Feb 9, 2015

IF GOD IS REAL, THEN WHAT? IF LOCAL GATHERING

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I want you to know something about this photo. These women aren’t thinking about what they look like. They aren’t thinking about this being posted on the internet two days later or about who will see it. In the eight hours before this photograph was taken, the hearts of these women were changed and so was the source of their smiles. These radiant smiles above aren’t beaming from an emotional or spiritual “high” that will one day wear off — they are beaming from a new joy, my smile included. Real work was done. Walls were demolished. God moved.

It’s not an easy thing to write about a day that changed you — a day I count as one of the most significant turning points in my life — but I am going try with the small words I have.

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Twenty-five women gathered in my living room on Saturday for IF Local. We spent a day not experiencing an event or simply watching speakers, but experiencing God’s truth. The thing about Saturday is that the work had already done two-thousand years ago — we just started to believe it and act like it.

I didn’t expect any of what happened in those eight hours.

I didn’t even know most (90%) of these women just a few months ago.

I didn’t think I would do what I did later that evening. At 8:30 that morning, I was carrying shame and guilt and broken pieces. As the day unfolded, I laid them down. All of them. More on that shortly.

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With the help of some excellent teachers (Jennie Allen, Christine Caine, Jen Hatmaker, Bianca Olthoff, Esther Havens, Ann Voskamp, and more) we studied the story of the Israelites being afraid to enter the promised land, wandering in the dessert for forty years, and then finally trusting God and setting foot on that land — Numbers 13 + 14 and Joshua.

This story quickly became our story. The Israelites were afraid to enter the promised land. They had been enslaved for generations and had finally been freed. They stood on the edge of the land of milk and honey — abundance. But, they felt the potential dangers ahead were too big. They were paralyzed by fear. They complained and wanted to go back to bondage rather than moving forward. They grumbled and didn’t trust God’s strength, so they wandered in the wilderness for forty years! Forty years. Freedom was too hard to hope for. Do you see where this became our story?

This is us.

God says go and we reply, “But, it’s too hard! We’re not strong enough!”

In a way, we’re right. We aren’t strong enough. But, God is.

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The walls and doubts and fears started to crumble as we were challenged with these questions:

What is God calling you to believe?

What holds you back from believing?

How do we believe?

What could happen if we believed?

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We stand at the edge of freedom and, rather than dive in, we don’t.  The doubts cloud our vision of the promised land: Am I enough? Are we going to be safe? What is it going to cost?

Encouragement from Jen Hatmaker:

“We struggle with faith sometimes because God asks us to do hard impossible things that only He can do. Our limits blind us to God’s abilities.”

“Real faith moves out of our heads and into our lives.”

“We live out God’s kingdom to the same fullness as we believe in it.”

“You do not have to have full confidence in yourself, just have it in God.”

And perhaps the most powerful truth of the day that sunk into all of our hearts:

“Don’t wait till you have full possession of knowledge before you take full possession of God.” Too often, we believe the lies that we aren’t good enough for God or His purposes because we don’t know enough, haven’t done enough, and we are too broken.  Does that ring true for you? It did for all of us too.

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We read Joshua 1:1-9. The core of these verses: Be strong and courageous! Move forward.

Christine Caine challenged us with this question: “What’s dead in your life that you are trying to hold onto? Sweetheart, if the horse is dead, dismount!”

And this is where my words fail to fully express what happened in my heart as the following truth sunk in: “We are so unhealthily attached to the past. Move forward.” That. That was it for me.

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I thought I got this grace thing but, I was still carrying around bricks in my heart. I felt like I deserved to carry the bricks so I kept them hidden. I didn’t even realize I was doing this, but that’s the thing about God’s word.

‘For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires’ (Hebrews 4:12 NLT).

I didn’t know I was carrying this weight until reading God’s word exposed it for what it was: carrying lies.

I had been painfully attached to the past. Chained by the shame of past mistakes, not being “perfect,” having what felt like too many broken pieces, and not understanding how God could love me in my mess.

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But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”‘ (Ephesians 5:12-14 NIV).

It was time to wake up! When the truth gets ahold of your heart, there is no turning back. Well, you could go in circles and wander in the wilderness for a while like the Israelites, but I didn’t want to waste any more of my life.

