Sundi Jo Graham's Blog, page 18
September 4, 2017
The Bravest Prayer
Learning to Discern the Voice of God
Have you ever heard God whisper to you? Maybe it sounded quietly, or maybe it was so loud in the depths of your soul you knew without a doubt He was clearly leading you to do something crazy BIG!
[image error]Here’s a disclaimer: When you decide to follow that whisper, some people are going to think you’re crazy. Shoot, you’re going to think you’re crazy half the time, too. Are you ready for that?
Mark Batterson writes in his new book, Whisper, “When you take your cues from the Holy Spirit, you’ll do some things what will make people think you’re crazy. So be it. Obey the whisper and see what God does.”
I think we all desire to hear the whisper of God. I think we all what to know what His plans are for us. But I think sometimes we’re not willing to get quiet enough to hear. We get too busy. We get in the way of ourselves. Maybe we’re just too afraid of what He’s going to tell us.
Batterson says, “Nothing has the potential to change your life like the whisper of God. Nothing will determine your destiny more than your ability to hear His still small voice.
Sometimes I’m quiet enough to hear His whisper and I know without a doubt Holy spirit is telling me to do something crazy, like start a ministry I feel ill equipped to lead. Then He tells me to move to my hometown to offer hope to hurting women. I didn’t know when He whispered that to me what was to come, both the good and the bad. If I had, I probably would’ve ignored that whisper and let fear take over.
“
What if we’re just too afraid to hear what God has to say to us?
—SUNDI JO
Then there are the times I get too busy “doing His work” and I don’t listen to His whisper. And I crash. And I burn. And I beg and plead for His whisper to come again. And it does. Because that’s who He is. So full of grace and patience and mercy.
And I pray this brave prayer again, God… speak to me.
His song of deliverance shows up and I learn to discern His voice again. And His song sets me free. Again.
And I quit hiding from God.
And I learn to hide myself in Him.
Again.
Are you listening for His whisper?
I highly recommend Mark’s new book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God. He will teach you about the 7 ways God actively speaks to us: Scripture, Desires, Doors, Dreams, People, Promptings, and Pain.
It’s been soothing to my soul and I look forward to sharing more with you.
Question: What is God whispering to you right now? I’d love to hear. You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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July 26, 2017
#coffeewithsj episode 10: the power of journaling through Scripture.
Do you personalize Scripture and apply it to your every day life? There’s so much power in breaking down a Bible verse and making it personal specifically for you.
I’m sharing with you how I process through Scripture and apply it to my every day life.
Thanks for joining me for #coffeewithsj episode 10: the power of journaling through Scripture. Below are the links I shared in today’s show:
Esther’s House Breaking Plates Video
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July 19, 2017
#coffeewithsj episode 9: how to stop dreaming and start becoming
What dream have you let go of?
Jeff Goins says in his new book, Real Artists Don’t Starve, “Eventually, you have to decide who you are. You have to choose your role and own that identity. We don’t fake it till we make it. We believe it till we become it.”
There’s no time like the present to decide who you are, my friend. God has ignited a passion in your heart. Embrace the gift He’s given you. He will honor your decision.
Join me for #coffeewithsj episode 9: how to stop dreaming and start becoming
Below are the links I shared in this episode:
Set Me Free
Real Artists Don’t Starve
Song Playlist
Becoming God’s Best
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July 17, 2017
The Two Words You Should Start Saying Today
How to Empathize With Other People
The more I interact with people in this messy, beautiful, crazy journey called life, the more I experience heartbreak. The more I feel pain and sorrow for those who are hurting.
[image error]I sit with women at Esther’s House as they process trauma from their childhood, the broken relationships they’ve endured, the countless nights they spent trying to get high to avoid the pain, never wanting to be known as an addict. My heart hurts.
I sit on the porch with one of my dearest friends, who happens to be my next door neighbor, almost every morning as we have coffee together and solve the world’s problems. Sometimes we talk about how amazing God is. Sometimes we watch the rabbits chasing each other in the yard and laugh. Sometimes we dream about the future. Sometimes we cry as we talk about the hurts from our past and the struggles in our present. Oh.. if I had a penny for every tear that’s been shed on her back porch, I’d be a rich woman.
