HE is worth fighting for....

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." James 4:8 NLT

This verse in James, cuts my heart wide open! I read the first half and think....awwwwww, isn't that so sweet of the Lord? If I come close to Him, He will also draw into me. Awwwwww.....

But read on....."wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." UGH! That's the part that gets me!! We are divided! I am divided!!! And that is not what God wants for us. He wants all of us....every bit. We were bought at a price. We are HIS!

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Last weekend, I was at a retreat where our speaker asked the question, "What relationship to you need to fight for?" She was asking us what relationship do we need reconciliation? Who have we set aside, given up on or been ignoring. As I sat all by myself on this beautiful hillside.....NO ONE came to mind. I sat and I prayed. Still nothing. Then the Lord's beautiful voice spoke, "Me, Treva. Me. You love others. You fight for others. You chase after others... making sure they're okay.....but what about ME!? Are you willing to fight for your relationship with ME?"

This is life changing to me. We all go through seasons of drawing close to the Lord and seasons of pulling away or becoming dry. I haven't thought of my time with God as a desert. Not at all. BUT, fighting for Him is a whole different story! That takes passion, committment, determination, deep love and discipline. What would my relationship or yours look like if we FOUGHT to walk side by side with our Savior? What would happen if we set aside the cares of this world and passionately studied His Word? I can tell you that my life would look so different. Deeper. More meaningful. More intentional love. Washing my hands of sin and letting Him purify my heart would change so much!!!

I believe that we need to recognize the seasons we are in with the Lord. Right now, the Lord is calling me to dig deeper in His Word......to come super duper close to Him!! Not accepting less than what He's willing to give. As I get ready for another year of ministry in Girls Nite In.....The Lord needs to refine me. He is chiselling off all my dead, gross stuff and making me new once again. He has plans for each one of us and He desires to walk intimately with us through life.

Will you join me? Will you dig deeper in your relationship with Him.....and FIGHT for the very relationship that saved you? Let us "come close" to our Lord and Savior and watch Him come close to US!!! Amen!!!

God Must Think A LOT of YOU!!

Ever had those moments in life, where you wonder just how much more you can handle? Or you look at someone else's life and think, "Wow! How are they still smiling?"

Recently I told my sister...."God must think a lot of you because He keeps allowing crazy hard things in your life." It's amazing to me the stuff Tina has had to endure. A year and a half ago, she didn't just bury our mom....she discovered the body. Four months ago, she had to send her teenage son to a boarding school in Missouri. He was so lost in his own grief over losing grandma, he began self destructing. Tina had to save him from himself. Three weeks ago, her precious husband lost both of his parents within 24 hours of each other. Again, Tina did what she had to do and stood by her husband's side as they said "goodbye".

My sister has always been a rock. I am the ooey-gooey one and she is the calm, level headed one. She's the one I would go to if someone was messing with me in school. Let's face it, she was the scary one (kick your butt kinda girl) and I was the welcome mat. I would let people walk all over me.... and sometimes invite them to! LOL!!

I have seen things in my sister lately that are jaw dropping! How does ONE person handle all these tragic things, find the blessing in them and walk forward with some type of smile? How do you not have your son with you everyday and yet know that it is OK? How do you go through these things without your mom, mother-in-law or father-in-law for guidance? Sometimes I think she should be in a corner, sucking her thumb and rocking back and forth. She doesn't live in a fairy tale nor does she have a naive notion that life is just great no matter what. It's so much more. There is something STRONG and AMAZING inside of her! Something that keeps her feet moving forward and not dwelling in the past! I see her as a ROCK....strong, secure, grounded.

She is a ROCK because her LORD is HER ROCK!

His Spirit dwells within her and because of that, she can withstand all things. Tina trusts Him. She relies on Him.

Psalm 18:2......

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Tomorrow, Tina gets to see her son! For the first time in 4 months she gets to hold him and squish his guts out!! She hates flying.....quite frankly she gets very anxious on planes and has to read scripture over and over to get through the flight. She could definitely stay home out of fear....but she continues to TRUST her ROCK, her God and believe that He will protect her. She is getting on that plane tomorrow to see her son....and there is NOTHING that's going to stop her. Not fear, not anxiety, not hardships.

Thank you sis for being an example to me of what it means to NEVER GIVE UP!!! To know that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know that God thinks a lot of you, Teen, but simply because He delights in you.

LOVE YOU!!!!!


Me and my sis!!

I love him!!!

Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of JOY.

Psalm 126:5

 

Over and over I have told the teens in, Girls Nite In, that...."life is messy". It just is. We live in a world that is not perfect and everyone knows it. It's not God's original design. It is a fallen world with imperfect people. At every GNI meeting, I tell the girls that we (the leaders) are here to help them navigate through this messy life. I wish I had someone to mentor me and help me through my teen years. But I didn't...so I crashed and burned around every corner. The Lord has created me with an undying passion for these girls!!! I want them to know HIM....to walk with HIM....and to let HIM love them with an everlasting love.

