by | Life Application
You’ve heard the old saying, “No news is good news.” I would have to disagree with that statement.
When you’re waiting for something, no news isn’t good. Sometimes it drives you crazy! Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. But, I’m not here to talk about impatience. That’s another post for another day.
I want to discuss accountability.
I believe that being accountable to others in our lives is an absolute necessity. God created us for relationships. Obviously, he fulfills all of our needs. But He also created us to need others.
I covered this topic previously on the necessity of accountability, but I want to take it one step further.
Over the year I have watched a few of my friends from the Table Rock Freedom Center fall. Unfortunately, there’s not always a 100% success rate. They didn’t run back into their addictions overnight.
In every case, one of the reasons they have fallen back into old habits they worked so hard to break has been the same.
Lost Accountability…
It usually happens gradually. One week they call you and everything is fine. Then you go a week without hearing from them. They send a brief text message to follow-up and hope that will do the trick. The text messages stop and they don’t answer their phone. A month later you get a phone call asking them for help because they’ve slipped back into their addiction.
I am 100% confident that the moment you stop being accountable to others, you will fall into one of Satan’s vicious traps.
I wish you could hear the desperation in my voice through the words of this post as I tell you that accountability is an absolute necessity.
I am living proof of the power of what keeping a safe group of those who love me close by can do. Everyday, whether it’s by email, text, phone, or in person. I stay in contact with those I have agreed to let hold me accountable. It could be a quick hello or an hour-long conversation. I’m not saying everyone needs to do it on a daily basis, but it works for me.
I am not perfect either. I still make mistakes. Some of them have been foolish mistakes. But what keeps me going is telling others that I trust what I’m thinking. How my emotions are. What I am feeling. No secrets. Truth.
Be accountable to your husband. Your wife. Your sister. Your best friend. Your mentor. Your church family.
A simple word. Yet so profound.
Accountability…
Do you have an accountability partner? What have they helped you through?
by | Life Application
Most people who attend church enjoy their church and their pastor. I don’t have any statistics to prove that; it’s just my assumption. Why would you attend a church you don’t like?
That doesn’t mean that we never get aggravated with our pastor or church leadership. But, can we do so and still honor them? Absolutely.
I wrote a post several months ago on several ways to honor your pastor.
I’ll admit that there are days I have been annoyed by the words of my pastor. If they’re always doing everything just right, then there’s most likely a problem. Let me say this: my pastor is not a people pleaser and I love that about him.
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by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
photo credit: flickr (creative commons)
As I continue to grow in leadership, the more I realize my actions are being watched from every angle. But most importantly, regardless of who is watching me, I always know God is.
Stepping into a role of leadership means that expectations are higher. It is up to me to set a good example for those around me. No pressure..
I don’t always do it right.
I recently attended a ball game with some friends. I decided to pack a bag of Cheerios to bring with me in case I wanted a snack later. When I got to the ball park my friends let me know I would have to hide the cereal because it wasn’t allowed past the gates. I didn’t realize that. So, without thinking I stuck the Ziploc bag in the pocket of my shorts and walked through with my ticket.
Those around seemed ok with it. But I wasn’t. I was doing something wrong and I knew it.
Later as others around me munched on ice cream and funnel cakes, I got my Cheerios out and snacked away. But with every bite I took, the guilt ate at me even more. I was breaking the rules.
It reads in Romans 13:5:
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
You may be saying to yourself, “You only brought in Cheerios. It’s not like you stole anything. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Wrong…
It is a big deal. The rules clearly stated that no outside food or drink was allowed. Yet I did it anyway. I not only chose to disobey ballpark rules, I disobeyed God.
As I sat later and thought about it, I found myself asking forgiveness for not only being disobedient, but proving a horrible example for my peers around me.
What did that say about my character?
I hate to disappoint, but this goes for the movie theater too. Sneaking in that can of soda and bag of chips should be something you reconsider.
Question…
If someone is willing to sneak a bag of cereal into a ball park when it’s against the rules, will the next step be cheating on their taxes?
God sees all. Not just some. All.
I would love to know your thoughts on this. What other examples can you give regarding this situation? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
A couple weeks ago I received some exciting news. Out of hundreds of people, I was one of few selected to attend the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA.
What is the Catalyst Conference?
Catalyst is a powerful gathering of young leaders, a movement of influencers and world changers who love Jesus, see things differently, and want to do better.
God has designed me to be a leader, and this opportunity will not only continue to mold me into that leader, it will allow me the chance to learn from others.
Some of the lineup includes:
- Michael Hyatt, Chairman of the Board, Thomas Nelson Publishers
- Francis Chan, Author of Crazy Love
- Andy Stanley, Lead Pastor at North Point Community Church
- Marc Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church
- Priscilla Shirer, Founder of Going Beyond Ministries and Bible Teacher
- David Platt, Pastor of the Church at Brookhills and author of Radical
Is that amazing or what?
I have no doubt that I will walk away from this conference changed.
But.. I Need Your Help
The conference takes place in Atlanta, GA, October 5-7th. Airfare and hotel accomodations can be pricy. In order to make the trip I must come up with $807.65.
As soon as I received the great news via phone call I started imagining the amazing things that would come out of this three-day event. I will be networking with people from all over the world. I will have the opportunity to share parts of my story and what God has done in my life. I will have the chance to tell others about what an amazing organization the Table Rock Freedom Center is. But most importantly, I saw myself being changed by the truth of others I might have never met if it wasn’t for the opportunity to attend this conference.
