Faith

Faith Like A Child

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He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NIV)

I spend my days with my three children who are all under five. While I teach them about life, it is amazing and humbling how much they actually teach me. The world says they are growing up to become like my husband and me, but Jesus says that we need to change and become like them. So, what does that look like?

One of the definitions of change is to “turn back again.” Here are a few of my favorite observations of my kids, and each is an area I could use some change in. I thought I’d share in hopes that we can all “turn back again” and become more like them.

Children:

Live only in the present.

Understand heaven and cheer when people go.

Rush to help people in need.

Ask God for big things.

Rest everyday.

Sing and dance freely.

Engage everyone in their path.

Receive gifts with joy, no matter what they can offer in return.

Play. A lot.

Are unashamedly needy.

Have tender hearts.

Are quick to cry.

Are taken with the wonder of creation.

Are always learning.

Build relationships in person.

Don’t hide their feelings.

Never sugar coat the truth, but always tell it sweetly.

Don’t mind getting dirty.

Create and build things with their own hands.

Are quick to say I’m sorry.

Are quick to forgive. And forget.

Use their imaginations.

Dream really big.

Say those dreams out loud.

Hug often.

Need to be held. 

Know they are royalty.

Wear tiaras.

Fight bad guys with swords.

Speak up when things aren’t right.

Want to change the world.

Hate being in the dark alone.

Seek justice.

Love to talk about their boo boos and scars.

Have a better day when they obey.

Can be in real danger when they don’t.

Are captivated by Bible stories.

Believe in miracles.

See their Daddy as their main source of protection.

Miss their Daddy if they don’t see him for a day.

Believe everything their Daddy says.

Will tell you what makes them special.

Laugh. Even when it’s inappropriate.

See each day as a great adventure.

Are blind to status.

See through to the heart.

Talk about their fears.

Try new things.

Don’t take themselves too seriously.

Are entertained on a dime.

Find their identity in their family

Love till it hurts.

Know Jesus as their friend.

The world often overlooks them, but they are the ones Jesus stopped for. If he came to this town, he would seek them out. If he came to my home, he would let them crawl on his lap. They are his special friends. They recognize him and are not afraid to drop everything and run to him exactly as they are!

Father, thank you for the gift of children. Open our eyes to see the ones around us like You do and love them well. Help us learn from them and become more like them. Thank you for adopting us as Your children through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who laid down his life for us. Thank You that no matter how old we are, we will always be children to You, and You will always be our Perfect Daddy. Thanks for making us new every morning. Give us child-like faith to receive the Kingdom of heaven today.

A Story of Hope-September 11, 2001

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Katie Wilson's avatarKatiejwilson.com

***Prepare to be blessed!

http://www.ourcityonahill.net posted this today!  This site is a community blog that connects the bright spots of Christ in our city.  I am a Co-laborer on this community blog, which was the overflow of Catalyst Atlanta 2014.  When they asked us to take Catalyst back to our sphere of influence, http://www.ourcityonahill.net was conceived and then birthed on Easter 2015.  As followers of Christ, we are all blessed with the great responsibility of birthing Jesus to the world around us.  Share Christ today!

**Below, is just one way my friend, and ex-FBI agent, Jackie shares Christ .

I get Holy Goosies every time I read it!

A story of hope during one our nations darkest hours! LIGHT STILL WON!!! Jackie is my friend and I tear up over the gratitude I have for her and all of our nation’s “FIRST RESPONDERS”! When the world around us in crashing…

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Unwrapping Your Graveclothes

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Unwrapping Your Graveclothes

This post was inspired by a powerful three-part series on the story of Lazarus at Rivertree Church. This message about Lazarus coming out of his tomb is definitely worth the time to listen (from July 26th).  And, it was co-preached by Will! You can listen to it here.

Then Jesus shouted,“Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (John 11:44 NIV)

In this moment when we see the amazing miracle of Lazarus walking out of his tomb, a picture is created for us of the mission of the church: to unwrap one another from the former things and reveal the glory of God in each other.

Jesus invites Lazarus’s community to unbind him from his burial wrappings. Can you imagine what it must have felt like for them to hear their friend’s new breath exhale after being wrapped up? Or see his new legs step out of those graveclothes and start walking?