Believing lies was holding me back from the promised land. Holding me back from doing what God put me on this earth to do. Holding me back from true heart intimacy in my marriage. Holding me back from being the mom God designed me to be. Holding me back from leading boldly. Holding me back from being fully alive.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:5-9 NIV).

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The truth:

Be strong and courageous, Lara. I am with you.

Be strong and courageous, Lara. I created you for a reason.

Be strong and courageous, sisters. I made you on purpose. You are enough and strong in me alone. Not in your knowledge of the Bible. Not in your job titles. Not in your bank accounts. Not in your good deeds. Not in your looks or your accomplishments or your past. Only in me.

Be strong and courageous, sisters. The promised land is real and good. It’s yours for the taking. Not when you “have it all together.” In me, you have it now and forever.

As Christine explained, “Courage comes from knowing God is with you. Faith comes from hearing the word of God. The call of God is inconvenient. It will interrupt your life. Get up and set your foot on the promised land. Begin to move. Set your foot on the land.”

And so, with fear and trembling, I did.

After the ladies had all gone, I sat with Ari and poured my heart out. Years of pain and unspoken shame and things I didn’t know I was still carrying poured our with my tears. I was ready to move forward and stop living with my past attached to me. Ari spoke truth to me and loved on me and forgave me for carrying this weight alone. In marriage, we are meant to be truly one. And so, in laying down all those bricks, we were.

I was finally free. Not by anything I had done, but by what Christ had already done on the cross. I finally fully stepped in the water and the river parted.

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These brave women stepped into the river too. Emails and texts and conversations have been flying since we all left Saturday night. Together, we’re going to keep stepping in to cross over to the promised land. Step by step. Little by little, and with big leaps of faith. Because our days here are short, but long enough to do something that matters — something that lasts longer than us. “We don’t have time to NOT have faith to move mountains.” – Esther Havens.

We don’t have time to remain in chains.

We don’t have time to wander in the desert any longer.

The promised land is before you. Set your foot on the land.

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Some encouragement that the women in our group wanted me to share with you:

— “As Jen said, “Don’t wait to take full possession of knowledge of God to take possession of God.” I can’t stop thinking about that! I encourage other women to stop believing the lie that we become disciples of Christ only when we enter into complete and total knowledge of God. Don’t wait! He is ours, and we are His!”

— “Before IF I had been struggling with believing I enough- I am blessed by words of each speaker. For anyone that didn’t come I would say come with and open heart and be prepared to see God change you. God did a lot of work in our hearts this weekend. God is real. You can make the change. You are enough. Keep going. Strong and faithful servants.”

— “I’m so thankful that the Lord whispered to each of us to register for IF even if we had no idea what to expect! I really feel like a beautiful sisterhood was stitched together on Saturday and he brought every last one of us to that sisterhood. Let’s also praise God for the unapologetic truth of the speakers- that God does not call us to be comfortable and his ways are not easy…that we are going to battle together as sisters, but that WE ARE ENOUGH. We do have what it takes- YOU have what it takes to do that thing God is whispering you to do, even when you can’t see how it will play out. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and take one step. then another. then another. Let’s say yes to letting His plans unfold in our lives!”

— “The consistent message impressed upon my heart yesterday, was not to count on my own abilities but on the power of God.  It is absolutely true that in my flesh, I am not…but God IS.  I know and trust that God can do the impossible but I don’t trust myself.  I am paralyzed with fear that I will fail my God but you know what His love, His truth, His word says to me?  “I WILL NOT FAIL YOU”  God will not fail on His promises.  He has called us all to greatness in His name and He will NOT fail on that promise. It is up to me to trust and obey. God is good.”

— “One thing I am taking with me today is that I am no longer going to be quiet. I want others to know Him. Like Jennie said, “What if God shows me a slideshow of what I missed?” That caught my attention big time!”

One of the discussion questions (the discussion times were some of the most fruitful parts of the day for us!) was, “Who is a woman who has personally shaped your faith?” I shared the story of a morning many years ago when, in the mess of my old life, I found a note on my hotel pillow from Nancy Ray. She had written out a prayer and an encouraging scripture for me. Thinking back to who I was then, I’m not sure I personally would have believed that anything could help me turn from my selfish ways. I was so lost. I would have assumed, “She’s too far gone to be rescued.”

