Rebekah Lyons Quotes

Joy is not the absence of darkness. Joy is confidence that the darkness will lift.

Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all. D.L. MOODY1

Welcome the life that takes you off course. A plan derailed, a life surrendered, a broken bondage

Special people change us in an instant. Forcing us to ask the deeper questions. They inspire us to be better.They bring meaning to our lives in ways that make perfect sense in our hearts.

It's in the tension that the music is made.

The unexamined life is not worth living. —SOCRATES

Sometime we need a freefall to teach us how to fly. So if youre standing on the edge of your own cliff wondering what t do, jut leap. I promise. Its worth it.

A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like a summer without flowers, and like a homestead without a garden. It is the most joyous day of the week. —HENRY WARD BEECHER

I need the wisdom, reasoning, and apologetics of C. S. Lewis, though some of his theological beliefs are different from mine. I need the preaching and charisma of Charles Spurgeon, though his view of baptism is different from mine. I need the resurrection vision of N. T. Wright and the theology of Jonathan Edwards, though their views on church government are different from mine. I need the passion and prophetic courage of Martin Luther King Jr., the cultural intelligence of Soong-Chan Rah, and the Confessions of St. Augustine, though their ethnicities are different from mine. I need the justice impulse and communal passion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, though his nationality is different from mine. I need the spiritual thirst and love drive of Brennan Manning and the prophetic wit of G. K. Chesterton, though both are Roman Catholics and I am a Protestant. I need the hymns and personal holiness of John and Charles Wesley, though some of their doctrinal distinctives are different from mine. I need the glorious weakness of Joni Eareckson Tada, the spirituality of Marva Dawn, the trusting perseverance of Elisabeth Elliot, the long-suffering spirit of Amy Carmichael, the transparency of Rebekah Lyons, the thankfulness of Ann Voskamp, the Kingdom vision of Amy Sherman, and the integrity of Patti Sauls, though their gender is different from mine. As St. Augustine reputedly said, “In nonessentials, liberty.” To this we might add, “In nonessentials, open-minded receptivity.” We Christians must allow ourselves to be shaped by other believers. The more we move outside the lines of our own traditions and cultures, the more we will also be moving toward Jesus.

truth hit me in that moment. All my life, I’ve been running. Running to the next greatest thing. An adventurer. A thrill seeker. Hungry for more. If things got hard, fight or flight. I would kick and scream for a while, and when that didn’t yield the proper results, I would take flight. It happened in my closest relationships. Including my arguments with Gabe. If I was not able to win or be understood, I’d grow silent and escape. Far away. To a place that allowed me to maintain control. But the silent treatment and hibernation never brought relief; instead, I felt abandoned by my own doing. All alone. By my own choosing. This defense of self-preservation left me on the altar of self-destruction. My greatest fear is feeling trapped—it has followed me all my life.

Too often we live with our talents hidden in the desk drawer. Just out of reach. We’ve tucked them away. Refusing to listen. It hurts too much to hope. So we go on with our lives, not allowing ourselves to go near that drawer.

Confession begins with repentance and ends with declaration.

You who raise your voice with your kids. You who are addicted to social media. You who “retail” your way out of depression. You who question whether or not you have any real friends. You who aren’t certain your life really matters. You with your insecurity, your brokenness, your anxiety, your desperation. You. You are the light of the world.

We weren’t made to keep up. We were made to be free. To be who we already are.

When we become enslaved to anything, we miss out on a life of surrender and peace.

We cannot prioritize our doing before being, our assignment before healing, our service before freedom.

Calling is where our talents and burdens collide. Our talents are our birthright gifts, the gifts that make our hearts sing, come alive. Our burdens are found in our stories, in what breaks our hearts. God was inviting me to use the gifts that made me come alive, to redeem the things that broke my heart.

Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” VIKTOR FRANKL

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”6

Rest precedes blessing. We don’t have to run to earn rest; we run fueled by a posture of rest.

The enemy of our souls wants us to be isolated and alone. He knows that when we're isolated, we're easy prey. Why? When we're alone and vulnerable, we feel afraid. When we're together and vulnerable, we become brave. A brave group of vulnerable people acting together in faith is not easily overcome by anxiety and stress.

Staring into a mirror might show us what we look like in the moment, but it cannot show us who we are or where we’re going.

if your voice stops sounding like you, be quiet for a minute.. it'll come back

We are restless when we rest less.

And here’s the thing about despair: It overtakes the place meant for hope. It steals the belief that healing is possible.

WE CANNOT RUN IF WE CANNOT REST.

PRAYER GRANTS ME ACCESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT’S COMFORT, A BALM THAT TRANSCENDS TIME AND SPACE, REPUTATION AND RACE.

I looked again at the photo of me, hair wild, rumpled sweatshirt, typing away, all in the name of being diligent. What other moments had I missed, head buried in my work? Year after year, I couldn’t possibly be present for everyone. But this felt different. I hadn’t felt the weight of missing out until I saw it in retrospect, in vivid color from a long-past October day. Until you get quiet, you can’t know what your heart needs to confess.

Each closing makes room for the birth of a new seadon

Every bloom and bud mirrored the revival I felt in my soul

The moment of surrender changes everything. Its the moment of releasing my grip as I realize I am not enough