If you do what you have always done...

You will get what you have always gotten.

Solution?

Do it differently!!!

I had the opportunity to meet with my Pastor the other night at church and discuss some upcoming events in the life of a ministry that God placed on my heart as a high school student, and more recently and specifically on the heart of Chris and I both...loving and serving people who are many times overlooked...well looked over is more like it, misunderstood, judged, passed by, forgotten, and just...different. They don't "deserve" to be loved and helped because of the choices that they have made and many times continue to make. They appreciate nothing and are owed everything...

I am thinking right now about my own life...there are times when I have been overlooked, I have definitely been misunderstood, judged, passed by, forgotten, and very different from those around me! I have never and will never deserve all of the love and help that is in my life. I often times find myself needing to be thanked, patted on the back, and certainly not being in a state of thankfulness.

What is the difference between these people I LONG to love and share Jesus with and me?

God. Jesus. Forgiveness. Salvation. Choices. Mercy. Grace.

What did Andy and I talk about? Well...for years we have invited and waited...nothing. We have invited and waited...nothing. We got the same results because we always did the same thing. Solution? Do it differently! We are taking Jesus to them...and on a "church night". We are not just going to invite them to where we are, we are going to where they are. What did Jesus do? Invite and then hope for the best? NO- he went to where the people were who needed him and ministered there. That is exactly what He did in my life...He came to me right where I was...and made Himself known to me...I accepted Him as my Savior...my eternity is secure! How could we not want that for everyone we know, especially those who may not hear unless WE GO to them?!

Thanks Andy for seeing outside of the box. Let us all support and follow our Pastor out of Kadesh-barnea...let us all be so tired of wandering in the same circles that we join him...and join God...and commit to doing things differently. What if we are on the brink of the Promised Land and are too scared that it may be too risky. Let us not find ourselves in the "oasis of complacency" (Priscilla Shirer)but rather walk forward and choose to be D I F F E R E N T! We (I) have tried my way for far too long. I have read that sometimes our biggest hindrance in growing is the last great thing God did...as awesome as God was in Philadelphia...I don't need to limit Him to something that happened almost 20 months ago...He wants to continue to do an awesome work...daily!

He wants to do more than we can ever think...or...imagine! He is a great big God!