 

This past weekend, we finished our last meeting for Girls Nite In (for this school year). Our topic was "Loss & Grief"....one that I know too well and could probably write a book about. I had so many things I wanted to share with the girls and just a ton of thoughts marinating in my mind. It was hard to narrow it down to just 30 minutes of a my heart poured out for them. We had a few girls who had lost their mom or dad in the last year or two. We had other girls who's parents had left them through divorce.....and still others that were suffering through so many changes in life, it just all felt like LOSS.

 

I was confident that the Lord had planted Truth in me to give out to them. It was a night that I will never forget. Tears, broken hearts, sweet faces looking up at mine. I will always remember how the Lord took my pain and His love....and gave them tangible, mind blowing HOPE. A hope that is like no other. It will never end. He gave them this Truth in

Isaiah 40:31...

"but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. "

 

In this life there will be suffering. We cannot avoid it. In the past 2 weeks, I have attended a double funeral, read a journal of a teen whose mom died of cancer, shared the heart of another teen whose dad died one year ago and comforted a friend whose dad died yesterday. Our grief comes in so many forms...not just the death of a loved one. But for me, this is the very thing that moved me deeper in my walk with God. Losing my Mom made me question my JOY, my HOPE and my LIFE. God answered my questions and spoke mightily into my life. He brought me Girls Nite In. He doesn't waste our pain. He uses it for His glory and to bring us closer to Him. I praise God all the time for the pain...for the grief...for the loss. Not because I have suffered....but through my tears He has brought me great JOY!

 

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of JOY.

 

It is the hardest thing I have ever done.....To trust God in the midst of suffering; To believe Him at His word; To let Him move each foot forward when they are weighted down in darkness. BUT...when I did these things, He turned my tears to joy.

 

 

 

 

 

The Girl that God uses....

We have started a tradition for Easter....or as we like it, "Resurrection Sunday". We go to a new church  with dear friends and enjoy the annual community breakfast. It's cold, it's in a school gym and it's not fancy. But the people there are amazing! They start preparing breakfast for hundreds at FIVE in the morning!! (The non-morning person in me screams - Nooooooo!) The tables are set with eggs, potatoes, ham, bacon, fruit, cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, and so much more. These people are servants. They work all morning preparing, serving and cleaning up. It blesses me so much!

This year, though, God gave me a bigger and brighter gift!! One of our homeless teen girls that goes to Girls Nite In each month was there! I was in awe. As I waited in line for my food, this precious girl ran up to me, hugged me and said "HEY!!!!" I was so excited to see her and surprised! Here's this girl who lives in a shelter and she's SERVING breakfast to hundreds. She is starving herself but not for food.....she is starving for love, acceptance, family and the Lord's mercy. Every month at Girls Nite In, this cute freckled face girl runs up to me to say HI.....she hugs me each time and she SERIOUSLY melts my heart. I am not supposed to have "favorites" but I do. How can you not favor a girl who is that precious?

God uses her in my life as a reminder. A reminder that all the studying, tears, time and work that goes into ONE Girls Nite In meeting is worth it........because she is there. God brings about 60 teen girls each month and a handful of them live at this shelter. There are not enough words to describe what that has done to my heart. It wrecks me. It melts me. It challenges me. God puts the girls' faces in my mind each time I prepare to speak. He has bound my heart to theirs and they have no idea!!!

You know how with each child you have.....you wonder "how will I have enough love to go around?" I think every mom wonders that. Yet, the Lord gives us a never ending amount of love. He IS LOVE and when we know the Father, we have LOVE to give. The teen girls are like my adopted kids.....they move my heart, they overflow my cup and God uses each girl to multiply the love I have for them. Not only am I in love with my three precious children......but God has blessed my life with countless teens who........seriously......if they knew how much I adored them, loved them and thought of them.....it would scare them!!! I am beyond grateful for this journey God has me on. Thank you Lord for your amazing gifts!

"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8

Naked For Jesus

I love Vintage T-shirts!! You remember t-shirts with old logos like 7up, Atari, Coca Cola or some memorable year stamped on the front? They're new but they're made to look old and vintage.....like they have been around forever. They bring back memories of my childhood and remind me of days passed. As I was sharing my life with a dear friend the other day......I mentioned how I want a vintage t-shirt that reads "Naked for Jesus" !!! As we cracked up laughing (like seriously couldn't breathe laughing) at the thought of wearing this shirt and the looks we would get.....I asked her "is that inappropriate"? But when you understand the great journey behind those words.....it is perfectly appropriate!!

