Thursday, June 26, 2008

Freedom in America

I will not celebrate the 4th of July in the United States this year.

Honestly, I can't recall the last time I was on American soil for our national holiday.Kind of weird, huh? For the past six years I've been overseas the first week of July, so I have missed the fireworks, the food, and the fun red, white, and blue festivities.

This year I will be in Sydney, Australia attending the Hillsong Conference (which I've attended for the past two years.) The year before that, I spent the summer studying in Oxford, and well, the year before that I was gone on an overseas mission trip.So....It's been a really long time since i've stopped and contemplated what it means to live in this country.Until tonight that is...

This evening was 100% USA !!! An All-American, Norman Rockwell, Mayberry Moment. I went with some friends to the Houston Astros baseball game tonight because our friend and pastor Craig Reynolds was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. (Craig played for the Astros organization for years and is not only one of my favorite people on the planet, but he was also an incredible athlete. Congratulations Craig)

Back to my point. So, I'm at the baseball game (America's favorite pastime by the way) and I couldn't help but feel patriotic with the hotdogs, peanuts, and a stirring, three-part-harmony rendition of our National Anthem. I don't care how many times i hear that song, I still get a little choked up. I think it is the "rockets’ red glare" moment that gets me.I really enjoyed the game, although I can't tell you who won...I was too busy people watching and talking, of course.

Good times.

So, I arrive home from my blissful summer evening, still with a little bit of a patriotic spring in my step, and settled down for a few minutes to read the news before going to bed. What I discovered guaranteed that I would not be sleeping for a while.

I ran across an article in the NYTimes about our Christian Brothers and Sisters in Iraq. These men and women are facing intense persecution. Many are killed, tortured, and blackmailed because of their faith. I can guarantee you one thing; none of them know the meaning of "freedom of religion."

As I read of the horrific circumstances these Christians endure I thought two things: First, we must pray! These men and women are losing their lives for the name of Jesus. This isn't a story from The Book of Martyrs; this is in the NY Times for crying out loud! And second, it occurred to me that we Americans really have no clue what holiday we are about to celebrate. I know I don't really get it. Do we really have a clue about the freedom we enjoy?
The freedom to worship however we choose.
The freedom to openly confess the name of Jesus without fear of death.
The freedom to simply disagree.

Friends, please read this article about our Brothers and Sisters in Iraq. Pray for them. Also, don't allow this upcoming holiday to slip by without contemplating and celebrating the freedom we have in our country. It is a gift. Thank God for it and use this time to lift up Christians around the globe persecuted for the cause of Christ.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/world/middleeast/26christians.html?ex=1372219200&en=75ac9af39160c213&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Buying the Lie or Believing the Truth

Recently, I spoke to hundreds of young women at High School Beach Retreat in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Normally, my ministry finds me on college campuses with an older crowd. Typically, I’m speaking to women who have experienced the brokenness of the hookup and hangover lifestyle and they are in need of both hope and healing. Facing a younger audience I felt the pressure of prevention. I imagined myself standing at the edge of a cliff and begging them not to jump off.

My heart was so burdened for these girls and for the bondage that so many of them are in at such a young age. The Lord gave me this question for them: “Are You Buying the Lie or Believing the Truth?” In this talk, I shared my testimony of “buying the lie,” and how for years I bought Satan’s lies about my worth, my value, and my identity. I told the girls how media (TV, movies, magazines, music, etc.) influenced my thinking and therefore my behavior in high school and college. I told the girls that the sad reality is this: whenever you buy something you give up something in return. And my story is the all-too-common tale of a young girl giving away her soul because she believed the lie that she would find love and acceptance in return. Sadly, far too many of them knew exactly what I was talking about.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of Satan (the father of lies) deceiving young women.

We face a fierce enemy in our culture, but I believe with everything in my being that the Lord has called Redeemed Girl Ministries for such a time as this. I believe in the power of the gospel. I believe that they can know the Truth and the Truth will set them free. I believe by speaking the truth we can make a difference in the lives of women for eternity.

