I don’t really know much about what it takes to renovate a house. There are probably a few reasons for this, the largest being that student loans have crippled my finances to the point where I doubt that I’ll ever be able to purchase a house on my income alone. But let’s not go down the rabbit hole of the millennial student loan crisis in America; we can save that for another blog. 

My larger point here is that I’m not one of those Christians who religiously watches “Fixer Upper,” exclusively shops at the Hearth and Home section of Target, and dreams of visiting Magnolia Farms. No, truly, I am clueless about what it takes to renovate a home, and frankly, I kind of don’t care; thus, my lack of knowledge about it. So, when God told me He was renovating something in my life, I had no idea what I was in for. But here’s what I’ve learned. When God renovates in your life, you can expect a few things. 

1. It’s all consuming

Homeowners are funny. Every single person I’ve met who’s gone through home renovation can talk about little else. But I guess there’s a reason for that because renovation is an all-consuming process. Not only does it require a great deal of detail and decisions, but it is also quite literally happening in the place you live. You can’t escape it. So, when God renovates in your life, you can bet that it’s going to take up a lot of your time and mental space. After all, that’s where you live, isn’t it?

2. It’s messy

Another thing homeowners tell me is how messy renovation is. Now, really some of this is to be expected because they are literally building new things and tearing out old ones. But what you don’t realize is that sawdust is the glitter of woodworking: you never quite get rid of all of it. When God renovates in our lives, it’s just as messy. He uproots your habits, mindsets, plans, and insecurities all of which leave a great deal of residue and don’t come out without a fight. So, it’s normal that your life feels like a mess during renovation. It’s supposed to be. 

3. It takes a long time

Here’s a fact about me: I hate waiting. Like really hate it. I don’t even like to cook because I have to wait, and you better believe that if I have to wait on someone to complete a task, I will absolutely just do it myself the next time. God help me if I ever renovate because from what I hear, it’s not a short process. Not only is there the time you budgeted for planning and execution, but there’s also the time you didn’t expect. The time that it takes the contractors tear up the floor only to find mold which sets back your initial completion time to treat. Or how about when there is a fault structurally with the house and they have to spend time mending the part you can’t see before they can get back to making it look nice on the part that you can see? Bottom line: it never ends when you think it’s going to, and it always takes longer. What’s worse is that you have a vision of what it’s going to look like and a plan for how long it’s going to take which can be shattered within a matter of moments. 

Problem is, I feel like God should be a quicker worker than a human contractor. He can do anything, so why doesn’t He just fix it in an instant? I know these workers would love to have that capability. But I think that’s intentional for a few reasons. See, God works largely through process because process is more sustainable, and I know this because I know what it’s like to teach humans something. If I do something for them without going through the process, it’s likely that it will not stick. But if I teach them how to do something through process, they are more likely to remember because as humans, we learn through practice and process. Yes, it takes longer, and it’s as exciting as watching grass grow, but it’s better. When God renovates your life, it will take longer than you expect. Just know that right out of the gate. But also know this: just like repairing the mold on your floors will make your house last longer, He’s using process in this time in your life to make that change you’re praying for last longer. 

4. It messes with your day-to-day functioning

Now here’s something I didn’t think about that sounds completely obvious. When they renovate your house, they do it inside your house. Like where you live. Granted, they probably aren’t there while you sleep, and you’re probably at work for part of the day as well too, but they’ve taken over your space to the point where it’s likely unusable. Heck, there are some rooms you can’t even access during that time, and you have to make do with what you have. If God is renovating in your life, you better expect that He’s gonna be all up in your business 24/7. Expect that you cannot do things the way they’ve always been done. Expect that it’s going to be super inconvenient and will likely change how you live your comfortable life. That’s ok. It’s part of the process.

5. Your house, as you knew it, is not the same

My sister is so funny sometimes. She very much holds onto the idea of “the way things are” instead of embracing change when it arrives. For example, her argument for not getting a tattoo isn’t because of the pain but rather the fact that her body, “will never be the same again.” But aren’t we like that too when it comes to matters in our own lives? We hold on to things because we can’t imagine letting something that valuable go even if we know there’s a chance it will be replaced with something much better. When God renovates your life, expect change. Expect that the way you know your life will change. Expect that the way you’ve always operated will change. Expect that you will never be the same. And yes that’s a scary thing, but it’s also a good thing.

