Great Human Race...I'm racing for great humans!

I have had the privilege of working with Reality Ministries for over 2 years now. I work with an incredible team of people.

One of the many perks of my administrative job is I get to be a “buddy” at our Tuesday Night Live (TNL) program which is the main event of Reality’s ministry to individuals with developmental disabilities. The heart of TNL is friendship rooted in Christ’s love. The hope is that life-long friendships will be made among participants and volunteers.

Being friends with people with disabilities has changed me. Here is just a taste of the ways Reality Ministries has helped me live out the Gospel…

• COMPASSION…Having friends with disabilities has opened my eyes to the unique way God has created us, making me a more compassionate person. If you look past the things that make us so different you can see we are actually very similar, especially when it comes to our hopes, fears, & dreams.

• CELEBRATION…At TNL we celebrate everything. The big things like birthdays & new jobs and the small things, like what we ate for breakfast & new cell phones are celebrated equally. Joy explodes out of the building. If I look at the world with the attitude of celebration, life is simply more fun.

• ACCEPTANCE…I am completely free to be myself and I am totally accepted exactly as I am. There is no need to impress others or work for acceptance, it is a free gift in this community of friends. Realizing God creatively made each of us in our unique design enables us to give acceptance freely.

I am going to be walking in The Great Human Race with many other Reality volunteers, participants, and supporters. I would love for you to join me in supporting this ministry that holds a very special place in my heart.

I would love your support. For more information on how to give to the ministry that has changed me visit, http://www.active.com/donate/ghr2010/juliewatson. If you would rather write a check, make it out to Reality Ministries and mail it to P.O. Box 242, Durham, NC 27702. And put "Julie GHR" in the memo.

Thanks for supporting my life!

Speaking HOPE

You should read Ezekial 37.

It speaks of speaking the Word and speaking hope into a "valley of broken bones" a.k.a. hopeless situations. God called Ezekial to do that in the lives of others. We cannot reverse or unchange someone's valley. But we CAN speak hope. So I am going to try and do that more.

My Amazing Job...

Many of you know that I love my job! Yes I often have to do crappy things like stamp a million envelopes and clean up other people's junk. But the joy I get in working with some of my best friends and being a part of something much larger than myself far out weighs the crappy things. My co-worker, Cameron, made this slideshow for our big fundraising event that happened last week. It is a wonderful look into where we have been and what we are up to as a ministry. I hope you watch it and see Jesus.

www.realityministriesinc.org

Leap & Skip More...

One of my goals for the year is to dance more. To work at fulfilling that goal I signed up for a Jazz class at 9th St.. Yesterday I sadly finished the last Jazz class of the 10 week session. Now dance is not a new hobby for me, I started taking dance classes when I was 4 and never really stopped. I just have to make a little more effort these days to make time for it.

For me the actually events that happen at Jazz class are very familiar. But I know many of you reading this may be confused about what actually happens at "Jazz Class." I know this to be true because of some of the responses I have received over the past 10 weeks. When I say, "I got to go to Jazz"or "Maybe we can get together after Jazz" the look on the people's faces have been priceless. I think some people hear the words "Jazz Class" and think of shaking Jazz hands and Westside Story snaps and all sorts of other cheesy things. Several weeks ago I was even forced to give Cameron and James a mini dance class (in the admin. office) on what I learned at Jazz just to clear things up for them.

Basically Jazz Class includes warming-up with some amazing stretches to some hip indie-rock-"Garden State" sounding music. Than learning a series of 8-count movements to songs like E-Pro from Beck. And my favorite part of class is "going across the floor", this basically means you leap, jump, chug, skip, and spin from one side of the room to the other. The teacher does tell you what to do, it is not a free for all, even though we are often encouraged to put our own style into our movements.

Now with all that being said let me tell you a few reasons why I love Jazz Class...

1-Our bodies can do amazing things!

2-If you stop worrying about if you're "doing it" right, you can truly experience freedom and joy through movement.

3-Adults don't leap & skip enough in this world! I am convinced if we all leaped and skipped a couple times a day, we would all be happier! And I am pretty sure Jesus leaped and skipped.

