About 2.5 weeks ago, I went to the gym to get some miles in on the treadmill. As I started running, I hit “play” on the video for Session 1 of the 2024 Passion Conference. Tens of thousands of college-aged students lifting up one Name – Jesus. It was a beautiful sound!

In the middle of the singing, Brad Jones and his wife came out on the stage to welcome everyone there. After asking about who had to fly to get there, they talked about people from all over the world being in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

I just kept running.

Somewhere in the midst of the conversation, I heard him mention this verse….””For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him….“ 2 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Still running…..but the Holy Spirit “pinged” me. There were maybe six people in the gym that night – but at that moment, I was alone and I heard one voice speaking directly to me. “How about you, Jackie? What’s the status of your heart? Is it FULLY COMMITTED?”

I would love to tell you my immediate response was “Yes!” I didn’t lie that night and I won’t lie today. The truth is that SOME parts of my heart were. But there were some other parts that I was tucking away because I wanted to control them. Like these….
➡️ Harboring Unforgiveness because what they did to me was wrong and I was right to be offended and angry.
➡️Speaking in ways that did not honor the Lord because…..see arrow #1.
➡️Struggling with a pretty significant bout of depression/anxiety on my own because I didn’t want to be “a bother” to anyone (and I didn’t want to seem unable to “just handle it”).

I got off of that treadmill, sent a message out to my small group, and asked for anyone who felt a “ping” to meet me for prayer the next morning so we could have some accountability. I wasn’t the only one who got “pinged.” There were six of us in the circle on Monday morning. I’m thankful for honesty….for safe places and people to confess your sins and find healing……because I truly DO want my heart to be fully committed to Him. I can’t do it on my own.

Neither can you.

If my heart is fully committed to Him….the fruit I bear in my life will represent THAT level of heart health. If I’ve got areas that are broken and bruised and hurting….the fruit I bear in my life will represent THAT level of heart health, too. A tree doesn’t produce fruit to feed itself…..it produces fruit to feed others. What kind of fruit is my life bearing to feed those around me? At home? At work? At church? In friendships? In traffic? At Walmart? 😊

People from all around the world converged in Atlanta, GA so that I would have the opportunity to hop on a treadmill in Tuscaloosa, AL and hear directly from Him. I don’t think it was coincidental that I was exercising my heart when He spoke to me about the very thing I was trying to keep healthy.

How’s your heart?

Please don’t have anxiety about the two words mentioned in the photo. Hang with me.

As we wrap up the year, I’ve been pondering a lot of areas of my life.
▶️ Marital Health.
▶️ Family Health.
▶️ Relational Health.
▶️ Professional Health.
▶️ Spiritual Health.
▶️ Physical Health.
▶️ Emotional Health.

In each of these areas, I have some reasons to celebrate and evidence of growth. In each of these areas, too, I have some growing to do.

Insert the recurrent theme of STRETCH MARKS.

I am very aware of what causes stretch marks as I have personal experience with them. To seem more “official,” though, I visited the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic websites to investigate the medical jargon as to why we get them. Essentially, we develop stretch marks on our bodies when there is rapid GROWTH or rapid SHRINKING of our skin.

As we wrap up 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ and prepare to head into 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣, it’s easy to get wrapped up in determining New Years’ Resolutions or goals for the year ahead. The Lord gave me my “word” (actually 2 words) for 2024 in the summer and has been preparing me since then. My two words are BIGGER THINGS.

What that means to me is….
Stretch Marks are coming.

There are some things I want to grow in my life. There are also things I want to shrink. Either way – I hope things look differently on 12/31/24 than they did on 01/01/24. Just a few examples….

Marital – I want to have more intentional and uninterrupted time with Kyle (growth) and less impatience over silly things (shrinking).

Family – I want to be present for my kids in this season of life in ways that are meaningful to them (growth) and less being tired because I’ve invested my best elsewhere (shrinking).

Relational – I want to find more intentional ways to celebrate my friends for who they are to me (growth) and work to reduce social anxiety/isolation (shrinking). Yes, that’s a reality for me.

Spiritually – I want to write and publish my first book, rooted in Scripture, to help people grow in their walk with Jesus and relationships with each other (growth), and I want to maintain the discipline of prayer long after 21 days of prayer to reduce being so reactive in prayer (shrinking).

All of these things…..the growth and the shrinking…..should be evident as they happen and change me. Lord, may Your fruit be evident in my life more and more….and may my fleshiness become less and less. (John 3:30)

Where do you need to grow?
Ask Him to show you.
Find accountability to make it reality.

Where do you need to shrink?
Ask Him to show you.
Find accountability to make it reality.

Stretching….
Shrinking…..
Both necessities.

Believing for “bigger things” in 2024. We are #BetterTogether.

A few years after we bought our house, I decided there were two tree-like plants in our landscaping that I wanted to replace. My friend and co-worker, Elizabeth Tiley, and I placed an order from a crepe myrtle farm that included six four-foot tall “healthy crepe myrtle trees with well-established root systems.” She was getting three and I was getting three. When the box arrived at school, there was only one box. We thought the other five would be coming soon….until we opened the box. All six “trees” were there… because they were basically six little branches, not four foot tall trees.

