Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Faithful Blogging

There are always days when I struggle about what to write on .Redeemed. I always want to give you fresh, biblical content. But, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can't come up with anything. Today, I will be using a prompt from Faithful Bloggers. You can find my blog, and many other Christian blogs in their directory.


Faithful Blogging Prompt #67 -
Who has been the greatest influence in your spiritual life?
 
I had no trouble coming up with an answer for this question.  The answer comes to me so quickly.  Mrs. Lockridge has been the greatest influence in my spiritual life.  Mrs. Lockridge is my best friend's mom.  Victoria and I met at a playdate when I was six and she was four.  I never thought I'd still be friends with her!  Mrs. Lockridge took me in like a second daughter.  She has always introduced me to everyone as her "adopted" daughter.  I'm so thankful for all of the love she has given me over the years.
 
I spent a lot of time in Aiken, South Carolina with my grandparents as a child.  The Lockridge's were neighbors with my grandparents.  Whenever I was in town, Mrs. Lockridge made sure that I went to church with them.  I may have spent the night with them on Saturday, or she would swing by before church, either way, she always made sure I was with her.  If I didn't pack church clothes, she made sure I had something to wear!
 
See, no one in my family goes to church.  I've gone to church with my family three times in my entire life.  And, those three times happened in the last three years.
 
Mrs. Lockridge laid the spiritual foundation in my life.  I wouldn't be where I am in my walk with Christ without the lengths that Mrs. Lockridge went for me.  We prayed at every meal at their house.  I'll never forget what Sunday's with the Lockridge's were like.  We woke up and went to church, Sunday School, Kroger, Victoria and I would play and come down in time for a delicious Sunday dinner. 
 
Pinned ImageIt's much more than the fact that she made sure I went to church when I was in town.  She taught me the importance of praying at every meal, the importance of bringing others to church, reading my Bible and loving others as Christ has loved us.  Something about the fact that she considers me her "adopted" daughter just warms my heart.  She didn't have to love me or take me in, but she did.  That's the kind of love that we should show everyone in our lives. 
 
I've probably never told her this, but I am so thankful for her commitment to seeing me grow in Christ.  My walk with Chris would not be where it is without her influence in my life.
 
 
Who has been your greatest spiritual influence?  What steps are you taking to be someones greatest spiritual influence?

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wrecked Pt. 2

Yesterday, I told you about an opportunity that God put into my hands, that I immediately walked away from.  Today, I'm going to tell you about what happened shortly after I walked away from this opportunity.

I went to church that Sunday on a mission to make sure everyone knew that I did not want to step into this position, I was only doing it because my servants heart.  But, my servants heart was only going to serve until someone else qualified came around.  I was successful in my mission.  When I left that Sunday, everyone knew that I was not interested in stepping away from my role in eKidz to serve in this Volunteer Boot Camp role.

I was rethinking my actions and realized how I resembled a thirteen year old spoiled brat.  I was walking around figuratively stomping my feet about this opportunity.  When in actuality, it was a high honor that I would be asked to take this position.  My associate campus pastor took time out of his Saturday to call me and ask me to take this position on.  He said that he was looking for someone to set the bar high, and I was that person.

This is about that time that God began to slap me across my face.

 
 
I realized that I was making a bigger deal about the fact that it was something that I wasn't interested in.  I wasn't at all acknowledging the fact that it isn't always going to be about me.  But, it will always be about God's greater good.  It will always be about growing the Kingdom of Heaven.  I've been offered a unique opportunity to have a hands on part of getting people plugged into the great movement of God that is Elevation Church.
 
As soon as I made this realization, I was wrecked.  I had made a fool of myself in front of several people who I look up to.  I had embarrassed myself.  The moment I had a fresh mindset, I began to get pumped about this role.  I can't wait to be a part of the launch of this new program at Elevation - Uptown.
 
 
What opportunity has God given you the unique opportunity to do something great in and through, and you walked away from?  How can you reevaluate this great opportunity?

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Wrecked Pt. 1

Has God ever brought an opportunity to you and you instantly rejected?  It was outside of your comfort zone or too inconvenient.  You probably didn't spend anytime in prayer seeking God's provision on this opportunity.  You just turned it down and walked away immediately.  We've all done it...  I've been doing it the last few weeks.

