Author: lindsay

some exciting news

lindsay9 Comments

As you may have guessed by now, I’m a fan of writing. I love it. I love how it helps me see the world in a deeper way. I love how it gets me past surface-level thinking on myself, how it helps me to uncover layers in my heart that I didn’t know were there. I love how it helps me process who God is and know him more intimately.

But most of all, I love writing because God gave me the ability to write.

He gave me this desire, this longing to write down stories of life and people and how I see him working and moving. And because of that, my ability to write is sacred to me. It’s not to be used carelessly or for selfish motives. No, my only response to this gift can be to give it back, to give it away, to use the words I’m given to restore and uplift and encourage and speak life.

This blog was the first step, and my first experience in writing for others. But it didn’t take me long to realize that this blog was not the end. There was stirring inside me… a stirring to start pursuing something I’ve always wanted to do with my writing: tell human stories.

If you’ve asked me what my dream job is anytime in the past 5 years I most likely said: travel around the world, and tell the stories of the people I meet.

Ordinary people. People whose stories you wouldn’t know about otherwise. People whose stories are gorgeous and tell of pain and suffering and hope and healing. People whose lives have been transformed by the love of others. I want to use my writing to give these people, and the organizations that care for them a larger voice in the midst of all the messages we get thrown at us today.

And in the past year, God has stopped allowing me to ignore this desire I believe he has put on my heart. It is constant. It is heavy. Yet, until recently I had no next step. I was blogging. I was meeting with people who work for non-profits and asking for advice, but I still felt stuck.

And then God showed up. Big time.

On November 17th, I’ll be joining a group of seven other incredibly talented creatives in India for a week-long photographic workshop called Light The World. The team will be led by humanitarian photographers Esther Havens and Austin Mann, who each have years of experience working with organizations to help them tell their stories.

1377194_10151976062791271_940499107_n

During our time there, we will be partnering with an incredible organization called JOYN to tell stories of the restoration they are bringing to people in India. I will be working predominantly as a writer and collaborating with our photographers to capture the words to their images. It will be invaluable hands-on experience and training in the exact line of work I’ve dreamt about doing.

God is so good. I am still wrapping my mind around the fact that this is actually happening, and could not be more excited to take another step forward with my writing.

But, I would be lying if I said this was all rainbows and butterflies. There is fear. There is insecurity. There are lies being thrown at me left and right that say I’m not good enough, not cool enough. Saying that I have no right to be going on this trip, that I have no place here. That I should back out. That it’s dumb for me to think my measly writing could be used for something greater than I could imagine.

I’ve always been told that the attack comes when you start becoming a threat. And I feel that. I recognize that. I am moving forward. I am choosing to put aside fear and am taking risks. I’m investing time and finances into this trip that have already forced me to trust God more than I did three weeks ago. And the enemy hates that.

So, I’m asking you to pray for my time leading up to the trip and for our time in India. That we would fight for people, for what is true and right and good. For dignity and restoration. That we would give of ourselves and not be afraid to offer our gifts to be used for something greater.

I’m so excited to keep you updated on this whole adventure! You can make sure to not miss a thing by subscribing to receive my posts in your inbox on the right side of this page. For more frequent, shorter updates come hangout with me on Twitter and Instagram.

This all feels so big. But, that’s why I’m walking in to it.

It is big. But our God is so much bigger. And I can’t wait to watch the next step of his grand plan unfold.

—————————————

*I mentioned above that this trip is a financial investment. If any of this resonates with you and you feel led to give financially, you can do so here. 

one word

lindsay7 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this word often in the past week thanks to an Emily Freeman blog post. She is writing daily on her blog during the month of October about living out the art we were created for. If you want to read along with me, you can find all her posts from the month here.

Now back to the word. 

Not “just” as in true or right, but “just” as in merely or only. 

In Emily’s post, she refers to it as one word that is sabotaging the art we live. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how often I use the word “just” when referring to my work, to this dream of writing, to relationships, to cooking dinner or making coffee. This word has become such a casual part of my vocabulary, and it is no longer helpful. 

It is no longer helpful for me to shy away from claiming the art I live every day. It is no longer helpful for me to de-value even mundane tasks because they too make up this whole of a life that is mine. 

I have been hiding behind the word “just.” It acts as a filter for me, a filter of other people’s opinions and thoughts. I de-value even the things I love the most, even the acts that make me feel alive in my soul because I’m not sure what other people will think about me. I’m not sure, if stacked up against everyone else’s doings and happenings, that mine are really all that great. So I hide, using “just” as a bunker so I don’t really have to claim what it is I’m doing, what I’m feeling and thinking. It’s a loophole, a cop-out from claiming my life as wonderful and beautiful and a gift.  

