Thursday, June 12, 2008

I'm Reminded

For some reason this morning I went to the book of Job. I've read the book many times but today I only read Chapter 1. In the last 9 verses (14-22) Job experienced devastation. I had underlined some things previously that once again stuck out to me that I read repeatedly. As I looked up and began to meditate on the events that took place in the same day and time, I went over in my mind that first the Sabeans attacked and carried off Job's oxen and donkeys. They didn't stop there, they killed his servants who tended to these animals and only one messenger escaped to tell him. This particular messenger didn't even get finished speaking before another messenger escaped the fire of God that fell from the sky burning up the sheep and the servants when he was interrupted by the third messenger who came with the news that the Chaldeans formed three raiding parties (tells you about the abundance Job had) who carried off the camels and killed the servants. Then there was the fourth messenger who interrupted with the news that a mighty strong wind from the desert swept through causing the four corners of the house to collapse on all of his children which took their lives.

Okay, I can't even grasp this. At times I think I can because of my own circumstances. Here's what I was reminded of....Job fell to the ground, which to me is a natural response, however, when he fell to the ground he didn't scream why God, why me, how could you let this happen, I can't take this, etc. No, he fell to the ground IN WORSHIP. Major lesson to be learned. I have fallen to the ground in desperation many times, more so than I have fallen IN WORSHIP, unfortunately. God forgive me!

The last verse says, "in all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Once again, I'm guilty of this too.

I'm so thankful for the reminder this morning that regardless, good or bad, I need to fall to my knees in worship more often than I do and I should never blame God for the bad things that happen.

I hope that the one reading this is reminded of our brother, Job's response.

Blessings,
Kim

Monday, May 12, 2008

"A Mother's Song"

























I see your mommy when I look at you
The cute things you say, the sweet things you do
I see your mommy when she was too was three
She’d too want a kiss, when she skinned her knees

I see your mommy when I watch you sleep
That beautiful face, my heart skips a beat.
I see your mommy in your innocence
She as a child is still now my princess

Rememberin’ about yesterday my how the years have flown
I can’t believe she has a son, raising him alone
In ways she’s still my little girl, I guess because I’m mom
It’s hard to give my baby wings but she too is now a mom.

I see your mommy when you stare at me
The way that you smile, a treasure I’ll keep
I see your mommy when you fall and cry
You both get back up, give it one more try.

I see your mommy when I comb your hair
You and your mommy, you make quiet a pair.
I see your mommy, when you run to me
I wish your mommy, still lived here with me.

Rememberin’ about yesterday my how the years have flown
I can’t believe she has a son, raising him all alone
In ways she’s still my little girl, I guess because I’m mom
It’s hard to give my baby wings but she too is now a mom.


5/3/08
I wrote this for Lori and gave it to her for part of her Mother's Day gift.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Charlotte, NC

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything because life has certainly been full for a long while.

Nine of us went to Charlotte, NC this past weekend to see Priscilla Shirer and Vicki Yohe. Priscilla is expecting with her third child and she's absolutely gorgeous. She is a walking Bible and it's evident that she seeks God wholeheartedly and knows Him intimately. Vicki Yohe is incredibly talented and her personal testimony about her adopting two children was very touching.

Thursday and Friday were two of the most relaxed days I've had since.... well, I can't even remember. On Saturday, I could tell I was headed back home because things began happening on the way back. I was able to take it in strides and with laughter due to my relaxing and non-stressful two days that I once again, am extremely thankful for.

I posted pictures on myspace for those of you who read this and would like to be my friend on myspace.

I hope you have a blessed week and I hope to get back to the weekly blog entries if at all possible.

-Kim

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Can We Talk? New study by Priscilla

Hey girls,

The new study by Priscilla is out!!!! We'll try and plan on doing this study sometime in the near future. You can check it out on Lifeway's site.

http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/images/products_L/005125845_L.jpg?

Also, be sure and invite a friend to the upcoming conference. Penny found out that there are still a lot of tickets available for the conference at the end of this month in Charlotte, NC. You can purchase these through Lifeway.

