by Donya Dunlap | Jul 1, 2013 | Making a Difference
At the moment that I’m writing this post (Sunday evening, June 30, 2013 to be exact) I am on a United Airline Express flight from Cleveland to Charlotte. All I can see out the window to my left is the white of a bank of clouds. But inside the plane is a ray of light that I wish I could experience on every flight I take. Her name is Debbie. She is the stewardess, and without exaggeration, the best flight attendant I have met in my 17 years of flying experiences.
Why does Debbie stand out among the crowd of men and women who have served on other flights I have been on before?
It could be that she gave me an entire can of Diet Coke instead of the four sips in a cup of ice that I am usually handed on a flight, (anyone that knows me knows that this is a significant gesture, skyrocketing a person to the top of my favorites list) but one other stewardess has graced me in this way, so that isn’t it. She also wrapped the can with a napkin, which was a lovely touch, but not worthy of the top flight attendant award either. She complimented my sweater (bonus points boost), but again, not what put Debbie over the top in my mind.
To be honest, it wasn’t any one thing. It was everything she did. Upon boarding, she enthusiastically greeted every passenger on the plane with Sound of Music quality cheer and a smile that went from her chin to her eyes. She engaged in conversation with the kids on the flight. She chatted with each person as she served them drinks. When we hit a patch of turbulence, her reassuring “Whew! That was fun! Wasn’t it?” made you feel less like you might plummet from the sky to your death and more like you were on a ride at Disney. She was happy and spunky and obviously loved her job.
Just to be sure, I asked her. Yup, she loves her job. She loves her customers. Her least favorite thing was when she was forced to play the bad guy and enforce the rules, but hey…who wants to do that?
I’ve met average flight attendants from a variety of airlines that did their job professionally and I appreciated them. I’ve met flight attendants from a variety of airlines that were snappy and grouchy and appeared to be having a really bad, no good day. I can understand that. Being in charge of a flying hunk of metal filled with tired, frustrated adults and the occasional screaming toddler takes a special sort of person. But it takes a saint to do it with a smile and a happy heart.
Debbie’s attitude set the tone for everyone on that two hour flight. When she told a passenger near me that “I have the best customers! I just love them!” I believed her. And I felt a little special because I was one of them.
We all have the opportunity every day to be a Debbie to someone.
If it’s your job to man the drive-thru window at McDonalds, be the CFO of a major corporation or break the tension at 30,000 feet…you can choose to kick average under the bed in the morning and be awesome. So can I. And we should…because the world needs more Debbie’s.
Photo credit: Nick-K (Nikos Koutoulas) / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
by Donya Dunlap | Jun 26, 2013 | Modern Day Slavery
One week ago today I had the privilege of meeting a young woman who had just days before experienced rescue from a life that many of us could never imagine. For several hours I was able to sit alongside her and two others who had been ministering to her, loving her, and providing for her basic needs. What I witnessed was a miracle in progress—the beginning of a beautiful story of restoration and recovery, of love and redemption.
I have studied human trafficking and victim statistics for about 18 months now. I had a certain level of understanding of what I should expect, and on the other hand, I had no idea what I might encounter.
My first impression surprised me. She looks a lot like my aunt sans 20 or so years. She is petite, fair skinned and freckled. She loves to draw and was working on a project to give to those who had been helping her as a way to thank them. Her love and gratitude was obvious, even though there was a visible battle of fear and mistrust trying to overcome her at the same time. She has a puppy that she loves and is concerned for, even more than her own welfare. She is just like you and me.
Except she isn’t.
Long before she was able to legally drive, someone that should have had her best interest at heart sold her for the money. During a time in her life when school and fashion should have been her main concerns, she was trying to survive unthinkable cruelty. Years of abuse followed, aging her physically and stunting her emotional and mental development. Her body was used as a commodity with no thought to her well-being or basic human rights.
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there.