A special note to my Dad & Mama...thanks for going to all the many recitals in my life. I am forever grateful for being encouraged to dance as a child.

Kittens...

A dear friend sent this to me today and told me that this little girl's commentary reminded her of me. I am not sure how I feel about that.

The Great Human Race...

Many of you know that I am the office woman for Reality Ministries. One really cool thing that I get to do with Reality is be a buddy every Tuesday night. Once a week we have an event called Tuesday Night Live, this is a program designed to provide community and life-giving experiences for people with disabilities in the Triangle area. These nights are full of joy and laughter as we eat pizza together, play silly games, sing praise songs, and listen to a message on Jesus's love.

Over the past two years I have had the privilege of getting to know James at TNL. James is such a happy young man, he loves to play the drum, loves to sing "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar" and "Go Tell it on the Mountain," he loves to joke around, and loves to listen to G105. He tells me he loves me all the time, he holds my hand, and gives hugs generously. He is radiant and full of pure joy! Hanging out with him is truly a blessing, I can clearly see the face of Jesus in his smile. He has taught me lessons on the power of presence, patience, uninhibited love, participation in what God is doing, and resting on the One that is able.

James and I are going to be walking in the Great Human Race 5k on March 21st. Our hope is to raise money that will go to Reality Ministries, the place where our friendship started. To give visit my race fundraising page.

Thanks for partnering with us in serving young people in the community.

Peace,
Julie

Extreme Reconciliation & Extreme Love...

Several years ago I read MLK's letter from the Birmingham jail it was written in the early 60's. His words are powerful and challenging and call me to live out extreme reconciliation and extreme love. I am far from figuring out how exactly to do that but it is a journey worth exploring. I hope this challenges you...

"Was not Jesus an extremist for love -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist -- "Here I stand; I can do none other so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an extremist -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist -- "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice--or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill, three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thusly fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thoughts that stir...

Here are some thoughts & quotes from things I have been reading or listening to over the last month. I hope they stir your mind and heart...

"We cannot attain the presence of God. We're already totally in the presence of God. What's absent is awareness?" --Richard Rohr

"To know who we are, we first must know WHO'S we are." --Jeff McSwain

"Novem te, novem me." (May I know YOU, may I know myself.) --St. Augustine's Prayer

"After decades of Bible reading. I realized that my relationship with God was based more on what I believed than on what I experienced." --David Benner

"Kids grasp social justice better than adults...God is the Father to the fatherless...We are Plan B, it is up to us to turn to the poor." --Tom Davis

"I love the poor, the sick, and the weak because I see the face of God in them not because I am called but because I am desperately loved by God." --Me*

"Grace is what makes Christianity different from all other ways to God. It allows us to be embraced." --Me*

"I want to be in a community where you are giving and receiving so much to each other that eventually you forget who is giving and who is receiving." --Me*

*I am sure these were inspired by someone, I just cannot remember who, sorry to whoever deserves the credit for these Truths.

Things to work on in 2009...

1. Live into the fact that loving God and loving my neighbor are inseparable.

2. Embrace the uncomfortable. I have been doing this with kids for awhile but I am going to work on doing that with my peers this year.

3. Dance more.

4. Ask more questions.

My Happy Place...

I moved into a wonderful little townhouse about two months ago. There really are a few joys of moving: reorganizing, purging junk, decorating, and creating new comfort spots. My newest happy place includes my new favorite hobby. I am still very much of a beginner, I feel like a little girl learning to ride a bike, a little out of control and shaky but lovin' every minute of it. In my happy place I feel free to day dream, free to waste time, free to laugh at myself, free to dream of rockstar status, free to worship, free to be myself.







This is a piece of eye candy hanging in my bedroom. It makes me smile.

I tried to be chill...

"Well you dawned on me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted, I fell right through the cracks and now I'm trying to get back. Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my bestest. Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention, I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some." -Jason Mraz

I cannot get enough of these lyrics. I try to be chill all the time, but passion takes over. If you know me well you know I don't work well in neutral.

