Jul 31, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . Effervesce, baby.
This is one of those Do-I-or-Don’t-I-post-this posts. Prayer life is personal, private. Yet we’re exhorted to pray with and for one another.
At Blue Ridge I had many conversations. About writing. Living in faith. Bringing the two together and at times, amplifying one over the other.
Saying our good-byes is always hard. I wanted to leave my peeps with a message of hope and empowerment. And it struck me.
We are the champagne, and God is the bubbles. We’re bottled up tight, conforming to our surroundings only until that moment we are uncorked, set free, and sent overflowing into the world. We are the champagne, but God is the bubbles. We are created for nothing less than to be the vessel He uses to tickle the world with his glory. We are the vehicle He uses to shine and explode. We are designed to not be bottled, but to use the gifts He has given us to move forward, to refresh others, to bubble over when the time is right. We are made to effervesce.
I was asked how I have such a strong prayer life and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Not because the question was ridiculous (it wasn’t) but because I don’t think my prayer life is all that great. In fact, I very often think it’s lacking or worse, nonexistent.
Today I opened my Bible- the Bible I’ve had for a year. The Inspire Bible for Creative Journaling. Today I chose to stop being delicate and stop tip-toeing around what I want, and what I want to say to God.
And today I read Proverbs 22. Verse 1 is who I strive to be for Him. For you. For all my audience and the world at large.
“Choose a great reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.”
~Proverbs 22:1, NLT
But I’m not perfect. Not at all. And in my imperfection, I’ve been holding back. “I’m not great, so I’m no good at all.” Oh, what a terrible self-thought! What a detrimental, discouraging whisper from the enemy.
And so to you who asked how I am the way I am, this is me being as honest as I possibly can. This is my instruction to you:
Just talk to God.
Don’t try to be eloquent if you’re normally not. If you don’t know what to say in prayer, tell Him. Ask Him to help you find, and recognize, the words. Ask Him to open your Spirit to give and receive what it is He has planned for you. If you’re mad because the world hurts you and those you love, tell Him. When He puts a tiny penny or a huge gift in your path, thank Him. Be honest with Him.
There’s something else. Many times, we don’t go fully to God. Those lies of inadequacies prevent us from reaching out. He already knows. I don’t want to admit my thoughts. Other people need Him more. Me and my situation are insignificant.
Do you feel the pressure of the cork closing in on you? Are you pressed in on every side, not knowing which way is up? Does it feel like your life is just a black hole about to collapse in on you from every side?
Then I’ve got good news for you: Black holes turn into Supernovas.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Be the Supernova you were created to be.
Released from the pressures within, they too, like the champagne, explode in a torrent of color and worth and life-affirming creation and they excel beyond anything the black hole tried to contain.
Don’t be the black hole, friend. Be the Supernova.
Run full force into God and fall into Him laughing. He will always catch you.
God is your best playmate. Your favorite friend. He is your keeper, your maker, and your cheeriest cheerleader.
So just start. Your prayer needn’t be perfect.
It just needs to be.
Remember, friend: You are no longer a black hole. You are a Supernova. You are the champagne and God is the bubbles.
Effervesce, baby. Always, effervesce. You got this. And He’s got you.
Can I get a holla?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jul 25, 2017 |
Welcome Beckie Lindsey to Frankly, My Dear. I’ve known this strong woman since she messaged me three years ago. “Can I pick your brain on writing? I’ll buy you a Starbucks.” I pretty much offered to let her move into my study if she supplies coffee regularly. Our friendship developed and is still maintained through a mutual bond of writing, God, cats, and yes, coffee. I’m pleased as punch to have been the first editor on her soon-to-be published Beauties for Ashes, and invited her to share her faith with us.
By Beckie Lindsey @LindseyBeckie
I have a confession to make—I have experienced seasons when I don’t hear from God. Yes, I mean complete silence for an extended period. At first, it was disconcerting, especially when other Christians seemed to have a direct hotline to God at all times. What’s wrong with me? I questioned.
Have you noticed Christians are quick to share stories of answered prayers ladened with all the feel-goods and warm fuzzies? But we’re not nearly as vocal about the desperate times we persisted in prayer and were met with silence. However, I think these stories might be just as important. So, if your prayers seem to be echoing off the walls, don’t lose faith.
Frankly, My Dear . . . So, if your prayers seem to be echoing off the walls, don’t lose faith.
You are among good company. Job was well acquainted with God’s silence. Abraham was met with silence as he planned to sacrifice his son. There’s no mention of Joseph hearing from God while in prison either.
In my own life, God’s silence has tempted me to doubt. I think most of us can relate.
What Can We do During the Periods of Silence?
Examine Your Life
Make sure nothing is blocking you from being able to hear God’s voice. We must begin with asking ourselves these questions:
- Is there someone I need to forgive?
- Do I have wrong motives?
- Have I put anything above my relationship with God?
As God brings things to mind, be quick to ask for forgiveness.
