God & His Dust-Buster of Love

It’s the 1st of January- happy 2010!!   All the shops here in Sydney, Australia are closed after New Year’s celebrations last night. So after a lazy breakfast (I’m on holidays - yay!  No plans.) I decided to do what I should have done in 2009; attack the big pile of clothes & opened Christmas presents sitting on my bed room floor. (Attack as in= clean & put away.)

Yes. This is a blog about cleaning. But, before you decide you would rather not read about the “C” word, please hear me out.

To be honest there are other things I’d rather be doing. Drinking a chai latte on the beautiful Sydney Harbour is one of those things, cleaning is not. But a girl’s gotta to do what a girl’s gotta do and being a fan of personal hygiene, I decided the first day of the new year was a good time to get my bedroom back into order. After all, cleanliness is next to godliness, or so they say, and it would make my mum happy (very worth it).

I started with the clothes and then thought I heard my cat sneeze, so decided that while I was into ‘the cleaning thing’ I should probably get out my dust buster.

I was just about to pick up the rest of a stack of magazines - when I saw two little brown fury legs sticking out from underneath them. No?! It couldn’t be!  I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was a spider. A big bush spider which would have even made Steve Irwin say, “Ooh Crickey!”.   How did it get there, I wondered.  And so close to where I lay my head at night! I don’t know what you know about Australia but it’s not all bushland and there are not many jumping kangaroos - the city is actually quite civilized!  I dropped the magazines in a fright & squished it, thankful that Vogue could be fashionable & practical.

I must admit, once I start something I have a tendency to get a bit passionate about what I’m doing, so it wasn’t long until all my furniture was outside my room and in the passage way!

I put my gloves on (pink ones given out at Hillsong Sisterhood a few years ago) and picked up a can of spider spay just in case ’spidey’ had friends. I then got busy washing, busting, and sterilizing.

I stopped for a moment. It was then I heard the Lord whisper, “You clean your room - I clean your heart”.

I was like, “You do what Lord?”  And He said, “You clean with a dust buster - I clean with Love”.

The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23 : “Above all guard your heart, for out of your heart springs the issues of life”.

Our hearts can be like my bedroom.  From the outside it might look ok; perhaps a few magazines lying around, a few unopened Christmas gifts - but it’s when we begin to move the furniture we can start to see what’s really in there.

It takes courage, God’s word, and perhaps a pair of pink rubber gloves (i.e. help from others)! But if we allow God to come into “the secret place of our heart’ He will lovingly strip away the accumulated clutter, helping us live free, full lives.

I believe that God wants to bring a new level of freedom to you in EVERY area in 2010.  Allow the precious blood of Jesus to wash you again. The result will be a clean fragranced spirit- a blessing to God and people…not spiders!! 

Sharna Lovell works & lives in Sydney Australia.

She serves at Hillsong Church in the area of Pastoral Care & Creative Arts.

She is a lover or God & People….not spiders!

I am so pumped about Jennifer’s new book. Read it, Loved it, Recommending it! (click on the image to learn more and order)

If you know me I’m a practical girl. What’s the purpose? is a filter most every decision in my life goes through… life is short and I want to make sure I’m spending it wisely. That’s why I am recommending every girl on the planet reads this book.

If you’re like me just a girl doing her best to Rise Up and press on towards the dreams and desires God has put in my heart then I know you too have experienced road blocks and detours and the occasional full stop. The enemy isn’t pleased with us taking ground from him. That’s why I love that Jennifer’s book addresses specific things from our past and present that are keeping us from moving forward. She offers practical action steps to identify this issue and then how to heal and move past it so that you can “Get Over Yourself” and on with your destiny!

The Kingdom of God needs you whole, healed and ready for battle and so do the people in your life!

Micah 5:1 says,  NOW GATHER yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; a state of siege has been placed against us..

Seriously, the battle is on, time is limited there isn’t a moment to waste! Grab this resource, we need you battle ready!

Janel xooxoxo

Yes? or No?

There is a temptation to make decisions purely based on…will it be fun, are my friends going to be there, or will it cause me to have to give something up.

