Thinking About Thoughts.

This month has been filled with some unexpected things. A funky molar that needed a better look (and a couple extra dental appointments) and  a toilet that destroyed a solid chunk of our house are just two examples. The molar is almost done being dealt with (phew!) but the bathroom situation is a little more intense. It will require a lot more work and us potentially moving out for a short stint. You can guess how I feel about packing up much of our belongings again. Ha!

There have also been other unexpected things that are relatively minor but changed my daily habits, which is always a challenge to figure out. My hoopla stopped giving me access to all the books I used to listen to, so I haven't been able to finish the books I set out to get through this past month. My book proposal I've been working on since September took longer than expected, which is kind of frustrating since it was already taking much longer than I thought it would. I'm figuring out that most writing, especially writing books, is far more arduous than authors let on. I have a feeling I'll be learning that lesson for a while. But the proposal part is done, several chapters are written (which I'm sure will still be edited at some point during the process) and I'll be sending it off to a couple agencies and publishers. I still cannot believe it is done!

But the biggest lesson about unexpected events I have learned this month is how God works in unexpected ways. Not always outside of us, but usually inside. The key is allowing it to happen.

I am often grumpy on Sunday mornings. Church starts just a touch earlier than I like and I don't have the time to just linger in the morning the way I prefer. But with our Call this month to Receive the Mind of Christ, I have found myself more quickly changed than usual. When my mind says "Let's see what God wants me to think about this" I tend to get over my selfish pouting faster than had I just obsessed over what I don't like about it. It's been such a nice change that I'm shocked, and a little embarrassed, I don't do it more often. And I definitely had times during the month I could have been better about making an effort toward that end. I'm still a work in progress.

I really wanted to have this lovely blog post all figured out and perfectly in order last week, but I prioritized my proposal and decided that a late, more "real" and unstructured blog post would still be better than nothing. I don't have a ton of thoughts, or any super deep, insightful analogies to share with you; just a bit of encouragement, a bit of comfort for seasons of struggle or slowness.

Last week I finally received a book I had won a couple months ago. The author, John Eldredge, really resonates with me. He is passionate about Christians not becoming dispassionate in an attempt to live a good, Christian life. He argues that God made your heart and moves you through your longings, so to just tune them out or disregard them is not wise or healthy. God uses our longings and they need to be carefully directed toward Him. We need this kind of encouragement! To not just throw away our hearts when we decide to follow God, but to give them over to Him.

The book I won is called All Things New and I am eager to get to it (right after I finish The Brothers Karamazov). I'm feeling the exciting culmination of the months leading up to April and Easter and pray that these changes I am experiencing are more permanent and lasting than other seasons of my life. Here are some of the things I am now doing after working through my Called series so far, things I really want to keep doing:

- searching to Know God more deeply
- asking God what He is doing
- asking God what He wants me to do
- seeking to understand God's perspective on my situations
- following through on tasks that I don't love in order to honor God and serve others

Am I perfect? Heck no. My house still isn't as clean as I'd like (or I'm sure my husband would like) and I've let go of a couple endeavors that, while fun and could have potential, were just diverting me from what I am really committed to and caused me stress. My kids still get on my nerves and I still often react poorly when I am tired, hungry, or under a time constraint. But I see improvement in my heart and it is slowly bleeding out into the rest of my life.

While many Christians have a day and night difference in their lives once turning their life over to Christ, mine has been a slower pace, forming since I was just a child. And I've gone through seasons of wrestling with that, wondering if my testimony would be "weaker" or less important. But God has been so gracious to encourage me this year in all of that. We are all in this for the long haul, and even those dramatic conversions will have periods of time where progress feels slow, where hearts are tempted to turn back to the things they loved before. It is in the consistent, slow, almost invisible work we do that God grows the seeds of the fruit we will bear. And preparing our hearts is a pivotal first step in creating a fertile ground for all of that growing and working.

What is God working out in you this month? If you've followed along with the Five Minute Challenge, what have you seen God changing in your mind? In your heart? How has thinking about having God's perspective on your life enabled you to better live for Him?

Next month I will look at how the bible Calls us to Prepare for Jesus' return. How fitting that Easter is in April this year?! I will not be posting on Easter, but by April 4th I will have a new post and new goals for us. I am feeling the culmination of all our efforts building to this weighty tasks. I am also seeing how God has been so kind to align so many different teachings in my life to guide me in thinking through this endeavor. Every time I go to church it seems like God is giving me a small seed I need either for this series or for my book. It feels a little ridiculous that He would be so gracious. It's not like I'm a huge blogger or prominent figure, yet He still reaches down and shows me He is preparing a good work for me. Just as He wants to do for you!

May you feel the blessings of God this week. Especially the blessing of a promised eternity that is waiting for you. This life will bring trouble, tribulation, and hardship, but it doesn't end with those things. The best is yet to come! He has risen!

