Ways You Can Talk About Jesus With Anyone.

One of the #1 reasons Christians don’t share their faith in Jesus Christ with the people in their lives is simply because they don’t know how to start the conversation. Some say that they don’t want to come across like a “Jesus Freak”. Other people feel like they freeze when an opportunity arises. Believe me, I understand I’ve been there before, and that’s why I want to give you some simple tips to overcome this problem! These are things you can and should start doing TODAY.

Simple tips to help you start talking about Jesus:

1. The Overflow of Your Heart Rule:
The Bible says, “Out of the overflow of your heart your mouth speaks.” This rule works for everything. If your heart is bitter, unforgiving, skeptical, fearful, obsessed with Beanie Babies…etc. your words will reflect this! My heart is in love with my amazing husband David, and my words reflect this! The same is true with Jesus, and this is where we must begin, my friends.

Who or what has your heart?

I think this is a valid question to ask. Maybe the reason it’s hard for you to talk about Jesus is because He’s not the center of your life and heart. The more that Jesus Christ is your love, your strength, your joy, your peace, and your life, the more you will naturally and easily talk about Him with others.

2. Be Aware:
Realize that every day God really does have someone for you to share Him with. Ask Him throughout the day who that person/s is! Life is pretty pointless if we aren’t sharing Jesus, and God doesn’t have a pointless life in store of you.

3. Know Your Testimony.
Ask yourself these questions-

What has Jesus saved me from?
What has Jesus done in my life?
How has his love changed me?
What does my relationship with Him look like?

Now write your answers down. Sometimes a little clarity goes a long way. Spend time reading over or even memorizing your answers. Eventually someone else will ask you one of those questions, and you will know exactly what to say!

4. Small Talk:
Serve in a local church and be a part of a smaller Christian community. This is important because you will be around people who talk about Jesus. They will ask you questions about Jesus. It’s good practice and it’s good input. Good input creates good output.

5. Evaluate What You Depend On:
For strength, peace, joy, hope, in good times, and in bad times depend on Jesus Christ. If you already do, take note of that. At some point someone is going to comment, “Why are you so happy?” “How can you have strength when things are so bad?” Jesus is your answer.

6. Pain:
Pain is a universal language. Pain is the reason that Jesus came, to save us and set us free. When you see pain, you should see a conversation about Jesus. You should see how he answers and heals all of our pain when we come to Him.

7. Good Advice:
If you are a Christian you will be asked for advice. The wisdom and peace and confidence of Jesus compel others to ask for your advice when you need it the most. This may seem daunting, but if you have good advice this could be a great conversation. And let me say, YOU HAVE GREAT ADVICE. Jesus really is the answer to any problem. Look past the outside and go straight for the issues of the heart. Jesus is always the answer to the longings of the heart.

8. Nature:
“The heavens declare the glory of the Lord.” Nature is always a pointing towards redemption, a move from death to life in Jesus. Creation sings the praise of our Creator. It’s an easy proclamation of Christ; use it!

9. Romance:
Romance tells the story of Jesus. The Bible says that marriage is a picture, a metaphor, of the love of Christ. (Ephesians 5) Unfortunately in the broken world there is so much brokenness in the name of love. Luckily Jesus’ love is the perfect love and answer to every broken heart.

10. Conversation Starters and Follow Up Questions:
Come up with your most comfortable way to start conversations about Jesus with new people, and use it frequently. They can be as simple as:

“What do you believe about God/Jesus?- Would you like to hear what I believe?” ,
“Do you attend church?- Would you like to go with me some time?”,
“What are you passionate about?- Why are you passionate about that?” ,
“What is your story?- Would you like to hear my story?” ,
“What/where do you feel like your purpose in life comes from?- What is your purpose?” ,
“Do you know Jesus?- Can I tell you about Him?”

Now start talking!

There are many more, but these are what I use to help me. How do you talk about Jesus? Comment with your tips below.

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Your Problem Is Your Joy.

So often I find myself in this horrific cycle of white-knuckle Christianity. I can keep myself from the sins of murder and adultery (do-the-right-thing sins), but go down in flames on the insecurity, jealousy, and pride in my mind. Is there a way to truly change your own thoughts? Are Christians doomed to have it all together on the outside, but be shamed by the deepest closets of our hearts with the secret sins of our minds?

Two weeks ago at North, I was standing in the back of the room during worship available to pray with anyone who desired it. A young girl I’d never met before rushed up to me in a panic and asked,
“I have to know, what is joy? How do I even know if I have joy?”

This is a question that David and I have really been talking about. We started a series on joy at North, and I find myself wondering is joy possible? It’s hard to be different, to do the right things, and especially to think the right things. And let’s be honest, you are what you think. What you think about determines the kind of life you live.