Justice Ministries in conjunction with Rise Up Ministries was able to provide safety, clothing, and shelter for this beautiful girl in Jesus’ name. Words of hope and healing were spoken into her soul. Constant reminders of Jesus’ love for her were shared. Given time, I believe she will accept them and believe them for herself and true rescue will take place. I pray this happens soon.
I am so thankful for this up-close view of the power of God. I too was once separated from God. And just as Jesus saved me from my sin, He can save every young women still trapped in lives of slavery. I am reminded of the promise given in Isaiah 61:7-8.
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Those rejected by their earthly families can have the opportunity to be adopted into a heavenly one that will love them as the precious sons and daughters that they truly are. It’s our job to offer this to them. To provide them rescue from harm and share with them the love of the One who can redeem their souls.
Will you pray with me as I seek to do that very thing in Jesus’ name? It is my desire that years from now I will have seen hundreds of such rescues take place. You can take part as well through your prayers and gifts to organizations like Justice Ministries, Rise Up and Citylight. For with God, nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)
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by Donya Dunlap | Jun 17, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
My dad once told a friend that if he ever took me to a football game, I would be worried that the guys in the huddle were talking about me. He was right.
Go Blue!
Well, not literally of course, but figuratively he was spot on. I struggled quite seriously about what people think about me for years. It was a problem that would often steal my joy, fill my mind with worry and cause great anxiety. The Holy Spirit really worked in my life in this area, mainly through the message of a book called Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George and through meditating on Philippians 4:8.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. – Philippians 4:8
I actually felt like this was part of my past, until recently I have found myself struggling again with regards to my writing.
I have had several people ask why I wrote Forgetting the Fairy Tale and my answer is always the same. I couldn’t NOT write it. I have a deep passion to help young women realize that they can only find satisfaction in Christ, and not in all the ways the world is teaching them to look for it. That passion drove me through the writing, editing and publishing process and continues to burn in my heart.
Lately however,
I’ve put a lot of effort into building what is referred to as a “platform” in order to sell my book and help the message spread. While that isn’t a bad thing in itself, it has lead to a change in my internal focus from helping others into a desire to see my blog numbers increase. I started worrying about what the guys in the huddle were saying again.
Why does one post spread and others aren’t hardly opened? Maybe people really don’t think I’m a good writer. Maybe I need to be funnier. Maybe I’m just wasting my time. I hardly get any comments—I wonder what my readers are thinking?
In all of the striving I lost sight of the goal. I lost sight of my passion. I lost my love for the “game” and became annoyed with the work of running the plays.
(And I have now reached my limit of football knowledge and applicable metaphors. Not a sports chic. Sorry.)
Instead of applying Philippians 4:8 to my writing I have been letting my mind dwell on the necessary, but secondary elements of promotion.
So today I confess to you my sin and begin again.
I will still read the writing books and learn what I can about creating a better blog, but my focus will no longer be on the stats and how I’m scoring in the blogosphere. This means tightening up my posts and not trying to please people with my writing. No more filtering. I’m going back to the basics of putting my passion on paper and loving people, not worrying about what they can do for me.
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by Donya Dunlap | Jun 11, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
For many years, I barely gave the Holy Spirit much thought at all. But over the last two years or so, He has taken much more of my attention. It all began when I read “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan for the first time. I wrote about my thoughts during that first reading in the posts God-Sized Dreams and A Supernatural Testimony. But last night, during our Infusion Bible Study, a thought came up that I felt was worth writing about. It is a subtle shift in thinking that I believe can make a world of difference in our lives if we take the time to explore it.
The paragraph in the workbook said this:
In Luke 11, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. He tells them to ask, and it will be given to them; to seek, and they will find; to knock, and the door will be opened (v. 9). He says that every human father knows how to give good gifts to his children. And then He draws a powerful conclusion: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (v. 13).
