Happy Friday! :)

P.S. In 48 hours, I’ll be just about to Arizona… [which is only like... 1/11 of the way to Nashville...] And I’ll probably be dancing in my car!

Life has never ceased to be full of changing of seasons and, with them, goodbyes. I remember realizing how much I hated goodbyes around the 5th grade. They’ve not necessarily gotten easier but… I have learned to see the beauty [which, I suppose, does make it easier - in a sense].

I was thinking today about Jesus and the 12. They didn’t want to face the “end.” They wanted to keep Jesus with them and to see His face and touch His hands. It’s just easier that way, right? Because how can you follow someone you can’t see? But what they didn’t understand yet was that the “end” was only the beginning. Jesus explained bits and pieces of that to them before he went to the cross.

But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

(John 16:4-15 ESV)

Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension changed things. They didn’t just bring us salvation. It was the start of a new season. When Jesus went away the Helper/the Spirit of truth came to guide us into ALL truth! And what is that truth? That Jesus didn’t LEAVE. He is here on the earth, and bigger than ever. Why? Because His body is growing. And we are His body through whom He expresses and displays His Life. [But that's another post, for another day. Today my point is...]

When we’re in Christ and He brings about a season change, it’s always for the better… It always comes with MORE of Him… and that makes all the goodbyes and see-ya-laters worth their salty tears and more.

I’m so thankful for the MORE of Him that is ahead.

Now, I’m moving – in a more literal sense than I thought when I heard that from the Lord. I understand now WHY I had to stop and wait. If anything I was trying to do then had worked out, I wouldn’t have been free to do this – to pick up and start over. There was so much I needed to see. I was already seeing some things I had never seen before, but it was all still fuzzy… Over time, it’s become more and more clear…

5 days from now, I’ll be getting in my [new and shiny red] car with the few belongings I have left. I’ll drive for 11 hours and stay for a night in New Mexico (sometimes you have to go through places you don’t like to get to places you do), then I’ll drive another 11 hours to Dallas. I’ll visit with friends there for 2 days and then drive 10 more hours to Nashville, where I will stay.

I’m going because of Jesus. He is the reason. He is the way. I wish I could show you how much He has done in this… I can’t really. But I’ll tell you a little.

It first came up for me in September. I was in the living room of a stranger with a longtime friend and mentor who, at 1am, said to me: “Shanda. Why don’t you just move to Nashville?” I thought she was crazy. Really. And I argued. But I also listened and, in the end, I agreed to pray about it. At that point, even praying about it kind of terrified me. But the more I prayed, the more I saw Jesus moving and putting life into this crazy thought.

Now, my stuff is mostly packed and I’m 9 days away from being there. 9 days! And when I get there, I will join a group of people who have learned/are learning the same things I’ve learned/am learning about Jesus and His body. I’m moving to be a part of a church (an organic church), not a church like most of us often think of church… It’s a people (not a place). It’s a living spiritual organism (not an institution). It’s people joined together in Christ, expressing together the life of Christ, and seeking together Christ as the Head.

I’m excited. And I’m so ready. And I’m occasionally a bit nervous. But I know it’s gonna be good, because it’s so very FULL of Jesus! And HE is always GOOD.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (1:4)

“I am the bread of life.” (6:35)

‘”Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (7:38)

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (10:10)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (14:6)

JESUS is LIFE.

That’s big for us.

In a recent post, I asked some questions.

What if we’re coming at this all wrong. What if both sides are missing the point? What if Jesus did not come to abolish religion OR to establish true religion?

Jesus is life. Jesus brought life. And what if, in bringing life, He made religion null and void?

When these types of questions come up, we always turn here:

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:26-27 ESV)

It’s a very good place to start, as it is very obviously and specifically related to the topic.  The problem is, what is described in James 1 isn’t what we are usually talking about when we talk about religion.

I looked around and “religion” is defined differently in different dictionaries, but it usually has something to do with a system of beliefs and practices shared by a group of people.

I also looked at the Greek in James 1. The word in verse 27 that we translate as “religion” is in reference to external religious worship, usually consisting of ceremonies. What James tells us is that the purest form of external religious worship in God’s eyes is, not the ceremonies, but the helping and caring for the broken and weary, and remaining unblemished by the world.

When I stop and dwell on that, I see LIFE. First let’s look at the actions described – visiting orphans and widows in their affliction. That is life on life… one person, giving and sharing life with another. Second is keeping oneself unstained from the world. That can only truly happen when we are filled and flowing with the life of Christ. There’s no amount of striving or devotion, no matter how religious, that can make a person unstained. ONLY the life of Christ can do that! It reminds me of those verses in John and I think it would also be accurate to say that pure and undefiled religion is being a heart that flows rivers of living water!

When we talk about religion today, we are usually talking more about the dictionary definition… or just being DEVOTED to our Christian belief system… and I think that when we do that, we are missing the point of the LIFE we have in Christ.

Our “external religious worship” should be from an outflow of Christ in us, and us in Christ. It shouldn’t be because of a system or a tradition or a religion. It should come from HIS BEING, that we are a part of.

He told us himself that He came so that we may have LIFE, and Jesus is Life. When we talk about or live out a religion that is not focused on LIFE, we are missing HIM. It’s, sadly, a trap that is very easy to fall into and thus one that we must be very aware of.

In the past 6 months of transition and mostly un-employment, I’ve had a few people make jokes about how “it must be nice to take a long vacation!” They were not funny jokes. This is not a fun vacation. I promise.

While I’m finally on my way somewhere – and I know it’s the right place (and I’m really excited about it!), I’m not there quite yet and when I am, there will be more transitions and more unknowns. I’m still several pieces away from settling into a new life.