As Christians we tend to stop there. We enter the battle of the mind, struggle through our thoughts, and fight until we are weary. But what I am beginning to believe is that we need to unearthed an even deeper problem. We need to stop treating the symptom and find out the problem.

The problem is our joy.

You see, we will ultimately spend our time thinking about the very thing we think we will give us ultimate joy. This means that ultimately we aren’t led by our thoughts; we are truly led by our desires. So I guess the question is, What do you REALLY believe will give you joy? (success, comfort, safety, accomplishment, beauty, perfection…ect?) Those things drive all of your thoughts and ultimately your actions: good and bad.

Once you’ve made that assessment, there are 4 things you need to know about your answer.

1. That thing or person will let you down and ultimately fail you.

2. Because you believe that thing or person will give you what you want (joy), it has control over your happiness, thoughts, and ultimately your actions.

3. Because it has control over your happiness, thoughts, and actions, you have a spiritual worship of that thing or person.

4. You will never be able to experience true and lasting joy. (1 John 2:15-17)

When you think about the pain and suffering of the world, when you face hardships and trials and loneliness, and finding out that true and lasting joy is unattainable can make life feel worthless, pointless, and bleak. As Christians, we have Christ as our example. And luckily, He was well acquainted with grief, loneliness, pain, hardship, abandonment, and ultimately a horrific death. Unbelievably, He did it all with joy. How?

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus laid aside everything and went to the cross for the JOY. What is that joy? His love for His Father and His love for you. Ultimately Jesus could do the difficult work of the cross and face every hardship in this life, because His mind was fixed on His joy. His mind was fixed on His love for you.

Proverbs 10:24 “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.”

It’s time that we make right the desires of our heart. It’s time we make Jesus the desire of our heart and pour out our love and affection on Him, who is so deserving. He will never fail you or control you. Only He will give you true and ultimate joy.

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Scripture Meditation:

Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

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Book Recommendation:

“Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional” by Jim Belcher

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Check out the first 2 sermons on JOY! These are so great to hear and helpful for your heart!

“Joy For The Lonely”

“Joy For The Fearful”

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Question:

How has Jesus given you joy?

My answer:
“My Secret Battle”

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Simple Tips For Writing Great Posts

Now that you’ve entered the conversation and started a great blog, you need to know HOW to write a great blog post. Let’s face it, it’s not really worth taking the time to write a blog if no one is going to read it! There are simple tips that can help you along your way. And if you follow these tips, you can be sure that your blog traffic will increase.

Try these out, and let me know if they work for you like that worked for me!

1. Be brief. Always be brief.
I hated this rule at first, but I’ve learned to live by it. No one has time to read even a great blog longer than 500 words. Stick to between 100 to 500 maximum. The purpose of a blog is conversation; keep it at that. If you stick to this rule, people will come back and read again!

2. If you can’t be brief, you’re writing about too many topics or thoughts in one post.
You may have a lot to say, and that’s OK, just split your ideas into separate blogs. Keep each blog about one idea. Ideally you should write a series of blogs on one topic with each post talking about one idea.

3. Always have a picture in your post.
Let’s face it, we like pictures. It’s important that your picture is quality, simple, easy to see, and helps the reader imagine the most basic thesis to your post.

4. Always think “simple.”
This may seem redundant, but its so, SO important. Simplify everything, be direct, and be to the point; this will help you keep your posts short. This can even just be an aesthetic thing, sometimes this problem can be solved by merely keeping your paragraphs short and spaced out. It looks cleaner and simpler to the reader.

5. Always get readers to respond.
Blogging is all about starting a discussion. Readers will visit blogs again if they feel valued and important. Ask them questions. Get people to respond to you, and they will come back again.

6. Tell stories.
Good writers are great storytellers. A lesson I learned from my dad, everyone can relate to a story. Stories will convey the point of your post, while helping readers feel understood. Every post doesn’t have to be a story, but many should be.

7. Do book reviews.
Book reviews make great posts that readers will read. They are personal, stories, relatable, and convey information. Make sure your blog includes some book reviews that revolve around your blog’s focus.

8. Find a way for readers to participate.
Respond to the comments on your posts. Post and quote your readers. Get people to be Guest Authors. Pull in your readers, and make their voices heard. They will respect you and your blog.

9. Do “How to’s”
“How to posts” are great because they are real and direct. For some reason in the same way that “Do it yourself” TV and reality TV do well, “How to posts” always get great blog traffic.

10. If you are controversial, be controversial.
Readers love bloggers who take a stand for something. This is part of being true to the focus and purpose of your blog. So remember your focus and purpose, and write about the opinions you obviously have about those things. If nothing else, a conversation will begin.

11. Put links to more information.
This is just being thorough and legitamate. No good teacher, writer, or communicator spouts off ideas and theories without citation or options if people want to read more. It’s just a good thing to do.

