Fearless Abandon

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 

Today while I was reading in the One Year Book of Hope (Nancy Guthrie) I was struck by a sentence or two. Like UPSIDE THE HEAD struck. It’s one of those times you think, “Wait, I know I’ve heard that before…or read that before…but…how did I not understand it until now??”

The light has gone on for me, for many reasons: the things I am learning about God since our recent family trauma, the ways that God has been waking my heart up by His grace in the last 10 months, and this whole Fearless Experiment trek of our dear friend, Lindsay.

Saying “yes” to God and trusting him in teeny and extravagant ways is something that’s been going on a lot around here. I am so grateful to be able to witness it (and experience it) because of Linz & co.’s transparency and letting others in on the changes happening, it’s beautiful! It’s just the beginning. Can you see how the fire of one person can help fuel and ignite the fire of many others?

God is changing us, helping us to experience fearless abandon. We say yes to Him and then leave the results to Him. It’s simple sounding, yet sometimes hard to do. I finally pulled the trigger on Sunday to build a little blog for moms (moms who ache) of prodigal, ill, or jailed children. I was SO AFRAID. I knew that God wanted me to, though. With a little fearless (or wreckless) abandon, I just stopped asking all the questions and set aside my pride, too. Some people do see moms like me as the leprous underbelly of society…or so my mind keeps trying to tell me. God knows me, though, and He created me to be more than a fearful follower.

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Sam 15:22 

To OBEY is better than any sacrifice. I’m learning so much more about what that really means. We don’t sacrifice animals today, but we can sacrifice time and resources to help others. Sometimes our sacrifice stems from obedience. Some things are easier than others to sacrifice. 

Basically, saying yes to God, when He asks us to do something is far greater than the other things we may do-good things-for Him. 

Like, if we ask one of our kids to please load the dishwasher because the kitchen is a mess and we’re about to have company and you need to run to the store…and instead she organizes her closet, vacuums her room, or sifts through drawers to find items to donate to the needy. She is doing great things, yet, not done the thing we needed her to do. We will be disappointed (or freaking out). What she’s done is really nice, but not what we needed from her.

How do we know what we’re supposed to do or what God wants from us? I believe it’s the Holy Spirit in us and by purposefully seeking God every day. We have His Holy Spirit within us!!! That is amazing! Other world religions, from all I know, are about following tenants…on your own. Our one, true God lives within us! That hit me upside my head this morning and I feel like I should have the boldness of a superhero! How often I doubt and cower like Clark Kent…meek and mild mannered. Where is my boldness? There is nothing I cannot do that He asks me to!

Christ lives in me!!! This flabby body is the container for God’s greatness on earth!!! Wow, it just really soaked in. I’ve known it for over 25 years, why has it taken so long for me to believe it and start acting like it?? I feel fearlessly abandoned…I am weak, but He is strong! Through Him I can do whatever He asks of me…GREAT things! His Spirit lives through us, so our gross human nature can die and we can live an entirely new way. What a gift. Why, oh why have I spent so much time trying to do it on my own?

It’s incredible that the God of the universe wants to use US in His plans to change the world. We are modern day disciples, spreading the truth of who He is! We can be fearless, for real! 

I see so many incredible women around me, catching this fire for obedience. Saying yes to God can change our lives! It can change the lives of anyone around us. It is transformational and all around this valley, women are emerging from cocoons and taking flight. It’s a wonderful thing to see and I say THANK YOU to each of you “Yes Sayers”! You matter. What you say yes to matters. Fearlessness is contagious! Let’s ignite a firestorm so that others can see Christ more clearly!

"Ladies....Calling the Ladies" -God

Jesus is coming back.  None of us know the date or time, but He's coming back.  I used to have the mindset that the world needed to go to hell in a handbasket and then He would come.  It was just going to get worse and then He'd come back and then Heaven bound.  My theology has since changed and I have realized that the Bible gives all kinds of things that we as God's people can do to either tarry His coming or to even speed it up.

This got me thinking...Am I helping the process or hurting the proces?  