Often times because our decisions aren’t rooted in a commitment to the purpose and calling on our lives, our yes turns into, “Yes, unless something better comes up,” or “Yes, as long as my friends don’t bail,” or “No, that’s a little out of my comfort zone,” or “No, that will probably be too much work and responsibility.” Sometimes to ease our personal conscience when we’re chatting we even say things like, “Yeah, we should totally get together.”… or, “Sure I’ll be there,” or “Yes, I’ll do that for you.” When we know we don’t intend on following through. Matthew 5:37 says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Conversely, when we have vision for our life, coupled with a commitment to follow through with the things God has purposed us for and called us to, decision making turns into yes’ and no’s with a deep level of commitment no matter what the circumstances might hold.  It’s really empowering making decisions based on peace and a knowing what’s to come might not be easy but it will be part of the process of building you up toward living out the purpose and call God has on your life.

So when a decision arrises measure against the vision for your life and realize your “yes” or “no” is either going to take you closer to or delay the journey.

Another motivator to eliminate the empty decisions is that there are spiritual consequences for not following through with our yes’ and our no’s. The bible is really clear on this point Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

We might be able to keep our motives hidden from others but God will not be mocked, He knows the condition and purity of our hearts. Good news is His love is capable of changing our hearts to equip us with the commitment and courage to make decisions that will position us to receive the blessing attached to pressing on toward our purpose and call. If you just ask Him to.

When it’s our turn to lead we will want others to follow through with what they say they are going to. It will take time to sow consistent vision based decisions to over take the weeds that might have come up from the empty decisions.

Let’s be friends to our own purpose and calling by letting our yes be our yes and our no be our no.

Let’s also seek friends that are not only friends to their own purpose but will help us be accountable to ours.

Love you girls!

See you at CAMP!!!

Janel xoxo

Hey Girls,

There is an amazing energy sweeping across the entire globe! I wanted to share this organization with you because it speaks to the energy and the call on this generation. It’s obvious that what has been done isn’t working… and I believe this generation will BE THE CHANGE… 

Check out this video from Onefluence it’s powerful and short

Onefluence History is Expecting you

The following are excerpts from their Manifesto… definitely read the whole thing on their site it’s awesome.

Consider this: 

   *  Mozart: Composed his first symphony at age 6 

   *  Bill Gates: Started Microsoft at age 19 

   *  Trevor Ferrell: Began Trevor’s Place to feed the homeless at age 12 

   *  John Wesley: Launched the Methodist movement at age 17 

   *  Albert Einstein: Wrote first paper on theory of relativity at age 16 

   *  Mark Zuckerberg: Launched Facebook at the age of 19 

   *  Louie Braille: Designed reading system for blind at age 15 

   *  Josiah: Became a reformer as king of Israel at age 8 

   *  Joan of Ark: Led 3,000 French knights into battle at age 17 

   *  Sagen Woolrey: Started free lunch program for poor at age 12 

   *  Student Volunteer Movement: Pioneer missionaries: ages 18-24 

   *  Cassie Burnall: Stood for her faith at gunpoint at age 17 

   *  DesMonte Love: Led kids to safety in Hurricane Katrina at age 6 

   *  George Williams: Stared the YMCA at age 23 

Today, one half of the world’s population is 25 years old or younger. That represents around three billion people. What an incredible pool of talent to harness. Now consider this. If just 1% of the population can impact the other 99%, we must only leverage a fraction of that three billion people in order to impact the world. That’s our goal. To focus the energy and gifts of 1% of the population, under 25 years old…to influence rest of tomorrow’s population. 

Onefluence: The 1% Factor 

To equip then unleash 1% of the world’s population, who are 25 years old and younger and who are committed to transform the world in a positive way. 

Where do you fit in?

What Are We Trying to Build? 

