Everyone Has A Story.

When people ask me to dream, I tell them that my dream is to just love people. And I understand that that doesn't sound like much of a career. Nobody really pays for me to go around and hug people better. But I love people. And that's my dream.

I might could end my post right there, but I'll extrapolate. I love each person individually. (Perhaps not always as much as I should when driving down the road, and they make poor driving maneuvers, but as people and not drivers, I love them.) I love that each person has their own story to tell. From big to little and little to big, each person has a story. What makes me so sad is that most people don't believe in their own story because it isn't the flashy story that lands someone on the front page of magazine. But the truth is, each person's story really could be.

I have had the chance to meet and foster relationships with people from literally all walks of life - from the creme de la creme of society, to people who can't buy food for their family, from young social entrepreneurs, to elderly folks who have retired, from 'Muricans to people who left their country in a hurry and were plunged into American society to folks in other countries whose culture I want to better understand. I love how different each person's story is, but I also love that what ties every single story together is the value of that person as a person and the LOVE that marinades their story. Every person on this earth has basic desires: to be loved fully and unconditionally and to love another(s). Every single person. At the root of all motivation, there is a basis in love - the need for it, the neglect of it, the pursuit of it, the manifestation of it. People are people. Each person has worth and value and needs and love. And each person's story is worth listening to and telling.

I had the extraordinary privilege of sitting down with a young, motivated visionary yesterday and hearing parts of his story. But in his story, I was listening to this same idea rise to the surface. This inspiring rising freshman of Furman University has already done so much. And I love it even more because of how he acknowledges the Father's favor in all of the circumstances. In his early high school years, he came up with a plan to better the food in Greenville County Schools, the "Food Revolution." This and his involvement with student council created opportunities to continue to impact the community on greater and deeper levels. A social entrepreneur and brilliant young man, he has had door after door opened to him, not because he has pounded down the doors and forced his entry but simply because he asked; in some cases, because some woman happened to pass by and ask for her picture to be taken in front of a building. With the mind and passion to pursue change, it's clear that he will literally impact the world. But what will prove to be his most successful asset in the whole thing is that he does not have his eyes on the problem that faces society but the individuals that the problem affects. He doesn't just do volunteer work to improve his own hand, but sits and talks and walks a mile in another mans shoes (literally) to understand the folks that are in the middle of the problem and better understand how the problem can be solved. Furthermore, his heart isn't to just reinvent the wheel or to spoon feed the folks the answer, but to make the people the solution. Not enough fresh food in the community - utilize their talents and skill sets to grow the food, train them in how to sell the food and become micro-entrepreneurs. People are always the solution. You can fix up a broken house - new roof, new foundation, new carpet - but if at the end of the day, the people in the homes are still broken, feel invaluable, feel unloved, are living under addiction, etc... the problem wasn't fixed. It just looks prettier. The solution isn't to fix the home, it's to love and value the people enough to say that they are worth being in the solution.

This think-tank, creative collaborative, social entrepreneurial design is not a particularly novel idea. It's on the rise across the country. As the "social justice" movement leaps to the forefront of our generation, so will (and has) this community development and people growth movement. What gives Mr. Riddle's model an upper hand for even greater success lies in the foundation of His model - the Kingdom. It goes beyond seeing people as projects and communities as puzzles; it looks at people as children who are loved and adored by the Good Father and communities as homes and families. It puts LOVE at the center of the model, not justice. And it speaks to the identity and value of folks, not the capital interest from utilizing them. It takes the time to hear their stories and from them, launch people into their dreams. The limitless extent an individual has when they are told who they are and that they have value and that in Abba's love for them they have hope and future (Jer. 29:11), good plans and great dreams over their lives.

The worst thing society can do to a person is to peg them - to give them an identity that is less than they are because of circumstance or the past. As I've discussed previously (This Little Light of Mine), a person is only responsible to the identity they know, and they will operate out of that identity until they are given a new one. And this broken reality of our world surfaced just the night before I met up with Ben.

