Breathless Moments

Yet a time is coming and has now come 

when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, 

for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

John 4:23

The moonlight danced with her skin as she hugged closer to me. In a half-conscious state of euphoria, she took her time eating. Joy slowed the clock as I absorbed every detail of my newborn baby. Never had I witnessed such beauty. 

It took my breath away.

She slid a masterpiece onto our table. The platter contained her creation, a pasta dish unlike any I'd ever seen. The first bite confirmed she was no ordinary cook. My young teen blended flavors like shades of a rainbow.

It took my breath away.

I watched her come alive as she spoke of Him. Using simple, understandable words, she introduced four and five year olds to her best friend. Each face glowed with rapt attention, drinking from the fountain of hope and life she offered. Some faces were fresh with play; others weathered by adult worry. All understood God's grace in a deeper way.

It took my breath away.

Hannah Teaching the Gospel at a Mission VBS

Hannah is no ordinary teenager. She and her friends prefer Disney to teen drama. They dream of marriage and ministry instead of mischief. Hannah isn't waiting to live out her calling. She lives a life of passion and purpose at sixteen.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus took a side trip to chat with a woman at a well whose soul was bone dry. He offered her life-changing truth and life-enfusing hope - Himself. In a single day she went from town harlot to town evangelist. She didn't wait to live out her calling. She chose a life of passion and purpose.

Jesus told her God seeks out worshipers whose message is lived in heart places and foot spaces. These worshipers are living testimonies of God's grace. They don't wait to live out their calling. They choose passion and purpose.

Hannah's life challenges me. Do I let fear, worry or regret sideline me? Hannah teaches me passion and purpose isn't something you do...it's something you are when you trust God and live your calling now. I think Jesus still take side trips. He sits at the table of our hearts and offers us Living Water - a common, everyday, extraordinary living.

The Spirit of God breathes life into ordinary moments. Let's dare to live a life of passion and purpose today. It might just take our breath away.

Is passion and purpose written on the pages of your day? Don't wait to live out your calling.

The Root that Makes Dreams Float

I could break the Guinness World Record for floating. I know. I looked it up. There isn't one. But seriously I was somehow designed by God for excellence in drifting atop the water. Seems strange when you realize I'm afraid to put my face in water doesn't it? But on top of the water I feel relaxed, invigorated and at home.


As we discovered yesterday, each person is packaged with God-given passions and dreams. These dreams are powered by love. The gap from dream to reality is closed by putting feet to your faith. Here are a couple steps to walking out your dream:


Take an Inventory 


This is your "at home"


Have you taken an inventory of the things you do particularly well? They may be something as oddball as floating or as ordinary as smiling but each is God-given. Each should make the list.


Connect the Inventory to Your Dream 


This is where you get invigorated.


Let's take my "gift of floating" for example. My ability to float may not asset my heart's passions but my ability to relax wherever I am does. This is the connection between this inventory item and my dream. Find the connection and use it to your advantage.


Make a Plan and Trust It 


This is where you relax. 


Once each inventory item is connected to your dream, you make a strategic plan to use the gifts you have to live out your passion. Most of us get entangled in what's not on our list. While we can work on our weaknesses and possibly turn them into neutrals instead of liabilities, few of us will ever transfer them into assets. 


Stop wasting energy on the "don't haves". Trust that God equipped you with the "must haves". And relax.


Find your home, get invigorated and relax. These are the roots that make dreams float.


What is one of your strengths? Inventory it in a comment below and tell us how you can use it to achieve your goals and dreams.