I moved into a newly renovated condo back in September. The condo itself was built back in the 70’s, but you would never know that if you’d just walked in. The appliances, floors, hardware, lights, everything had been updated. In fact, its aesthetic was its biggest draw for me and my roommates. And you know what? We just got to move in. No work was required on our part. 

But what I didn’t get to see was what the house looked like during this process. You see, renovation is not what we think it is. The process is never glamorous, it is always stressful, and it’s really hard. So, if your life is like any or all of those things mentioned above, consider this: maybe God is just renovating. Hang in there; the end product will likely be better than you imagined. 

If I'm being completely honest, as a whole, Christians annoy the fire out of me. I realize that sounds a bit harsh and confusing given that I am a Christian myself, but let me explain.

The stereotypical Christian is seen as oblivious to the real world, offering formulaic advice, and often over complicate things. That's how the world sees us, and if I'm being honest I don't really blame them because I see it all the time as well. But, if anything out of those three annoys me the most, it's the latter. I've found that over the years, as Christians we overcomplicate life and that's a problem because most of the time the rules and formulas we've put in place aren't even Biblical at all; they're just pieces of advice that may have worked for us that we've coined as equal if not more important to follow than the Bible.

One of the biggest things we've overcomplicated is prayer vs. action. Often times when making a tough decision, we are quick to offer the trite advice, "Just pray about it and trust God," without acknowledging the other very real aspect to it: action. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we should not step out in faith and make some moves nor does it say that doing so means that we have less faith. In fact, often times God works through our risks and actions. Why have we pitted the two against each other as if they're opposites? Aren't they more likely to be successive steps than anything else?

For example. If we're unemployed and praying for a job, can we honestly say we are wavering in our faith if we apply for said job? Can God lay it on a boss's heart to just randomly call us up and offer us a job miraculously? Certainly, but more often than not, God's miracles come in the mundane. God's miracles come after the first step. And by our sitting around and waiting without proactive action, I would argue that we are living in an illusion that we are trusting God, when in reality we are really just trusting our fear. I know this because this is how I live. I live in fear of what MIGHT happen.

I once heard fear described as being wrapped in bubble wrap: it protects you from harm, but restricts your movement. Check out this short video from my pastor to see what I mean.




You see, fear says, "Better not apply for that job because I don't want to be disappointed if I don't get it."
Fear says, "Better not tell that person how I feel about them because the last time I did that, I got rejected."
Fear often uses prayer as a cop out for action. And that's exactly where the enemy wants you because he will twist good things to get you stuck where you are. Is it good to pray first? Absolutely. Please don't misunderstand me. But is it also sometimes good to go out on a limb, take a risk, and trust God through the process? Yes.

Save the times God comes through in the miraculous...

You can't get that job if you don't apply.
You can't get that guy/girl if you don't take a risk and tell them how you feel.
You can't get your dream house if you never go looking for it.
You can't have kids if you don't...well you know.

Taking a [healthy] risk is Biblical. God never said, "Thou shalt not text him/her first," or "Blessed are those who sit in their house and wait for a job to drop out of the sky." Jesus called Peter to take action to step out of the boat. THEN the miraculous happened. What if the miracle isn't in how the process is initiated, but rather what happens after you take that step?

Let's not over complicate this; let's be bold. If you want it and your heart has been aligned with God's word on it, then please for the love of God (and your sanity) go for it. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. Pray, listen for God's voice, and then go out there and do it.

I’d venture to say that we all have something we are believing God for no matter how big or small it is. Maybe it’s a breakthrough in a job situation. Maybe it’s restoration for a marriage on the rocks. Or maybe, if you’re like me, you’re praying to even have a marriage at all. Regardless, we — some of us more than others — know what it’s like to be in that season of waiting, but what happens when God finally does come through? Do we know what our next step is? That’s a different story entirely now isn’t it?