I'm going to say that for most of my life I haven't been helping much, but over the last year or so I would have to say I have been much more active in my life with the Lord.  He gives us commands to go into all the world and preach the gospel...the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  What does that mean for my life as a woman?  Does that mean in my lifetime I must set my feet on the soil of every continent and preach the gospel?  Maybe....but what I really think is that I am to believe God for who He says I am, live a life that He's called me to and in the process I will do my part in the Great Commission.  As I walk in my calling I live a life that is an act of obedience but also a life of worship.  In my obedience, I am walking in the will of the Lord which has me doing ALL that He has created me for...to love him...to love His people.  I desire to live a life that points people to the goodness, the faithfulness, and the love of the Lord....PERIOD!

As women we must know our value, our calling, our ministry so that we live lives that point others to the redemption of the Cross.  I am reading a book written by two men called, "Why Not Women" A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership.  This book in written by Loren Cunningham (who just so happens to be coming to Medford next week) and David Hamilton.  I'm only in chapter one and have been struck to write.  I feel like I've had so many things to write about the past month or so but have just found it so hard....not this one!!!  It has made my heart hurt for the rampant injustice in the world for women...the statistics and truths are disturbing.  I find myself broken but also so grateful to be a woman whom God chose my birth place to be in America.

There is a section titled "Jesus Put Women in the Spotlight".  It is talking about the three greatest events in the life of Jesus (birth, death, and resurrection) women were placed in the spotlight.  I will not be going greatly in depth on the three.  I mostly just want to leave you with these truths to ponder and maybe even write about here at TFE!!!

Point #1:  The ancients believed that man was the seed of life and women were merely the soil.  There is an ancient thought that in the semen of a man contained tiny human beings.  The duty of the woman's womb was to merely be the soil in which the seed grew.  "God took the idea and stood it on its head having Jesus be born with only a woman as His earthly parent.  This about it!  Mary was the only human source for Jesus' DNA." -Loren Cunningham   Interesting thought eh?

Point #2: The death of Jesus was the central purpose to Him coming to this earth.  Jesus was anointed by Mary and a few days later, a woman entered His home and broke the entire alabaster jar filled with expensive oil over his head.  Jesus said because she had done this her act would be spoken of everywhere the Gospel was preached (Matthew 26:6-13).  These two women commissioned Jesus as He went to the cross.

Point #3: After His resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene.  Women were the first to find His empty tomb and they were sent to tell the others He was alive.  They were the first to receive the command to go and tell.

You are important, do you see this? You are valuable, do you see this?  You are needed in this world.....DESPERATELY, do you see this?  You have a very important role to play in the lives of your family, friends, workplace, and PLANET!!!  He's coming back and I don't know about you but I am done sitting around waiting, I'm gonna get up and start doing the things He's asked me to do...like write this blog, read this book, create a retreat about fearlessness, freedom, and link it all up with fitness.

We've got roles to play ladies.  Let's start calling them out of one another and helping put one another in the spotlight just as Jesus did!!!!  I want to challenge you to find one woman and champion her this week in her callings!!!!  What happens when we begin to do this???  Let's just say this is a little sneak peek into Fearless and Fit coming this July!!!  Sign up if you haven't already done so.  Click the pic to register.

                                     

The Messiness of Living a Life United

I'm right smack dab in the middle of a journey that is stripping off all of the things God never intended me to be. All of the things that hold me back, all of the empty lies whispered into my ears telling me I'm not good enough, smart enough, thin enough, spiritual enough... all of these things are being stripped away. The fear of failure and fear of success... the fear that others won't like me as God molds me into this new kind of creation. Painfully and slowly, but with great care and compassion they are being ripped from my sides.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. -Romans 6:6

I've said before what God has put on my heart has been to help unite His people... and then help ignite them with the passion, love and grace that can only come from Him. It's weird though in this "UNITING" process I kind of pictured lots of kumbaya moments with brief breaks of hugs and praise (for each other and for God) and you know... like butterflies and rainbows and all of that gushy love stuff. What I've realized though, is God's call on my life to unite can only be footed on a solid foundation of growth if the things in me that are broken have been fully restored. Which is a process that is really anything but lovey fluff... it's more like, live and learn and have opportunities to extend grace through pain and tears.

How can I go out and preach NOT TO JUDGE, and still have a small corner of my mind reserved for those who are especially vulgar to me? How can I shout a message of FORGIVENESS AND ACCEPTANCE, if I myself have never had to endure the pain of being wronged and the humility in forgiving and loving anyway? The answer is I can't. I think far too many people do though. And as I wade through the murky waters of experiencing the pain and humility of being restored... I am free... and as I am freed the silence is breaking... little by little my pain will morph into victory in someone else's life. Which is true victory all for God's glory!

