L'oreal Colour Riche 320 Red Lipstick

"Haven’t I commanded you? 

Strength! 

Courage! 

Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged.  

God, your God, is with you every step you take.” 

-Joshua 1:9 (the Message)

I love visual examples. I have little pieces of paper taped up all over my house & my cubicle at work to remind me of things I want to focus on...

There is the note on my computer that says 'Work = Avodah = Worship' to remind me that everything I do is worship. Even if that means sitting at my computer for eight hours a day cataloging books. There is one hanging by our family pictures that reminds me that, "Only what you do for Jesus will last", one near my day planner that encourages me that, "If you ever have hope to lead. Do it yourself first." There is another taped to my mirror that says, 'God doesn't use us in spite of our weaknesses but because of them." & another just inside my cubicle that reminds me to, 'Do something that scares you every day'.

Recently, Hubs & I have been talking about being risk takers. But not in the way you might think. I mean, it's good to think about ways to take calculated risks in business or in relationships or in our finances but we've been talking more about taking risks in very personal spiritual ways... ways that could change the course of our every day lives forever. 

When I was a kid I was fearless... I loved motorbikes & horses & roller coasters & jet skis & going fast & high & far. Shhhhhh... Don't tell my mom, but one time in Jr. High, my best friend Ven & I built a bike ramp taller than either of us. Once it was finished the neighborhood boys came out to jump their BMX bikes from that thing. It was a sight to behold I tell you. Not to be outdone by boys, I decided to take my three speed bike with the granny seat & show them what's what.Those boys laughed like fools when I headed down the block to take my turn... which of course only spurned me on to greatness. I flew down the street toward the ramp, peddling as fast as my legs could go. I hit that ramp going mock-speed & suddenly I was FLYING! It was glorious people. I came down with a clang but I held my own, I stayed with the bike & kept myself & it under control.  IT. WAS. AWESOME! 

However... the older I grow the more fearful I have become. I'm scared of all kinds of things. Some of them are founded. Some of them are silly.

There are totally random freaky things like flying & clowns & kidnappers & tights spaces & snakes & drowning & sharks & God forbid crash landing in the ocean & gasping for air while a great white gnaws on my leg. Yes people, I do think about these things. Some are silly fears like swimming at the public beach in my granny swimsuit or tripping in high heels (if I actually owned a pair) or finding out I had a big glob of spinach in my teeth after giving a work presentation or ever having to wear a bedazzled dance mom t-shirt. Because 'Oh the horror!' & then there are things that are hard & hurtful like the death of a loved one or the pain of severed relationship or the fear of the unknown... another move or a new separation from family or friends. & lastly, there is the fear of spiritual risk. This is the fear Hubs & I have been talking about... the risk of living in such a radical relationship with Jesus that everyone around us would sit up & take notice. What kinds of risks would we be willing to take? Would we be willing to risk the gossip? the embarrassment? the ridicule? the possibility of losing our jobs or our home or our lives?

We've been talking about how just the nature of Hubs profession puts us in a position to share the gospel. Imagine for a minute that I'm on a plane next to someone I don't know. Imagine that I'm not scared of crashing & not because I've had a Zanex & am sipping a cocktail.

Me: So where are you headed?
Passenger: Florida?
Me: For business or pleasure?
Passenger: Business.
Me: What do you do for a living?
Passenger: I'm an architect. How bout you?
Me: I'm a librarian & that guy... (pointing now to Hubs) is a pastor.
Passenger: Hmmmm...
Me: Yeah... about that. We should probably get that whole thing right out of the way now right?

Seriously. Just last week I had three people who don't go to my church but know that I'm a pastor's wife, ask me if I had read the Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn. I didn't have the heart to tell them I don't make it a habit of reading 'christian' fiction. I just put a hold on it for myself at the library. Deep down inside my heart I know that while I live my faith walk right out in the open, even if I wasn't a PW I would still want people to know where my Hope comes from. I would still want people to watch me & scratch their heads.

It reminds me of 1 Peter 3: 15 "Be ready to speak up & tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, & always with the utmost courtesy."

I want to live fearlessly. I want to be ready to tell people about Jesus. I want to be looking for opportunities to share my life & love with others. I truly want to do something scary every day.  

& because I am visual & color reeeeeeallly scares me... 

I mean just LOOK at my wardrobe here people! 

For the next month, I am going to be sporting red lipstick... the reddest lipstick I could find & I'll be blogging about scary things... some of them will be spiritually scary & some of them might just be scary (at least to me, not that I'll be swimming with sharks anytime soon or anything). It is my hope that either way, this concerted effort to be brave will bring me closer to the One who leads the charge. It's a journey people... who's with me!?





"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."

-Romans 8:31-39 (the Message)