Blessings and Boundaries

This weekend was just fantastic! I got to spend all afternoon yesterday with my Mighty Man and his family celebrating the church dedication of his 13-week-old niece. What a precious gem she is (and a true miracle--just ask her folks)! I think I'm more enamored of her every time I see her. :) (*sigh*) Bliss. :)

After the fabulous post-church party with the family and friends yesterday, I headed back home in time to read the Sunday paper. The cover story in Parade magazine was very interesting, and it inspired today's blog. It talked about how, as Americans, we've practically let our weekends become more exhausting than our weekdays. We fill them with activities, chores, errands, trips, sports--you name it! When, back in the day, it used to be a time of refreshment--time for enjoying fellowship, rest and relaxation like I got to experience yesterday.

It's so funny. One of the TV shows my Mighty Man watched as a kid was Andy Griffith. And he's totally turned me onto it. haha! I watched my first two episodes this weekend on tvland.com, and I'm totally hooked! :) What an incredibly simple and marvelous lifestyle! It totally makes you long for the "good ol' days," even if you weren't alive to live them. :) Am I the only one who wants to just jump in a time machine, grab a fishin' pole and follow Andy and Opie down to the creek? Like the Rascal Flatts song says, "I miss Mayberry." :)

So, here's the deal. We can't go back in time, and we can't undo years and years of technological advancement. We can't escape the number of options we have regarding what to do with our time. What we CAN do, however, is stop letting our calendars dictate our lives. I know it's a little touchy, but I think one of the most important books that's been published in the last decade is the book Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend. (If you have issues with it, that's totally okay. I respect that and will agree to disagree with you.) The subhead of the book talks about knowing when to say yes and when to say no, and I believe it's a great skill that we all should develop.

No matter how super-human we think we are, saying yes to everything will leave us strung out and miserable. And I fully believe that, as Christians, that plays right into the hands of the enemy. He totally wants us to be exhausted, frustrated, burned out, and all-around useless for the Kingdom of God. He knows that we will be highly destructive to his plans if we are operating at full strength, and he will do everything he can to keep us from feeling up to carrying out God's calling on our lives.

Think about it. No matter how much you love your family and friends; no matter how great of a job you have; no matter how much you love your church, do you really want to participate in activities surrounding any of them when you're tired and busy? Nope. Who can? I fully admit it: I have an amazing job with FCA, but when I'm exhausted, I don't recognize it. I find myself going in and out the door out of obligation instead of a genuine desire to serve God. And that's not fair to Him, to me or to anyone around me. It's not fair to the magazine readers and FCA volunteers and staff, either. My lack of boundaries can affect so many others, even if I don't realize it! That's why it's so important to maintain a balanced and healthy schedule!

So, here's the bottom line: We all have to start making better choices with our time. We have to learn when to say no, when to say yes and how to make wise decisions. It's the only way to truly carry out the calling God has given us and to do so with the joy and peace He offers. Anything else will just lead to our going through the motions and being miserable.

I'm preaching to the choir today, for sure. I do feel rested after this past weekend, so I'm actually sharing this message out of a tiny success story. But I think that victory is what has heightened my awareness to my previous/lifelong struggles in this area. I want to start honoring God with my time more and with my energy level. I want to live with passion for the tasks He's given me. I want to enjoy life and embrace the abundance of a life in Him!

Care to join me? :) Let's lock arms and do it together!

Have a great week, everyone! :) Big hugs!!
-Jill

All you have to do is want it!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I've been slightly uninspired lately and I think my last two blog posts have been a little forced. I've been blogging just for the sake of blogging. They've been great messages that I believe in, but I haven't put a lot of thought or creativity into them, which has probably made them less-than-exciting to read. My apologies!

This morning, however, I'm feeling jazzed up. Which is great! Especially on a Monday. Sometimes those are the most challenging days, but today I just knew it was going to be a good day when my head sprang off the pillow at the sound of the alarm. It was weird, but awesome! Like, literally, my I just sat up like I'd been awake the whole time. I was instantly ready to do without any drowsy feelings at all. Totally surreal. haha! You can imagine how great that made the run this morning. SUPER awesome. I even was able to do some up-tempo work without the aid of my iPod's inspiration. Just silence. Me, God and the strength He'd given me. SUPER cool.

