Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

(*Just a note...I've changed the music on 'Eternity's Perspecitve Playlist"! Enjoy some new tunes I've come to love...I hope you do too!)

Well alas...2010 is on it's way out and another new year is ready to be brought in. As I type this out I have mixed emotions about that. The year I leave behind was full of many blessings and good times, but also of much heartbreak and not much understanding of it all. So I suppose it's a bittersweet change over. On one hand it's hard to let the past be just that - the past; and on the other hand there is the 'fear' of the 'unknown'. Whether it's looking back to the familiar or ahead to the unknown, change is always difficult but very much necessary! Wouldn't you agree?! I am looking forward to the new year ahead and the many blessings the Lord will bestow upon my family as we continue to walk with Him and trust Him completely for our provision. God is good!

As for tonight, I'm not doing the whole 'bells and whistles'. I'm going to head over to a friends house - likely in my pj's (or at least very comfy clothes!). We'll enjoy an evening of munchies, some conversation and good fellowship! A nice quiet evening is so needed at this time. One thing I will be sure to do at the turn of the year, is to say thanks and give praise to my Creator. For with out Him, none of this existence is possible. God is good - always!

I just now said good-bye to my kids for the weekend as they left with their Dad. Mommy will welcome the quieter weekend with them gone, but will snuggle with them the minute they get back - our 'cuddle time' they so look forward to every night is one of my favorite times with them too! I checked the mailbox as I closed the door and there were a few pieces of mail. One of those envelopes was from "Walk in The Word" ministries. I opened it up and began to read it. I knew as soon as I was a few sentences in, I was to share some of this letter with you in my blog. Another way shown of God's perfect timing!

So I'll close off here of my own words, and let James McDonald's penetrate your heart as we bring in a new year full of possibilities.

The longer I live, the more I value friends who keep their word. Don't you?

Flip back through the calendar and do a quick mental review of your year. Any challenges along the way? Disappointments? A couple bumps in your journey?

Maybe 2010 was more like a deep valley for you.

When life delivers unsuspected difficult moments, you and I desperately need a tight knit circle of friends we ca trust. No quibbling on commitments. No dodging the issues. No broken promises. We need friends and family whose trust and confidence never comes into question.

And that's not all. We need friends and family who don't sugar coat the hard stuff. Without wincing, whatever we need to hear, we can count on them to look us in the eye and tell us the flat-out-truth.

But, tragically, even our friends and family can let us down. Maybe you've been through something this year that shattered your confidence in a relationship. Or perhaps you'd placed you eggs in the economy basket only to be devastated by the loss of a job or an evaporation retirement portfolio. It's possible you received shocking medical news this year and you're painfully reminded of your mortality. Whatever the case, these painful circumstances remind us that only God never changed and only God can be fully trusted.

By the way, and this may come as a shock to you, some of my closest friends tell me that my personality leans toward high control. Go figure. Well, even in this last year, God continues to remind me that I'm not in control. He's masterfully writing the script of my life without my consultation. But when new twists in the plot come my way, they tend to rock my world. Something tells me you know exactly what I'm talking about because we all want to be in control.

My wife, Kathy, and I were confined to a living crucible of questions and events for a full year. We didn't see it coming. Once we were in the furnace, all the usual resources and relief disappeared. At times we didn't know if we would make it out. Some weeks I wasn't sure if I could stand up before our church family and preach another message. But praise God, His Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) and binds up our broken spirits with truth and grace. The Scriptures remain unchanging when everything else seems about to crumble.

What do you preach at a time like that? You can be sure I didn't pull out my five little favorite verses from off the top of my head. No, leaning hard on the Lord, I delivered a series of messages called, "Always True: God's 5 Promises When Life Is Hard." Our church family dug into five key categories of assurance that God gives us again and again, words that knit to our soul the promises He makes to us as His children. I discovered again that the every-present help I was seeking from God in my time of need was the very same help everyone around me needed.

Hey, you gotta know by now where I'm going with this letter. And here it is. Nothing will transform your perspective any more than beginning to grab hold of God's promises as though your life depended on it. Because, it does.

Here's the definition of a promise. A promise is the assurance God gives His people so that they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.

Think of these promises as your access pass to Scripture's greatest treasure. These promises create such a glow that when the way is dark, they can be your light. They produce such power that when the burden is heavy, they can by your strength.

You may not fall back on these core promises very often, but when you do, you will be so desperate for them that nothing else will do. You'll discover they truly are exceedingly great and precious, but only when you put your whole weight down on them. When these promises (and the God who made them) are all you've got, they'll hold you up. They belong in a case in your front hallway with instructions: 'In case of emergency, remove hammer and break glass!" When you made these truths your own, they'll become intensely personal, practical, and always true.

No matter what you're facing today, you can be sure that these promises are always true. And if they don't seem immediately relevant to your situations...well, just wait until tomorrow...and they will still be true!

I'm confident that the script He writes for you and me in 2011 will be perfect according to His plan. No one else but God, and nothing other than His Word, delivers a nonnegotiable, unconditional always. Always true. Because He's always True.

-James McDonald-

Well said James! I don't know about you, but I found myself nodding to much of what he said. (Some of his letter I removed due to the fact it was about 'financial' support to WITW) I love the way James delivers messages from the Lord.

I trust this blog finds you all well and that many blessings will be poured out upon you throughout 2011 as you continue to walk with the Lord and grow in your relationship with Him!

See ya in the new year,
K

Resting in the 'sweet spot' while His hand covers me...

Writing again a little tardy...but better late than never right?! This holiday season has flown right by for me as I'm sure it has for you too. Although it has been busy, it's been filled with many blessings and great times spent with family and friends. Wonderful memories made for sure! I trust you all had a blessed Christmastime also while celebrating our Saviors birth!

As I begin this blog, it seems a bit unclear as to what I'm to write. I have many thoughts and emotions within me, but it's hearing the best direction from God that I'm having a hard time discerning. Does that ever happen to you? I suppose that's why I've had such trouble sleeping the past couple of years. There has been so much happen in my life in the last few years, it's not like there is a lack of anything to come up with! But there just seems to be so many thoughts going on, that my mind just has a hard time turning off. During the daytime, there is all the routine stuff to think about, so I guess by the time night comes the brain brings all the other 'stuff' to the front to be dealt with.

I've heard it said 'a cluttered house reflects a cluttered mind', in my case I can see that to be true these days. Sigh...I wish it weren't true, but as I look around my house I just feel the need to purge everything. I just want to live a simple life that brings glory to God...some days that seem impossible to accomplish. If I just had an endless supply of paper and pens, and music, I would be good-to-go! With all the new technology that is to 'better' our lives, it seems to me to be just the opposite (lol, as I sit here typing on my computer!). Unfortunately, my 'simple' life encompasses much more than just myself and my relationship with Christ (that being the most important though!). Just like everyone else, there is being a Mommy/single parent; a breadwinner; a house cleaner; a chef; a taxi; a friend; and a prayer warrior (etc...). The last one seems to be pulling me a lot lately. My heart is so burdened with many things I can barely stand it.

I question God's placing one particular person on my heart as much as He does, as we're not a part of one another's lives now - or at least not like we once were. Perhaps that's why. And as hard as I try to 'shake' it, the Lord continues to press it upon me to continue praying for said person, and continue on with the many other prayer concerns, and living my daily life. In all honesty, it's quite exhausting! BUT...I know that God has a bigger picture and sees the end result for this. It's just frustrating that I don't! In any case, though I cling to Isaiah 8:17 "I will wait for the Lord to help us, though he is hiding now. My only hope is in him." Thankfully my faith in Christ Jesus far outweighs my inability to comprehend the mighty things God does and why he does them! Leaning on his understanding, not my own will be what gets me through this particular situation...as well as many that will follow. So now I rest in the 'sweet spot' his hand covers me in while I wait on him to reveal to me, in His perfect timing, just why this has been placed on my heart so heavily.

