(July 17, 2017)

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My Thoughts on Turning 27 (July 14, 2017)

Today is my birthday! I’m really excited for what this next year will hold in my life. Here are a few things I’ve learned about life, love and Jesus, at 27.

1.      His love never fails: Don’t roll your eyes. This is not a cliché’. This is a promise! If I’ve learned anything about God, it’s that His love for me is inexplicable and unwavering. His love truly provides perfect peace. His love is literally perfect. Being an ex-perfectionist, I’ve found that his strength is truly made perfect in my weakness and it truly is incredible.

2.      You might as well take a chill-pill and learn how to wait: I can be incredibly impatient! Blame it on being a millennial or on sin nature, but I HATE TO WAIT.  Something I’ve learned in my 27 years of life is that no matter how much I scream, cry, threaten to walk away from my faith, and throw an adult tantrum, none of those things move God. God is going to do, what He wants to do, when and how He wants to do it. It’s best to just chill and enjoy the journey, because at some point you are going to have to wait.

3.      Love this season: It’s easy for me to focus on the future and on the good things in my life to come. But, something I’ve learned is it truly best to be all here, right now. No matter how well planned our futures are, when we get there we will find they are still not perfect. In the future, there will be people you love who are no longer with you, friendships that have died, disappointments that have accrued. There is a season for everything and you cannot have the warmth of summer without the chill of winter. So, if you’re in summer embrace it. If you’re in winter embrace it. Whatever hypothetical season of life you are in, be sure to be completely, totally present.

4.      I’m really, imperfect: I’m like super broken. Extremely prideful. Sometimes insecure. Often selfish. And while the realization of those things, does not give me permission to ignore them, it does give me permission to trust that only Jesus can transform me. When you realize how imperfect you are, it’s a lot easier to stop trying to change yourself and instead learn how to rely on the transformative power of Christ.

5.      Perspective really is everything: Choose to see this life as a beautiful adventure. I can choose to see pain as an opportunity to love on someone else. I can choose to see disappointment as a glowing opportunity to be caught by surprise. I don’t have control over everything, but I have control over plenty of things and one of those things is my attitude and how I approach the world.

There are my thoughts on turning 27. I’m grateful to see another year. Heyyyyy 27, let’s do this!!!!

Xoxo,

Myah

Shero Glitz Item of the Week (July 13, 2017)

As a part-time creative designer, I believe God can provide healing and empowerment through the beautiful things he leads his children to create. I love demonstrating the nature of God’s creativity by showcasing items he has led me to create.  So without further ado, here is our shero-glitz item of the week:

Find headbands like this one in my online store: Lonye' Lynn

Ministry 101: Rejection in Ministry (July 12, 2017)

(I created this column to provide insight and encouragement to those who are young and in ministry. I have served on paid ministry staff since I was eighteen years old and there are so many things I wish people had told me about being a very young leader. If you’re young and in ministry (or regardless of age, if you’re in ministry at all) I truly hope this encourages you.

Some of the greatest rejection I have experienced has been in ministry. When it comes to ministry, not many things are promised, but one thing that is promised, is that you will get hurt. In ministry, you are dealing with people. People are broken. Hurting. Selfish. Messy. And so are leaders. When you combine brokenness, and sin nature, at some point someone is going to get hurt and often that someone is the leader. Here are a few tips on how to handle rejection in ministry. 

1.      Remember Jesus was rejected: And scoffed at. And mocked. When you’re feeling the pain and sting of rejection. Read the gospels. Jesus was rejected in ministry. He was doubted, told that he wasn’t good enough, and some places completely refused to hear from him. Yet, none of that pain or rejection could deter him, because he knew he was called of God. He wasn’t called of people, but he was called by the Lord to do the Lord’s work.

2.      Ask God how he can use your pain for His glory: Each time I experienced rejection in ministry, it took me deeper into my walk with Jesus. Because I was going deeper in Christ and in the process of transformation, my light shined brighter and Christ became even more glorified. Ask God how he can use your rejection in ministry to shine his light even brighter.

3.      Don’t use pain as an opportunity to gossip: When a parishioner rejects you, this is never an opportunity to gossip about them (not even with other leaders.) I understand when you’ve been hurt you want to get vindication, but gossiping is not the way to do it. Instead, if you are feeling the urge to gossip, cry out to the Lord on that person’s behalf and ask the Lord to heal your heart.

4.      Remember that we battle not against flesh and blood: When you are rejected in ministry, always remember this. Usually the rejection is not personal (even when it feels very, very personal). Most times, it is a reflection of a spiritual battle that person is facing.

5.      Know that it’s okay to set boundaries: If someone has rejected you in ministry it is okay to set a boundary with them. There was an individual in our ministry who was slandering the leadership. The slander was causing division in the church and was greatly impacting some of the younger Christians in the body. News of the gossip had gotten back to the leaders and this person was lovingly, but firmly confronted and told to stop the slander. The person was told that if the slander did not stop, they would be asked to find a new church home. There is nothing un-Godly or unloving about this. If you have someone who is consistently hurting or rejecting you in ministry, you have a right to set a boundary.

6.      Have a tribe that loves you unconditionally: Be sure to have friends, family and other pastors who love you and encourage you.

7.      Take a break, but don’t walk away: Ministry is great, but very hard. Sometimes, you need a break so you won’t become bitter. That’s perfectly fine! If you are feeling emotionally depleted due to ministry rejection, take a break. Ask an assistant pastor to fill in for you. Have someone else lead worship that week. Disconnect from social media for a while so you don’t have to hear comments from parishioners. It’s okay to take a break from ministry to re-coup and keep from completely walking away.

I hope this helps!

