Saying YES!

Sometimes, it can be flat-out nerve-wracking... 
... this saying "YES" to God, this stepping out of comfort zone, this trusting!

This past month, I said "Yes!" as I gave God my fear of public speaking, stepped out of my comfort zone and shared about exactly. just. that. as you will see in the following video, as part of our church's summer teaching series called Ordinary Radicals:



Friends, I have a confession to make. This week... it's been tough to "walk the talk"! I did lots of praying, lots of soul-searching, lots of appropriating God's grace... thankful that His grace truly is enough for me!

This morning, I woke up to this tweet by Rich Stearns...

God often answers the prayers of others through us. You have no idea how God will use you when you say “Yes” to him!
— Rich Stearns (@RichStearns) August 22, 2012

So true... I sure had no idea how huge a project it would get when our family said "Yes!" to God at the beginning.

Friends, I'm talking about this... Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy... a Benefit Concert featuring Ann Voskamp as the guest speaker... an event that will, God-willing, raise enough money to build a permanent facility for the Compassion Child Development Centre that our sponsor child Florianlyn belongs to! You can read more about the project by clicking on this direct link.

And, our family is pretty much spear-heading this on our own... without past experience, without industry know-how, without professional knowledge. Just... plain... saying... "Yes!" and trusting God to work out the details as we move along!

Now you understand why I've been having freak-out-moments this week, right? Oy! I tell ya... freak-out-moments are no fun... they've arisen because I've been trusting myself too much! I've surely been reminded that trusting God is by far the better way to go... the only way to go!

This morning, Ann Voskamp wrote these words in her blog post...

Sometimes you have to answer — when no else hears a thing. 

Sometimes you need to step up — when everyone else is still sitting down.

Sometimes in living your best life, the most missed ingredient — is to live obedient to God.

How else can there ever be a song? Unless you answer the call of God?

That’s the only rhythm that can make music: to do the will of the One whose heart beats at the center of the cosmos.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of us.

Love is never a trite feeling. Love is a wildfire in the bones, a burning flame willing to serve — willing to say yes.

That nothing is lost by sacrifice and everything is lost when you’re sitting down when you should be stepping up?

Wow! Exactly the words I needed to hear. God is truly gracious... I am so thankful, thankful that He is always good and... I am always loved!

I love how Ann worded this... "How else can there ever be a song? Unless you answer the call of God?" Ummm... God, seems like you are talking directly to me? You know... this answering the call... this saying of "Yes!"... to spear-heading this concert of songs... this Celebration of Joy...

It's coming up soon, friends... 
Just 38 days away... Saturday, September 29... Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy, right here in Toronto! Friends, will you come? I would love to meet you there!

And I will breathe deep... and trust God with details... and give thanks... and, say "Yes!"... for "nothing is lost by sacrifice and everything is lost when you're sitting down when you should be stepping up!"

The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible. And it's the art of gratitude that makes joy possible.

And isn't joy the art of God?

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

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