I'm sure there is a situation in your own life that came to mind as you read of mine. The question is, are you fighting through it on your own? Or are you resting in your own 'sweet spot' covered by the Lord's hand and you wait and trust in him?

Until next time, blessings to you all!
K

The Benefits of Waiting

It's Wednesday morning and finally, the kids are back to school after two snow days in a row! As if the weekend wasn't long enough! The kids loved the extra and unexpected time off of school - I mean they're going to have two weeks off starting this Friday, so of course they 'need' more time off, lol! I'll admit though, it was kind of nice the past two days to lay a little low and not have to start the morning off in a rush to get the kids ready for school...so I have managed to get some benefit from it as well! With all there is to do before Christmas, shoveling was at the top of the 'to-do' list at our house. What a chore that was! Perhaps I'll post a couple of photos...it just amazed me the amount of snow we got in a day and a half. It sure is pretty though!

I know I've already written on the 'waiting' thing...and will likely do it again (if not again, and again!) but it's something we're all constantly doing...right?! So, when I read my devotional from Walk in The Word I knew I had to share it. Several months ago I was struggling with a few areas in my life where I knew I was in the 'waiting room'. Now having waited and trusted the Lord completely, the time has come where 'waiting' in some of those places is no longer! There seems to be that one area of my life where I feel I'm still 'waiting'...I know you'll understand because we all have one of those areas in our lives. Whether it's for a house, a job (or a better one!), financial security, a 'significant other', a baby.....the list goes on and on - we're waiting. Because I'm being faithfully obedient by serving and worshiping, I continue to move ahead bold and confident in the hope of the promises the Lord has made. What a wonderful thing to be able to cling to! He IS my Rock and my Fortress - totally unshakable!

Anyhow, I could continue on and on...but we'll get to the heart of today's blog. As you read the devotional from James McDonald, I pray that it strikes a peace within you that will give you the endurance from Him to continue 'waiting' in the area(s) you are. After all, His timing is always perfect - just let Him show you!

God bless you!
'K'

"The Benefits of Waiting"

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord." Psalms 40:1–3. 

 The longer I live, the more I come to understand that life doesn't have a lot of green lights. There are hardly any times where God is like, "Do you want that? Have it right now. Why didn't you ask sooner?" More often God is like, "I'd like you to wait." "No! I want it right now!" God is like, "Listen! You might think you want it now, but I'm going to give it to you when you're fit to receive it. I'm going to use the process of waiting to shape you into the woman or the man that I want you to be. Getting it now wouldn't advance My purposes for you. I want you to wait."

Waiting is not an easy thing. Waiting is not passivity. Waiting on God is not the absence of efforts. Waiting is "I've done everything I know how to do but it's not enough and now I am waiting on God to do for me what I could not do for myself."

That is such an important lesson to learn. Let me tell you about some of the benefits that you get when you wait on God. Here are five verses that spell them out.

According to Psalm 40:1 when we wait on God, He hears our prayers: "I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry."
According to Isaiah 64:4 when we wait on God, He acts on our behalf: "Nor has the eye seen a God like You who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him." That's what God is fired up about. He works for the people who wait. I wonder how many things we don't get because we're out there working for it ourselves beyond what we should and God's like, "Would you just stop that? I act on behalf of the people who wait for Me."
Psalm 25:3 says that when we wait on God, He keeps us from shame: "Indeed
none of those who wait for You O God will be ashamed."
Isaiah 40:31 says that He gives strength to those who wait: "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength."
Psalm 37:34 tells us that those who wait for God are exalted: "Wait for the Lord and He will exalt you."

Bottom line; God always makes it worth our while to wait for Him!

The Ministry God Wants You To Pursue

GOD IS SO GOOD...ALL OF THE TIME...don't you agree?! Not just when things are going our way, but when we're in the deepest, hardest places we could imagine. Our God is so faithful - never leaving our side through those difficult times. He's no 'fair-weather' friend! He is THE ULTIMATE FRIEND, and I am so blessed to have a personal relationship with Him that I do. Don't get me wrong, I have wonderful friends that are great support, encouraging and we have lots of laughter together...but there is no earthly friend that can compare to THE friend we all can have in Jesus. It just tickles me to be so filled with the joy of the Lord...I can hardly contain it!! My prayer is that every one of you will experience that too (if you aren't already!).

The past several months have been a transition for me. I'm not going to go into detail, because they aren't necessary. What I will say though, is that I've been having to really be intentional about listening to God and hearing what He is saying - to me. The direction for my life that He has laid out doesn't always seem so clear - I'm sure you'll agree. But in going through this time of transition and uncertainty, the Lord has shown me. With my obedience and my willingness to give that situation completely up to Him, he continues to confirm that the path I'm on is indeed His will for me. Thank you Lord! All in relation to what I've just said, within this time of transition, there has been a passion of mine for years that I've wanted to pursue. Looking into it a couple of years ago where I was...nothing comes about from it...the timing was off, no wonder it never happened! Now, fast forward to now, years later when I least expected it, the opportunity for me to pursue my passion has come! At first, I was hesitant to move ahead with it, for fear I would fail at it, or that I wouldn't be accepted by others already a part of this team. But now that I've 'jumped in' I feel so sure that this is now the time to pursue it...the welcome from this team is so heart-warming and I'm so blessed and overjoyed to be a part of it too!

Which leads me into the final part of my blog today. I came across this post after church today and knew it was yet another confirmation from the Lord that I am on the right path for the 'ministry' I'm passionate about. It has been a long process for me, but the timing is perfect. Is there something you've been wanting to do but have felt unsure as to whether or not it's what God really wants you to be pursuing?! If so, read the following snippet. As Christ's disciples, we're ALL called to 'ministry' - in some way, shape, or form. Hopefully, you'll find the following a word from God speaking directly to you as you listen to His voice in how you are to serve!

Be blessed!
K

HOW CAN I DISCERN WHAT MINISTRY GOD WANTS ME TO PURSUE?
(The following is an edited transcription of the audio.)
By John Piper
Discerning the will of God for your ministry would start with a deep and recurrent desire, which is a good thing. Then you must test it. You test it by its recurrence, asking, "Does it last?" And you test it biblicaly by asking whether it's a godly desire. Does it come from a desire to glorify Christ? Will the pursuit of this work lead to the glory of Christ?

After that you test it in the community. You bounce it off of wise counselors. The Bible makes much of good counsel.

Finally you look for opportunity. You don't so much wait for the Lord to give some explicit command to do it. You look for opportunity. You ask yourself, "Is the Lord opening the door for this good and godly vision that I have?"

But even that, I would say, might be too passive. Because if you have a deep passion that something good be done, and there is nothing wrong with doing it, and the people around you say that you're gifted to do it, you may just knock down the door. If there's no real reason why you shouldn't do it, then knock down the door and pursue your passion.

You shouldn't be hung up on waiting. If it would be a good thing, if it would benefit the church, and the people around you endorse it, then I think you should move and not wait.

Intercession - Eric Ludy

Eric Ludy says it all here.
This is such a season of awakening...can't you feel it?!! Let us not remain asleep! It is crucial that we are on guard and aware of the enemy's schemes. He won't rest and he'll try everything - everything. Let us not be foolish in our thinking that we are exempt from Satan's tactics to keep us from praising God and giving ALL the glory to Him, just because we 'go to church on Sunday'. It's so much more than warming a seat and putting in your 'time' at church. The only way to survive this awful world is to be in a right and constantly growing relationship with Almighty God. We were made with a hole that only HE can fill...without the Holy Spirit IN us, the enemy has access to do whatever he pleases. This is certainly cause for alarm in my opinion. Too many of us are hitting the 'snooze' button...and won't be ready for His return...do you want that? I'm convinced more than ever, that NOW is the time for revival!
LET'S WAKE UP!!! Are you with me?!!!