Receiving the Mind of Christ.

Last week I reached the point of the year where I felt ready to give up on all my goals. Two months have gone by fairly quickly, but lately I am looking at everything I've done, everything yet to do, and everything still not getting done on a regular basis and I feel like I am beginning to crumble. Maybe it's a phase, maybe it's a response to overcommitting and my desire to achieve, but maybe it's because my mind is not where it should be.

I'll be the first to admit; I have a hard time letting God have His way.

Yes, we just finished the month about obedience, but my thought-life is still trying to get on board. I have a lot of "ifs" that need worked through and a lot of insecurities that need tossed. It feels easy to trust God with something big and important, but I am struggling to surrender my life over to the sacrifices that are required of me right now, day after day. I know my perspective is skewed. And while I can still choose to obey, the heartache and frustration from still wishing things were different, easier, more glamorous and less blah, are wearing me down.

This is where I'm going to take a public leap of faith, say a million prayers, and go to bed each night hoping God does His work.

I am hopeful that if I truly have the same priorities as God, if I can fully gain His insight, and understand what He wants for my life, my heart will eventually come around.

Let's all pray that "eventually" is more like tomorrow, or even next week; the sooner the better!

My head insists on thinking about what my days and my life should look like. I know it's not how God says I should spend my time and thoughts, but it is a challenge getting my mind to stop. I'm overwhelmed but feel like I'm not doing enough. I'm exhausted with my to-do list but it's never close to being done. I go back and forth between wanting to rest and wanting to get the work done, hoping one of those options will enable me to truly be at peace for a bit. But even when I am obeying the best I know how, my mind is still not tracking the way I believe God wants it to.

This month's Call is all about our thought-life. Not just all this "positivity" and "good-vibes" but spending our time focused on what it means to Receive the Mind of Christ. We are called to use our minds for His glory. We are commanded to filter what comes in (Romans 10:4-6). Not only is our mind one of the ways God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to us, but our minds inform our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). And I desperately need my mind to start informing my heart of what is true, honorable, lovely, and more.

The verse I want us to focus on this month really stands out to me. It was actually really challenging to pick just this one because the whole section in 1 Corinthians 2 is truly amazing. Go read it all! For now, think about what is said in verse 12:

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."

Earlier in the chapter, Paul is talking about how we cannot fathom what God has in store for us, and that no one can know the thoughts of God. BUT, and it is a really big BUT, the Holy Spirit searches even the depths of God and then speaks to us. Isn't that amazing? What a gift!

Not only are there riches to fathom in receiving the mind of Christ, but there is wisdom to be had as well. And Proverbs is chock-full of advice about seeking wisdom. We need it, and we need it to come from God. Not just from friends on Instagram, not only from that non-fiction author who mostly talks about biblical stuff, but from God Himself.

I know getting your mind right with God might feel like strange business. I mean, He has to do the work, so what exactly are we supposed to do?

We need to start by making ourselves available. If we are constantly filled with the world, we have left no room for the things of God. If during every free second of our days we turn to social media, email, or communicating with others, we have left no open window for God to come in and communicate with us. We will need to learn to sit, be still, quiet our thoughts and simply listen. We will need to search the scriptures without an agenda. We will need to meditate on what we read and become willing to sit without immediate answers. We will need to stop thinking our thoughts and instead, ask God about His thoughts.

I was kind of dreading this post because I feel like I am doing such a lousy job of this lately, but after writing about all of that slowing down and sitting in silence, it sounds incredibly ideal and brings me refreshing hope. Are you up for it? Will you put your phone down, wait for God to move His Spirit and tell you what He has freely given you?

My book list is quite a bit shorter for this month's Call. I may add some others in a week or so, but since my goal is to sit and let God do the speaking, I want to clear my schedule a bit and stop filling my mind with everything I think is best.

Per the recommendation of my pastor, I am listening to Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper.  I am only about 45 minutes in and am thoroughly encouraged.

I have already read David Mathis' book, Habits of Grace, and listened to it via the app Hoopla twice. I HIGHLY recommend it. It is practical, spiritually deep though, and a great encouragement no matter where you find yourself in your walk with God.

I will also be reading a few chapters in Proverbs each day. I might skirt around and check out other books as I feel lead (especially Ecclesiastes) but I want to really understand the gravity of how important wisdom from God really is and should be to us. I want to want it as bad as Solomon said we need it.

Like I said before, I hope that focusing on what needs to be in my mind and spending time allowing God to work in my thoughts will bring a peace to my heart that I am currently lacking. I need God's perspective on my life and I desire my heart to just play along nice and quit making it so hard. On one hand, I am comforted that even Paul felt like this (Romans 7:15-24), wanting one thing that you know you don't actually want, and doing the things you don't want to do, but I cannot force myself out of this place. I need to set my mind on the Spirit and allow Him to move in my mind, changing the desires of my flesh and bringing me genuine peace.

