All Dressed Up

Sometimes I feel like this little guy. He's all dressed up and ready to take on the world.

I've  been out of college for about 7 months now. I've had a full-time job for about 5 months, and I'm enjoying this new phase of life to the absolute fullest. Sometimes it's scary and I undoubtedly dread every bill that comes in the mail, but I also find great joy and thankfulness when I write the checks that pay my bills. I'm truly blessed more than I deserve and more than I can even comprehend.

Yesterday, December 20th, I bought a car. I traded in my Jeep and I bought myself something a little newer and a little better on gas (YAY). I was beyond excited as I walked into the dealership to sign the papers. I walked in with my head held high ready to sign my name over and over again. I walked in feeling like an adult. I knew that it was a moment that would be a turning point of maturity for me. I was buying a car.

Then it happened. I had to sign something saying that I am at least 19 years old. The guy at the dealership stopped for a second, he looked at me a little closer, and then he said, "Wait, you are at least 19, right?"

Yes, yes, I am. That was not the first, nor will it be the last time someone mistakes me for being younger than I actually am. You know the saying, "All dressed up and no place to go?" Well, I kind of feel like the opposite. I feel like Little Dwight. I'm all dressed up, and I look like I have no where to go...

GO: Beyond Comfort

A little over a month ago I sent a letter to two members of my extended family. This letter was prompted by watching a complete stranger share his testimony and get baptized at church one Sunday evening. I believe it was also prompted by a unrest, or stirring in my soul to that would not subside until I reached out to these two people whom I love dearly.

The letter basically was asking about their salvation. I have grown up around these two individuals, but yet I'd never heard them say anything about salvation, God, being a believer, etc. Other than the occasional update that included involvement at church, God was not a topic that we really had discussed.

For the majority of my life, I always assumed that if someone went to church and was overall a "good" and "decent" person, they were a Christian. Even after I became a believer in 2009, the optimist within me wanted to believe that every smiling face I saw on Sunday mornings I would also spend eternity with. Through various conversations, prayer, and much contemplation, I realized that my thought process on this matter was probably a little backward.

I don't know the theology behind what to assume about someone you see in church, or if we should even assume anything about the state of someone's salvation, but one question I needed answered was this: If I assume that everyone I see at church, or that I know goes to church, is already a believer, am I doing them a disservice by failing to share the gospel with them? The answer I landed on: Yes.

Growing up in a small-ish town in Northwest Florida (or as we like to call it, L.A. which stands for "Lower Alabama"), I was surrounded by a lot of church-goin' people. When I went off to college, I was landed right in the heart of the bible belt in Birmingham, Alabama at a baptist university. I was blessed to attend such a wonderful university, but let's be honest, just about every new student had previously received the most involved superlative from their youth group back home and they were determined to receive the same award from whatever college ministry they got involved in. Honestly, that was one of my favorite things about college, so I'm not bashing it at all, but there is definitely good and bad that come with both of the cultures I've been engrossed in.


It is no secret that the Southeastern region of the United States is full of church-goin', God-lovin' people. The problem is that when we're immersed in such a culture, it's hard to distinguish who is truly a believer and who needs to hear and experience the gospel of Jesus Christ.


Such was the case with the two family members that I sent a letter to. Thankfully, I was able to talk to them in person about all of this about two weeks ago. Walking into a home that I am so familiar with and knowing that there was a very good chance I could thoroughly offend people who are so dear to me was extremely scary. But I just kept reminding myself that it's because they are so dear to me that I knew I couldn't avoid the topic.


As I reflect on this experience, I have zero regret. I still am not necessarily satisfied with the response that I got from my family members, but I did have the opportunity to share my testimony and the truth of the gospel with them.

May you, as a reader, be encouraged to speak truth into people each day. Whether they have believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ or if they have not, speak truth to them. Hopefully, if they already have a relationship with Christ, they will be encouraged and reminded of our mission in this world; if they don't, well, that's why we're here.  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  - Matthew 28:19-20

We are to go.