I hope this message gives you food for thought and challanges you (as it did me) as to where you are with the Lord - today.

Many blessings to you as you watch this video and hear what the Lord has to say to you!
Until next time,
K

Proverbs 18

It's been a fairly quiet morning here...which has been nice! Seems the past while has been so 'busy', and now - at least for this mere moment - is a time to rest. While reading my Bible today, I was all over it. I simply couldn't decide where I wanted to 'camp' because there's just sooo much I want to devour - ya know what I mean?! It's like going to a restaurant that has a buffet, lol! There is just so much 'good stuff' that you sometimes have a hard time deciding where to even begin. That's what I felt like today. Perhaps today was just to get little 'nuggets' this time....and that's fine, but where I'm really wanting to dig into is the book of Job, and I can't wait to continue reading the remainder of it!

Anyhow, one passage I came across today in my travels through the Bible was Proverbs 18. There is just so much wisdom in this chapter...everyday wisdom! So my blog today is simply sharing that with you :)

I pray it encourages you - as it does me - to come back to this place of reference when we find ourselves asking for the answers to these questions/situations.

PROVERBS 18 (Getting the facts before deciding)
"1. The selfish man quarrels against every sound principle of conduct by demanding his own way.
2. A rebel doesn't care about the facts. All he wants to do is yell.
3. Sin brings disgrace.
4. A wise man's words express deep streams of thought.
5. It is wrong for a judge to favor the wicked and condemn the innocent.
6/7. A fool gets into constant fights. His mouth is his undoing! His words endanger him.
8. What dainty morsels rumors are. They are eaten with great relish!
9. A lazy man is a brother to the saboteur.
10. The Lord is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.
11. The rich man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!
12. Pride ends in destruction; humility ends in honor.
13. What a shame-yes, how stupid!-to decide before knowing the facts!
14. A man's courage can sustain his broken body, but when courage dies, what hope is left?
15. The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them.
16. A gift does wonders; it will bring you before men of importance!
17. Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.
18. A coin toss ends arguments and settles disputes between powerful opponents.
19. It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you out like iron bars.
20. The ability to give wise advice satisfies like a good meal!
21. Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Men have died for saying the wrong thing!
22. The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is a blessing to him from the Lord.
23. The poor man pleads, and the rich man answers with insult.
24. There are "friends" who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
More to come...soon, I'm sure :)
Until then...
K

Let's fight the enemy together...

Well, I can't believe we're halfway through October already! This year is just passing so quickly, it's about enough to make one's head spin! In just a couple of months, we'll be gearing up for the biggest and most important birthday party of the year! How excited are you?! I'm thrilled! It seems the more I grow with my Father, the more it means to me - yes Lord, thank you! And to know my children have an understanding of what Christmas 'really' means warms my heart. Lord, I must be doing something right! I'll move away from that topic - for now - as I know some people don't want to even think of that busy time of year...that I will remind you again, is FAST approaching, lol!

I'm going to be a bit raw and put myself out there in this blog - just how much is yet to be seen ;) Tonight I went to my Beth Moore study called 'Stepping Up - the Psalms of Ascent' and nearly came undone. The past several weeks I've gotten to know a few other women and hear their insights of how the Good Lord has worked and continues to work in each of our lives. Tonight was a tough one for me...and as it turns out, hit close to the hearts for others as well. At the end of the evening, Beth instructed all of us to get up out of our chairs and come 'shoulder to shoulder' with everyone in the room. We did just that - and locked arms t'boot! As she spoke about how we're to be standing so close to our sisters (and brothers) in Christ and working alongside them, encouraging them, and fighting the enemy together not fighting with one another, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit come over that circle of women, and I wept. I'm not talkin' I shed a few tears here...I all out wept. I can't explain what came over me. In a way, it was a sense of sadness but also there was a sense of unity and encouragement there too.

I believe I felt the sadness because it seems to be such a foreign thing for us to do...stand arm in arm and brought tight together. Am I right? I mean come on people! Is it the fear that people are going to see that we don't have it all together? Or that we really have no clue what we're doing down here in this temporary dwelling place that has gone completely down the crapper? We are in the worst kind of battle here - not of the flesh, but of the Spirit - and all we seem to do is look out for ourselves?! What's with that? We need to wake up and be ready; dressed in the full armor of God - the Almighty - shoulder to shoulder with our fellow soldiers. We are literally fighting for our lives - our eternal lives - and, thanks to 'society' we're in one of the most selfish positions I think we could possibly be in...looking out for ourselves. It's just sad. It angers me to see what this world has become and the lies that we, even as Christ-followers, believe. SATAN WILL NOT WIN - HE HAS NOT, NOR EVER WILL!!! Are you with me on this, or am I the only one riding this freight train? We've got to be so careful...the enemy is furious because he knows his time is short and he's doing everything in his power (which I will remind us all is NOT greater than the Lords!) to 'kill, steal, and destroy' the precious children of God - that's us!!

Ok, now that I've had a moment to take a breath :)...let's look at the other things I mentioned; unity and encouragement. There was a moment there where I honestly felt that nothing could get through us! We were strong, bound together by God's superglue :) Not one inch was left for the enemy to penetrate and break through us. That's what my prayer is. That the body of Christ can really come together for our own good and for God's glory, instead of nit-picking about every little meaningless issue we use as scapegoats so we don't have to actually dig deeper into our own 'yuck' and make our foundations stronger - in every area of our lives; especially with God. It's hard and it sucks, but I'm finding the more I dig and the more I become undone before the Lord, the more rewarding my walk with Him truly is!
The Holy Spirit was present tonight, in a big way...how can that, in itself, not be of encouragement?! The 'I Am' the 'most high' wants to bring about a manifestation within us...He wants to delight with singing and dancing over us! If that's not encouragement to continue moving ahead in this journey to spend eternity with Him than I don't know what is! Can you hear Him calling to you? Do you feel the urgency to be obedient and band arms together with fellow soldiers to fight the good fight for your Almighty King?! PEOPLE, JESUS IS COMING!!
The question is...are we ready? I don't think we are, honestly, I don't. Time is ticking. Are we going to continue letting Satan's way of living influence us, or are we going to give everything we've got to the One who gave us life?!
I'm just sayin'.....

In His service,
K

A Mutual Dependency

I came across an old devotional today that I simply needed to share with you! So without further delay, here it is :)

A MUTUAL DEPENDENCY
In authentic Christian fellowship, people should experience a mutual dependency. This mutuality is the art of giving and receiving; it's depending on each other.

The Bible says, "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part". (1 Cor 12:25 MSG)

Mutuality is the heart of fellowship: building reciprocal relationships, sharing responsibilities, and helping each other. Paul said, "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you". (Romans 1:12 NCV)

All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us. The Bible commands mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring.

Over fifty times in the New Testament we're commanded to do different tasks for 'one another' and 'each other'. The Bible says, "Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual deification". (Romans 14:19 NIV)

You are not responsible for everyone in the body of Christ, but you are responsible to them. God expects you to do whatever you can to help them.

By: Rick Warren


Are we holding one another and ourselves to mutual dependency?
'Nough said?!
In Christ,
K

Hearing from God - through yourself!

This week has been such a good week! I've had some wonderful conversations with people I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and chat with before. This reminded me just how individual we all are, yet how we're a lot alike. We all have our own story to tell. I could sit for hours and hours and listen to other's stories of how they came to know Christ; and the past that brought them to it; as well as the work He's continuing to do in them today. The more I take in, the harder it is to comprehend just how 'awesome' He is!