It is a good risk...

Oh Henri, good word...

Love and the Pain of Leaving

by Henri Nouwen

Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain comes from leaving...the pain of the leaving can tear us apart. Still, if we want to avoid the suffering of leaving, we will never experience the joy of loving. And love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. We have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking.

Soak it in...

My job allows me to be surrounded by some truly amazing and encouraging people. Today I had an encounter that reminded me of that.

A RM prayer warrior came up to me and said, "Julie, you are stunning and beautiful, inside and out." And my first reaction was "Aaawww, thanks that's sweet. I actually feel sweaty and gross." Than she hugged me real tight and did not let go and said, "No don't let that bounce off you, soak it in. It is true."

She was dead on, my first response was to let it bounce off. Why is it so hard to "soak in" compliments and truly believe them? I often automatically assume when someone is giving a compliment they are just being nice (I mean this is the south). But when I stopped assuming and just let the compliment truly "soak in" what a blessing I received.

I also want to state that I do know about "humility" I hope this post doesn't reflect that now I think I am a supermodel...

The point of sharing this is to encourage you to believe the compliments that are true of you and let them soak in. And I am speaking of the compliments that Jesus himself would say to you.

I am glad people write books...

As many of you know I love to read and my journal is full of quotes from many authors. The written word can be so powerful, it is just out there for us to read over and over and analysis as many times as we wish. Here are a few of my most recent thought provoking quotes...

"These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced."
from Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually)

"When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, 'I am in the heart of God.'"
from Kahlil Gribran's The Prophet

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I m painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still."
from A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist

"Where's your Mommy?" --Sweet JJ

So my dear friend Meredith takes really great pictures, she has a gift of capturing more than just a moment in time, she captures the heart of the experience. Here is one of the pictures she took recently that has been burning in my mind since I laid eyes on it.

Pictured is James teaching me priceless lessons.

Ask me for all whole story...it is so much better in person. I don't think a blog entry will do it justice.

But the key lessons include...participation, creating a clear picture of who we really are, resting on the one who is able, we often look messy & trusting the hand that is leading.

Goals for 2008 (You got to have a few, right?)

My goals for 2008 are to:

1-Love well.

2-Speak Truth.

3-Give grace generously.

4-Floss everyday.

If you notice I am not doing any of these things you have the freedom to call me out.

A Call to Obey, even if it Sucks...

I have been reading a little bit in Song of Songs, which can be somewhat depressing for a single gal. It can leave me longing for a relationship that has depth & passion. But if I read Song of Songs as a love letter from the Lord (which I am aware that does sound "Christian cheesy") BUT it really does speak of the song of HIS heart for us! Because His love for us is so grand how can we not respond & obey His commands. It is hard because being obedient may come with a price. More often than not being obedient means suffering. Jesus never says if we obey we will have special privileges. Scripture actually shows us it is quite the opposite. The oh so wise Mother Teresa once said to God, "When I see how You treat Your friends, I'm not surprised that You have so few!" But even through persecution Jesus promises that He will always be with us.

God's call to obedience is rooted in grand love. Our response depends on how well we know & understand that love for us. Sometimes I fear to obey because I don't know how to respond to such a passionate love, I don't know where He is leading me, and His call leads me to embrace suffering. But what I know for sure is that "my lover is mine & I am His" -Song of Songs 6:3. And because of that Truth I can take a big breath, press on, and even laugh.

Dream or Love?

"The person who loves the dream of community will destroy community, even if their intentions are earnest, but the person who loves those around them will create community"
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

So the point is, to get the dream you must start with loving each other. It sounds too simple, but in reality can be really difficult. Being connected to each other is what we were created to do. So if we live with that purpose I really think God will surprise us with a community that is better than our own imagination. What an amazing gift?

Living within the belonging...

A fantastic friend of mine reminded me of a very real Truth today,

"You belong to the God who made you & loves you like crazy, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Believing this will change your life.

So you better to hang on to Jesus and get ready for the wild ride.

Great Love

"We can do not great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it."

-Mother Teresa

What a wonderful way to look at life.