The beautiful thing is that Jesus didn’t unbind Lazarus himself while the community watched. He did the miracle of resurrecting him and then invited them to play a part in his transition from dead to alive. And Jesus invites us as believers to do the same thing today! He does the miracle of transforming and resurrecting hearts, and invites us to play a part in stripping off what no longer fits with the new identity he gives us…

Continue reading on OurCityOnAHill

10 Years of Saying “I Will”

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Will and I have been married for ten years this week!

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Here is a picture of us leaving our wedding on June 25th, 2005. We were 24 years old and just out of college. We thought we were so grown up, but I look back at this picture and see two happy kids with a lot to learn about life, God and each other.

That car was driving us into a future that held great plans…down a road we had mapped out to include living in Charlotte, North Carolina, having definitely no more than two children and spending our 10 year anniversary in Italy. It was a nice and tidy plan.

I smile because we spent our ten year anniversary in a town I’d never even seen on a map as a bride, but is now home: Huntsville, Alabama. Italy is a far away thought as we spend this month welcoming our third precious child into the world!

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Welcome Anna Scarborough Taylor!

The plan hasn’t exactly worked out how we expected. Over the past ten years, I think of the many ways God has changed our hearts and our plans. And it’s the unexpected turns that I treasure the most. Something has become of those two people who said “I do”. And it adds up to much more than the sum of the pictures on the highlight reel. The beautiful stuff has happened behind the camera as well…on the inside of both of us through the moments we’d never put on the highlight reel. When asked if I would take Will to be my lawful wedded husband ten years ago, I said, “I will”. But that has included many more “I wills” that have not been as expected:

  • I will hear the overwhelming words from my husband, “I need you to leave everything you know and love behind and move with me.” This would come when the economy collapsed and he had an opportunity for a new career hundreds of miles away from everything familiar. I will leave it all holding onto only two things: him and the hope of an unknown future.
  • I will learn that the world doesn’t revolve around my happiness and goals. I will learn to sacrifice for another person, and it will be hard. It will also be worth it.
  • I will fall on my knees and cry out to God, “I need you. I can’t do this my way any more.” I will see Him answer me. I will become a new creation, alongside my husband.
  • I will say the words I never expected to say, “I need you. I can’t do this without you.” They would come to Will as he arrived home to a tired and bleary-eyed wife fighting back tears and holding out a colicky baby as a two year old stormed the house. I will come to the end of myself and my own sufficiency and learn how to depend on others.
  • I will see someone else sacrifice their happiness for me. It will be hard to ask for help and hard to accept it, but it will be worth it. God reminds each of us, we are worthy of great sacrifice.
  • I will find the courage and humility to say the words “ I am sorry. Will you please forgive me?”
  • I will be given the strength to say the equally challenging response, “Yes I forgive you.” Letting go will be worth it.
  • I will receive the love of Christ, which is nothing I can earn or lose. This love will enable me to receive myself. Not the person I may want to be, but the unique person God has made me to be. And with His help, I will also receive my husband. Not as the person I may want him to be or the male version of me, but the amazing person God made him to be. I will receive my children. Not as people who are to make me proud or be just like Will and me, but as gifts from the Lord.
  • I will work on my marriage. We will keep dating. We will invest our savings in taking trips with just the two of us. We will invest in marriage counseling, not just to fix problems, but to keep the communication lines open and healthy. We will take the time to pray together, take the time to listen and take the time to know what’s on each other’s hearts.

Here’s a picture of us on our 10-year anniversary last night. I am so thankful for the man by my side!

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So much has changed since 2005, but we have stuck together through it all, molding and growing into a unified team. On our date last night, the hostess asked us what the secret to ten years was and Will quickly and confidently replied, “Jesus”.

We don’t know where we’re headed, but we’ve learned we are not in control. We will keep learning every day to trust the One who is. He loves us in a way that changes everything, and through this love, He shows us how to love each other. He doesn’t always deliver what we expect in life but one thing is for sure; He offers more than we could ask or imagine.