Many have asked me over the past few months, “What can we do to protect young women?” The number one thing besides consistent prayer is to protect their minds.

“A 2004 study of almost 2,000 teens found that those who watch TV with a lot of
sexual content are twice as likely to engage in intercourse as those who watch
less. ‘The impact of television viewing is so large that even a moderate shift
in the sexual content of adolescent TV watching could have a substantial effect
on their behavior.” --Generation Me , by Jean Twinge, Ph. D.

The issue facing these young girls is the daily, moment by moment, decision to believe God’s truth about whom they are, what they are worth, and how they should live. The world bombards them with the message that says: you are nothing more than a sexual object; you are only as valuable as how you look; and you are not loveable unless….

Thankfully, we can offer young woman The Truth to confront and expose the lies. The Truth is Jesus Christ and His Redeeming Grace. He alone sets the captive free from the lies of the world. He alone can tell these young girls that they are not objects to be used and discarded, but they are treasures worth dying for.

Enough is enough. Satan is a big-fat-liar!

“Jesus said, ‘the thief has come to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come
that you may have life and have it abundantly.’” John 10:10

Friday, June 6, 2008

Powerful Video Portrays Redemption

Here at Redeemed Girl Ministires we love testimonies of transformed lives. When the broken is made whole, the sick made well, the captive ...set free. We believe in a God who changes lives by His power and for His glory.
Jesus redeems our lives when we receive His payment for our sin. In turn, He takes our broken lives and makes something beautiful.

A good friend of mine recently emailed me this video...it is amazing! Watch and see the power of redemption! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

Oh yes, by the way, for the record....my cardboard sign would read....

front side:
wild, drunk, and hurting party girl
back side:
REDEEMED GIRL!

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has
come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Monday, June 2, 2008

Sex and the City ...Uncovered

The new film, Sex and the City, features four stylish New York women frequenting bars and talking bluntly about their broad range of sexual experiences. Clad in stylish attire and extremely independent, these women seem to have it all.
But this lifestyle of hookups, hangovers, and heartbreak only leads to emptiness, says author Marian Jordan. In her book, Sex and the City Uncovered, she exposes the myths behind the seemingly glamorous lifestyle. The following article is adapted from her book.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

After a hard night on the town, the women of Sex and the City hit their local breakfast spot to dish on the previous evening’s events and the men it involved. The night before, Carrie, as a local celebrity of sorts, was called upon to judge a firefighters’ calendar contest on Staten Island. One ferry ride and several Staten Island Iced Teas later, the girls found themselves in foreign territory. Samantha, of course, was enamored with the smokin’ hot body of one of the firemen, while Carrie met a handsome politician who had the hots for her. Charlotte indulged in one too many cocktails, and as a result she is nursing quite a headache the next morning.
Back on the island—Manhattan, that is—their get-together results in a lively discussion of the topic “Why do women love firemen?” Miranda leads the charge with her observations, and the others follow suit. Their conversation is the typical brunch banter until Charlotte chimes in with her reason, bringing the table to a stunned silence: “Women just really want to be rescued.” She sighs as she props up her aching head with her hands. You could hear a pin drop as the other women stare back at her in disbelief. Did she really just say that? At this point Carrie, in a voice-over, describes Charlotte’s comment as “the statement single women in their thirties are never supposed to think, much less say out loud.”

The Confession

Knowing that Charlotte is the hopeful romantic of the bunch, it comes as no surprise to us that she utters the words that “single women in their thirties are never supposed to think, much less say out loud.” Of course, she is the one to confess, “Women just really want to be rescued.” But what’s the big deal? Did she say something wrong? Why are the others so shocked? Is Charlotte still drunk? Or maybe, just maybe, she has stumbled onto something. Do women really long to be rescued? Is there something deep down inside each of us that would love to have the white knight sweep in and carry us away? I think for most girls the answer is, “Yes!”
Recently I watched the hit show The Bachelor. This particular season the bachelor happened to be a real prince. Fighting for his affection and attention were twenty-five beautiful women. In the two-hour premiere, one common theme resonated from the women: they wanted the fairy tale. As the evening progressed and the alcohol flowed, the women revealed more and more of their hearts’ true desires. Each wanted to be chosen by the prince and for her childhood longings of being a princess to come true. As I watched the episode and listened to their comments, I thought, This is reality television. Hungering for love and desiring to be chosen, these women had picked up their lives and moved to a castle in Rome in hopes of being rescued by Prince Charming.

