Us-Ie: Getting Outside Our Selfie

This morning I sat at our kitchen table with my little brother, Moses as we each had a bottle of Coke and talked about life. As we were sitting there I saw a box filled with questions so I got it out and started asking Moses the questions.

"What global problem do you care most about?"
Moses thought for a moment and then said: Selfishness.
Wow. Think about it, selfishness. If no one was selfish then there wouldn't be war or abortion, huger, homelessness, slavery. Oh my goodness and that's only the beginning. 

  

Right now my church is going through a series called Us-Ie. Talking about getting outside our selfie. It's crazy to me to think about how very selfish and self-centered we have become. 

Think about it, if we were truly unselfish then every day we would be telling people about Jesus. {{Every day}} 

I know, we can come up with so many reasons (excuses) why we don't need to or shouldn't tell our neighbor or the cashier, bank teller, hotel clerk, waiter, pilot or stewardess about Jesus. We think, it will just make them feel awkward. Not to mention the knot you get in your stomach when you decide to tell that person about Jesus.  

 

 It's time for us to stop talking about love and actually start really loving people. We can say we love people as much as we want but it doesn't mean a thing to say that if we are just sitting by watching people die every day that are going to Hell forever. We don't want them to be uncomfortable or awkward so we don't tell them how Jesus died for our sins and then rose from the dead. He defeated death. Y'all, that is HUGE.

 

Have you ever seen an usie with so many people that half the people in the back were cut off? That's an example of someone who has gotten so far outside their selfie that they can't even get all the people they've reached and touched and loved into their usie. Let's become those people that get So far outside our selfie that we can't even count all the people in our usie. 

Y'all are difference makers. Keep up the great work.

Ps. go get the ThreeLife Church App and listen to the series Us-Ie. You will love it. You can also listen to it on the ThreeLife Church Website :-)

Be Present

Being present seems like such a hard thing for me. I'm always looking forward to tomorrow or next week or even next year. I like to think it's because I'm a forward thinker;-) But mostly I think it's just cuz I day dream too much.

I've asked many, many people the question: if you could go back and change anything or tell yourself something when you were my age, knowing what you know now, what would it be? So many people have said "I wish I had learned earlier to live in the moment." or, I would have told myself "Remember, you only get this today once." 

A few weeks ago I was on a plane coming home from a trip and I asked the lady next to me that very question. Without hesitation she said "Live in the moment." and than she went on to say "When I was growing up I was always waiting for the next moment. If I was with my friends, I would be thinking about being with my family, and if I was with my family I would be thinking about being with my friends. That's just how it always was. It took me till my 40s to realize that I was wishing my life away as I wished for the next moment. I can't change my past... But if I could go back and tell myself something when I was your age, I would tell myself to live in the moment. To be present."

A saying I've been thinking about is  "I have a feeling these are the best days of my life." I think a lot of times when people say that it's cuz they're living in the moment... When you're living in the moment you start noticing things you never noticed before. That's when you realize what an amazing life you really do have!

Be present. Live now, don't wait for tomorrow. Hug a little longer. Smile a little more. and Always remember: You only have this today once.

Michael

I had the honor of meeting this amazing gentlemen named Michael who was selling household cleaners at a flea market. The passion he had for telling people about Jesus was so beautiful and the sparkle in his eyes could’ve told the whole story.

Thank you Michael for enriching my life and many others by simply being the man that God has called you to be. 
You shine His light so brightly. Keep being the amazing person you are. 
 
_______________


“I have a dream job and it’s to serve. Ya can fire me from selling this cleaner, but nobody can fire me from servin’ God and lovin’ people. It ain’t easy helpin’ people cuz that means ya gotta push yourself outa the way.

I’ve been a minister for four years and I gotta tell ya a secret.

If ya bound in mind or if ya have a broken heart, God can set ya free and put ya heart back together.

All ya gotta do is just ask. Ya don’t need nobody to send ya no holy water. Ya don’t need nobody to talk to ya on the phone.
All ya gotta do is just ask.

If ya sick, if ya in pain, just ask.

Matthew 7:7 says: “ask, and it will be given to ya; seek, and ya will find; knock, and it will be opened to ya.” 

I never knew how hard the flesh was to control till I met God and everything changed. I had to retrain my mind and everything I’d learned cuz I needed to be more godly with my thoughts and what I did. Our flesh is powerful but our God is more powerful.”