Worship Leader for Conference

This is a video I found dated November 2006. I wanted to post this because some of you have never heard of Vicki Yohe who is going to be leading worship at the conference we're going to at the end of the month. Enjoy.

Conference in Charlotte, NC

Friday, March 14, 2008

Psalm 71:1-16

I must confess, today has been a very difficult day for me. I can't really go into it at this point but I thought someone else might be struggling so I wanted to share with you what I found. As I was looking out one of the windows on the back of my house, praying as earnestly as I knew how I happened to look down and found the March issue of "The Daily Bread." Because my eyes were filled with tears at the time, I couldn't focus on what month it said on the front of the cover. As I was staring into the gray sky with such depth, trying to see if I could reach God with my eyes the thought came to mind, "why are you looking so hard into that big sky as if you are searching for God when He's right here."

I finally focused on the "Daily Bread" booklet and thought, this can't be a mistake in my finding this so of course I turned to today, March 14. The passage is Psalm 71:1-16. When I read the first half of verse 1, I knew it was no mishap that I found it.

If you are struggling over a situation that has taken you by storm or caused your faith to waiver, I want to encourage you to turn there and read all 16 verses. It took me a while to get through them because I had to make many of these verses a prayer.

Be encouraged!
Kim

Monday, February 25, 2008

Unfailing Love

This morning as I was doing my Breaking Free homework I remembered a poem that I had written on 2/27/03 at 9 AM. It was based off of Ps. 143:8. Because our study is teaching us about the unfailing love of God, I wanted to share this with you.

Though mountains may crumble
and hills be removed
His unfailing love remains
When obstacles take us
by storm and surprise
His unfailing love remains.

When death we are facing
Good-bye must be said
His unfailing love remains.
When the cares of this life
are so hard to bear
His unfailing love remains.

In the darkest despair
when our faith is weak
His unfailing love remains.
Though we can't see clearly
just what lies ahead
His unfailing love remains.

In trust and believing
His promise is true
His unfailing love remains.
Accepting position
of being His child
His unfailing love remains.

In searching I find Him
His Word comes to life
His unfailing love remains.
In knowing He loves me
brings gladness and joy
His unfailing love remains.

I accept I'm His child
He made me an heir
His unfailing love remains.
Let me the beloved
now rest in this truth
His unfailing love remains.

Have a blessed day!
Kim

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Happy Birthday!

Michal is 3 years old today! This was a snapshot taken at a park where a friend of mine came to take some professional photos of Michal this past Saturday. I can't wait to see her pics.

Michal has brought so much joy to our lives. I look forward to the weekends so we can spend time with him.

Monday, February 11, 2008

For Sale-Pass it On!

Okay guys, this is abnormal for me, however, since it's my blog, I thought I'd post it!!! :)

Please post this where it can be seen by a lot of people! Thanks for your help.

2005 FLEETWOOD ALLEGIANCE TENT CAMPER:
Two beds (77"x70"), Portable Dinette Table that makes bed, U shape couch makes bed, Hutch with Refrigerator, Swing Level Galley, Extra Storage, Stepper Door, Converter, Electric Brakes, Furnace, Gas Detector, Inside & Outside Stove, Sleeps 8, Water capacity is 10, 1 Air conditioner, Awning, Leveling jacks and area outdoor rug. $6,200.00


Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Ps. 77:13-14 (NIV)

This morning before opening my Bible I wrote in my journal. I asked God about something very specific, once again. Instead of doing my daily assignment in my homework (Breaking Free) I decided just to flip open my Bible and here's the passage that I turned to. It was already highlighted and my eyes went straight to it. The passage was so timely and comforting for me, I thought I'd share it.

Ps. 77:13-14
Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

Need I say more?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Isaiah 29:13

One of the verses from our Bible study really stood out to me. I went to the internet to look it up, study it somewhat, and decided to post some of the different versions for comparison.

Because of our environment in which we work and because of our upbringing in most cases, either brought up in church all of our lives or were subjected to many people who were “churchy” people, it would be very easy for us to fall into “legalism” and/or become “rote.” How to worship has been demonstrated to us in some way or another. We’ve learned how to talk the Christian verbiage and we’ve learned its okay to express our worship outwardly, etc.

