This past Sunday morning, my pastor, Pastor Hunter Wright, spoke about how evangelism is sharing our experiences with Jesus, not forcing human knowledge about Jesus down peoples' throats. How as Christ-followers, we are not called to stand on a street corner and tell others that they are going to hell for not believing what the Bible says, but about sharing what we love with those around us. Sadly, the prior is what telling others about Jesus has become. I believe this is why so many people who are far from God want nothing to do with Christians.
This idea really struck a chord with my heart. Evangelism has always been such a burden to me. Like going and knocking on a stranger's door was something I had to do as a Christian but never felt natural. But the paradigm shift of just sharing with people what I love was freeing. This actually does come naturally to me. I am so thankful for the freedom of the Gospel. Not the distorted image of the Gospel that I've been taught my entire life, but this TRUE Gospel that I'm learning about now. So, in this post I just want to share with you some of my experiences with Jesus. I don't have an agenda here. I just want to share things with you that I love.
For those of you who have been reading my blog posts, you know this, but for those of you who haven't --- my last day at work was Friday. Honestly, it was quite a challenge for me being there. I kept thinking of the reality of my career change being so close but not yet in reach. I know that His timing is perfect and always has been. If He would have given me what I wanted back in November, things wouldn't be as good as they are now. I wanted to be home with Joah from the beginning, BUT my heart wasn't aligned with His desires at that time. Back then, my desires were to be the yoga pants-sit on the couch-stay at home mom all day, every day. Thankfully, God has brought me to this place. A place where my heart and His heart are the same. And it's all in His perfect timing for His glory. I was not created to just stay at home. I was called to be out in this community. Me leaving my workplace to be home with Joah is not something I have to do, but something I want to do.
I am so thankful to Him for this great opportunity and for His favor during this time. If you look at our finances you would think we are completely crazy for choosing NOW to have me stay home, but we believe that God is a BIG God! Because of our God-given faith, we don't see it as being financially irresponsible, but as an opportunity to trust Him with EVERYTHING. We don't think it makes sense either, but we know this is what God has placed on our hearts. In order to further His kingdom we are choosing to completely trust in Him. After all, the money isn't ours in the first place.
As strange as it sounds, being myself has always been difficult for me. I know what it was like to move away to a new place where only a handful of people knew you. So, me packing up and moving to Knoxville was pretty challenging. I've always had a hard time of feeling accepted. Because of this, I would build up walls and would do whatever it took to not allow them to be torn down. It took me about a year of living here to feel safe enough to be open with people. Right around that same time, we started going to information meetings at Ignition Church. This is significant because the church was brand new and was full of people who were new to the area. Through these people, God tore those walls down. Because of this, I've been able to be my goofy self who says the stupidest things to make people laugh and smile. It's funny how God works through simple acts of obedience. I am so thankful that God is the one directing my steps and not myself. I tried that for a long time and it was exhausting.
I am so thankful that God loves me even though He is the one who knows all my junk. He sees my selfishness and my desperation and still chooses to love me. What a great God! God is greater than my failures, greater than my fears and greater than my doubts. I praise God for allowing me to be a mommy and a wife and for giving me some pretty cool and amazing friends. I can look back in time in my life and see Him all over the place! He has always been there for me. Even when I thought He wasn't paying me any attention at all, He was there! Because of my relationship with Jesus, I am no longer scared of my future. I'm no longer worried about our finances. Because of Jesus, I finally have a purpose in this life. I can leave my doubts and fears at the door, because I know Jesus is enough.
Check out this song "Favor" by Elevation Worship. It's really impacted me lately.
Favor by Elevation Worship
Ryan (my husband) and I did long distance for a year while we were dating. Once he proposed he asked me to move to Knoxville. I knew God had called me somewhere other than Mobile, AL. (where my parents live) So a month later I packed up my stuff and moved to Knoxville.
As we were preparing for our marriage we talked early on about children and the span of when we would start trying to have a child. We both had discussed 5-8 years before we had a child. Simply because after being long distance we wanted to have some time to be just us.