Please understand, God’s silence does not always mean we have unconfessed sin. Job was righteous and yet went through many trials while God remained silent.
Keep Talking
God’s silence doesn’t mean we should turn our backs and stop praying. Don’t give up! The Psalms are a great example of crying out to God.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.”
~Psalm 22:1-2
Recognize that Silence Creates Hunger
When God is silent, it can lead us to a richer, deeper experience and hunger for more of Him.
Let’s relate this concept to our diets. Last summer I did a dietary cleanse, eliminating refined sugar, processed foods, bread, grains, and red meat from my diet. The cleanse was very restrictive and specific in what I could and could not eat. After several days, I was allowed to slowly add certain foods like grains back into my diet. I cannot tell you how great that quinoa tasted! If we allow it, spiritual hunger can cause us to be grateful for every opportunity to hear from God.
Wait
Waiting means trusting. Can we trust God even during the silence? Job did, Abraham did, Joseph did, Mary did, Paul did—and so can we!
So, if you are in the midst of a season of silence, remember that God has not left you. In fact, if you are a Christian, His Holy Spirit lives within you. He is as close as your breath. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s desire to be known through relationship. We must trust if He is silent, He has a good reason because He is good!
Hold on beloved, the Lord is near to those who draw near to Him!
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . .: When God is Silent. @RealMojo68 @LindseyBeckie #franklymydear #faith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning writer, poet, freelancer, and blogger. She is the editor of Southern California Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, LLC., a national news syndicating agency. She is the author of devotions, a devotional study journal, and the upcoming YA novel, Beauties from Ashes. She and her husband Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California. Learn more about Beckie at https://beckielindsey16.com/
Jul 11, 2017 |
Hey Swarm! I’m super excited today to introduce to one of my newest regular contributors. Remember I said things were hopping here at Frankly, My Dear . . .? Well, Josie Siler stepped up to write how having faith and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, this girl is having some pretty great moments and she’s going to share them with us!
I met Josie my first day at my first Blue Ridge Conference. We introduced ourselves and I kind of fangirled over her name. We bonded instantly. So when she recently agreed to be a contributor for FMD, I can’t tell you how thrilled I was, and still am.
Ladies and gentlemen, a warm round of applause, please, for Ms. Josie Siler and her Fun Faith Adventures! (raaaahhhhhhh……)
Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Laughter and a Motorcycle
by Josie Siler
I come from a family who love to laugh, play jokes, and be all-around mischievous. My Grandpa Marlowe was such a character. He had a laugh that would fill the room . . . and the next room too!
I have a photograph in my office of me and my grandpa laughing. We’re sitting at a table in the nursing home where he spent his last years before Alzheimer’s Disease took him home to Jesus.
Josie Siler and her Grandpa
At the bottom of the photograph are three sentences that were spoken more than any others during those last years:
“Well, we gotta have a little bit of fun every now and then. Well, we do, don’t we Josie?!” “Yup, we sure do grandpa!”
I keep this picture to remind myself that life isn’t always easy, but there is always a place for laughter and fun.
Grandpa’s situation was far from ideal. There was so much he didn’t understand, yet God blessed him with a heart of fun. His laughter brought joy to other patients and workers in that nursing home every single day.
I live with chronic illness and there are a lot of days that are far from ideal. Yet, I love to laugh. Recently my best friend and her family were visiting. Her oldest son asked, “Why do you laugh so much?!” After I stopped laughing, I didn’t have a very good answer for him, but I’ve had time to think about it.
I know why I used to laugh: it was a coping mechanism. I would laugh when I was uncomfortable or instead of crying. I would stuff all other emotions down and just laugh. I was living out Proverbs 14:13: “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.”
In the last few years God has taught me how to cry and feel my emotions. Now laughter is an overflow of the joy and peace I feel in my spirit. I feel like the Proverbs 31 woman who “is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future (verse 25).”
We can always experience joy because we walk with Christ. God holds each of our futures and He’s a good God. We don’t have to fear what may or may not happen because God not only knows what will happen, but how He will help us through it.
Having fun is a way to show God that we trust Him. If we’re so busy being worried about our future or a certain situation, we’re certainly not going to have any fun. We’ll be stressed out, grouchy people! However, if we can take intentional time in the midst of a trial to go and have a little bit of fun, it’s not only a stress reliever; it’s like a slap in the face to the Devil.
It’s as if we’re saying, “Hey God, I know You’ve got this. I’m not going to worry and I’m not going to wallow in a pit of fear. Help me out of this pit and let’s go have some fun together!”
Something fun that I like to do is ride motorcycle. I don’t get to do it often because of my health, but every time I do get to ride I have a sweet time of communion with God. I’ve had many a heart-to-heart with the Lord over the years from the seat of my Harley Davidson Nightster.
With the loud rumble of power echoing in my helmet, I’m in a world of my own. I can sing praise songs at the top of my lungs, pray out loud, or shout with joy and nobody is going to hear me. Driving a motorcycle is fun, a lot of fun.