~Michael (NJ)

The Story of Many Lives

There’s this beautiful old house out in the woods near my home.
It looks like a set from a movie. It’s amazing and really doesn’t even look like real life.
The wood is weathered just perfectly to where it looks almost like it's a painting.

The closer you get the more you see that you don’t want to go in. You know that if you go in, there’s a chance that you'll fall through the rotten floor to the cellar. That doesn’t seem to matter though when you’re right there looking at it. It’s so beautiful and feels as though it’s calling you to explore. It’s not very big and you know that the pleasure won’t last long because it’s empty inside.

There's no sign of life there, in fact there's a cow skeleton in the cellar that you can see through the rotten boards. I promise you, it didn't go there planning to die.

Maybe you think it's okay just to step inside, after all, it's not that big. But once you're in it you'll walk around because that's just how it works. Sooner or later, you'll fall through that floor even if all you thought you were going to do was explore. Once you're down there the only way out is for someone from outside of the cellar to help you.

If you’ve fallen through the floor. Don’t wait to call for help because the longer you wait the more used to it you become and you don’t notice that you have no food or water. You become okay with it when really, it's killing you.  

Don’t go near that house no matter how small it may seem. Listen to me, if you’re already there, if you’ve already fallen in,  I’m here to tell you that it’s not to late. Yell for help while you still have the breath to. A semicolon is placed in your life the very moment that you say: I can't get out alone; I need help. 

If you've gotten out of the house. Break the Silence of your story because the possibilities are great that there are people out there that are in the very same house you were in. They have so much fear they can't call for help because they know that they should've never gone near the house in the first place. They're scared of judgment because you've covered up your tracks so well that they think they're the only one.

Maybe you came out of the house before you fell through. But every time you look at it you want to go back. Don't think that it being something not very big makes it okay to do.
Listen, it hasn't changed, it still looks beautiful from the outside but still has the power to kill you. To kill the family you have. To kill the church you pastor. To kill the impact that you're going to make.

This was not just a story about an old house... It's the story of many lives.
Maybe it's your story.
Maybe right now you're just looking. Stop looking and run as fast and as far away from it as you can. 
Maybe you're in the house, walking around... Listen to me, no matter what your house is, Get. Out. Of. It. Now.

And maybe, you were just looking, you thought: it's not that big. But you stepped in just to look around... But now you're in the cellar and see no way out. You try to pull yourself out but the rocks from the foundation start falling every time you reach up and try to get out. Now you're scared that the whole building will fall in on you if you make one more move to get out of the cellar you've found yourself in. You think you're the only one so you won't yell for help....

ThreeLife Church has some courageous and brave people that are standing up saying, not in our lifetime will we leave you in the "cellar" to make ourselves look better. This series Break The Silence will change your life forever no matter where you're at in life. I challenge you to take the time to listen to these messages and reach out for help if you're in the house before you reach the seemingly hopeless cellar. If you're in the cellar, there is a way out even though you can't see above the falling rocks, there are people on the outside that if you call or even whisper for help they will come running and pull you out before it all falls in. Where there's life, there's hope. And if you've been there but covered up your tracks, I ask you to remember this: When you break the silence of your story it will tie you to someone in your world that wanted to quit before they heard what you had to say.



Break The Silence

Quotes

Hey Amazing People!

It's starting to feel like spring and I'm lovin' it so much! My windows are open and I've been taking walks with my little cousins every afternoon. It's simply beautiful out.

I've had the very best few weeks of my life this last month and hopefully I'll find time to write all about it... But for now I just wanted to say hey and share some quotes with y'all that I love.

Have an Amazing weekend!

 

 

 

Break The Silence Of Your Story

I’ve always wanted to try to be everyone’s “Sunshine Girl” and I’ve thought up until now that would mean that I couldn’t be real about my pain and my story.

But I’m learning there are people out there who need to know they’re not the only one that isn't as strong as they’d like to be.

You see, the fact is this, it doesn’t make me any stronger if I don't share my pain and weakness with y’all... And since my heart is to be a hope giver I'm going to do this even though it's very hard for me.
I know that there are so many people that are going through things behind the scenes....
I promise you, you’re not the only one.

Listen y’all, a lot of my friends didn't even know I was sick for several years simply because I hate sympathy and more then anything I wanted to be strong and I didn't want anyone to ever see me as weak or "the sick one".

I've been trying to write this post for a few days (and I've thought about it for months) because it's really hard for me to write about this but I've known for a long time that God gave me my story to encourage others...
But it's still super hard to write about. (I cry every time I read the book When Life Hands You Lymes that my sister, Lydia is writing.)