I received an email earlier that had me - yet again! - thinking about our relationships with others. Seeing this person's 'situation' from my perspective, had me realize how everything we go through really can be used to help someone else. As I replied back, I found I was not only giving advice and encouragement to them, but also to myself! The words I wrote were genuinely from my heart - the one God gave me - so why would it surprise me that He would want me to hear those words too?! I find more and more lately that the Lord speaks to me that way. It's like he places these specific people or situations in my way, not only to be of encouragement to them (and I hope they do receive that from me), but to remind me that He has said those things to me as well. Be it through His response of my prayers, my coverings, or my family and friends...every word I speak out to someone has been spoken to me! Pardon me while I have a little 'ahhh, sigh :)' moment here.....but isn't that wonderful!

There are snippets I wrote in that email I'm going to share with you. (Nothing was written by the person, as I believe in discretion - fully and completely.) Perhaps there is something in the following that you are to hear today...as I was to hear - from God...through myself!

Life is difficult enough, but to try and get through it without a 'covering' (someone who watches out for you and your spirit) is even harder to do. Something I've come to realize over the past year or so. We weren't designed to do life 'alone'...but 'together'!

I truly believe that the Lord is building your character throughout this difficult situation! And for that, I'm sooo excited for you! Don't for one minute think that what you're going through is insignificant...it's not. This is molding you into the person that God has designed you to be (and it never stops, lol!). As discouraging as it is...and I KNOW how discouraging issues with 'friends' can be...you will come through this a little bit stronger, and a little bit wiser. Each and every situation we encounter WILL build us up to the potential of the Lord's design for us. It sucks, and it's hard a lot of the time, but we can persevere and get through whatever it is we're facing!

Friendships/relationships have to be THE most difficult things to navigate through. Each one is so unique and there is not another one like another one! It's not just a simple math problem you can't figure out...our emotions are invested in these friendships and sometimes we can't see that there actually IS going to be an end to it all. Speaking it (or typing it!) out to someone you trust can really help make life a bit easier and give us a fresh perspective on something we can't see because we're in it. I thank God for my 'coverings'...I've saved myself so much grief having them as my 'go-to' people! Now before I move ahead with something I'm not 100% sure of, I say to myself 'I need to run that by so-and-so and get their insight first'. It's also good for being held accountable...following through on what we've said we would do, and not going ahead with something we said we wouldn't or didn't want to do! What a difference it has made in my life! I pray that for you too :)

Blessings,
K

A simple song...

Tonight I write again... Not sure what it is I'm to share, but knowing the Lord is moving me to do so. I'm so completely overcome with wonder about the work the Holy Spirit is doing in me...and around me. I can sense a big change within myself - totally a prompting from the Holy Spirit, no question about that - as well as over this city and, such as a pebble causes a ripple effect, throughout this nation, and as it is written, all over this world. There is a presence more evident than ever I feel, and I don't know about you, but I'm going to run with it! "Awake oh wake you sleeper", He IS coming! Are we preparing ourselves and sharing with others? Or just living our comfortable lives and 'passing time'? I mean people!...how can we not want to further God's Kingdom here on earth in return for the most completely wonderful sacrifice he's done for us?! Think about it...really think about it! When I stop and think about things that friends and family have done for me and how much I always appreciate it and know they do it because they love me, it completely blows my mind to know life was given as an atoning sacrifice for everything 'I' have done (and will do) in sin. Me...MY sins did that and in return, I'm loved and accepted unconditionally; given grace and mercy...in abundance at that!; am given strength beyond anything I could ever muster up on my own in times when I'm weakest, and the list goes on and on. The picture that Jesus is standing at the top of the ascending stairs with his hand outstretched saying "YOU are my daughter, I want YOU to come with me", humbles me to the point of getting down and flat-faced, releasing it ALL to him. Then in the next breath putting on a great set of music while singing and dancing in all-out praise glorifying my Father for all he has given as well as taken away. I can't help but be in awe. I praise you Lord, I bless your name. All the glory and honor to you Abba Father. You are Almighty God, the solid rock in which I cling white-knuckled to. You are my only source of Truth, THE Living Water. Thank you for loving me. I praise you Lord!

In Christ,
K

The privilege of having our needs met day by day.

It's been a pretty fast-paced time since I last had the time to actually sit down and devote the needed time to write here. I've really missed it. What has been filling my days since as been wonderful, and muchly needed! I've fallen in love with the best ever!!! And continue to each and every day! The best part is that I KNOW this IS a 'forever' thing! Aren't you completely stoked for me?!! With no one else have I ever felt this loved and accepted - unconditionally - especially when I'm not the easiest person to be around, he's quite ok with that. Whether I'm on top of the world or in the lowest valley, he never wavers. I'm sure those reading this blog have met him already...and for those of you who haven't yet - he ROCKS! - and you really should get to know him! Those who do know him will agree, I'm quite sure of that! So now that I've got your curiosity peaked, I'll leave it at that :) Some may figure out who he is...will you be one of them?!

I'm not really 100% sure what I'm to blog today, but I do know that the Lord is doing a MIGHTY WORK. I just 'know' it....I can feel it - and it's an amazing feeling! While reading my Bible, I came across something a friend of mine had given to me a while ago that I thought was written very well, and so very true. It's in regards to something the Lord has put on my heart the past several months - discipleship. It's for us ALL...not just those who have been to seminary or who have studied theology. Praise the Lord he equips us with what we need at exactly where we are! May we all glorify his Kingdom while we remain here on this earth.
(I'm just going to start typing is out here, and we'll see if anything comes to mind to add afterwards.) Enjoy!

GOD IS AN INFINITE SOVEREIGN

During a difficult and traumatic year (1874), when he had seriously injured his back and had many lonely hours in which to think and pray, Hudson Taylor wrote these unusually challenging words - even for him. He was forty-two at the time, but the meditation, written in his own hand, was only found after his death. As Jim Broomhall has observed, the words 'opened a window on his soul, on the true Hudson Taylor who wanted to be like Christ, cost what it might':

'If God has called you to be really like Jesus in all your spirit, he will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put on you such demands of obedience that he will not allow you to follow other Christians; and in many ways he will seem to let other good people do things that he will not let you do. Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires and work schemes to carry out their schemes, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent. Other may brag on themselves, on their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to say any such thing; and if you begin it, he will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

'Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because he wants you to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on him, that he may have the privilege (the right) of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury. The Lord will let others be honoured and put forward, and keep you hidden away in obscurity, because he wants some choice fragrant fruit for his coming, glory which can be produced in the shade. He will let others do a work for him and get the credit for it, but he will let you work and toil on without (others) knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, he will let others get the credit for the work you have done, and this will make your rewards ten times greater when Jesus comes.

'The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for the little words or feelings or for wasting your time, over which other Christians never seem distressed. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as he pleases with his own, and he may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in his dealing with you. He will take you at your word and when you absolutely sell yourself to be his slave, he will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things which he will not let you say or do.

'Settle it for ever that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that he is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that he does not deal with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are in the secret heart pleased and delighted over the peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.'

YES AND AMEN! That last paragraph....sigh...there's just no words to describe! I'll just say, with tears in my eyes and joy overflowing in my heart, I'VE FOUND MY EVERYTHING!!...

K

Trusting on a mountaintop or in a valley, it's the same, right?!

Hello!!! It's been a while since we've met here...I suppose that's what you get when 'life happens' and you take a wee vacation :) The kids and I went camping at a fairly local campground - and it was great! I just wish that it lasted a bit longer, as the kids were just getting used to their surroundings and I didn't really get time to just sit and read. (You mothers will agree that even on holidays we don't get much of a break from preparing meals and cleaning up afterward, right?!)

