"Champagne Runner"

What a day! After a busy day, I rush home to get miles in for my sister Dee #milesfordee. Grab some banana bread (don't judge me), change clothes, shoes on, grab my phone because who runs without their cellphone?! Umm ya... my phone is dead. So naturally I wait forever (20 minutes) for it to charge a little. Finally, I walk out the door only to notice the fierce clouds scowling down at me. The apparent storm doesn't scare me so I head towards the road anyway. I am walking and ready to listen to my new book. I bought Jen Hatmaker's new book, Fierce, Free and Full of Fire: The Guide to being Glorious You and I listen during my workout time. If you know me you know I am not a fan of Mrs. Hatmaker, sorry Jen. I am shy, quite, reserved and she is just a bit much for me.

Ok, so back story. Years ago I attended the No Need Among You Conference in Austin. One of the keynote speakers at this particular conference was Brandon Hatmaker. I had never heard of him before this conference. He took the stage and started with "I am sure you are disappointed that my wife Jen Hatmaker isn't here instead of me".  I wrote the name Jen Hatmaker in my notepad. Mr. Hatmaker went on to tell us a story. He said one Easter Sunday after preaching a million services his wife convinced him to go to a church service where a man by the name of Shane Claiborne would be preaching. When they arrived they climbed the stairs to a small, crowded upper room. Brandon continued his story. He spoke of love in a way that settled in the deepest part of my being. I was consumed by the way he spoke of my Jesus. At the end of this service Brandon said he and his wife found themselves taking their new Christmas boots off and leaving them at the alter along side the other shoes left by the others. Those good shoes were left there by people that said yes to God. Those good shoes were left for the homeless men and women that did not own a pair of shoes. I was a complete mess. Yes people it was the ugly cry. This story wrecked me and my life. I am not the same person I was before listening to this man named Brandon. I tell you I was brought to my feet and yelled silently within my being, yes, yes Lord yes. Read Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker and look up Shane Claiborne. You will not regret it.

I would later research Mrs. Hatmaker. Ok so I was intrigued and bought her book, Interrupted. My research went as far as going out of my way to attend one of her live performances right here in Amarillo, Texas. I even lead a book study on a couple of her books. Through this thorough research I learned that sometimes a gently tug won't do. Sometimes God "interrupts" our lives with people like Mrs. Hatmaker, a woman brave enough to yell and brave enough to shove us right out of our comfort zone. Even though she is a bit much for me she has many truths we should all hear. Are you brave enough?

So now on to her new book. I have to admit she is growing on me and I am actually enjoying this read. Ok maybe swinging towards loving this book. Yes, I am even committed enough to listen to Mrs. Hatmaker speak for 10 hours!!!! Yes 10 hours. Lord speak to me however you wish by whomever you wish to speak to me through. I say yes.

Chapter 8 is titled "I want to choose my Yeses". What a concept to say yes to things we want and to do those things we say yes to without fear or with fear. No matter so long as we choose the Yes. The day I heard Mr. Hatmaker changed me and encouraged me to begin saying yes. I have been a Yes person since that day. I say say to the hard people. I say yes to the sad situations. I say yes even when I know I will fail. I say yes to serve all those no one else will. I say yes to being comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you have ever traveled with me you know I am a Yes person in the fun times too. Yes, lets have cheesecake in Southlake. Yes, lets have all the snacks in Junction before we make it to Mo Ranch. Yes, to the piano bar in Fayetteville. Yes, to the Peabody in Memphis. Yes, lets rent the convertible and drive the coast all the way to Laguna Beach. Yes, to the Opal Resort in Clearwater and yes to Maui every time yes.

I am a yes to serve, all people regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. I am a yes to serve you regardless of what life has thrown at you. I pray Lord send me the people no one else will serve and those no one else will love. Lord yes to all the things and all the people. Mrs. Hatmaker book encourages us to say yes to all the things not in a way that would allow you harm but yes to things you want and are maybe to scared to say yes to. When will you start saying yes?

In this same book she also tells a story about sitting on a boat in her momma swimsuit sunbathing on a beautiful summer day.  Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she notices a newly wed couple, in their wedding attire, rowing a small boat towards the shore. Enough of the sunbathing so she leaps to grab a bottle of champagne from the fridge. She runs with the bottle and the champagne glasses in hand. She makes contact with them and embraces them as if they were hers. She loves without words and allows worth to strangers. No she didn't know them but she celebrated them anyway.

What if we were not only the Yes person that Jen talks about in her new book. What if we were the "Champagne Runners"too. Yes, the "Champagne Runners". What if we celebrated all people. In a world where we desire to qualify people as worthy before we acknowledge them or celebrate them. What if we celebrated people because they exist and because we are all neighbors in one way or another and we all matter. Yes, every single one of us matters.

Just a little rant. A couple of months ago I had a young man say to me that what I did at Living Intentionally Ministries did not matter. He said all I did was help a handful of people get their GED and that was nothing. Well it is not "nothing" to my students or to me. It is not nothing to their families or their children. It is something because they matter. I can not even imagine what it has taken my students to get to where they are today. We don't all travel the same road. So yes I will celebrate them when they register to work on their GED. I will celebrate them when they pass their Science test. I will celebrate them when they pass their Social Studies test. I will celebrate them when they pass their Language Arts test. I will celebrate them when they pass their Math test. I will celebrate them even even they don't pass. I will celebrate them for being brave enough to try. I will celebrate them when they attain their Driver License, at the age of 26. I will celebrate them when they attain employment at a local fast food place. I will celebrate them at every turn as I am a "Champagne Runner" and everyone matters to me. How about you? Will you be a "Champagne Runner"?