Man, this past weekend was awesome. I got to kick-start it with some girl time (EE and AMac) and a little Keith Urban. Oh my stars! That guy puts on the BEST concerts. He's one of the most talented guitar players I've ever seen in my life! And, with him being most likely one of my favorite artists of all time, all of the songs he sings are just "my favorite." haha! Anyway, great stuff to start the weekend.

Then, on Saturday, my Might Man had a birthday, and we got to celebrate with his sister and brother-in-law and their tiny, adorable 12-week-old daughter by tossing around some bowling balls and trying to knock down pins. Okay...that's just how I bowl. The rest of them were actually rolling the balls down the lane like they were supposed to. haha!

Yesterday was the bread and butter of the weekend, though. If you read last night's blog, you heard a little about it, but it was just the best day. My man preached a GREAT message about the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) and about how they are so much more than a Christian to-do list. They are attitudes and situations in which Christ wants to meet us and reveal His love for us, even in challenges. If you have time today, I totally encourage you to read Matthew 5:1-12 and ask the Lord to show you His Truth about what it really means to be "poor in spirit," "meek," etc.

One of my personal favorites of those Beatitudes? That those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. To me, that means that if we merely have a genuine desire to live according to His Word--a true, honest desire--and then do our best with that, He will meet us in that desire and take it from there! Praise God! He can do a marvelous work even in our simple desire to honor Him. All we have to do is want it, and He can equip us to live rightly.

I don't know about you, but if you're like me and have trouble living rightly all the time, that is GREAT news! Because I do! I want to live for Him! I want to honor Him! I want to glorify Him and use my time here on earth to build His Kingdom! It's just that I sometimes really slip and fall. I battle the flesh. I battle my pride. I battle the world. But my heart is there!

Hallelujah that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.

Today, I'm praising God for meeting me where I am, even in sin and shortcomings. I'm praising Him for taking even a seed of desire and making it grow into something beautiful for Him. I'm praising Him because He knows our weakness and chooses to reveal His strength and love through it. :) Awesome. :) Thank You, Lord. You truly are amazing.

So, for what it's worth, take it from me today. If your heart is truly to bring Him honor and glory, know that it is all He needs. Bring it to Him and ask Him to build on it and make that desire something glorious in you that will reveal Him to the world!

Love to you all!
-Jill

Just as we are. :)

Ah, Sundays...SOOOO good. :) :) Today I'm thanking God for a day of rest, and just for the ability to finally experience rest on a Sunday at all. It's been a full last couple of weeks, and it will be another full couple of weeks coming up, but thank God for a tiny break in the action. His Sabbath. What a blessing! Though, honestly, the ability to actually enjoy Sundays is a relatively new thing in my life...

I don't know about you all, but I'm a recovering productivity addict. haha! :) I'm still learning, of course, but I used to be one of those people who could NOT stop doing. I would constantly be moving around, doing chores, checking email, etc. because I couldn't justify taking a break. It was the most miserable and insane lifestyle, and I'm so thankful that the Lord is showing me how to rest.

For me, part of that mentality stemmed from having something to prove. I never felt quite accepted by God just as I was, so I felt like I constantly had to be doing something to earn His approval and the approval of others. Over time, and with the help and encouragement of a certain wonderful Might Man of God who pointed me to the TRUTH of God's Word, I have learned more about how much the Lord loves me just as I am. It doesn't matter if I am productive or completely useless; He loves me simply because He created me and I am His daughter. Hallelujah!!

Now, that's not to say that I don't want to be productive still. It's just more balanced. There's a time for productivity and a time for resting. If I didn't produce anything ever, I would be living outside of my God-given purpose and disregarding the gifts He's given me to use while I'm here on earth. I definitely don't want to be useless. I want to fulfill that destiny for which He created me! But the point is that even if I didn't, He would still love me. That's His character. He created me with His own hands and in His image, and He loves me just because He can. :)

Do you know that the same thing is true about you? It is! You were created by a God who loves you so much that He died for you (John 3:16), and you don't have to do a thing to earn it. All you have to do is receive His gift of love and salvation through Jesus Christ and begin a relationship with Him as your Lord. It's the most wonderful, beautiful, compassionate, gracious truth you will ever know. And it will be the best decision of your life. You won't ever have to do or prove anything again in order to find your worth and value!

Today, if you are wrestling with always having to produce and never being able to rest, I want to encourage you to read God's Word. Take a look at what He says about how much He loves you and REST in the knowledge that you don't have to do a single thing to earn it.

