There have been quite a few times that I’ve been stopped in a public place by a wide-eyed young lady with a hopeful glimmer in her expression. She’ll pause, smirk and then ask me sheepishly, “Are you Nicole C. Mullen”.
I try to let them down easily.
Uh. . . No.
The truth is, Nicole C. Mullen and I do have a similar look. There. I said it. Happy everyone? And it’s an honor to be mistaken for a woman like this. She’s a wife, mother, singer songwriter, speaker, minister and youth leader at her local church. And (in her spare time) she writes and sings songs that unashamedly take us into the presence of Jesus. Her music has made such an impact on the world that she was inducted in to the Christian Music Hall of Fame in November of 2011.
What I most admire about Nicole (besides her chiseled biceps) is that even with her full schedule she still makes the time for mission trips with a mentor group that she established called the “Baby Girls Club”. She leads girls to their purpose and a zealous determination to guard their purity.
Today, Nicole writes a blog for us that’s worth the read. Enjoy it and then go nab her latest CD, Crown Him: Hymns Old and New.
Bless you today,
Priscilla
I am often amazed at how many times you work so hard to finish something; You lose sleep, miss meals, skip entertaining events, all to reach your goal. And right when you feel as if you are just about to touch that rainbow’s pot of gold…it all disappears, and a big neon sign obstructs your view. Now the only thing you can see are flashing lights, spelling out two beautiful words: “The Beginning!” (Nevermind that it’s gonna take a nap to appreciate them.) “The Beginning…What? You’ve gotta be kidding me?” is your initial response. But this is not “The Beginning”, as in the start of the same thing you just finished, but ‘the beginning’ of something really new. It’s a road you have never ventured down before; An invitation. I mean at this point, it can’t be ignored, but it can be denied.
I find this to be true in every area of life. Kids finish one school year, only to start another one…or eventually a new life. We work on projects and as soon as they are done, either we are offered a season of rest or that ‘project’ has now opened doors to more opportunities…and thus more busyness. The same is true when someone is sick and passes away, or someone who was once close to you is now far away. Either way, something new is about to begin.
Not only is this true in our everyday lives, but this is how ‘The Kingdom’ works as well. When we come to Christ with our pain, our shame and our sin, it is the end of those things reigning in our lives. A New Day has dawned! Jesus’ Lordship, occupation and dominion of that territory begins.
It’s the Cross and the Empty Tomb!
It’s the end of “void and darkness”, but it’s the beginning of “Let there be light”.
It’s the end of a long, hard, pregnancy, but the beginning of a new life.
And yes, it is even that which ends in death, only to be followed by the beginning of Eternal Life.
Like a great baton exchange in a relay race, it’s a wonderful crossing of the finish line. It’s called transition… where the End always precedes the Beginning.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 1 2 Cor. 5:17 (NKJV)
Grace and peace y’all,
Nicole