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My True Identity

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Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, a special time to celebrate the wonderful dads in our lives and what they mean to us.  But for all too many, Father’s Day marks a day when hearts ache for someone who, for whatever reason, is no longer here.

As we approach this weekend, I wanted to share a post written by the amazing father of my children, Will Taylor. Will tragically lost his daddy at 16, which began the challenging, painful, beautiful and redemptive search for His Heavenly Daddy, who welcomed him as a son five years ago.

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“My True Identity: A Son of the Father.” 

I pray you are as blessed as I was! While you are on OurCityOnAHill.net, please check out other “soul food” local devotionals and testimonies.  The mission of the site is “To unite believers and bring out the God-colors in our city; so that God is glorified and the lost are found.” Whether you live in Huntsville or not, I hope you enjoy hearing amazing stories of grace and transformation.  God is alive and active around all of us!

And may Father’s Day be a day when we also reflect on our Heavenly Daddy…the One who will never leave us or forsake us, who has adopted us as His precious children, who loves us with a perfect love, and who says to each of us, “with you I am well pleased.”

You are Beautiful!

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Summer is coming, and as it approaches, I am hearing a lot about skin care, botox, self tanning and plastic surgery. Perhaps it is because I am eight months pregnant, but these conversations often leave me tired! I think it’s because I know I could spend all my time and money fighting the force of aging and worldly imperfections and still come up short. And it’s no fun to dwell on our flaws, is it?! It can be a slippery slope. I write this with no condemnation at all…I admit I delight in getting my hair colored a shade of blond it has not naturally been since I was 18 and don’t feel fully dressed until I put I on my lip gloss. I enjoy good beauty tips from friends!

But I think there’s another conversation we need to engage in as women. The battle is not against aging, cellulite, skin tone, wrinkles or roots…it’s against an enemy who whispers something to us from the time we’re little: “you are not beautiful” or “you are not as pretty as…” Or the more subtle whispers from magazines, billboards, commercials and the world around us: “you’d be more beautiful if...” What is that “if” for you? I know what it is for me. Our real battle is against these lies, and this is the battle we need to engage in and help each other fight. There is a fine line between stewarding the gift of our bodies well for God’s glory and questioning the masterpiece design of our Maker.

I had the privilege of hearing my amazing sister-in-Christ, Toya, speak on beauty this month. As she confidently shared how she sees herself as beautiful in the eyes of God, she radiated a contagious glow, and I felt myself becoming more beautiful in my own chair as she spoke. She read from 1st Peter 3, “Let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights,” and Proverbs 31, “charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” She talked about how Jesus had “no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2) Isn’t that crazy? He was the most magnetizing person of all times, but it was not what was on the outside that drew strangers to reach out and touch him. It was WHO and WHOSE he was. Toya asked those of us in the audience what makes us feel beautiful. I think a common answer was knowing that someone saw it in us. Every little girl and grown woman out there longs for someone to see beauty in her. And until she sees herself through the eyes of God and knows WHO and WHOSE she is, she will never fully comprehend just how beautiful she really is.

I loved this wisdom from my devotion “No More Perfect Moms” and wanted to share: “When you look at yourself in the mirror, what filter do you see yourself through? Do you compare what you see in the mirror to what you see in magazine articles and television shows? Or do you see yourself through God’s eyes? His eyes care more about the condition of your heart than the condition of your skin. We can make peace with our bodies if we will learn to see it through God’s eyes. Let’s explore what God says about our bodies and our hearts.

First Corinthians 6:19–20 asks, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (ESV). A little earlier in 1 Corinthians we read, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? . . . For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:16–17 ESV). From the book of Romans comes this instruction: “I appeal to you . . . present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1 ESV). First Corinthians also reminds us, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV). All of these verses tell us that our bodies belong to God. He asks us to take care of our bodies and treat them like the Holy Spirit’s precious home. So taking care of our physical bodies is a stewardship issue. We are taking care of something that doesn’t actually belong to us, but instead belongs to God.

When you consider these verses, do you get the feeling that your body is actually a gift from God? I do. In fact, it’s a gift God made Himself! In Psalm 139 we discover, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (Psalm 139:13–14). . . .