I had the honor of driving a friend of mine home from FCA on Thursday night. She is a wonderful and beautiful person, who happens to have a disability of sorts. But she is fully functional, kind, loving, joyful, compassionate, etc... That is really who she is. On our drive to her house, I asked her lots of questions. I wanted to hear more of her story. I wanted to know what makes her tick and what sort of things she loved to do. Like most young people, her summer is filled with days of freedom - going outside, watching TV, sitting on the computer. She told me about her family's trip to New Hampshire last week to see family and go to a wedding. She told me about how in a couple of weeks, she was going to get to go to Charleston and how much she looked forward to going shopping with her mom. She lives on a lake. Her family owns the same kind of speed boat that my family used to. She likes to get dressed up. She loves to be around people. She is great. We talked about Jesus and how much He loves her. How she can hear His voice and His desire to talk to her. I learned a lot about her. Then I felt the press to ask her, "What do you want to be when you grow up? What are your dreams?" Her response broke my heart. Because it is not what a young girl dream of; it's what people have probably told her are "realistic" possibilities. Now she did say she wanted to go to college, which is awesome. But her dream job was a hostess at a restaurant. Wait, what? This great girl, amazing person who was made in the image of God and is loved and treasured and adored, has capped her dreams at a hostess. Her value reaches beyond that. Not that being a hostess is any sort of issue. I spent 3.5 years of my life as a hostess, but the dreams can't stop there.

The contrast between the young entrepreneur and beautiful young girl is striking: the one who has been told that he has no limits is living a boundless life of a visionary with the drive to implement huge dreams and the one who has been told that the value mark is only that up to a hostess has dreams that are cap and the potential to go beyond that has ceased because there is no vision to inspire a drive that would reach for the stars. If you look at each individual's story you see a life marked by love. Both are greatly loved and love greatly. Both are going places and meeting people and living this same thing called life. Both have a story. Both have a future. And while one may end up on a magazine cover, and the other only 50 people ever hear, both are worth hearing. Both are worth investing in. Without the one, the other will not grow. The young man cannot change a community and not invest in the people of it. The young girl cannot remove the cap of dreaming and grow and influence her community without somebody to unscrew the cap and cherish her and build her up.

So my dream is to love people. It's to sit with people from all over the place and hear their story. That is my heart for people. That people just like these two would have the chance for their story to be heard and appreciated and told. That a person's story would go beyond what they have done and gets down to who they are. So I love people. I love to love them. I love to learn them. I love to be surrounded by them all the time. I love to build them up and unlock dreams. I love to move beyond what the world sees on paper and get to their heart. Because they are really all about love. And the way they act and are is a reflection of the love they have experienced in their life. Everyone has a story. My dream is to be a story-hearer. My dream is to be a story-facilitator. My dream is to be a storyteller.

I've Passed the Point of No Return.

It is incredible to watch and be a part of what the Lord is doing and encountering Him. And that is what is most remarkable - I get to be a part of what He is doing right now. Around City Church, we have been calling and declaring 2012 as the year of testimony. Chad Norris spoke today for the last official Sunday of Crossroad Community Church before everything changes over to City Church next week. As he spoke, Chad discussed how although the Lord can do anything He wants to, He desires to do it with us and will do it through the people who say yes to Him, even if they feel like average Joe's - that's all the Lord has. He spoke about how we have to value courage more than competency because Jesus does. He'll give you a thin window to jump through, and in those moments, it is about taking the jump and going for the window, not about how well you execute it. David had to throw the stones at Goliath; they didn't come streaming from heaven. Likewise, if we want to see and be a part of what the Father is doing, we have to pick up the stones and throw them to take down the Goliaths in our lives. Chad further spoke of how Jesus was not just a good teacher but a demonstrator and said that "the days of proclamation without demonstration are over." The people who put in the work and the time are the ones who have the testimonies. It's not legalism. When you are in love, you want to be with that person all the time and do anything for them. So as you press in, you get more - more revelation, more encounter, more testimonies.