And today, I was sick of having no routines. I was aching for WORK and PEOPLE. I didn’t want to see anymore boxes or suitcases. I wanted to have my own places to put my own things away. I wanted to feel like I belong somewhere.

Cloud. Cloud. Cloud.

But as the afternoon turned to evening, I have seen some things I needed to see.

PURPOSES.

The other day, I read through James 1 in the Amplified Bible. I love the way it brings out nuances of the language. When I read it, I was focusing on another part of the chapter, but today some other parts of it came back to me.

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be  [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

That cloud today… it was trials enveloping me…

But those trials have masterful purposes.
I need to let them have full play and do a thorough work.

It feels so slow. And it feels endless, even now. But each step is teaching me something. In each step, I see Jesus. In each step, I learn to trust. My eyes are continually being opened to things that take my breath away. And if it had all happened faster, the way I would have chosen, I might have missed some of treasure of Jesus along the way.

You probably know what I’m talking about. If not…

A lot of people are LOVING this video. A lot of people are speaking up against this video, at least in part.

What seems to be causing most of the controversy is the idea of religion. Did Jesus come to abolish religion? This guy thinks he did. Did Jesus come to establish true religion? Other people think he did.

I’ve shared previously that I have some apprehensions about the word religion. And since this video is causing such an uproar on the topic, I thought now would be a good time to start sharing more of my thoughts… as I’ve had some time to process and learn some more.

What if we’re coming at this all wrong. What if both sides are missing the point? What if Jesus did not come to abolish religion OR to establish true religion?

Jesus is life. Jesus brought life. And what if, in bringing life, He made religion null and void?

Today, I’m asking the question. In a few days… I’ll come back with more thoughts on the matter.

Dance.

It’s 10 days into the year now and I’m rather stunned to say, 1 of those 12 things is already done. A 2nd of those 12 things is in the works and will happen within a matter of weeks. Sometimes, Jesus amazes me. (Did I just say sometimes? I meant, all the time!)

- buy a car.

          CHECK!!!!!!!!

- move to Nashville.

          COMING SOON!!!!!! Really soon.

The day that I wrote that list, those two things felt distant and overwhelmingly challenging. At the same time, I knew that what Jesus is doing in my life would require that they happen.

The last few months have been a series of one thing not working out after another thing not working out. It’s been frustrating and, often times, discouraging. But at the same time, the last few months have also been very full of Jesus teaching me truths about Himself, truths about who I am in Him, and leading me to walk into new areas of trusting Him and living out Life In Him. As I continually sought His leading in my life and decisions, I felt more and more strongly that I needed to be heading to Nashville by the end of this month. “It’s just time.” And I was beginning to believe that maybe I’d have to jump in the hard way (without a car). I was willing to (but man, it sounded hard) and I was looking into it. And then, Jesus made the impossible possible.

On January 4th, I came home with a new [to me, and practically new in general] car that will soon take me to Nashville. If I had any lingering doubts that this was Jesus’ plan, they are long gone.

The day that I began the process of buying a car, a wise person made a very wise statement that I have been thinking about ever since.

Remember. This is what He [Jesus] wants. So, in Him, it is already done.

After I got the car, the next thing on my list to figure out was the answer to the “Where will I live?” question. It didn’t take long for that to fall into place. (I have a place to stay while I get on my feet.) Now the question is, “Where will I work? How will I support myself?” And I sometimes want to freak out about that because, I’ll be honest, I’ve been living on my savings a lot longer than I planned. There’s really not a whole lot left and that makes me feel – uncomfortable. But I really can’t freak out. I just have to remember that in Him, it is already done. I don’t know HOW yet. But it’s done. I have to trust, and I have to walk into it knowing that He will provide as He has so far. I also have to be responsible and do my part to figure out the HOW, but while I do that, I can find rest in trusting Him in the midst of every unknown that comes my way.

I know, I haven’t shared much about the story of the last few months or about WHY I’m moving to Nashville. That will come. I guess, I’ve just needed a while to chew it all up on my own before I plaster it on the internet for all the world to see and comment on.

But, for today, my point is simply this…

That process you’re struggling through that doesn’t always make sense, but you know Jesus has something to do with…
Remember. When it is what Jesus wants, in Him, it is already done. Find rest in trusting Him.

The answers might be coming sooner than you think is possible, or they might take longer than you hope (don’t forget… I’ve been trying to figure out what is next for MONTHS now), but either way… It’s already done, in Jesus. And with that, I breath a big SIGH of relief!

This year, well – last year (2011), you were apparently really interested in…

1. what I would tell the 18 year old version of myself and about finding your identity IN CHRIST.
2. my hilarious (and super cute) 18 year old brother and his college shenanigans.
3. angry, broken, lame feeling moments in which God showed me that it’s okay to be honest with Him about my brokenness and that sometimes tears are a tool for His healing.
4. the day my brother and I held a baby panda.
5. the spontaneous choice to chop off my hair and donate it to locks of love.
6. what it felt like for a nomad, such as myself, to do normal things with old friends.
7. that it is actually possible, and I prove it, to be a shy extrovert.
8. my contemplations on whether or not I am, or have been at any point, a religious person.

Thanks for reading. I’m excited for another year of sharing. Seriously, I think 2012 is gonna be GOOD!

- blog at least 10 times a month.

- get a job!!!!

- paint 3 paintings (real paintings… on canvas).

- read a lot of books that make me smarter.

- cook at least one new recipe a month.

- live IN THE NOW, trusting the past and future to Jesus.

- run in a 10K and/or a half marathon.

- buy a car.

- move to Nashville.

- go to 2 new states (South Carolina and TBD).

- turn 30 with grace and style.

- go skydiving.

Ready?! AND … GO!