Would you consider donating today to help me with the expenses of getting to the conference and back?
If you can’t provide a financial donation, I would appreciate your prayer support just as much, if not more. Prayers for preparing for the trip, getting everything in order, for God to put the right people in my path in Atlanta, and safety.
If you wish to donate online, you can do so here on my Facebook page through the FundRazr Facebook application.
If you wish to mail payment, you can send to:
Sundi Jo Graham
PO Box 1438
Hollister, MO 65673
Thank you for your consideration.
Have you attend the Catalyst Conference? What impact did it have on you? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
photo credit: JonJon2k8(creative commons)
It amazes me how sometimes you don’t realize just how much you needed something until you get it.
Last week I had the privilege of leading a chapel service with the women at Table Rock Freedom Center. Chapel simply means you get the opportunity to hang out with these amazing women for a couple of hours and share your testimony, hear their stories, and get to know them more. It’s a blessing for anyone involved.
Here’s the cool part:
I walked away from that experience with a peace I didn’t even know I needed.
I had the privilege of sharing my testimony with the girls. When I began to share the story of my father’s death, the tears started to flow. Even though it’s been over two years, perhaps they always will. I told them the story of bringing my dad to know Christ on his death-bed. What a blessed opportunity that was. Though he was barely able to talk, I read the sinner’s prayer and he repeated amen at the end.
I have never gotten the answer as to how exactly my dad died. Of course that leaves room for the imagination to run wild. It has. I’m a person who likes to have answers, and not having the reasoning to something this big has bothered me.
I then shared about the event leading up to my dad’s death. The evening before we, had a great phone conversation. I was planning a weekend trip to come and see him. He was struggling with some things, so I gave him some Bible verses to read. I remember saying, “Whenever you get frustrated just open it and read those verses.”
He replied in his best redneck voice, “I’ll be reading all the time.”
We ended the conversation with “I love you” and hung up.
The next morning….
He was dead.
After I shared my testimony and the night came to a close, one of the most amazing things happened. One of the women, Eliza, spoke life changing words into my life.
“What if,” she asked, “that night your dad opened the Scriptures that you gave him, read those words, and they really sunk in? Maybe he really accepted Christ that night in the deepest places, and God finally said, ‘It’s time to come home.'”
It was as if a brick had been taken off my shoulders. A brick I didn’t even know was there. I have no doubt that God was speaking to me through this beautiful woman. He was giving me an answer that I had been so desperately seeking. It was time for my dad to go home. It was time.
I woke up the next morning with peace. My daddy was right where he needed to be and I didn’t need to question anymore. My Father in Heaven had given me comfort that I so desperately needed, but hadn’t realized just how much.
Two days later I opened my cell phone and deleted my daddy’s phone number. It was time to let that go. It was time. There were no tears. There were no regrets. There was simply peace.
What unanswered things are you holding onto that you need to let go? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
photo credit: jayneandd(creative commons)
According to dictionary.com, the definition of completion is:
the action or process of finishing something.
I don’t know about you, but I have gone through life with a lot of unfinished things. I didn’t finish writing that book report in elementary school, so I just made up a story. I didn’t complete the required criteria to attend the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) field trip in high school, so I didn’t get to attend. I quit going to college after one year. I quit writing because I got depressed. I stopped hoping because I let my faith run dry. The list goes on and on.
Have you been down this road too? You start something only to walk away and leave it unfinished.
Yesterday I celebrated completion. It was the one year anniversary of my graduation from the Table Rock Freedom Center. One year ago I was able to add that word to my vocabulary. I had finally completed something. What a feeling!
For those of you who don’t know about the Table Rock Freedom Center, you can read my latest post about this life changing organization here. As I have said many times, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. But I did it!
It wasn’t just myself that added completion to my list that day. My friend Amy joined me too. We went through the program together. We fought. We screamed at each other. We cussed at each other. We cried together. We prayed together. We screamed together. We laughed together. There were days I couldn’t stand to look at her. And there were days she felt the same about me.
But it never failed, that after a day or so we couldn’t keep going the way we were. We would sit down to talk. Our talk would turn into a louder argument. We would each have our opinions. Then our hearts would soften. By the end of it we were embracing each other through tears. You can’t live with someone 24 hours a day and not grow a bond.
I saw Amy yesterday. We haven’t seen each other much since we left TRFC. Our lives have gone in separate directions, but the bond still remains. I visited her church and we stood together and worshiped like old times. We laughed over lunch and of course reminisced about the good and bad times during the course of that year.
It was nice.
It reminded me that all friendships don’t look the same. Though we don’t see or talk to each other daily, the bond is still there. It picked up where it left off. It always will.
I could have found many ways to celebrate yesterday, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Taking part in the day with the person who shared that moment of completion with me was perfect.
Enduring that intense year has taught me that I no longer have to fear completion. Because of God’s strength in me to overcome that fear, I am now
- Finishing my college degree
- Writing that book I’ve always wanted to write
- Speaking to people with boldness and faith
- Pursuing relationships that could have been lost
- Walking through the hard things despite my fear
Who knew such a word could mean so much?
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us-Hebrews 12:1
What have you recently completed that you never thought you could? If you haven’t done so yet, what fear is holding you back? Comment below…