Happy Sunday, everyone!
-Jill
P.S. Thanks so much to Scott and Christy with DayBreak USA for the great interview this week! I just love talking faith and sports with Scott. He's a blast! Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXfS0Hk97f8

Win Win!

Today, I was reminded of a very simple lesson. It's one that Moses spoke to the Israelites in Exodus 14:14 when they were being pursued by the Egyptians.

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Wow. Praise God.

I'm so thankful that I don't have to rule the world, aren't you? We have a sovereign God who fights our battles for us, even when we don't recognize it or understand it. Today, I fought a battle that I was trying so hard to win. In fact, I was confident that I was fighting for the Lord's will. In the end, I had to surrender. I thought I had lost, so I gave up. In my case, it was an act of submission that was respectful, and I simply had to entrust it to the Lord.

Wouldn't you know it? Once I surrendered, He played the trump card. :) He changed the situation altogether and created the path I couldn't create on my own. Thank You, Lord!

I say all of that to remind you and me both that the LORD--the God of all creation who LOVES YOU--is in complete control. He cannot and will not be defeated. Even when we feel like we are losing a battle that He wants us to win, we can't forget that He has the final say and He knows the bigger picture. God ALWAYS wins. He already has, as a matter of fact. Jesus already defeated the enemy by what He did on the cross and the fact that He rose from the grave! Because of His victory and the fact that we are God's children, we can rest in the knowledge that He never fails. Even when the situation looks like an impending defeat, we can trust that He will get the ultimate victory and that He will bless us through it.

Today, whatever battle you feel like you are losing, don't be afraid to turn it over to Him. Yes, do the best you can to carry out His will, but don't be discouraged if the situation doesn't go according to your definition of victory. Trust the One who sees the end at the beginning. He will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Ciao, friends!
-Jill

P.S. Thank you so much to Lanny Slevin at WPLO in Illinois for the fantastic interview this morning! I really appreciated the time and conversation. :) Keep sharing HIS victory!!

P.P.S. Thanks also to my Mighty Man, who prayed for me to be inspired for this blog. :) You rescued me today, my knight! These words are partially the result of your prayers. :) Thank you so much, my love. :)

Why Influence is AWESOME!

Ah, what a beautiful morning! My co-worker and I walked into the office today talking about how much of a coffee-and-porch-swing morning this is. (*sigh*) Alas, we are inside working on computers, staring out the window at the amazing day unfolding. It's okay. :) God will redeem it, I have no doubt. :) And, who's to say we can't take a few breaks and hit up the picnic table for a few minutes here and there? They say that taking frequent breaks at work makes you more productive. I think it might be time to test that theory. ;)

MAN! What an exciting day yesterday! Well, okay, this whole week! First, thank you SO much to everyone who left such encouraging and thoughtful comments on Facebook after the KCTV5 interview. That just made me want to cry. Praise God so stinkin' much for the blessing of being able to share His truth and love. It's ridiculous, really. And the fact that each and every one of us has a chance to do that in whatever career we're in is the REAL blessing. (I'll preach in a minute. haha! First, more fun...)

So, yesterday, my Mighty Man--after so selflessly and heroically driving all the way up north to sit with me at the Honda dealership while my car got fixed and serve as the "man-power" to make sure his lady didn't get swindled--and I went out for coffee after work. Before we did, though, we made a side trip to LifeWay, a Christian bookstore. Neither of us had seen the book on any shelves, yet, so we were getting curious. But Mighty Man's little sis had just texted me that she'd talked to a rep at another store who had already sold out of them, so we KNEW they were out there somewhere!

Anyway, we popped into LifeWay and...

YES!!! :) :) Hahaha! How awesome is that?? We stood there like little kids taking pictures with our phones and being all giddy about it. :) That was so fun! (Thanks for being there, my wonderful, amazing Mighty Man of God! That was so special to share with you.) Praise God for the opportunity to put something like this on a shelf and maybe, just maybe, encourage folks to better understand who they are in Christ and how much He loves them. Again...Ridiculous. Thank You, Lord!

So, for the preaching. Though, I'm sensitive about that word (um, we'll talk women in preaching roles another time), so I will say encouraging. For the encouraging today, this is what's on my heart.

