Beautiful Fall

It's finally becoming one of my favorite times of the year: fall.

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With fall come some of my favorite things...

wearing "comfy clothes" (sweatshirts, pajama pants, scrubs)

walking outside into a nice cool breeze

the harvest

watching leaves change colors

snuggling up on the couch with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a good movie

inhaling cold air that I can feel go down into my lungs

playing sports outside and not sweating

picnics

dressing up in sweaters, nice pants, and heels [for special occasions]

the moon

bonfires with s'mores

plus, fall means less than 2 months until I can start snowboarding again

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I love it.

ordinary of Greatness?

I just might be the #1 homework procrastinator in the world. But if not #1, then I'm definitely #2. For example... I'm currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop [Java G's] doing anything and everything besides the main reason I came here: to do my homework. Obviously I'm writing this blog, along with feeding my addiction to MySpace and Facebook, looking up internships/job openings for Youth Ministry positions, checking out Denver Theological Seminary, writing emails, and reading my Bible... I guess if anything, reading my Bible is the only one of those that can be excused. The others can't be defended and quite honestly there is no excuse for me to be filling my time with them. I do not need to be writing my thoughts for the entire internet world to see... I do not need to be MySpace/Facebook stalking... I do not need a job at this moment in my life... I do not need to decide what Seminary I might want to go [yet]... I don't need to be writing random emails... there's no excuse.

But... I will say this... the Bible. I need it. Badly.

I can't get enough of it. I'm captivated by the Truth that He has spoken. I'm captivated by the Words that He releases into my broken heart and my messed up mind as my eyes flow across each page. I'm never short of astonished when healing and freedom over flow my spirit at the sight of a single word or phrase. I'm captivated...

He's doing something huge in this heart. But not only mine, in countless others hearts as well. Daily I'm surrounded by people who are passionately pursuing the Father in ways that leave me in awe. It's not a fluke... it's real. It's radical. It's beautiful. These are ordinary regular people who have accepted the great and powerful assignments the LORD has spoken over them.

Leading ministries, leading worship, starting ministries from scratch, quitting a job simply because the LORD said to, joining prayer houses, becoming missionaries...

I've been reading Joshua recently. I've read about him before, but the past couple days as I've read, I've seen a greatness... a radical ness... emerge from the very sound of his name.

Joshua... since I was little this has always been a name that I've liked. I clearly remember I had a grey pound puppy in which I named Joshua. Perhaps it has always seemed beautiful to me because of its meaning... "Yahweh is Salvation" or "Jehovah Saves"... though, I wasn't aware of what it meant until a couple of years ago. But when I was little, I wanted to name everything Joshua...

And today, all I want to do is tell people that GOD does in fact save. It's interesting though... a while ago I was talking to my mom and found out that Joshua was in fact one of the two names they had picked out for me if I had been a boy (Jacob being the other).

Joshua went from being a servant of Moses, to taking Moses' role when he passed on. GOD rose this boy up into something great because He knew the cry of his heart. I love reading about the ordinary... about the ordinary being called to greatness. And that greatness only occurs when the Father has called the ordinary to step forward.

Again, I think of Joshua (the ordinary) and I think of the people in my life; the ordinary people who have said "yes" and stepped out. The moment they exclaim "yes" is when the ordinary is crossed out and Greatness is written over them. They are no longer ordinary.

I don't quite know the reason of this post, other then to encourage each of you to be great. Often times when I write something and post it, I clearly know why I'm writing. He tells me why and He tells me what needs to be said... but this time, all I hear is "They will be great." So I pray this over you... Greatness. That you would recognize the power that you have within you because of Someone who is in fact the Greatest of all. That you have been made not to remain ordinary, but to rise up and do incredible things for Him, with Him.

Joshua said to the Israelites once they had returned to the land that GOD has promised them, "Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land" (23:7).

Church, I call you to no longer remain ordinary. You are to set yourselves apart from those who do not worship Me. You are no longer in the same category as they are. You have made a choice to follow Me and allow My power to be released through you, allowing Greatness to overtake. Stop being lazy and expecting others to do the job that I have assigned to you. If you wish to blend in with the rest of the world, back away from Me and stop pretending that you love Me. I have called you children, and it is time that you decide who you are going to serve.