They had to be planted in pots first and tied to some supports to hold them upright as they grew. Eventually, they grew taller and the trunk got stronger, so they became strong enough to go plant in the ground. Year after year, they grew taller and thicker and produced leaves, but no flowers. For a crepe myrtle tree, the flower represents the “fruit.”

After being established, the trees took several years to bear fruit. In the process of waiting for those flowers to come, I often thought that I got some HOOPTIE (yes, hooptie!) crepe myrtle trees or that they were going to give us nothing but leaves. It took a bit for the root system to be established enough to produce the flowers (fruit).

I use that long illustration because when something new has been planted in us (for the first time or after something else has been removed – like those first tree things in my yard), we often forget that the newly planted thing has to be nurtured, watered, and supported as it grows stronger IN YOU first. Strong roots will always produce fruits.

As we continue to let the Lord work in us, remove some things that need to go and plant some new things that need to grow…be patient with Him, with yourself and with others…abide in Him. Stay put in Him. The fruit is coming. He’s strengthening you to be able to offer that fruit to “feed” others.

Give Him access to remove what needs to go….and plant/nurture what needs to stay.

John 15

This 18-wheeler was parked at a local fast food restaurant yesterday while the driver grabbed some lunch.

As I put my car in park to grab a few tacos with my friends, the truck and its contents could not be overlooked.

On that trailer sat multiple cars that had stories to tell…..miles driven…..sights seen….plans revamped……parts replaced…..people reunited….songs blared…..and then, the crushing.

Merriam-Webster defines CRUSHING as “to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure.”

Chances are, you’ve had moments or seasons when you felt like one of those cars. Miles driven and experiences had…..but then came the crushing.
➡️ The diagnosis wasn’t what you expected or hoped for.
➡️ The job was going so great until they let you know it was over.
➡️ The words “I do” were so real and strong….until later they became “I don’t.”
➡️ The dream of having a baby grew dimmer and dimmer with each negative test result.
➡️ There were so many plans for the future until that person was taken far too soon.

You can add your own statements to the arrows, too. There are lots of situations in our lives that absolutely make us feel as if we are being crushed – just like those once vibrant cars on the back of that truck.

One of the first words in Merriam’s definition is “squeeze.” If I hand you a big, juicy orange, your intention is not to go into the kitchen and “crush” it. Instead, “squeezing” the orange will bring out of it what could never be known had it just sat peacefully on the counter…..not actually being used to produce what it was created to produce. That could only come from the “squeezing.”

Squeezing or crushing…..I guarantee you that there are things inside of you that will never come to fruition without them. I have certainly walked through a long season of crushing and have seen friends do the same – and we are not the same! No one wants to sign up for them, for sure, but we sure are thankful for that glass of orange juice with breakfast! 🍊

I think of Daniel being thrown in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). He was simply living to honor God and there were people determined to take him out! Squeezing? Yep. Crushing? Absolutely. But through the process, he encountered the Lord in a powerful, real, and perspective-shifting way. Daniel saw the Lord when he was IN the fire….and that helped him know the Lord better when he was on the other side of that fire.

He wasn’t alone.

Neither are you.

Look for Him “in the fire”…..in the “crushing.” Don’t miss His presence….and don’t miss what He is squeezing out of you in the process.

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I absolutely love this time of year. Sure, the change of weather is nice….but I really love football season. I really enjoy watching games that spotlight teams from across the country….whether I know anything about them or not. 

Since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa as the football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, we (Alabama fans) have gotten pretty spoiled. We are VERY used to winning. Better yet….we are VERY used to dominating. 

This year, we find ourselves in a debacle because that domination has not made itself known on a consistent basis. Take, for example, today’s game against Arkansas. The team started out “sleepy.” They came alive and became dominant for a sliver of time. Then the “sleepy” team returned. I wasn’t on the field playing…..I was in my living room watching. Maybe yelling at the tv a time or two. Or three. I know what potential these guys have. I’ve seen it at times! I know what strong coaches they have. I’ve seen the impact of their coaching for years! Tonight, though, we are frustrated with the win because of the inconsistency.

Maybe you clicked to read this because you, too, few that way about this game or this team or another game/team you watched today. But the real reason I am writing tonight is because that team on the field represents me at times, too. 

I know who the Lord calls me to be.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know He calls me to consider others better than myself.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know the right thing to do – and I choose the complete opposite.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know He calls me to forgive people who wrong me – but holding on to unforgiveness “feels”right.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent. 

I know He tells me to bear fruit that represents Him – no matter where I am.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent. 

These 18-22 year old guys are busting their tails every day to prepare to give their best on game day. They know what they need to do and they know what they need to NOT do. They come into the game with the mindset that they’ll give their best, play their best, make all the right decisions, and respond in the right way. But, sometimes……they are inconsistent. 

Thank God for another chance….another day….to get back in the game…..and to keep pressing on to continue to grow more an more like Him every day. 

I have counted myself out at times due to my inconsistencies.

Others have probably counted me out because of my inconsistencies. 

Heaven knows I have unfairly counted some people out because of their inconsistencies.

Thank goodness He has never thrown in the towel on any of us when we’ve missed the mark of what we could – and should – be.

Let’s help each other stay in the game! Let’s cheer one another on as we run this race. We need Jesus – and we need each other! #BetterTogether

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