12. Stay in your brand and in your focus.
Yes, I will say it again, and it goes for every post.

13. Be real.
Maybe this is just my pet peeve, but be real. A blog is not a place to be egotistical or self-promoting. A blog is one of the most popular ways that our generation in this day has conversation with the world, so don’t be someone you aren’t. Be yourself, and you’ll do great! Good luck!!

A White Stone Blog’s Most POPULAR POSTS of 2010.

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I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to my husband, David! In a world where men look to each other, their jobs, their status, and their money for identity and validation, you look to our God. Because of Him, you are the most amazing, loving, and mighty man that I know. And I love you with all my heart. – KR:)

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Advise From 81 Years of Health, Healing, & Beauty:

“I’m Nanny,” she said, “And we haven’t been properly introduced yet. You go get you a cup of hot tea and sit down and talk to us for a while.”

I wasn’t going to disobey an order like that. I love wisdom, and I love hot tea. I wiped my hands on my apron and put the last of the dishes and teapots to soak in the hot soapy water. I grabbed the pear out of my purse and poured myself some Earl Grey. An extra chair had already been pulled up to Nanny’s table, and I sat down.

Nanny and her daughter (who happened to be about the same age as my mom) never skipped a beat. Listening to the way they talked was like watching a slinky roll down a set of stairs. One started speaking and the other finished the sentence, and before I could interject they were on to another topic. The flow between made me never quite sure when one story ended and another began.

Abruptly the conversation and their eyes turned to me. The younger woman (who has known me for a few months now) told me she was going to buy me some “Ezekiel” bread at the health food store. She was sure that its five grains and no preservatives would be good for my stomach. This transition sent us down our next set of stairs in the conversation, and Nanny led the way.

“Let me tell you something, girl. I know a little secret to grocery shopping,” said Nanny.

Nanny’s Advice #1
Always shop at the edges of the grocery store, and never go down the aisles. Produce, meat, and dairy are on the edges. Sweets, preservatives, and everything bad down the aisles. “You don’t have any business going down the aisles.”

Nanny told me she was eighty-one years old. To which I responded, she didn’t look a day over sixty. I found out from a coworker later she makes her own face cream. It must be good stuff because there was barely a wrinkle on her face.

“And while I’m at it,” Nanny continued with a sparkle in her eye, “Let me tell you something about being healthy.”

Nanny’s Advice #2
God made your body one in the same. Your body is connected to your soul is connected to your emotions is connected to your spirit- its one body. And if you are a Christian the Spirit of Jesus lives inside of you, your body must submit itself to God just like your spirit has. Every single day, wake up and say, “Body I command you to come under the control of Jesus Christ and work the way you were made to.” Nanny promises it works.

When the younger woman got up to use the restroom, Nanny drew close and looked me in the eyes. And in her eyes, I could see her sweet spirit, and I could see that she worship the same God with her life as me. With much kindness and compassion she finished with this:

Nanny’s Advise #3
Get rid of any unforgiveness and bitterness, anything that isn’t from God in your life. Don’t tolerate it. Not only will it hurt your heart, but also it will come out in your body. It will make your body hurt. It will make your body sick. And that’s not how our good God intended you to be.

I know that not all the sickness in the world comes from something like that, but in that moment, looking in the eyes a precious, healthy, beautiful woman of God I knew she was right. What a wonderful reminder that God is good and desires us to be healthy and happy in Him.

What has been your most influential advice for health and happiness? Share your beauty secrets below!

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11 Ways To Live On Mission In 2011

11. Learn where you live.
You may have lived in your location your whole life, but do you know the needs of your neighbors and city? It’s impossible to give a gift if you don’t know what the people around you need. Everyone needs Jesus, but what he or she needs will determine how he or she will see Him. Learn the needs of where you live.

10. Be reading a gospel continually. Be reading your Bible.
This may seem simple, but are you reading your Bible every day? Are you continually reading the books about Jesus? It will be hard to see the needs around you, and even harder to know the answers to the needs if you are not in the Word every day. Commit to read your Bible, especially the gospels, every day in 2011.

9. Be in training.
I’m not talking about a workout New Year’s Resolution; I’m talking about training your mind to think “gospel-centered.” Train your mind to see Jesus as every answer. Read books and listen to podcasts and begin to see your life, your Bible, your world with Jesus as the center. If you have questions about your faith or theology read books, ask questions, get in a Bible study. Never stop learning what you believe.

8. Pray for your city.
On your knees, in your car, walking , jogging, biking- however you need to, pray for your city and your neighbors. When you don’t know what to do, when you need God’s heart, when the hurt seems to big- pray. Pray every day. “The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous…” The Lord opens closed doors and hard hearts. The Lord delights in the prayers of His people for His people.