I'm guessing you need that too, right? Let's work on it together!

I am also hosting a Five Minute Challenge this month, every Monday through Friday on my Instagram (@joellen.armstrong). We'll spend five minutes in silence, allowing God to speak to us. No phone, no journaling, no praying even except for asking God to fill our minds with His mind. I'm excited to see so many women becoming more connected to God and more aware of His working in our lives. Follow me there and let me know you'll join in.

Make sure you also sign up to receive my monthly newsletter here (and get some cool bookmarks while you do) and then join our Facebook group to receive some other freebies and be encouraged.

I'm praying this is a month that makes an impact for all of us. I am asking God to fill my mind with what He desires, with what He wants me to know about Him, about life, about salvation and more. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help get your thinking going. Feel free to answer in the comments or write them down to ponder alone. May God bless your efforts in understanding Him better.


What thoughts against myself am I constantly battling?

What do I know about God that can change how I am looking at this difficult, annoying, frustrating, or even tragic situation?

What truths has God given me that I can cling to?

How can I "set my mind on the Spirit" as Paul says in Romans 8?

What personal desires are keeping me from wanting the life God wants me to enjoy living?


If you are wrestling through life, trying to get a handle on everything, please don't hesitate to reach out for prayer. It is a powerful tool and it builds community and encourages authentic relationships. Whether it is me or someone else you know, ask someone to pray for you! You won't regret it.

Answer by Obeying.

Can a month focused on being Called to Surrender my own will really be exciting and fun?

I wondered this when February 1st arrived and as I look back I can genuinely say it has been a great blessing. In fact, I find it odd that as believers we would have any other ideas about surrender and obedience. Why do we think it is a bad thing? Hard, yes. Bad, never.

As I listened to Lysa TerKuerst's book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, I realized that most of the reasons she gives for wanting to say no to God were rooted in fear and most of the reasons I disobey God are fear-based too. Soon after, a new friend pointed out that true obedience to God flows from a heart that loves Him perfectly. And then the Holy Spirit reminded me that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).  The tricky thing about all of this is that we cannot love God perfectly in our own power. We are dependent on Him to give us a longing for what is holy and perfect and good.

Maybe this is frustrating to you or even causes you to feel defeated. But remember, this should bring you relief! God wants to give good gifts to His children (you, me, all of us!) and He desires that you should love Him perfectly and grow in obedience. To get started you will simply need a willingness to surrender and a commitment to following Him.

We can know in our heads that we should obey, but we cannot make our hearts desire it the way we envision or wish. That aspect of desiring to obey God will have to be left in His hands. However, the really amazing thing is you can choose to do what you know is right even when you don't feel like it. Growing in obedience and surrendering to God's ways is a journey. How determined are you to stick to that path?

Photo credit unsplash.com by Lucas Favre

Thinking through all of this has forced me to look at my actions and level of commitment, which is kinda rough. How determined am I to do what God calls me to, both in the daily practice of living a life that honors God and in the random times of day when I feel the Holy Spirit pressing on me to do something I wouldn't normally do? Like asking the customer service representative over an online chat if they know Jesus. Not my typical thing, but God is not the God of acceptable cultural behavior. His ways are far higher than our own.

As I've thought and prayed over what to share, I figured I would break down the most prominent fears I have been thinking through regarding disobedience and encourage you to overcome them.


Fear of Difficulty

Fear of Failure or Inability

Fear of Outcome

Fear of the Opinions of Others


There may be some overlap, and maybe you have other ideas about what these fears include or entail. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Be sure to join our Facebook group to chime in or feel free to comment below.

Fear of Difficulty

I becoming most stressed when what is required of me seems far beyond what I am capable of. When I wake up with a list of to-dos that feel near impossible the struggle to get my day started is long, arduous, and frustrating, and I generally end up getting out of bed far later than I had hoped. It doesn't make any sense that when I have a lot to do I'd struggle so much to get going or wrestle so hard to obey God in being diligent with my time or in being kind with my children. If I was smart or even a tad more self-disciplined, I'd get up earlier and start hammering away first thing. If I had more faith in His purposes I'd be more expectant that God is doing His work through me, even when it feels monotonous or unimportant. But the truth is that I am often crippled by the idea of how hard this type of obedience might be. 

It's easy to get this way with big and important commands that are obviously far beyond our own means. And maybe you're like me, struggling with the daily grind type of obedience as well. We look at what God is asking and feel like it is more than we'd rather do. We know loving our neighbors is right and good, but have you met them? It's hard to even hold a conversation with them! We look at the laundry pile, the homeschooling, and the errands that all need done and sigh. We look at the dream God has given us to write that book, or travel to that distant land, or start that business, or go to school, but looking at the whole picture of what that might entail seems like a lot of work, possibly more than we are willing to do. 