Now imagine God knitting together your body. When the last stitch is complete, He says, “If you EVER wonder if I love you, just look at this incredible body I’ve given you. It is evidence of sacrifice and a heart full of love for you.” Our bodies are truly miraculous. . . . The human body is an intricate piece of artwork God fashioned and gave to each one of us. Think about that the next time you stand in front of a mirror!”

Isn’t that awesome? Along those lines, with beauty on my mind, something new and exciting struck me in reading the story of David and Goliath this week. Before David went to fight the giant, Saul put his own armor on the boy. The armor of a King, what a privilege. But David said about the coat and helmet, “I cannot go in in these…because I am not used to them.” (1 Sam 17:39) So he took them off. David was not engaged in the battle the world fights. He saw a different battle that called for a different armor. The rest of the Israelites saw the giant and as defying Israel and they were terrified. David saw the giant as defying God and he had courage in God to defeat him. God always wins His battles. So I ask you – what battle are you actually fighting when it comes to beauty? What weapons are you using? The weapons of the world or the armor of God? Are you fighting for victory or from it?

Saul tried to keep David’s eyes on his shortcomings by telling him he was too inexperienced to fight. But David confidently reminded his king that he had killed both a lion and a bear and that “this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defiled the armies of the living God.” (1 Sam 17:36) I think God often trains us for battles alone in the wilderness like He did David. That’s where our confidence comes from – that time in the wilderness between us, God and the enemy. In the battle of beauty, the enemy is a beast we think we can never overcome…one who whispers of our ugliness, our past sins, our shortcomings, and how we compare to others. But, once we’ve surrendered to God’s perfect love, fought that monster of ugly with His truth, received the victory Jesus won on our behalf, and see that beast defeated in light of the finished work of the cross, we are armed to fight any battle. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world….they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:4) Paul tells us we have been given the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the sword of God’s word.

If the armor of the world doesn’t fit you, don’t let it weigh you down. You don’t have to put on anything that doesn’t fit you just because the rulers of this world tell you to. We are in a fight. Not against the giant of aging and imperfection, but against an enemy who defies the living God by telling us we are not beautiful, special, beloved, approved, fearfully and wonderfully made, and carefully knit together by divine design. This enemy knows how precious we are to our Maker, he shudders when he sees us coming and he knows that the One who lives in us is greater than him. He knows that our bodies are very special because they are temples of the Holy Spirit. And he also knows that when we start seeing this, he’s in big trouble!

Paul talks about fighting the “good fight.” (2 Tim 4:7) The Greek word good is “kalos,” which also means beautiful. Yes, we are called to fight the beautiful fight. It’s the fight for souls, the fight for eternity when we will “put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.” (2 Cor 5:2) It’s the fight against the lies of an enemy who defies a living God…a God who died for us so we’d never be ugly again, who made us in His image and lovingly placed on each one of us the weight of HIS glory. The battle has already been won for you. You are cherished and precious in His sight. We can stop trying to become beautiful because we already are! You will never be more beautiful in Christ than you are right now. This beauty never goes away or fades, and it is being renewed every day. It’s a free gift. Receive it. Walk in it. Claim it. Tell another sister she’s beautiful today, and show her WHO and WHOSE she is. We are free to take off the armor of the world if it doesn’t fit us and fight the beautiful fight. The real battle. God’s battle. Agree with Him. And say it to yourself: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)

Mud Puddles

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It was a day with little plans, overcast skies and a soaking wet ground; a potential bad combination for a mama! I let the kids out in the backyard to buy some time and figure out what to do with our adventure day. And within about 15 seconds, they found them….the two puddles in the back of the yard. And they plunged RIGHT IN.

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Oh dear! Too late to stop them! Do I run them inside and clean them off? Hmmmm. On second thought, we had nowhere to be and since they were already covered in mud, we made a morning of it. Boy, did we! They giggled and squealed and rolled around and had a ball.

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It brought back fun memories from my childhood of playing in the mud, and I still cherish the pictures my mom took to capture those carefree days.