I have to confess, when I read this in the workbook I thought, “Does it really say that?” You see, all my life I’ve read that verse and in my head it says, “how much more will the heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him!” Do you see the difference? Just to be sure, I looked up the same verse in both KJV and ESV. Guess what. It says the same thing. You may be thinking, “Donya…what’s the big deal. I don’t get it. Of course God gives good things to His kids.” You’re right. He does. But that’s not what the verse says. The verse says how much more will He give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
Think of a wedding ceremony. The celebration is not about the exchange of rings. Yes, they are beautiful and meaningful, but that’s not the point. It’s about the person that you are vowing to remain in relationship with for the rest of your life. (Sometimes this gets muddled in girls’ thinking, but that’s a post for another day.) In the case of Luke 11:13, God doesn’t just want to gives us good things, He wants to give us the best thing—Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. I even posted on this topic last week and still got sideswiped when I saw it in this verse. I can be so slow sometimes!
Imagine what could happen if you shifted your thinking from what the Holy Spirit can do for you and instead thought of what might happen if He had free reign in your life. I know it might sound like the same thing, but think about it. Instead of praying for God to give you the right words to say when you are reaching out to someone, what if you prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill you mind and mouth with Himself. He knows the person you are going to meet inside, outside and upside-down. You don’t. Praying for His help isn’t bad…but the focus in that instance is still on you. Praying for God to give you the Holy Spirit takes you out of the picture. Do you see the difference? What freedom can be found in that tiny shift! No more worrying about saying or doing the right thing or being smart enough to handle whatever questions may be asked. Just release yourself completely to the Holy Spirit to use you as a vessel to do His work as He sees fit.
I wonder, does this mental shift resonate with you? Is there something you have been praying about that needs a change in your thinking and praying? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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by Donya Dunlap | Jun 10, 2013 | Making a Difference, The Spiritual Life
Have you ever wondered what made Paul the man that he was? How could he set aside the guilt from his past and go on to rock the world for Jesus? How could he stand before kings and share the gospel without fear? How could he remain joyful despite being literally shackled in the harshest of circumstances? I think he shares the secret with us in the book of Ephesians.
I have been especially enamored with Ephesians the last week or so. One of the passages that amazes me is almost a PS of sorts. It’s at the very end of the book where Paul is wrapping up his letter to the church and says, “Oh by the way…pray for me.” That’s a pretty normal request. But what isn’t normal is what he asks prayer for. He doesn’t say, pray that I can get out of these chains. Pray that the rulers will understand that I’m innocent. Pray that I can get a good night’s sleep in these uncomfortable conditions. Paul doesn’t say any of that. Paul asks for prayer, “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”
This seems ludicrous to me. If I were to request prayer for boldness, that totally makes sense. I’m a big chicken. But this is Paul—Master Missionary, Preacher of the Gospel, Apostle to the Gentiles. This guy wrote half of the New Testament and he’s asking his friends to pray for him to be bold? Why would Paul feel weak in such an area? The answer is in the preceding verses.
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and takethe helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
There is so much darkness in this world. So much pain. So much evil. But every physical manifestation is a fruit of the unseen spiritual force that is running the show.
We have to stand up to the darkness. We must use our voices to speak for the unborn, the abused, the impoverished. We each have God-given passions on behalf of those in need. But what we need to realize is that we aren’t just fighting against violence, trafficking, abortion, and poverty. We are fighting against the forces of evil. And we can’t do it alone. Even Jesus and Paul needed prayer. They didn’t attempt to do God’s will in their own strength and neither should we. We need to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might,” and the only way to do that is through prayer.
God places us in unique positions (like prison in Paul’s case) to reach those around us with the gospel and thereby spread light that can defeat the darkness. So yes, raise your voice in the area God has called you to. But do so in the power of the Holy Spirit, motivated by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hand out food and necessities to the poor. Drill wells of fresh water where there is none. Reach out to frightened young mothers. But keep the main thing the main thing.
Pray for boldness. Pray for wisdom. Pray for discernment. Pray for opportunities. Pray, pray, pray for yourself and for others in the fight. AND THEN jump in the fight and share God’s love—the only thing that can provide true healing and make a lasting difference in this world.
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