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Nancy didn’t believe that. She believed in God’s abilities, not her own. God continued to use her to mold my faith in profound ways. I am so grateful! And here you go. Finally sharing a few bump pics from Saturday : ) She’s due with her first in May and I’m due with #2 in July.

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When I was seven months pregnant with Grace, Nancy put her hands on my belly and prayed for Grace’s little life. Right at the end of the prayer, Grace gave Nancy’s hands a swift kick, as if to say, “Amen, Nancy!” Nancy’s presence in my life so beautifully illustrated what we learned on Saturday: it’s not about us, it’s about who God is.

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We closed the day reading about Joshua and the Isrealites crossing the Jordan River. God tells them to step into the river and He promises to make a way. But, first they must step in, have faith, and trust in what seems impossible.

So, they did.

They stepped in.

The waters parted.

They crossed on dry ground in the middle of the once-rushing river.

As Joshua and the Israelites did, we marked our day with river rocks as a symbol of God’s faithfulness. We, along with thousands of women all over the world who gathered for IF Local, wrote our next step of faith on these rocks.

And, as for me, I stepped in and God parted the waters. I went back and wrote that note above to remember — February 7th, 2015 — FREEDOM!

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“Thank you” is too small to offer to the IF team. Thank you for letting God use you! If you missed IF, you can pre-order the replay here. I just ordered it myself to re-watch.

Thank you to the women who shared the day with me. I am so grateful for each of you! Be strong and courageous, sisters!

Photographs by Nancy Ray.

25 Comments

  1. Kristin Schmucker on February 9, 2015 at 11:19 pm

    Love this so much. Saturday was a hard day as it marked one year since we rushed to the hospital and found out we had lost Sophia. I spent the day watching IF, and so amazed and thankful for how God spoke into all of the things I have wrestled with this past year. It is amazing to me how God uses Scripture and His people to speak into the lives of so many about so many different things. Our God is so good.

  2. Melissa Lennox on February 9, 2015 at 11:47 pm

    <3 love your heart so much!

  3. Kyla Fetzner on February 9, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Amen! This weekend at my local IF:Gathering, God marked a milestone in my walk with Him. It was beautiful and left me in awe of Him, as it revealed to me that He had used many, many months last year pruning me in preparation for what He is doing right now. He is so good!!

  4. Linda on February 10, 2015 at 12:34 am

    Thank you for such a beautiful post. I was at an IF local also and praise a God for His work in all of us.

  5. dawn on February 10, 2015 at 1:18 am

    amen … miss lara, your words witness while reading them … a holy fire … having never heard of IF, i will check it out … if we stay in the place of recrimination and condemnation (and i’ve been there too long at some points as well) we miss the beautiful gift of release and the reason jesus paid it all for us … blessings x

  6. Natalie clamp on February 10, 2015 at 2:55 am

    Love you and this. This post left me without words. Thank you so much for laying it (all) out there….

  7. Jenn Sprinkle on February 10, 2015 at 4:36 am

    So glad to know you were watching. It was a sweet 2 days indeed.

    • Lara on February 10, 2015 at 2:44 pm

      Thank you for all you did to make the experience incredible! I loved my May Book with your lettering : )

  8. Hannah @ Living the Good Life on February 10, 2015 at 1:40 pm

    Lara, thank you for this beautiful re-cap of IF:Gathering. I was unable to tune in over the weekend, but look forward to getting my own copy of the sessions from those two days. Sounds so powerful and I am very much encouraged by your story of healing and freedom! God is SO good and so faithful! Blessings to you! <3

  9. Kristin Shyla on February 10, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    Praise Praise Praise the good work of Jesus! I am so thankful for His good work in you. He is committed to bring it to completion!!! AMEN!! God is Stronger and Great in YOU! I’m grateful for your authenticity and I needed to hear every word of your time with the Lord. Press on sister, today is new and his mercies are new every minute!

  10. Jaque Taylor on February 10, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    The Lord is so good! It is amazing what he does with broken hearts, and how he heals, empties, and rebuilds us. I was deeply touch, renewed, and changed this weekend!

    You are right, why go back now? Keep pressing forward, keep walking!