Last night Pastor Josh put on his Twitter:
"When you break the silence of your story it will tie you to someone in your world that wanted to quit before they heard what you had to say."

So I'm here to say,  keep going, you're going to get through this.
Listen to me, no matter how dark it is right now... The sun always comes out after a storm.
I know that some storms can be so super stinkin' long, but listen to me, the sun WILL come out.  I believe in you and know you can get through this.
Remember this, Where there's life, there's hope.

In April of last year (2014) 6 months after I was told I was Lyme free... I started feeling sickish again, we were traveling so I thought I was just worn out from everything.
But by July I was feeling so sick that I had to go another doctor only to find out that my Lyme was indeed back and that I had to go back on all kinds of medicines that I had thought were out of my life forever.

August, September, October, November and the beginning of December were the worst months I'd had in a long time. Many, many days I was too weak to get out of bed until around 2:00 or so in the afternoon...
So many times I would go downstairs and then was too weak to walk up to my room so I would sit on the floor and pull myself up the steps, sometimes I couldn't even do that so I'd just sleep on the couch.

I'm still not as strong or energized as I will be soon:) but these last almost 7 weeks have been the best of my life! I never ever remember feeling this good. I'm learning what well feels like, and may I just say, WELL FEELS AMAZING!!!

So, I’m about to share something with y’all that I wrote back at the beginning of December of 2014 (two months ago). Looking back and seeing how horrible I was feeling compared to now is just incredible to me and gives me hope everyday to keep going. Where there's life, there's hope.

"Exhaustion.
Why is it such a familiar word to me? I know it all too well for only being 17.
Unless someone has truly experienced extreme exhaustion, there's no way to fully understand how it feels.

My brain feels bruised and every sound I hear or every word someone speaks seems like a million minutes long.

Someone excitedly talks about what they see outside. I want to see it so I try to open my eyes but nothing happens. My eyelids are heavy as bricks. My eyes ache and are sore. 

I want so much for the noise to stop. But I can't say anything because I'm too weak to open my mouth.

The best way to escape all this noise is to leave the room.
Why haven't I thought of this before?
But as I go to stand up, I can't remember how to move my legs. MOVE LEGS! I want yell, but people think I'm stronger than that so I just sit back and act like I never wanted to get up in the first place."

Happy Birthday

Today was a very special day. My Pastor from ThreeLife church in Georgia turned 33!
If you ask me, I think that’s kinda like a golden birthday for him considering the fact that he pastors
3Life church.

I’m so thankful to be a part of this church even though I live so far away. Listening to messages on the ThreeLife app has helped me through many things and is an encouragement to me every single day.

Happy Birthday Pastor Josh!

Helping People

Thank you Hunter for being the awesome person that you are. You’re gonna be a great doctor. 
Keep up the great work and don’t lose sight of your dreams.

“My dream is to be a doctor. It’s good money and I want to be able to help people.

I going for my pre-med. I have 7 or 8 years until I’ll actually be a doctor.

I’m from Connecticut and I’d like to be a doctor there or Massachusetts.
I might even go overseas to Germany or England.”

~Hunter (CT)

Brad

Thank you so very much Brad for sharing your story. You are such a great inspiration. God has some huge plans for your life. Keep being who God has called you to be.

“I was put in foster care at age 3.
I was in many foster homes all my life and then I was adopted at age 16.

At 15 I got really sick and spent a lot of time in the hospital. That was pretty hard because I was just getting to know a new family and they never really knew if I was just faking it or if I was really sick.

After a while I was diagnosed with lupus. I went through nine months of chemo.
As a result of the chemo, my lupus is in remission and I’m doing pretty good.

What I've learned most is just to live a life that I'm proud of and that God's proud of.

Someday I want to adopt a kid.”
~ Brad (OH)

Bulgaria

The other day we went to Golden Corral with my Grandma and I got to meet Mr. Emil who is simply amazing. He’s so bright and cheerful and just made us all smile! Thank you Mr. Emil for being who you are.

“The happiest day of my life was when my daughter, Victoria was born 4 years ago.

I love to play with her. She rides her bike and jumps all around and makes a mess and drives me nuts! But I love her so much.

Whenever I'm with my daughter I'm having a great time.”

~Mr. Emil (Bulgaria)

Miracle

Wow. What an amazing story Mr. Withrow has. I’m so thankful to know him. He shines the love of God so brightly and is such an encourager! Doctors said he’d never walk again. But he overcame that and is a walking miracle today. Thank you Mr. Withrow for being the person that God has called you to be.

