Oceans Calling

Something I am reminded of more and more every day is my need for Jesus. We all have our struggles and I have learned that when the world comes with all its hardship and questions, we have 2 options. Run towards Jesus or run away from Jesus. Now I do not want to downplay the struggles you may have faced. However, I know the truth that our circumstances do not define who God is and the devil would love to tell you differently. He would love for you to allow hardship to make you run, isolate yourself, loose hope and believe a lie about God. But God has shown me through walking through my own hardships, that I have a choice. I can choose to run towards God and ask for help and let him into my heart and situation. When I was in Mozambique, I received a lot of breakthrough in my life, but only after weeks of feeling overwhelmed and broken. I was waiting for God to answer my questions and facing many fears and lies. I had many situations where I wanted give up or to call it quits. My s...

As human beings, I think many of us struggle with wanting to control things. We want to control situations so that we can avoid unexpected surprises. We want to control our future by creating security and comfort. We want to control the people around us by reminding them where they fail because we think somehow that would motivate them to change. We try to control God. We tell Him when to speak and how He should speak to us. We tell Him our definition of good and love and expect Him to be those things or we will tell Him maybe He isn't who He should be. We ask Him to move in worship times and in our lives, but when things feel out of our control we freak and accuse and judge. I wouldn't say these things if I hadn't myself battled this want to control and found myself doing these things. I want to focus mainly on control and worship. I believe there are times where things can get out of hand, distract from God, or can be inappropriate in a time of corporate worship.  I a...

Lately I have had to battle a lot of discouragement while also facing situations where I am like "yeah Jesus!" because I can see Him moving. It can be difficult to stay courageous and full of faith. So long story short I was asking God to help me and I started looking in the bible for situations where people where in missions and what God has said about things like support raising and facing difficult situations. In doing so, I uncovered some amazing and encouraging words that remind me that I am doing what God says and to not loose heart! In the old testament the Bible talks about the Levites, one of the tribes who were ministers, or today we would say they are the missionaries. God said that they were to do what He had called them to do while being supported financially by the body of Christ. "I’m giving the Levites all the tithes of Israel as their pay for the work they do in the Tent of Meeting"  Numbers 18:21 "At that time the Lord set apart the tr...

Hey Friends,  I apologize that I haven't updated every day!! I have a few posts that made it to my Facebook page but not the blog, so I am going to do a little catch up and share them today!!! Earlier this week I shared this message, Be Still. "Be still, and know that I am God". Sometimes the best thing for you is to do nothing. To Stop. To be still and know God is God. Pick a worship song, let it play. Sit and soak. Stop trying so hard. Invited God to come and be with you. I shared this because It can be so hard for us to simply stop. Many come from a culture of perfection, striving, work based acceptance and seeing being busy as success. However, when we try to take control over our lives and everything in them, we hold tight and don't give things to God. We try to fix things, prepare for things, make everything look good, when really on the inside we are falling fast.  Sometimes we even try to earn our salvation, or earn God's love by looking at wh...

If worship isn't really about the music and the songs, can you worship without them? I would have to say the answer is yes!!!! I want to share more about using the Arts as Worship. I have always been passionate about the arts. All I can say is that it is a gift from God. I'm not being prideful or dramatic, the thing is I have no idea where my passion and gifts came from. So it must be Jesus. Art, music, dance, design, writing, from the clothes I pick out in the morning to the way my brain works. So an amazing God breathed part of my journey, was that out of all the ywam bases out there, I landed in Brisbane, Australia where I was to be apart of a Music, Art & Dance discipleship training school. I then was called to be a leader on these schools, guiding people in how they can use creativity for Jesus. Students learned how to use Dance to evangelize, Use Photography to speak identity into others, Music to share what God had done in their lives, film to capture tes...

I believe that having a thankful heart and an attitude of thankfulness can open doors for God to move. It is also an amazing way to live a life of spiritual warfare. Fight discouragement and hard situations with thanking God for who He is!! I encourage you to think about what your current hardships are. Even if you don't understand, think about who God is despite your circumstance. thank God for that aspect of His character. Proclaim who God is over your life and invite Him to show you more of Himself. An example is like me and my finances right now. I tell God how amazing it is that He is my God and my provider. He determines my identity, not my bank account or my need. God is good!!!

About a year ago I was preparing to staff on my Second discipleship training school in Brisbane. One of my specific roles for the school was organizing the prayer and worship during the 6 months we were together. I was excited and nervous to take something like this on, but God knew. So as I started seeking Him for vision. I was reminded of a passage of scripture and a teaching I heard a few months before while at a week long Worship School in New Zealand. Luke 7:36-50 Shares a story from Jesus' life when He was invited to hang out at the house of a man called Simon. "Dinner at my place?". So Jesus went. While there, a woman showed up who had not the best of reputations (Some translations say she was a prostitute). She had learned Jesus would be there and so she entered the house with a jar of expensive perfume. She came to Jesus and she began to weep, her tears falling on his feet. She took her hair and wiped his feet. After, she kissed His feet and poured the expensiv...

Worship. noun. the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. glorifica tion, exultation, honor, praise. Looks good on paper I guess, but my experience has been more then a sweet definition and list of synonyms. It hasn't been as easy as a step 1,2,3. It hasn't been something where I could look at what the kid next to me was doing and just do the same. It has been far from simple, and yet being on a journey of discovering what worship really is has actually brought me to a simplicity of life that is unbeatable.  God is God. Give Him the glory.  Ok, so you may be thinking, "ok, so what are you saying Lindsey, what is the point." What I am saying is that. God IS the point. What is Worship? It is giving Glory to God. Not to your situation, your problems, your skills, your church, and not yourself. Maybe this sounds simple to you, but I am continually learning how to do this. Here is an example of where I had to learn what true worship l...

