Book Review-Restless

One of the challenges on my 30 by 30 list, is to read a new Christian book each month.   Friday evening I went to Mardels and found this book at the suggestion of the young man working.  And I must say oh my Lord it was a great choice.  Restless is written by Jennie Allen, and the tag line is BECAUSE YOU WERE MADE FOR MORE.  My first thought when the kid suggested the book was you don't know me like that.  Then I opened page 1 and I couldn't put the  book down.   I'm a quarter of the way through the book and its already challenging me to pursue my call to ministry, more than what I am currently.  I highly suggest this book to anyone who is dealing with a restless spirit.  It challenges you to live every day with purpose.  The point I have loved the most is how Jennie Allen highlights over and over again that our ministry isn't always going to be that of Joyce Meyers or Beth Moore, and sometimes not even that of missionaries in Haiti.  Sometimes God's plan for the season that you are in is to be a faithful mother, wife, student, or even Mcdonalds worker.

I recently had to make a grown up decision to not move to Australia.  For the last year my life has been consumed with fulfilling that plan, and I knew God was in the decision to move.  Then life happened, and plans changed.  I've had a hard time living with that decision and accepting that this was all in God's plan.  It has hurt my pride, my focus, and confused me more than anything. All of sudden every insecurity and fear that God was done with me overcame me.  It even took me over a month to say it out loud.  Afraid of what my peers would think, and afraid of what my haters would say.  Through this study I was reminded of Joseph, it took him 15 years to fulfill the vision that God put in his heart.  I know that he was probably confused throughout that entire time.  God never says its going to be smooth sailing, he just says trust in me and be faithful to me and I will fulfill that purpose in you.  One time I spent the day in jail, for a ticket this was the hardest almost 24 hours of my life.  All I did was complain to God the entire time I was there.  I have been betrayed by friends and hurt by those that I loved and I never once thought that maybe this was in God's plan.  The thing about Joseph is he still kept living even through being betrayed by his brothers, thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, and in being imprisoned.  He still used his God given gifts in every day life.   

I leave you with this, there is a quote in the book that says, "We start running the race we were meant to run, and then we realize after mile five that we have accidentally signed up for a marathon." Although I thought the plan was finish school at Hillsong and then start doing ministry. I am changing to embracing my role in my day to day life, and living every day with purpose.  Looking for opportunities to serve the Lord with whole hearted, and be the JoAnna that God created me to be. 

-JSqd

30 by 30

Yesterday was the last birthday of my twenties, and boy has time flew by.  It seems just like yesterday I was having my 16th birthday party.  Everyone gives me a hard time of being sad because it's only 30. But I haven't fulfilled everything that I thought that I would fulfill in my 20's.   So I decided to make this the best last year as a 20 something absolutely fabulous. I plan on entering my 30's with a whole new attitude.  I compiled a list of random things that I wanted to do while I was in my twenties, no particular importance and some are new things.  I will be updating on what is exactly going on throughout the next year.

-JSqsd

Blessed is SHE

I found this verse a few months ago while on a Pinterest binge.  Don't judge me you know we all have those nights when you can't fall asleep so you obsessively stroll through Pinterest, pinning everything under the sky, because who knows one day you may need to know how to use a Ziploc bag as an iPad holder.  Any ways back to the verse.  I have been a Christian for 17 years now, and I have been in church my entire life.  How is this the first time that I have read this verse? I never remember learning this in Sunday School, bible study or even in discipleship classes.  Maybe because if I read it before I would have disregarded it, as one of those verses that are over used to the point that we disrespect the beauty behind them, like John 3:16 or Philippians 4:13.  Or maybe I heard it and it just didn't appeal to my life at that time.  Well for whatever reason, I stopped mid binge when I saw this verse.

I knew a few months after I accepted Christ, that I was called in to ministry of some sort. And when I was 16, I knew that youth ministry was where my heart was.  However I continually run from that call, I get distracted by the things of this world, rather it is success, lack of faith, and sometimes down right selfishness.  For many years I have felt like I take two steps forward in life, only to take 10 steps back.  I forget about the support that God has placed around me, and forget that he wants me to remain faithful through trials. I forget what God says in Deuteronomy 31:6 that He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Most importantly I forget that God's ways are higher, and his thoughts are higher, so I may not understand what's going on but I still shouldn't loose faith.

Every now in then God gives us little reminders.  We just have to get our SELF out of the way, and let Him do his thing. I believe that this verse was a reminder for me, he knew the trials I was headed into and he knew that I needed a word from him.

My challenge for everyone is that no matter what is going on in your life, remember the promises that God has promised to fulfill in you.  Your situation may not seem like God favors you, but remember he is never there to hurt you, he is only love you to fullness.

-JSqd