We are trying to build “growing leaders.” They will stand in contrast to their peers around the world. They will be counter-cultural.  They are marked by these characteristics: 

ORDINARY STUDENTS    GROWING LEADERS 

1. Self-absorbed               1. Sacrificial 

2. Imitate others              2. Authentic 

3. Apathetic                       3. Committed 

4. Consuming                   4. Generous 

5. Presumptuous              5. Grateful 

6. Controlling                   6. Empowering 

7. Status quo                      7. Hungry mind 

8. What can I get?           8. What can I give? 

9. It’s about the money   9. It’s about a mission 

10. Blend in                      10. Stand out

Most people see themselves changing from the outside in. It’s all about appearance and behavior modification to get what you want. We believe real change happens from the inside out. It’s about changing the heart—our habits and attitudes—in order to experience transformation. We can only pass on what we have ourselves. Only the transformed can transform others. Join the revolution.  www.GrowingLeaders.com 

Be encouraged ladies you’re not to young or too old  and what you have in your hand is just what is needed, make a decision get on board and let’s BE THE CHANGE!

Janel xoxoxo

The question was, “God, what do you want for this generation of girls?” 

This is the image He showed me.

Girls, elbows locked side-by-side, strongly walking, sure-footed toward the top of a hill. Then he dropped this statement into my spirit, “These girls that choose to latch arms and press forward will have the commitment of Ruth and the courage of Esther.” Umm Wow! But for that to mean anything, you have to know about the lives of these women. 

This is my version of Ruth but I highly recommend getting to know them personally.

It starts with Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two sons leaving Bethlehem because of a famine. The famine must have been pretty bad because they fled to Moab a city know for it’s idol worship and sinful behaviors. Probably not such a great idea… On top of that their sons ended up marring Moabitess women, Ruth and Orpah. Which was disobedient based on the covenant between Israel and God. Seriously bad idea! 

Sadly, but not so unexpected, Naomi’s husband and both sons ended up dying leaving Naomi, Ruth and Orpah widowed. Eventually word arrived in Moab that Judah had recovered from the famine. So Naomi decided to return home not only because it didn’t seem to be working out in Moab but Judah where all of her extended family lived and in her old age would need to rely on them for care and provision. During this time it was also customary that if your husband died you could to marry the next available male relative. So the girls were probably hoping that some of there husbands relatives survived the famine.

Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to travel to Judah in hope of finding other husbands. As they started their journey to Judah Naomi was probably thinking of how she would be received back in Judah. Clearly her family had abandoned their community and fled when times got tough plus her sons had marry non-Jewish women. As they got closer to the point of no return, with all of this whirling around in Naomi’s head she turned to the girls and said something to the effect of, “You can come with me but you would probably be better off returning to your mothers and trying to remarry here.” I think Naomi was actually more concerned about having her disobedience on display when she rolled up in Judah with her Moabitess daughters-in law then she was with the well being of the girls. Uh Oh!

Orpah apparently saw this as an easy way out because she kissed Naomi and immediately returned to her family and stayed in Moab!

Ruth on the other hand had a different reaction. She had obviously witnessed something early on in her relationship with Naomi’s family that deeply effected her. She must have gotten a taste of their God, the God of Israel and was drawn to Him because when Naomi suggested to Ruth to return to her family Ruth told her, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) 

Ruth decided that she would rather go to Judah with Naomi not knowing what her future would hold but confident that knowing more of God would be worth it. Ruth put behind her everything that was comfortable and familiar to her with to follow God! That couldn’t have been easy but Ruth was committed! 

Long-story-short Ruth went on to be abundantly blessed because of the choice to follow God and goes on to marry a handsome wealthy man named Boaz and they have a child together. It’s an awesome love story!

Rewind for just a second, remember The statement…“These girls that choose to latch arms and press forward will have the commitment of Ruth and the courage of Esther.”

God’s wants a generation of girls that are more committed to Him and His plan than our own. 

God loves us so much it will always be our choice follow Him. Orpah and Ruth were both presented with the same choice, and they each chose differently. Ruth went on to live an amazingly blessed life and have a place in the lineage of Jesus. Orpah… Well, let’s just say, the minute she turned back… We don’t know anything else about her…that was the end of her story. 