Go to our families, our friends, our co-workers,  our church members, and even to strangers.

Go to our work place, our communities, our homes, and to the nations.

May your life and mine be for the glory of God.

Where's the Elephant?

I'm certainly not done rambling on about orphans and the church's role in their lives, but I figured I'd take a break from that for a post or two.

Last January there was an event in the Chicago area that was a sort of debate called the Elephant Room. Here's the official description of the Elephant Room:

"The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry. No keynotes. No canned messages. These are “the conversations you never thought you’d hear.” All conversations are moderated by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church"

Back in January, Jason and I really wanted to do the simulcast of this event, but it was too expensive.  Since that time, we've had random conversations here and there and we've watched video clips that we could find on YouTube and the Elephant Room website as we ran across them. 

Over the summer we started talking to some friends about some of these clips, and then we finally decided just to break down and buy the DVD set.  The DVDs came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and we've spent hours watching the sessions, pausing for commentary, rewatch sessions, and pausing to insert our own opinions.  We've watched with a couple of our friends, and that is where my thoughts for this post were born.

Four of us sat in the living room watching one of the sessions (I honestly don't even remember what the topic was) and David Platt, our pastor, made a comment.  He wasn't one of the debaters for that topic, but usually they'll ask the pastors sitting on the "sidelines" to interject their thoughts on a topic throughout the session.

Let me mention before I go any further than in my opinion, Platt kind of sticks out in the context of the Elephant Room.  He doesn't stick out in a bad way, but he's quieter than the other pastors and he doesn't necessarily jump at every opportunity to speak.  He's careful about what he says, and most importantly, he's extremely humble throughout each and every session.

While we were watching this particular sessions, Platt said something which prompted a lot of thought and was kind of a different take on the subject in contrast with what most of the other pastors had been saying.  One of our friends said, "Wow, he's really the elephant in the room."

I'm not sure how he meant this, and honestly, it doesn't really even matter that much (to me the Elephant Room isn't about celebrity pastors, who's podcast sermons I listen to the most, or even about who I identified with more in each session).  But, this comment made me think, "Am I ever the elephant in the room?"

As believers we're called to be different, set apart from the world and set apart from our flesh.  We're called to live for eternity instead of earthly desires.

This is what the trusted Wikipedia says about the expression "Elephant in the room":

"Elephant in the room" is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss. It is based on the idea that an elephant in a room would be impossible to overlook; thus, people in the room who pretend the elephant is not there have chosen to avoid dealing with the looming big issue.

My goal is to be the elephant.  Sometimes Jason will jokingly call me an elephant because I never forget anything that he says (an elephant never forgets).  But after some thought, I truly aim to be an elephant in the room.

I want to be so clothed in Christ that my faith and my salvation cannot go unaddressed.  I want to take risks that people are afraid to take themselves in hopes that it will encourage others to take risks themselves and it will foster discussion about Christ.  I want it to be so impossible to overlook my belief in God's Word that people will feel it His presence looming and it will open up opportunities for me to share the Gospel with them.

Let us not shy away from the Gospel.  Let us not sink into the background and blend into the world.  Let us be set apart and bold.  Let the God's truth be so evident in our lives that we are the elephant in every room.

Serving the Father to the Fatherless - Part Two

Yesterday was Orphan Sunday.  I'm not 100% sure what all that involves, who started it, or who all participates in it, but I thought that part two of my Serving the Father to the Fatherless posts would be relevant to write today. 

I attend a church here in Birmingham that puts more time, money, energy, and effort into serving the fatherless than any other church I have attended.  Granted, I haven't been to a ton of churches, but still I appreciate the emphasis that The Church at Brook Hills puts on the subjects of adoption, orphans, foster care, and serving the fatherless.