The feeling of power you get when you roll back the throttle and accelerate down the open road is like none other. But even that can’t compare to the feeling of communicating with the all-powerful Creator of the universe. To know God and be known by Him on the seat of a Harley – frankly, my dear, it is a fun faith adventure!
Laughter and fun don’t happen by accident, and neither does faith. We must choose them, seek them out. Thankfully, they are there to be found, if we’re looking for them.
A Biker Chick’s Guide to Life: Guideline #4
I’d love to hear from you. Share with me in the comments something fun that you love to do and how you meet God in that activity.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear: Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: #Laughter and a #Motorcycle @RealMojo68 @josie_siler #faith
Josie Siler
Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jul 9, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
There are many Scriptures referencing fish. Portraying Christ as the Fisher of Men was an idea we still understand and relate to today.
The waters swarm with fish. Bread and fish are what fed the masses. The Kingdom of Heaven casts its net and we will be sorted into keepers or trashers. [I hope I’m a keeper.]
But there’s another fish reference. Actually, it’s bigger than a fish. It’s a great fish, and most have interpreted it to be a whale. It’s the one that swallowed Jonah.
See, God had a task for Jonah, but Jonah didn’t want anything to do with it. He waved his hand and walked away. “See ya, God.” Right. Like that’s ever worked in anyone’s life. Here’s a hint: Because you are uniquely made, when God has a task for you, ain’t no one else gonna get it done. And because God is everywhere, ain’t no use trying to escape Him.
God found Jonah on a boat and caused a great storm to arise. The others were terrified, and Jonah told them, “It’s all my fault. Toss me overboard to the sea. You will be safe.” And it worked. The boat and the fishermen were safe. But Jonah . . . Well, this is where the whale comes in. God was keeping an eye on things, and since Jonah hadn’t proven himself too trustworthy to get the job done in a timely manner, God orchestrated a little extra help in getting him to his destination.
“Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.”
~Jonah 1:17 NLT
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking if *I* spent three days in the belly of a whale, I might be doing a whole lot of thinking. Like, how if I’d only listened to God in the first place, I wouldn’t be in this stinkin’ whale. [And I can only imagine how stinkin’ it must have been.] Or, how I let God down in the first place.
My point is, I’m betting there wasn’t a lot of singing and dancing and happy-place emotions going on. But there was prayer. A lot of humility and asking forgiveness. And salvation. Not the spiritual kind, because that goes without saying. But the physical kind. The while-I’m-here-on-earth kind. Because God heard Jonah, and ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. [Jonah 2:10 NLT].
And you know what happened next? Jonah did as God asked. And His testimony was more powerful than he could imagine.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, On Faith: Don’t Run From the Inevitable. @RealMojo68 #Jonah #faith #franklyonfaith
TWEET THIS: Frankly, On Faith: If God’s chosen you for a task, He’ll make sure you do it. @realmojo68 #franklyonfaith #faith
Frankly, On Faith: Don’t Run From the Inevitable
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Mar 12, 2017 |
Frankly, On Faith: Do All Things
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
So, just how busy are you?
Are you overwhelmed at times? In need of some “down” time? Is coffee more necessary than enjoyable? If your people had just three words to describe you, would “multi-tasker” be one of them?
Do you feel exhausted more often than not?
Yeah. I hear ya. Sometimes just breathing takes more effort than I want it to. This pesky life with its pesky chores at its pesky pace of lightning speed . . . Sometimes I just wanna scream.
You, too? Phew. Good. Thought I was alone for a minute.
Oh, not good that you’re going through it. Not even good that you understand. Because, really. Wouldn’t it be great if fewer people understood the chaos of a demand-it-now mentality? But still. I’m glad you’re in it with me.
So. Here we are. Holding on to the ropes as the sea churns a little more than it used to. Trying to keep our heads above the water more often than not.
And the storm comes and drops something else on us. Right? Another wave. Another hit. Another emergency.
It’s enough to make This Girl want to jump overboard.
But alas, I know all too well that even though the ride is rough, there’s better safety in the boat than out in the sea itself. So I stay. You stay. And we look at each other and say, “What are we even doing here?”
The high waves come and rock the boat, but then the seas calm, the sun comes out, and we’re happy to be warm and dry again.
And we can think clearly again.
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
~Mark 4:39, NIV
And it’s with a deep breath and clearer vision that we realize the Captain has been here all along. He’s the one who tethered us to the boat in the first place!
So we feel good about what we’ve overcome and we decide to take on more.
STOP. DOING. THAT.
Stop taking on more. Stop ignoring the peace He has gifted you. Stop being addicted to busyness.
Just be still.
In this moment, we can give ourselves permission to sit back and let Him navigate. All we have to do is row. All we have to do is let go our grip and let Him take over.
All we have to do is have faith that He will get us to our destination. And when the Son is out, it’s okay to relax and enjoy the view.
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, On Faith: Are You Addicted to Busyness?
With fair winds and following seas,
~Molly Jo
Frankly, On Faith: Are You Addicted to Busyness?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