Nonetheless, I've missed writing, but that doesn't mean I've not been pondering many things though!  One of the things that have been rolling around in this brain of mine is 'trust'. Trust in EVERY area of my life. You'd think it should be easy enough to do, right?! I mean there are certain degrees of trust. Ie: there is trusting the person at Tim Horton's to give you the right coffee; there's trusting a friend/family member, with things you hold close to you; then there's the most important one of all - trusting God - with your entire life. All sound easy in theory, but unfortunately, it's more difficult to put it into practice. Like really...is your life going to be ruined by the wrong order at Timmy's?! Maybe your day, lol....or a moment, until you realize the little significance it actually bares in this temporary life - or at least it should! But when it comes to the latter two, we need to be vulnerable in a much larger way. There's so much more at stake and it requires us to give up the control we often think we have over things.

"Trust is the key that opens the door to blessings." This is the title of the second chapter in a book I own and am reading again for the second time; "The Secret Things Of God" by Dr. Henry Cloud. It was by no coincidence how this book came into my hands last summer... I had just gone through a very hard and sad ending of a relationship that I shared with a wonderful man who's heart was clearly for God, and someone I considered a very close friend above and beyond anything else. What made it sad was the fact that we were simply in two different places and it was clear to both of us that it needed to end. The hardest part of going through all of that wasn't necessarily the fact that a relationship had ended, but more so the fact that I didn't have my friend to go to and help me through it - my 'shoulder to cry on' so to speak like I'd been able to do with so many other things in the time we shared together. What on earth was I going to do? How was I going to get through this? I 'knew' that God was there, and believe me I talked to Him a lot! But there was something about my broken heart that I honestly didn't feel that God was understanding. Sounds kind of silly now I know, but that's where I was in my brokenness at that particular time and I just needed to get 'away'. So a girlfriend and I took off for a night, just a couple hours away. It was a great time of healing - just what I needed. As our time away was ending, we went to the mall and hit a bookstore. She'd wanted to get a specific book and I had nothing to get - or so I thought! I was just browsing and this book jumped off the shelf and into my hands. I couldn't wait to crack the spine and dive into it! I recall reading it in quite a short amount of time and having a paradigm shift as a result of reading it. Looking back on that time now I am aware that going through that difficult time is one of the best things I've 'suffered', because it brought me once again, to the foot of the cross and made me realize that the only One I needed to rely on and trust was Jesus to get me through it - and anything else in my life. For this lesson alone, I am forever grateful. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I want to share some nuggets from this chapter that really stood out and spoke to me. I pray that something from the following touches your heart in some way as well.

"Through trust, we connect with God in a way that shows our reliance on him and our surrender to him. This is what he desires most from us. He wants us to trust him and depend on him more than any other thing. In fact, he says that without trust, or faith, it is impossible to please him, to have a relationship with him, or to receive anything from him. Trust is the essence of "faith," and it opens you up to all that you need from God."
"As you trust, you will step out in faith and receive blessings you never would have received and accomplish things you never thought possible. It is the way that your life becomes larger."
"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." (quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"We don't always know what's in front of us or what will happen next; but if we know the One who knows, we can trust him to take care of things because we know he loves us."
"Trust moves us beyond where we are and connects us with what he wants to do for us and what he wants us to do for him."
"If we do not trust, we are limited to our own resources, and we weren't created to do it all on our own."
"It's easy to believe God on the mountaintop; but when we're in the valley and it's dark and we feel all alone, that's when our faith is tested. When we lose a loved one or a job, our health, or a relationship, these are the times when trusting God is difficult. But they are also the times when we need him the most. They are the times when we need to know that no matter how bad it is, God is there with us, that he loves us and it going to take us through whatever we face. If we keep holding on to God during the dark times, we will find that he never leaves our side as we walk through the pain and that when we come out on the other side, he is still there beside us and that our faith has been strengthened in the process. And so the next time we encounter difficulty, we are stronger and our trust in him is even greater. Sometimes he does not deliver us from our difficulty at all, but simply gives us his presence and the presence of others."
"I know he is real, and I trust him with the things I do not understand and take comfort in the fact that he gets it even when I don't."
"When we connect ourselves to the source of all that's good - even when we don't quite understand it all - we open our lives up to unimaginable blessings."
"Trust is not the same as stupidity. God is not responsible for our idiotic decisions and will not bail us out when we make them. He gave us brains to use. Don't confuse foolishness with faith."
"Remember, faith without action is dead. If you are not stepping out in some way that is vulnerable, you are not being stretched and are not growing in your faith."
"Trust is a muscle that can grow as you learn to be certain, that he can bring about what you cannot see."
Ask yourself if there was anything from your past that has harmed your ability to trust. Was it people? The church? Did you have a traumatic experience? All of those can affect our ability to trust. I challenge each of us to be stretched and open the door to the blessings God has for us by putting our trust in HIM.....
Until next time,
K

Great poem for pondering...

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So, love the people who treat you right and
Love the ones who don't, just because you can.

Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance,
Grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.

Anger slowly.
Forgive quickly.

God never said life would be easy.
He just promised it would be worth it.

This was from an email a long-time friend had sent me a while ago. When I came across it I realized why I had kept it. Where I am in my life right now, everything in this poem rings true. I don't know if it's because I've become more sensitive, or because of the significant amount of growth I've seen in myself the past year - perhaps both! Each line, although written together, can stand completely on its own and makes just as much of a statement independently as it does collectively.

Although these things seem so simple to do, I find it very difficult to sometimes follow through with. I suppose that's 'human nature', however, that's no excuse - just the 'worlds' way of justifying our downfalls when it comes to living a life modeled by Christ. I don't know about you, but I don't care to be judged or justified by the 'world' - my identity is in Christ, not the world. This being said, and 'knowing' it in my heart, doesn't mean I never get duped by the enemy. If anything, the enemy uses that to try and win us over or at least pull us away as far as he can from God. I've experienced this first hand, time, and time again. What I've learned from that is that without taking every thought captive to the mind of Christ and talking to Him constantly, the relationship with him can suffer and the results are NOT good. Thankfully the Lord's grace is bigger than any of our wrongdoings, and his love is unmeasurable! Doesn't that make you smile and warm your heart?! It does mine!

So, I guess what the Lord has put on my heart today is that, for me, it comes down to the last two lines of the poem. "God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it."
Amen? Amen!!

Until next time,
'K'

How do you handle the 'waiting room'?

One of the songs that I seem to really be able to relate to lately - as I'm sure everyone can - is called "Waiting Room" by Jonny Diaz. I wanted to add it to my playlist, but when I searched for it nothing came up :( However!.....now that I have youtube widget I can put it on there :) The lyrics of this song can be put to any one person's given situation. We all have that 'one thing' (perhaps there are a couple 'things') in our life that we have a desire for. That 'thing' that if we only had ______ it would make us happier. For me, this song is a great statement of where our focus really needs to be....which is on our Creator. Just as parents know what's best for their children, God knows what's best for us - he is after all our Heavenly Father!!


I've heard the analogy of God being our GPS....he already has our 'route' planned out for us in advance. However if we make a 'wrong turn' and stray from the GPS, he simply recalculates the turns necessary to get us back on the right course. There are always things we do or say, stupid mistakes, or poor judgement calls we make that take us off the path we're to be on. But isn't it great to know how gracious our God is when we do those things?! He lets us 'fall down' to learn the lessons necessary, then picks us up, dusts us off and gently guides us back in the right direction - but only if we are willing. There have been many times I've done/said things, made stupid mistakes, as well as poor judgement calls I've made that have caused me to fall. But I'm thankful that I've learned the valuable lessons from those things happening, and that God's grace is bigger than any sin!


