5 Action Steps to Move The Obstacles Out of the Way

This morning I drove the back way to take Katya to school.  The road is curvy and two-lane.  We get to see horses, goats, and even a miniature Statue of Liberty.  I'm guessing that not everyone has that on their drive to school.

So, this morning the cars in front of me slowed down and stopped.  One-by-one they waited for oncoming traffic to pass and drove around some object in the middle of the road.  The red Honda Civic in front of me pulled over to the right hand side of the road and drove up onto the grass alongside.  Blocking the road was a large branch.

But, here's the thing.  It wasn't that large.  And it wasn't that heavy.

The woman driving the red Civic hopped out of her car and with one hand dragged the branch to the side of the road.  As she got back into her car, I pulled alongside, smiled, and just said, "Thank you!  Have a great day!"

But what I was thinking was "Good grief!"

Throw off the victim label ...

... and become a victor.

Although there is still much that we don't know about Amanda Berry, one thing seems clear.  When the opportunity presented itself, she did not let her captivity define her.

She threw off the victim label and became a victor.

She  also didn't let a lifetime of violence define her daughter, Jocelyn.  In the 911 call, Amanda calls her, "Sweetheart."

"Sweetheart, it's okay."

"Sweetheart ..."

While there plenty of other names she could have could have called Jocelyn, and plenty of other things she could have done when the opportunity to escape arose, Amanda chose to be "mother"and lead her daughter to new life.

And "mother" was a victory label for this young woman.

It has been TOO long!

Good grief.  And I'm not really back.  Honestly, I just wanted to pop in and say, "Hi!" and let you know what I've been up to and then give you a glimpse of some things stirring in my heart.

I've been TRAVELING.

In mid-April I was at Missions Extravaganza with the Woman's Missionary Union of NC at Ridgecrest.  I had a BLAST.  I was able to speak and teach a bit, but I also got to hang out with some amazing women.  

I love, love, LOVED the SHINE girls.

I was so blessed when one of these girls wanted to know about my Bible reading.  I was able to pull out my duct tape Bible, show her my chronological reading plan, and talk about whether or not it's a good idea to read your Bible in a year.  

You are Chosen and Appointed for something AMAZING

This past weekend over 800 women, and a few men, converged at Ridgecrest for Missions Extravaganza.  What a weekend!

As I met with folks, led conferences, and spoke, I had this amazing sense of AWE that the Lord would allow me to be part of this.  

"Who am I" I asked the Lord, "that you would give me this privilege?"

And then, Roger and Rose Ann Childres, missionaries in Botswana, spoke.

Through them, God answered my question.