Midland, Texas

I spent this past weekend speaking at an event in Midland, TX. It was some of the most fun I have ever had in my life. The girls were all open and receptive to what God wanted to speak into their lives over the weekend, and the leaders who planned the event were very warm and welcoming to Michael and me. It was also an added bonus that Texas now has Sweet Tea (normally a Southern thing), so my weekend was spent drinking as much of that stuff as I could find!

The first night, I sat in the worship service pouring my heart out to God as I was getting ready to climb on the stage and deliver the first of four messages. And suddenly something occured to me. It was as if the Holy Spirit was whispering, "It's been a long journey getting here." The "here" He was referring to wasn't Texas. It wasn't even a physical place, actually. Really, what the Holy Spirit was saying to me was this: "I am so glad that you are finally at a place where you are ready to embrace your gifts fully and be all in."

For the last four years I have been an author and speaker full-time. I have always loved being an author, but being a speaker has terrified me from Day 1. For a very long time I ran from the fact that God had gifted me to teach. I made up excuses for why I could only take a small handful of events each year. And when I did speak I would nervously stand behind a podium and read my notes off of freshly typed pages.

I used to watch speakers who moved freely across a stage, or even those who walked around among their audiences, as they spoke and time after time I thought, "I could never do that." And I lived according to that belief for a very long time. But in 2006 God broke me of that mentality. I was in Lima, Peru speaking to one of the largest crowds I have ever spoken to before and He clearly showed me, "Go up there without any notes. Speak from your heart and I will remind you of the points in the message you have prepared."

And with all of the nervous energy of someone who is getting ready to skydive, I climbed the stage with no notes in hand and I watched God do a miracle. Ever since then I have had the freedom to move around when I speak. And I only take bullet point style notes, if I even take notes with me at all. Let me tell you something. There has been a huge change in the amount of power I feel behind me when I speak.

At first I was tempted to believe that God had finally showed up in my gift and my ministry. But that's not really the case. God has always shown up--even when I stood wobbly kneed behind a podium reading my notes. The difference is that now I show up too. And when God shows up, and I show up, something amazing happens. His power is released to work in me in ways I never dreamed possible. What God dreams of doing in my life happens whenever I show up and let Him do it.

So, what about you? Have you shown up for your life lately? If not, I suggest you do. Because when you do God will not only change you, He will also change the world through you. It's amazing stuff. Believe me. I've seen it.