So stand strong for our freedom! The Anointed One freed us so we wouldn't spend one more day under the yoke of of slavery, trapped under the law. -Galatians 5:1

What I've realized in these 9 short months since the ripping and tearing away of my flesh began... or the crap that is so ingrained in me it feels like my flesh... is saying YES to God means doing ALL that we do in love and grace and mercy and HUMILITY. 

I think as Christians these words are watered down because they're used too much. We say "love ya" to a friend and turn around and rip her to shreds if we feel we've been wronged in any way. We expect grace and mercy, because we're human right??? but we are so much slower to give it when doing so comes at a personal cost to us. 

The bottom line though, is if we are truly seeking to MOVE MOUNTAINS and GROW the Kingdom of God here on earth... these FOUR words need to be tattooed on our minds. 

LOVE.GRACE.MERCY.HUMILTY.

We need to stop pretending like we want what God wants and really dive in to the messiness that comes with entering into other's lives, pain, victories and challenges. We need to stop pretending we're perfectly imperfect (aka sinners but not that kind of sinner) and just roll around in the idea of actually extending grace and compassion to those we think are despicable. Gasp. It's when we can do these things, the enemy will be defeated... it's when we do these things we will be free from the fears, insecurities and jealousies that have kept parts of us captive to darkness.. it's when we do these things God will truly be glorified...

Do you ever pretend to let things go to God... and then take them back? Do you struggle with being perfectly imperfect?? I've bared my guts... join me... it's fun.. well it's at least a little therapeutic:)

pssst... are you going?

{NOT A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES}

I prayed softball in junior high and high school. Yes, you read that right. As a defensive player I would stand out in right field and PRAY no one would hit the ball to me. Instead of chanting “hey batterbatter”, my mantra was “pleeeeaseplease God.” On offense I displayed legendary prowess by strategically scrunching my body into Lilliputian proportions to hide the strike zone. Sometimes I got hit by the ball.Yes! First base here I come. And running the bases? I run like a penguin. Enough said.

Every time I got a second or third or fourth chance to not embarrass myself, I blew it. When it was my turn I would pray with all my might.

‘Please God, help me not suck. Help me not to bruise too badly this time.’

Every once in a while I would take the chance, close my eyes, and swing. But most ‘ups’ I just hunkered down and hoped for the best. Seriously, the best thing about softball for me was the sunflower seeds. And I won’t even discuss my adventures in volleyball.

Last week I was talking to my daughter. After a challenging few months, God is sending her on a great adventure. I asked if she was excited, and there was silence for a moment before she answered.

“I just feel like God is giving me a second chance. I don’t want to mess it up.”

Ugh. Her words bounced around in my head for a few days, nagging at me. Honestly, I tried to ignore them and move on. But something about that didn’t feel right to me. Second chances are good, right? I’ve heard “God is a God of second chances” more than once. How can a second chance be a bad thing? In sports, in writing, in cooking (just ask my family about this one sometime) second chances give us an opportunity to improve.

But here’s the thing: 

Second chances aren’t meant to be a lifestyle.

Need an example? Can I be honest with you? (Ok, deep breath.) The truth is, I’ve been struggling with my weight for years. Decades, actually. It’s one of those ‘strongholds’ in my life. It’s not a bad thyroid, trauma from my childhood or an unusually slow metabolism. Every day I make choices that keep me this way, and every night I’m miserable. When I find a new diet or promising exercise program, or a cool event like the Fearless and Fit Retreat, I say to myself,

“I just feel like God is giving me a second chance. I don’t want to mess it up.”

Listen up people, here’s the deal. I carry my “first chances” around with me every day. Every pound, every flabby part of me is a reminder of my past failures and disappointment in myself. I realize many strongholds are not as obvious to the world as overeating, but we all can carry the weight of our past ‘chances’.

God did not intend for us to live Second Chance lives.

When we view something as a second chance, we are reminded that there was a first chance. A first failure. A first disaster. We are branded, labeled, weak, rejected.

So think for a minute now; how do you think God views it? Here’s a clue:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” –Is 43: 18-19

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.” 

