finding a way to pull at my curiosity like a little kid tugging on the strings of a kite, striving to make if fly higher and higher.

I'm savoring every bit of this culture--this way of living--that embraces yoga pants like they're the latest fashion and school pride like their very lives depended on it. We live on ramen noodles, endless cups of coffee and Chick-fil-A, and never let "impossible" be an option. We stay up late and get up early. We get projects done, we collaborate, we create, we grow.

I love living in a community of people who are confident enough in themselves to believe anything is possible. We have our own vocabulary and style and strut our stuff with pride. We ride bicycles in our best suits and ties for interviews and run furiously to catch the bus to our next class on the opposite side of campus. We pack the gym, buy frat tanks, and crank our music up way too loud. And we love every minute of it.

We're all working towards a common goal--one final purpose. We all have a dream and a future. We work hard and laugh even harder. We scream wildly at football games, cry when we lose major rivalry games, and live boldly.

Sometimes we let our emotions overwhelm us....wondering what we'll do at the end of these four years, trying to figure out the scope and sequence of our lives. But mostly, in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, we live...and live so fully.

I don't want to lose this vigor and love for life after I am handed that diploma. I don't want to let "impossible" become a word in my everyday language after I graduate. I want to hold tightly to the passion inside me. I'm holding tight to the memories I'm making while I'm in this culture of students, and allowing it to sink into the core of who I am.

Live. Breathe in life deeply. Enjoy those endless amounts of coffee. Stay up late. Get up early. Work hard. Love life. Really live.

becoming

You got a tattoo?!!

I sure did. And a lot of thought went into it--and really, it symbolizes something that I've been learning during the entire first 20 years of my life--and something that I'll just never stop learning.

becoming.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted everything to be perfect. My hair just right. My dance routines beautifully performed down to the last move. My backstroke technique flawless. Perfect A+ grades. Never miss an assignment. Don't even think twice about getting a detention. Get into the right schools. Go into the right career. Find that perfect guy. Make the best of friends. Show the world I've got it. You know, that "it" factor that everyone seems to want. But, in tear-filled frustration, I always seem to come up short in comparison to the world's standards. Not pretty enough. Not the star swimmer on the team. Not the valedictorian. No handsome stud on my side. No group of BFFs I share all of my deepest, darkest secrets with. It's like perfection just wouldn't come--no matter how hard I tried.

And that's when it hit me. I will never be perfect. I wasn't created to reach perfection. God created me exactly as He wants me to be--and in His eyes, I am perfectly made. Psalm 139 confirms that. He created me to love and embrace this grand adventure called life. The problem was--and is--that when I was striving so hard to reach what I deemed "perfection," I couldn't truly live.

There are several portions of God's Story that I've been immersing myself in so far in 2012. And they've been radically transforming my thoughts, my beliefs, what I hold on to so tightly, my relationships--how I'm embracing becoming.

One of those portions is found in Deuteron0my 30. The entire chapter is absolutely what I have needed to allow to sink into the depths of my heart, but a few verses in particular stood out. Verses 11-14 empower me with the truth that I CAN do what God commands me to do. I don't have to have anyone else explain it to me, teach it to me, or tell me to do it. Obeying God is up to me. I just have to do it. Following verse 14, God lays out some life-altering, eye-opening words that can't help but grip you:

"Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you

Life and Good

Death and Evil.

And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess." (Deuteronomy 30:15-16, the Message)

Live exuberantly.

Really live.

I want that. I want to live. Free of the distractions of wanting to win popularity contests (which according to Luke 6:26 isn't what I am supposed to be pursuing anyways!). Free from fighting so hard to be perfect. Free from avoiding messy, real, authentic relationships. Free from being so afraid of getting hurt. Free from trying to avoid failure so intensely. Free. Free to LIVE.

You see, I'm on this journey. This road stretched out before me, where I can see the pages of my life being turned--being written--into this story. And this story, has the potential to really do something. Change the world. But only if I let it. It really boils down to one thing: who will I trust to write my story? Me or God? Perfection screams, "Choose me! Choose me! Only I can control how everything turns out." But living exuberantly whispers that truth that you know deep down inside your soul is what will stand the test of time, "Choose God. He IS life. If you choose Him, you choose life."

I am becoming. Becoming who God has created me to be. This story is being written. But definitely not by me. I am choosing to trust the God who created me in the first place to continue to write this story. And I am embracing the truth that life is a grand adventure. I'm loving it and letting it make me stronger along the way.

In the words of Shauna Niequest, this season--this season of my life--is all about becoming.

"This season is about becoming...walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe God is good & life is a grand adventure. Don't get stuck in the past, and don't try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven't yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life's path." (Shauna Niequest, Bittersweet)

And that is why I chose to have "becoming" tattooed to my wrist. Every, single time I look at my left hand, I'm reminded that life is a grand adventure. I'm reminded that the pursuit of perfection isn't what God created me for. I'm reminded that I am made perfectly in Christ. I'm reminded to trust Him to write my story. I'm reminded to live exuberantly.

But, most importantly, I'm reminded to embrace becoming me.

Happy Girl

Being friendly can go a long way. Seriously.

It was the end of a long day and I anxiously waited for my turn to order at one of the Starbucks on UF's campus. Thinking through all of the delicious caffeinated options in my head, I finally narrowed it down to a grande Raspberry Mocha with an extra shot of espresso. Perfect. My turn to order.

"Hey! How are you?" I said as the barista began to ask for my order. He stepped back in surprise (literally).

"No one has ever asked me that before! And you just asked me that so genuinely...like you really care," he replied.

"Well, I do care. Are you having a good night?"

"Yeah, it's going pretty good. Thanks. What can I get for you?"

"A grande Raspberry Mocha with an extra shot of espresso, please."

"Alrighty. Would you like a copy of your receipt?"

"Yes. Thanks! Have a great rest of your night."

"Wow. Seriously, thank you!"

And that's how the conversation ended. It wasn't anything crazy-out-of-the-ordinary to me...I have out of habit started making conversation with cashiers. Just a habit. But to this barista, it rocked his world. I know this because I saw him again. And he remembered me.

A week later, I was in line for coffee again (no surprise there) and when it was my turn to order, I stepped up to discover the very same barista who had rang me up the previous week.

"YOU'RE THE HAPPY GIRL!!!!" he almost screamed at me.

"Haha, I guess that's me!" I replied.

"I remember you asking me about my day and you were just so nice! My name's Matthew."

"I'm Emily. And of course I would be nice to you! You make me coffee that gives me energy to do my homework!"

"It's nice to meet you, Emily. I hope you have a great night!"

And with that, I made a new friend. Even if it's just to say "Hey, Matthew. I hope you're having a great day" to. I may never have a deep conversation or even hang out with Matthew. But I do know that our paths crossed and he reminded me of something pretty incredible.

Luke 6:36 says, "Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind."

My Father is kind. I need to be kind. That's it. That's the secret-sauce. That special, added ingredient that can make all the difference. I have no idea what those around me are going through, but I know that I have crossed paths with them today for a reason. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

Greet those you sit next to on the bus, stop next to at a red light, the cashier who rings you up at Publix, the lady who checks you in at the gym, your professor, your co-worker....greet everyone with kindness. You just never know how a simple smile can impact an entire day.