What stretches me is God used Ruth’s commitment as an example for what He wants for His girls in this generation. That’s a high bar!

What inspires me is that He would never ask us to do something that he wouldn’t equip us to do. We are all capable of exhibiting a Ruth kind of commitment towards our God given purpose. 

Today let’s not just surrender our plans and get inline with His plan but let’s have a Ruth kind of commitment to those plans so that nothing would separate us from seeing them come to completion. Let’s cling to Jesus and not let go even if things get unfamiliar, uncomfortable or tough. Let’s be the girls he is calling us to be!  Let’s choose today to be “Ruth committed” to the purpose he designed us for!

God we love you and thank you for creating us to fulfill a specific roll in this generation. Transform our hearts and develop in us a Ruth kind of commitment to your plan for our lives. Amen

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…”                           2 Chronicles 16:9

Who doesn’t love a beautiful new dress?
That’s why it was so hard when God told me to send it back. This is the tale of the little black dress and how God used it to teach me something enormous.
 
Growing up as the youngest girl in a family of five kids, my wardrobe consisted of hand-me-downs from my sister or boy clothes that somehow worked.  We barely had enough money to pay the light bills, let alone buy new outfits.  As a result, I got really creative as a teenager by re-designing clothes, shopping at Goodwill or yard sales for “new to me” outfits.
 
Despite my innovative fashion works, I felt insecure about how I looked. I always felt like the odd girl out. I knew all of my clothes were used and old. I never felt pretty, fashionable or as good as the girls who came to school with designer clothes. In many ways, I felt ugly and ashamed.
 
As I went to college and became a young professional, clothes became the way I covered up my low self esteem and inadequate feelings. If I could look good enough on the outside, it would somehow compensate for how lacking I felt on the inside.  Even later as I was able to afford expensive clothes and designer labels, I still felt like something was missing for me.
 
I knew about God’s perfect love and how He loves us completely. But I had not owned it for myself. I had nodded my head as I read the scriptures about how perfectly and wonderfully we are made and how God knows the very hairs on our head, but inside I felt like He wasn’t talking about me. He was talking about someone else.
 
So as I opened the lovely packaged black dress, I was stunned when I heard God say “send it back.”
 
“What?” I said, shocked at what I thought I just heard.
 
“You heard me, send it back.”
 
“Why? What could I possibly learn from returning this beautiful black dress?”
 
“Send it back.”
 
I turned God’s words over and over in my head. I was angry because I had already imagined how beautiful I would look in it. Not just beautiful, but stunning. The kind of gorgeous that makes people turn heads and whisper and want to know my name.
 
I remember the day the dress from a fancy store in New York City arrived. It was sleek in elaborately wrapped tissue paper, black folds of satin that carefully draped from the shoulders to the knee. This was THE dress of all dresses. I had looked everywhere for this thing. I was mad that God wanted me to send it back.  
 
Stubborn as a pouting second grader, I pretended I didn’t hear His voice. Little reminders kept showing up to tap me on the shoulder about what God asked me to do. One day I found the receipt for the dress on the counter by itself with the return policy clearly outlined. Another day I was looking longingly at the dress and saw a tag I hadn’t seen before that said “Not Happy With Your Purchase, Here’s Our No Hassle Return Process.” God persisted.
 
I didn’t get it – or truthfully, I didn’t want to get it. One day I just gave it up and said “okay God, I will send it back. But please show me what it is that you want me to see.”
 
His words came back in an overwhelming rush: “I want you to send it back because you think you need to put something on the outside to make up for what’s on the outside. You are beautiful and perfect and wonderfully made and you still don’t understand that. You are still trying to overcompensate your fears by wrapping yourself up in expensive packaging. You need to know that you are perfect just as you are. I want you to know you are completely loved.”
 
God had pointed out this gnawing sense of fear and low self esteem that I had been carrying around with me all of my life. I knew the promises of perfect love, but somehow I didn’t really think they applied to me. I understood God wanted me to know and “wear” His complete love.
 