7. Ask for opportunities.
Ask God for opportunities every day. “Ask and the door will be opened..” Ask God for dreams of what He doing in your city. Ask Him to open your eyes to the people around you. Ask Him for open doors in your work, the gas station, the grocery store, and your library. It doesn’t matter where the opportunity arises, because it is all for His glory. Now keep your eyes open.

6. Love your local church.
The church is the Bride of Jesus. If you have ever prayed, “Break my heart for what breaks Yours, God,” the answer is on every street corner: the local church. Christ’s heart and love and faithfulness is loyal to His Bride, and He is asking you to turn your heart and love and faithfulness towards her too. No matter how “together” she seems or no matter how “flawed” she may be, God is and will always be moving through the local church. It’s time we join her, fund her, love her, and make her more beautiful in every way.

5. Listen to your heart.
Ask yourself this question, “What breaks my heart?” Maybe its something from your past, maybe it’s an injustice you can’t help but see, maybe it’s a certain person…whatever it may be, God wants to use it. God’s isn’t just after your money or your Sundays; He wants you fully and completely. He’s even willing to use you the most in the area of your heart that is broken. So take out a pen and paper, write down what breaks your heart. Now do something about it.

4. Re-create yourself.
You will never feel like you have arrived enough to be a leader. You will never feel like you are leading while you are being a leader. Great missional leaders stop focusing on their weakness and stop searching for a leader. They address their weaknesses and authority with humility and openness, and rise up to be a leader for other people. Focus on what you are good at and what God has done in your life, and lead from those places. Share those things with others by leading people to Jesus. Find someone else to pour into, never go through a season where you aren’t pouring into another person. Look for someone in your life that you can help look more like you, which in reality is more like Jesus. Stop thinking someone else will change the world.

3. Be vulnerable.
Pretending, self-promoting, insecurity…all the red tape in your relationships needs to come down. Stop pretending to be someone you aren’t. To be truly missional, you have to come to grips with what kind of person you are….good and bad. And you need to make a commitment to stop faking it. This means that you must be vulnerable and transparent always. If you want to lead people to Jesus, you must be committed to it wholeheartedly. That means you must love Him and other people wholeheartedly. You can’t do that if you are not vulnerable and real, because let’s face it, everyone already knows whether you are or aren’t. Be humble, honest, and teachable in your weakness and darkness. And love people more than you love yourself means putting aside insecurity, bitterness, and all that is shallow.

2. Know the answer.
One of the biggest reasons people don’t live a missional life is that they never feel like that will know enough to know all the answers. Life with people is messy. Problems are messy. True missional leaders have given up “self-help” Christianity. They know in their own lives that no 12-step fix has ever had a lasting effect. They are fully aware that it won’t help for other people either. This year you need know how Jesus is the answer to everything. Your life, your problems, your joy, your sorrows need to be Jesus-centered. If it is, then you will see that He is the answer to everything.
Isaiah 53
“Surely He [Jesus] borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with His stripes we are healed…”

1. Probably the biggest way that you can live missionally in 2011…
You simply need to join the mission. In this culture/generation/in America, we are all chasing our individual story, mission, destiny, and calling. Individualism is a very simple distraction that makes us totally miss the real mission for our lives. Life is not a movie where you are the star awaiting your big break in a box office hit! As my husband says, “It’s not that some would know my name; it’s that ALL would know HIS name.” Here’s the reality, the movie is already playing, the starring role already given away. Jesus is the star. He’s moving on this earth!! He’s saving people, healing people, and setting people free! The question is not what is your personal calling or destiny! This question to you is, are you going to join in with the greatest story ever being told? Is your only intention in entering that story to see JESUS do something great? You are never going to do anything good or great in this world, but Jesus IS doing amazing things in this world every day. Only Jesus can soften hearts. Only Jesus can save!
Do something radical, completely against culture and everything inside of you: disown individualism. Join His mission; it’s not about you!

Click and listen to this right from this post. “I Love My City: Finding Your Place in the Mission”. This is the BEST sermon I’ve heard on this topic (and not just because the preacher is the person I love most in this world ).

Also…Here’s a cool blog I read today called “Missional Mothering” by Jani Orlund (for all you moms out there).

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5 Reasons You Might Be Sad This Christmas…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?! Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for many people the holiday season can be hard. If you’re struggling to stay joyful or if you have a heart to share “good tidings of great joy” to those who are sad, this blog is for you!

“5 Reasons You Might Be Sad This Christmas”….5 Reasons To Be Happy From The One Who Understands!

1. Finances
It never feels more important to spend money than during the holiday spending rush. But let’s face it, our economic financial climate has never been so tough. They say “money isn’t happiness,” but maybe money or the lack of has got you kind of down this season. There is a way to still be happy.

