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What to Do When You Feel Like Nothing Matters

February 1, 2017 • 14 Comments

I don’t like driving at night, especially during the winter.

Dark roads + cold weather + snow + ice = no bueno for me being behind the wheel. This is coming from a girl whose dream is to have a chauffeur. Not because I’m fancy, but because I don’t like driving or sitting in cold cars in the winter! OK, I sound ridiculous. But just stay with me on this one.

I remember the first time I drove in the snow at night. My high school youth group had just finished meeting, and it was time for all of us to go home. I grabbed my keys, walked to my red Oldsmobile, and I kid you not, the moment I started the engine fluffy snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

One-by-one the flakes magically dancing around my headlights as I made my way onto the nearby county road. I probably should’ve been paying more attention to the road, but the air was filled with whimsy, and I couldn’t help but take it all in.

Each flake fluttered in the wind, drifting carelessly as gravity led it to the ground. When it made contact with the earth, the flake vanished, dissolving into the thousands of others that were already there. I looked out my window in awe as I watched them silently disappear.

I don’t like driving at night, but I do love big snowflakes.

They’re fluffy. They’re beautiful. They’re fascinating. But they’re also humbling because they teach me a lesson about life — they remind me that even though my life is finite, I still have value and a place in this world.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have value or a place in this world?

I know I sure have. On more than one occasion, I’ve felt the weight of life come crashing down on me. In these moments the enemy whispers: Your life isn’t that significant, and your work is all for nothing. And even if your life were significant, you’re still just one person. What difference could you really make?

#365LoveWellProject: Move Toward the Mess {Book Review + Giveaway}

January 30, 2017 • 10 Comments

If you’ve been following the blog recently, you know that my focus for 2017 is loving well. Last week, I wrote a blog post announcing the launch of the 365 Love Well Project — a year-long journey I created to help myself and others learn to love God, others and ourselves well.

Shortly after I felt God nudging me to do the #365LoveWellProject back in early January, a book publicist emailed me, asking if I’d review a new title that was coming out. As a Christian writer and speaker I have helped launch and write reviews for many faith books, so this did not seem too out of the ordinary for me. That was, until I read about the book I’d be reviewing.

John Hambrick’s Move Toward the Mess is a book about loving well and being the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that can otherwise be boring, routine and entirely self-serving. It’s the kind of book every Christian needs to read, but it’s especially the kind of book I needed to read as I began the 365 Love Well Project.

While reading Move Toward the Mess, I was deeply moved by John’s passion and dedication to the Great Commission and Jesus’ command to fiercely love others. John is committed to living for the cause of Christ. That means he’s committed to entering the messiness of this world, just like Jesus did. From inviting strangers and neighbors over for dinner, to getting to know the poor and marginalized, or even befriending prostitutes and addicts, John is not afraid to follow where Jesus leads. And he encourages the rest of us to do the same.

This is our chance to leave boring faith behind and embrace a different kind of life — the one we were meant to live.

The ultimate fix for a boring Christian life? #MoveTowardTheMess.

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“We have a chance to live as Jesus did,” John writes. “You and I might never be involved in commanding the wind to stop. But we could be involved in building houses for homeless people to protect them from the wind. We might never raise someone from the dead. But we might be able to help someone’s dead marriage come back to life. We might need more than five loaves and two fish to feed people. But we can still feed people in Jesus’ name.”

Wow guys. Talk about some pretty powerful stuff! John is so right about this one. We have a chance to live as Jesus did. But do we take that chance seriously? If you’re like most people — myself included — chances are you’d rather stay in your comfort zone where things are easier and safe.

Wherever you are in your faith journey, Move Toward the Mess will make you want to run straight out of your comfort zone and into the dark places that need Jesus.

We have a chance to love and live like Jesus did. #365LoveWellProject

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The #365LoveWellProject + How You Can Join

January 23, 2017 • 16 Comments

A few weeks ago, we talked about what to do when our faith needs a wake up call. But if you ask me, I think our faith isn’t the only thing that finds itself needing a wake up call from time to time. More often than not it’s our attitude that needs to be refreshed and realigned, too.

Instead of watching the ball drop this New Year’s Eve, I spent most of the night in bed nursing my fourth sinus infection of the year. (I’m getting surgery on Feb. 1 to fix this problem!) To the outside world I probably looked weak and pathetic, but if you could’ve seen the condition of my heart I guarantee you would’ve felt no pity for me.

I was livid. Thankless. Discontent. Indignant.

And yet, amid all of this fury I knew something wasn’t right. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling such wretched emotions. I knew I didn’t want to be feeling what I was feeling or thinking what I was thinking. But I didn’t do anything to shift my focus.

Seeing my despair, my husband offered me some of his nasal spray to help me breathe better. But while he meant this for good, it only made my symptoms worse. Within seconds of using the spray my nose and throat felt like they were on fire. My head and heart starting hurting. I lost my sense of taste and smell. And my mood went to a whole new level of crazy. I was having an allergic reaction to the medication.

I knew better, but in the heat of the moment, I didn’t think twice before opening my mouth.

“You did this to me!” I said to my husband. “This is all your fault.”