Just about a year ago I heard a song written on the subject of adoption by my friend, Mandi Mapes.  She was asked to write the song to go alongside a sermon on this topic by the pastor of our church, David Platt.  Unfortunately, I did not attend this faith-family at the time that this sermon was preached, but I do remember the sermon (or at least the time period that he preached it) very vividly because I was asked to put together a bunch of foster care informational packets while I was an intern at the Children's Homes (see part one).  I remember hearing someone [jokingly] say, "After last Sunday everyone at Brook Hills wants to be a foster parent."

A few paper cuts and about a year and a half later, I finally heard the song that accompanied the sermon that has made an impact on me, and much of our faith-family.  It brought tears to my eyes as I sat in the car last December and listened to the words of this song called, This Love, with my boyfriend Jason. Again, the longing that I have inside me to care for an orphan was touched, and I wanted to talk about it for hours on end.  Fortunately, I had Jason there to listen to me ramble on and on about how I remember when Brook Hills did a big push for families to get involved in foster care and how much I wanted to be a part of that someday.

I realize that not everyone at Brook Hills is involved in serving the fatherless, but I appreciate those who are. As I look around my faith-family, my heart is gladened for the families that I see with children that are not biologically their own. 

In July, our pastor announced that he and his wife, Heather, would be adopting a little girl from China in the late part of 2011.  This will be their second adopted child and third child.  I have heard him ask for prayers for the adoption process over the last year that I have attended Brook Hills because the process to adopt from overseas, and really just in general, can also bring forth a lot of anxiety. angst, and frustration. This past Friday he announced that the Platt family will travel overseas to get their little girl in the next few weeks.

I am ecstatic for David and Heather Platt to adopt a little girl from overseas.  When I first heard that they had finally received word that they would be blessed with a daughter from China, I began to cry tears of joy for the happiness that she will bring into their lives.  Now, as I watch my pastor announce with giddiness to the church that he will be going in upcoming weeks to go get this child and bring her home, I cannot help but praise the sovereign Lord for the gift of adoption.

I am thankful for the example that the Platt family has set.  I truly believe that many of the families that attend Brook Hills would have been involved with foster care and/or adoption because of a calling that God had for them apart from the church they attend.  But I also believe that the example and the vocal challenge that David Platt has given the Church of Brook Hills to pray for orphans, to become a foster parent, or to adopt a child has spurred many families to follow after God's will for them to be involved in foster care and/or adoption.  He's given them an extra little push in that direction, and I couldn't be more thankful for it.  I hope for and look forward to the day that I am blessed enough to be included!

Each week Brook Hills collectively prays for churches and ministries, locally in Birmingham and also globally.  This week we will be praying for the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes as a faith-family.  I urge anyone that reads this to take it upon yourself to join us in that this week.  I pray that Orphan Sunday is not just a Sunday that comes and goes each year.  For families who immerse themselves in the lives of orphans, this is a calling that they live out daily.  We, as God's church, should continually lift up them up in prayer and unite ourselves with them as the Body of Christ. 

We are serving the one true God and he is the Father to the fatherless.

Resources:
Mandi Mapes, This Love
The Church at Brook Hills Podcast from 9/5/09 Faith Loves (on adoption & foster care)
The Church at Brook Hills Podcast from 7/2/11 The Child Yet Unborn (David Platt's announcement of adoption from China)
Orphan Sunday Video by the Christian Alliance for Orphans
Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries website
The Church at Brook Hills Weekly Local Prayer Guide (this week for The Children's Homes)

Serving the Father to the Fatherless - Part One

Disclaimer: I've been thinking about writing this post for a long time so I have a lot to say about this topic and I'm going to have to write it in sections.

I have had a heart for orphans for a really long time.  In fact, I can remember talking to a friend in Starbucks the summer in between high school and college about how someday I would love to adopt.  That summer I was a lost 18-year-old who didn't really know what I wanted out of life.  Almost daily I was faced with the question of what I wanted; did I want Jesus or did I want the pleasures the world had to offer me?  About 90% of the time, I chose the world because it just seemed a lot easier and more comfortable.  But yet, I had this longing to be a mother to a child who did not have a mother, and I had this desire to adopt and care for a child that was not my own.  This was a very biblical picture of grace for someone who didn't even crack open her bible open other than maybe on Sunday and maybe the week of Christmas and Easter.

