Brave Because He Is Mighty

In August, I knew we were on the brink of chaos. It was a weird feeling; we had been in a season of buckling down to survive for the past two years, but the assurance that God was going to bring us a season of flourishing was overwhelming. We didn’t know a thing, we just knew it was coming. It was like riding a roller coaster and slowly going over the first hill. We’re currently gliding around the tracks at speed that feel out of this world.

Where in the world do I start?

A few months ago, my friend Sara told me about an idea she had. She wanted to start The Perk Blog. She’s been in charge of The Perk, the coffee shop ministry at Central, and I knew the minute she said it that it was much more than just a blog. Fast forward to right now, and The Perk Blog has morphed into something incredible. Encounter Magazine is something God-sized, and definitely something He created. We’re a team of Content Directors, Encounter Editor, Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Contributing Writers. Tomorrow we launch Encounter Magazine, and it makes me want to get to my knees. It’s one of those things that I am so grateful for, in every single way. From my wonderful friend who stepped out in bravery to the writers I get to work with each week to bring rich content to the magazine, it’s unreal. Pinching myself often, because I didn’t realize God would bring together so many people that challenge me in the best ways.

Also a few months ago, God gave me a vision for a ministry that catered to women across my city. We started Rally last week, and it was more than I dreamed. We meet every Monday night in a living room, and it has been thick with goodness. Not of our doing. All because of what He has done.

Evan is working constantly, and I’ve been working as an occasionally copywriter, which has been more fun that I thought it could be. (Ha!) Getting to work and dream with my best friend doesn’t even feel real. Sometimes I wonder, Is this allowed? And then I remember we’re adults, so yep, we can do things like this.

When I started this blog some time ago, I didn’t envision me being anything more than a mom who happened to be a writer. But now, God with His funny ways, has me doing things I didn’t know I could do. I didn’t know I was allowed to be anything more than the woman I was. There was nothing wrong with her. She was good, wholly loved, important. But I started saying things to God like, Do immeasurably more in me than I can dream up. I don’t know the end result, I just want to do what You want to do. Show me ways to serve. Give me opportunities. Make me brave because You are mighty in me. Heads up: prayers like those lead to blog posts like these.

You are valuable right where you’re standing. I thought, for a long time, that my value was found in my work. Or whatever I wrote. Or even in the future when I had time to be a valuable asset to the world. Easy for me to say, right? When God has things in my life that seem to bear fruit, when I seem busy, when I have things to do and places to be. But my value is not in me. It isn’t in my busyness. It sure as heck is not in whatever work I am doing. My value is in Him. I have to believe Him. The minute I started to believe what He’s been saying about me since day one, the minute I prayed prayers that shed my desire to seek my own fame, He made it rain. I’m continually getting on my knees thanking Him. There’s too much here to think I did any of it. He does. We just get front row seats to watch Him.