Being in any waiting room is never loads of fun. Think about it...waiting at the Dr.'s office can be a long drawn our process and can make people miserable - I've seen it, as I'm sure you have! I don't know about you, but when you prepare yourself for such an event, it's not so bad. For me, I like to get a Timmy's coffee and a good book, then just settle in for the 'wait'. I've actually been kind of bummed out once or twice when I got all settled in and then was called in to the office right away - I didn't get my 'waiting' time, lol, how sad is that?! In this season of my life I am in the 'waiting room' for a few different areas of my life. Details aren't prudent, but I'm pretty confident that every one of you can relate to some degree. So, the question is......how do you handle being in the 'waiting room'?! Is it a place you can't get out of fast enough? Or is it a place where you actually can stop and take a bit of a 'breather' before you're on to the 'next thing' in life? For me, I'll take my Timmy's coffee, a good book, and music like this song to help pass my time in the 'waiting room' of this life! Wanna join me?!


WAITING ROOM (Jonny Diaz)
(Google the song to listen to it!  It's beautiful!)

HERE IN THIS WAITING ROOM YEARNING FOR YOU TO SAY GO
AND THOUGH I’M CONVINCED THAT A ”YES” WOULD BE BEST
THIS TIME YOU’RE TELLING ME “NO”

IT’S NOT THAT I DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER
IT’S JUST NOT THE ONE THAT I’D LIKE
BUT THROUGH THIS TIME LORD I MUST KEEP IN MIND
YOU’RE ALWAYS WISER THAN I

YOU HAVE A MUCH BETTER PURPOSE
AND YOU HAVE A FAR GREATER PLAN
AND YOU HAVE A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE
CAUSE YOU HOLD THIS WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

THE THINGS THAT I SEEK ARE FROM YOU
LIKE THE STRONG HEALING TOUCH OF YOUR HAND
BUT WHEN YOU SAY NO HELP ME TRUST EVEN THOUGH
THERE’S A REASON I CAN’T UNDERSTAND

CAUSE YOU HAVE A MUCH BETTER PURPOSE
AND YOU HAVE A FAR GREATER PLAN
AND YOU HAVE A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE
CAUSE YOU HOLD THIS WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

WHEN THAT MIRACLE COMES CAUSE YOUR ANSWER IS “YES”
I WILL PRAISE YOU FOR ALL OF MY DAYS
BUT WHEN YOUR WISDOM DECLARES THAT A “NO” IS WHAT'S BEST
I WILL PRAISE YOU JUST THE SAME

YOU HAVE A MUCH BETTER PURPOSE
AND YOU HAVE A FAR GREATER PLAN
AND YOU HAVE A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE
CAUSE YOU HOLD THIS WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

YOU HOLD THIS WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

Until next time,
'K'

Light and airy, easy-peasy 'a-ha moments'.

Hey, hey! For those who have been following since the beginning, you'll have noticed that I've changed the design and layout of my blog a bit! I knew when I came across this background that it suited my title and overall 'blog' perfectly. It's got that kind of light and airy feel to it - yippee :)

Also, I've added a youtube widget on the right side that allows you guys to view some of my 'favorite' youtube videos! I've only put 4 of them on as of now to keep things easy-peasy (and that was hard to only choose 4!), so I will likely change them up here and there to keep things new! (Just a reminder; stop or mute the music player at the bottom of the page before you play the youtube widget!)

Another thing I've added, you'll notice, is to the top right of the blog...Great Quotes! I'm excited about this and I totally LOVE quotes!! To me, they can be like little 'a-ha moments'! So I'm looking forward to changing them up here and there as well! If any of you have any great quotes of your own, let me know what they are....maybe I'll post yours :)

And one last addition just below the Great Quotes is Good Reads! Again, just a few titles of some books that I've read, enjoyed and gleaned much out of. All of which still remain in my library. Will likely shuffle them around as well as I continue to read - and finish :P - more books! Any suggestions of good reads from you all is greatly accepted as well!

So, now that business is out of the way.....what to write about?! Oh, I know! Back up for a second to Easter '09. The pastor at the church I was attending challenged us all to prepare something - anything - as our own personal 'gift' to the Lord. I wasn't sure what I could make, and even though I wouldn't participate. As the time got closer I felt a stirring to do something. Then one night it hit me, 'why don't you write a poem?!' So with my trusty pen and paper I sat there ready to write.....and nothing came to mind! A couple nights later, totally unprepared to be writing, the flood gates opened, I grabbed for my pen and paper, and a short time later this poem was the result! I haven't shared it with many people (obviously until now) because it's been something close to my heart. Although it still is, I now want to share the gift I made for the Lord with you. I hope the Holy Spirit speaks to you in a way that is meant for only you to hear as you read these words...


THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS

When my world seems dark,
And it feels there's no way out,
It's YOU who pulls me through.

With everything I've been through,
It's been YOU who has held my hand,
Wiped my tears, and heard my cries.

YOU have listened to my many petitions,
And have understood my frustrations,
Never once leaving my side.

YOU are my personal Lord and Savior,
YOU have blessed my life beyond belief.
Thank you for loving me...flaws and all!

When I fall down YOU pick me up,
Give me YOUR strength,
And love me even more.

In complete brokenness
I can call YOUR name,
Always knowing YOU hear,
Always knowing YOU are there.

YOU have given the ultimate gift,
YOUR son's life...for MY sins,
I cannot even begin to truly comprehend.

LORD, burn everything within me,
That doesn't bring glory to YOU,'
For daily I strive to fulfill my purpose.

THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS


Thanks for reading! Until next time,
'K'

Meet Bill and the deacon.

I received the following story as an email today and knew right away I wanted to post it as my blog. It's got a wonderful message....one that many Christ followers (me for sure) unintentionally overlook in our day-to-day lives. Simply because of our 'busy' lives. So I ask this, are our lives really too busy? Or are we just so caught up in worrying about our own lives that we tend to forget that others are watching us?

I hope you enjoy the read and that your day is blessed!
(*I added the bold and italics for 'statement' - of course!)

Now THIS is the Living Bible:

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans,
and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire 4 years of college.
He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a Christian
while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church.
They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.... The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in
the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this
boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him.
You can't even hear anyone breathing. The minister can't even preach the sermon
until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, 'What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.'
'Be careful how you live: You may be the only Bible some people will ever read!'

I ask the Lord to bless you as I pray for you today.
To guide you and protect you as you go along your way....
His love is always with you, His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our cares, You know He will see us through.

AMEN? AMEN!!
'K'

The 'humility' factor.

Well, the fireworks are over for another year of Canada's birthday celebration. Different from last year, but was shared with great company just the same! As I think back to the past years of fireworks, there are many memories....lots before kids and many different ones at various locations with kids. I wonder where we'll watch them next year, and when a 'tradition' of viewing them will come to be.....such a mystery :)

It's hard to believe we're halfway through the calendar year of 2010....can you believe it?! I simply don't know where this year is going! It's a good thing though, because of the kind of past year.....well, really the past 5 years!..... I've had, is quite welcome to stay behind! Lots of learning and tons of growing, so none of it wasted that is for sure! However, there does come a time when you can pick up everything gleaned from each difficult situation and circumstance and move forward - in some way, shape, or form. Some days we may be able to do that easier than others, but by the grace of God, we somehow manage to muster up getting through the ones we thought not possible to get through. PTL! (*praise the Lord, for those who may not know!)

