It’s my birthday! You can tell by the twenty candles on my cake.
Nope, I’m not actually turning twenty (again!). I’m not celebrating my physical birthday; I’m celebrating my spiritual birthday. Twenty years ago this month, I walked an aisle in a hot and crowded auditorium and gave my heart to Jesus. Nothing has been the same since.
To celebrate all that God has done in my life in the past two decades, I came up with a wild and crazy idea. Here’s a video with the highlights.
Why I’m Asking for Blisters for My Birthday
Who I Stole The Idea From
The idea of doing something big to mark what God has done isn’t mine. I totally plagiarized it straight from His Word.
- In Genesis 35:7, Jacob built an altar to remember the night he wrestled with God.
- In Exodus 17:14-16, Moses built a memorial to commemorate God’s help in defeating the Amalekites.
- In Joshua 4, after safely moving the people of Israel across the Jordan River, God commanded them to pull up twelve stones from the riverbed as a monument to His deliverance.
- In Matthew 26:26-29, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a way to regularly remember His sacrifice on our behalf.
God clearly knows about our tendency to have spiritual amnesia and forget the good things He has done for us. Through His Word, He urges us to force our hearts to remember. I won’t be building an altar, but I do hope that by doing something to mark God’s hand in my life the people in my world will remember the faithfulness of God in their own lives.
“That this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever” (Josh. 4:6-7).
I won’t be putting one stone on top of another, but I will be putting one foot in front of another as a way to counsel my own heart and send a message to the world:
- God has been faithful.
- He has kept His promises.
- His Word is true and can be trusted.
- I’m not who I once was.
- We’ve got a God-sized mission to do. Let’s roll!
3 Ways to Get Involved
I’d love for you to get involved in celebrating this milestone with me. Here are three ways you can.
1. Build your own memorial.
When is your spiritual birthday? Consider marking it or celebrating it in some way.
- Can you give to a ministry that has impacted you?
- Can you write a letter to a pastor who has challenged you?
- Can you invest in someone else since you’ve been invested in?
- Can you create art focused on a Bible verse that has been especially meaningful to you?
The possibilities are endless!
2. Let’s take a walk!
I’d love to have you walk with me on July 25. Sure, we probably can’t physically walk side by side, but you can walk in your world and I can walk in mine. (And thanks to technology, we can shoot each other pics!) If you’ve known the Lord five years, walk five miles. If you’ve known Him ten, walk ten miles—or ten yards or ten steps. This isn’t about pushing the boundaries physically; it’s about remembering all God has done for us!
I’ll be tweeting live as I walk. Follow me @eringraffiti. I’d love to hear from women all over the country who are on the move to celebrate what God has done!
3. Invest in kingdom work around the globe!
I’d love to have you give toward my effort to raise $20,000. Remember, I’m giving every cent away to four organizations that have dramatically impacted my relationship with Christ and are busy with meaningful, kingdom work. Every dollar raised will be divided four ways and given to these ministries. By giving, you will be a part of sharing the gospel in India, South Africa, across the United States, and around the world. Talk about a great investment! Here’s a recap.
Greentree Christian Church—This is my home church. Under the leadership of my pastor, Tim Cook, no organization has had a greater impact on my life than this church. We will use the money raised to build safe houses in India.
Impact Community Church—This church is pastored by my former youth pastor, Barry Smith. Impact will use funds raised to create an online campus so people can access truth-packed services worldwide.
Pure Freedom—This ministry is run by my mentor, Dannah Gresh. Funds raised will be used to continue to teach moms and daughters a biblical view of sexuality and purity. Talk about a timely message!
Revive Our Hearts—Revive Our Hearts calls women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. I have grown in my understanding of biblical truth so much through this ministry! Funds raised will be used to equip women’s ministry leaders in South Africa to dub and circulate quality, biblical teaching for women.
So whatdya say? Will you pledge to give for each mile I will walk?
- You could give $1 per mile, $20 total.
- You could give $10 per mile, $200 total.
- You could give $1,000 per mile, fully funding this effort.
- Or give any amount in between.
Find out more information at www.gofundme.com/ErinDavis and ErinDavis.org, and plan to follow me LIVE on Twitter or Instagram (@Eringraffiti) July 25 as I walk twenty miles to raise $20,000 in celebration of twenty years.