Responding To: "Using our Gifts as our Gifts back to God"

The other day I saw a post about how are talents are a gift from God and that what we do with them are our gifts back. I've heard this sentiment before and it seems easy enough and nice enough but it somehow never sits right with me because I keep hearing "or who has given a gift to him that might be repaid." (Romans 11:35) 

This morning it hit me why that sentiment didn't sit right with me. We talk about how God gives us gifts and how the ultimate gift is his Son but what we forget is that it's no longer a gift if we try to repay Him. "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due." (Romans 4:4) So it's like we are try regift it or earn it.  But life in Christ means we are already His, so that means the gifts are already His, then how are we to give back or repay what already belongs to Him, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand..." Ephesians 2:10. The point is you definitely can't give them back or repay them.

So what are we to do with our gifts from God if not give them back? 

"....That we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) How happy is the child who plays on their new swing set; are they sitting around thinking about how it will benefit their parents? No! They are enjoying it to the fullest and thanking their parents for it. And with their parents help, they reach heights on that swing higher than they could've ever imagined or done on their own.  They are excited to share them with their friends and say "Look at what my parents gave me and look how high I go when they push me!" That's how it is with God. We are all given gifts, but their design is to be propelled by God taking us to heights we could never imagine or reach on our own. He delights in us singing out "higher Daddy, higher!" And how will people know how great our Daddy is if we don't share our gift? 

Also, as the giver He knows how the swing works best and what would hurt us. He lays out careful instruction and if we do not pay attention we will fall out and hurt ourselves or get tangled up in the chains. We just have to stop trying to show God how we think it works or how we know a trick that He should learn, and we have to trust God with our lives.  He will be there with us, showing us how to swing and there to push and catch us.  Yes the purpose of the gift is the common good but how can one ever reach it's fullest practice if we are trying to put a down payment or prove something? If we would just humble ourselves, listen and not try to turn around and kick away His hands to do it on our own, we would achieve so much more. Because if we seek our own glory and own way of giving back to God, then no matter how hard we swing our legs back and forth or whatever tricks we come up with, we are not going to be able to do it right or to the fullest without God.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

What’s in A Name

Call me an outcast

Call me a loser

Call me radical

Call me a freak

Call me closed minded

Call me a goody goody

Call me a sinner

Call me crazy
Call me unusual

Call me old fashioned

Call me weird
Call me a fanatic

But in that same breath 

Call me different
Call me loved

Call me joyful

Call me chosen

Call me determined

Call me purposeful

Call me devoted
Call me changed

Call me encouraging

Call me hopeful

Call me redeemed

Call me empowered

Call me saved
Call me forgiven


Call me a Christian

Photo By: Paulus NR, http://www.123rf.com/photo_15193306_a-man-making-a-confession-to-the-cross-shot-under-dawn-sky.html

Live from London: What I've Learned Part 1

  Again sorry this post is a little later than expected.  It's kind of crazy around here and honestly I've been choosing Scripture memory over everything else.

I've learned many things this summer and ill try to sum it up in one post.  If you want a more detailed description feel free to ask for another post or see me in person.

First off I learned that customs is crazy.  We were detained on the way in for saying the word volunteer, but by the grace of God we made it in and were to able to carry on with our summer. Secondly you have to be quick getting on the tube because the door shut on one of the girls the first day and we almost left without her; again by the grace of God someone saw and was able to open the door.  Now I say these things cause they are kind of funny to look back on but there is another lesson here, that God is sovereign over even the little things you don't think about. Planning this trip we didn't think about getting detained or almost losing someone on the first day, but it almost happened and it shows how God is perfectly weaving everything together.

This summer has also been a revolutionary one for my concept of community.  Now I've always known the importance of community and how to love people and they pray and support me, but honestly this past year I have been struggling with my campus community.  I didn't feel like I belonged in Campus Outreach anymore, that no one really cared about me because no one really came to see me or hung out like everyone else did (well it seemed that way to me).  This was all just lies that the devil was using against me, but I stuck it out knowing they were all lies and just hoping and praying and knowing that God would one day reveal to me his sovereignty over community.  This summer he helped to show me that I have an all inclusive heart. What this means is that I want everyone to be included and feel welcomed and loved.  While this is a good thing I was also turning it around and expecting everyone in my community to be the same way.  I was relying way too much on returned love than on God because I was pouring out love and not really feeling the love I expected in return.  John 13:34-35 talks of how we are to love each other because of how Jesus has loved us. ; it doesn't say love someone and if they don't love you the way you expected then you don't belong, it says love because I have loved you.  The point of community is to pour out love in fellowship and not expect it in return, but since Christ is in them it is often returned.