Isa. 29:13-

NET © The sovereign master says, “These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.

NIV © The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

NASB © Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

NLT © And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote.

MSG © The Master said: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it,

BBE © And the Lord said, because this people come near to me with their mouths, and give honor to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is false, a rule given them by the teaching of men;

NRSV © The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;

NKJV © Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

Look at these definitions:

Legalism-strict adherence to a literal interpretation of a law, rule or religious or moral code; the belief that good deeds are required for entrance into Heaven

Rote- mechanical repetition of something so that it is remembered, often without real understanding of its meaning or significance.

Our challenge as leaders, as Christians is not to fall into becoming rote, mechanical, but leading others into worship out of a very much alive relationship with Christ. It’s more than us meeting Him at our new birth but knowing Him daily, intimately, and being taught by Him through our personal time with Him. When we become mechanical, we’re the losers. We’ve missed out and so do others who we wish to direct towards knowing Christ more intimately. I pray that our worship and our personal relationships grow from the intimacy that Christ desires to have with each of His children and that His God-ness falls fresh upon us, and that His word penetrates our hearts to a new and fresh place which causes us to become different people because we’ve had an encounter with Him.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Oatmeal Raisin

Since it was too cold to go outside, even though the sun is shining, Michal and I decided to make our first batch of Oatmeal Raisin cookies. We had our first experience with cookies over the Holiday's but we didn't make this kind. We thought we would share the recipe with you. I looked on the internet for "easy oatmeal raisin cookies" and chose the first one that came up. I'm not sure this was the easiest but if you have a recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, please share.


Easy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup hot water
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups quick cooking oats
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Soak raisins in hot water and set aside.
2. In large bowl, sift flour with soda, salt and spices. Blend in rolled oats, sugar and nuts. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with fork and add oil, vanilla, and raisins and water mixture. Pour into dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls about two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden.



Thursday, January 17, 2008

Name Game

Years ago I heard a teacher say, can't remember if it was in Sunday school or actually a Bible study, "whenever you see the name "Israel" in the Bible, put your name in it's place." It may have been for a certain passage but for some reason that kept coming to mind this morning when I was reading Isaiah 44: 6-23. After reading it I completed my homework for the day but I kept thinking about this comment for some reason and I kept going back to verses 21 & 22. Try it with me. Wherever you see "Israel", put your first name in its place. It will read like this...

"Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel (Kim). I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel (Kim), I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me for I have redeemed you."

Did you catch verse 22? What a way to start the day!!! He has swept away my offenses (many, I might add) like a cloud (gone, they are out of here), my sins (too numerous to count) like the morning mist (fully absorbed) and to top it off, I'M REDEEMED!!!! So are you!

By the way, Good Morning!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Excited!

I'm so excited about beginning our study on, "Breaking Free" tonight and getting together with the girls. I know some of you wanted to join us and because of circumstances, it's not working out, but I'd like to ask those of you who can't join us, to please pray for us. This is a serious study and we want to be some changed women when we come out of this journey.

I hope you girls got caught up on your homework and I can't wait to hear, as well as share all, that God is revealing! Did I tell you that I'm SO excited?

We've got to tough it out, stay the course and hang on for the ride of our lives. Just think when it's over, we'll be singing a new song of "freedom"!!! Woooo hooooo!

Excited,
Kim

Friday, January 11, 2008

Created

After completing two of my homework assignments for today from "Breaking Free", here are some thoughts that came to mind (Week 2/Days 2 & 3).

Created

He’s the Filling of my hunger
The Quencher of my thirst
My soul’s satisfaction
When I put Him first

Chorus:
Created for His glory,
A temple where He dwells
Given chances to surrender
To all that HE entails

Is He recognizable,
In all I do and say?
Is it obvious to all,
I let Him have His way

He satisfies my longings,
Fulfills all that I need
How can I thank Him for
Everything He’s done for me?