One of my biggest fears is public speaking. It's the number one fear of people. Isn't that crazy? Speaking in front of people in a perfectly safe environment scares people more than snakes, heights or car wrecks!!! But I will tell you that I get sooooo fearful before speaking. So, of course God has called me to speak once a month at Girls Nite In (a ministry to teen girls) in front of one hundred people. He hasn't called me to speak on anything "fluffy" either. He has called me to speak on topics of sin and self destruction. At Girls Nite In we talk candidly about life with these girls...like sex, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, eating disorders, divorce, self injury, loss/grief....BIG things!!! Our goal is to help them navigate through this messy life and point them to their Heavenly Father! I am so passionate about this ministry and yet it tears me up every month.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and he will lift you up"

James 4:10

On my face before the Lord every month, I ask Him to speak through me....to take away my fears....to make me bold through His Spirit....and to give me every word for these girls!! It takes all of me to submit to Him and to humbly do the very thing He has called me to. The ONLY WAY to be victorious in this....is to LAY IT ALL BARE BEFORE CHRIST!!! When I stand in front of these girls....my heart beating rapidly, full of cotton mouth and sweaty armpits....I am naked. I am transparent. I am laying it bare. I hold nothing back. God has shown me lately that He can use me best when I hide nothing from Him. Forget trying to look like I have it all together.....forget trying to use the right words....forget pretending at all!

Is God calling you to lay it all bare before Him? What would our world look like if we all got "real"....and stopped pretending? What if we did the VERY things that GOD has asked of us.....plowing through the fear, being humble before Him and putting ourselves out there for others!??

Be NAKED FOR JESUS!!!!

STUCK: (a verb) jammed or caught: jammed, caught, or held in an immovable position

The month of February is a SUCH a dreary month!!! It is seriously my least favorite month of the whole year. It's about halfway through the school year when life meets the mundane. There's nothing really exciting to look forward to in February and the weather is mostly grey. I usually plow through it and suck it up. But this time it's different. For weeks, I have struggled to put my finger on what's going on.....how to describe the puddly (if that's even a word) fog on the inside. I still have joy. I can still smile. So why the wierd feeling of numbness??

I went to the bookstore today and it HIT ME!!!! As I was browsing all the books and reading the titles.....looking for something interesting. I saw the word STUCK!!!! A bright blue cover page with HUGE white words!!! That's ME......s.t.u.c.k......for sure! I am starting this bible study today and I can't wait to see what crazy things God will show me. I want to share with you what I wrote on the inside cover. It my reason for "why".....why this book. Why now.....

"Why this study? Because NOW 16 months after my mom died, I feel okay. But only "okay". It seems that when life becomes difficult around me, I cower. (my life is okay....but the people I love are hurting. My teenage nephew went to live at Agape Christian Boarding School in MO last week and my precious sister's heart is broken. My dear friends' son is have heart surgery in a few weeks for the third time. My other sweet friend lost her mom a few months ago and she is only 24. And there's so much more going on with other people I love.) It's not that I necessarily take on others' pain.....but I care.....and then I cower. I stop wanting to listen to God. Fear takes over and I question Him. What will you ask of me Lord? Will I be blindsighted again? Am I strong enough for the waves of life? And so, I am stuck. Here. With these questions."

So, I don't have any breakthrough thoughts....YET! Just that I found a study that will lead me to the Truth. I am excited to face my fears and FULLY trust God with my LIFE. I am tired of being emotionally STUCK.....I want out. Now.

If you are "stuck" in a place you want and need to get out of.....maybe this is a study for you too! At the very least, cry out to the Lord....tears, snot and all.....let Him pull you out!!

Reaching far far ahead......finally!

“I do not count myself to have apprehended;

but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those
things which are ahead”  Philippians 3:13

Disappointment. Fear. Regret. Shame. Bitterness. I hate these words! Even just typing them makes my skin crawl. This is who I used to be. Walking everyday in these words. They defined who I was. I thought since I had done so many "bad" things and hadn't "arrived" yet, I should carry with me a few of these in order to suffer for my wrongs. I was imperfect. I AM imperfect. On this side of eternity, I will never be perfect! And I am learning that it's okay!

Life doesn't end because I don't have it all figured out. It doesn't fall apart because I haven't attained perfection. God says in Psalm 46:10..."Be still and know that I am God". I am to be still....to stop moving for a moment and recognize that HE is GOD, not me. It begins with Him....with our Heavenly Father who loves us so deeply. I don't have to walk around in utter despair, disappointment or shame. Beating myself up for past mistakes or failures is not what God wants. He wants us to forget the things of the past....be still and know that He is who He says He is....and reach forward to the things ahead.

Do you trust that He has amazing things planned for you? Do you believe that He can make the imperfect beautiful? He straightens out those paths that are crooked. He fights for us when we are down. He carries and forgives us when we cry out to Him!! God says in Jeremiah 29:11 -  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Dear sweet friends, let us forget the things of the past and reach forward to the things ahead. God has it all under control. He has amazing plans for us. Let reach far for Him and all that He is!!!