People of the Second Chance

I BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE WITH ALL MY HEART....

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PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE IS A SCANDALOUS AWAKENING OF RADICAL GRACE IN LIFE AND LEADERSHIP. WE EXIST TO OVERTHROW JUDGMENT, LIBERATE LOVE AND LIVE A LIFE THAT REBELS WITH GRACE FOR EVERYONE. 

                      -POTSC mission

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Why I Write

In school I hated writing.


It's true. I was the math and science inclined girl who would use as many quotes as possible on a page to increase my word count. If I could create a graph to illustrate, you better believe it was nestled into the sentence fragments that made up my paper.

While I leaned toward the right side of the brain, I have always loved to read. I would fly through biographies, study encyclopedias, read poems, and soak up mysteries.
I loved reading words; but not writing them.
Middle school and high school ended.
And a couple years went by....
Then one day I made a decision: I would write every day for a year.

It began with my terrible memory. I have the worst. I can remember what happened last week, if I'm lucky, maybe two. But ask me about something that happened a month ago and I will be grasping for a calendar. So my decision was to serve as an aid. I would write the highlights of the day, one day at a time. In the beginning, my entries were painful fragments about the monotony of life. I knew they were pitiful. But it would help later, right? A month or two in, and my ramblings were bearable; not good, but bearable. Fast forward a bit and I loved to write. Was I good? No. Not at all, but I was able to put my thoughts and observations down on paper. It was a huge step.
Now I have my own style. Now I write all the time. I'm still not any good, my grammar is atrocious, I still write in fragments...but I love it.
I write a friend every week about what's happening in my life.
I write letters to friends who live out of state.
I write to my sponsor child in India.
I write when something wonderful happens, something that I never want to forget.
I write when something tragic happens, something I want to look back on and find the blessings in.
I write down ideas, plans, encouraging words, song lyrics, verses....

Because I want to remember.

I want to look back over the years and be amazed.

I want to be amazed of how God used my situation, 

my friends, my decisions, my life.

I want to be reminded that all of God's promises have been fulfilled, 

not one of them has failed.

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I Will be Grateful

Gratitude is never INVISIBLE or SILENT.
    Luke 6:45 "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Gratitude begins where your SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT ends.
    What do you feel entitled to? Sin creeps into our hearts when we fail to see life as a gift.

Grateful people can find a BLESSING or create a BLESSING in almost any situation.
    Gratitude is not based on how good your situation is but on how good you see your situation to be.

-Compiled from Pete Wilson and Steven Furtick's teachings

Gratitude isn't just throwing down a "thanks" to someone. It's recognizing an effort, a commitment, a decision.

We need to take notice. 

When someone genuinely asks how you're doing, when they simply smile at you, it means the world. Yet we become accustomed to these formalities. We accept them as normal, expected acts. As such, we begin to ignore them. They become less beautiful because they are expected. It's no longer real-it's synthetic.

Smiles and general inquiries have lost their passion. They have become ignored-sometimes dropped altogether. 

We've lost it.

Genuine inquiries are seen intrusive to personal life, we are skeptical of their intentions.

We are no longer grateful for other's concern.

We are no longer grateful.

We thank God for the day, for our food, family, blessings. For the things we experience and see. We are appreciative of the physical. We understand he gives us things we can't see. Peace, patience, hope...

But who is he? Are we thankful for his character? His efforts, commitments, and decisions? His decision to love us? Or do we take that for granted? Once again, it becomes a common thing-like a smile. No longer treasured and marveled at.

Yet he does not stop loving us. It stretches farther to him displaying and proving his love. But we all know that.....

We are no longer grateful for things we know and have heard for years-it's nothing new.

We are no longer grateful.

So this year it begins: 

I'm going to notice what others do. I'm going to actively search them out. The little things, the big ones. Their sacrifices, decisions, and I'm going to be grateful for them. I will not be silent. To do so would be to ignore their efforts. And to ignore them as beautifully loved people. 

It begins today. I will not be silent.

I WILL GIVE THANKS AND GRATEFUL BE.

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Undeserving

"I need God to help me love God."

 Francis Chan

Crazy Love

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."

 James 4:8

I'm a perfectionist. I like things that are complete. If it's not finished, I'm ashamed.

Then God said he wanted me. And joy filled my heart-for a moment. How could I give him my life? It's broken, imperfect, not finished... There is so much that needs to be done. I felt shame.

I held him at arms length and rushed to get everything in order. But my hand fumbled, everything I touched gave way and shattered. Now my shame turned to panic. What would I do? Everything that had looked good in my life lay in rubble at my feet.

Suddenly I had nothing.

Nothing to give.

And yet I had nothing to lose.

I swallowed hard and lowered my arm, holding him back. I took a step, just a small one. My head lowered, dreading the unknown. Nothing. Now another step, head raising. I saw a face. This face didn't mock my failure, it didn't stare at my broken pieces, it didn't back up in horror, it didn't show judgment, surprise or anger. It showed acceptance, compassion and comfort; everything I had worked hard to earn. I looked back at my life, surely there was something redeemable I had done to experience the gaze. But looking back I had nothing, not even rubble. Everything had been swept away.

A feeling flooded over me, not shame, not panic, but peace. 

I hadn't fooled the face, he had accepted me despite my failure.

I needed him to love him.

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Hurt People, Hurt People

I love people. I love watching them.

Sometimes I see people loving others-a smile, a moment spent solely on another, going out of their way for someone they have never met-it's beautiful.

Other times I see people in pain-lashing out in anger, indifferent to the hurt they have caused, selfishly bypassing the cares of others-it's heartbreaking.

These people:
Lash out in anger when they feel threatened or hurt.
Hurt others when desperate for attention.
Don't know how to manage their pain.
Respond the way they have been treated.

Most people aren't mean. They are hurting so bad that they can't communicate the pain they're in.

I have decided, I have resolved:
I am not going to shun, ignore, or belittle those who have been deprived of love. Those who have warped views of themselves and of the world.

I will love those He loves.

Because He's crazy about them.

Because it breaks His heart when they're in pain.

Because He desires them to know His crazy love.

His crazy, undeserving, unconditional LOVE.

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You Are Making Me New

"You make beautiful things

                                                                         You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, 

You are making me new"

                                                 -Gungor

A brand new year was always exciting, but it wasn't until recently that I began to grasp the meaning.


New Year's resolutions were never made in my house. If we wanted/needed to change an aspect in our life, it should happen immediately or as soon as possible. The only time I heard about people's resolutions were excuses of why they wouldn't continue. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough support....All I heard was, "Resolutions are meant to be spoken, not fulfilled." 
So why continue? Because it makes us feel good. It's an effort without the excursion. 


I used to think resolutions were stupid. 


But I don't think that anymore. 


I think resolutions are fabulous. I think they're an important step to accomplishing a dream. But I have to remember that it's going to be hard. I won't want to do it some days. I'll choose to give up. I'll choose the wide, comfortable path.  And once I do it will be even more difficult to get back on the right path. But will it be worth it? Oh, yes. A resolution should be something you believe in so completely that pain and hardship are mere trifles to attaining the greater good.
Yes, I thing resolutions are fabulous.


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The Girl

I want a story of redemption. Of death, brought to life.
I want this for you.

"For he was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."

I want this for you. So much. Your life is precious and beautiful. You are so much more than what you feel. You are joyful, friendly, full of life. 

Beautiful, beautiful life.

You will find out who your true friends are. You will see how fragile you are. You will see how strong you are, too. 

But I hope you bypass numbness.

I hope you bypass deep pain.

I want a story of redemption. Of death, brought to life.....