#unresoluting: An Exhortation to Love for the New Year

Have you ever heard of unschooling? Many parents have begun to radically change the way their children learn and say, "no" to the way their children are learning and to the government's involvement in their child rearing through unschooling. If you want more information check out this link. (This is not a blog to promote that, although I am a huge proponent of homeschooling when you can coupled with using brain-based teaching for your children.)

I want to talk with you today dear sister and brother about #unresoluting. Can we start a new hashtag and verb? This January 1, let's start the trend to NOT start a New Year's resolution. Let's not pick one word for the New Year.

Why?

I'm not advocating for slothiness.

I'm not advocating for apathy.

I'm not saying don't continue to journey on a life of learning.

I am advocating for learning to love where you are. To allow yourself to go back and heal your past. That will catapult you forward like you've never known.  It will allow you to not only see yourself for the gift the Lord created you to be, but the gifts he's given you to give others.

His word says you mean the world to him. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". And "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." He sees us as righteous. 

When we let the healing happen we open up to receive the love of a saviour, the love of others without offense and give abundantly, without expectation, unconditionally.

Choose to #unresolve this 2016 with me.

Then see how your blessings flow. I would love to hear back now when you let go, they stack up. Keep track of when you go back and let go, how the miracles and mercies mount. Let's start a community of encouraging each other.

"He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins." Ephesians 1:7

Because, he has already set you FREE. What are you waiting for? Set yourself free.

"If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

Fame

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. 
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,     
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." Ps. 139: 14-15 (NIV)
 
Whether you are the disheveled, homeless, hidden vet under the bridge or living large Lorenzo Cain of my KC Royals, He knows your name. He knows your pain. We've all felt we were picked last, less than worthy of the choice, goal, task we've undertaken or gifts given. We've felt out of place in the family we're in and the group of friends we have, but He knows.

He gives. In His eyes we are center stage. Famous. Picked for the center role. The main character in a play He has chosen.

You are THE champion for this game of His.
Free.
Forgiven.
Hidden treasure.
Famous in your Father's eyes.

7s and Connectedness//: A Book Review of Counting By 7s by Holly Godlberg Sloan

This book surprised me, although I probably shouldn't have let it. Counting by 7s is a 2015-2016 Mark Twain Nominee recommended for ages 10+, although, I would read it aloud with my family. I am convinced it was written just for me, I'm serious! Holly has captured the heart of foster-care and adoption in telling the story of the main character, who is a quirky, gifted kiddo named Willow struggling to find her place as she becomes a teenager and enters middle school. And as a fellow writer, I love Holly's voice and talent at stringing words together to tell a story.

Now onto why you MUST pick this up at the store or library or download it to your e-reader. I believe there are moral standards that all humanity feels in their being, regardless of culture, race or religion. Throughout our growing up we struggle with it, many of us more than once. We transition through how these standards apply in different seasons of life and what they mean to ourselves and our loved ones, the ones we have charge over. And what do we do with the broken disconnectedness that happens with coming of age in a world that becomes more isolated even though we can "see" everyone's business through our technology-laced world? Holly uses, Willow, the quirky, gifted, isolated, adopted tween-age girl obsessed with the number 7 to explore the multifaceted relationships of humanity and its connectedness in her book, Counting By 7s.

Holly takes it all--loss, dysfunction, isolation, foster-care, adoption, culture, being different, deception, parenting, death and life, and puts it all together to explore the humanity in us all and how we reconcile it to become independent, self-sufficient, resilient people who enjoy life and plow forward.

Willow along with two other teens she meets through a school counselor, and the three main adults in her life take the reader on such journeys to show the meaning of true family and community. They are a picture of how through brokenness and hard work healing and love are possible. When Holly sets a stage of tragedy and loss, as the reader I found myself wondering how she could possibly bring us out of all of the despair. She did and in ways I could not have conjured. This story is one of true American Spirit, Family, and Love that I think many of us forget is still possible and alive in our country.

I can go on about Holly's writing style (which I love), the perspective she chose to write from, and the amazing character development, but what I want to get across is I truly feel this is a book that EVERYONE MUST READ.


In the words of one of the teen characters, Quang-Ha, "I don't want to know how you did it. I want to believe you're magic."

This is the essence of Holly's writing in Counting by 7s. I don't want to know how she did it. I believe it's magic in touching the hearts to open understanding in how we can all grow in connectedness and empathy to each other.

Visit Holly's Counting by 7s page. 

