Chasing Daylight Chapter 7

1. We shouldn’t always wait for God to open doors because many opportunities are within the walls; they require “genuine effort”. Christianity often suggests that “if God is in it, it comes easily” (pg 183). Therefore, when we struggle with something, we assume that God isn’t in it or we are pursuing the wrong thing. Have you ever struggled through a situation wondering if God was in it? Have you ever given up because the way was too tough? If God speaks through open doors and sometimes through walls, how do we know it’s Him?

2. Has God ever asked you “what are you doing here”? Many of us settle for mediocre, average lives, but God has called us to so much more. “The solution is to stop running and hiding from God and to listen once again to His voice. Wherever you are, God will find you. This is not a threat: this is a promise”. “When we run from His purpose, we run from His presence” (pg 189). Could this be why He feels so distant at times and we aren’t hearing His voice clearly? Do you often feel like God isn’t there?

3. McManus discusses the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19). Sometimes we must take a few steps back before we can see the light. Describe a time in your life when God had you go back before moving forward. Sometimes our efforts cause backward movement even when we feel we are moving in the right direction. “Are you willing to do the right things even if the result is decline?” (pg 192)

Challenge: Are you willing to bear the initial impact of following Christ alone? What are you running from because you are afraid that God will not come through or you will be alone in the journey? Pray that God will give you the courage to step out and take a leap of faith. “Whenever we are willing to bear the initial impact, whenever we choose to seize those divine moments whatever the cost, we create the opportunity for God to make visible the invisible, for God to shake things up, for God to make Himself known” (pg 202).

Chasing Daylight Chapter 6

Sorry to do this but I have to play catch up! Here are the last 4 outlines for the Chasing Daylight study. Then I can blog about whatever I want! :) (Ashley your "What inspires me?" blog post is coming)

1. McManus uses the analogy of God’s party. God was throwing a party for his family in LA and if they didn’t RSVP there would be two empty seats. What excuses are we making not to attend the party that God is inviting us to? Why would we ever want to miss out on the greatest party of all times? “Many times when we claim we are waiting on God, He is waiting on us” (pg 162).

2. “When you’re moving with God, you must move with an advance mentality. You move forward unless God tells you to stop. You advance unless God tells you to wait. There are certain things that you do not need permission to do. You’ve already been commissioned to do them. There are certain things that you do not need a calling to do. You’ve already been commanded to do them” (pg 159). What are these things and what sign are you waiting for?

3. Society makes us think there is a road map for every aspect of our lives and if we don’t accomplish that checklist we have messed up. God doesn’t give us a detailed outline of what to do each day and how to accomplish His will for our lives. Instead, he gives us a compass. What has he given us to use as a guide? How are we to use these things to move forward in the journey? We must remember that everyone’s journey is different and that there is no set path to following Christ. It is as unique as each of us.

4. Once we decide not to turn back, our only option is to move forward, “to face [our] giants”. We must “make clear our priorities. Are we in it for what we can get or for what we can give?” (pg 175). What is your mindset and how can we ensure it aligns with God’s character?

Challenge: Are we filling our lives with friends and family who want to seize divine moments and capture all that life has to experience? Pray that God will help you overcome your fears. Don’t wait on God, just advance. “No phobia, no fear, just pure defiance-leaning forward, seizing the divine moments, advancing the kingdom of God” (pg 173).

Safe Haven

I am so blessed to be able to hang out with the kids at Safe Haven, a Christian homeless family transition center designed to give families a fresh start. Twice a month, they bless me with their SWEET smiles and laughs...not to mention I get a workout trying to keep up with them! A few weeks ago we had a fashion show with some Halloween costumes that were donated. Check out these adorable smiles!!

If you love kids and are looking for a way to serve the Kingdom, I encourage you to come up to Safe Haven and just meet these sweet kids. You'll fall in love and be hooked just like I am!! Leave a comment if you want more information on how to get involved in this ministry!

Chasing Daylight Chapter 5

Sorry, playing catch up!

1. McManus talks about removing our cloak of invisibility and “stepping up and making sure [our] life counts”. “There is something about divine moments that requires us to go through the pass, to venture beyond the point of no return” (pg 135). Where do you see yourself in this area? Are you in the backdrop or the forefront? Is God asking you to step out and be a light but you are too afraid to make yourself visible?