I get the phone call from a friend who says her loved one has died and my heart hurts again. I hear of another friend who has relapsed. And another who’s left her boyfriend and sits in her heartbreak wondering if she’ll spend the rest of her life alone.
My heart hurts and I say the only thing I think I can say in the moment….
I’m sorry.
Oh… but they’re not just words. I believe they’re two of the most powerful words we can muster up. They speak volumes to those we sit across from in times of pain.
Did you know for less than $1/day, YOU can literally make a difference between life and death for each woman who walks through the doors of Esther’s House. Click here to learn more.
They say, “I don’t have the answers for your struggle. I can’t pretend I understand your pain. I don’t want to try to fix your problem in this moment and come up with some grand solution that will make everything better.”
They say, “I’m here. I’ve heard your cries. I’m recognizing your pain. I’m hurting with you. I’m here if you need me.”
I like to solve problems. I struggle not to jump in and fix everything for everyone. If you tell me something is impossible, I long to prove you wrong. And there is a time for all of that (except the whole fixing everything for everyone part. Jesus is healing the ugly codependency that sneaks up in me).
But before the time comes for that, sometimes all I need to say is “I’m sorry.”
And hearts melt. And tears flow. And safety fills the atmosphere. And she knows my heart hears her heart. She knows I love her right where she’s at. She knows I’m hearing everything she says, not just listening. She knows I’m genuinely sorry for the pain her heart is enduring.
Those two words may not solve the whole problem, but it provides a healing salve on a deep wound that Jesus longs to heal. Those two simple, yet powerful words opens the door for trust. For grace without judgment. For hope.
I don’t know what you’re struggling through today. I may never know. This may be all I have to offer you, but I hope you know I sincerely mean it.
“
Two of the most powerful words we can ever say is “I’m sorry”
—SUNDI JO
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry for the sexual abuse you endured as an innocent little girl just wanting to be loved.
I’m sorry you were raped by a man who preyed on your weakness and took advantage of you.
I’m sorry your identity was stolen at such a young age and you’re struggling all these years later to understand who you are.
I’m sorry you lost your job.
I’m sorry your husband has been cheating on you.
I’m sorry that man spent years telling you how worthless you are.
I’m sorry he put his hands on you over and over again.
I’m sorry you haven’t been able to have children yet.
I’m sorry you’re still single.
I’m sorry you’re feeling depressed.
I’m sorry you don’t feel like you fit in.
I’m sorry you’ve never felt loved by your father.
I’m sorry you relapsed.
I’m sorry you’re hurting.
Question: Who do you need to sit across from today and say, ‘I’m sorry?’ You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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July 5, 2017
#coffeewithsj episode 8: keep your fork
Does your fork have more meaning than just digging into dessert? What if it represents something deeper? Something with more substance?
In today’s episode of #coffeewithsj, I’m sharing a story to inspire you to focus on more than just what’s in front of you.
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July 2, 2017
Believe Until You Become
How to Stop Dreaming and Start Becoming
In 2001, I packed my bags and moved 400 miles to the city I’d dreamed about for years. Since I was a little girl in the small town of Belle, Mo., I knew someday I’d either live in Hollywood and be an actress or move to Nashville and write songs so I could hear other people sing them on the radio. At 18 years old, I chose Nashville.
[image error]“I want to be a songwriter,” I told my family. They all thought I was crazy, but I went anyway. I pulled into “Music City” with my pickup truck and a suitcase full of dreams.
I wanted to be a songwriter but I didn’t have the first clue what I was doing. When people would ask me what I was doing there, as I waited tables at Shoney’s, I’d say, “I want to write songs.” I didn’t want to be a singer. I didn’t want to be in a band. I just wanted to write. Looking back on that time I realize there was a very important piece of the puzzle missing.
Jeff Goins writes in his new book, Real Artists Don’t Starve,
Eventually, you have to decide who you are. You have to choose your role and own that identity. We don’t fake it till we make it. We believe it till we become it.