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”
Jesus became poor in every single sense when He came to this earth. When He experienced poverty, it wasn’t because of the economy or hard times. He stepped down from Heaven and lived a life without money or provision, because He loves you. And what He offers you is a wealth of love and provision in this life, but also the wealth of eternal life to come. In Him you are rich.

How to share “good tidings” with those sad over finances this season? It’s simple. Become poor. Sacrifice financially for someone this year. Volunteer to serve food. Buy gifts for a family in your neighborhood. Bake gifts for people in need. Share with someone how poor in spirit you once were, and how Jesus has made your heart rich and full. Be vulnerable with people this season.

2. Awkwardness
Everyone wants their holiday family time to be smooth and memorable, but it some families it just feels impossible. Maybe there is hurt and wounds. Maybe families are split by divorce. Maybe there is bitterness. Maybe there is just awkward family drama. And maybe the pressure of it all is taking your “peace on earth” and dragging you down. There is still a way to be happy.

Jesus can be your peace. Your peace will depend on what you allow yourself to think about and who you trust with your situation.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him or her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he or she trusts you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

How to share “good tidings” during awkward times? It’s simple. Share your peace. The presence of peace in the midst of strife and awkwardness is as noticeable as the elephant in the room. Practice peace. The Bible says, “Seek peace and pursue it.” Keep your eyes open at gatherings and in malls for the people who need the peace of Jesus. Maybe instead of letting those people make you crazy angry, share some of your peace with them.

3. Distance
Christmas is portrayed as a time to celebrate family and friends. This expectation is really difficult when those people are far away, and loneliness can suddenly feels worse than ever. If the people you love are far away, there’s still a way to be happy.

Jesus understands the distance. When he carried our sin and our shame to the cross, He was separated from His Father. But Jesus paid the price to bring us close to God, and we have the opportunity to never be far away from His perfect love.
Ephesians 2:12-13
“…Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ…having no hope without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

How to share “good tidings” to those who feel distant? It’s simple. Draw close. If the very answer to the distance lives in your heart, give Him the opportunity to give home. Draw close to those who feel far away. Look for people down about the distance, go to them, take time for them, and invite them into your home or celebrations. Bring them close to you with the intention to bring them close to Jesus.

4. Loss
Mourning and grief are hard enough without the holidays, but during Christmas the hole in your heart seems amplified by ten thousand. It feels like life could not go on and Christmas couldn’t happen without your loved one, yet no one else in the world seems to notice they are gone. There is still a way to be happy.

John 11 tells a story about a friend of Jesus named Lazarus who dies. When Jesus arrives at the tomb of His friend, the Bible says, “Jesus wept” over the death of His friend. Jesus knows what it is like to suffer loss and to mourn. The amazing thing about this passage is that Jesus was moments from raising Lazarus from the dead when He weeps. It comforts me to know that Jesus understands loss. But it comforts me even more to know that even when resurrection is just around the corner, Jesus’ still wept in sadness. Please know today that He understands, and even though in all reality resurrection is just around the corner for us all, it is ok to still weep. Remember this promise.
John 11: 25-26
“Jesus said to her (Lazarus’ sister), ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

How to share “good tidings” with those experiencing a loss? It’s simple. Weep and remember the future hope. Jesus did not stand by as an observer while he walked on this earth. He was a full and vulnerable participant in life with men and women. Let us weep with one another, share in stories from out past. When we do this with one another, we will earn a place to share our joy and hope. Let us then, remind each other of what is to come, the resurrection when there will be no more sadness and tears.

5.Expectation
This time is the perfect reminder that the perfect gift, ultimate celebration, imagined joy and peace and satisfaction are just out of our reach. Possibly the biggest reason people are sad during Christmas is because the holiday experience never lives up to their imagination’s expectation. It’s so sad, but it is just never perfect no matter how hard you try. Christmas is never as satisfying as you think it should be. There is still a way to be happy.

Jesus is the only thing that truly satisfies the needs of our heart. Every single thing we think we need in this life is only pointing to the greater needs of our heart. And nothing earthly, no matter how good it is, could ever meet an eternal need.
Psalm 107:9
“For He (Jesus) satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.”

How to share “good tidings” with those who have crushed expectations? It’s simple. Share Jesus. How has He satisfied you? There was a time in your life when you were looking for fulfillment, identity, love, peace maybe you were searching for it in family, friends, relationships, sex, intellect, money…etc. And at some point that thing failed you. At some point you realized that it would never be enough, and that when you found Jesus, the true fulfillment to all the counterfeit. This Christmas, tell someone your story. Give Jesus to someone who has been let down by the expectations of Christmas.

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Congrats and Merry Christmas to my sweet friends Patrick & Meg Schlabs ! Early Tuesday morning they gave birth to their first baby, Judah Patrick Schlabs. He is perfect in every way! David and I love you all very much and look forward to life with your family!