2. In talking about taking risks and putting our well-being aside for the well-being of others, he describes failure as “part of God’s environment for shaping our character” (pg 145). He isn’t referring to a punishment from God, but an activity that helps mold us and develop our character in Him. Have you ever failed in attempts to step out and take a leap of faith? Did God teach you something in the process?

3. McManus alludes to the importance of the “middle” of our lives. “In between “once upon a time” and “they lived happily ever after” is called now” (pg 148). So many times we focus on our successes and failures that we forget to realize the impact of the journey. How can we shift our focus to the “middle” of our journey?

4. “The center of God’s will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will puts us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous” (pg151). Discuss this statement and what McManus means by this.

Challenge: What is one area of your life that you fear? Focus this week on the reason you are afraid to take a risk in this area of your life or in this calling and face that fear. Face the risk and take action. We might fail, but God will be with us, will protect us and see us through the struggle and we will come out on the other side stronger and closer to Him.

Chasing Daylight Chapter 4

1. Describe the differences between manipulation, authority and influence. Manipulation and authority relate to controlling others for “personal gain”, while influence is “a power affecting a person…without any direct or apparent effort” (pg 117). “Authority can shape what a person does, but influence shapes who a person becomes” (pg 114). Wow, think of the power that holds!

2. Influence travels through relationships – Whose lives are you impacting? “Through our character, we pass on attitudes, values, and other life-shaping virtues. All of us pass a bit of ourselves on to others” (pg 115). Think of someone who has influenced you in a positive way. How was their character contagious and what made you want to be more like them? Are there any negative influences you need to flee from?

3. Sometimes we think we are exempt from influencing others’ lives because we don’t have the resources or knowledge that others were given. None of us are perfect. Many times we place so much guilt on ourselves for our shortcomings that we don’t feel capable of influencing others. Do we really need resources or wisdom to be a positive influence? Here’s the formula: “Having a right relationship with God results in having right relationships with others” (pg 116).

4. “Influence is not limited to our present condition” (pg 125). Our lives may not be perfect but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the ability to influence in a positive way. Influence is about who we are but also who we desire to become. When we are open to confess our sins and shortcomings, we show others what we value as the right thing to do.

Challenge: “The relationship between character and influence is like breathing – the deeper you inhale, the stronger you can exhale” (pg 126). What are you inhaling in your life? (i.e., friends, work, TV) Let’s focus this week on inhaling the character of God. Let’s breathe in His Word in a deep way and then exhale a positive influence on those around us. Take time this week to call someone who has had a positive influence on your life and let them know you appreciate them.

Chasing Daylight Chapter 3

1. Our days are numbered. We have no control over when or how we will die but we do have control over how we live. What has God been prodding you to do that you keep putting off? Is it a relationship that needs reconciling? Loving someone who is hard to love? Showing Christ to a lost soul?

2. God promises that “we can be certain about who He is and we can be certain about our relationship with Him, but how the journey plays out is full of uncertainties” (pg 72-73). We can choose to play it safe, give up and miss divine opportunities or we can trust “in the character of God, being certain in who God is and follow Him into the unknown” (pg 75). What can we learn from the story of Gideon and his trust in God?

3. The focus of our faith shouldn’t be to believe that something will happen; our faith is believing in someone and putting our complete confidence in Him. Our first-dimension faith is trusting God with all areas of our life: our finances, relationships, careers, etc. and making decisions based on His character for each. What area do you need to surrender completely to God?

4. “While first-dimension faith sees realities in the realm of possibilities, second-dimension faith sees realities in the realm of impossibilities.” If we only follow God when we know we will succeed, we limit God’s power. We often put contingencies on our faith: God if you do this one thing, then I’ll do that…..but by limiting our faith in God we are “squeezing Him out of the formula” (pg 82). How can we place full confidence in Him while letting go of our need to know all the details?

Challenge: “The door we fear going through the most may be the very one where we will meet God most profoundly” (pg 101). Take some time this week to pray that God will reveal to us who He is and allow us to be okay with not knowing every detail of the journey with Him. Let’s change our focus from what is going to happen and place it in the heart and character of God. Pray that God will remove our fears and let us get out of the way so that He can do mighty works in and through us!

Verses: 1 Sam 7:3; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Ephesians 2:10; James 4:17; Luke 22:42; Jer 1:7-8

Chasing Daylight Chapter 2

We had 18 in attendance last night at my "small group"! A new record! We even met at the church because we outgrew my lil house! Exciting stuff!!! Here is the Ch. 2 outline:

1. Many of us grew up learning what we should “not do” instead of what we should do. “We have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good. We have defined holiness through what we separate ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to” (pg 36). How can we shift our focus? What will happen as a result?

2. Jonathan did not “allow his circumstances to limit the impact of his life” (pg 38). What excuses are you giving God because of the circumstances you find yourself in (i.e. consequences of your past, financial struggles, a demanding schedule, lack of experience/courage, etc.)?

3. Many times we don’t act at all because we feel God hasn’t spoken to us in a “clear and undeniable way” (pg 44). We don’t always have to know exactly where we are going as long as we know why. If our “compass [is] the heart of God” he will “make sure He gets us to the right place at the right time. What God can do through a person who’s willing to act is limitless” (pg 45). Is there something God has placed on your heart that he is waiting for you to carry out?

4. All of us dream big, but for most “the closest we get to fulfilling our life’s dreams is watching them” through a TV screen (pg 48). “God counts it as a tragedy when we choose to simply watch life rather than live it” (pg 46). We cannot put our lives on hold; life moves forward whether we like it or not. Are you a sideliner? What can we do to take charge in our lives and live each moment to the fullest? What dreams are you “watching” instead of living?

Challenge: “Once you’re moving in a direction that is aligned with the character and heart of God, you find God’s personal mission for your life begins to come into focus” (pg 56). Spend some time this week praying and aligning yourself with the heart of God. That is the first step in discovering His purpose for our lives!

Verses: Acts 16:6-10; Psalms 37:4; Isaiah 43:19; John 10:10; James 4:13-17

Chasing Daylight Chapter 1

Last night my small group started our study of Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. We had amazing discussion about how to seize every moment of our lives to fully live for Christ! I will post our discussion outline each week (written by me so don't expect much) but we would love for you to study along with us! We are a 20s and 30s co-ed small group of 10 going on 30 (literally) so pray for us as we make this transition and find a space to fit us!

1. What fear, doubt, pain or disappointment is keeping you from a life FULLY lived? McManus says “to play it safe is to lose the game” (p5). Do you agree/disagree? What does he mean by this?

2. We sometimes put God in the backseat because we want to control the outcomes of our lives. What area(s) of your life do YOU control that you need to let go of?

3. Do you ever feel like your past is so ugly that God couldn’t possibly make anything of your life? Perhaps you are currently not making the best choices in the moments you are given. Even in our deepest, darkest place, God will PURSUE us and set out in search of our hearts. What HOPE we can find in that!

4. “A moment is small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever” (p17) WOW! Our journey is defined by the CHOICES we make in every moment from here on out. We can’t change past moments but even “at our worst, good is only one decision away” (p24). So what are we waiting for?

Challenge: Find something to be a reminder for you this week to live for the MOMENT! (I’m using a rubber band bracelet) Pray that God will create in you a clean heart to start over from this very moment to make the most of the short life we have on this earth!

Verses: Psalms 51:10, Phil 3:13-14

We can Make a Difference!

I know that everyone is saddened by the tragedy in Haiti. Thousands of lives are said to be lost, children have lost parents, injured can't get the medical help that they need, and food and water are in short supply. It seems that in times like these, our hearts break during the initial shock and then we move on with our lives because the tragedy seems so distant and it seems that there is nothing we can do from here to help someone so far away. PLEASE realize that if every single one of us committed to pray for those people daily or agreed to give a one time gift to a reputable organization like Samaritan's Purse who already have a team on the ground in Haiti providing food, water and medicine, we CAN make a difference! It is up to us to change the world! I urge you to pray for the millions affected by this earthquake and to pray about what YOU can do to make a difference in a life there!

College Nights and Lights Tours

This year I hosted a few College Nights/Lights Tours around the holidays. That just means you stay in with your girlfriends with dinner and wine like we used to do in college! We did cheer stunts in the living room and played tons of games!!! Except now that I live next to the most festive street in town, we get to add a lights tour in the mix no matter WHAT the holiday! First there was Halloween.......none of the lights were on but we still did the tour anyway! We saw a few ghosts and spider webs....and a baby swing! HA Then there was Christmas.....need I say more!!!! And no the lights weren't on the night we went by, but I went back later and snapped a photo of what it WOULD have looked like had the neighbors cooperated with my lil party schedule! HA