Star-fish

     I heard one time that someone who was clinically dead, but was revived in a hospital, had gotten a glimpse of heaven. She noted that the colors there were not the same as here on earth. She said the colors were too vibrant and beautiful to describe with human words. I like that, since I love colors, the bolder and brighter the better!      When I was young, I collected everything that had rainbows on it. By the time I got to college and decorated my dorm room, I had over 200 hundred rainbows all over my walls and shelves! Even though I hadn't given my life, heart, and soul over to Jesus yet, I remembered the story of the rainbow from Sunday school. It was and still is a sign of hope.      We all need hope today. Easter is the best day to be reminded of God's grace, mercy, and the world's only hope, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross, rose three days later, and lives as our intercessory with God. Thank you Lord, I can't believe I lived ...

     My friend, Helen, sends wonderful daily scripts. I'm going to share four from this week that really spoke to me: With Good Friday approaching, remember that Jesus' blood obtained eternal life for you and erased the sinful acts of your past (conscious) so that you may serve God.  Heb 9:11-14  Remember that you are worthy to serve Him because He makes you holy. By one sacrifice, He made you perfect forever as you become holy.  Heb 10:14  Jesus made it possible for you to be spiritually perfect forever.  Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit teaches you to become holy as you live your life on earth. "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command..."  Heb 11:3  Faith is being sure about what you don't see but yet hope for.  God's word and promises are true.  If God said it...I believe, agree and stand with Him. In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your own bl...

     We visited Israel last year and fell in love with the country God speaks of over and over in His Word. These people are God's people and He continues to pour out His blessings upon them. I've attached a YouTube video of Israel and it shows the wonderful riches and natural beauty that are part of this small nation. Please view it and pray for Peace in Israel. http://WWW.youtube.Com/embed/tLgdb6r0MQ4?rel=0 Amos 9:14  I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,      and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,      and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

     Recently, among some lady friends, I shared one of my not so bright moments of late. I had an opportunity to do God's work and basically complained and murmured through the entire event. Realizing my bad attitude, I prayed for God to help me to see things His way. At that moment a thought came to me, "Kate, I love her as much as I love you." I sat stunned and embarrassed as God confronted my impatience and ungodly behavior in a way only He can do with endless patience. My friends comforted me with kinds words, but I knew the truth of that situation, I was out of God's will and doing my own fleshly thing.      Later, one of my friends emailed and said it helped her deal with a difficult person in her life after hearing my story. It made me think that part of our confessing of our sins one to another, may be just for that purpose; we help others to recognize possible sins in their own lives by admitting our faults with a repentant attitude. Ir...

      I can honestly say there is a lot of my life that I regret, but know that there is nothing I can do about it now. Once I was saved and became a Child of the King, I was made new and the old is behind me. Now Satan may want to remind me at times of who I was, but I must remind him of whose I am now. This song speaks to my heart about letting go of old labels and claiming my royalty in the Kingdom of God. Enjoy my fellow traveler, may your journey be sweet! http://youtu.be/8UOno2rrIjI Galatians 3:26  So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God  through faith,   27  for all of you who were baptized into Christ  have clothed yourselves with Christ.   28  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,  nor is there male and female,  for you are all one in Christ Jesus.   29  If you belong to Christ,  then you are Abraham’s seed,  and heirs  according to the promise.

      My husband and I were discussing a Bible study and I said, "I see this now and know how important it is, but ask me tomorrow and I'll have forgotten I read it!" His reply is as grace-filled as most of his replies to me, "Everybody has different gifts. You may not be able to remember things, I can't remember things at times, but someone else can remember things."       We all have things to work on, we all have things that come easily. I believe God would have us focus on what He says in His Word and commit that to memory. Then, when I speak my words, hopefully, they will be seasoned with the knowledge of Christ and not simply my own thoughts and ramblings.       Today's (March 17, 2013) Our Daily Bread magazine article was written just for me! See the excerpt below ( http://odb.org ):  The question “Who owns my lips?” is a good one to ask ourselves when we’re tempted to use insincere praise to get what we want. If my ...