Myah

Fertility, Sacrifice and John 3:16- (July 11, 2017)

John 3:16 is the first scripture I ever learned. From what I know, I can almost assure you it’s the first scripture many believers learn. When I was a child, as soon as a little tot said they’d accepted Jesus into their heart, the Sunday school teachers would teach them John 3:16. It wasn’t much different for adults at our church, when they came to know the Lord. Our discipleship program was very popular at my old church and one of the first scriptures people learned was John 3:16. This verse, so powerful and such a reflection of God’s grace and mercy is so commonly quoted, it’s sometimes referred to as cliché. Yet I can tell you when it comes to the word of God, nothing is cliché’.  As I look at this verse with woman eyes, I can say the power and beauty behind the scripture leaves me feeling so humbled.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. It’s such a weird feeling to be a woman and confronted with the fragility of your fertility. Conceiving is not out of the question for me, as many women with PCOS do conceive. But the idea that it could be a faith walk, when the time comes is scary… and heart-breaking. I want to be a mother. In fact one of the meanings of my name is “mother.” So the idea that I could possibly be faced with fertility challenges is something I desperately try not to think about. When I look at John 3:16 and I consider my own desire to be a mama one day, I wonder: could I, for the sake of the salvation of humanity, have given up my child (or fertility?)  Could I have sacrificed my only son to save the souls of others? I’m going to answer you outright and tell you, I could not. Thankfully, I’ll never have to; but what astonishes me is the fact that God was so willing. He was willing to give Jesus up. To sacrifice his baby for my soul. The selflessness that took astounds me and leaves me feeling grateful.

I’m an unmarried woman, so for the time being having children is not a concern. However, I trust that in God’s timing I will one day conceive and birth children of my own. When I do, one of the first scriptures I will teach them is John 3:16. I want them to see how God surrendered His baby for them; so they know to never take his sacrifice for granted.

XOXO,

Myah Lonye'

Design a Life You Love: Who's Your Tribe (July 10, 2017)

You’ve probably heard the saying “even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.” This essentially means that we all need someone. It’s impossible to get through life without connection. We were made for community and interconnectedness. I think it’s healthy to periodically reflect on our friendships. Ask yourself the following questions about friendship. Once you’ve completed answering each question, take a little time to pray your answers back to God.

XOXO,

Myah

Who’s Your Tribe- Friendship Questions

1.      Outside of your spouse and your immediate family, who are your 3 closes friends?

2.      What do you love about these individuals?

3.      How do these individuals bring you closer to Christ?

4.      How do these individuals help you pursue your dreams?

5.      How are you a good friend to these individuals?

6.      How can you become a better friend?

7.      If you do not have any friendships outside of your spouse or immediate family, how can you develop new friendships?

Resource Friday: Nioby Trivett - (July 7, 2017)

What is resource Friday?

Every Friday I feature a musician, poet, author, entrepreneur or speaker who has incredible material. I believe that as Christians we can help one another grow by providing each other with Biblically sound resources. Every resource I suggest is of someone who's work I truly believe in and/or use myself.
This Week's Resource: Nioby Trivett

I first discovered Nioby, several years ago when her blog was entitled "The Chicest Ambry." Nioby has undeniable style, but what is so lovely about her is her love for Jesus. Find out more about this sold-out fashionista by following her on insta or by checking out her blog.
XOXO,
Myah Lonye'

Shero-Glitz Item of the Week: (July 6, 2017)

As a part-time creative designer, I believe God can provide healing and empowerment through the beautiful things he leads his children to create. I love demonstrating the nature of God’s creativity by showcasing items he has led me to create.  So without further ado, here is our shero-glitz item of the week:

Find headbands like this one in my online store: Lonye' Lynn

Ministry 101: Your Ministry Identity (July 5, 2017)

(I created this column to provide insight and encouragement to those who are young and in ministry. I have served on paid ministry staff since I was eighteen years old and there are so many things I wish people had told me about being a young leader. If you’re young and in ministry (or regardless of age, if you’re in ministry at all) I truly hope that this encourages you.)

I love being in ministry. I. LOVE. IT. I think it’s so amazing how God uses his children to bring others into the body of Christ. During my time in ministry, one thing I’ve learned is how imperative it is to know the identity God has given you as a minister. During my time in ministry, I’ve had many different assignments. I’ve done everything from developing children’s programs, to cleaning toilets. If I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned how to bloom where I was planted and how to embrace every season. But, I didn’t always know how to capture the vision God had for me in that season.

 Several years ago, I was given the assignment of being a worship leader. I’m a classical trained singer and I love to perform, so I thought “this should be easy.” Boy was I naïve! Becoming a worship leader was hard. When I was promoted to worship pastor it became even harder! One thing becoming a worship pastor led me to do, was to get before God and ask him to give me a real vision of how he wanted me to lead worship. I needed spiritual guidance on who I was as a worship leader. I needed to develop a ministry identity.

When you’re called into ministry, it can be easy to think “I’m going to be a worship leader or a pastor or a youth leader.” And feel like the meaning behind that is cut and dry. But every leader must get before God and find out how He wants them to lead. I had to get before God and say, “Dad, what do the people who come to One Vision (my church) need when it comes to worship? What songs do we need to bring to you? How do you want the songs to be performed? What does this body need in terms of worship” It’s easy to think “I’m going to preach like T.D. Jakes,” or “I’m going to lead worship like Kari Jobe.” Yet the thing is, no one can preach like T.D. Jakes and no one can lead worship like Kari Jobe. Only they can lead like them and only you can lead like you.

It’s so imperative that you sit before the Lord and ask him how he wants you to lead in ministry and what your ministry identity should be. There’s a group of people who need what only you can give.

I hope this helps,

Myah

Happy Independence Day! (July 4, 2017)

                                                                                                                         Pic Found Here