So why did the Sex and the City characters, and perhaps many of us, bristle at Charlotte’s comment? It seems the other characters are much too independent and savvy to admit this inner longing. They pride themselves on self-sufficiency and hope to evolve past any notions of having needs and longings, so they blast Charlotte’s old-fashioned idea with a dose of reality. Reality, according to Miranda, is that “the white knight only exists in the movies.” Her reply rings with bitterness toward men and a lack of trust in anyone but herself. The same is true of Carrie’s response, except she takes a different approach, saying, “Did you ever think we’re supposed to rescue ourselves?” There it is—the motto of the modern single woman: “I don’t need anyone, and I can do it all by myself.”

Charlotte does not buy their dismissals, and her response to their advice is revealing when she replies, “That’s depressing!” And we have to admit, it is, but why? Probably because as women, since the first time we played with Barbie, we’ve imagined Ken coming in his sports car to rescue her from the clutches of GI Joe. This is part of the fabric of being a girl. But surely, some would say, we’ve all grown up and put those childish dreams behind us. After all, hasn’t life taught us some pretty tough lessons? White knights don’t always come to the rescue, and sometimes, let’s face it, Ken actually likes GI Joe. For some of us, these life lessons have left us hard and a little jaded too. So, like Miranda, it’s easier to shove the desire to be rescued behind us and pretend it’s just a fantasy.
But what if it’s not? Let’s imagine just for a moment that it’s real—the fairy tale, the hero, and all the stuff that romantic movies thrive on. Let’s imagine for just a minute that it is a legitimate longing and examine why Charlotte’s confession resonates with us. Why do women long to be rescued? Why is this desire ingrained in the heart of every little girl? To answer this question, we must dig a little deeper and ask some fundamental questions.

The Rescue

First, what is meant by the word rescue? The word rescue means “to set free, as from danger or imprisonment; to save.” (Kudos, Mr. Webster.) From the damsel in distress, who is tied to train tracks as a high-speed locomotive approaches, to the princess, who is locked away in the perilous castle, the role of the hero is to save his lady from whatever enemy she faces.
I’ll be honest: life’s been so intense at times that I’ve daydreamed that someone comes along and takes me away from it all. I’ve gazed out my office window hoping to see Prince Charming ride up on his white horse (or in an SUV—I’m not really picky about the mode of transportation). Just like Charlotte, I did my share of barhopping in the past, hoping to meet “the one.” But I’ve realized the desire to be rescued goes much deeper than just a longing for a man. I know plenty of women with great men who still have this desire. Women identify with the longing to be rescued—young and old, married and single, rich and poor. Ladies, this desire is bigger than any man can fill.
Because this is a common desire, is there also then a common problem? In other words, is there something that we all need to be rescued from? Is there something basic to all of us that causes us to feel like we need help or we need to be set free? What is it that makes us hope and dream that someone will come along who can make all right in our world? Our desire to be rescued implies we are held captive … imprisoned.
But what is this prison?
I believe the universal prison in which we are all held is best described in a country song from the ’80s by Waylon Jennings called “Lookin’ for Love in All the Wrong Places.”