After a well-known “expert” in the industry tried to sleep with me in exchange for his knowledge, I remember asking my 18-year old self, Am I going to have to sell my soul to be in this business? I quickly declined his offer and sped back to my tiny apartment in a city full of strangers before anything else bad could happen.
Leaving the dream…
The fear of that day and a family emergency convinced me to pack up my bags after three months of pursuing my dream and head back home. I didn’t give up writing songs altogether, but I left a piece of my heart in Nashville that day. I wasn’t cut out for the dream, or so I thought.
Did you know for less than $1/day, YOU can literally make a difference between life and death for each woman who walks through the doors of Esther’s House. Click here to learn more.
I was driving the other day and heard a song come on as I was scanning through the radio and I started crying. It was so beautifully written. You could tell the words had come from a place of heartbreak. It was real. Raw. Beautifully pieced together. Why did I cry? Not because the song was sad, but because I realized I had never come to terms with my identity as a songwriter.
It took me back to the words I shared above.
I moved to Nashville with a dream, but not the confidence of who I really was – a songwriter. No.. I still had a dream to write songs, but I didn’t own that dream. I didn’t fully believe in my ability to identify as a songwriter. Perhaps I wouldn’t have headed back home so soon if I had chosen to “believe it till I became it,” as Jeff says.
It’s never too late…
In 2009, God put the dream of writing songs on my heart again. This time I wasn’t writing about whiskey and tears. I was writing about forgiveness and redemption. My dream had been redeemed through the art of songwriting. It was a fun hobby I was grateful to dig into again.
But was it really a hobby? No.. it was a dream that needed to be reignited.
In the last two years the dream has definitely been reignited. (Check out some of the songs I’ve written here.) As I watch God work in the lives of others and overcome my own struggles, one of the most therapeutic ways for me to work though issues is to pick up the guitar and write. But in the midst of that, I’m realizing something.
“Believe it till I become it,” Jeff writes. Songwriting isn’t just a hobby. It’s a dream. It’s a passion. It’s an art that I desire to share with the world through others artists who use their voices to inspire others. And I’m actually really good at it.
When that song came on the radio the other day and made me cry, there was something deeper and I finally knew what it was. I wasn’t identifying with the gift. I wasn’t choosing a role – I was simply dreaming about it.
The next morning a friend came over for coffee and I said, “I moved to Nashville when I was 18 to pursue songwriting. After an expert tried to sleep with me, I walked away scared thinking I would have to sell my soul to make this dream come true and I didn’t want to. Then, my aunt got sick and I needed to come home. I left Nashville that day and let a dream die. But God is reviving it.” Through tears I confidently put my coffee down, held my head up and said, “My name is Sundi Jo and I am a songwriter.”
Now is the right time…
What dream have you let go of? Where have you let your gift of being an artist die? There’s no time like the present to decide who you are, my friend. God has ignited a passion in your heart and it’s time to become a thriving artist, not a starving artist.
I find it interesting where I’m at in life at this moment. I left Belle again not long after giving up on that dream, and I drifted for many years, simply surviving instead of living. And two years ago I came back to my hometown to start Esther’s House. I have a feeling God is opening doors to use my gift of songwriting that will someday financially provide as we offer hope to broken women.
As long as I continue to embrace the gift, I believe He will honor that. I’m not quitting my day job quite yet, because I don’t want to live life as a starving artist, I want to live it as a thriving artist.
“
I don’t want to live my life starving. I want to live it thriving.
—SUNDI JO
Read Jeff’s new book. You won’t regret it. And I would bet my first royalty check that you won’t turn the last page of that book without something being reignited in you.
My name is Sundi Jo and I am a songwriter? What about you?
You can listen to a few of the songs I’ve written here if you’d like…
Question: Is there a dream you’ve given up on? What do you sense God is reigniting in you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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June 14, 2017
#coffeewithsj episode 6 – the wounds of a friend
Do you have a friend who is willing to call you up when you’re not living the life God has designed for you?