My Pastor preaches on Nehemiah better than anyone I’ve ever heard, and he shared this concept with us. There’s a section in chapter two where after months of praying, Nehemiah gains favor with the king. The king grants his request to go back home to rebuild the city, but what’s fascinating is that Nehemiah has a plan. He's been preparing in his season of waiting so that when God does come through, he is ready.

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.

I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. - Nehemiah 2:4-8

What would it look like if we did that for the thing we are praying for? How would our faith be impacted? How much more would we trust God is doing His part as we are doing ours? How would our hearts become more expectant and at peace about what is to come?

Often preparing for an answered prayer that is seemingly far off hurts, which is why I think we don’t do it like we should. We fear the elusive “what-if.” “What if, after all this preparation, God doesn’t come through soon or worse yet, at all?” "What if I do all this preparation and it's for nothing?" And those are fair questions. But here’s another “what-if” for you: What if He DOES? What if He does answer your prayer and then you have no idea where to go from there? In that moment, preparation is going to be the thing you wish you would have done. So, here are three reasons why it's important to plan for the season you're not yet in.

1. It deepens your faith
I'm very passionate about the notion that faith is a spiritual muscle that we have to exercise; it's not something that gets stronger on its own. God doesn’t call us to sit where we are like a princess locked in a tower waiting on someone to come get us. That’s a passive, shallow faith. God calls us to an active, deep faith. This means that we plan for that answered prayer even when it’s nowhere in sight. It means we risk something each day when we actively plan for it. It means we are depending on God to come through as we do what we can do in the natural. So we get our resume ready and send it out even though we don't know if we will get that job. It means we start praying for our spouse even when they're so distant and praying is the last thing we want to do. It means we work to better ourselves. It means we learn all we can about where we are going even when it sometimes hurts to do so. It means we prepare for the season we are not yet in.

2. It cultivates an expectant heart
The daily reminder I get when I prepare for the season I'm not yet in is this: God is going to come through in this. Even though I may not feel it today, I still expect Him to do so. Preparing allows me to have an expectant heart without necessarily having expectations. Why? Since I'm doing what I can to prepare myself for my future season, the idea of it isn't necessarily abstract. Rather, it's more realistic and less ethereal because I'm practically doing something about it. Often I think disappointment comes from unmet expectations which are often not fulfilled because they are unrealistic. Preparing for my next season allows me to be real and intentional about where I'm going instead of just dreaming about what it will be like.

3. It develops a responsibility
Often we feel like an answered prayer will take stress off of our lives, but in reality, an answered prayer is actually a new responsibility. That job you’re praying for? It takes work. That marriage you are praying for? It takes work. That kid you are praying for? It takes work. A lot of times people get very spiritual about callings or prayers; as if the breakthrough is just going to fall out of the sky and no work is involved at all. But in reality, the best way to prepare for the responsibility you are praying yourself into is to learn, grow, and cultivate yourself as much as you can in the natural. Of course this looks different for everyone, but if you want an example of something specific to my journey that I've been doing recently, click here to read more about it!

My Pastor said it like this, “Be prepared in the season of your answer.” And I love that because it implies that your answer is coming. That season is coming as surely as winter gives way to spring. But the question is, will you be prepared when you get there?

Back in March, I wrote a post about the "Waiting Room," and it's honestly a metaphor I think about a lot. Mostly because even though it's been nearly a year since I wrote that, I'm still waiting. I'm out here, posted up in the waiting room, and I've read like 38 novels along with all the old tabloids laying around, my phone is dead, I've taken a nap, checked in with the receptionist an additional 10 times to see what the status is, and yet, after all of this I still haven't been seen by the doctor. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm even going to be seen at all today. I'm quite frankly ready to give up and go home at this point.

Admittedly, this isn't a metaphorical scenario that's even that outlandish from what's actually been going on with me. I'm in a seemingly never-ending season of waiting, and although I know it has purpose, I'm growing weary.