“I was an athlete. I thought I'd be in pro-football.

When I was 20 I had a car accident that took my life.
I was actually pronounced dead and was brought back to life. 

I was in the hospital for 3 months.
I had such injuries I knew pretty much right away that I'd never play again.

There were 2 others in the car and we all survived but were pretty messed up.
I still keep in contact with both of them, we’re good friends.

I was brought up with a church background and in a godly home but I got away from that and being an athlete was my idol.

Even though I still love sports it doesn't consume me anymore and I now put God first.”

~Mr. Withrow (OH)

Laken

This girl is gonna move mountains. I’m so honored to be able to call her my friend. What a great leader she is becoming. Love ya Laken.

“In seventh grade my youth group went to camp together. There was a worship band there and I remember everybody went up front and everyone was on their knees crying and praying because everyone could just feel the presence of God. That was when I asked Jesus into my heart.

Having God in my life has change my perspective in so many ways. Instead of always trying to please people, I work on pleasing God and that makes life a lot easier then always trying to be like everyone else and making them happy.” ~ Laken (OH)

Renee

Thank you Renee for letting me make this world better by sharing some of your dreams with everyone. I'm going to come visit you when you live on a beautiful island someday. Thanks for being who you are!

“Growing up I wanted to own my own restaurant but after watching shows on TV, I decided I didn’t want to after all.

If I could have any wish come true it would be to move to the islands - where it’s warm all year around.

I’ve learned over time that the best thing is to take things as they come day-by-day.”
 ~Renee (OH)

It's Not About Me

 Thank you so much Jeremiah for letting me share some of your amazing life with the world. You are doing amazing things and I'm so grateful for the heart you have to love God and share His love with the world. Thank you.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be a computer programmer, and that’s what I do now.”

Question:
“If you could go back in time and tell yourself something when you were younger, what would it be?”

“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have listened back then.
But if I could go back and change something: I would have given my life to God a lot sooner then I did.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is: it’s not about me.”

~Jeremiah (OH)

Golden Nuggets

Hey everyone!
Check out DonHoweSuccess.com for daily wisdom on how to become the best you can be. I am so super excited about this and I hope y'all will take just 3 minutes to watch this Golden Nugget by my Dad!

Happiest Day Of My Life

 I met an amazing gentlemen in the airport the other day and he shared his story with me and said I could share it with y'all. What an inspiration he is to so many. AND, he's from Georgia which is always a plus;)

“The happiest day of my life was in 1970 when I received Christ in my life on the battlefields of Vietnam.
It gave me perspective, I understood what my mission was.

I was just getting out of high school and I didn't know what direction I was supposed to take.
When the Lord put His hand on my life I knew exactly where I needed to go to college.

I became a chaplain and served in the military as one for 32 years and taught many others about Christ.

Then I built a church in Hinesville, Georgia. The majority of my congregation are soldiers.” 

Lisa

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned in life is to listen.

As a child I dreamed of being a teacher and when I grew up,
even though I was never the popular one in school, this dream came true and I taught for 13 years.

The person I look up to most is my Pastor’s wife, Cassandra De Leon.
I look up to her because of the way she portrays Christ!

My greatest wish is to be a foster parent. I'm working on becoming one right now.”

 ~ Lisa (OH)

Grandpa & Grandma

“I wish I got to meet my Grandpa and Grandma Liston. I would hug and squeeze them and tell them that I love them so much. Everyone in my family met them but I never did. One day when I get to heaven I’ll get to see them for the very first time.” ~ Abbie (OH)

 

High School

If you could go back in time and tell yourself something when you were in high school, what would it be?

“To look at the big picture. Yeah it mattered at the time, but looking back it really didn’t matter who my friends were, what I wore to school, or if my hair was done just right. Nobody remembers that stuff. When you get into college it’s a whole new world of people. So I think I would’ve told myself:
Don’t stress to be at the “top of the totem pole”. I don’t know if I would have followed my advice, but if I had, then I don’t think high school would have been such a stress.” ~Nicole (OH)

Laugh!

Remember the saying “A laugh a day keeps the doctor away.” - Okay, okay it’s possible that I just made that up... But it sounds good, right?

I am here right now to hopefully give you a big smile on your face and make your day a lot brighter then it would be if you didn't stop by to read these jokes:).

(Just so you know, I wrote this late last night. So things that wouldn’t normally be funny to me were making me laugh super hard! So, if you don’t find these jokes funny, come back tonight when you’re tired and read them again... If they still aren’t funny to you then you need to learn to find joy in the simple things of life.)