This is when we need to remember God's power. He is the one who gives us strength to complete the tasks He lays before us. When we think we can do something in our own might, we are deceived. He has given us many different gifts, skills, and resources to function in our day-to-day life but we forget that it still all depends on Him. When the next task looks like it will take more than we've got, He needs to be our source of strength to overcome the challenge. We cannot let what we do not yet possess deter us from obeying God right now. The following verse helps me remember to obey even when the job ahead seems like it will be too hard.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,

And young men shall fall exhausted;

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not grow weary;

They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:30-31

Fear of Failure or Inability

Fearing the difficulty of a task and fearing failure or inability are very closely connected. You recognize how difficult (or near impossible) obeying God for the long haul will be and you fear you will not be able to walk this path every single day. You know you are bound to mess up and would rather just avoid that level of failure and operate from the safe place of success. 

Even in the secular realm, that coping mechanism is being undone. Researchers are finding that we actually learn best from making mistakes, seeing where we went wrong, and making a plan to do different next time. If the world is taking on this challenge without the help of God, shouldn't we be even more willing to try? After all, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us from mistakes that might undo God's good work, and we have relationship with the One who can enable us to do far more than we ever dreamed. 

This is when we need to remember not just the strength and force of God's eternal power, but the daily sustenance He will give to us. He will never break His covenant with us. He will continue to provide for you in anything He calls you to pursue. I immediately think of Joshua being called to lead the people into the promised land. Maybe he saw how the people failed to trust God and had to wander the desert or how Moses had failed to obey and ended up not entering into the land. But God speaks to Joshua, commanding him to take the people in, to follow His law, and He takes the time to encourage Joshua. We can trust that we will not fail when we choose to obey God. When we walk with Him, He holds us up. Remember God's consolation and words or exhortation to Joshua.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

Fear of Outcome

Not seeing where the path of obedience will lead us can rattle the strongest warrior's nerves. We have no clue what it will mean to sell our house and move across the country. We cannot fathom what homeschooling our children, inviting a stranger to live with us, or taking a new job in a new industry might mean for us long term. This fear of the outcome of our obedience is where we must really come back to knowing and trusting in God's character. 

In the monotonous routines of daily life, we have a hard time understanding what it will do for our lives to make the small sacrifices of daily obedience. They often feel insignificant. Or maybe you feel called to obey God in giving up an outlet of social media and it feels too drastic; you cannot fathom what life at home or at work will look like if you are not connecting with people online. No matter what call of obedience you hear from the Word or from the Holy Spirit, you must trust in God's good plans if you are going to obey. 

Do you think you are able to make the best decision about the path of your life? Do you understand that God knows the events in your future and what you will need to be prepared for? Do you trust that all of these things will truly result in the greatest amount of goodness and joy and prosperity for you in eternity? I'm not saying these things are easy to navigate, I'm just saying we need to face them and make a decision. Like Abraham, even when we do not know the outcome, we can trust that God is good and will never lead us down a path that isn't worth the effort, sacrifice, and losses we may face along the way. When God first calls Abram, we only see that God told Abram He would make him a great nation, bless him and make his name great. However, he must have known or felt something about God's goodness in order to follow Him down that unknown path to that unknown land. I love what Hebrews says about Abram (now called Abraham) in this regard. We need to look to our eternal outcome, to God's eternal promises in order to find the strength to obey God in a world of unknowns.

"For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."

Hebrews 11:13

Fear of the Opinions of Others

I care far too much about what other people think. Most of the time, when I find myself wanting to do anything except what God calls me to, it is because I am worried about what others will think. What will that stranger think if I ask them about Jesus? What will my parents or in-laws think if we raise our children this way? What will my friends think if I share that bible verse or article on Facebook? In case you didn't already know, you cannot serve God and serve yourself. 

When we are prioritizing what other people think over what God has instructed us to do, we are fearing man instead of God, we are serving ourselves instead of serving Him. If we let ourselves go down that road we eventually become so deceived that we do something terribly stupid, something terribly selfish. Make sure you take a look at Acts 5:1-7 to see what happened to Annanias and Sapphira when they believed they could serve themselves and gain a good opinion from others all while looking like they were serving God. They cared more about the opinions of men and it led them to sin and destruction.

I do not want to be them for many reasons. I want God to look at my heart and be pleased. I want to be willing to follow Him anywhere, even if I am afraid and it feels like I will be risking my reputation or giving up more than I am comfortable with, I want to be determined to obey whatever He calls me to, casting aside the opinions of others and highly valuing the opinion of God. This doesn't mean we never take input or advice, it simply means sticking to the truth when we fear it may cause others to look at us differently than we prefer. It might be minor, it might be major, but our first priority needs to be obedience to God's ways. This verse reminds me that trusting in God and obeying His call is always the better option.