Fast forward two years...

June 9, 2009 I finally committed my life to Christ.  I finally decided to quit running, let go, die to myself, and live my life for Jesus. I was about to embark on my junior year of college and I was working over 40 hours a week while I was at home for the summer.  One job was an internship that was great experience, but I didn't enjoy it like I wanted to, and the other was in the restaurant industry.  I was saving up to study abroad for a few weeks over JanTerm, so basically everything I made went into savings, and by the end of the summer I was still short a few hundred dollars.  When I returned to Samford for my junior year, I began searching for another internship.  This time I wanted something totally different from what I'd done over the summer.  I wanted to work for a nonprofit.  I wanted to write.  I wanted to make a difference in someones life.  BUT, I needed to make money to for JanTerm.  So I applied for a paid internship at the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes...what a blessing that turned out to be.

Working for the Children's Homes, or ABCH, opened my eyes to the need for people to step up and become a foster parent.  There is such a need, in Alabama, in Jefferson County, and in Birmingham for people just to love kids who don't have anyone else.  Before I worked at ABCH, I knew that there were kids out there who needed a roof over their head, someone to love them and care for them, and someone to share Jesus' love with them, but it wasn't very real to me; it wasn't tangible.  Interning at the Children's Homes made such an impact on my life.  I could literally see that there are children out there who need love, care, attention, and salvation.

I was blessed to be able to write stories about how God had used the Children's Homes to lift someone out of their darkest days (see Susan's Homecoming).  I was able to write about how people were giving of their money and of their life for this cause (see Edith Snider, Lifelong Ambassador). I spoke with people about how this ministry has provided hope for them and even created an interest for the next generation (see LifePrints Cultivates Interest, Appreciation in Heart of Young Fan and Grace Through Restitution) and most importantly how people had come to know Christ through this ministry (see Salvation Story). Since beginning my internship in the Fall of 2009, I have been working pretty consistently with the Children's Homes.

In June of this year I was honored to attend Camp of Champions, which is the annual camp that ABCH holds for all of the kids in care.  ABCH employees put on a VBS-ish curriculum for a couple of days while house parents and foster parents meet.  They also get to swim, play paintball, watch movies, and just have fun together and share in the community of Christ that has been fostered through this ministry.  My job was to take pictures that will be a lifelong reminder of God's sovereignty for these families and the ABCH ministry(see photos here and read Children’s Homes ministers to children, parents through Camp of Champions).  I was humbled to witness the amount of love that God has provided to these children.

As I got into my car to drive back to Birmingham from camp, I was reignited with this longing to provide that same love to a child, or children, someday.  I've been given so much, and not just material possessions and financial stability.  I've been given love, grace, forgiveness, and a multitude of joy.  I have to share it.  We, God's church, have to share it.

In light of yesterday's post...

In light of yesterday's post, I decided to put some action behind the words that I wrote.

I have wanted to rearrange my bedroom for a couple of weeks, but I honestly really didn't want to deal with all the "stuff" I have.  I knew that rearranging would mean that I have to go through some things, throw stuff away, put stuff in piles to give away, and I just wanted to avoid it all.  But last night I buckled down and decided to rearrange, reorganize, and go through all of my stuff.

A couple of realizations:
1) I have a lot of clothes, but I'm good about wearing all of them.  I've given myself until the end of the year.  Whatever I don't wear by the end of the year goes.
2) I have way too many books and DVDs that I'm never going to read or watch again.  I should probably get rid of 90% of those things.
3) Most of my stuff is in really good condition.
4) I have absolutely no clue how I accumulated all of the junk I have.
5) I used to have a shoe collection that could battle Paris Hilton (or some other random celebrity that shops a lot).  I really don't have that many pairs of shoes anymore.  I can't figure out what happened to all of my shoes...?

