30n30

This past Sunday was wonderful in many ways one of them being having two of my very good friends from high school in church. It was so nice to look out and see two such familiar faces that I don't get to see nearly enough. :)

Erin and Kelly!

Something else that happened on Sunday that I wanted to share with you...I challenged everybody to a 30n30 challenge. Spending 30 minutes a day with Jesus for 30 days. Now before you stop reading this and close the page, hear me out.

Sometimes I'm afraid that we talk about Jesus, we learn about Jesus, we hear about Jesus, and we do a lot of good things... but do we actually know who this Jesus is that we speak of and/or hear about so often? Do we take the time to actually be with Jesus?

I worry that this is often how we are in our relationship with Jesus. We say we love Him, we say we follow Him, we say we give our life to Him, but do we actually even know Him? Yeah we may know a lot about Him, but do we know Him personally? Have we ever experienced the presence of Jesus?

While I was at Mission U my favorite time of those 3 days plus all the prep time before Mission U, granted I really did enjoy the whole experience, but the moment that stands out to me the most was Friday night when we took the kids to the Celebration. Now, walking to the Celebration they were so excited, "Yeah, we're going to the party!". Miranda (my helper) and I just smiled whenever they would say this because we knew it wasn't going to be the type of party that comes to mind in an 8 and 9 year old mind. And we weren't wrong.

As this "Celebration" is going on I was looking around the room and I spot all four of the kids playing basketball! They had a mini basketball goal set up to the side of the big room we were in as a fundraiser for Imagine No Malaria and they were putting it to use. What do I do? Join them of course! We were trying to be quiet, but on occasion we would laugh a little too loud or in excitement speak too loudly. Instead of telling the kids they needed to go sit down, we carry the basketball goal outside. Neither Miranda or I looked to see how many looks we were getting, but I am sure they appreciated us doing that verses us staying in the room, continuing to be "too loud". After the Celebration was over we went in for the cake and ice cream so it was a pretty good deal. :)

The thing I loved about this time was that I was completely in the moment. My mind wasn't distracted with trying to think of what to do next, getting ready for the next craft lesson, or prepping for the next lesson. I was focused on being with the children and just spending time with them. That moment made all the prep time leading up to Mission U and from the moment I got there to the moment I left, completely worth it.

As I was thinking about it, how often do we let our to do lists and tasks that need to be completed keep us from "living in the moment"? And how often do we miss out on just simply being with Jesus because we get so busy and don't take the time to do so? Or we simply don't want to or we don't think we need to?

Just as I challenged those at church on Sunday, I want to challenge you too. No matter how far you are in your walk with Jesus, whether it's non-existent, you're not really sure what you believe, to the person who has been following Jesus for 30 years, I am challenging YOU to do 30n30.

Maybe the thought of this is intimidating to you. Maybe it's weird. Maybe you wouldn't even know what to do or where to begin. That's okay. Tell God that. Be honest and real with Him. Find a friend/family member/pastor who can help you get started. And there are so many devotions out there that you can use. If you have a smart phone, iPad, or tablet, YouVersion is a wonderful resource. They have many devotions and/or bible reading plans available for you to choose from. And the best part...they are free. If you need help finding something let me know and I can get you hooked up with something.

I dare you to take 30 minutes of your day, go to a place where there are no distractions...in your room, your office, your closet, your car...it doesn't matter! Spend 30 uninterrupted minutes with Jesus...sing a song, pray, read the Bible, journal....find what works for you and go for it and see what happens.

The song Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin says, "The One who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine."

God, the Creator of the Universe, He so desperately longs for your friendship. Give Him a chance...I really don't think you will regret it.