To give you a quick back story... To become a volunteer at Elevation Church, you go through an Elevation style volunteer orientation.  You learn about the history of Elevation, The Code, The One Day Principle, the various areas you can serve in and many other things.  This 'orientation' is going through a revamping.  It's been called a First Experience.  Now, we are rolling out Volunteer Boot Camp.  It's an exciting change, really enforces the importance of being a part of Elevation Church.

I've been involved in the First Experience process since September of last year.  As the First Experience changes to Volunteer Boot Camp, my role is changing a little bit.  I have been asked to step into a role at Volunteer Boot Camp that will result in me moving away from eKidz.

Last week, the Uptown Associate Campus Pastor called me to ask me to step into the role of eKidz Boot Camp Coordinator.  He was looking for someone to set the bar high for eKidz and knew that I was the person for the position.  I immediately told him that I would do it, but only because there wasn't anyone else.  I proceeded to tell him that I would be actively searching for someone because I wasn't interested in moving away from my roole in eKidz.

God brought an opportunity to me and I instantly rejected it.  It was outside of my comfort zone and a little inconvenient.  I didn't spend anytime in prayer seeking God's provision on this opportunity.  I turned it down and walked away immediately.  We've all done it... I've been doing it the last few weeks. 

On Thursday, I'll post about how God wrecked me. 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Munching Monday

Updates Are Available
 
Elevation Church started a series this weekend titled "Ghost Stories, A Not-So-Spooky Series on the Holy Spirit".  Pastor Steven opened this series with a powerful word from God on what the update that is the Holy Spirit.  See, in Exodus 32, Moses brought the law.  In Acts 2, we were sent the Holy Spirit to take Jesus' place on Earth.  The law was updated to the Holy Spirit.
 
The most important skill is learning how to listen to the Holy Spirit in every day life.
 
The greatest moments are when I receive an impression from the Holy Spirit.
 
The Holy Spirit knows the ways of God.  The Spirit in me allows me to know the ways of the Lord.
 
 
Love what you just read? Want to hear more? The entire message can be found for free at 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00 (AM & PM) here, or you can download the podcast for free!


What I am munching on...
First and foremost, I am so thankful that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be my liaison between me and my Heavenly Father.  Because of the Holy Spirit in me, I am able to feel the Lord in my life, and know when to act on something.  The Holy Spirit is my conscious, reminding me not to do things that are wrong.  When I feel the Holy Spirit move in my life, I move.

A few weeks ago, I was discussing burning plows with my eStudents.  One kept mentioning 'burning' Netflix from her life because it was keeping her stuck in the lesser loser life and from living a Greater life.  But, she was very hesitant to act on the call to action.  As I was walking out of the room, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to challenge her to give up Netflix for one month.  Next thing you know, I was giving up Netflix with her as an accountability partner.

The Holy Spirit lives in each of us.  Learning to feel the Holy Spirit is something every believer needs to do. 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

What are You Chasing?

Pinned ImageHave you ever found yourself chasing an opportunity?  Maybe a job that seems perfect, a boy that is cute, a girl that is gorgeous?  I think we've all chased something one time another.  More often than not, the thing that we are chasing are wrong things.
 
Those who chase fantasies have no sense.
 
I've spent time over the last few months re-evaluating things I had been doing, plans I had set for myself and what I was doing with my life.  I spent a lot of time in prayer, asking God to reveal to me what I needed to change about myself.
 
You're chasing opportunities, Keirstin.  You aren't seeking My best for you. 
 
Well, to say that hit with anything less than a ton of bricks would be a lie.  I was running after things that I put in my own plans, not after what God was writing for my story.  God has an amazing plan for my life, and I was selling myself short.  The moment I realized that I was chasing the wrong opportunities, I stopped and began to seek God's guidance on the opportunities I should be chasing. 
 
God has a greater plan for your life than you could ever imagine.  God wants to do something amazing in your life, but He can't if you are chasing after your own opportunities. 
 
 
What opportunities in your life do you need to stop chasing to give God room to work?