Return to Project Love

Dear Reader,

I don't know how to tell you what I really want to say.  As a writer, I want to share a piece of my heart with you through these words.  But I'm inadequate.  And I fall short so often.

Thus, I'll break the rules of writing and tell instead of show you what I want to say.

God is so very amazing.

When I have a stressful, busy day, His love still shines.  When I'm alone in a room of people who trample His Name, He is strong.  When I want to curl up and cry, to run away from the world and not let it see my weakness, He is my Tower of Protection.  He's the Friend who never leaves me.  He's the One who knows my heart and loves me just the same.

I'm always overwhelmed:  either by the world or by His beauty.

If I take my eyes off Jesus, I grow restless, scared, and broken.  Oh, but how wonderful it is when you,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace."  - The Heavenly Vision by Helen H. Lemmel

I want to have heavenly vision.  I want to have an eternal perspective.  And I want to be constantly overwhelmed by His beauty.  But there's a problem:  I don't.

I fail more than I succeed.  I get impatient, frustrated, stressed.  The Christian life is supposed to be one of courage and strength.  Shouldn't we be like Joshua, David, Daniel, Esther, and all the others?  What did they have that we don't?  I know that there's more to life than the "christianity" that  many of us have.

And I want that.  I want more.

Christianity today seems to focus on the wrong areas.  We know what the Bible says, and we've already "asked Jesus into our hearts."  We expect Him to somehow bring us the fruit of the spirit and turn our lives into something epic.  And we think that if we do our part (go to church, read our Bibles, pray, etc.), then it's His job to give us the life we want.

And while there's some slight truth to these beliefs, we often fall short of what truly matters.

I've said this before, but it encompasses everything I want you to hear.

Christianity is not a religion.  It's a relationship.

 I want a stronger relationship with God.  I want Him to be my all.  I want to obey the greatest command in the Bible:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5

God said that we will find Him when we search for Him with all our heart.  (Jeremiah 29:13)

But what does that look like?  How can we love God with all?  How can we stop going through the motions and develop a true relationship with God?

I don't know.  I wish I could give you an answer and claim that I have this down.  But I don't.

That's why we're going to return to Project Love.  We're going to discover how to love God with every area of our life - not because we're supposed to but because we want to love Him more.  We're going to be open with each other and let go of distractions in order to gain so much more.

We saw a glimpse of this during the summer, but I want to dive in further to Project Love.  I have no clue where this will lead.  I don't know what to say to encourage you or even how we can attempt to do this.  Truthfully, in our own strength we can't do anything.  So let's turn our eyes upon Jesus and let Him sweep us away.

If you're willing to join me, here's how we can get started:

• Share your heart in the comments.  Let us grow together by discovering where you are and how we can be an encouragement to you.  Tell me how I can be praying for you.

• Take a minute to prayerfully answer the questions below.  This will help me know where to start.

• If you know someone who would be blessed by joining us, please invite them!  Become partners in this challenge, and encourage each other towards Jesus.

I love each and every one of you.  You've challenged me to go "further up and further in", to live radically, and to love others.  I'm so excited to press on together!

~♥~