Today was a day where I experienced a 'growing pain' within my spirituality in a very real way. I came head to head humility - OUCH! Like a much needed 'slap in the face', through a trusted friend, the Lord placed in my path a huge reality many of us have a difficult time discerning and putting into practice - being humble. The Bible commands us to exercise humility, so why is it so difficult to genuinely be humble before God and others? I believe being humble is so very difficult to do because it strips us of the masks we put on for others that hide our insecurities of not having it 'all together'. Honestly, who in their right mind actually has it all together?! Being stripped down in our vulnerability is not a place we like to be, but is so essential to our experiencing a true, authentic relationship with others. By not doing so we actually stunt our growth. This is one of many areas I need to continuously ask the Lord for his favor in - as I'm sure it is with all of His children. Knowing I'm not alone is a tiny bit of comfort, but doesn't change the fact that we are all held accountable for our own selves come the day of judgment. I pray Father, that this broken vessel is brought to humility over and over again, each and every time you see it is required for my growth and your glory.

I came across a pastor's blog that had the following article on it, and feel it's perfectly worded for sharing on my blog with today's topic. Here it is:

"My friend David Steinhart, pastor of Forest Park (IL) Baptist Church, shared
some insights on humility from a tape on leadership by Dallas Willard. Humility
is a quality that is hard to define and even harder to develop. Very few people
would admit to praying for humility even though the Bible instructs us to humble
ourselves under the mighty hand of God. How do you “humble yourself” in a
practical sense? Dallas Willard offers three helpful answers.

First, never pretend. Be yourself. We all face those tight moments when we are
tempted to claim inside knowledge or special talents we don’t possess. Or we
make quick promises we know we can’t keep. Under pressure we may downplay our
abilities because we think it makes us appear humble. Wrong on all counts. True
humility claims nothing more or less than the truth. What you see is what you
get.

Second, never presume. So often we think we know what others are feeling or we act as if we can read minds. Humility doesn’t pass judgment on why people do what they do or why they say what they say. The humble man realizes he looks on the outward but God alone sees the heart. He refrains from snap judgments, hasty conclusions, and negative assumptions. When he doesn’t know, he simply says, “I don’t know.” We could save ourselves from a ton of worry if we stopped presuming on the future or on what others might do or say.

Third, never push. Humility waits for the Lord to move first. Sometimes we get in trouble because we try to force people to do what we want. This may be expressed by giving commands in a loud voice or by nagging others or by making a series of critical comments or even by using violence to get our own way. If we were asked, we would all say we don’t like to be treated that way. People want to be led, they hate to be pushed. They want the freedom to think things through and to come to their own conclusions. George Fox, founder of the Quaker movement, was a pacifist. Once he was approached by several soldiers who had become followers of his teaching. “How long should we wear our swords?” they asked. “As long as you can,” he replied. Not long after that the soldiers put away their swords voluntarily.

Here are some questions that may help you: Do I talk in ways that make it hard for people to know what I really mean? How often do I assume bad motives in others? How do I react when others don’t immediately follow my advice? In what areas of my life am I pushing when I ought to be waiting on the Lord?

This is the path to humility. Never pretend. Never presume. Never push."

This was written so well, nothing more really needs to be added! IMHO, (*in my humble opinion - lol, no pun intended, although it is quite fitting :P) it's more than 'great food for thought', it's something I/we need to be reminded on a daily basis in order for us as the family of God to truly flourish together as one body. Let's begin each day with the mindset of humility....and hope we can make it through the day with it intact....at least somewhat!

Until next time,
K

Chosing the team, and playing the game.

It's been a quiet few days here....lots of reflecting on life and talking to God. I'm amazed at just how He is at work. And to think, my understanding doesn't even begin to comprehend the full scale of His great works ahead - very humbling indeed. This tends to be overwhelming at times, yet there is a large sense of peacefulness mixed in with it all knowing that His perspective is always right and that I have a very specific purpose! Even though at times I feel inadequate in fulfilling my purpose, and uncertain at times just what exactly that purpose entails, I know that my obedience is what truly matters. At times it's hard to believe that I - little me - have such an important role to play here on this earth...as does each and every one of us! How awesome is that?!! I know it's only by the power and through the grace of God that that is possible! HE ROCKS!!

As you will have noticed by now, I have added some music to my blog :) YAY! I'm excited, can't you tell?! I knew it could be done, but just wasn't sure how....so, of course, I went digging and found out how to do it! So, now you get to enjoy some of the songs that really touch my heart and say the words I want to express to my Heavenly Father. These songs have been chosen specifically because of their lyrical content, as well as their more 'laid back' tune. I believe they prepare one's heart for accepting God's truth and really letting Him be present within. (The player is located at the very bottom of the page (in case you haven't looked yet!) and it can be stopped as well as the volume can be adjusted should you choose to not listen; to listen quietly, or in the event, you want to crank it up to praise/worship along with it!) I sometimes just have the blog up just to have the songs play - great food for my soul. I hope you enjoy this addition as well :)

My little soccer Diva, played a great soccer game last night! I think it's because she's becoming more confident in her skills as she learns the game. It's been great watching her ability stretch and grow this short amount of time into the season. The first game I cheered for her, she decided that I wasn't allowed to cheer....lol. After that, she just doodled along and was completely detached from the game in every way. I think maybe she felt singled out and she wasn't sure what she was doing. So she requested that I not cheer for her. This made me chuckle because she was serious! So I didn't cheer for her again...until she was in goal. I couldn't help myself, she made a really great save!! And again, her performance in goal went downhill from there. Since then, I've managed to keep my control for the past couple of games and cheer quietly so she can't hear me! However, last night after the game I told her that she did really well and that I was proud of her.....she was running and kicking the ball. Her little face just lit up, her eyes sparkled, and her smile was huge.....she'd been affirmed. She then granted me the right to cheer out loud for her again.....my heart melted with her permission, lol!
Reflecting back on the soccer happenings, I've brought it into a parallel with God - of course! When we first start out on our journey with God, we may feel a bit intimidated and want to hide in the shadows. We're not sure exactly how the 'game' is played. We usually have some kind of knowledge about the game, but it's different actually playing it. Making the decision to 'join the team' of Jesus Christ seems easy enough....and it is. But where we benefit being part of His team is with our utmost commitment to the 'coach' as well as the rest of the team. We may feel centered out at first, as she did, but as we grow in our spiritual maturity we become more confident in our position and knowledge of the 'game'. When this happens, we strive to become even better at it. There are seasons where we have all the endurance in the world and give the team everything we've got - even over and above at times. On the flip side, there are the seasons where we're just so completely drained we simply have nothing to put into it..we feel we're letting our coach and the team down....it happens, we're human, and that's ok! We are part of the most amazing team and have the 'most high' coach! Like any good coach, all He asks is that you follow the rules, strive to give it nothing but your best, all while being totally 100% committed. There is no room for indecision -you're either all in or your not....no fence-sitting here....warning: we will be greatly punished for doing so. When we have truly joined His team, God is always there cheering us on and encouraging us; giving the proper direction for our lives with His Word; dusting us off when we've fallen; forgiving us when we've made a poor judgment call; continually giving us the affirmation we all so desperately looking for from others but never will receive from 'man'......the list goes on and on too! I am so proud to say that I'm on the Lord's team and that I'm no longer in the 'baby stages' of the game. I by no means have 'made it' to the big leagues, as I believe no one can accomplish such a thing here on earth. But I'm enjoying this journey and know I have signed up for life with Team Jesus!! It is my prayer that you have as well. Doing so doesn't mean life becomes a cake-walk...if anything we will face more trials and difficulties because the enemy wants us back on his side. He's been defeated by God already and he is desperate enough to do ANYTHING to keep us from our rightful place with the One who created us. I don't say that lightly - it's true. But asking the Lord to be your 'coach' will give you the grace, strength, and endurance to get through the most difficult of times - I know from personal experience! So the question is.....are you on the team? Fully and completely...100%. I mean we already know we have the victory, right?!! I pray you will stop and ask yourself honestly....what's stopping you from being on the winning team?!
Wow, the time has flown by yet again! I hope this blog encouraged and perhaps challenged you in some way. Until next time....have a wonderful day :)
'K'

...those days....

