Identity Check

About 18 months ago, I was gearing up to start the  planning of my next big event. We'd been putting on the Beautiful Smart Lady Summits in Colorado for seven years and I was excited for the next one.

But something didn't feel right.

When God asked me to take a break for the year and be still - I gasped. We had just moved to Texas, and He thought I needed rest and family for awhile. I was thankful to Him and trusting He knew best. But in the time that followed, I realized my identity had become attached to my ministry work. Here is where I felt validation. Here is where I felt important. Who was I apart from it?

Even when what I do is good, right, and helps people...it can't become who I am. So, I've been auto-correcting during this sabbatical with Papa.

As a result of "time out," I've learned all about living inside the grace of one day; and listening for His voice and doing what He says. 

I don't always succeed in this. But I can say that because I took that time, I have drawn closer to the Lover of my soul.

My true sole and soul identity is simple: I'm His beloved daughter who is listening and fulfilling the ideas that come from His mind by using the gifts He's given me. He's in everything!

Selah!

Matthew 28:20 - "I am with you always; even to the end of the age." 

When All is Stripped Away

It was 2009 and our lives and dreams had imploded in economic disaster. We lost our business, our home; and we felt ashamed and lost. 

Holding hands, Rick and I paused at the top of our driveway, turned around, then looked at the sweet, quiet, beauty of the place we called home for 30 years. So much life lived. So many laughs, giggles, and big dreams fulfilled. Here, we had built a home and a family with our own hands and hearts.

We prayed for the next tenants; blessed the land and the neighborhood; and thanked God for the amazing gift of being able to raise our family here. And then...we moved on.

That was 11 years ago. Though times were frantic, tumultuous, and seemingly hopeless, we entered our new lives with cautious hope; leaning on a glistening promise of a better tomorrow. Looking back, I now know we had an uncanny faith to move mountains.

How did we do that? It wasn't under our own power. We were devastated and hurt to the bone. But we felt called. And then we felt sent. We left our home to sit at the feet of Jesus for two years where we were healed and set free.

When others saw failure, horror, and doom, we saw and witnessed the promise and presence of a Father that loves us most; who cares for us; who fights for us.

 Sometimes things need to be stripped away so we can see what's true and real.

Here's a classic from Matt Redmon to quiet your spirit and bless you day. You're welcome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Zp586pvZg

You Can Do It!

Do you ever fret and wait and procrastinate and finally, once you take the risk and try something new, you realize it wasn't hard at all? That just happened (again) to me!

I'm still learning by leaps and bounds. Today I learned to do a landing page in Mailchimp for one of my workshops. Who'da thunk?

I just determined to do it, and I did. I'm about to send it out and we'll see what happens.

Nonetheless - I want to encourage you to take that next step. Try that new thing. Learn that new skill. Dive into creativity in a new form. Imagine that new business and make a plan. Don't settle. Go big! You can do it, and these days, all of us have extra social distancing time, right?

I believe in you!

Love, Chris

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

If you'd like to get info about my upcoming online writing workshops, email me at chris@christinetracy.com

Happy Easter!

In these times...

I could feel hopeless. I could feel depressed. I could be angry. I could blame.

But I can't go there. Some might say I don't care. But...the truth is I care too much. It would be too easy for me to climb into a hole of despair and get stuck.

So...I get up every morning, sip my coffee, check my messages, read, water my garden, walk my dog, greet people, connect with friends, bake a little, work, write, take photos, and I give myself an assignment to look for the good.

I may not be able to control what's happening in my world, but I can control how I respond to it. 

That said - I am believing with all hope and trust that we are going to be OK as a people and a nation. Today we celebrate a day in history when suddenly everything changed. 

Happy Easter everyone. The Lord is Risen and He is indeed good!

A 4 a.m. Conversation

In the middle of the night, I felt like the Lord was wanting to talk about fear, hate, and sickness.

So many right now are full of fear - for good reason.

So many right now are full of hatred - because they are full of fear.

God's question to me was "What are fear and hatred?"

Knowing He would give me the answer, I said "you know, God."

"Fear is dis-ease of spirit.

"Hatred is dis-ease of soul.

"Our humanity is body, soul, and spirit. Could two affect the one? Might dis-ease of soul and spirit invite dis-ease of body?"

