the truth

Our Pastor's mom writes a beautiful blog and a post captured me the other day and has been stuck in my heart. As a follower of Christ I feel very embarrassed to share that spending consistent time in the word has been one of my biggest struggles as a believer. There have been seasons were I faithfully get up every morning and spend quality time in the word but it has not been a fluid season for the past 10.5 years that I've been walking with Christ. I've prayed to God asking for that struggle in my life to be gone once and for all, that every day for the rest of my life I would wake up and first clothe myself in Christ, wrap my heart up in his armor to tackle the day, the appointment I never miss. I've prayed for discipline, for it to become habit...

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But discipline and habit aren't the answer. Those aren't the things that will draw me close to God's heart and His love; desire will. When my heart longs to be with Him enough, I will make the sacrifice to get out of bed earlier. Lord, I pray for desire to be close to you daily, to know that my life is nothing without you first in it.

What did you think of her blog post? Do you feel this? Agree with her thoughts?

psalm 62

this is a re-run from a previous guest post I did for Jen but my life has been super crazy busy lately so I felt like I needed to read it again.. and maybe you do too!

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I am a do-er, a go-getter, a must finish everything on the to-do lister,  a feels guilty when I sit downer. While these can be good qualities, sometimes I am busy to a fault. I burn out, I feel overwhelmed, I don't  have peace, I have a break downs.

Then one day, God told me this:

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I realized my issue of not being able to rest was also an issue of trust and control. Could I give it up? Could I let go to how tight I was holding? I wanted to because I was so tired. This verse spoke to me so clearly and became a source of comfort. I did need to rest, I couldn't keep going the way I was going and it's a constant reminder of that. I am so grateful that God calls us to rest and not only to rest but IN HIM. I picture God's arms looking like a hammock resting in the sunshine and when I fall down into it, I'm greeted with fluffy pillows and don't have to move a muscle once I am there because I am so comfortable.

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It also reminds me that to trust in Him, I need to give up complete control. Living in this state of rest does mean letting Him run my life, letting Him make the hard decisions and going where He calls me. It will always be BETTER when He does that, He knows us better than we know ourselves, He loves us more than we can ever imagine, so why not rest in Him and let Him do the heavy lifting? He is able and wants to!

This verse also gives you encouragement to keep going. He will protect and carry your burden. I try to live as this verse says everyday, to go about my day getting things done but in a constant state of rest, rest in the arms of the One who loves me most.

How does this verse speak to you? Do you feel like resting in Christ is easy for you or hard? Have you ever put your trust and complete rest in Him ever before?

where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom

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This couldn't be more true to the way I feel. I am so grateful to have Jesus to set me free, free from captivity of insecurities, expectations, societal standards. The creator of the universe is offering you a way out, a pass, a burden lifted off of your shoulders that you may not even realize is there. Freedom is the only way to describe the feeling. What can you let Jesus take off of your shoulders this week? What if the God of the universe wanted to set you free?

guest post: Wild & Precious

a quick note & a call to help from a dear friend (we've never met in person but that doesn't matter!) Blair:
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I first saw this video back in February and it's been stirring my soul ever since.  "Possessions in my hand will never be more valuable than peace in my heart... start a new conversation."  From there God has been keeping my heart all aflutter with ideas about how I can use my everyday platforms - my blog, my twitter, my job as a youth director, etc. to love His people. And not just that, but to also challenge myself to break free of the grips of this world that tell me I have to be, act, look, possess, do xyz in order to be loved.  The Pixie Project began to grow...

The idea of the project was to partner with Mocha Club to help rescue 3 women from the sex industry of Ethiopia.  At $400 a women, the goal was $1,200 -- then, when I reached my goal, I would get the haircut I've always wanted to try but have lacked the courage/motivation to get.  It was a way to make the haircut about something bigger and important and a fun way for me to use my platforms to love God's people. 

Here are some facts:

1 or 9 women in the capital city of Ethiopia are part of the sex industry.

3 of 4 of the women in this lifestyle have AIDS, which for many is a death sentence. 

For $400 a women, Mocha Club can take a women off the street and give them a year of intensive counseling, spiritual guidance, medical attention, job training, a safe place to stay, and also give their children education and health care.  Helping 3 women in this way would be the motivation I needed to get the haircut. 