Photo taken by JosephElliott Photography.

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How I Celebrate Christmas.

I’m not traditional, but I certainly love traditions. I think the appeal of something being repeated over a vast number of years is that it makes that thing seem very stable, perhaps real. So I’m all for celebrating holidays the same each year, creating memories, and occasionally installing new traditions.

I had a lot of time to think this week. The onset of the flu, which I hope is NOT a new Christmas tradition, forced this energetic chic to slow down a little bit. It gave me a chance to really get excited about the upcoming holiday and look forward to the celebration of the season. It also got me wondering, how do YOU celebrate Christmas?

How the Ritchie’s Celebrate Christmas.

1. Advent

I’ve participated in Advent many years now, and it is truly how David and I have chosen to celebrate Christmas. It begins about four weeks before Christmas, and can be celebrated in many different ways. The word “advent” means “coming.” The purpose of Advent as a Ritchie tradition is spend a month of the year dedicated to the expectancy and celebration of Jesus Christ, the God who rescued us. For me, it has been a time to remember why Jesus died and all that His death and resurrection accomplished for my life. It has also been a time to acknowledge the fact that this world is still not as it should be, and celebrate the fact I am waiting for the day that Jesus will come again to make right every injustice and wipe away every tear.

If you are interested in making Advent a part of your traditions, click on these podcasts David preached last Advent.

“The King is Near”

“The King is Here”

Also check out this amazing sonnet by Seth Wieck. Seth is an amazing writer (check out his tumblr ), and he and his wife Katie are our sweet friends. Allow this to stir your heart to worship Jesus this Advent.

Advent Sonnet #2
O Messiah, Your prism mysteries
Have scattered the light ‘cross my feeble eyes.
In my blinking, I’ve seen the strange stories
Of how one man born can be fathered twice.

Son of Man, son of Adam, David’s son:
Death spread to all men because we all sinned.
You, grafted in, donned our skin to be undone
Like the oven-fired grasses just de-stemmed.

Son of God, declared by resurrection:
The Glory of Your heavenly Father
Breathed new life into fallen creation
With the same Spirit that hovered o’er waters.

By that Spirit do we call out, “Father!”,
Having been dead, now raised His sons and daughters.

2. Our Annual Christmas Tree Walk.

There is a place near our house that sells live Christmas trees. Each year we say that we will just go with the fake tree, but each year usually late at night I give into my traditionalist heart. This cave is followed us getting all bundled up and walking up the street, picking out a tree, and my amazing husband carrying it all the way home. This year was no different. Friday night, our tradition continued.

3. Make and Eat Buckeyes.

These delicious, fudge-like treats have been my favorite for as long as I can remember. I love to make them, I love to eat them, and I love to give them as Christmas gifts. More than anything, I enjoy giving my love to the world’s greatest sports team, The Ohio State University. Go Bucks!

And don’t worry, I’m not shy with the recipe. Here’s it is!

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These are just a few “Ritchie Family Christmas Traditions.” I’d love to hear some of your’s, feel free to post a comment and share.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-KR:)

Calvin in the Christmas spirit.

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My Muslim Friend

A little girl from the Thanksgiving outreach with her turkey!

Tuesday evening David and I drove into Trinity Fellowship Church’s parking lot a few minutes later than our normal early arrival to North. We had taken a detour to northeast Amarillo to pick up a friend that we had met at the Bethesda’s Eastridge Thanksgiving Outreach a few weeks earlier. Khadija and I had hit it off right away because we shared one very important thing in common, a fierce love for The Ohio State Buckeyes (we both used to live in Ohio)! We had been chatting via phone ever since our meeting in Eastridge, and Tuesday afternoon my new sweet friend had called and asked if she could attend North with us. We were honored to go pick her up.

As we entered Trinity, Khadija asked me to show her North’s ‘cause wall’. She appreciated our Thanksgiving dinner and really wanted to know how she could get involved in our volunteer opportunities called ‘causes’. I began telling her about our ‘causes’ and why we do what we do. As time drew near for North to begin, I could sense Khadija growing a little nervous. She didn’t say, but I knew she was probably wondering how people would respond to her Ethopian clothing and Muslim headscarf. I wasn’t worried. I know the kind of people who attend, and it wasn’t long before she was commenting on how incredibly nice and friendly everyone was to her.

Tuesday was a particularly special night at North, it was a night of worship as our worship pastor, Patrick Schlabs, released his first worship ALBUM. Khadija and I sat side-by-side, and I could see her concentrating on the words to the songs I can close my eyes and sing. When the worship ended she was beaming.
“I loved it,” she said. “And I was very touched, particularly by the song ‘Immanuel’.”
She told me that she really enjoyed North, but that the way we worship Jesus is very different than the way she worships her god. When I asked her to explain how she said,

“When you worship Jesus, everyone worships with passion. I see you all have so much passion for your God. I am very touched and know that I need to have passion in my life for something.”