I don't know about you, but I'm a hot mess. I'm like overly emotional all the time, and it's just that: a mess. But I take comfort in knowing that I am in good company with God's people and one of those was Jacob. Jacob had a hard life, y'all. I don't have time to go into his entire biography, but basically he got himself into a lot of things that made his life more difficult. Recently, I've been listening to some highlights from Pastor Steven Furtick's series, "Death to Selfie." In it, he chronicles the life of Jacob and teaches a TON of valuable lessons using his life through triumphs and successes. One of the most profound points he makes is that after Jacob has died, Moses asks God the question, "When people ask me who you are, what should I tell them?" And God says, "I am who I am." That's a pretty popular verse, but what follows is even more profound. God answers, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Now that seems pretty basic because Jacob is his name, but the name Jacob represents Jacob's old self. God renamed Jacob "Israel" after an encounter with Him where He was changed. Furtick makes the point that if you were God, wouldn't you use Israel instead when listing off your achievements? Wouldn't you want to be known by his good side? But no, God uses Jacob's name intentionally to show that God is the God of our struggle as well as our triumphs. I can't communicate it as well as he does, so here's the video.

Flying can be stressful though. You have to get to the airport like 187 hours early, you have to check in, then wait 70 hours to go through security, and another 58 hours to actually board the plane. Of course, along the way come many other stressors such as outlandish security procedures and countless carry on restrictions. However, usually the one thing on the bottom of the flyer's stress list is their checked baggage getting to their destination.

By definition, to leap is "to spring through the air from one point or position to another." I think the most crucial part of that definition is not the act of springing, but rather where the subject is springing to. The definition says that the subject (the person doing the action) springs from one position to another. This requires movement.

A couple of years ago, I went on a trip to a week-long student trip with my church. These are my absolute favorite. I love pouring into students' lives and seeing them further their relationship with Christ. However, this one was probably the most challenging one I have done in my 5 years serving in student ministry not because of the students but because of the nature of the trip. This wasn't a week long trip in a 5 star hotel, or even a hotel at all to be honest, it was a week long CAMPING trip. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate being outside. I just don't like it. I don't like being hot, I can only stand so long being cold, there are bugs and random animals outside, one usually gets dirty outside; I'm just not about it. But I sucked it up and went on this trip because I love students so much. One of the activities of the day was a time for us to swim in the lake there, and one of the most popular attractions during that time was the high dive. It consisted of a wooden structure in which you had to climb a million stairs to get up to. Somehow, the students convinced me to try it and so I conceded. I swear, students can pretty much get me to do just about anything and it's really just because I love them so much that I don't want to disappoint them. So I climbed what felt like 800 stairs to the top and as it neared my turn I got more and more nervous. I'm not typically afraid of heights, but it still gives you the willies to look down and see how far up you are. It was finally my turn and the only advice the lifeguard gave me was, "Make sure you pencil dive so your arms don't hit the water too hard." Seemed easy enough, until I couldn't do it. I waited there for a good minute or so trying to hype myself up enough to just jump already! I eventually did, but in the chaos, I forgot to put my arms down and they hit the water so hard that I had bruises underneath for the next few days.

We all get to points in our lives where we are required to step outside of our comfort zone, trust God, and jump. But I've found that at least in my life, I'm terrible at it. The idea of trusting God is good in theory but when it comes to actually getting ready to jump, I shrink back to what's comfortable. But what I neglected to realize is that this is actually a really unhelpful strategy if I want to move forward in my situation.

I was talking to my friend Trevor the other day and he said something in passing that stuck out to me, "A ship can only be steered if it's moving." I'd never thought of it that way but he's right! If a ship is docked, the wind can't direct the sails because there's no movement.

Look at these two verses and see what they both have in common with the metaphor about the ship:

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives. - Psalms 37:23 (NLT)

We can make our plans,
    but the Lord determines our steps. - Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Did you catch it? Both include the word, "steps," which implies movement just as the ship metaphor does. Perhaps God's given you a dream for your life or you are in the middle of a tough situation, but I'd venture to say that God can't move in your situation unless you do. He can only direct if you are moving. This is absolutely revolutionary, in order to move forward, you've got to move. I know right? Groundbreaking. But I think so often we expect God to miraculously fix our situation or just hand us our destiny on a silver platter when that's not how God works at all. Christine Caine says that God tends to work with those who are already working. If you look at a lot of the characters in the Bible, they had to step out in faith, not knowing if things would turn out as hoped, and trust that God would take care of them.