Saying, "Yes, Lord. Here I am. Send me." And then watching what He does with you.

This morning, I sat in church with an awesome testimony of healing or encounter for everyday this week. I could actually say that that has been true for the last two weeks, that I can clearly recall. I asked the Lord about how I could share them, because they only continue to bring Him glory if they are shared and when they are shared, they open the chance for those who hear the testimony to receive it for themselves and encounter the Lord. I struggled with the notion of walking with them and not wanting to just be this person that has something to say all the time, but to share it in a way that reflects simply Isaiah 6:8 and what follows those words. I felt the Lord say that I have this blog that is designed to share that story exactly. It has been purposed for this from the beginning, so I can post the testimonies right here and continue to bring Him His due glory for what He is doing and desires to do here in South Carolina or wherever the Wind may take me down the road. With that then, my posts should be more frequent, depending on my schedule, but will be increasingly more testimonies over simply words that hold meaning but lack some demonstration. My new expectation, as set by precedents of these last few weeks and testimonies I have heard, is to have a testimony at the end of each day - at least one.

This reality will only be possible through time with the Father, living surrendered to Him, and because each day, I have to continue to say, "Yes, Lord. Here I am. Send me." On any given day, I can not say that and then in a correlating fashion not see the testimony. But here I am, out of my cage, never looking back and freely flying. I am passed the point of no return. I will not go through a day without an encounter; it's too late for that. Here I am, Lord. Send me.

How great the Father's faithfulness,

How extravagant His love,

His providence is abundance,

His favor unceasing,

His peace leads me through chaos,

Rest never far from those who draw near Him.

Stand in awe and

Rejoice in His goodness and grace!

My soul rejoices and sings and exclaims. What an incredible week. So filled with worship, blessing and family. Each day has built upon the previous, growing, reaching, seeking, dreaming and embracing truth - casting aside mentalities that limit how far I dream. No day has passed without a real encounter with the Father and His love. The blessings of walking in truth immediately followed opening my heart and trusting in Him, in believing the truths He was speaking into my heart. Another puzzle piece fell into place for what the Father has for me, or at least has started to, and gosh, I am excited. The desires of my heart coming into fruition. Foundations being laid. Destinies and plans about to unravel before my eyes. I am floored as I sit here and consider, I mean in faith consider, all that the Lord is about to do and is doing. Hallelujah! Praise Him all the earth!

My Daddy Loves Me

You called me beautiful long ago.
You set significance in my heart when I was three.
You told me to reach for the stars
     and they would be mine.
You gave me a voice that carries far and wide
     and a heart that loves deeply.
You gave me family before I knew what it was.
You give me wisdom beyond my experiences and my years.
You lavish blessing after blessing on me,
     the apple of your eye.
You never let me settle for less than the
     best you have for me.
You gave me faith the size of a mustard seed
     and grew it to bigger than I could realize for years.
You share with me the mystery of your plans.
You love me extravagantly when I deserve my tears.
You gave me a memory that never forgets
     so that I may always remember your blessings and promises.
You taught me Your name before I will ever understand my own.
You gave me dreams and rest before I ever realized their value.
You gave me grace before I ever knew I needed it.
You treasured me long before I ever treasured myself.
You set me apart as Yours alone before anyone else could try to claim.
You kept me pure before I desired purity myself.
You gave me feet that danced to a song different from what
     any ears had heard long before it was the cool thing to do.
You gave me joy before I learned it was more than just happy.
You gave me hope before the world could share its poverty.
You gave me identity long before I learned who I am and walked in it.
You cared for me every time I climbed up into Your arms, my Refuge.
You've made me perfect for my destiny
     before I get to see the whole puzzle.
You've made me perfect to fill a part of your heart
     that never existed before.
You made me perfect and you like me.
You made me perfect and you love me.

