Every so often I need some encouragement or inspiration to help me figure out what I want to write about on this little page of mine. Sometimes the inspiration hits and others I find myself logging in staring at a blank page with no real thoughts to share. I often find there is a desire to write, but nothing to say. It can be a frustrating place to find yourself when you love writing and yet struggle to put words together.
I've used the image below occasionally to get my creative juices flowing and this time around I've found it very helpful.
I was... thinking about writing a lengthy and in-depth blog about how things have been going, but I got lazy and lost motivation so I have this list for you instead ;)
I am... experiencing something new in life. Taking more risks and seeing some of them payoff. Time will tell if this lasts long, but I'm happy and excited for what's happening right now. I know that's vague, but for now that's how it'll remain.
I think... that I need to get a better handle on my room/car organization. It accurately reflects my current feeling: chaotic.
I wonder... what life will look like in a year. So many possibilities and things up in the air. I'm excited to see what God has in store for me though.
I wish... I could pause time and complete all the chores/annoying things and then push play and do all the fun stuff!
I save... way too many pictures of my boys on my phone. Seriously. Those Winchester brothers, Darren Criss, Mr. Styles....and various others take up way too much of my photo storage on my phone.
I can't imagine... being in the public eye and getting so scrutinized over every little (and big) thing. Not sure I could handle the pressure.
I believe... the Jesus I love would love Caitlyn Jenner as she is, as she was, and as she will continue to be in her life. I can only hope that we can love her and others better than we have.
I have so many thoughts about the IF: Gathering women's conference I attended this weekend that I'm having a hard time collecting all my thoughts and the sermons/speakers associated with each breakthrough I had. The conference was so much better and more powerful than I had ever imagined, which shows you just how little I expect of God...silly me.
I want to share all of the scriptures and thoughts that speakers like Christine Caine, Jo Saxton, Jen Hatmaker, and others gave on trusting in God's goodness, taking that step of faith into the unknown, and being bold and courageous to follow the path God has made for you. But they were so rich in depth that I'll have to wait until some videos are placed online to share the power/impact of their words with you. I even purchased a pre-ordered DVD of the entire conference because I knew God had more for me in those sermons and I wasn't even taking notes (...again silly me!).
What I can share with you are my thoughts and action plans in response to what I heard and felt God leading me into for the next chapter of my life. While there isn't ONE clear path for me, I feel stronger in my desire to be a bridge builder between Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender + community and Jesus than ever before. The entire conference was about empowering women in our communities and freeing women to take bold steps of faith in things that others might fear walking into. Maybe it's because I've had difficult personal conversations about my own sexuality with close friends or maybe it's because God truly is laying a foundation for me to follow Him into, but I couldn't help but think about my LGBT+ brothers and sisters the entire weekend. I cried for a lot of reasons at the conference, but none more than thinking about how deeply I desire for Jesus to break through the walls our culture and society have built between these two groups. I want to walk around the walls, for days and days, and then YELL with a mighty ROAR to have those walls crumble to the ground like in Joshua 6 with the walls of Jericho.
I'll tell you right now... I'm scared. I have no idea what response I'll get or what success I'll have in starting something that I haven't seen done before. But I feel a movement in my spirit to take bolder steps and see how God comes through for me. Honestly, I might sound like I have some grand plan or blueprint that I'm looking at but there's nothing except the dark unknown. All I have is a leading in my heart and faith that if I act I will see God do mighty things. I'm tired of just waiting. I'm tired of just hoping but doing nothing to see change. So here I am God. Shaking and trembling, but faithful. Let's see what you have for me and for this broken world.
As is typical at conferences like this, they usually have some response/action to solidify what God placed in our hearts and this conference was no exception. They had us write on rocks (and thankfully we got to keep ours) to represent the building blocks of faith for what God stirred in our hearts. Below is my rock along with the necklace they gave us.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9
There are more discoveries I had this weekend, but I'll save those for another post. This feels like a good place to instead turn the tables and ask you..What is God calling you to step into? What holds you back from following Him into what He's calling you towards?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments below OR through email at: engannon@gmail.com
I'm a frequent YouTuber at this point and everyday I look at my subscriptions to see who posted a video, what new videos I can watch, and look for others to subscribe to. This has become a habit, especially working in an office that has a "slow season" which we find ourselves in currently.
One of those subscriptions is for a channel called SoulPancake. It honestly teeters on the edge of my subscriptions because some stuff I find boring or useless (Sorry!) but this newest upload has me humbled, inspired, and moved.
Please Watch before you continue.