The Prison

The song is a classic because everyone can identify with the problem. Here’s the point: this song describes, and human experience confirms, that humankind is in a prison—a perpetual and fruitless search for something or someone to make us feel loved, complete, and whole. Each one of us has an empty place in our hearts that aches to be filled.
You know the ache I’m talking about. You aren’t satisfied; you don’t feel complete; something is missing, and you keep hoping that the next relationship or the next job or even a new outfit will remedy the ache, but it doesn’t. Life can be going along great, and, yet, that empty gnawing is still there—the one that cries out, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for!” And as a result, we desperately search and we hunt for a love that will fill our emptiness and make us feel complete. And on and on and on we go.
This is my story. I went looking for love in all kinds of places, only to find myself more empty and confused as a result. From parties to people, from shopping to men, job promotions and even more parties … hoping something would bring me a sense of security or love. Happy hour eventually is over, the guy inevitably fails to be perfect, and food may fill a stomach but not a soul. My disillusionment eventually led to despair. Life seemed without hope and joy seemed elusive. I was captive to the emptiness.
I see this same desperation and disappointment in the lives of the women portrayed on the show Sex and the City. While on the surface everything appears glamorous and exciting, if you take a step back and evaluate their soul-searching questions, you see women who are hoping for someone to rescue them from the pain and emptiness they feel.
For example, let’s consider Charlotte. Like most of us girls, she hopes to find the love her heart longs for in a man. She is by far the most hopeful romantic of the crew. Over the six seasons of Sex and the City, we watched as she searched from man to man hoping to find “the one” who would complete her. Did she find him? Well, yes and no. She did get married (two times, in fact), but once she found a husband, did he fill her emptiness? No. The last season ended with Charlotte hoping the ache in her heart would be filled with a child. So, her search continues.
Can you relate? How often do you tell yourself the following? • If I were married, then my life would be perfect.• Or, If I had a better job, then I would be satisfied. • Or, When I buy my own house, then I will be happy.• Or what about this one? When I lose ten pounds, then I will feel OK.
We believe the solution to the restlessness we feel is remedied by finding something or someone to fill the emptiness in our hearts. But as we all know, those things may work for a season, but after a while that old familiar ache returns and we move on to the next thing or the next person, thinking that this time we will find what we are looking for.
This is why I call “looking for love in all the wrong places” a prison. For some of us it can be a life sentence. The pursuit to fill the void can be endless and full of disappointment. But that leads us to the most important question of all: what caused this emptiness in the first place?
The answer is found in the Bible. In Scripture we are told the story of God and how our problem of “looking for love” first began. The Bible tells us that humanity is created by God and for God. Translation: He is the Designer and Creator of Life, so in order to find out how things got all jacked up in our world, we must go back to the “Designer’s manual.”
Let’s play Fantasy Island for just a minute and imagine Dolce & Gabana designs a one-of-a-kind outfit just for you. It goes without saying that they would know best how this outfit is supposed to be worn (the perfect accessories, fit, shoes, etc.). Why? Because they are the designers. Hello? That’s the same with God. As our Creator, we need to look to Him and His Word (a.k.a. The Bible) to understand how life was meant to be lived. So for us to understand why we deal with insecurity, self-doubt, restlessness, and a perpetually empty soul, we must turn to the original design to see what God created us for and what went wrong.

The Beginning

In the beginning, God placed the human race in a beautiful garden that He filled with everything they needed for a life of joy, peace, and purpose. Adam and Eve were provided for and given the responsibility to rule over and care for God’s creation. And right from the start, God declared our identity (the “who am I?” question) when He looked on the first man and woman and declared us to be “very good” (Gen. 1:31).
This is a powerful moment. When God speaks over Adam and Eve the word good, He establishes their identity. You know how when you fall in love, one of the best things about being with that special person is how they make you feel about yourself? Well, that is the situation we have here. Our God-given design is one that when we are in relationship with Him, we know who we are and we know we are loved. As the Designer, He alone has the authority to name and define—and His declaration of His design from the very beginning was “very good.”
Here’s the thing: originally humankind didn’t need to be rescued from “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Why not, you ask? Because all was right and good in our world—we didn’t struggle with the self-doubt, insecurity, restlessness, and emptiness that you and I experience today. You see, it was never God’s original design for people to suffer from the nagging inadequacies we feel.