Modern Day Passover Reflections

Two years ago today marks the day everything I knew changed. I am now in the middle of my own form of a "Passover," it started on Thursday and ends this coming Thursday officially. I forgot about it until I laid down to sleep on Thursday night and the Lord kindly reminded me. I have been trying to be intentional in these days to be reflective, because there is so much value in taking the time to really reflect. The Lord makes this clear throughout the Old Testament through the feasts and celebrations He calls Israel to observe in memory of who He is and what He has done.

For me though today... today, November 14th, was the day that the Father told me to come to Clemson. For those who don't know the whole story, it can be found here or feel free to ask me sometime. But in many ways it was the day that all of my theology changed and at the same time just collided into what it always was and was supposed to be. It marks the day when my faith looked like something. A defining moment as to whether or not I would move when He told me to and do whatever He asks of me. The day when my faith became something to walk in and not just stand in. It's in this reflection when I sit and wonder at all the Lord has done in my life in the last two years, simply because I said yes. It's a reflection that comes down to the heart of Isaiah 6:8. Of the season that led me to the point where I would say yes.

I love that reflection of the past brings hope for the future. Deuteronomy 8 reflects this:

¹ Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. ² Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. ⁶ Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ⁷ For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

I love that in the memory is the promise - remember this because this is what the Lord is doing and what He has promised. I love that as the Lord lives outside of time, any "tense" of Him always points to and aligns with another tense. The "Lord of the past," or what He has done, points to Lord of the future and the Lord of the present. The "Lord of the present," or what He is doing, reflects both the Lord of the past and the future. The "Lord of the future," or what He will do and/or has planned, points to both the past and the present. So as I spend these days in reflection of what the Lord did in those 7 days two years ago and has done in the two years since then, it brings me joy in what He is doing today and brings me exuberant amounts of hope for what He has planned for me and what is to come in the future.

New Season, New Blog, Same Purpose

Isaiah 6:8 -
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'
And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

The Lord is so good. He is so faithful. And He has so much good for me to experience. He has recently brought me into a new season that has been a little bit like gold mining - sifting through parts of me and getting rid of the things that He does not have for me while at the same time finding true treasures of what He does have for me and how He sees me and who He has made me to be. So this blog is beginning as an honorary marker of this new season. The title of the blog is "Isaiah 6:8 Living," which has the same meaning and purpose as my old blog - going wherever the Lord sends me and doing whatever He has for me and loving everybody He puts me in contact with. I just desire to record who the Father is, what He is doing in my life, what He is doing in others' lives, what the Kingdom is, what love looks like, and share the amazing journey and life the Lord has for me, even in the times when I might not understand but know and do choose Him anyways. Or you know, a random thought or funny story in general. Just life in whatever form best fits the occasion.

So that's the dealio. Gosh, I love new seasons. In fact, season changes are always my favorite times of year. I don't know that I love just one season... well actually, I really do love fall a lot, but I LOVE when the season change comes. From the beauty of the colors of fall and the sweatshirt weather and football season to the first couple snowfalls of winter and the fires in fireplaces and hot chocolate and Christmas to the first budding leaves and blooming flowers of spring with the warmer breezes and sunny days and spring rains to the first warm day by or on some water (lake, pool, river, etc...) of summer and classes ending and outdoor adventures picking back up. I really love season changes and all the hope of the new and various things that those changes equate to. I love that the Father gave me a heart that loves change and does well with it. I love that He gave me a heart for season changes so that I don't scorn the change but embrace it for all that it means. And I have a feeling that this season I am beginning to walk into is just going to be ridiculously amazing. So huzzah for the fall to holiday season commencing! Hooray for jeans and sweatshirt weather! Holy moley for just registering for my final semester of college! And hallelujah that all of this is in the Lord's hands and time! Until I have a moment to share some more good stuff of what Papa is up to (because He definitely is up to some things), be blessed; walk in His peace; and dream wildly with Him.

Peace and grace,

Chels