Book Drawing! “Can You See Me Now?” by Cheri Strange

Book Drawing! “Can You See Me Now?” by Cheri Strange

We all feel lonely, left out and less than at times. I’m so grateful Cheri Strange has tackled this topic to help us all.

Here is how Cheri describes her book: We all want to be loved. But what happens when we get passed over, left out, or seem invisible? How do you make new friends, navigate drama, and enjoy authentic connection? Can You See Me, Now? reveals how you were handpicked by God to express love, thrive in community, and enhance the world around you. Take the 75-day journey and learn how to cultivate the courage to connect with others, counter the nay-sayers who prefer you remain quiet, and kiss goodbye to the old tendencies to blend into the wallpaper. Start enjoying the woman God created you to be, and leave “invisible you” behind.

You can enter the drawing to win a copy of “Can You See Me Now?” by following the instructions below. First you can be blessed by reading an excerpt from her book. UPDATE: the drawing is closed and Kat is the winner. Congratulations, Kat!

Becoming Visible

By Cheri Strange

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. (James 1:1 ESV)

School recesses during childhood can leave a mark. Where I grew up, unless your teeth were in jeopardy, or you broke a bone, the adults didn’t pay attention to fairness, feelings, or failings. It was the kind of environment where thicker skins developed and existing hurts became more ingrained. Exclusion from a game with the popular girls, vicious name calling, or the humiliation of being the last resort when teams divided could be painful pricks, especially when reinforced through the years. Maybe you can relate. The dread of recognizing all you are not can be debilitating to the point we find ourselves in the corner, once again, questioning God’s purpose for our lives.

From the opening lines of his book, James, if he had any, left that dread on the playground. In one sentence, the man declared his clear sense of God’s purpose for his life.

The victory is not making a smart choice about whether to become a plumber as opposed to the expected carpenter, but knowing to whom he belongs and how that should play out in his life. Paul describes this knowing to the Corinthians, asking them to consider who God calls:

“God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:28-30).

You see, these individuals leaned toward obscurity.

Here Paul rightly reminds them of God’s strange work of the Gospel in them so that Jesus might get the glory, rather than man. TWEET THAT!!!!!

You can see the potential problems if we were left in charge. The prettiest people would get the gifts and blessings. The smartest would be privy to the truth. We would reserve all other offices for those possessing charisma, leaving the rest of humanity out of luck.

Thankfully, it’s not my Gospel. It’s not the Gospel Paul preaches, nor the one James writes about. God chooses the weak, those with no pedigree, who are unworthy of notice. Non-essentials. The nothings of this world. He chooses them on purpose.

There is room for you and for me.

Has God found you in all your obscurity, like James? Your God specializes in calling the things that are not, as if they are. Although James holds a place of prominence, leading the Christian church in Jerusalem, he calls himself the servant of God and Jesus Christ. What if you took on this same calling? Consider one difference you could make today toward this goal.

Thank you, Cheri, for your inspirational and motivating words which confirm we are not alone, left out or less than.

Want to enter the drawing for Cheri’s book? Make a comment on this blog post and I’ll enter your name into the drawing. Last day to enter is Wednesday December 7th, 2022. Only USA addresses can win.

UPDATE: the drawing is closed and Kat is the winner. Congratulations, Kat!