Oh, what love … or lack thereof in this case.

The most soul-crushing thing about NYE was that just a few days before I got sick, I decided that my focus for 2017 was going to be loving others well. Although it wasn’t 2017 yet, as I scolded my poor husband I couldn’t help but feel like I was already failing.

Thankfully, for you and me, God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). So on Jan. 1, instead of wallowing in shame, I came up with a tangible way to help me live out my focus for 2017. I’m calling it the 365 Love Well Project, or, #365lovewellproject on social media.

God’s mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) His love is never-failing. (Psalm 136)

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We were created by love, from love, for love, but that doesn’t mean loving others is always easy, or a priority, for that matter.

I believe this is because we live in a fallen world — a selfish, “what’s in it for me?” world where we’ve been conditioned to put our needs before the needs of others.

But it’s never too late to turn all of that around. It’s never too late to learn how to love well.

It’s never too late to love others well. #365lovewellproject

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That’s where the 365 Love Well Project comes in. For 365 days I’m committing to love others, God and even myself to the best of my ability. Practically speaking, here’s what the project has looked like in my day-to-day life so far:

Every morning when I wake up, I thank God for another day to live. I pray for friends, family, my community and the world. I look in the mirror and remind myself that I am a Positively Lovely daughter of God — a beautiful masterpiece who was created on purpose for a purpose.
Every morning and night, I spend 10 minutes reading and meditating on love-focused Scripture.
Every day, I take care of my body and work to keep my heart, words and thoughts pure.
Every day, I try to make people a bigger priority than what’s on my phone.
Every day, I look for opportunities to love others in a unique and personal way.
Every night, I journal about what God is teaching me about love and how I chose to love others and myself well that day.
The last thing I’m doing is a secret that I will reveal at the end of this year … so stay tuned!

I’m sharing this with you today because, if you’re interested or maybe feel God nudging you, I want to invite you to join me on this 365 Love Well Project. No matter how much we try to put others first, there is always an opportunity to love better, deeper and wider because we are called to love like Christ. And I don’t know about you, but my love is nowhere near Christ-level yet. I have some growing to do. We all do.

One day at a time, we can learn to love God, others and ourselves well. But it takes a lot of intentionality on our part.

We can always love better, deeper and wider because we are called to love like Christ.

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Over the next year, I will be posting about my experiences with this project here on the blog and on social media via #365lovewellproject. Whether anyone joins me or not, I don’t know. But I do know this: my heart will be forever changed by this journey, and I’m so excited to see what God will do along the way.

I long to love others well. To put others before myself. Not just sometimes but always. This is what I want for my life. What about you? If you’re raising your hand in agreement, will you invite your friends to join? Your Bible study group? Maybe even your family? You don’t have to start the project on Jan. 1 for it to make an impact in your life. You can start it any day of the year.

If you haven’t subscribed to the blog, be sure to subscribe today so that you can stay updated on what’s happening with the project throughout 2017.

XOXO, Lauren

Resting In God’s Redeeming Grace

January 18, 2017 • 17 Comments

Part of today’s blog appeared in a Facebook post I wrote last month. Because so many readers responded to the post, I decided to expand it into a bigger writing piece. I hope you enjoy it!

Resting In God's Redeeming Grace

I bolted out of our vacation rental car and marveled at the cliff, eyes wide and mouth open in amazement. We’d made it. Finally, we’d found the spot I’d been dying to see since we arrived on Eleuthera: The Glass Window Bridge.

A few other tourists were blocking the bridge’s information center, but that didn’t bother me. I had bigger fish to fry. I looked back at my husband’s family and waved them on.

“I’m climbing this thing,” I told them. “Who’s with me?”

If you’ve been to the Caribbean or a tropical climate, chances are you’ve encountered lava rock at some point. While it’s beautiful to look at, it’s not as attractive for hiking. Even as a 20-year-old, the short climb was difficult for me. (This is mostly because I am accident prone, but also because I was wearing flip flops!)

By the time we reached the top, however, none of the mattered. All I could think about was the indescribable view surrounding me on all sides. One look to the left revealed the dark and haunting waters of the Atlantic Ocean. One look to the right, however, and the only thing I could see in front of me were the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. The scene took my breath away.

glass window bridge bahamas

It’s been four years since I stood on top of that cliff, but when the photo popped up in my “Facebook Memories” a few weeks ago, a part of me felt like I’d never left.

You see, this hike meant more to me than simply seeing two seas at once. God met me on the cliff that day, and He spoke to me in a way so deep, I’ll never forget.

“See the waters there, Lauren? See how they change from dark to light in an instant?” He whispered to me. “That’s what I did for you the moment you finally let me in. I rescued you from the darkness and brought you into the light.”

By His grace, God pulls us out of the darkness and brings us into the light.

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I love how personal our God is, and I still get chills remembering the encounter I had with Him at the Glass Window Bridge. And while I know I can’t necessarily recreate encounters like this every day, here’s what that experience made me realize: it’s good and it’s important to rest in the wonder of God’s redeeming grace.

