Monthly Archives: March 2025

Serving

Posted on by
Reply

It’s interesting that when I thought about this topic, my first thought was “serving others.” Now, I’m wondering if #serving others is a farce. When we put ourselves forward to serve, the benefits that come back to us many times feel so much better than what we’ve done in our service.

A personal mantra of mine is “to make a difference.” It’s difficult for me to sit back and watch others serve. I typically jump in to help. Perhaps sometimes my help isn’t really needed, but is accepted, so my impact is small. That’s fine; sometimes, it’s the small gestures that mean the most to someone else. Other times, I’ve been the leader in service. While that role comes with a dual-opportunity to serve both the team and the recipients of our collective service, it still feels good to use my talents in a way that makes a difference.

Our #church is encouraging members to go on a short-term mission trip sometime in the next two years. One week of our lives submitted to the need of a ministry in our city, country, or abroad, to step out of our comfort zone and into someone else’s way of everyday life. One week to let the Holy Spirit empower and sustain us in eating different foods, doing different work, and living within the constraints of water limitations or other conveniences we take for granted.

What kind of #impact can one week have on those we go to serve? As workers, we will hopefully help move a project along that would otherwise take months to complete. We will be extra hands to help lift the load those we are serving carry every day. One word, one conversation, or one act of service will connect two individuals from different areas of our city or parts of the world, perhaps for eternity. By the time we leave, we will be different people. We will see the world through a different lens. We may approach situations in our own lives differently. And we will, through the Holy Spirit, have made an impact that will foster something wonderful for those we’ve served.

How can you serve or volunteer in 2025? It may not be a week in another country; perhaps it will be an hour or afternoon right where you live. Either way, you have encouragement to offer someone in need of hearing from you.

All the best,

KK

Let’s connect. If you haven’t already, please choose to follow KK’s Candor. To stay in touch with my writing adventures, you can find me on social media.

The 40-day Journey

Posted on by
2

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of a 40-day journey toward #Easter. This time each year commemorates Christ’s 40 days in the desert, during which He fasted and prayed and perfectly refuted Satan’s temptations.

The Lenten Rose blooms around Easter.

For the Christian, this season is solemn, one of reflection and sacrifice. Lent-observing believers add Lenten spiritual disciplines such as fasting, reading a daily devotional, or prayer to prepare their hearts and draw closer to God.

At the end of Lent, we celebrate Easter, the picture of eternal hope. An empty tomb, the fulfillment of the prophecies that Christ would be crucified, die, and overcome death through resurrection.

When I think about what can be accomplished in 40 days, I’m reminded that it is said it takes 21 days to build a habit. That’s only half of our #Lenten season. If we choose to take up a spiritual discipline such as dedicated prayer time or reading scripture, in the 40 days, that discipline should become a spiritual habit. Positive spiritual habits can change the trajectory of our spiritual journey and our closeness to God.

We are all invited on this journey toward Easter. Join me. Choose something, a devotional, and read scripture every day. The Gospel of John is a good place to start. If you haven’t already, load the Bible app on your device for convenience. Or you may choose to fast something that distracts you from your spiritual journey. If you choose to fast eating, be careful of health issues that may be impacted. I’m not talking about being “hangry”; I’m referring to my friends and loved ones who are diabetic. That being said, giving up something you love to have every day, like your morning coffee. The goal of fasting is to take those moments when we miss that thing we’ve given up to look to the Lord either for strength or simply to recognize Him as our provider.

My prayer for those reading this post is that you will end the 40-day journey on Easter at your local church celebrating Christ’s triumph over the grave, and just as important, that He went to His torturous death to bring salvation for you and me. [Check out this video about Easter]

Drop me a comment below. I’d love to hear about your Lenten journey.

All the best,
KK

Let’s connect. If you haven’t already, please choose to follow KK’s Candor. To stay in touch with my writing adventures, you can find me on social media, @KHRWriter.