When David came to find us, Khadija told him the same thing she had told me about the song ‘Immanuel.’ He told her it meant, “God with us,” and that we sing it because we serve a God who is near us and loves us. She explained to him that Muslims do not worship Jesus, but believe He was a prophet. She wanted to know what we believe about Jesus that is different. David was able to share with her the Gospel. He explained how we all strive to connect to a god who is distant and use religion as our means, but our God came to us. Because of His great love, Jesus came to us to remove all that stands in the way of God and us. We love Him passionately because He first loved us so passionately.

We talked about life and about Jesus the whole way back to the Eastridge neighborhood. She told us more about her religion and her 7 brothers and sisters. As we pulled up to her family’s apartment, Khadija asked us if we would like to meet her mother. She said it was a treat tonight because her mom got home from work before 1am because a machine had broke down at her factory job. We were greeted just inside the door by smiling faces. The children remembered us from the outreach. They were sharing a plate of noodles and meat on the floor, as they politely took turns passing around forks full of food. Khadija’s mom was radiant and smiling. She offered us her authentic Ethiopian food, which smelled delicious. The apartment was full of love and warmth.

As we got in the car and drove back across the railroad tracks, we just smiled at each other. Heading back southwest over the bridge, we could see downtown Amarillo, Texas glowing in the night.
“The gospel really works,” I said. “It works for me every day, and it works for every soul on this earth. It’s what everyone needs.”

Jesus said to, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all of creation.” Most of the time that isn’t some grand adventure. Most of the time that’s not literally traveling all the way to Ethiopia. Most of the time it’s loving your neighbor. We are saved because God’s love came to us. He is why we live. It’s His love we have to give each day. There wasn’t a magical conversion. There wasn’t a special sinner’s prayer. But Khadija wants to beginning serving with us at Faith City Ministries, and she wants to come back to North next week.

Want to hear what the ministry of North is all about? Check out a sermon from North HERE!

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I’d also like to send a shout out to North attendees, Macy and Becca, who are supporting “A White Stone Cause” as they are missionaries in France! They are sporting their “Jesus Loves Strippers” Shirts! Love you ladies!

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True Freedom in Submission by Stuart

Guest Author Bio: Stuart

Stuart was born in New Mexico. He now resides in Amarillo, Texas, and works in the oil fields. Before settling in Amarillo, Stuart spent some time in Seattle and was a member of Mark Driscoll’s church, Mars Hill.

Stuart is a friend of me and David. He is a volunteer member of the North Leadership Team, leads a North Community Group on film and the Gospel, has traveled with us to the mission field, and an active participant of North. He is a man of the Word. David and I value is leadership and friendship, and we are honored to serve Jesus along side of him. We value Stuart’s wisdom and heart for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On a recent North Retreat, I had some great discussions with Stuart about gender, culture, and the Bible. I asked if Stuart would write a few blogs for A White Stone Blog readers from the perspective of a Godly man. I am so honored that he took the time to do so!

Please enjoy his upcoming posts and comments are welcome!
“Men Are Pigs”

“Starting With the Men”
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Here is his third post on the Bible and gender…. “True Freedom in Submission by Stuart”

Stuart and his niece

I have spent the greater part of the last three weeks, praying and reading scripture and struggling with the best way to communicate what the Bible has to say about submission. I even pulled the plug on an article on the subject that I had already submitted (dang there’s that word again) because it just didn’t feel right. Why this anxiety? Well…truthfully…speaking to a largely female audience about how the Bible tells them to submit to a husband is not my idea of a way to health and longevity. Also, our culture at large seems to conjure only visions of MMA fighters or a particular bent of sexual game play complete with whips and chains when the word submission is used. This is why I find such comfort in the Bible. It speaks of no such foolishness when it asks women to submit to their husbands. Let’s take a look!

I’ll very briefly summarize some New Testament scriptures and very importantly their context in regard to submission. All three verses ask wives to either submit or be subject to their husbands. The verses are Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18, and 1 Peter 3:1. If we are to understand the attitude and tone of these directives, we must look at the context. Much like this blog, these men (Paul and Peter) were writing letters of encouragement and instruction to an audience of mostly Christian women and men. Ephesians 5:22 is led into with a call to all Christians, man and woman to imitate our God and our Savior Jesus Christ in love by putting away our evil desires for worldly and temporary indulgence and instead putting on an attitude of thankfulness, wisdom, and submission to other Christians out of a reverence for Christ. So, before he calls wives to submit to husbands, he calls all Christians to submit to each other. The context of Colossians 3:18 has a charge for Christians to put off our “old self” full of selfish desire and debauchery and to put on the “new self” “which is renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10). It goes on to command Christians to forgive each other and to live in harmony and peace with each other and to act as “one body” full of thankfulness for the redemption God has given. Peter takes a little different approach as he begins his passage in 1 Peter 2 by talking of how Christian men and women will set themselves apart by submitting to every authority that is established in their lives. He says we should do this because every authority is place by God. It is only after establishing this submission to Christ, other Christians, and every authority God has placed in our lives, that scripture then has wives submit to husbands.