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe."

Proverbs 29:25

So there you have it, my very generalized examples of why you might struggle to answer God's call to obedience. What is stopping you? Being aware of your fears is a great place to start, but at some point you have to choose what you will do. Taking the initiative to know God more deeply will help add some strength to your resolve. Spending time in prayer and meditation over the Word will give you ammo to fight the spiritual battles you are sure to encounter. Then, you will need to decide whom you will serve. Self or God? We know which one has the best outcome. Obey and watch. I have never regretted it, even when I did it scared. Do it anyway! 

I highly encourage you to find someone you can trust to hold you accountable. Not just a friend who will encourage and agree with you in your struggles, but someone who is willing to displease you in order to speak the truth. You might think this kind of relationship would be destructive, but if you are both committed to serving God, it will be a great blessing on your life. Pray for God to reveal who that person should be in your life. He desires that we would sharpen one another and grow stronger in our faith and obedience.

I hope the final week of seeking to understand surrender and obedience will bless your life. It is encouraging and emboldening me in multiple ways. May we all be strengthened to follow His call and become a people known for doing whatever it takes, whatever He asks. May God's name and goodness go forth! 

Called to Absolute Surrender.

Every time God intertwines details in my life I simply shake my head and smile. Isn't it so like Him? Isn't it amazing that He designs my life, my circumstances, and the small moments of my day to intersect just right, over and over again?

Trust me, I have days where things do not seem to be coming together quite so beautifully. Like this week, with a massive toothache/face-ache and more appointments for different activities and obligations than I would care to discuss. But looking at where He has put me today, where He has brought me this last month, I see that He is giving me opportunity to take up what I am asking all of you to take up with me: the call to Absolute Surrender.

What are we supposed to surrender to exactly?

His will. His plans. His ways.

Surrender might feel like a strong word, like He is forcing something upon you that you will not like, but I assure you that isn't the truth. Before this submission, we were His enemies. He rescued us from the enemy and put us in His camp. Still, we struggle to stay in this state of surrender. We have not fully let go of our old ways and continue to cling to the identity we had before. We fight to get out of His camp, off of His side, often without realizing what we are doing. We have no idea how good it really is to follow His plan, to be completely surrendered to His good and perfect will.

I am loving the connection God has made for me between knowing Him and obeying Him. A surrendered heart, a heart that is submitted to His plans, a heart that desires His will, is a heart that truly knows God. 1 John 2:3 says "And this is how we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments." It's the same idea of knowing believers by the fruit they are bearing. Obedience is evidence of our knowing God.

With all of this in mind, in February I'll be investigating what is means for us to be Called to Absolute Surrender.

I love that phrase! I got it from Andrew Murray's book that I have been listening to. He believes it to be one of the most important qualities in following Jesus. If we are only partially submitted to His will, it is our loss. We not only miss out on deeply knowing Christ, refusing blessing and comfort, but it can break relationships, be a bad example for unbelievers, and set us on a path that is not God's best.

Usually, when I find myself not surrendered to God and His will, I notice that I am clinging to something else. And most of the time, that something else is something very temporary, something that turns out to be very trivial just several months later. Silly, right? So here are the questions I will be asking this month to help me walk this path of God's will with obedience, being quicker to surrender, more happily surrendered, more willingly surrendered.

- Why am I not surrendered to God's will right now?
- What outcome am I not trusting God with?
- What am I afraid of?
- What is it I am hoping to gain in following my own path?

Answering these questions out loud or on paper often seems to put the truth in its place. I more easily see that God knows far better than me and following His will over my own becomes a more simple decision.

If you have trouble trusting God with the path your life will take, perhaps you do not know Him as well as you thought. Jesus tells us in Luke 9 that it is foolish to give up our life in Him in an attempt to gain what the world has to offer, that we must lose our life here in order to gain true life from Him. Jesus also makes it clear that He will make every provision for us, giving us even more reason to trust Him in response to the calls He gives us. If we think we can trust our own plans more than we can trust God, we are badly mistaken.

The better we know Him, the more willing we will be to follow Him. And the more we follow Him, the less time it will take for us to surrender our shabby plans in exchange for His glorious will. The knowing and obeying will both increase!

To help me dive deeper into this, here are the books I will be listening to this month:

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray
The Crucified Life by A. W. Tozer
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa Terkeurst
If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg

These are all new books for me, so while I cannot recommend them blindly, I have heard good things about all of them. If you have any excellent book recommendations, please share! I'd love to hear them, along with any scriptures you find helpful in walking this path of obedience.

I pray that February will be a month where you experience the blessing of trusting God as you purposefully choose to walk in the steps God calls you to. May we all find the freedom, joy, and peace that comes in walking with God along His paths of righteousness.



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Learning to Know God.

What a month it has been!