Let me explain further with a typical scenario that occurs: During the first months of our marriage, Saturday mornings were the one time a week Taylor and I could hang out. No where to be, no alarm clock- just enjoying each other with nothing on the to-do list. On some occasions, I would wake up before Taylor, and begin making breakfast while he was still asleep- coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and fruit salad. Those quiet moments in the morning before the world wakes up are my favorite of the day. After finishing breakfast, I would go wake Taylor up and he would instantly feel loved. He would give me a huge hug and thank me repeatedly for taking care of him and cooking breakfast. Then, we would eat it together and just enjoy being in each other’s presence. 

Later in the day, someone asks me what we’ve been up to and this is my response: 

“Well, not much, I just made breakfast this morning and then we just kind of hung out with each other.”

Do you hear it? Do you hear how that one word steals away value from a beautiful morning? From beautiful life happening and beautiful relationship being nurtured? 

I didn’t just… We didn’t just… 

I did. We did.  

I did use my hands to lovingly prepare a meal for my husband that would strengthen his body. We did share that meal together, and talk and laugh and hold warm cups of coffee in our hands. We did have fun and play and enjoy each other. We did nurture our relationship by spending time with each other. 

It’s one word. Yet, it radically changes the tone and lens through which I see my days. 

I’m figuring out what it means to live my life as art in all ways- on days when steps toward big dreams are taken, and on days when I sit and feel like nothing is moving. I’m learning to value my life, to value myself. And that word, for me, changes everything. I am kinder to myself when “just” is not around, so I’m asking it to stay gone. 

I don’t think I’ll miss it very much. 

people-filled days

lindsayLeave a comment

The past five days have served as a reminder of how much I need people.

For an introvert, and an independent personality, that’s not an easy thing to believe. It’s an easy thing to say and know on a shallow level, but it’s a hard, humbling thing to really grasp on a heart level. 

What sounds easy is to hide from people, and give surface-level answers to questions about my heart. It sounds easy to do it all on my own, without having to worry about what other people have to think or say. It’s harder to be real, to ask for help, to put yourself out there when you don’t know all the answers yet.

But in the last week, God has been doing some things. Some things that feel huge. That feel too big for me. That I can’t possibly imagine doing without the support of the people I love. And because of grace, I was simultaneously handed a stark set of reminders that this life was never meant to be lived alone.

Last weekend, our missional community went to a lake house to just be with each other. There were no plans, no schedules, just being. On Saturday morning, the girls got together to share about what we were going through and pray for each other. It was a simple act- us sitting on the bed, talking, laughing and encouraging each other. But there was freedom. The amazing freedom that comes from saying words out loud, and not allowing them to live and grow and morph inside your head. From sharing your burdens and not trying to carry them all yourself. We need community- our burdens were not meant to be carried on one set of shoulders.

On Monday night, we had a few of our closest friends over for dinner. We crowded in our tiny apartment, sipped on cinnamon-whiskey-cider cocktails, burned our mouths with dove jalapeno poppers and just were. There was no agenda other than being together and sharing a meal. Intentional conversations happened. Divine appointments happened- not because we forced them, but because we were faithful in gathering together as a community. Two of my closest friends confronted me on my anxiety about these big things God is doing. They encouraged me to stop living the story of my past and walk trustingly  in to a different story. It was hard to hear, but they were right. We need community to speak the gospel to us when we can’t speak it to ourselves anymore, to believe for us when we’re struggling to muster the courage, to fight for us when we don’t have strength left.

Tuesday night, I got the privilege of seeing this happen with my college small group girls. We talked about friendship and why God created us to go through life side-by-side. Then, I read them this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

But God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks to others. God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he can’t help himself without misrepresenting the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.

After discussing it for a few minutes, I gave them an opportunity to be vulnerable with each other, and in turn, to speak encouragement to each other. For the next 15 minutes I got to see girls share their fears and anxieties, and watch their friends cry with them, read scripture to them and speak compassionate words. For some of these girls, it was the first time they had met one another. Their courage to be honest, and risk looking silly for the sake of being real moved my heart. The way they went straight to the Word for encouraging words was incredible, and convicted me of too often settling for the world’s wisdom in an attempt to comfort. They reminded me what it looks like to let someone in, to hurt with someone, and bring them to the only place that can offer true life and comfort. We need community because we are the Word of God to each other.

Yesterday, my introvert was worn out but my heart was full. I can claim independence all day, but the reality is that I’m healthier when I operate as a sister in a family instead of a lone ranger out to prove herself. Sometimes, I just need a few people-filled days to remind me that life is better when we live it together.