-2 Corinthians 5:17

Get it? God doesn’t see second chances. He sees new things. My past is part of who I am, but I don’t have to carry it around with me forever. Either do you.

So let’s do this together. Are you with me? Here’s what we will do.

1. Identify that first chance thing in our lives.
2. Sift it. Pick out the good seeds. Identify what we’ve learned.
3. Banish that ugly first chance. Throw it out. Draw a line straight down the middle of today and refuse to let that first chancecross over into the future.

We will banish it, with the help of a strong God who removes it from us as far as the East is from the West. We will banish it, with the help of a mighty God who makes all things new. We will banish it, where it will stay in the early chapters of our lives as a testimony of God’s great mercy and grace and his lavish love for us. We will embrace the entire story of our lives, even the ugly parts, and today will be a new thing.

You were made for this kind of living. So get out there. See it like God sees it. It’s not a second chance. It’s a new thing. Open your eyes and swing with all your might. You’re not alone. You were made for this kind of living. So live it.

Meet The Author...

Jenna has been married to her Prom date for 23 years. Her 4 kids are all grown up and now she's finding more time than ever to chase her dream of being a writer. Although she's blessed with a successful career, her passion for 15 years has been volunteering with teens and young adults as a youth worker and small group leader. Her goal in life is to love God and love others. She's gearing up to start a new blog about her weight loss journey, but you can check out her current blog at http://terriblysweet.blogspot.com

 

Igniting the Fight...

So many things to surrender... so little time.

|SURRENDER| It's the sometimes hidden cure for every stronghold and every lie the enemy whispers in our ears. As I move forward in this fearless journey the one thing I know is HE doesn't just want us to surrender a little thing here and a little thing there. HE WANTS IT ALL... the deepest, darkest, most shameful thing we wouldn't utter to anyone... that part of our insides we can't imagine living without because we don't know who we'd be without it... He wants it and He's desperate for us to let it go.

Last night we were having dinner with friends that we haven't hung out with for years. It was one of those nights that was just anointed by the Holy Spirit... or to sound less christianeesee ... it just freaken rocked. He told us about a friend of his who asks these super deep questions like, "If you truly believed God loved you, what would it look like." I think a lot of us would say "hey I know he loves me." But honestly for me I know that response is just crap.

If we actually could comprehend the depth of HIS love for us we wouldn't be white knuckling things like guilt and fear and insecurities. If we were seriously confident in HIS love for us we would be encouragers and champions to absolutely EVERYONE... not just the easy people who aren't threatening to us in any way. The thing about surrendering and submitting is they come across as week sounding by the world's standards... almost like you're giving in and giving up. BUT... there is HUGE freedom in saying yes to HIM... and trusting his love is ENOUGH... and then just letting it all go.

The idea of surrender is too huge to capture in one FIGHT NIGHT... or one blog post. So this month as a way to {IGNITE THE FIGHT} and jump on this fearless train ... all of my blog posts will be surrounding the idea of surrendering different issues... from pride and rebellion to insecurities and envy... 

SURRENDER. SURRENDER. SURRENDER... Lord Jesus I surrender it ALL to you... all of my shame and guilt, pride and envy... using food as an idol ...caring what other people think more than I care about your call on my life... LORD I SURRENDER... it's yours... you're big enough, I believe in your love for me. I claim it right now and I am crying out for a fresh passion to surrender the junk and lies that are holding me back from moving mountains in your name. PRAISE YOU JESUS!

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. -Romans 6:6

Come On...Go Ahead and Flex!

October 2009, my life began to change.  I wanted God like I never wanted him.  I wanted to be a better woman and so began my journey.  It's been years of literally dealing with so much of my junk, digging into the deepest parts of my heart, my past, my pain and just getting rid of it, understanding it, and leaving it behind.  It has shaped me, but it does not define me.  

Most can tell you their shortcomings...but what about their strengths?  

So what I'm about to do is tell you who I am!  I am going to tell you my strengths and by strengths I don't mean the things I'm good at, I mean my strengths.  It's like the muscles in my body, they were there at my birth, but I had the choice to use them.  God put strengths inside of me and I have the choice to use them.  This past week in our school we had a man come and speak on team building, part of this week was using the Strength Finder 2.0 test.  I took the test and they gave me my top 5 strengths, now I have a choice...I can know them or I can use them.  I know them and I want to use them.  So now I am going to tell you about them, because I can know them but I also want to be able to express my strengths as well.  I can tell you my shortcomings but I want to be a woman who walks boldly in my identity...

