Do you ever wonder if there’s more to life? If what you’re experiencing is really all there is to experience? You’re not alone. I’m excited to share this post today to hopefully bring you some encouragement, and also share what’s been going on with me in my writing journey. Let’s jump in!

The way I see it, there are three types of people in the world.

1.The first type of people are not Christians. They don’t know God, or if they do know him, they certainly don’t understand him, which is why they have not yet accepted him.

2. The second type of people are Christians. They have accepted God and Jesus and they try to go to church regularly and be good people.

3. The third type of people are also Christians. They have accepted God and Jesus, and have opened their lives to the workings of the Holy Spirit. They do their best to love others with the love God has shown them, and they seek and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Think for a second…are you a 1, 2, or 3? I’d venture to guess that most people who care to read this blog identify with 2 or 3. And if you’re a 1 and you’re still reading this – thank you! I’m so glad you are!

Lots of people identify with number 2. I’d say that’s where the majority of American Christians have landed. It’s a great place to be, but if you stay at number 2 for too long, you may begin to get restless. You may find yourself wondering if there’s something that you’re missing; more to the puzzle than what you’re seeing.

Let me just say this: if you’re a Christian, and you find Christianity boring, there is more to it! It doesn’t have to be a dull life filled with potlucks and polite greetings (I’m a fan of both of those things, by the way).

The Holy Spirit is the piece of the puzzle that so many people are missing, but they don’t even realize it yet. All Christians have access to the Holy Spirit, but we have to choose to let him actively work in us and through us. We have to choose to seek him out and listen to him when he speaks to us (and he will speak to us!).

The Holy Spirit is what turns a hum-drum Christian life into a daily adventure. It brings the spiritual realm alive. And when we realize that the King of Kings has issued us a personal invitation to work with him, up close and personally, each and every day, it’s sort of mind blowing, don’t you think?

Have you ever been walking through Target or Walmart and felt a nudge from God himself to pray for a stranger passing by? That’s the Holy Spirit, and it will rock your comfortable world. Have you ever felt like God was showing you something about another person and asking you to pray for them during your own personal prayer time, when you otherwise wouldn’t have known what was going on with them? That’s the Holy Spirit. He’s like Jesus without a body, living inside us, in constant communication with us. Or as constant as we’ll allow and recognize anyway. I’m telling you, it’s an adventure!

If it sounds a little scary or unpredictable, be assured – it totally is. But it’s also incredible and life changing, and with practice, it starts to feel more normal. And anyway…lives aren’t changed inside comfort zones.

Some may think the Holy Spirit is only for adults, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!

As a mother of three kids ages ten and under, I can say with confidence that many children’s church programs don’t expect enough from kids. Our family has visited quite a few churches, and I can see that it’s becoming more and more common to provide lots of entertainment, water down the lesson to include a feel-good moral, and send kids on their way. (Let me interrupt myself to say I’m not intending to criticize – leading kids’ church is hard work and I have great admiration for those to do so.) I’m sure the leaders have good reasons for going this route, but from my view, this is producing a culture of “church kids.” Church kids are great, don’t get me wrong! But I want more for my own.

I want to raise Jesus kids. Spirit kids. Kids who know they have the power of the living God himself living inside of them, accessible at the drop of a dime. Guiding them, encouraging them, and inspiring them to love the world recklessly.

And that’s why I wrote Power Up, a novel targeted to kids age 8-12. It’s a book where readers will follow an eleven-year-old girl named Lexi on a journey of transforming from a “church kid” to a “Spirit kid.” It’s an entertaining, messy, grace-filled journey of doubt and trust and empowerment.

You see, two years ago I was looking for Christian fiction books for my daughter. Everything I found was floofy (aka non-substantive). “Be a good kid and say your prayers while living your otherwise secular life” type stuff. All well and good, but my kids wanted something meatier. Something that painted a picture of what an active Christian life could look like. Something that inspired them to greater depths. And I couldn’t find it.

So I wrote it. Power Up is scheduled to release from Elk Lake Publishing around May 2019.

If you believe it’s a worthy goal to help 8-12 year olds transition from “church kids” to “Spirit kids,” would you pray with me? Pray that Power Up will make it into the hands of those who need it most. Pray that eyes are opened and lives are changed. Pray that God is glorified and the Spirit empowered. And pray that I can handle all that is asked of me when it comes to marketing and such, as it’s a bit overwhelming to think about for this introvert. Thanks for joining me on this journey – it’s so good to have you along. Your support and encouragement means the world to me.

Now let’s revisit the beginning of this post real quick. The Christian’s journey should always be evolving and growing. Are you a Christian? If not, ask yourself why not and then seek answers. Email me if you have questions that you can’t get answered and I’ll do my best to help.

Are you a God and Jesus Christian? Then think – do you want to grant the Holy Spirit access to your daily life? I promise, you won’t regret it.

Are you a God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit filled Christian? Then what can you do to open the door even a little wider for the Spirit? Give him the wheel even more fully. (This is where I am, by the way. I can always give the Spirit more control over my life.)

My prayer for you today is that you’ll take a next step. A baby step. Whatever size step you can handle right now. Give your life to God, let the Holy Spirit lead, and let the adventure unfold. And don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

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