  11. Pam Parker on February 10, 2015 at 5:55 pm

    Dear Lara, I feel a little like a proud momma. I have been able to watch you grow from a distance. As a business women (MTH Alum), mother and most of all as a Christ follower. IF was an amazing weekend for all involved. “Be bold and courageous “

  12. Leanne Caroline on February 11, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    Oh my goodness, I’m in the forty year wilderness! You are absolutely speaking to me! Thank you Lara for a very interesting and moving read. And the photos of you and Nancy are just gorgeous, you can see the love.

  13. Stacy on February 11, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    I am so in love with this post. I will, most likely, read it again as soon as I post this comment. 🙂 I watched If alone via my computer but I was so moved and encouraged and empowered to get off of the dead horse I have been trying to ride for several years.

  14. Rhonda Quaney on February 13, 2015 at 10:25 pm

    I wasn’t able to be part of the If Gathering, but cried as I read your post. Loved, loved, the part about Nancy praying for little Grace. I feel so much like Caleb, wanting to take some hill country even though I’m 57. I see so many adorable, young women on the internet and think it surely is too late to make a difference with words or some of the things burning in my heart. Picking up my courage and seeing where God takes me. Thank you Lara for your heart and honesty. God has used your obedience to move me forward.

  15. Michelle on February 16, 2015 at 11:11 pm

    after reading your story, i had a friend post about her experience on facebook. you know when you’ve never heard of something before, and all the sudden it starts to appear everywhere? God works in mysterious ways.

  16. Jewel at Eat.Drink.Shop.Love on February 18, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    Reading this made me cry but hopeful for the future.

  17. Scarlett Lillian on February 19, 2015 at 12:30 am

    Soooo needed to read this today. Thank you for being a constant inspiration and for your boldness to share God’s truth. Hugs to you Lara!

  18. Dawn Libby on February 20, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    I love how God has b-lined me to this website. I’ve been right on the edge of my promised land and terrified. Found myself shrinkin back after all the steps of faith I took to get here. What was wrong? Fear of not being enough. Excuses. I love art, design…so much I side of me waiting to come out. I took the step to start an art journal then searched forever for the perfect journal. After months came across The Sinplified planner and she recommended your power sheets. That takes us to now. Still afraid but not running away. Standing firm with God! Thank you for being transparent and open. God bless you and your family and friends!!!!!

  19. Beverly on February 24, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    I’ve been clinging to what was a life-altering, professional failing that happened nearly seven years ago. No matter how hard I have tried to stuff it, move past it, or run from it – it has kept my heart stuck and fearful.
    I’m grateful that God never left me during those many years. Yet now, I feel He is tenderly urging me to fully let it go – with His help – so that I can receive other good things He has for my life. And I can be forgetful, but what you shared is a marvelous way to remember an act of surrender …. plus I happen to live close to a rocky ocean. An ocean rock with my next step of faith written on it. Yes!
    Moving forward! And not forgetting it. Thanks, Lara.

  20. Elizabeth on March 28, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    I just had a ‘down deep’ discussion with my husband this morning. And believe it or not, the rabbit trail that brought me to you, through StudioCalico on Instagram, was a big part of the discussion. I relate to so many of the things said here, especially Rhonda’s comment above about having a ‘Caleb’ spirit.
    My husband very supportively encouraged me with the reminder that ‘all things work together for our good’ and so, all the pain, sorrow, and suffering of the last 12 years has a purpose in making me who I am today, and how I can serve my Master.
    I’m very encouraged to take the steps necessary to accomplish my assignment(s), and look forward to seeing how ‘knowing’ you will fit in! =)
    Blessings, and hugs, too!

  21. Stephanie on April 2, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Can you recommend a book or bible for husband’s that are not familiar with Jesus? My husband grew up without any religious background and has quieted his inner “facts are facts” viewpoint on God since marrying and becoming a father to our 4 month old son. We have recently started attending a church and he complained that the service had too much “gimmick” and not enough preaching. This was so exciting! He wants to learn more and without me strong arming him so I would love to put a bible in his Easter basket if you don’t mind recommending something for the “new interest” in this man Jesus.

    • Lara on April 3, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      Yes and how exciting! I am praying for him now. I recommend getting him an NLT translation Bible and a copy of More Than a Carpenter. It’s a great basic book that’s been around for a long time and was super instrumental in my husband coming to faith in Jesus. Blessings to you both!

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