As my kids laughed and splashed, I stood at a distance puzzled about why they react so differently to mud puddles than I do. Here are the thoughts that ran through my mind:

I am wearing borrowed white maternity pants that they better not ruin

Will their new shoes ever look the same?

Is the grass ever going to grow back in that spot?

How will I get them into the bath without getting mud on the rug?

What if I change clothes and get in with them?…No, a meeting with the financial people to talk taxes later and I’ve already showered.

Those thoughts that came into my mind did not come close to my children’s little brains. They saw: Fun. Water. Irresistible adventure. So simple. They did not hesitate one minute to step into it. They did not think about their clothes, how they’d get clean or what came next. And why should they? They have me, don’t they? Has there ever been a mess I couldn’t clean up? They trusted I would be there to clean them off and make sure they are clothed tomorrow. Or, perhaps they intuitively understand that cleanliness is not an exterior thing at all. They trust they are taken care of…and they are…so they don’t worry.

On days like this, I realize that while I am teaching them about life, there is so much that they teach me. I hope I am always a mama like Mary who “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NIV)

As I looked at my kids, I wondered…when did the shift in thinking about mud puddles happen for me? I think with responsibility, we become less free-spirited and childlike. And that’s a good thing in many ways. But as responsible adults, do we really believe Jesus when He says:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?… But, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:25, 27, 33-34)

When God offers me adventures, do I jump in? Do I trust there is nothing to worry about because I’ve got Him? Or do I see all the reasons why not to? Do I see the abundant life He freely offers, or just the consequences of stepping in?

How quickly we can talk ourselves out of what God puts right in front us. God puts these interruptions in our lives…people to share our faith with, ministries to give our resources and time to, people who are hurting on the side of the road…messes everywhere. And when we rationalize why we can’t go all in, we stand on the sidelines of an abundant life. Do we have to jump in to be more approved by our Father in heaven? Absolutely not! But we get to! And it’s more fun! He has called us to live in the present tense, to trust Him and not to worry, to follow Him right now, to become like little children and to enter His kingdom.

Father, thank You for children. Thank you for telling us not to hinder them. Thank you for providing the most simple opportunities to live an abundant life in our backyards. Please open our eyes to the messes you would have us step into, renew our minds to trust Your provision, and give us childlike faith to let go of our worries and follow You in wild, pure joy.

Uniting and Igniting! OurCityOnAHill

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Uniting and Igniting! OurCityOnAHill

I grew up in the Episcopal Church, where the hymns and processions at Easter and Christmas still linger sweetly in mind. And communion was a beautiful and powerful experience. Will and I joined a Methodist Church when we first got married and heard some amazing and thought-provoking sermons that opened us up to deeper discussion about our faith. I was saved in a charismatic mega-church and now belong to a non-denominational church with Baptist roots. Some of the biggest teaching influences in my life are Presbyterians. I’ve felt as if the earth was shaking from hearing the angelic and soulful choirs in an African American Church and have knelt to pray quietly in some of the most breathtaking and historic Catholic cathedrals of Europe. My husband and I are in Bible study with seven families that represent five different churches, and in keeping our eyes on Jesus, our different teachings serve to strengthen us. What is most amazing to me is in recent years serving at Choose Life and Lincoln Village, I have sat face-to-face with people I may have never crossed paths with and have little in common on the outside…but as we’ve shared a common love of Jesus, it immediately tears down those walls and unites us as people who know the joy of being called out of darkness and into His wonderful light. There is something healing about this to me. Christ tears down the dividing lines I unknowingly put around myself and others, and washes them away into a higher truth…brothers and sisters in Christ, sons and daughters of the High King.

Sometimes I picture heaven looking a bit like my church or neighborhood, but really – the throne room is going be incredibly colorful with people from all over the planet. “For God so loved the WORLD, that He sent His one and only Son…” (John 3:16) Not just the Baptists or Methodists, Americans, Asians or Africans, but the WORLD. We often look at denomination and doctrine, which I believe are important. It is great to feel passionately about knowing as much as we can about our Creator. But also great when our cultural and worship style preferences are secondary to our common love of Jesus, who rescued us and brought us into a new family. “You are members of God’s family.  TOGETHER, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” (Ephesians 2:19-20 NLT)

I believe God sees us all as broken people in need of redemption, as equal before Him, as nothing without Him, and as righteous in Christ. He has used ALL of the voices, styles of worship, teachings and people to pursue me into a beautiful relationship with Him and open my eyes to the truth in His word. We have a creative Creator who made us all unique, and I am thankful for the many different ways to find and worship the One who made us for His glory.