For so long I've been standing on the wooden high dive of my situation ready for God to do a miracle and get me to the water already when I haven't even moved at all. I'm no closer to the water if my feet stay planted on the platform than I am if I am standing at the bottom of the stairs. See the difference between where you are and where you want to be is movement. God will step in and handle the impossible, but you've got to jump.

"What if it doesn't turn out the way I hoped?" That's a real question and I'd venture to say the great heroes of the Bible like Ruth, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego etc. all thought that same thing at one point or another. But they all still stepped out in faith? Why? I think there are a few reasons:

1. They knew that nothing would change if they didn't try. Esther couldn't save her people if she didn't try to plead with the king. Ruth couldn't have moved on from the tragedy of her situation and even been in the lineage of Jesus if she didn't step out in faith and present herself to Boaz. Sure your situation might go the opposite direction of what you want but what if it doesn't? Isn't the possibility enough to make you want to try?

2. More importantly, they trusted that regardless of the outcome, God would be there for them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that death was a possibility, but they trusted that God would come through for them. Weren't they in denial then? I don't think so, because they weighed the negative outcome. Daniel 3:18 says,

"But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Even if He doesn't save us. Even if we die in that fire, God is there. What's the "worst case" in your situation? Sure you might get bruised, but the water is still there to break your fall. Sure you may get hurt, face rejection, or straight up fail but God is still there to break your fall. He won't let you down.

At some point in all of our lives, we've had a dream; something we deeply desired to have happen in our lives. For a lot of us, this dream was placed in our heart by God and lines up with His will. And more often than not, we knew the weight of how impossible those dreams were, but believed they would happen anyway. That's what we like to call "faith." But also more often than not, something in our lives has happened and those dreams have died and with them our faith and hope. What do we do in those instances? In those moments where we have watched our dreams die and did nothing to resuscitate them because it was easier to just let it die out. Or maybe sometimes have intentionally squelched whatever chance our dream had to live in an effort to "not get hurt again."

You know who also died? Jesus. But you know what else happened? He was resurrected from the dead. God is in the business of resurrection. He resurrects situations, relationships, and yes even your dreams. I believe if we will just take our dead dream to the foot of the cross and believe, in faith, that the dream will be fulfilled according to God's purpose, God says that He will propel that dream even further than you ever thought possible.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." - Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

I think the key piece though in understanding why dreams die in the first place and how they can be resurrected lies in one thing: faith.

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." - Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

There are 2 crucial things to remember in this:

"Faith is the confidence..."
1. Faith brings confidence
When we have faith that God will come through in a seemingly impossible situation (like a dead dream), we can have confidence as well because we are able to take the responsibility off of us and place it where it rightfully belongs: Jesus. I think the biggest reason that our dreams die is because we rely on ourselves to fulfill them and when something goes wrong, it's all over. If God designed them in the first place and knows how they are going to come to be, why would our feeble human attempts to fulfill them ever work?

"...it gives us assurance..."
2. Faith brings security
In the midst of us believing that our dreams will be fulfilled, there is inevitably a doubt, planted by the enemy, that comes in to makes us believe that since we cannot see it coming to pass, it must not be coming to pass at all. This suggests a lack of faith. Faith is our security plan. It's all we have, but it's also all we need. If we will put our faith in Him who is able to do "immeasurably more", then we have that security in the midst of the things we cannot see. How do we know that? Because it's who He is. God is not a God who leaves us out to dry, if He's planted a dream in your heart and it lines up with His will, He is faithful and it will come to pass.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

"The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." - Psalms 84:11b

So I would challenge you to wake up that dream of yours and hold on tight because your "immeasurably more" is coming.

I feel like there are a lot of books of the Bible that don't get enough recognition; Philemon is one of them. And I feel like this happens because not only do people often accidentally skip over them because Bible pages are so thin (I mean come on finding a small one page book is like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes), but also because often I think people write them off because they are so small. So, the other day when it came up on my reading plan, I was intrigued.