I almost chuckle at my reservations of writing this blog on submission, because it is another example of how our enemy tries to distract us from the truth of God’s word…ensuring us of confusion and backlash, and telling us to look out for ourselves. God’s word calls us all…men and women…to live lives submitted to one another in love. A life that calls us to community with like-minded believers of God’s incomparable grace and compassion; that brings us out of darkness and loneliness and into a life filled with others; that has us to be concerned with how to care for each other’s needs; that calls us to be accountable for our professed convictions. God’s word calls us to submit our lives to our brothers and sisters because it knows that a life spent in view of others cannot be secretive and lonely and dark and selfish. God knows that true freedom comes from this form of loving submission to others that are also called by His grace and His peace.

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Return to the Strip Club & The Deathly Hallows…

Our first visit to the strip club: My Night At The Strip Club

Special thank you to everyone who donated money and time to buy the gifts for the ladies and the manager, to shop for the gifts, and putting the gifts together. I can’t tell you how much of a part you played in this outreach. I’m also so very grateful for all of you that prayed for us. Without your prayers this cause would not have been possible. Thank you!

Friday morning I woke up wishing that I felt different, but I didn’t. No epic background music. No superpowers. Only the little pit in my stomach of nervousness and excitement. For the most part, it was a normal Friday with some extra time praying over our visit tonight to Cassidy’s strip club and a few finishing touches on the gift bags.

4:30pm rolled around and David and I loaded up the gifts in the car. Beth called me and read me the notes she had written to go along with the gifts. She poured out her heart with testimony of what Jesus had done in her life. It was beautiful and perfect. David and I headed to Outback Steakhouse to purchase a $50 gift card with the rest of the money that had been handed to me for this night over past several months. The gift card was for the owner of the strip club. My prayer was that his heart had softened from our last visit, and surely a delicious steak dinner could only help.

An hour later we pulled up to my in-law’s house followed by Beth and her husband Bob and Melissa and her husband Joseph. Melissa and Joseph had been a huge part of the first outreach, they had gone with us to the club and prayed in the parking lot as Beth and me went inside. This time Melissa had offered to go inside with us to help us pass out the 30 gift bags. The three of us and our husbands joined together to pray one last time together and headed down the street to the club.

Joseph & Melissa

Bob & Beth

Beth, Melissa, and I parked down the street and carried two large laundry baskets of gifts. Our husbands parked down the street in a car to pray for us the entire time we were inside the strip club. We entered a locked foyer room with a small barred window. The girl behind the window looked pretty puzzled to see us. I explained to her why we were there, and she nervously said that she didn’t want to get in trouble. I told her I didn’t want her to either, and that she should get the manager because he would remember us.

The locked door opened, and I could feel Beth and Melissa praying behind me. The manager looked shocked to see us again. I thrust the gift card into his hand and said,

“Hi! It’s us again! We have brought the girls more gifts, so we can either walk around a pass them out as the girls work or we can give them out however you would like.”

He just stared at me, took a few steps back, and said, “Ok.”

The sounds and sights of crowded club instantly surrounded us. Beth and Melissa walked right in and started giving the gifts to all the girls. Some of the girls we recognized from last time, and some of the faces were new. All the faces were smiling and excited to see us. We made sure all the girls working got a gift. We also gave one away to a girl who was there with two guys. The girls opened the gifts right away; most bypassed the makeup, candy, and other goodies and went straight for the note we put inside.

The girls were working, and we could only say to some ‘We love you.’ Others wanted to talk longer. I was drawn to one girl specifically. She offered to take the remaining gifts to the locker room for the girls who would come in later that evening. She grabbed me again as we were about to leave and nervously asked,
“Are you Kate?”
A friend had got me in contact with a dancer, and I have been praying for her and when I do I text her to remind her that God loves her and cares about her. Our relationship had been a phone conversation and text conversation. When she introduced herself, I nearly lost it.

Beth and Melissa finished passing out the gifts to all the girls working. As we headed out the door the manager shouted over at us,
“Thanks a lot girls. I hope you ladies have a great night.”
Only God can soften hearts.

Friday night when we walked into a strip club, we didn’t feel different or special. No epic background music. No super powers. Just three friends who have each experienced a love we don’t deserve, a love that was freely given to us. His love softened our hearts, and it’s His love that we have to give.

David and Kate 🙂

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