authenticity

For a long time, I've clung to this belief that we are made to live authentic lives - that we're beautiful when we're real. And finally, I've found an author who can put to words my heart. Here's a little Brene Brown quote to start your day off right:

"Authenticity is a daily practice. Choosing authenticity means: cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle and connected to each other through a loving and resilient human spirit; nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we let go of who are supposed to be and embrace who we are. Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving - even when it's hard, even when we're wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we're afraid to let ourselves feel it. Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy and gratitude into our lives."

pretty kick ass huh?

May we each live today, in the freedom of who are are - not who we think we're supposed to be. May we be released from shame and fear and the ties that bind us to uncertainty and insecurity. Today, if your heart compels you, laugh a little too loud, dance in the grocery store, say something funny without over thinking it. Have the courage to tell your story with all of your heart. Be brave and imperfect. Just be you.

please stop hating

so God's been teaching me heaps lately. mostly about love, grace, mercy and learning. i've been away from home a lot, and it seems that as i've traveled around the country, there's one common theme that has been presented to me: people are really uncomfortable with homosexuality. when i'm home, it rarely ever comes up. my friends and i just live from day to day and love people and seek Jesus (please don't read into this that we're perfect...i struggle with a LOT of other things)...the fact that there are people out there who's sexual orientation is different than mine just doesn't come up. but i've been in places lately where people do talk about it. a lot.

it has burdened my heart tremendously to hear conclusions being made, lines in the sand being drawn and black and white pasted to the issue. brothers and sisters, our God is much bigger than we can imagine, and His hands are strong enough and wide enough - gracious enough to heal this wound. you and i must stop seeing people who are different from ourselves as bad and wrong. we cannot continue to single out entire people groups and cast them away from the Father. whether it's people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender; whether it's people who are homeless, black, white, native american, refugee, undocumented citizen, prostitute, pimp, there is nothing that can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8 and Colossians 3 have spoken to me about that...also this passage from 1 John chapter 2: ⁹Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

let us not be blinded by the darkness. let us instead walk in the light and love our neighbor. brothers and sisters, let us love people who are different from ourselves, who believe differently too. i've been humbled and challenged to love and learn from people whose convictions are different from my own...to listen and just sit in a posture of learning.

i've been reading "love is an orientation" by andrew marin. if your heart is piqued for the challenge of stepping out of your comfort zone to love and learn and hear voices from the gay community you should check it out. he talks a LOT about the discomfort he's experienced and how he's being transformed by the love of Christ. i'm encouraged that he's seeking the Kingdom in such a fresh way and isn't listening to the voice of the world, but the voice of his King.

sometimes it can be overwhelming to take the first step into an unknown world - no matter what it is. but i encourage us all to pray for boldness and courage to step...small steps first. pray for the Lord to speak to our hearts and to open our eyes to the hurt that we as individuals (and as a church community) place on people. and from a place of humbleness and studenthood - yes i just made up a cool new word - lets begin seeking Jesus and the restoration He will bring. it's so easy for me to be discouraged, "yet this i call to mind and therefore i have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. for his compassions never fail, they are new every morning." even when i'm blinded by the darkness, the mercy of the Lord does not fail - he is faithful to call me back to the light if only my ears will be open to hear his voice.

laid...

for the record, i have won spelling bees in my youth and still cannot spell the word laid appropriately. they shouldn't give college degrees to people who don't know that layed isn't a word....but they gave me one!

lets go fly a kite

this month i have gallivanted all over the place - kansas, arkansas, chicago, nashville, knoxville, canton, and finally alma, georgia. i've seen and delighted in marriage and mourning, deep belly laughter and gentle tears. i have been inspired by great minds and read from about 10 novels. in all of these journey's, the month has been leading up to this week:

my best friend's wedding.

my cousin ashley is my oldest friend - born three months apart in fact. from the time we were young, we wrote letters to each other and spent summers at the shore, thanksgivings at the fish house. when we were 14, we began working for our uncles in the blueberry farming business.

-oh yes, alma is the blueberry capitol of the south. we've seen each other through a lot of beginnings and some endings too. she was there when i had my first kiss, my first job, my first heart break...the first time i said "i love you" to a boy in my sweet 15 year-old way. i pierced my ears with her, layed in a tanning bed for the first time, and cut my hair short. she was present the first time i remember the Holy Spirit really speaking to me...it is well with my soul. we fought with each other and laughed so hard when we made up. we dreamed together, imagined life together. one time, we decided we would live as neighbors on Johnson's Lake Road, with pretty white houses that had wrap around porches, husbands and lots of babies.

over the years she and i have battled each other, but we've also carried one another to the feet of Jesus. and we've grown up a lot.

this week, we're sleeping in her old room...getting ready in her old bathroom. i can't help but feel like the chapter of our childhood is closing. like at the end of this week, we'll actually be women instead of little girls.

i am unbelievably proud of the woman she's become. as we layed in bed last night, i told her how it's been beautiful to see how Christ is redeeming her story. he is transforming her, renewing her mind. and now he's given her a man to journey with too. she told me last night that God says marriage is good, and has given it as a gift not made for us to enjoy like a birthday present, but to enjoy because it simply glorifies the Lord. by loving her new husband and being covenanted to him, God will be exalted. that makes me hopeful for them.

when i set out to write this post, i actually had intentions of debriefing this new book i'm reading, because i didn't want to be an emotional disaster by thinking about this closing of a chapter. but that's what it is. you know what though? it's the beginning of a chapter too.