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up ONE WHOLE BODY. So it is with the body of Christ….All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (1st Corinthians 12:12,27 NLT)

What gets me FIRED UP is a group of different people who all rally around Jesus. It’s almost as if you can hear God’s heartbeat when see people, hundreds of people, very different people, gathered in the name of Christ. To me, it feels like a taste of heaven. There’s an energy that could fight off any darkness and unity that reflects God’s heart:

“His purpose was to create in himself ONE NEW HUMANITY…And in him you too are being BUILT TOGETHER to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:15,22 NIV)

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for YOU ARE ALL ONE in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 NIV)

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they MAY BE ONE as we are one.” (John 17:22 NLT)

“Love the family of believers.” 1 Peter 2:17 MSG

I saw this in a powerful way when my friend, Katie Wilson, and I went to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta last fall. Thousands gathered for worship and teaching – many voices, almost all denominations, much global diversity and unique talent, but one voice came through – HIS. The leaders opened the with the question, “who are you?” and “what breaks your heart?” and suggested your answer to those questions unlocks the change you are meant to bring to the world.

What breaks my heart is when people do not know the extravagant love of the Father, and how He sees them through Christ. I wish everyone knew they do not need to hang onto their shame or past sins, but believe in the One He has sent and know they are the righteous in Christ who has died to make them worthy to wear white before a Holy and Perfect God. How these aren’t just words but realities. That we don’t just “move on” but are truly FREE in Christ. I came home with a passion to spread the word of Choose Life’s Healing Hands ministry and started meeting with church leaders in the community about it. Choose Life’s mission applies to all walks of life and denominations, and this work has expanded my view of our city. As often happens when we serve, we are doubly blessed. I have met some amazing people and leaders who are seeing the Gospel move forward in their churches and who have incredible stories themselves.

As I’ve met with these people, it has sparked a desire for everyone I know to meet them and connect to what’s happening. There is so much God is doing in our city, and a lot of great efforts to unite people, but not enough connecting all of the dots. There are many events I’d love to go to if they were just on my radar. There are many amazing believers in this city of all races and denominations I’ve never had the chance to connect with simply because there are no bridges to connect our paths. These are brothers and sisters and we live in the same place! There are many churches I’ve never even driven by. And incredible ministries where the Gospel is changing lives I’d love to lend a hand, resource or referral to if I knew more. I desire to connect more in Christ, and I get the sense many others do too. Why connect? Because when the flames of two candles touch each other, there is more than twice the light. We all have the same enemy, the same Savior and same call to the lost. How much stronger are we together!? And how beautiful when we can see ourselves united in the One who gave us differences to reflect the many facets of His glory.

Katie Wilson (the other half of Catalyst Team Katie!) came home with a desire to write and blog and teach, all of which she does beautifully (see her blog). Her boldness in writing and sharing her faith is part of what inspired me to start a blog. We put our heads together over lunch one day to share our takeaways from Catalyst, and felt God leading us in the idea to create a website called “OurCityOnAHill”. Our hope is to create a place with no walls for people from all denominations and walks of life to connect to each other, God’s word, testimonies, the hearts of pastors, prayers, voices of our past, dreams for our future, ministries, local events, and Bible studies.

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Our mission is to make Christ known and unite believers. God has pulled together a team of people with different backgrounds, and one thing in common – we love Jesus and love to share Him! “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 MSG) We are volunteers with limited resources, and it has been amazing and humbling to see God bring us helping hands with different skills. We pray His power continues to be made perfect in our weakness. This site is not in any way about us; it’s about Him and the Gospel that is transforming one life at a time in our city!