The Design

Uncovered. Naked and not ashamed! This is the condition of man and woman while living in the midst of the unconditional love of God. Adam and Eve didn’t know the meaning of insecurity. They didn’t ask questions such as, “Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will I be accepted? Am I lovable?” Eve never asked, “Does this fig leaf make me look fat?”
Identity is something that is bestowed. We cannot define ourselves. Today, we are always looking outside of ourselves for someone to tell us who we are, but for Adam and Eve, the question of their identity wasn’t up for debate. First of all, when God created them, He essentially said, “You are good and you don’t need to do anything to prove yourself or seek anyone else to tell you that you are worthy of love.” So, for Adam and Eve, the self-worth question was solved. If the God of the universe, who spoke the world into existence, said they were good—then that settled it.
Girlfriends, can you fathom walking into a room and never thinking, Do I look OK? Just imagine being fully known, explicitly seen, and fully loved—never fearing rejection, never meeting a new group of people and feeling like you don’t belong. Try to imagine having a confidence that isn’t based on fickle things such as money, a new pair of shoes, or attracting male attention.

The Scam

The pure freedom and unshakable confidence Adam and Eve experienced were wonderful while they lasted, but the harmony and beauty of Eden were shattered when Satan entered the scene.
Satan (starring as the Serpent) scammed Eve into disobeying God. This deception is the root cause of our perpetual search for love and completion today—the real reason we are looking for love in all the wrong places and we all long to be rescued.
Satan tricked Eve. But it is important to note just exactly how this ruse went down. First, he caused her to doubt God by asking, “Did God really say?” Then he outright called God a liar when he suggested, “Surely, you won’t die.” By leading Eve to doubt the truthfulness of God’s word, Satan undermined her trust in God.
Satan’s scam was basically an attack on the goodness of God. His theory went something like this: if God is good, then He would allow you to eat of any tree. God must be bad because He said you can’t eat of this certain tree.
Eve bought into the lie. She rebelled against her God—her source of life, security, and love.
Perhaps you’ve been in a similar situation. You hear a great marketing pitch about a new cosmetic product that promises to eliminate wrinkles, cellulite, bad breath, and make you taller all at the same time. Sold, you charge the wonder pill to your credit card (at only $49.99 a month for the rest of your life) only later to discover . . . you’ve been scammed! The whole thing is a lie. The wonder pill isn’t so wonderful. It doesn’t deliver on its promises, and with it comes a whole new world of side effects. This is exactly like Satan’s promise to Eve, except the side effects of his scam were far more devastating—they were life altering.
Today, many women, like Eve, are deceived— believing the lie that the love we hunger for is found in the alluring lifestyle portrayed on Sex and the City. Masked behind couture fashion, clever writing, and beautiful people is a life of searching and desperation. I know because I’ve been there myself. The lure is clever, but the promises don’t deliver. Here’s the big problem with deception: you don’t know it’s a lie until you face the consequences.
We were not created for life separated from God. When Adam and Eve chose to dethrone God and cut the cord of dependence—by deciding for themselves what is good and evil—humankind indeed got independence from God. And this independence is the source of every heartache, disappointment, and the emptiness we experience in the world today.
Today, we all experience the loss and separation that resulted from Adam and Eve’s fatal decision. Instead of knowing peace and security, we feel angst and incompleteness. Instead of knowing who we are and if we are loved, we are constantly searching and striving for someone to tell us who we are. Our desire to be rescued, therefore, finds its origin in the human need to be reconnected with our Creator—to be back in the place of security and rest that comes from being in His presence—simply, the place we were created to inhabit.
Charlotte is right. Women really do want to be rescued!

The Rest of the Story

I’m just a girl who believed the lie that the deep longings of my soul could be fulfilled in the lifestyle portrayed on Sex and the City. Rescued from the emptiness, I’m here to tell other women the rest of the story. God doesn’t abandon us. He knows our design. He knows apart from Him we are searching, restless, and incomplete. And because He loves us with this incomprehensible love, He comes to rescue us and set us free from our prison of “looking for love in all the wrong places.”

Adapted from Sex and the City Uncovered, by Marian Jordan. Published by B&H Publishing Group. Used with permission.