Yesterday seemed to be one of those days where 'eternity's perspective' appeared to be out of reach. The weather had set the stage for the mood of the day. I believe that when you're already having a difficult day, the crappy weather just kind of confirms it's a crappy day all around! Now, don't get me wrong - I do see the 'sunshine' in the many things I'm blessed with - however, we all are inclined to have those days where the 'lining' just doesn't seem so 'silver'. Not saying that we're ungrateful, but honestly....how can ANYONE go through life without 'those' days?! I'm not talking the 'valleys' either....just the days where it seems Murphy's law takes completely over. Anyone know what I'm talking about?! Can anyone relate in the slightest to those days where you just kind of wonder if you hadn't gotten out of bed would it have still been that kind of day? Thankfully those days don't happen all that often to me anymore. But when they do, I tell ya....it's like they are doubled in strength, lol!

But that was yesterday - and today is a completely new day....thank you Lord!! His graciousness supersedes anything my mind can't even begin to comprehend. I'm so humbled by the unfailing love and unconditional acceptance of my Creator. How great it is to know that the 'nothing' I have to give is exactly what God wants from me....who else can that be said about? Everybody else in our lives wants, needs, or expects something from us. I'm joyful in knowing that even at my lowest points I'm still worth more than anything to God - the only One who deserves all of the 'nothing' I have to give!!

I've been so lucky to have spent some precious time today with a few really good friends of mine. Which has allowed me to get out of the funk I was in yesterday. These few girls have been in my life constantly now for years and I have grown to love them very much! After the visits and all was quiet, I picked up a book - imagine that!- titled "Lists to Live by" and in it, I found this list:

"The Nature of Friendships"
*Friends can say almost anything.  Friends feel safe with friends. You know you can be yourself.

*Friends keep confidences.  I keep yours; you keep mine. There's never the fear that something will be used against us.

*Friends counsel.  When the rest of the world doesn't care that we're about to die inside, a friend does: "I love you and I'm with you"; "You need to stop drinking"; You really need to watch spending too much time with that person."

*Friends listen.  The flip side of that last coin is that we know that our friends have our best interests at heart when they counsel us, and we listen.

*Friends sacrifice.  Just as a friend is willing to take risks on our behalf, a friend often makes sacrifices for a friend.

*Friends have no hidden agendas.  Friends work to have no hidden jealousies, desires, angers, or barriers of any kind that come between them and their friend. Friendship is built on honesty.

*Friends are always there.  If your friend needs to talk, no matter what hour of the day or night, you're there to talk.

*Friends have fun together.  They kid around, joke, play, have a host of inside jokes and use them frequently, and generally enjoy just being with one another - no matter what they're doing.

I couldn't have expressed those words better myself! I think that pretty much sums it all up :) Thanks to my friends who've been there like stated above through the heights of highs and the lowest of lows with me....and of course everywhere in between! I can only hope I've been the same for you, and that our friendships will continue to grow in the roots of honesty, humility, and love they have been established in for so long.

Have a blessed day :)
'K'

Do you 'delight' while you 'wait'?

"Faith is the 'substance' that helps us discover God's plan when our own dreams don't come true."

It's been a quiet day so far....it's been nice. I'm so blessed to have a little bit of silence here and there to spend alone with God. Years ago that didn't mean much, but today it means everything. There seem to be more days than not where it's hard to carve out that essential time, but always - always - after I have done so, I feel energized and ready to continue on. I suppose knowing that it's not my own strength I'm relying on helps :)

The above quote was taken from a book I'd read last year called "The Cinderella Syndrome" (Lee Ezell). Although that book was written about relationships we have in our lives, it is easily parallelled to any situation a person could be dealing with. There have been discussions I've had with friends about the verse in scripture Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." 'But when?' we demand with our impatience. Being at peace with God's timing comes with practice! "Yes", "No", and "Wait" are 3 possible answers to prayer. To most seasoned veterans, "Wait!" is the most familiar response. Have you learned to wait and to 'delight yourself in the Lord' while doing so? I'm thankful that more and more, the Lord brings this to my attention and has become a very intentional part of my daily life- far from being a veteran though! The other question is in regards to our wishes and wants. The 'I-don't-know-if-God-wants-this-for-me-or-not' category. All longings aren't bad longings. Sometimes God gives us the desires of our hearts - that is, He puts the idea in our minds Himself. Maybe it's a larger home for a cramped family; a little extra money to smooth out the rough places in a monthly budget; a better car; a less-tension-packed job; a baby; or a spouse. We may not even know what WE want! In such cases we are to refer to James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God. who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him". In the midst of peace and satisfaction, we can be sure that God has even better things in store for tomorrow. And we are certainly free to have plans on our own, as long as we submit them to God's scrutiny and possible veto. When it's all said and done, the real conclusion to any quest for external satisfaction lies in the simple matter of TRUSTING GOD! Amen?!

Well, looks like those are my thoughts for this blog :) Already looking forward to the next time!
'K'

A time to blog.....

Ok, so I've decided to start 'blogging'...haven't done it before, and have no idea what the context is going to be, but have not worries there will be a lack of anything to say, lol!  Perhaps I'll share some stories, videos, 'book reviews' (cause I'm so qualified for that!), photos, who knows - anything goes I suppose :)

So I guess the first thing to do would be to fill you in on how I came up with the title for this blog.  I'd been thinking of starting one for a little while now, but hadn't given it a whole lot of thought until the other day.  It wasn't something that I was totally committed to ...yet...and what on earth would I call it ?!  While watching a bit of tv the other night, it came to me and almost literally smacked me...  "Eternity's Perspective"!  The program I was watching was talking about how the things that may seem big to us right now, likely aren't going to seem as big a year or two or ten down the road.  Not to mention how non-existent they will be in eternity.  As I began to think more about that, I realized that each and every day I fail at having that perspective.  Although my intentions are good, I step out of bed and it's not long before I'm asking God for the strength to get through the rest of the day.  By the grace God gives me, over and over, I have the chance every morning to 'begin again'.  Which remind me of the bookmark I'd picked up last summer by that title;

"Today I Begin Again, Lord"
Today I begin again, Lord by giving thanks to you.
Today I will remember, Lord that you're with me in all I do.
Today I will deal with the present, Lord not the future, nor the past.
Today I will tackle one thing at a time, Lord one problem, one challenge, one task.
Today I will be kind and generous, Lord toward everyone I meet.
Today I will have faith, Lord let go of worry and just be.
(Author Laura Hensley)
 

It's not too hard for me to follow through with the first sentence...or even the second for that matter.  However, where I have a hard time is with the remaining ones.  I so desperately want to cover all those things listed in that poem and before I get out of bed  they seem like easy enough to accomplish.  I'll admit, they're a lot harder some days than others - I'm sure you'll agree.  It's so easy to get caught up in daily activities and duties that before I know it, the day is done and I'm left wondering where it went, but more importantly what did I actually accomplish?  True there will always be dishes to do and laundry to wash, but did I do those things with a cheerful heart?  Did I take the time for a chat with a friend?  Did I stress over something that totally NOT in my control?  (That's a big one!)  Did I take the time I could have with my kids while they're still little?  Are my children witnessing their Mom growing a real authentic relationship with Jesus Christ?  Did I 'let go' and give everything I have over for the glory of God??!  And the list can go on and on!  All of those questions aside, the one thing I do know is that there is One that truly does have "Eternity's Perspective"...He always has, and He always will!

Until next time,
'K'