Something God is teaching me about right now is Grief. My first response to the word Grief had been "No thanks", however I have now been facing the question "Can grief be a good thing?". Why am I exploring grief? because I am in the middle of the grieving process. After living in Australia for 2 years, committed full on to a ministry, building relationships with those who have seen me at my best and. . . . not best :). Even though I faced many challenges, I loved what I was apart of. I was reminded often of my purpose, identity, and what God was doing. And then I left. Now don't misunderstand me,  I knew it was time to leave, God showed me that. Also, seeing friends, family and my home church was such a wonderful thing. But to say my transition has been an emotional breeze would be a complete lie. I am Grieving. It is as if I had a friend, so close to me who died and then I moved to a new place. I have memories with them, amazing and challenging, but now...

I find this to be a common request I ask of Jesus, Give me grace and grow my small faith. I know I am young, but I believe I have had the privilege to experience a lot with God. I have learned so much and be exposed to a lot of different cultures and environments of worship.  I don't say this to say I am somehow a better person or to be prideful, but really to say that I need Jesus more then ever. I need His grace more and more each day. I need His spirit to grow the small faith I have, because even though I have seen amazing things and God's faithfulness, I struggle.  I have struggled with believing the truth at times and so I have doubted God's character. I have struggled to choose faith over anxiety and apathy. I have struggled with comparing my walk with God with others. My calling with others.  I have feared peoples opinions and expectations. I need Jesus. However I don't want more of Jesus just so I can be a better person. I know now that that isn't ...

There is something about coffee shops. There is something about warm light, good Coffee, jazz music under the murmer of busy people talking about their busy lives. There is something about a journal that has seen better days, a new page waiting to be filled, and a God who has risked it all in order to maybe have a relationship with me. I say yes to all of the above. I love going to coffee shops and writing for hours. What do I write?  I write down my conversations with Jesus. We talk for hours, I drink Coffee. He helps me find new perspective and listens to all my dreams and fears. He gives me the truth. As people come in and out, more orders are called. "Vanilla Latte for . . . . ". Some people are writing papers for school, some are catching up with a friend or just feeding their caffeine addiction. While all this is happening I am falling in love at a coffee shop. Giving God the time to speak. I encorage you to think about the things you love to do and invite God to ...

 John 15:1-13 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9  As the Father has loved me, so...

I have Joy in my heart. My fruit for today has been Joy. I have had so many beautiful things happen today and I have definitely had the joy of the Lord. Seeing God move in the people around me, being encouraged, encouraging others, new beginnings! I have found in much of my time in missions and being in some crazy situations, joy is something we need to choose. It can not be determined by situation, by how good things are. Also, there is a difference between just being happy and joy. I can be struggling with many things but still have a joy that says "my struggle is big, my God is bigger!". Don't let the enemy steal your joy using lies, confusion, discouragement, fear, or loneliness. Ask God for Joy!! Who can you encourage today? Who can you have a good laugh with? Has God ever made you laugh?? hmmmm :) Joy.

My Church has been looking into the fruit of the Spirit talked about in Galatians 5. As a response, the youth group girls in my small group wanted to challenge themselves by focusing on a different fruit every day. Because we have the Holy Spirit, these things can genuinely flow from our lives!! So here they are: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. So today, Love!! 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7  " Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.   Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (NIV) Because God IS Love, I love reading this a second time replacing "Love" with God.  God is Patient, God is kind. . . . . . . He is so good!!  Challenge yourself to thin...

I have found in situation after situation that giving thanks to God is more then a nice thing or something I have to do. It renews your mind, gives you new perspective and is a perfect soil for God to work with. Countless times I have been in situations where I don't feel hopeful or joyful. We don't always have to have a smile on our faces of course, that is not what God is asking for. However, dwelling in hopelessness is not ok either. So in times where I feel discouraged I try to proclaim who God is, and be thankful. Actually speaking out the truth and reminding myself what God has done and is doing. Also, proclaiming His promises. What He wants to do. What is heaven saying!! Who does God say you are? We can determine reality. We can change things. God has more for you.  I remember coming home from Peru when I was in Australia the first time, I was discouraged. I had an amazing experience as a whole, but current hardships were blinding me from hope. I was culture shocked, ...

So this morning I was thinking more about where I am in my life journey right now and I found myself needing to revisit James 1 in the bible. God showed me this passage when I first came here 3 weeks ago. this season is challenging for me, and I need wisdom from God. Something I love from this passage is how God invites us asking for help and is so happy to meet us there. Have you ever not asked for help because you felt insecure? I know I can go to God and He doesn't look at me differently or like I am unintelligent. He isn't annoyed. So the best thing is to be honest with Him.  Also, So much goodness will come out of this time of testing. I have hope!! He is with me and I can trust that this is where I am meant to be even when some days I definitely don't feel like that.   The Message James 1: 2-8  Faith Under Pressure 2-4  Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, you...

After coming home from Australia and finding I had a lot more time on my hands, I knew it was a chance to do some reading for fun. When I was younger my family would listen to the Chronicles of Narnia on tape when we went driving. Now that I am older and realize how profound C.S. Lewis actually is, I chose to start with the Magician's Nephew. I finished it this week and at reading Chapter 15's title I can see God encouraging me again. I just finished my Story in Brisbane and now it is the beginning of all the others. So In my season here in Michigan, i am not sure what it will look like, or where to next. But God's timing is perfect. So one day at a time and each one holds promises of getting to know Him more. Oh, I enjoyed the book and it reminds me of the wonder and awe of God. Also, how sometimes He asks us to do things and it doesn't make sense. However, our obedience and faithfulness allows Him to open new doors. He sees what we cannot and is so full of Grace fo...