Usually January just flies by but for some reason this year the moments feel like they have had their proper time, like they have been savored just enough. Not too much, not too little.

As I was striving to understand what it means to know God I kept feeling like there was not enough time for me to truly know Him the way I was hoping and also figure out how to best share it with all of you. I am still working, praying, and endlessly hashing it all out in an attempt to summarize well what I have learned.

One thing is sure, it has been far different from what I expected to learn. Yet, as I approach the end of this month, I wish I could have learned even more. And it brings me joy and peace to consider that there will never be enough time to know God to the extent our hearts long while living here on earth. What an amazing blessing that God has written eternity on our hearts in smalls ways like this.

I did not learn near as many specific attributes or "facts" about God as I originally expected. Things like how He is kind, gracious, compassionate... we hear those types of lists a lot so I just assumed I'd be learning about all that. Not so much.

Most of what I have learned is about how our approach to God changes how we interact with and relate to Him. I'm not sure if it changes how He reacts to us but it seems as though the more I open myself to seeing God work around me, the more He works. Maybe we just don't notice it or attribute many of the seemingly small things to Him, but we gain an incredible amount of refreshment and confidence from God when we correctly ascribe the small events in our lives that are God-ordained, God-blessed, or God-influened to Him. The difference it makes in my ability to function well amid chaos is unreal.

What has really stuck with me is that knowing God should have a incredibly high value in my life. It's everywhere in scripture. When I started plotting this blog series I had no idea how prevalent the emphasis on knowing God was in the Bible. I figured it was important because you have to know Him to follow Him. And that is true, but there are a lot of other things that come from our knowing God.

In Philippians Paul says that all the other things he could boast about in his life he counts as junk, garbage, dung (!) compared to knowing Christ. In Colossians, Paul rejoices in his afflictions because making God known is his primary endeavor, his life goal. He says that our hope of glory is in this very thing. At the beginning of Colossians 2 he wants the believers "to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ." Paul even says the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Him.

As Paul continues through the book, he explains that in order to progress in this endeavor of knowing Christ and setting our minds on eternity, we must intentionally kill and put away the sin in our lives. He says that as we put on the new self we will be renewed in the knowledge of our creator and will put on His loving attributes instead. And friend, this message is everywhere in the bible: in order to know God we must start living His way. The doing is the proof of our knowing.

The bible says it over and over again. Knowing God, believing in Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit will produce righteousness in our lives. If you think you are in this camp of knowing God but are not seeing the fruit of growing in righteousness, you need to have a hard look. You have to choose. Are you going to observe the knowledge of God from afar or are you going to let it move you to start walking?

1 John 2:3 says "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."

John knew Jesus better than any earthly person. He rightly saw that knowing God, knowing Christ, and knowing the Holy Spirit will lead us to an obedience we cannot muster on our own. It changes you forever. God yearns for us to know Him. He wants us to seek Him and promises that when we do, He will be found by us (Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-11). In Jeremiah 9 the LORD Himself tells Jeremiah that we ought to boast in nothing but the fact that we understand and know Him. Specifically, that He is the God who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.

Do we know that about God? Are we seeking to know that about Him?

This month I am learning to seek God in all I do. Well, as often as I can remember. I aim to be willing to hear His voice and submit to what He desires. Submitting has to be our next step. If I amass knowledge about God, more than anyone has ever known, but I am unwilling to start walking down the road He desires to lead me on, it is utterly worthless. Literally, worth less than poop. It will not gain for me eternal hope. It will not give me peace, blessing, help in times of trouble, or help me experience God's glory. And if it isn't going to give me that, what is the point? There is no reason to know about God unless you are willing to start following Him.

So what have I changed because of all this? For one, I am working on knowing the Word better. Spending more time in it, intentionally studying it, memorizing it, and seeking to understand it. The more I know from my bible, the more God's Holy Spirit can bring to remembrance.

The other thing I am doing intentionally is asking God to chime in. Instead of trying to work out problems or challenges alone, in my own head, I ask for His guidance and then trust the thoughts I think. Instead of feeling insecure about a situation, I ask God what He desires of me and then follow through with what comes next. Today, it was texting a person I was feeling insecure about. Today, it was also taking feedback sincerely when my natural response would have been to brush it off or let it bother me hours or days later.

God wants us to know Him. He wants to be involved in our days. He already is, but we miss out on so many tremendous opportunities to walk with Him and to follow His guidance when we rely too heavily on ourselves or on the wisdom we think we possess. We need His input in order to navigate life according to His will. Am I hearing audible voices? No, definitely not. Am I going against the bible and doing whatever I think all the time? Of course not. But I am trusting God's active speaking into my heart and into my thoughts, trusting that He knows my thoughts and sifts my desires.

Will you try it? Will you ask God to show His will in difficult moments? Will you follow the good path He lays out for you? Will you do what is good and right in order to experience Him?