I pondered...if the answer is yes, then, could joy, hope, and love generate physical wellness? And, if so...how do we release that?

Nehemiah 8:10 Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Isaiah 60:1 - Arise and shine for your light has come.

Regarding the Headlines:

I'm a career journalist; a born and bred newspaper lover. I have been defending the media lately. The news outlets I watch and read, I believe, are indeed trying to present the facts. 

That said, I also know humans, and hence those in the media, tend to look at the negative; the crisis; expecting the worst. 

These sentiments seem to rise like invisible cream in every report these days. May I suggest that no one really can foresee how this will end? We must not put our faith in reports that stem from a reporter's or "expert's" own fears. I have heard it said that fear is faith in the wrong God. I have also heard it said that we empower the enemy when we believe his lies.

So how can we change how we respond? If we could just re-look at what is happening, could we begin to believe for headlines like these? I'm looking forward to them.

100 Percent Survival Rate!
49 Things the Government Did Right
The Victory our Leaders are Going After
5 Things the President Got Right
Communities Unite to Help Health Workers
The World Unites in the Battle
Defeating the Hidden Enemy
Virus is Losing the Battle
The Intelligence Behind the Victory
Successful Drugs and Vaccines Win the Day
Valiant Health Workers Band in Herculean Battle
and Win
92 Lives Saved Today
Thousands to Volunteer Help
Polls Show 98 percent are Unafraid
No More Fear
Here's to 2020 - The Year the World's Vision Corrected
People More Thankful, More Giving, Kinder, and Full of Joy
The Day We All Hugged Again
Doomsday Thwarted
Could God Really be Real?
Miraculous Departure of Virus Stuns Experts

Let's begin to declare and pray these headlines.

Thank you very much!

Love to all. Praying for every reader - for protection, provision, comfort, connection, healing, and that you would see God's mighty hand and presence in your life today.

Romans 4:17 - (paraphrase) - God calls things which are not as though they are. (We are made in His image. He is Creator. We are creative. He creates things with His Word. We can, too, by our declarations. What will you call into existence today?

What Voices Are We Listening To?

How many of us are spending time listening to the good voices on social media much more than the foreboding ones? I, for one! I am loving the good home-brewed music; so many good prophecies; so many excellent classes and conferences; and countless stories of humans doing good and being kind.

We are all playing, slowing down, breaking out the paints, enjoying our music, gathering around the table, and yes - finding time to be silly - like Mesa, and her brother, Cord, who put on an elaborate coronation ceremony for our Aussie-doodle, "Queen" Daisy. Now that's creativity!

Hang in there everyone...and listen to the "good" out there. If you look for it, you'll find it.

Proverbs 17:22 - A cheerful heart is good medicine.

The Goodness of God in the Land of the Living

The Bible talks a lot about the enemy falling into his own trap.

Combined with Romans 8:28, I think that could be what we are witnessing now.

How could God use this evil of a global pandemic and turn it around for good? Well, at least at the moment, He has quite a captive audience. Many are asking Him "What are you doing? What are you saying?"

I propose we take time to ask Him every day, starting now, those two questions - and then listen for the answers.

One inkling of an answer I feel I'm getting is: there is interest and excitement for the new way of doing church. God is reaching into living rooms and offices in so many ways through social media.

Another inkling is I feel God is instilling something new into his human creation - a brain upgrade.

One more inkling is, He is teaching us to give ourselves permission to rest, to lay low, to spend un-rushed time with those closest to us.

Do you have an inkling of what God might be doing?

Psalm 27:13 - I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Look for the Beauty!

Flowers still bloom. The sun still rises and sets. Butterflies still abound. Birds are still cheerfully singing. The world is still beautiful.

If you look for the good, you'll find it.

Kindness is all around us.

Peace presently rules in our homes.

Love overcomes everything.

How will you release beauty today? 

"Take the carefree birds as your example. Do you ever see them worry? They don't grow their own food or put it in a storehouse for later. Yet God takes care of every one of them, feeding each of them from his love and goodness. Isn't your life more precious to God than a bird? Be carefree in the care of God!
Luke 12:24 - The Passion Translation

My website: www.christinetracy.com

The Far Side of the Moon?

Do you feel like we're about to go around the dark side of the moon?