Strength Finder has 34 different strengths and from the test they score and output my top 5 strengths.  

My name is Lucianne Marie Crenshaw and these are 5 of my greatest strengths:

I have a very solid foundation of my BELIEF.  The truths that I choose to stand on are very deeply rooted inside of me.  My beliefs are so strong they help me to stand strong no matter what.  Belief is central to my very character, but what results is meaning, purpose, and direction in my life.  This translates into a great amount of power, drive and motivation inside of me.  When I keep my life centered around what I believe to be true I will stay rooted and grounded but it will also impact the lives of others.  

I do BELIEVE in many things including who God says I am, His truths, and also I believe in people and the true capabilities inside of them.  I agree to this strength God has given me. 

This next one was very hard for me because as much as I didn't want to be COMPETITIVE I hated how competitive I actually was.  I felt like it made me super intense and I hated that.  So again remember these are strengths and I can choose to use them or not to use them.  Because I am competitive I desire to be successful in my life, excellence not only brings me joy but it also inspires those around me.  I have tremendous energy, drive, determination that I think my entire life I have been trying to run away from and not into (it's a new day).  My drive to win, succeed, and achieve isn't focused on me alone.  It inspires others to join me and also gives me a platform in their lives to call them higher because of who I am.  "You are someone who grabs the attention of others and they begin to believe that they too can achieve" -Edward Anderson.

I am competitive, I do work hard, I do enjoy excellence, and even more than that I love watching people truly rise to be who they were created to be.  I agree to this strength God has given me.

My RESTORATIVE strength I have to say I LOVE!!!  I love to problem solve but it goes beyond patching things together.  The way I restore things is that I bring them back to life.  "Accordingly, you can have a restorative effect on relationships and in fact, entire organizations" -Edward Anderson.  I am good at figuring out what is not working, resolving it and then guiding people to a healthier way and helping them to be highly functional.

I have a heart for restoration because it's part of the character of God.  His entire purpose in life is restoration and redemption.  I am restorative, what if I had never allowed God to restore me?  I would have no idea what this strength was.  I agree to this strength God has given me.

I possess a great amount of FOCUS.  Now, this strength is one that when it showed up on my test I didn't agree with.  I didn't think that was me, then I realized that it's just not something that I have used much.  I enjoy flying by the seat of my pants.  I tend to totally procrastinate and if I don't like something I move on...well but my strength is focus, so I need to learn to use it.  I need to train it, because with focus I can put great attention to things with a high level of concentration.  I can read, understand, and solve problems with great precision.  I like to multi-task but what would happen if I cut down on ALL things I'm doing and focus right in on the few things I'm good at?  It states that because I have such good focus I'm a good planner (I'm laughing out loud right now).  Focus, a muscle I desire to start using and training.  

This one I'm going to have to work on, embrace, and choose to use.  I don't see it as something I'm good at, but it's in me...So I'm going to find it.  I agree to this strength God has given me. 

COMMAND is something I have tried and failed miserably to run from.  I constantly just saw it as bad and that is covered up any softness that might be inside me.  I can and will influence others and I will do this with great power.  My command comes with great courage to enter into crisis and even dangerous situations.  It gives me the ability to take charge when people are threatened and in emergencies I have clarity.  I also have the willingness to voice my ideas.  I am willing to see the way through conflict and misunderstandings by bringing light to what is often hidden.  Some get nervous when the powerful part of me comes out, everyone is grateful when I address the emergency, danger, crisis, conflict and danger.  

I am loving this strength more and more everyday.  God is teaching me love and patience, grace and mercy, so it makes this command thing so much easier.  I agree to this strength God has given me. 

Thank you for allowing me to tell you who I am.  Thank you for allowing me to tell you what I am good at.  Thank you for allowing me to use my strengths.  Thank you for allowing me to be who God has called me to be.  

I think that I have realized in the last year or so that I can be strong and beautiful at the same time.  I can be commanding and feminine in the same exact moment.  Not because I have to try but because I am.  They are not oil and water.  "I am not either or, I am both and more." -Heidi Baker

(this video was a day that marked a massive revelation in my life...READ)

What looks like oil and water in your life?