Realizing how long this is I'm going to post a part 2 to what I've learned tomorrow.
Take care friends, thanks for your prayers, your love and support.

Love God and Love the world
Madison

Live from London: What's being done

Hello to whoever reads this! I do apologize for not updating you all on my trip more regularly, but I am alive and so is Jesus! I'm going to break up what's been happening into a few different posts and post one per night for however many parts I end up making.  Tonight's topic, what's been done.Alright so London itself a very posh and beautiful city and yes as it was to be expected its Spirituality is low.  The heart breaking thing is that it is worse than expected.  In my mind I kind of equated London to New York City and unfortunately that is not the case.  Just the other day we learned some stats about Europe as a continent and the percentage of Evangelical Christians is around 1.5%-2%.  That is the lowest even after Africa and Malaysia.  Europe is now the Dark Continent.

The good thing about London is the amount of people here (counter-thought to my country roots). Anyways, we literally meet people from all over the world when we step outside our doors.  We have talked to people who are considered to be unreached people groups every time we go to the streets.  One woman termed it the city of accents because there are so many languages spoken here.

So now that you have a little updated information Ill let you know what exactly I've been doing.  I have been living with students from all over the world helping out with two different church plants.  The church plant I have been helping in particular is a Turkish church plant called Yeni Yasam (Yin-ee Yah-sha-m). I've helped with Sunday School, preparing Turkish tea for tea time afterwards, cleaning, etc.  All of this logistical stuff is on Sunday.

During the week is a little bit different.  Some days we go out on popular North London areas to set up book tables with books and handout tracts of all different languages and try to have conversations to get people thinking about the Gospel. With each thing we hand out we make sure to have an address of the local church we go to in the mornings and to Turkish church if a Turkish speaking person is interested.  The other days we are just learning more about the people of London.  I have a deeper understanding of Muslims and what there religion is as well as Hindus and Agnostics and atheists.

These past two weeks were a little more intense than usual during this time called outreach.  We actually lived in the church itself in order to better focus on that community for two weeks (normally we live 45 min away).  Another side note this is why there is such a late update because there really wasnt internet access. We were able to have more book table opportunities and help out with the church.

This post is mostly logistics for those of you who want to know what I've been doing. (I promise my supporters I'm not here on vacation haha). God has really taught me a lot through this and has just grown me so much and has guided every step of this process.  This post ill leave off on just logistics but to see what God has been doing in me personally tune in tomorrow.

From London with Love
Madison

Reflections: Becoming a Christian

Photo by Bernat Casero from flikr

So the process of preparing for my mission trip to London has been really awesome!  I have been through ups and downs that I did not even imagine when I first signed on; and God has revealed himself in every part of it.

One of the cool things that I have been able to do is reflect on where I have come from and what I have learned in order to be at this point in my life.  Through all the lessons and all the people that have influenced me, its amazing to realize how God has been so sovereign over it all.  The best place to start in reflections I guess would be when I first surrendered my life to Christ.

I became a Christian at a very young age, 7 years old.  It was at the church I grew up in, the First Baptist Church of Mount Holly, NC.  7 is young I know and honestly I have struggled with the age that I became a Christian, but God has been sovereign through it all by showing how He revealed Himself to me then and revealing my faith from that age.  It was when I was first encountered with the concept of how Jesus took on the physical beatings by whips, the crown of thorns, the sour sponge in his mouth, the humiliation of taking His clothes, being mocked, having to carry His own cross, being nailed to it with by His hands and feet, and ultimately

Picture From FBC of Lakewood

dying in front of a crowd of spectators.  In my mind that was bad enough but then my Sunday school teachers included the most important part, I deserved all of that. I deserved every bit of it and deserved to suffer, to die and go to hell (an eternity apart from God) and that Jesus took on the physical torments and the sins, all to set me free; he conquered death for me.  I remember thinking 'why would He do such a thing' and they said ‘simply out of love for us.’  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16  God bestowed on me wisdom that day to realize that He loved me so much to do all this, how in the world could I not love Him back?