Are you that friend to someone else?
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from sincere friends are better than many kisses from an enemy.”
Confrontation isn’t comfortable, but we’re called to be brave. To confront. To love.
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#coffeewithsj episode episode 6 – the wounds of a friend
Do you have a friend who is willing to call you up when you’re not living the life God has designed for you?
Are you that friend to someone else?
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from sincere friends are better than many kisses from an enemy.”
Confrontation isn’t comfortable, but we’re called to be brave. To confront. To love.
The post #coffeewithsj episode episode 6 – the wounds of a friend appeared first on .
June 12, 2017
3 Ways to Face Confrontation with Courage
Why You Have to Speak Up
Others are often surprised to learn I’m not a fan of confrontation. Because I serve in different areas of leadership, it comes with an automatic assumption that calling people out, holding others accountable, and dealing with confrontation comes easy for me.
[image error]I can promise you that it doesn’t.
Confrontation is never easy for me, but I know it’s necessary. It’s necessary in all of our lives. Yours, mine, and the guy next door.
There usually isn’t a day that goes by I don’t have to muster up the courage to confront an issue, whether that’s talking through a hard topic with our Freedom Finders at Esther’s House, talking through something with a friend, etc.
Confronting hard situations takes courage.
Ilene Muething shared in a recent interview with Michael Hyatt, three simple truths you need to believe to work up the courage to speak up.
1. What you have to say is important.
If you are struggling with whether or not to say something weighty, this is generally a clue that you need to speak up. You are seeing or sensing something important that needs to be said about what is not working and needs to be fixed.
2. They need this criticism to get to the next level.
If they could see it on their own, they would already have made the change. That they aren’t changing it indicates a blind spot. So they need my eyes and my voice to get to the next level.
3. They can handle it.
Too often, we see others as fragile. We are afraid that if we speak up they will shatter into 1,000 little pieces. Or that they will fly off the handle. (Those of us overcoming codependency can relate to this one.)
Michael Hyatt says, “But this is usually not true. We need to think of people as giants. They can handle it, especially if we take care with our words and “speak the truth in love” (cf. Ephesians 4:15).”
Confront in Courage
When I sit down with a Freedom Finder at Esther’s House and know we have to discuss a hard topic about some decisions she’s made, it’s not easy. I go into the conversation knowing she may lose her temper, try to manipulate the situation, lie, stomp out, the list goes on. Those are all possibilities.
But there is also the opposite. She may receive it quickly, own up to her decisions, and move forward in growing.
Some days it is that simple, and some days not so much. But it’s worth the risk. She’s there because she’s seeking greater freedom and it’s my job to speak truth to her, regardless of how she may react.
Hyatt says, “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to act in spite of my fear.”
I sat down with a close friend last year who was hurting and her decisions reflected she had fallen off the path to freedom. As her friend, I knew it was important for me to sit down with her and see where her heart was. I did NOT want to do it. I knew there was a great chance she would react instead of respond. I was right.
But I couldn’t cower in fear because of what I thought her reaction would be. Real friends show up even when they know it’s going to be hard. We have to show up, speak truth in love, despite what the reaction may be.
“
Confrontation isn’t comfortable, but we’re called to be brave. To confront. To love.
—SUNDI JO
I was right, unfortunately. She did react. It was ugly. I walked away from that conversation a bit wounded because her wounds led her to say hurtful things. But despite my heartbreak, I knew I’d done the right thing. And deep down inside, she knew that, too.
It took her a minute to come around – to see that I was for her, not against her. That’s why I was willing to show up and say the hard things, despite the fear. That’s why I had to courageously call her up, because I knew eventually she would know the truth. She later thanked me for being willing to show up.
I don’t think confrontation is ever comfortable. I’m not sure it ever gets easier. But it’s always necessary. We’re called to be brave. To confront. To love.
Be courageous, my friend.
Question: Is there a situation in your life right now you need to courageously confront? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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June 7, 2017
#coffeewithsj episode 5 – punching PRIDE in the face
#coffeewithsj episode 5 – punching PRIDE in the face.
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