He wanted His approval to be utmost in my eyes, not seeking it in the eyes of the world. I got from the dress experience that it’s okay to be want to be pretty and pleasing, but only for Him, not to cover our fears.
 
For one night I wanted to be beautiful in my black dress. But God had such greater plans for my life. In Him, I get to be a gorgeous princess in His kingdom for eternity. And that is better than all the little black dresses in the world.

Cara McLauchlan is a writer, wife and a mom from Fuquay-Varina, NC. She writes about ordinary joys in her blog “Joy Goggles” — check it out at www.joyoggles.blogspot.com.

I love princesses. Not because of the pink, glittery, pouffy world they seem to live in (although pink IS my favorite color). Not because of the beautiful gowns they get to wear (although who doesn’t love a good shopping trip). No, the reason I love Princesses is because I happen to be one. And I’ll let you in on a little secret…so are you! Girls, we have a Father in heaven who is King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Ruler of all nations. We are His daughters and if He’s the King, then that makes us Princesses. Galatians 4:6-7(Message) says: “You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance”. We are an heir to the throne! All the love, peace, joy and grace of Heaven is our to wear like a crown.

I realize some girls may say “I sure don’t FEEL like a Princess, I’ve done so many things wrong” See, that’s the thing about Princesses. They don’t earn their title. They are born into it. Their father gives them their crown and their kingdom. They are not royalty because of their castles, their gowns, or even their princes- they are royalty because they carry their father’s name. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. Now, this doesn’t give a Princess a free pass to do whatever they want, or to act like spoiled brats. With the crown comes responsibility. A princess can’t just throw a temper tantrum to get her way. She can’t just demand people give her respect. She can’t just sit around eating bonbons all day (although, who doesn’t like a nice cupcake every now and then). A Princess has the resources to help so many people in her Kingdom. She also has the power to treat her subjects, and those around her with kindness, love, grace and respect. She can carry her head little higher with confidence because she knows she is the daughter of the King.

In my own life I learned the same lesson over and over. “When you know who you are, you’ll know how to act.” When I realized that I was a child of the King, I also realized I couldn’t just live life on my own terms. I now had the responsibility of royalty. I couldn’t just treat people like {DIRT} because I was wearing my Father’s crown. I couldn’t let the boy I was dating treat me with disrespect, because I was wearing my Father’s crown. I couldn’t be a jerk to my teachers, parents, and those in authority, because I was wearing my Father’s crown. This newfound sense of identity also meant I couldn’t let other people make me feel like I wasn’t good enough, because after all, I was wearing my Father’s crown. No matter what circumstances were in my past, present, or future it didn’t matter what I’d done, because it didn’t change the fact of who I was.

Now, please understand this didn’t mean from then on everything was perfect and I always behaved like a Princess. There were days I still found ways to act like the evil step-sister. But when I tried to beat myself up, I would hear the Father whisper “ there’s nothing you can do to make me not love you, my daughter.” He loved me! That was all that mattered. He wrote me a whole love letter to tell me, and I filled up notebooks with all the verses that reminded me of that.

My Princess Sister, I hope you’ll go read God’s love letter to you and look for all the times he calls you His child. I hope that today we can all walk with our heads a little higher because we know who we are, and Whose we are.

Tara McCleskey lives in NYC with her new husband Matt and her chihuahua, Roxie. She loves photography, traveling, and a good cup of hot tea. But, her favorite thing to do is help girls find their crowns.

What are lovehandles? We all seem to know them as the area right above your hips, the place where your sides tend to squish together as you button your jeans. They make you a little self conscious and uncomfortable. You probably choose to wear different types of jackets, vests or belts to try to cover them up… or at least distract others from the fact that you’ve squeezed into a size a little too small for your waist. Our friends try to reassure us that it is a problem more in our heads than actually reflected in the mirror, but regardless of what outfit we was try on, our hips always get our attention. 