Are you ready for some amazing jokes? Here we go:).

What did the football coach say to the broken vending machine?
-Give me my quarterback!

What time did the man go to the dentist?
-Tooth hurty.

What did Cinderella say when her photos weren't ready?
-Some day my prints will come.

What did the beach say as the tide came in?
-It waved and said: Long time, no sea.

When is a car not a car?
-When it turns into a garage.

Why do elephants have trunks?
-Because they would look silly with glove compartments.

What did one plate say to the other plate?
-Lunch is on me.

How do you make antifreeze?
-You steal her blanket.

How did cows feel when the branding iron was invented?
-They were impressed.

 Smile. Be Happy. Enjoy Life. Have a GREAT day and be the reason that someone else smiles today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow. I have so, so incredibly much to be thankful for. Since I couldn’t write down all that I’m thankful for even if I had all day,  I’ve decided to just write down 33 things because three is a wonderful number.

(In no particular order)

I’m thankful for...

1. God, and all that He has taught me this year.
2. My family which is full of unconditional love.
3. ThreeLife Church and all my amazing friends that I get to call my family.
4. Friends, both near and far away.
5. My bright room. (It’s hard to be sad in such a happy room!)

6. Family trips, family meals, family movie nights, and family meetings.
7. All you awesome people that read my blog, (and all those who have yet to be converted.)
8. Texting and emailing.
9. Writing cards.
10. Singing with my cousin/best friend and getting to see her every day. Just amazing.

11. Reading Zig Ziglar books.
12. My awesome prayer warrior parents who pray for me every day.
13. Jokes that make me laugh more than they should. (Why did the chicken cross the road? - To get to the other side. Hahahaha that one just kills me every time.)
14. My Thankful Wall in my room.
15. The Rhye family: Pastor Josh, Miss Amanda, Khyler and little Miss Pretty Flower, who will grace the world with her presence very soon.

16. My ThreeLife T-shirts that make me so happy every time I wear them.
17. The fact that every persons’ story matters. 
18. Hugs from my little cousins.
19. Sisters who encourage me.
20. Brothers who eat lots of food.

21. Colorful pillows, curtains, and paintings.
22. Doctors with a sense of humor (they said I should be well by now.) {Followed by this dialogue: “Hahahaha. That’s a good one.” “If you have a sick sense of humor.” get it?}
23. Having my cousins live right next door. Ahhh, truly a dream come true.
24. Brightly colored laundry detergent dispensers. Thank you to whoever decided that laundry detergent dispenser should be bright and happy.

25. Helen Keller, and how she inspires me with her words.
26. Howe Insurance Services, and the great leaders by whom I’m surrounded.
27. The experience of being stuck in an elevator with my older brother Logan! (Getting stuck on an elevator is just funny on so many levels. We were stuck 45 minutes, but we didn’t let it get us down. Sorry, I was going to make a funny pun about the elevator, I just haven’t come up with any yet.)

28. Having the opportunity to hear Rory Vaden speak.
29. Pumpkin Spice Candles.
30. Baking pumpkin cookies, and Andes mint chocolate cookies (to. die. for.)
31. My sister who just baked 8. Yes, 8, beautiful pies.
32. Sparkles on everything!
33. My ThreeLife friends flying up from Georgia to surprise me.

Action Kids' Club

Hey Everyone! Lydia Howe here from over at Noveltea. Johanna asked me to do a guest post so I could tell y'all about my new book that was just released on November 10th! So, without further ado, here it is:

Action Kids’ Club Back Cover Blurb:
Twelve-year-old Olivia Hall’s dream of a friends' club ends when she finds out her family is moving. Her parents assure her it's a good thing, opening a new world of possibilities for the Halls. But going from ‘miss popular’ to ‘the new girl’ won’t be easy, and Olivia is not convinced.

Soon she begins to realize that although her life has suddenly changed, there's plenty of adventure to keep her on her toes. From making new friends at Forward Focus, to hanging out at the world-renowned Kids Zone, to meeting the curious head chef, she discovers that there's much more to life - and her new surroundings - than she ever imagined. How will she make the most of these new opportunities? Or will she let them slip away?

You can find out more about the book by visiting my blog! Also check out this post for your chance to win a $50 Amazon giftcard!  

Find Action Kids' Club here (e-version) and here (paperback)!

Thank you so much, Johanna, for hosting me on Semicolon today!