As I move further into knowing God I want to express this last thought. I do not think it is possible to travel down the path of obedience to God and regret it. Anything He asks us to do is for our good, for His glory, and for an eternal benefit. Just in the last few weeks I have seen a tremendous difference in my heart and mind by actively pursuing God's input and intentionally doing the right and good things He places before me. He created us to walk paths of righteousness. They are blessings our souls crave. Despite the humility required, despite putting down our agenda and following His instead, the greatest riches and joys we can imagine lay along that road of obedience.

You have one more week before I talk about our next theme in being Called by God. And surprise, only God could have so perfectly orchestrated this agenda. You'll never guess what I had planned: Called to Submit to His Will. Funny, right? It may not seem like a particularly fun month to navigate, but after the experience I've had this month with learning what it means to pursue knowing God, I completely trust that there are jewels for all of us in investigating this more. Not just from the outside, or from a balcony above a well-traveled road, but from deliberately walking this path. And doing it together blesses all of us even more.

Thanks for hanging in to the end of this long post. May God bless your pursuit of knowing Him and may you find the strength and courage you need to boldly trust His leading in your life.



 ~ If you are not already in our 12 Months of Called Facebook group and want to get in on free downloads, live videos, and more interaction with other people following this series, join here!

Called to Know God.

If you are new around here and have not been following along the last few weeks, I'm starting a year-long endeavor here on my blog! I haven't been this excited for a project of this length since, well, never. Because, a whole year? It's kinda long and probably a big commitment. But, with a monthly plan and paring back on other endeavors, I am committed and ready to see where this takes us.

My purpose in all this is not just to have something fun to study or interesting to share, but I see it as something valuable I can investigate along with others. Understanding our Calling and searching for meaning are endeavors with no definitive end in sight. There will always be more to know, more to figure out, more to take action upon. But the aims in life that will always be the same are the things God specifically calls us to. They are the same whether you have ambition to be an artist, an engineer, a teacher or to work in sales. We can pursue these Calls upon our life and I suspect they will help us live better, with more joy, and more confidence. Who doesn't want that?

Over the next 12 months I am going to offer a prompt each month for exploring a specific action, a certain way to be, or a certain gift to receive that is part of our Calling as Christians. January's Call is "to Know God."

Each post for the new month will include some questions. Some of them will be used each month, and some are more specific to that particular month's Call. I will also have a scripture or two that we can anchor our Call upon and help remind us of the purposes we have in life that are solid and true.

Let's start!

January: to Know God.

Questions:

1 - What does this mean?

2 - Am I answering this call now? How or how not?

3 - What can I do to actively pursue this call?

4 - How do I think pursuing this call could change my daily life?

5 - What are some important things to know about God?


Bible Verse: 

"And this is eternal life, that they would know you the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." 

John 17:3

What I hope to Discover:

I hope being more intentional to Know God will help me feel more peace in my struggles, more security in the ways I am insecure, and a better, more heavenly perspective on my life. 

The first thing I am going to do is look through the bible at different verses that speak directly to what it means to Know God. I'm also going to listen to a couple books on Hoopla or my Library's audio book app. Here are the two I am starting with:

Knowing Christ Today - by Dallas Willard

Walking with God - by John Eldredge

I can't recommend these books wholeheartedly yet, as they are new to me, but I would love it if you did end up reading or listening to them and telling me what you think! I have read other books by both of these authors and do find them theologically sound as far as I know. For sure, the Dallas Willard book will take some brain-effort, just so you know :)

Lastly, there are a few ways you can participate in this with me.

1 - Join our Facebook Group! Anyone can join and you are free to participate as little or as much as you want. I will post other questions along the way and you'll have an easier time interacting with others there as well.

2 - Sign up for my Monthly Newsletter or Blog posts. There is a free download to be had when you sign up, and there will be monthly freebies as well.

3 - Follow me on Instagram @jojococamo. I post all kinds of things about my life on there but as I muse, think, and pray I am sure to post little tidbits regarding this endeavor here and there. Plus, I love following you (if you're into that kind of thing) and seeing what your life is like.

4 - Lastly, if you don't sign up for the newsletter or blog post alerts, you can always just check in monthly here on the blog. I will have a new post on the 1st of each month and then a follow up near the end, revealing my thoughts, insights, expectations, and actions.


That's it for now! Are you excited? What are you hoping to find here? I hope we can be a good example of a flourishing, growing community of believers and move with confidence in the things God calls us to. Have a blessed New Year. I can't wait to hear from you!

That One Word Thing.

Every year I have a group of friends that is insanely dedicated to picking out and praying over one word to encompass, shape, and influence the coming year. These friends plan to cling to their word, to think over what it means, hoping to make great progress in whatever that word is. I've seen friends pick words like Faith, Bravery, Hope, or Present, and I don't doubt that these are great ideals to embrace. Still, I felt like it was a little too cheesy for my serious self.