My night ended with a nicely organized room with much more space, one large bag of trash, one large bag of give-away clothes, and lots of items listed for sale online.  I've decided to sell 90% of my books and DVDs.  I've listed them on half.com, mainly because it's the easiest way I could think to keep up with what I have and what I've sold. 

I'd like to think that I'm doing some sort of "online garage sale".  If you would like to buy something from me, just let me know.  You can make an offer to me directly to me through Twitter, Facebook, or email, or you can buy it from half.com.  Either way works.  All of the money that I make on this stuff will go toward something important (a mission trip, my Compassion International child, or something else along those lines)!

Here's the link to my half.com store: http://shops.half.ebay.com/jessicaleanne850_W0QQ

Frugal vs. Cheap; Saver vs. Spender

There's a big difference between being a "frugal" person and being a "cheap" person.  In my opinion, a frugal person is smart with their money.  They know when to say, "No, I do not need another pair of boots today," and they have savings as a cushion for those just-in-case situations.  On the other hand, a person who is cheap is someone who would never buy the boots, or any shoes for that matter, unless the only other option was to walk around barefoot.

In the last two years or so, I've done a lot of thinking about this frugal vs. cheap topic.  Recently, I was presented with option of two other financial categories to contemplate: Saver vs. Spender. I grew up in a house with parents who were pretty frugal.  My two sisters and I didn't want for much, but my parents were savvy spenders and good with their money.  My dad always had a savings account that had enough in it, and we always seemed to be comfortable.  Every Sunday my Dad would tithe to the church and he and my mom have always had a heart for giving to the less fortunate. Now that I'm on my own and financially responsible for myself, I'm learning that I probably should have appreciated my parents and their good financial sense a lot more than I did while living under their roof.  All of these things, balancing how much to spend, having a heart to give, disciplining myself to save, and knowing how much is enough really just make my head spin.

Even though I had not really prayed for help with this, God is sovereign and he knows what I need.  The church I attend has been going through the book of 1 Timonthy.  After listening to a few sermons from this book on the topic of materialism and then talking through these sermons in small group with friends, I've realized that I have a lot of stuff, and a lot of things I have got to get rid of. I also realized that I don't really know how to do all of those things that I admire my parents so much for, like figuring how how much to spend and disciplinging myself to save.

For the last three weeks or so, I've been pondering a few questions.  I've asked myself, "What excess do I have that I should get rid of?" I've gone through some of my stuff and set aside things I need to sell and give away.  But, usually when I get rid of things, it's fun because it makes room for new things.  I don't want to do that this time, because that would obviously defeat the purpose of reorganizing my mentality on materialism. Which brings forth another question, "Are there things in my life that I could cut out that aren't necessarily material possessions, but that take up a lot of my time, money, and energy?" Yes. The answer to both of these things is definitely "YES!"

The bottom line is that I obviously have things that I need to get rid of, and I obviously have things that I could cut out and save money on.  But why?  Why must I get rid of things that I've already paid for, and why must I cut out things that I spend money on now to save more?  These are the root questions to this whole money topic.  Whether you're someone who is frugal or cheap, or you're someone who enjoys spending or saving, the question for all of us is not, "What can I do better?" or "What do I need to fix?" The question is "Why?"

I've been praying through this, and it's been difficult.  The answer is convicting, and I'm sure there's much more to it that I haven't wanted to even see yet.  But, here's the answer (so far): I must give things away and quit spending as much because I find joy, dependence, and security in the stuff and my money rather than in Christ. Why does Jesus tell a crowd during the Sermon on the Mount not to be anxious about what they will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-33)? Because he calls us to be content.  1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world."

Even though I'm new at all of this I've realized that by my own doing I can be a frugal person and I can spend wisely while saving too.  I can be a giving person. I can be a joyful person and find dependence in my stuff or in my money.  But what would happen if I threw all of that out the window and just found contentment in Christ? What would my life look like then?  What if we all adopted the mentality of contentment in Christ? What would the world look like then?