Some of us are put into roles here on earth that are publicly highlighted, and our world tends to value that. I'm part of that world system. Um, hello! Did you read how I freaked out when Billy Blanks walked into a room? I totally do the same thing. It's just human nature. We respond to things we've seen in the public eye. What's funny about this book project is that there are many folks who want to talk to me about it, but the only reason they do is because they want to know about the athletes and coaches we cover inside. Really, they aren't interested in me (and that's not a Debbie Downer statement at ALL, it's totally just observation), they are interested in the people that I've talked to. A case of the celebrity fascination.

But that's what makes this book so stinkin' powerful! The people who are in the public eye ARE role models! They set the standard for our society, and we follow their lead. And, if you ask me, I believe that God sets it up that way to a certain degree. It could almost be compared to a role of authority in a way. Though they don't officially have authority over us, they are leaders and we do follow them. We don't have to, of course, but we do.

Why do we do this? Maybe because of the success factor. I haven't really thought about it that much, but it could be that we think we'll be successful if we follow their patterns and do what they do. Does Albert Pujols eat only egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast? Well, maybe that will work for me, too. Does Josh Hamilton work out five times a day? Maybe I should, too.

Where this gets even better is when it gets to lifestyle. Does Colt McCoy go to church? Maybe I should, too. Does Tamika Catchings read her Bible? She's one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Maybe I should read my Bible, too.

How amazing is that??? The power of influence! And regardless of our motives for following in their footsteps, God totally redeems it. Scripture says that His Word doesn't "return void," meaning that even if we read it with selfish ambition or because we think it will help us be successful, God can still use it to change our hearts.

Working for FCA, I hear this kind of story ALL the time. "So-and-so was my favorite athlete, and I heard him talk about how Christ had changed his life. I wanted to be like him, so I started reading my Bible. Pretty soon, I realized that it was all about living for Christ and allowing Him to be the Lord of my life, and I surrendered my life to Him." It's crazy how that works!

So often in Christian circles we berate the influence of celebrity. Yes, it does have its downside when our kids start following the examples of public figures who live worldly lifestyles. But, it has SUCH a tremendous upside too! That's why I'm thanking God so much for this book. Not because I get to put my name on a bookshelf. (Um, hello. I also have to prepare for the humbling that will eventually come when it makes it to the bargain bin.) But because God is using this to influence others through what He has done in the athletes and coaches they respect and admire.

So what if people buy the book because Josh Hamilton is on the cover? That's awesome!! Praise God!! He raised Josh Hamilton up for a reason--part of it being so that they WOULD buy this book and read about his faith in Christ. Maybe someone who is battling a drug addiction will read his story and find the hope they've been needing. "If Jesus healed Josh Hamilton and redeemed his addiction, maybe He can do the same for me..." YES!! HE CAN! :) :) Praise God!

Oh, man! Now I'm fired up. haha! :)

Anyway, the point I'm making is that influence is a good thing. Celebrity can be a good thing. In fact, I believe it is when it comes to Christian figures who genuinely want to love and serve the Lord. Are there posers in the Christian celebrity world? Definitely. But there are also some amazing men and women of God who truly understand that it's not about the fame/stats/material, but about bringing glory to the Lord and sharing Him with others.

Will they mess up? Undoubtedly. They are human. That's why Jesus protected the sinful woman in Scripture by telling her condemners that if they were without sin they could throw stones at her. They all dropped their rocks and walked off. Christian public figures are still human. But that's why we don't WORSHIP them, we respect them and learn from them. We worship the God who has worked IN them, and we thank Him for doing the same for us.

Today, I'm praising God for the men and women of ANY vocation who aren't afraid to share their faith with others. It's risky putting yourself out there as a follower of Christ. You might mess up and lead people astray. You might find out that people don't like you because of it. You might be held accountable to live a Godly lifestyle. PRAISE GOD! :) Any and all of those situations can bless and grow both your faith and that of others if you place them in the hands of Christ! :)

One more point for the day, and then I'll stop.