An invitation to rest in the wonder of God’s redeeming grace:

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Sweet friends, God wants to be our rescuer, redeemer and restorer for all of our days … but we have to be willing to let Him in. We have to be willing to bring our junk to Him and surrender to His healing process every morning before we get out of bed. And we have to allow ourselves to rest in His oceans of grace.

Hope to Get Us Through Our Hardest Days

January 16, 2017 • 11 Comments

Congratulations, we made it to mid-January! The holidays are over. Daylight hours are few. Temperatures are freezing. Sickness is running rampant. And, for many areas of the US, the sun has seemingly vanished.

Happy New Year to us! Or maybe … not-so-happy new year.

Blue Monday is a name given to the third Monday of January, which is reported to be one of the most depressing days of the year. There are many conflicting opinions on the validity of the study that determined this, but regardless of its scientific accuracy, I think it’s still an important thing for us to talk about.

Because for a lot of us — myself included — winter is hard.

A few weeks ago my husband and I were waiting in line for an event. As if my frozen toes weren’t enough evidence to prove it was too cold to be standing outside, one glance at my weather app confirmed my suspicions. I reloaded the app just to make sure it was reading the temperature right, but a second glance proved it was in fact only 7˚ F. Not too far in front of me, a little girl started crying.

“Mommy, I’m cold. Can we please go inside? Please!” she shouted. “I don’t want to be out here anymore.”

My heart felt the weight of her desperate plea, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse of myself in her distress. Because I’ll be real with ya, sisters — this past month has not been an easy one for me.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe, like the little girl standing in the freezing cold, there’s a part of you that’s begging God to come to your rescue right now. You’re crying out, “Father, I’m miserable. Can you please get me out of the mess that I’m in?” But all you’re experiencing is silence. If that’s you, here’s what I want to say to you today:

There’s still hope for life, and there’s a hope that can help you through your hardest days.

There is a hope to get us through our hardest days. His name is Jesus.

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The name of that hope is Jesus Christ — the fulfillment of God’s promises and perfect plan. The risen King who proved once and for all just how deeply the Father loves and cares for us. The Savior who gives us a reason to trust and believe.

No matter what we face, we always have hope, because God’s promises will never fail us.

“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:1-20 (MSG)

Another version of this passage reads, “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (NIV). Hope is the anchor. Jesus is the anchor. And we don’t have to do the hard work of securing that anchor to the ocean floor, because Jesus has already secured it there for us. All we have to do is tether our souls to the rope and never let go. Piece of cake, right?

At this point you might be wondering, if it’s so simple, then why does life feel so hopeless sometimes?

If you’ve ever been to a church service, you might’ve heard or sang the old hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Written in 1757 by 22-year-old Robert Robinson, there’s a section of the hymn that I think captures why it’s so hard to stay tethered to the hope of Jesus. Robinson writes, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

God’s Word is full of hope. Jesus himself is full of hope. But in our human nature we are full of sin, and that sin makes us wander away from the source of hope. As Paul describes in Romans 7:

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway … I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (19, 22-25).

The remedy for our hardest day is and always will be Jesus. He wants to be our hope. He’s asking for us to come to Him so that He may give us rest and restore our weary souls (Matthew 11:28-30). But we have to choose Him first. What does that look like in life’s hard seasons?Read More

17-Day Prayer Challenge {Grow Your Faith In the New Year}

January 9, 2017 • 16 Comments

Bright colors illuminated the living room as the TV camera flipped to capture the Times Square Ball Drop. 59, 58, 57, 56, 55. Meanwhile, family members bustled around the house, partaking in the usual New Year’s Eve festivities.

With a glass of champagne here, and a glass of sparkling grape juice there, the night was full of laughter and cheer.

24, 23, 22, 21. I watched the countdown with great anticipation. 10, 9, 8. And though my body was planted firmly into the couch, the hope and promise of 2017 made my soul feel like it was about to fly right out of my body.

3, 2. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for a new year.

1. And now it’s finally here. Thank you, Lord.

I’m not sure what your 2016 was like, but in my little sphere of the world, it was a tough year. Death, rejection, sickness, relational discord and violence ravaged the lives of many people I know, including myself. It was painful to watch. Painful to experience and endure. But love, joy, hope, faith and the promise of a new year remain.

I’ve been praying a lot for 2017 — for God to make beauty out of the ashes — and in those prayers I feel nothing but hope for the year ahead. Regardless of what happens this year, I’m expecting God to do some pretty amazing things. And I’m hopeful that with this fresh start, my faith will only continue to strengthen and grow. I’m hoping this for you, too.

Today, I want to invite you to feed your faith in 2017 by joining me in this 17-Day Prayer Challenge that will help you hit the reset button on your walk with Jesus. Each day’s prayer challenge revolves around one area of focus, but you can feel free to add to it as you feel led by the Spirit.

Ready to have an incredible year? Let’s get started!

Day 1. Pray that God would awaken the passion inside of you to live for Him and Him alone. Ask God to set a fire within you — a hunger for more of Him and His Word. Pray that your desire to be close to God would only continue to increase. Spend a few minutes remembering and journaling about how you felt when you first came to know Jesus. Ask God to make you feel that way again.

Please join me at iBelieve.com to read and download the rest of this prayer challenge.