Chorus:
Created for His glory,
A temple where He dwells
Given chances to surrender
To all that HE entails

Tag: Created for His glory for all that He entails


Blessings,
Kim

Thursday, January 10, 2008

24 Hours

WOW! I wish I had time this morning to write about all that God has confirmed in my life within the last 24 hours. My vocabulary is limited to begin with and it's all so fresh, I think I'm still somewhat in shock. On my way home from the gym this morning I thought about it and I have to tell the girls in Bible study of the whole account first because it goes with our lesson. Maybe after I share it on Monday, I'll be able to put in words, make it somewhat brief and be able to word it so that God's glory will be revealed in the whole thing.

Meanwhile, let me just remind you, God is BELIEVABLE!!! We talk it, we share it but do we really BELIEVE it? Do we live like we BELIEVE it? I haven't. I can hang in there with the best of them and talk the talk, I've been in church all my life and know the right things to say but how differently life would be if we literally, took Him at His Word.

I'll confess, I've doubted His faithfulness, His timing, His decision to be silent, His reasoning, etc. But once again I'm reminded that just because I can't see activity in my current situation, doesn't mean He's not working in it, through it and on it!

Go ahead, I dare you to BELIEVE Him for YOU, your situation, your crisis, and your decisions. I know you believe Him on behalf of everyone else that you encourage but in reality, YOU are His child too. He doesn't play favorites. He hears the cries of His beloved children.
BELIEVE HIM!!!!!

I can't help but think about the old, old song I grew up hearing. "Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Sound familiar? Is there happiness in doubting and unbelief? I haven't found it to be very happy, in fact, it's rather miserable. I'm changing my route, will you join me?

Believing!
Kim

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Being thankful!

Part 1:

This morning while doing my Bible study, I ran across a verse that I haven't seen for a while. It spoke volumes to me so I thought I would share it to those of you who might need a reminder as well. Many of you know what situation I'm in at the present time and this passage spoke volumes to me. Be blessed!

Psalms 102:17-18 says, "He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord."

I wonder, anyone besides me ever felt "destitute", deserted, denied, delusional, etc.? I'm glad He won't "despise our plea" and that regardless of how we feel, it's NOT how it will remain. It is for this reason that I'm thankful!

Part 2:

Those of you who are participating in our study have already seen the next passage several times but I thought I'd post this as a reminder to those who may have not read it in a while. First, read this quote from Beth Moore about the following passage. "For every captive, God sent a Deliverer. God's liberating words in Isaiah 61:1-4 concerning the One who was sent to proclaim freedom for the captives apply just as surely to us as they did to the Israelites as they faced Babylonian captivity. They will continue to apply as long as God looks down from the height of His sanctuary, views the earth, and hears the groaning of the prisoner." Did you get that, "it applies just as surely to us as they did to the Israelites..." whooo hooooo! Now read it and see the other reasons I'm thankful!

Isaiah 61:1-4

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

Oh to be a planting of the Lord for the display of HIS splendor!!! I want to be, do you?

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Happy New Year!

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last post but I'm sure you've enjoyed the break.

This is it, 2008, can you believe it? I'm wondering what each of you have made as your New Years resolution. I'm still working on mine. One definite thing for me is to be more consistent in my journaling. I have journaled for years, just not consistently so that is a major priority for me this year. It's a very freeing and intimate experience that offers sweet relief and release for me. Maybe you should try it.

I only have a minute before choir rehearsal. A dear friend who has helped me more than she'll ever know wanted me to read a book of hers. I can't help it, I'll have to make the purchase. I thought I'd share it with those of you who may have not heard of it. It's called, "When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances." I'm only half-way through chapter two and it's a must have. I found that you can order it on www.christianbookcom. The author is Carol Kent. I'm serious, you have to have it, if not for yourself, as a gift. It doesn't have to be Christmas before you can give to someone you love and care about. She has other books listed but this one I know for sure is a must have!

I hope to blog more this year and I'm sure I'll have a lot to share from our upcoming Bible study, "Breaking Free." Day 1 of Week 1 has already got my wheels spinning. This is my second go around on this. I first took this study back in Sept. of 99 and then read the book two years later. WOW is all I can say about how the book helped me to begin a new chapter in my own life.

Well, it's almost time for the choir members to show up so I must go for now but I'll seriously try and make more entries.

Happy New Year!!! Make it count!

Blessings,