As of this past Friday I've reached my goal! Such sweet affirmation from my Savior.  The support I have gotten has fed, challenged, convicted, and encouraged my soul.  I am full of gratitude as I continue to learn more and more about God's grace and His desires for me.

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Though I've reached my goal & I'm definitely getting my hair cut, I'm not stopping.  The Pixie Project will continue to run through the rest of August.  We'll continue to raise awareness and funds for the Women at Risk.  There are more women we can support -- a second chance at life! I hope that you will help me in this continued endeavor buy donating, praying, and spreading the word.

You can donate by clicking the button below that will take you straight to my fundraising page (all donations are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for your records).  You can also follow along with the Pixie Project on my blog.  

Thanks for being a part of this journey.  We can do something wonderful together!

xo

I'm back!!!

thanks for all of your prayers. we had the greatest time.
Young Life camp is just a slice of how God intended life to be, it's always hard to come home.

wish I was here wednesday

oh wait?! This is where I am!!!!
 Up in Canada at Malibu Club!!!

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Young Life camp is my most favorite. 10 years ago I heard about a different kind of God than I ever had before, one that loved me! ME! and more specifically that He wanted a relationship with me, we could talk, hang out, He would protect me, heal me, make the best choices for me. My life has not been the same since that day I made a commitment June 28 2002.

Now, I get to spend this week praying for my sweet high school girls to make that same choice if they are ready. Girls that I love so much I can't even imagine how God loves them.

Have you ever been to a Young Life camp? Anyone else meet Christ at at Young Life camp?

He is all I need

resting in this today as I head off to Malibu to take high school girls to Young Life camp!!! Pray for me and my sweet girls this week if you think of it :)

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#truth

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resting in this today

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how He loves us, Oh,

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How often do we sit in the Grace of Christ? As a Christian woman I struggle so much with perfectionism for my self. Am I doing this or that right. I think because I have Christ in me that everything I do should be perfect (which it could be if everything I did involved Christ and Him alone.)  Why do I burden myself with perfection when I know I am swimming in an ocean of grace that is freely offered to me.

 I wrote about REST here  last week and I think GRACE can be written in right along with it all. Do we fall into His arms that promise rest & grace? Do we let Grace overcome us so much that it's like we are sinking inside the sea of HIS perfection.

How do you let His Grace dwell in you?

heart issue

Don't just be after actual change, be after heart change.
No matter the situation, if you have Peace, you have it.

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you're my prince of peace

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I will sing to (You are Lord of Lords)

 And worship (You are King of kings)

 The King who (You are mighty God) 

Is worthy (Lord of everything) 

I will love and (You're Emannuel) 

Adore You (You're the Great I am)

 And I will bow down (You're my Prince of peace) 

before You (Who is the Lamb)

 I will sing to (You're my living God)

 And worship (You're my saving grace) 

The King who (You will reign forever)

 Is worthy (You are ancient of days)

 I will love and (You are alpha, omega)

 Adore You (beginning and end)

 And I will bow down (You're my Savior, Messiah) 

Before You (Redeemer and friend) 

You're my Prince of Peace 

And I will live my life for You

living on mission, always.

We are going through a work series at my church right now. It has been awesome and so life giving. In Part 3 John Mark (one of the Pastors) talks about having a God given focus on our life, really seeking and asking him what He has for us. Once we know it and define it, it feels simple from there to go and DO what God has called us to do. So often in our lives we say yes to so many anything (or for some of you not enough yes's) and we feel overwhelmed. At least for my husband and I know this is true, we can't give ourselves fully to everything because we are saying yes to too many. The funny thing is, when Brian and I talked about it, we were each able to nail down our "life goals" given to us by the Lord within minutes. The truth is already written on our hearts, we just need to now listen and apply it. John Mark said that we should spend our life doing what God has called on us (duh!) and anything beyond that needs to take a back seat. Something that really hit me was when he said we shouldn't always feel stressed in life, that the feeling of stress means we are carrying a burden that is not the Lord's.... this is doing WONDERS in my heart and mind right now. What am I doing that isn't God's call on my life? Whatever it is, it's a waste of time & energy and making me feel stressed.

Here are the 3 things I came up with that I felt God was putting on my heart to do: (Family, Vocation, Service)

1. To be the neck of a godly family, to team with my husband to parent humbly (when we are someday parents) and let the Lord guide us and our family, showing our kids that submitting to Jesus and letting him run our lives & loving Him with our whole hearts is most important.