     I don't know about you, but I don't like making mistakes. First of all, it's embarrassing, next it wastes time and often materials, and lastly, it makes me question my abilities. So in my job, where it often feels like we are  "building the plane while its in flight," mistakes can happen quickly and often. Yesterday, a change in forms, which I thought didn't apply until the new school year, left me embarrassed as I had informed some clients to use the "old" form, when in fact the "new" one needed to be filled out. The frustration over having to fix this problem by apologizing to the organizations I misinformed and then send out new information deflated me.       Joanie Yoder in her book, God Alone , reminded her readers on page 195, "Bring God your failures and receive His forgiveness now as freely as when you first believed. Your great Potter still loves you and longs to remake you...God's work in us isn't over when we ...

     Last week, I was blessed to judge a contest of high school students in a mock interview setting. The young men and women were pretending to be teachers applying for jobs with myself and another woman. These young people had their résumés, applications, letters of recommendation, and cover letters all nicely tucked into manila file folders. I thought of the number of times my own information had been typed and retyped, refreshed, and renewed only to be rejected several times over. I was glad they were getting the opportunity to prepare their information in a "safe" setting. A setting where they could get feedback and direction on the best way to present themselves and their materials, so that in a "real" interview, where the stakes are higher they will be more confident.      Sometimes repetitive motions improve on what we are doing. They give us practice to do the same thing better the next time. But other times, repetitive motions indicate a lack of ...

     It rained today, moist, cool, refreshing with a hint of sandalwood. I heard a story once about a little child that had been sickly as a baby and one day when it rained, now a little girl, she told her mother it smelled like Jesus. She knew the smell from when He held her in His arms as infant. I love the smell of rain, maybe that's why, it is the fragrance of Christ! 2 Corinthians 2:15  For we are to God the pleasing aroma  of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

      In this new Bible study, Wonder Struck , written by author Margaret Feinberg, she asks us to keep a journal. Journaling is nothing unusual, but Feinberg writes, "Each day write down three wonders of God and His handiwork." She quotes Psalm 40:5, "Many, LORD my God are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare."      After just a few days of journaling "my wonders of God," a pattern began to emerge. The items listed were about people and nature, rather than things. It seems like I spend a lot of time worrying about things that are needed, lost, or need to be fixed, yet my wonders come from relationships with people and beauty in nature.       It's time my priorities begin to match my wonders! Jesus was about relationships. He came from heaven to seek and save the lost, but while on earth He served. One of the wonder...

     "What Would Jesus Do?" (WWJD) used to be a big phrase used in the Christian community. I miss that thought as it has a way of stopping me in my tracks and pondering the actions of my Lord. One thing I know Jesus wouldn't do, because the Bible tells us so, is He doesn't condemn the sinner. I'm constantly condemning myself and the only effect it has is that I get depressed and more likely to do what I shouldn't have been doing in the first place!      Jesus knows those He came to save. He knows without His saving grace and merciful sacrifice of death on the cross, we would never have been able to fulfill the Old Testament laws. We would never have been able to be perfect enough to be in the presence of our Most High God. Our sins and filth just wouldn't fit in heaven. We'd stick out like a pig at the Westminster Dog Show! But God sees us through the filter of His Son, who took our place on the cross. So now when God looks at us, once we give our li...

      Our new women's Bible study is by Margaret Feinberg, titled Wonder Struck . She asks two questions in the chapter called, Expect the Unexpected, that made me stop and wonder about my own relationship with God. On page 15 she asks, "What ignites in you the desire to live with a holy anticipation that God wants to meet you?" and "What prevents you from living with the expectation that God wants to do awesome work in, through, and around you as described in Exodus 34:10?" (Ex. 34: 10  Then the  Lord  said: “I am making a covenant  with you. Before all your people I will do wonders  never before done in any nation in all the world.  The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the  Lord , will do for you.)       I wonder if our expectations for our relationship with God are high enough? Do I have high expectations for myself and the work God has called me to do? Or am I living like everyone else, ...

     I woke up this morning with a story in my head. Shocking my morning eyes with the light, I pulled out my journal. The thoughts rolled on and on, but the theme of the story remained the same, "I can choose to unfold or unravel in life."      Unfolding might look like me reading and responding to God's Word. Listening and obeying His commandments. Having problems, but learning and growing from them. A bit like a rose bud, as it unfolds it becomes even more beautiful, but also more fragile. A bud is pretty and stronger structurally, since it's closed and not open to the elements. A rose, unfolded, is lovely, fragrant, yet exposed to bees for pollination, winds to blow it's petals off, and closer to the end of it's life.      Unraveling is more like me waking up late, throwing down some coffee, barking at my husband and dog (Funny, I kept trying to type "dog," but unintentionally kept typing "god" several times, humm....), then heading o...