Even if you have perfectly sculpted obliques, there is another part of your body, or personality, or past, or part of you that you feel ashamed or embarrassed of. These areas of our lives silently scream their lies in our ears… that you’re not pretty enough, smart enough, strong enough… not enough to be loved and cherished, because somewhere in the makeup there is a flaw. How we long for a longer torso (a different past), for a smaller waist (a better personality)… for someone to call us beautiful. We have been programmed with the world’s picture of “beautiful”, that you have to be 5’9’’ and weigh 110 pounds. And so like with a testing area at a toy factory, all the toys that don’t work just right or maybe have some sort of a defect get shipped off to Neverland not be seen again. 

But that’s the beauty of God’s unconditional love. Instead of being marked as imperfect and discarded, His power is perfected in our weakness. There is no mass mold which you were formed out of, you are an original, born as a woman after the heart of God, precious in His sight, made beautiful… lovehandles and all. You are not defined by the size of your pants, what your teacher said about you in grade school, the type of car that you drive, the funny little birthmark that always seemed out of place… NO! You are made beautiful in His sight. He knew your name before you were even conceived. He knew the color of your eyes, if you would have straight or curly hair, the sound of your laugh, and even the deepest parts of your heart that you would dare to share with your closet girlfriend. He knows you and loves you for simply who you are.

You are good enough to be loved. You are beautiful enough to be loved. You are worthy to be loved by the God who is the creator of the universe and still holds you in the palm of his hands. So sister, bask in His love, dance in His hand. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the right steps or maybe your lovehandles are showing. He loves every part of you.

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message Bible)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

      you formed me in my mother’s womb.

   I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

      I worship in adoration—what a creation!

   You know me inside and out,

      you know every bone in my body;

   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

   The days of my life all prepared

      before I’d even lived one day. 

A note from the author: I am in many ways the typical girl who has always been a little self conscious of her figure, but I have come to know the voice of the lover of my soul who calls me by name… and thinks that I am the most beautiful girl on the planet.  

Selah Hirsch is the Director of Development for Mercy Ministries and a woman on a journey into the unconditional love of Christ. She makes her home in St. Louis with her husband Michael.

I’ve heard the lyrics to the song by The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn! about a hundred times in my life.  You know, the song that goes “To everything, turn, turn, turn.  There is a season, turn, turn, turn….”.  I’m sure you’ve heard it as a theme song in a movie or waiting in line at the grocery store like I have.  

I’ve enjoyed checking my Facebook page to see what’s happening in my friends’ lives and to catch up with those I don’t see very often.  As my friend list grows, I become more and more connected to the lives of my friends, current and old.  I’m at that age where it seems like everyone my age is either moving into a new home or having a baby.  These are two things that my husband and I have prayed about and decided to delay until it is the right time for us.  I have been completely at peace with this decision until I started spending more time on Facebook, and seeing more pictures of friends’ new homes or their beautiful pregnant bellies.  As innocent as this sounds (and maybe you can relate – with friends who have boyfriends, are going to college, traveling, getting married, and so on), I found that the more I looked, the more envy started to creep in, and the more I wondered why I didn’t have those things yet.  

About a month ago, I was feeling so frustrated, that I actually started considering settling with an average home, and thinking maybe we could have a baby now by cutting back and making some sacrifices.  It was that moment that I heard God’s voice say…”Kim, I did not call you to that life. I have so much in store for you, and it’s not the right time yet. I’m never late…” WOW!  I had been getting so wrapped up in other people’s lives, that I had forgotten God has a special plan for my life.  God gave me the verse in Ecclesiastes 3 which says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.  A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest…” (NLT).

When I was telling my husband about my experience, he suggested…”Put God between you and the problem”. This gave me a visual that every time the enemy has tried to attack me in that area again, I can picture God speaking His words to me, while standing between me and the enemy.

How blessed are we that God has a plan for us, and His plan is different for each of us?  It would be so boring if we all had the exact same plan for our lives and everything happened at the same time for everyone.  I believe He has called us all to do something big and something great with our lives.  God has formulated a special plan for each of us, and if we’re in too much of a hurry to get to a certain point in our lives, we’ll miss out on the journey, and maybe even the “prize”.  Remember…There IS a time for everything, and God is always right on time.