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We pray those who come will “taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8) We are launching this site on Easter Sunday. We feel God is moving in a powerful way in our city and this is just a part of it. There are different groups all over the city praying for gathering, praying for revival, praying for the Holy Spirit to blow through every inch of Huntsville. We feel we are just participating in the uniting and reviving work HE is already doing.

I have to admit, this is a bit scary at times…as it always is to follow God’s lead. When you bring a bunch of people together, it can indeed get messy. It’s not perfect, but we know that HE is. And ONLY He is. Our desire is keep our eyes on JESUS and pray He is glorified. Will you pray He is glorified? And will you come to OurCityOnAHill.net? Will you share your voice with us? Our hope is that we can connect on OurCityOnAHill and then connect face to face through the many events we’ll promote.

Come connect to where God is moving in our city. Come to connect to people, but mostly, come to connect to Him. And let us connect to you! God has given each of us unique gifts, passions, talents, trials and spheres of influence to be agents of change in the place where we live. Who are you? What breaks your heart? And what is your special role to play in a world that is yearning for hope? What’s your dream for our city? A dream is not seeing what is, but what could be. We’ve asked children to dream for our city – come to our site and check out what they’ve said. Here’s a sample:

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Share your dreams. Isn’t it great God didn’t see what was? He saw what could be. There was darkness, brokenness, sin and death and rather leaving it that way, He sent His perfect Son to die on the cross and be raised to life so that we may be righteous, blameless and reconciled to our loving Father.

My dream is for the world to know Him…for each person in this city to grasp “together with all the Lord’s holy people… how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:17) that the “eyes of hearts may be enlightened…that we may know the hope to which he has called us,” (Ephesians 1:17) and that believers will unite as the family He has made us… “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV) I kneel with the team of OurCityOnAHill and many others and dream that…as a city we can unite and ignite in a way we never have before!

“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.” (Matthew 5:14 MSG)

See you April 5th! www.ourcityonahill.net

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The Race: Overcoming the Comparison Trap

/ katieataylor / 3 Comments

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“STAY IN YOUR LANE!” These passionate words from Robert Madu (robertmadu.com) at the Catalyst Conference echo in my mind. He gave a powerful message relevant to what I think we all struggle with…the comparison trap.

He told the story of Saul and his envy of David and how it led to his eventual downfall. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.” (1 Samuel 18:8) Here Saul was a king, blessed with an entire kingdom, and yet he kept his eyes on David. He compared this to the author of Hebrews who tells us to keep our eyes on JESUS. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

We are in race. When we look in someone else’s lane, we will trip and fall because we will miss what’s right in front of us. Our races are different for a divine reason and we are all meant to keep our eyes on Jesus, not each other.

This week, through an unusual mix of conversations and encounters, I have been subtly reminded of who I am not. And it feels….icky. It feels icky when we look at others and then look at ourselves in comparison and feel like we come up short. Why? Because we were not meant to define our identity on a measuring stick to other people. God in His great mercy, took away that measuring stick…our distance to perfection was so very far that He came to give us HIS greatness, to give us the full measure of perfection that is only available in Christ. The Truth about us is defined by Him. He is the Potter, and we are the pots handmade uniquely to reflect His image and glory. When we look at others pondering our identity, we see who we are not. When we look at Jesus, we see who we are. And to our Creator, who we are is very special.

When I start to think about who I am not, I try to remember who I AM and what is in my lane. God has given me unique gifts. He has given me an amazing husband and made me the only person on this planet chosen to walk through life with him as one flesh. He has given me two precious children who cry out for “mama” and no one else will do. He has given me a love of writing and sharing my story. He has opened doors for me to see hurting people look to Jesus and go from dead on the inside to alive. People who the world often overlooks. Over the past four years, I have grabbed hold of where I feel God is calling me, and as a result, I have let go of some things. My lane is much less successful by worldly standards. Sometimes, when I look at others, I long to be approved by the world around me. When I look at what I don’t have, it blinds me to what is right in front of me and to HIS goodness, which is more than enough! I have been rescued from an ordinary life into an extraordinary life of unseen realities, “for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) I am reminded that He is preparing for us “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2nd Corinthians 4:17) When I let go of my desire for approval by the world’s standards, I can make room for His perfect love and become who I am meant to be.