2. To use my gifts of organization and logistics to further the kingdom

3. To mentor young women and help them in the transition of meeting Christ to walking with Him and growing in Him & to foster and create a community that loves each other and Christ well- to be a family of families.

What are yours? Have you thought about this before? Do you think it would be hard to come up with 3 things that you KNOW the Lord has called you to in your life?

I would HIGHLY recommend listening to this series, or parts of it if you can't listen to it all whether your "work" is being a mom, being an accountant, running your own business etc. (my favorites so far have been 3 & 4)

If you do listen, I would love to know your thoughts and what God is teaching you through it!

need these in my home.

new series: dwell

I've been so inspired by the blogging community. So much truth, creativity, growth, joy. I've decided to start a new series called dwell featuring inspiration by other bloggers in their faith by having them share a verse and how God is using it in their life right now. I have always been captivated by the word dwell. It gives me this image of resting in His love and staying there, dwelling in truth and peace. Enjoy, for the next few weeks or months or however long, some insight from your blogging friends :)

ps if you would like to contribute, I would love to have you, please email me at oliviakcarter@gmail.com 

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -- Matthew 11:28-30

This verse has been one I've been resting in since the summer. I've been saying this to myself everyday since then: "my burden is LIGHT" : life should not feel hard... The burden that the Lord is going to give me is light, not heavy or stressful. If I am truly taking my direction from Him it will be all things from Him that I carry, so all things should be light! This is such comfort to me. Now every time I am doing something that seems heavy, I ask myself, who am I doing this task for? If it's not for the Lord, then I need to switch how I'm doing it or not do it at all.

 The first part of the verse is also so comforting, all he asks of us is to come. "Come and surrender it all, give me your crap and I will take it upon myself". The hard piece in that is giving up the control, which is something I struggle with. When I logically think about it I just wonder WHY it's so hard. It should be easy, someone is willing and asking to take from me the stress of my life, I should want to give it over to Him willingly. This, I am working on every day and am SO thankful for this promise that I am given.

What are your thoughts on this verse? How is it speaking to you today?

the foundation...

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why is it so hard to trust?

I was with a fellowship group the other night. We were sharing scripture that had been influential in our week or summer or life and it's significance to us. As I listened to hearts being vulnerable I heard a common phrase. It is a phrase that I have said many times and heard throughout my Christian walk by many peers. I heard it in a new way and it irked something inside of me.

"I struggle trusting the Lord..."

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I started thinking about Jesus sitting in the circle in my backyard with us and how he felt as he listened to his best friends, his sons and daughters share that the struggled with trusting in Him. How hurt would you be if you heard all of the people you love tell you that? You'd wonder what you had done wrong to not gain their trust, you'd wonder what it is about you and your personality and how you treat them that would make them feel that way.

The thing about Jesus is that He has never done anything to make us not trust Him. He has been nothing but majestic. His love is the ONLY love. Unconditional without fault and the only love that can truly be unconditional. He is there for us when we need Him and catches us when we fall. WHY would we not trust Him?

ONLY hope

Jesus is the only thing we can actually hope in. Everything else may fade, may leave us, may go away, but the LOVE of Christ will never.

If we don't have hope, what do we have? If we don't have Jesus we don't have hope.

Where is your trust in? Something that will fade or something that will last forever?

if you pray

pray for us at camp right now


matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

off to CAMP

I am off tonight to travel for... 18 hours to a beautiful magical land called Malibu Club in BC Canada. 40 high school kids from Sunset and 5 leaders are heading up on bus, ferry and boat to spend a week at Young Life camp. If any of your are familiar with Young Life you know its no ordinary camp- it is a FULL packed week of luxury and fun. Controlled chaos is how I describe it. If you pray, pray for us as we get to watch lives transform by high school kids hearing about the LOVE of Jesus Christ some for the first time and some in a new way. A love that is not about rules but about a relationship with our Creator and Father. Pray for walls to be broken down, hearts to be open and spirits to come alive. Pray our leaders have the full energy and love of the Spirit flowing through us to be able to set these kids at the feet of Christ and watch HIM move.

I will have a few guest posts this week and look forward to sharing about our time when I'm back!

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