It came out of nowhere, because like I said, SoulPancake is hit or miss with me lately. But this hit home and hit hard. This couple seems so strong and positive that it almost is unbelievable. And that's not on them, but rather on me and my cynicism. Watching the "clip" I felt humbled to have my health and my family and the life that I have right now. I felt inspired to live an even better life and to love myself and then have the capacity to spread that love to others. Then, I felt moved to tears AND action. Tears because...C'mon did you SEE the video?? Who doesn't feel for this guy? But then action because if he can do something to encourage and change the world, we all can! And I love that he didn't say any specific political agenda, religion (even though I read into what he said a bit), or environmental cause. He encourages us simply to
"cultivate a sense of love and community where you live, where you work, and where you play."
Sure, he gives us his examples of doing these things (shopping locally, etc.) but he allows us to make this commitment on our own terms and in the ways that work for us and our unique communities. So let's honor him and promise to cultivate love and community wherever life takes us!
Today, as I write this, I'm having a pretty shitty work day. Excuse my language. But it's true and in order to not spread the anger and bitterness that I really want to scream out at people, I'm going to leave these feelings at work for the evening and instead choose love. I'm going to remember how blessed I am to have a job. I'm going to remember that people like Ryan Wood exist and that makes it worth it to continue.
This next part is going to make this post SUPER SIZED but I feel it's important to say at this point. Some know of my struggles in my faith and some don't. Some know that I do call myself a Christian but that I've been doubting basically everything I've been taught for the better part of 2 years now. It's been a pretty dark season for me and honestly I don't know when it'll "end" or how it will resolve.
This video, however, feels so timely and pertinent to me that I cannot help but attribute it to God. I know some here don't share my faith and I do not mean to impose or offend. But let's be honest, this is my blog and these are the things on my mind. So stay with me! I feel as though God allows us space to explore, question, yell, and doubt Him. Within that space, He sends reminders that He's still there and ready for us to return. I'm not at a point ready to return or fully proclaim restoration and all that jazz...but I am in a place ready to acknowledge these moments when I feel reached out to or reminded.
Thanks for the reminder Big Guy ;) And thank YOU person who read this WHOLE blog post! Thanks for sticking with me!
Lastly, while his updates aren't frequent lately (as I'm sure you understand why) he does have a blog and he is still writing when he has the energy. I do encourage you to read it to keep up with him and his family. He is a Christian, so his blog is definitely more pointed than the video...but no less inspirational: http://www.grassrootsconspiracy.com/blog/
As always, I'd love to hear from you. Comments are always welcomed <3
I recommend you listen to the song as you read the lyrics... Gungor "Please Be My Strength" (music video linked to title)
I've tried to stand my ground
I've tried to understand
But I can't seem to find my way again.
Like water on the sand
Or grasping at the wind
I keep falling short
Please be my strength
Please be my strength
I don't have anymore.
I'm looking for a place
Where I can plant my Faith
One thing I know for sure
I cannot create it
I cannot sustain it
It's your love that's keeping me [chorus repeated]
And at my final breath
I hope that I can say
I've fought the good fight of faith
I pray your glory shines
Through this doubting heart of mine
And all would know that You
You are my strength
You and you alone, Keep bringing me back home
I found this song during a prayer time about a month ago. I had set aside one evening to be alone in my (then) room to pray. I basically spent the entire evening weeping and praying very angry prayers towards God. Eventually, I went on YouTube (of all places) for new worship songs and I found this song. It is such a beautiful, honest, and difficult song for me to listen to because it perfectly describes my attitude towards God. I want to have faith and believe all the things I once did. Yet I find myself doubting and wanting to walk away. I've been tempted to throw in the towel and ignore God, simply because it's too painful to think about just how let down I am with Him. I've been taught well though...because my knee jerk response to myself is "God cannot be ignored" or "God hasn't left you" etc.etc. But the truth is, I'm tired and extremely heart-broken. I've been let down more than victorious. I don't have any strength. I'm angry and very bitter...
There are a lot of attributing factors to the state that I'm in. The past 3 years haven't been the best in my life and I've struggled to see goodness in the midst of them. Suffering. Unexplained emergencies. Disappointments. Lack of community. Isolation. All led me down this path to not trusting God and feeling abandoned by most things/people/events in my life, mainly God.
Now I'm trying to walk down the path of healing and recovery because I know, somewhere inside myself, that God is good and loves me...But right now, I honestly don't believe that to be true in my heart of hearts. I've been operating under the notion that God does indeed exist, but I'm not sure if He is as good as I once felt. I've struggled to pray and have hope that God will bring good things in my life. This may be a surprise to those reading this, mainly because it's not something I've been ready to openly deal with or write about. Trust me, I've begun and deleted A LOT of posts about this. Most, however, didn't feel right to share or didn't feel "complete enough" to post. But here I am...
I appreciate your prayers, especially since I haven't prayed in a long time. While I won't be writing everything on such a public stage as this, I will update you as I continue to walk, learn, and explore what I believe in and what to put my faith into.