Wildflowers and New Reads

When things finally settle into a rhythm and the Missouri humidity sets in, I feel like I can finally delve into my summer reading list. In this last week I've read three books and I'm ready to start three more. (My current reading list: Counting By 7s by Holly Sloan, Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge, and Still Writing by Dani Shapiro)

Today was also mowing day in our neighborhood. So today, before they cut the beautiful wildflowers on the farmland behind our house, I made a bouquet to set on our patio where I enjoy the songbirds and my quiet time. Where do you like to get away and read, soak up your vitamin D, and what's on your MUST READ list this time of year, or maybe you have a MUST SEE at the theater (live or Hollywood) or a MUST LISTEN to list? I'd love suggestions!

Blessings!
Crystal

Commonplace Exception

In thought this morning as I heard the door open and the low guttural grumble raise from my Eskie’s belly, I just want normal back—but that  thought came and went quickly.  In over ten years of marriage, there has never been a normalcy to our walk together.  Abnormal is normal.  Or maybe I should say having no routine is the routine.  If you know me or have followed via social media, you know I love words. I love to play with how they go together and read how others put words together (as long as they are used to build up and in fun, not to hurt others).  So you shouldn’t be surprised that I absolutely have fallen in love with Amy Poheler and her book, Yes, Please! (And just a side note, Why has it taken me so long to discover improv?  We could have had so much fun in high school and college! But,  I digress) Life is one big improv show. Actors just tag in and out and you decide the script in the moment. There is no normal or abnormal—really.  It’s how you decide to write each scene and let the show play out. 

There is a guide, however.  Because, in every human heart, even when waves tossed the vessel, the love inside finds and calms and calls back the spirit to the Truth of One Creator and Father. He has been with us every step of the way.

EVERY DAY. 

EVERY LOSS.

EVERY GAIN.

you chooose

"Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it." Habakkuk 2:2

That this would even reach one is my prayer today. The great commission is more than preaching the Gospel. It's not changing a person to make them like you, spreading your agenda, pointing out someone's sin. It's LOVE. True love. That a man came to take on our brokenness so we could be set free. He brought a love and reality that really does not fail. Real love takes death and renders it null and void. Do you believe? Jesus departed and went to the Father so you could have power to take death and render it null and void. The replacement for death is real LOVE. Real LOVE releases you from condemnation. It releases you from judgement. It's beyond just the "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," (Mark 16:15). Jesus continued. He promised that when this truth is shared by those who believe in Him, we bring down and unite the Heavens with the creation of earth just as he intended in Eden. We can heal the sick, we can cast out the demons, the brokenness, the hurt and the shame! We can heal! Then the true LOVE overflows. (Mark 16:15-20)

Ask for wisdom, guidance, discernment from Holy Spirit each morning to guide you, to speak LOVE and the truth to the hurting world so that the hearts would be changed.

This brought me into worship this morning.

This will bring you into a softer place to break the chains off.

And this will wrap you into encourage you to a place for the fine life He wants with you!

Happy Saturday!
Blessings!
-Crystal

2015 Word: RECONCILE

A word for revival in 2015 as Light gets brighter and more pure, the darkness of our day gets darker, deeper and becomes a bigger chasm to be lost in. Take back the time, the years you haven't utilized, now!

Each of us has been given a ministry of reconciliation. We are ministers to help bring our brothers and sisters to Love. Not the love preached by our culture of the day, void of Jesus. Because love void of Jesus is an impure love with a mixture of judgement, transgression, darkness and emptiness.

You see, this Gospel of Love being preached with Jesus is the only one in history where God becomes human to take on everything you and I have ever thought about doing or done that contradicted pure Love.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Bible asserts that I am a new creation, because I have faith that Jesus was a man who lived perfectly born of a young virgin, Mary. He came to live and take on my mistakes, so that I could live a life yoked to the man called Love. This reconciliation makes me a bridge builder so that others can access a life of freedom and fulfillment open to all who believe in Him.

Can you accept a charge for 2015 that we should live a life as ambassadors or bridge builders to a life of wholehearted, true Love from the Savior so that our friends and family could know the life afforded them by being a new creation in the birth of the Christ?

2 Corinthians5:17-21 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Get out of your comfort zone. 
And in the words of Rita Springer:

"We prophecy, You'll come to this nation
We prophecy, You'll touch this generation
Awaken the watchmen Lord
Awaken the watchmen God"
Watch and listen: