The past Thursday (10/5) and Friday (10/6) I had the opportunity to go to the Catalyst leadership conference, which was INCREDIBLE. It was awesome just to hear all different points of view of leadership and how to be of good courage. Throughout the whole conference, it was so cool just to sit back and listen to the ways God has moved through people. His will for us is far greater than our will for ourselves. I don't know about you, but I want a life worth living for Him. I just wanted to share some of the really cool ideas each speaker spoke about how to lead with God's plan first and have courage to trust His will for you.
1. A single act of courage can be a catalyst for something extraordinary, so what story do you want to tell? 2. Focus on people not problems & take a step toward what scares you 3. You only have so much time here, so what do you want to do with the rest of your time? 4. Don't be Jesus' lawyer- Sink it up! Cut out what is hanging you back. What can God do with what you already have? 5. When roots go deep, branches will grow wide. Pause and focus on him. 6. Fake it till you feel it. You don't have to feel courageous to act courageous. 7. Your greatest title is child of God so live differently! 8. He didn't promise easy. He promised that He would always be with us. 9. Endings have huge impacts on us. End with gain/positive outcomes 10. We will always be walking from water (Jesus' baptism-Jesus high) to wilderness (fear, doubt, temptations, hard time) 11. Always remember: I am loved, I am a child of God, and He is pleased with me! 12. How will you handle the temptation of the wilderness? 13. Don't be two faced. Your inner world has to match your outer world. 14. Take another lap in the name of Jesus Christ (Wall of Jericho) 15. What are you filling yourself with everyday? 16. Ask great questions that reveal values, reinforce values, and reinforce behaviors 17. "What would a great leader do?" 18. We have to rise about all the hate in the world and just love others 19. People are hard to hate up close. Move in. Hold hands with strangers. Strong back, soft front and wild heart. 20. Make disciples through all the nations. Bring light to God's visions. Those are just some of the many notes I took over the wise leadership advice God has called us to do. Leadership is difficult. Being courageous is difficult. God doesn't promise us easy. He promises that His will is better than ours and that he is always with us. An old song they played at Catalyst (I bet you couldn't tell by now that I loved worship songs!) was called "Heart of Worship". It talks about going back to the heart of worship and that we are sorry for the things we made it. Talking about that everything we do goes back to God. It's all about Him. And that's hard as well. But we have to remember constantly what is the purpose of this mission: to make disciples of Jesus by loving others unconditionally the way Jesus has loved us. Our job isn't to force religion on people, but rather to love and be there for people always. Be the light in their life.
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Well... I have some exciting news. Today, I received my first acceptance letter from Auburn University!!! I am beyond excited for what the future holds!
Though that is SO exciting, we have even better news of acceptance. Our acceptance shouldn't just come from these earthy things of getting into college or getting into the popular girl's group chat. It comes from a source so much greater and has so much more love than just the temporary things in this world. Sadly, it is so easy to allow ourselves to fall into that trap of outside love. Temporary love. Social media, boys, make-up, popularity and so much more. We strive to be accepted. Our acceptance and worth come from our incredible Heavenly Father. He has accepted us with arms wide open. He has never had second doubt if we are "good" enough. Side note: Darren, our youth pastor, had a great point of questioning what is good, and that none of us are remotely good enough for God. God is perfect, but He accepted us for who we are. Not what we have done or how we messed up. No matter what you have done or will do in your life will never change God's love for you. God meets us in the middle of our mess. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for YOU. With all your baggage, He wants you. He accepts you. He sent you an acceptance letter a long time ago, and now all you have to do is accept it. No strings attached. I have fallen in love with the new song by Tenth Avenue North called "Control". It talks about how God doesn't need us, but He still wants us. Strange, right? God is an almighty God who can do anything. But He still wants you, He still accepts you, He still loves you for you. You are His focus. When we realize where our acceptance comes from, we find our true identity. I challenge you to dive into God's truth to find your true identity instead of relying on earthly acceptance. |
Lindsey LawtonJust a college freshman trying to figure life out Archives
January 2019
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