Moving & Learning Along the Way

Learning the Way of St. James

(If you are new to Coffee, Crafts & Conversation, here is the basis of my recent posts: My next great adventure is beginning on July 10th, 2016 when I'll be flying to Spain for the summer. July & August will be spent with a wonderful family serving as their aupair and the last month I'll be hiking El Camino de Santiago [which is a 500 mile pilgrimage] through the country with a friend.)

In order to be honest about this season of excitement, expectation and uncertainty - I want to share what was put on my heart the last couple of days.

In addition to flying over to Spain for the summer, I am moving out of my current apartment and into a new one. I've been preparing my belongings, planning the next steps, donating clothes, moving boxes and this week my brother and boyfriend moved my dressers and bed out.

As I was putting together my last box and packing up my clothes for the summer, there was a lot of huffing & puffing... Not physically but emotionally. My little sister kept asking, "Are you doing okaaaaay?" (She nannies 3 year olds so this is a normal conversation for her...) Oddly, I felt sad and hesitant to leave..

So... In spite of my feelings, I pulled my suitcases up the stairs, loaded my car and drove away.

That night, sitting by the pool at my parents house, I was asking God why I was feeling upset/overwhelmed. In the last 4 months of prepping, this is the first time I've had any type of negative feelings. God poked my spirit and pointed out that leaving my current place makes my life shifts so much more real! With the season of uncertainty beginning.

Uncertainty means no control. It means learning trust.

---

This shift got me thinking about James, the Apostle who we are walking the Camino in honor of.

James' family was in the business of fishing. He was in a boat with his dad & brother, John, when Jesus called James & John into Ministry with Him [Mt 4:21-22]. The bible says that James IMMEDIATELY dropped everything and began following and serving Jesus.

James was eager to be called! Eager to fulfill his purpose. So eager that he left his family's business, left his father and the places he was most comfortable with.

James becomes one of Jesus' closest friends and part of the inner circle along with John & Peter. James, John & Peter witnessed Jesus' transfiguration [Mk 9:2-13], saw Elijah and Moses and heard the voice of God [Mk 9:2-13], had a lot of personal time with Jesus [Mk 9:2-13, Mk 1:29], witnessed MANY miracles including healing, deliverance and raising people from the dead [Mk 5:37-43]. James went with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus was arrested [Mt 26:37] and saw Jesus after the resurrection [Jn 20:19-20].

Maybe James had hesitated in the past and missed opportunities but when Jesus invited him on His journey in Mt 4:21-22, James did not hesitate.

Studying James encourages me to go boldly towards where God calls - this is the Way of St. James!! Serve well, ask questions, honor God and He will bring you to places you never could have imagined.

All this to say, I am James. and I hope you are too!

XOXO,

Abby

The First Act

Good morning friends!

I wanted to share with you what I heard from God this morning.

I'm reading from Acts chapter 1 and it's all about waiting. This book is the basis of a lot of our theology and belief as Spirit-filled Christians. And the first few verses are about waiting. Hmm, interesting. Like, people had to wait on God back in 0AD?

Picture this: The Resurrected Jesus is with the disciples and he tells them to wait on the Helper (Holy Spirit) and then to preach the Good News in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

That is a pretty BIG task! And I'm sure the disciples were excited & anxious to get started!!

But
They
Had
To
Wait
On
God.

IF the disciples decided to move ahead of the Lord, because they were sick of where they were, they could have started to travel and spread the good Word. I'm sure some people would believe and give their lives to Christ but I think in the end, the disciples would be unhappy, discouraged, mad at God and mad at themselves. They would not have made the same impact. And changed the world. Have you experienced that? Gone ahead with something you knew wasn't Gods idea and ended up upset at yourself and God? I have.

Instead, the disciples met together and prayed until the Holy Spirit fell on them in such a powerful way that tens of thousands of people started to believe in Jesus Christ, through them directly. And now batrillions (I think I made that number up) have been welcomed into the Kingdom of God!

They waited and prayed.

I have to ask myself, am I rushing God? Am I rushing into new opportunities at work, taking on extra responsibility before I'm ready? Am I rushing into a relationship?

OR am I waiting for Gods touch and perfect timing?

JOIN ME in waiting on Gods touch & perfect timing! It helps to have a community so I'd encourage you to join a bible study, start volunteering at church and encourage others to seek and wait on God with you.

Jesus & I love you all ❤️

Needlework

Needlework

"But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:24b-25

In 2010, I took a trip with some Business Admin professors and peers to Egypt & Israel, which by the way, was the best trip EVER. We took a tour of Jerusalem and walked past a little door on the outside gate - I thought it was a play house for kids or a special house for little people [like the TV show!] The tour guide pointed it out and quoted this scripture from Mark. 

Ready for a history lesson? They would close the main gates at night as self defense from potential attacks but would have a guard at the smaller door (called, "the eye of the needle") to let people in. Camels are tall and awkward, they are not fluid like a dog. It takes a lot of effort for the camel to bend, squat and maneuver through the tiny door, plus the merchant or traveler would have to remove all the bags from the camel first. That's a lot of effort. Ladies, if we were the traveler.. we would have pulled over, asked for directions and made it in time to get through the main gates before dark! 

Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to get into Heaven. Why is that? I think it's because we feel to much comfort and security in money. When that happens, we don't rely on God. If we're feeling upset or hurt, we'll go buy new shoes instead of deal with the real issue.

This pours into so many areas beyond finances. If we're consumed in a relationship and not keeping God as our First Love, the same principle applies. We have to take off the baggage, deal with our issues and not be afraid to get on our hands and knees to crawl through a situation or season of life. God wants to trust us with financial blessing and Christ-centered relationships but we have to prove our faithfulness and trustworthiness with what we have now. 

Right before this, God challenged a rich man to give up everything to follow Him but the man did not want to let go of his great fortune so he walked away with his head down. He had forgotten that everything we have is on-loan from God... it's not actually ours to posses! 

My challenge to us is to live with hands wide open! God will give and take away and that is okay! Life has ups and downs. Trust that God will use every situation to draw you closer to Him.

Are you spending your free time watching Netflix and eating ice cream? Yup. Or are you reading books and listening to podcasts? Lets just say that my couch has gotten some quality-Abby-time lately but trust me, I'm trying to find a balance between the two. Discover something new about your self - do something you love! Go on walks or bike rides. Volunteer for a local organization that you believe in! 

As we learn to seek God and trust Him more, He'll know that He can trust us with the next big thing He's got planned. Don't rob God of the opportunity to bless you. Seek Him when finances are tight or you're lacking the companionship you want AND seek Him even more when you see blessings in your life!

The Eye of the Needle becomes a lot bigger when we put all of our trust in God.