I can look in others’ lanes and stumble and fall, often in a pivotal part of my race. The comparison trap comes from all angles. Sometimes I see people running their race beautifully in something God has called them to do, and wonder if I should be doing that too. Robert Madu calls this the “but me” glasses. When we look through the “but me” glasses, evaluating things through the lens of where we fit in, we are paralyzed from genuinely celebrating Kingdom wins and giving others much needed encouragement. By looking through the lens of Christ, we can see others and their accomplishments, not in relation to us, but how He sees them. Let’s encourage someone who is running beautifully today!

I think the comparison trap happens because when we think of races, we often think of competition. I think of the Olympics where there is only one gold medalist. But God’s race is not like that. In His race, we are NOT running against each other. We are running TO Jesus. We are running AGAINST spiritual powers of darkness. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) We have a real enemy and that enemy is always spiritual. It is not someone in another lane. Not ever. They are most often the ones on our team who we should celebrate and encourage. We are running against doubt, fear, insecurities, and lies. Any long distance runner knows that the biggest obstacles in the race are in their mind.

We are called to throw off the sin that so easily entangles us. I think of Forrest Gump running for the first time and the braces falling off his legs. I love the expression on his face as he realizes he is not handicapped and discovers that within him is actually something amazing. As we throw off our sin, we become like Jesus, “for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:29) “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory.” (2nd Corinthians 3:18) There are powers of darkness that are terrified to see this happen and want us to keep our eyes fixed anywhere but Jesus. But there’s a cloud of witnesses of those who have gone before who are surrounding us and cheering us on. Because our race matters.

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Do you ever hear chatter inside your head that is downright ugly? Thoughts about yourself? I do. We have to remember that those thoughts have no place. We wouldn’t talk to others like that. Why in the world do we allow thoughts like that in about ourselves? Those thoughts are the voice of the enemy who wants to blind us to our Loving Father, to Christ who lives in us, and to the Truth about who we are. So what are we to do? Take them captive. Renew our minds to the Truth. Fix our eyes on Jesus. And run. Run this race that has a finish line in eternity with no more death or crying or pain. It has a finish line in a Kingdom where “anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

I want to look back and see a race well run with Him and for Him. I want to see a LOT of love and not a lot of fear. I want to see that I said YES to the things that matter to Him and no to the things that don’t. I want to see grace received and extended in abundance. I want to see that I grabbed hold of the life that is truly life, and let go of the things that so often distract me from His purpose and call. I want to be remembered by the light of Christ He so graciously put in me to shine. I want to have an eternal impact during my time here. I want to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” (2nd Timothy 4:7) But I can’t do that if my eyes are fixed on someone else’s lane.

I am the only person in this world like me and you are the only person in this world like you. Let’s boldly celebrate how our Creator made us! You be the best you, I’ll be the best me. We were not meant to hide our gifts. He has given us permission to shine because when we do, He does! As said by Marianne Williamson, “we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”

We are distracted by design because we were made made by design…we were created in a unique way for a unique purpose that if fully stepped into, would terrify the powers of darkness. As Christ followers, if God uses us to share the Gospel with one person whose life is transformed by Jesus, it will change eternity and possibly the course of generations forever.  We have an enemy who wants to blind us to this truth by keeping our eyes on things of this world, other people and who we are not. 

So, who ARE you? What’s in your lane? What are your special gifts? What’s your unique purpose? What’s in front of you right now? Who’s in front of you? Who are you racing? What do you see as your destination? And what does finishing well look like?

Paul says, “my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24) What task has He given you? Life here is so very short. Too short for comparison and condemnation. In Christ, we can throw off the shackles that hinder us and break free to run lightly as as we were divinely designed.“Those who hope in the Lord…will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary.” (Isaiah 40:31) Lord, give us grace to run our race and remember that He who is in us and greater than He who is in the world.

You and I were knit together for a divine purpose that has its start and end in Him. Jesus is with us in every moment, and we will see Him face-to-face at the finish line. Jesus, the One who, while we were still sinners did not hold one thing back from us. So let’s look up, fix our eyes on Him…and run our hearts out, “pressing on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14)