In January we were married! We were excited for this new adventure we were about to embark on together! One Day Ryan came home and said he really felt strongly about something and needed me to pray with him about our prior decision to wait to have children.
Me, being the one who had to carry this child was quickly to think you've got to be kidding me. But I trusted my husband and began praying. We then came to the conclusion that we were going to have a son. (I wasn't even pregnant yet) But God was speaking to us very specifically and clearly. Ryan's last name had been well known in South Knox and not that they were known for bad things but he wanted to be sure to bring God honor to his last name. We believed and knew that having a boy to carry our last name and raising him "to reach people far from God to be filled with life In Christ" would Honor The Lord.
When I found out I was pregnant, in March, Ryan and I didn't need an ultrasound to tell us it was a boy, we knew. God was faithful and on November 26, 2012 our son Joah Lawson Read was born.
I was currently a teller at a community bank in Knoxville and Ryan was a custodian at a church. We both loved our jobs but I knew from the time he was born I was supposed to be a stay at home mom. We lived in a studio garage apartment above his parents garage. Although it was very nice we knew for our marriage to flourish to full capacity we needed to be on our own. So there was a big decision to make. Stay at home with my 2 month old son or move to an apartment and have our own family. We tried to make it work living there with Ryan having 2 jobs but he was being worked to death and it just wasn't working so we moved.
In February, 2013 we moved to our apartment and have loved it but we still felt this urge for me to stay home. We tried to come up with solutions on how to get me home but none worked out. Mainly cause we weren't relying on God to provide. Ryan knew he needed another job in order for me to stay home and an opportunity opened up for him to be a Marketing Team Leader at Exodus Chiropractic and he took it.
He's been there for a month or so now and we have been really praying about the timing of me staying home. With much prayer and great influences in our life we made the decision that as of August 30 I will be a....drum roll please ....stay at home mom!!!
As we were preparing for our marriage we talked early on about children and the span of when we would start trying to have a child. We both had discussed 5-8 years before we had a child. Simply because after being long distance we wanted to have some time to be just us.
In January we were married! We were excited for this new adventure we were about to embark on together! One Day Ryan came home and said he really felt strongly about something and needed me to pray with him about our prior decision to wait to have children.
Me, being the one who had to carry this child was quickly to think you've got to be kidding me. But I trusted my husband and began praying. We then came to the conclusion that we were going to have a son. (I wasn't even pregnant yet) But God was speaking to us very specifically and clearly. Ryan's last name had been well known in South Knox and not that they were known for bad things but he wanted to be sure to bring God honor to his last name. We believed and knew that having a boy to carry our last name and raising him "to reach people far from God to be filled with life In Christ" would Honor The Lord.
When I found out I was pregnant, in March, Ryan and I didn't need an ultrasound to tell us it was a boy, we knew. God was faithful and on November 26, 2012 our son Joah Lawson Read was born.
I was currently a teller at a community bank in Knoxville and Ryan was a custodian at a church. We both loved our jobs but I knew from the time he was born I was supposed to be a stay at home mom. We lived in a studio garage apartment above his parents garage. Although it was very nice we knew for our marriage to flourish to full capacity we needed to be on our own. So there was a big decision to make. Stay at home with my 2 month old son or move to an apartment and have our own family. We tried to make it work living there with Ryan having 2 jobs but he was being worked to death and it just wasn't working so we moved.
In February, 2013 we moved to our apartment and have loved it but we still felt this urge for me to stay home. We tried to come up with solutions on how to get me home but none worked out. Mainly cause we weren't relying on God to provide. Ryan knew he needed another job in order for me to stay home and an opportunity opened up for him to be a Marketing Team Leader at Exodus Chiropractic and he took it.
He's been there for a month or so now and we have been really praying about the timing of me staying home. With much prayer and great influences in our life we made the decision that as of August 30 I will be a....drum roll please ....stay at home mom!!!