I'm wondering if you can see where this is going. I saw more and more friends choosing their words for this year and I continued to roll my eyes. Terrible, I know. And it's just like God to suddenly put a word on my heart and get my thoughts rolling it over and over again in my mind.

I was initially resistant because I want more than to just pick a word and think about it. I want it to impact my entire year. I want to learn what it really means and how it should shape my life. And then I got a wild idea, and I'm obsessing over it like you wouldn't believe.

So to clarify, yes, I jumped on this One Word train. One morning, after being totally judgmental about someone else's word choice, I suddenly thought of the word "called" and have not been able to get it out of my mind. But I plan to do much more than think or pray over this word, though those are both valuable and important things to do. Ready for the big plan? I'm still not completely sure how this will all go down, and my plans are sure to change along the way, but as of now, here is what I am going to do.

Each month I will focus on a separate facet of what it means to be Called. Often, when we think of our "calling," it feels very vague, mysterious, clouded in wonder and hope, but always feeling a little bit out of our grasp or comprehension. We spend countless hours fantasizing over this "calling" while constantly being told that when we know exactly what "it" is we will understand our place in this world. But how does that help us live today? Should all our focus really be on finding out what this special "calling" is? Or are there other ways to figure it out without being too self-absorbed and miss out on other opportunities?

The truth is we are Called to many things. And for the most part, they are all something to do, someone to be, or something to receive. So I've picked out 12 different "callings" and I am going to hash out a new one every month. I'll give you the big reveal January 1st and then at the end of each month I'll share what I'm learning, along with some questions to help you work through this process right along with me. My hope is that during each month I will grow more and more deeply in my convictions, in my knowledge of who I am supposed to be, how I am supposed to live, and be better at trusting God with all of the circumstances of my life. Ultimately, I want to understand God better and live for Him more freely, with more reckless abandon and confident happiness. Sounds pretty lovely, right?

Here is how you can do this with me!

First off, subscribe to my monthly newsletter and you'll be reminded about the new facet of being Called we'll be working through that month. I know, maybe you already signed up for my newsletter and have only received one; that is completely my fault. Doing all this writing, tutoring, homeschooling at a new level, and Fall sports put me in a bad place, a place where only the absolutely most important things in my life got done. I'm still figuring out what gives me life and energy, and I am making better decisions about what I can or can't do. None-the-less, if you sign up for my newsletter, you WILL get to be a part of these 12 Months of Called.

Next, check in on my blog every month. If I were you, I'd even get a cheap notebook and write down some of the questions and thoughts you have along the way. I'll be sharing how I answer my own questions, but maybe God will be speaking to you in a different way, and chances are, you'll want to remember that.

Here are some of the types of questions I'll be asking:

- How does understanding this Call more deeply help me live better?
- How does knowing this Call change my life-goals?
- How does living by this Call change the way I should act?
- Is the way I am acting right this second in line with what I know?

These are healthy things to ask when you are learning anything, but I think it's especially important when it comes to understanding what we are Called to be, to do, and to receive. Calling is a lot less mysterious and far more practical than we make it out to be. I'm learning that God doesn't want to keep me in the dark about how I am supposed to live and what I am supposed to pursue, and I'm thrilled to be headed down this path of better understanding what it means to be Called.

Lastly, join our Facebook Group. I will post links to the blog posts and probably do a few giveaways too :) It will likely be the same content, but more personal interaction will be happening there.

As a little Christmas gift I will give you a hint before I wrap this up. In January, we'll explore the ultimate calling we have as Christians: to know God and enjoy Him forever. I'm convinced this doesn't just mean in eternity. Jesus brought the Kingdom to earth and we are meant to live in the enjoyment of His promises and presence here today too! From February on, we'll look at the smaller pieces under that big call, thinking through what kind of people we are called to be, how we are called to act toward others, and the different things God calls us to receive as gifts from Him. As we get going, I am convinced that all of these make a difference not just in our lives overall, but they shape individual moments in our days.

This is what I'm after; knowing God's Call in such a way that I can live with complete confidence, genuine joy, and perpetual peace.

Again, here is the link to sign up for my newsletter. I am excited to explore this with friends and sisters, with people who want to know the Lord better and are ready to seek Him out. His promises of wisdom and being found are what I will be clinging to in all of this (Deut. 4:29, Jer. 29:13, Matt. 4:7, Acts 17:27, James 1:5-8). Remember these as you pray and get ready for a New Year, and remember you are not going at it alone!

So who is with me? Feel free to ask questions in the comments, and tell me what you hope to find along this journey together. And in case you aren't excited yet, you just wait! I'm pretty sure my level of excitement is enough for at least 10 people :)

Merry Christmas, and see you January 1st!