It hasn’t been all roses and sunshine since that day, thats for sure. John 16:33 is true in saying: “I have said these things so that you may have peace.  In this world you will face tribulation, but take heart for I have overcome the world!”  I have struggled with acceptance, anger, lust, doubt, greed, rebellion, jealousy, fear, anxiety, status, pride, self-esteem etc.  I could go on and on, but the important thing has been this, my life is not my own and though I cry, I scream and I turn my eyes away, God calls me back to Him. God shows me where I have wronged, that I am already covered by grace and how to turn back and repent from that wrong-doing.  In this I get to go back to the one person who is constant and gives eternal joy, God.   How cool is that?!

‘Christ on the Cross’ picture form LifeWay

In addition being a part of His kingdom, Matthew 28 tells me I also get to be a part of how He extends His kingdom.  He blesses me by using me and allowing me to see Him work in others, and I get to see that in another country!  Its because He has redeemed me that I am able to go to London this summer to share the Gospel.

I pray and hope that if you are reading this that God is your joy and fulfillment and not just a get out of hell free card. Also, that living out the Christian life is not about perfection but about redemption, repentance and adherence to the Word.

Trading in our lives and going out following Him.


In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10

And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 
Luke 14:22-23

Behind the Fog

Alright alright so its time to get down to it.

Today’s inspiration:

    “Simon says 'pat your head', we pat our heads.

         Jesus says, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,’

    we memorize that verse.”

-Francis Chan

This popped up on my facebook just an hour ago (see wasting time on the internet isn’t all bad)

and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.  How in the world are we more obedient to a game than we are our Savior? I ask this and yet I am the biggest failure in following this out.

Let me start by what I’ve been called to do this summer, and that is go to London on missions.  Now when you hear mission to London, don’t lie to yourself you say “oh that’s great and sounds fun, but why does London need missions?  It is after all one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in the world and has a history of Christianity.”  

I’m going to be honest with you, when I was first challenged to London I felt pure joy (that was the Spirit) and then as it began to set in I thought of it as the ‘lesser’ challenge since it is an established and open place.  That being on a team rather than leading a team was somehow less, that I was insufficient and not good enough. Were they just shipping me off to where it was easy so I couldn’t mess things up?

Man was I missing the point.

I was trying to plan out my future in the steps that I thought were necessary to get there: go on project 3 summers in a row, disciple, disciple leader, team leader. When you are asked to do those things you are definitely someone important.  Matthew 28:18-20 I had memorized, but I had chosen the nation I wanted to go to. 

Blog:My God Is Personal by Sheri Edwards

In that entire planning where in the freaking world was God in it? There was a lot of ‘I’ in there but not trusting God. The verse Francis Chan is referring to is Matthew 28:18-20 and I forgot the beginning of verse 18 as do a lot of us. “And Jesus came and said to them ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’  My authority was shot, my control gone and realizing how selfish I had been in my planning.  It was Jesus’s authority that sent me oversees not my own to keep me here, it is Jesus’s authority that decides my future job and it is Jesus who is going to get it all done and get me there.

With this renewed mindset I'm following God whole heartedly to London.  I was excited before about the place itself but now I’m excited to have God reveal to me the need there more and more each day and how I get to be exposed to it and be a light to it for an extended period of time.  How many people get to go out in faith like this?
And it gets me thinking, what else have I memorized but have not yet mobilized?
As I dive into my sins on that last note hopefully you can ask the same thing for yourself and realize you were redeemed for a purpose and empowered to do it by the authority of Christ.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21

Intro

So this blog is mostly going to have posts on what God is teaching me and where He is leading me. Its called "Trading in, Going out" because I’ve been learning  about trading my dreams in for His and how that leads me to go out and tell the world.  So if you are reading this hopefully you learn something you need to trade in and can asks questions about where to next.  I promise to be brutally honest about myself and answer any questions that you all have.

Matthew 28:18-20