Remember when we used to send astronauts to orbit the moon? There was a time on the back side where we couldn't communicate with the ship. We had to wait hours before we knew the astronauts were safe; when they could again communicate with Mission Control.

That's how this pandemic seems right now. No one knows for sure what might happen.

Well, I'm going to break that sense of fear in my home and on my blog.

I declare by God's mighty hand of protection we will be alright - physically and economically - and as a people we'll be ready to rebuild and reconnect.

I declare this time in isolation is more about inspiration - for creativity; for strategic ideas; for improved relationships; for being thankful; and for appreciating what we have, realizing what is most important.

I declare this buffoon of a pandemic will quickly blow itself out and that history will show our fears were unwarranted. 

I pray and I declare we will be a nation of celebrators as we rejoice together that we missed a bullet and we learned a lot.

Does this sound crazy? Honestly, I would rather live in expectation of good than dread of bad. It's healthier. It works. Join me?

A word from Bethel Church senior leader Bill Johnson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNydBTwgoys

Remind Your Friends Who They Are

I woke in the middle of the night with the vision of a little boy who had fallen. His mama lovingly picked him up, dusted him off, set him back on his feet, and with a kiss and a pat, sent him on his way.

I feel this is a picture of what everyone needs today. We need to encourage one another, pick each other up, dust each other off, and send each other forward. How? We can do this with the power of our words. Let's call out the gold in each other; remind our friends of their dreams; help them remember who they are and the One they belong to; and speak life into their weary bones and minds.

Our words and encouragement shine like diamonds. Sometimes we can't see for ourselves who we really are. We need someone to tell us.

Perhaps part of our own identity is to be that one that helps another see theirs.

Isaiah 60:1 - Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned and Yahweh's glory now streams from you!

The glory of God is man (and woman) fully alive. St. Irenaeus

Love to all. I'm praying for every one of my readers wherever you are in the world. Let peace reign. You are healed in the mighty Name of Jesus. You are loved by the Love that created this world - the mighty One that will overcome. Just wait and see!

A Global Reset?

You know how you have to sometimes unplug the internet or TV cable and wait five minutes before you plug it back in? This causes a reset and causes a system that has gone awry to magically return to proper working order.

Well, what if that's what is happening in our world today?

A GLOBAL RESET.

Could this be our collective chance to let our wise response to a virus result in a divine reset of who we are as a culture and people?

I propose we just accept the imposed quiet right now. Let's unplug, find peace, read, bake, and get re-aquainted with each other and with nature. Let's find God, talk to Him, listen to Him, and do what He says.

Let's enjoy the five minutes, five days, five weeks, even five months of the unplug in great and joyous anticipation of the coming new calibration and reset of our times, world, and life.

Fear not. Be cautious, be smart, be healthy, be loving...and just be.

Love to all during this very strange time of pandemic. We pray for the sick for complete healing and tell the virus to go back where it came from. Trust that God will keep you safe. 

Isaiah 40:5 - And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.

Prayer - Not Fear - Will Overcome!

When my brother and I were about ages three and five in the early 1950s, a polio epidemic struck terror in our mom, who would not let us go out in public. What really saddened me was our beloved Wisconsin beach was off limits to us due to the uncertainty and lack of knowledge of how the disease was spreading. People stayed home. In those days, there was no vaccine. We all knew people who became infected with the paralyzing disease. The fear in my mother's face and her strict actions to keep us safe are what I remember most about this enemy that was attacking mostly children. In later years, I would lose a good friend to polio in spite of the large strides in medicine that were made to treat and prevent it.

In this time, when we face a worldwide pandemic, we are wise to take precautions, wait it out, and be diligent as we learn more. We are also wise to not get caught up in frenzy and fear. Media is not the fear generator. It is our response to it that is causing unrest.

I would like to post portions of Psalm 91 that we can be praying over ourselves and our world right now. There is a light and power much greater than this present darkness. Prayer - not fear - will overcome.

When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai,

you are hidden in the strength of God Most High.

He's the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me,

the only God for me, and my great confidence.

He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy,

and he will protect you from false accusation

and the deadly curse.

His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you.

You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.

His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.

Don't fear a thing!

When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High,

our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm.

How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?

Psalm 91:1-4; 6; 9-10 (The Passion Translation)