Whoever you and and whatever you do, know that YOU have influence, too. It's not just something reserved for the Albert Pujolses of the world. It's something we ALL are given as Christians. We are called to stand out for the Lord as lights in a dark world. Regardless of whether or not you have a TV camera on you or a microphone in your face, people are watching you and learning from you. Why not embrace the chance to show Christ to them? Live it out! Sure, it's hard, but you're certainly not alone. You have the entire Body of Christ doing the same thing and fighting the same battles right along with you. And, most importantly, you have GOD ALMIGHTY fighting FOR you! He's on your side. Who on earth can be against you? (Psalm 27:1)

So, go for it! Live it up and live it out knowing that you ARE making a difference. :)

Love and hugs to you all!! :) :)

-Jill

Tae Bo and Testimonies

You won't believe who I met this morning. Billy Blanks!! The Tae Bo master himself!! I was totally star-struck. haha! :) I kept it cool, of course, and just casually introduced myself as we were both waiting to go on the KCTV5 morning show, but inside I was doing cartwheels. I wanted to say, "I love you!! My college friends and I used to do Tae Bo every day in tiny dorm rooms at KU. You helped me keep the freshman 15 to just 15!" haha! :) (Could have been less if I'd eaten just a little bit less Lucky Charms, but still...)

Anyway, just had to share that. :)

So, yeah! I had the great opportunity to be on the local CBS station this morning to share about the book and the purpose and inspiration for it. What an awesome opportunity to tell about how Christ has worked in the lives of some of these athletes and coaches. And big thanks to Mark Boyle for the great interview, Matt the sound guy for hooking me up with the mic, and the sweet production girl who came down to let me in the building when I was locked out. haha! :) KCTV5 rocks! :)

You know, the more interviews I do about this, the more I'm seeing how the Lord is using it. I didn't realize when I wrote it just how much the stories of sports heroes really do make a difference to the people who follow them. I know. You'd think I would get that after 10 years in the Christian sports journalism business, but every once in a while it just hits home in a new way.

This past week of doing radio and TV interviews has given me the opportunity to tell about REAL stories of God's love and transformation. I loved what a woman said to me this week about how God gives us two things--His Word and our testimonies--to evidence His presence. HE IS REAL! He has shown Himself so faithful and powerful in the lives of so many, and praise God that we can tell of His works! What a blessing! It's seriously humbling.

One of the side opportunities I was given this week was the chance to teach a workshop at the Heart of America Christian Writers Association meeting. (Thanks, Jeanette!) It was so much fun! (And a HUGE thanks to the Mighty Man for going with me and sitting in the front row. I loved that more than anything.) :) At the meeting, I had the chance to share tips on writing profile articles with a group of about 30 Christian writers. It was a blast to be able to share some of what God's taught me over the years, and it was fun to hear the feedback from some of them, as well. But what I didn't expect was how much it would encourage me regarding how important it is to share His stories.

Romans 10:14 really hit home during the meeting. It says, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

Wow. What an awesome reminder of why we need to share what God has done in our lives! Or, in my case and all of you who are gifted to write, to share also what He has done in the lives of others. It's a huge blessing and privilege to be skilled with language arts, because, through us, we are able to help share God's power and love in a clear way. Not everyone is gifted with the ability to write, just like I'm not gifted with the ability to hit a baseball or crunch numbers or work on cars. And that's okay! That's why the Body of Christ is made up of so many different and amazing parts! We all work together to share His glory!

What a great reminder this week. Praise God for the ability to share His truth, speak His name and proclaim His love. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord! And I want to encourage all of you out there to do the same. It's so true that He gives us His Word and our testimony in order to build the Kingdom and bring others to faith in Him. Whether you can write, speak, sing, dance, cook, preach, fix cars, paint walls, or throw a baseball, use your skills to communicate His presence in your life. Give Him glory in all things and don't be afraid to speak His name. It's okay! People are hungry for it, whether they know it or not.

As for me, I'll keep writing with the fresh enthusiasm and asking Him to make Himself known through it. And hopefully, you'll stay with me along the way! :) I love you all and am so thankful for any chance to encourage you. Know you are loved by the Most High God today! The one who bridged the gap of sin for us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Live loved today. :)

Ciao, friends!
-Jill

P.S. Check out the KCTV5 interview here: http://www.kctv5.com/video You just have to scroll through them to find mine, but it's easy. :)

Steppin' Out

What an awesome morning!! Not only did the Lord bless me with a great 10-mile tempo run and special time of prayer with the Mighty Man, but I also did the first of several upcoming radio interviews about the new book. It was just such a blast! SO much appreciation to Christy and Scott at Daybreak USA. What a fun crew and great conversation! :) If you've never tuned into their morning show, I totally encourage you to check it out: www.usaradio.com/daybreak. And if you reeeeeeeeeeally wanna have fun, you can listen to my interview here: www.youtube.com/user/DayBreakUSA. haha! :)

It's been an interesting week so far. You know, I joke about my OCD all the time, but sometimes it's totally legit. haha! This week, almost every day has something that breaks my normal routine. Monday and Tuesday we did a staff retreat for our FCA Communications/Events Department. It was AWESOME! Such a great time of connecting, planning and praying. But, it took me out of my daily routine, which is a real challenge for us OCD'ers. Then, today, I had to be at the office by 7:30 in order to do the radio show interview, which meant pretty much hot-footing it into the office sans makeup and hairstyling in order to make the call. (haha! Good thing this is radio and not TV.) I haven't had my standard oatmeal and peanut butter breakfast for three days, and I had to tote in three (count 'em: THREE) travel mugs of coffee this morning because I don't have a big enough thermos, but I still wanted to have my normal full pot's worth. haha! :)

By now you might think I'm just a touch crazy, and that's totally fine. I definitely have my quirks, just like we all do. But isn't it great?? Especially considering that God loves us anyway! Rock on!! It's totally okay for us to be who we are and still experience His amazing love! Now, the challenge to that is to really pay attention to the Holy Spirit's leading and be willing to obey Him even when it challenges our personal style/agenda/routine/lifestyle, etc.

For me, routine is huge. Love it. Thrive in it. Live in it. It's part of what one of my favorite spiritual gifts mentors calls a "Task/Structured" personality. Folks like me love to know details and plans and we function best when given specific instructions and are asked to carry them out. This totally plays into how I operate in my personal life. Total scheduler and planner.

But here's the thing. While this can serve an AWESOME purpose--especially when it comes to the successful execution of producing a deadline-operated magazine--it can also facilitate great spiritual lessons when the routine is challenged.

Everyone talks about getting out of their "comfort zone" and why that's so important. But most of the time, I just want to smack those people in the back of the head. (PPB, you know you love this.) My Papa Bear thinks it is absolutely HILARIOUS when people like me have to break their routines. I mean, seriously! He laughs so hard at it! This coming from a very Task/Unstructured person, of course.

But, as hard as it is for me to admit, they do have a point. Getting out of the comfort zone is certainly necessary if we want to experience all that God has for us. And, of course, if we ever want to grow as Christians. While I don't think it's necessary or healthy all the time (there is purpose and rest in periods of routine), I do believe that we can only experience God as He wants us to when we are willing to follow Him outside of where we are comfortable.

Think about it. How would you ever know that you had the ability to run a marathon if you never did one? Yes, it's scary, but you might just discover that you have a talent for endurance running. Or, how would you ever know that you had a talent to draw if you never picked up that sketch pad? How would you know you could paint if you never picked up the brush? How would you know you could play tennis if you never picked up the raquet?

All of these things are outside the comfort zone at first. You step onto the tennis court for the first time having never been there, and it's going to be intimidating. But, you'd never know you had a great cross-court forehand if you didn't do it.

For me, the radio interview was a blast today, but it totally was uncomfortable leading up to it. I had no idea what to expect. But I never would have known how much of a blessing it would be if I didn't break the routine and comfort zone to do it. Praise God! Now I know that there's the awesome channel of communication out there that will really help bring a magnifying glass to this book project, which was carried out with the hope of reaching thousands for Christ. Praise God!

So, here's my challenge to you today. . . If God is asking you to break a routine or step out of your comfort zone, maybe you should consider saying yes. Okay, let me rephrase. If you know that it's GOD asking you to take a risk that goes beyond what you feel you are capable of, just do it. haha! :) He's all-knowing. He wired you specifically with gifts and talents that you will never realize if you don't follow Him on the path of discovery.

Pray about it. Seek Him. Ask Him, "Lord, is this You? If so, give me the courage to walk forward even when it's uncomfortable." Then, trust Him and actually (maybe) get excited about what He will show you! The God who promised to work EVERYTHING out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) certainly has a great plan for the adventure. Live it up! :)

Ciao, friends! :)
-Jill

P.S. If you're praying, please keep me in prayer for tomorrow morning's radio interview with WKNT in New York and Sunday's TV interview with KCTV5. GREAT opportunities to share God's love and truth!! :) Praise Him!