Can’t never did anything. Those words are etched in my DNA. When I was young, if a task or assignment was difficult, I would whine to my mother, “I can’t.” Without fail, she would say to me, “Can’t never did anything.”
While she had probably just wanted me to quit whining and leave her alone, her words stuck. Every time we say “can’t” to something, we are eliminating the experience, opportunity, or adventure from the story of our lives. Just as when we say “can,” we’re adding to our lives.
Whether your answer is “can’t” or “can,” you’re making a choice. Use each in the appropriate amount of moderation. Too much of either, and you may find yourself on the wrong side of a mistake.
I like to learn new things. Some may say it’s too late for me to learn to tap dance, earn another degree, change careers, or crochet. To them I say, “can’t never did anything.”
I challenge you in the new year to choose something new to learn. Let me know what you decide.
How much loss can one woman take? Six years ago, Nora St. Claire’s husband, Seth, a police officer, was killed. Nora never expected to be a widow at 37. How can she start over? As she ventures into dating, another loss brings her teenage niece to live with her. When her niece’s estranged father shows up demanding visitation, Nora considers what it would mean to forgive the one person who brought tremendous pain to her family. Nora’s situation allows her to experience God’s renewing spirit in a way she never expected.
I love how humans think by changing the time on clocks, we can control #daylight. Twice a year, we move the hands on the clock forward or back to “change” whether it’s light when we get up in the morning and dark when we get home from work.
I love this quote: “Timekeeping is also the invisible structure that makes modern infrastructure work.” From ancient Egypt, humans have attempted to track or measure time moving forward. The concept of daylight savings time was on and off again in the 1940s during the war. In 1966, the Unified Time Act was passed. I guess someone thought they needed an act of Congress to control daylight.
I hope you realize how ludicrous this sounds. We need more daylight, so let’s change the clocks? The thing we measure time with? That’s like saying, I’d like a bigger house, so let’s change the numbers on the tape measure.
Seasons, nature, brings us longer or shorter days. It’s the way the laws of nature were set in motion. There’s a time for planting, growing, harvesting, and resting. As we need longer light, we have in it when the days of spring and summer grow longer. When harvest is complete and winter comes, nature slows down or sleeps; why not humans? Ok, so sleeping away the winter isn’t a great idea, but there’s nothing wrong with slowing down, doing some re-grouping before spring comes again.
What are your thoughts?
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.
Thirty-eight days ago, I encouraged you to go on a 40-day journey in which you (and I) would draw closer to the Lord as we prepared for #Easter. Here we are on Good Friday, how’d you do?
The title of this post may be a little dramatic. I didn’t fail miserably, but I certainly wasn’t consistent with a new spiritual habit. Like the disciples in the garden, I couldn’t stay awake. I didn’t find time every day to be with the Lord in an intentional manner that would focus more closely on the history-making, life-giving sacrifice of Easter. But that’s ok.
If I were perfect, I wouldn’t need Easter. And I need it. I need the Sunday-morning empty tomb every day. It brings such great comfort in this mixed-up world to know the tomb was empty. The truth of Christ’s #resurrection is an everyday reminder that the #God of the universe … you know the One who created the heavens and the earth … lived a perfect life, never being distracted from His one purpose, took a beating no man should have survived, died a humiliating death, and three days later walked out of His own grave. That’s profound. He did it for me and you.
As this is being posted, we are at the hour of Christ’s death. The world turned dark. I wonder if even nature wept for its Creator. We know that there was an earthquake. But Sunday’s coming. In our darkest hours of life, we can remember that Sunday is coming. In the meantime, we hold on to God’s strength. God’s life-giving power.
God’s power over death when He walked out of His own grave is the same power we are offered to overcome the darkness that shadows our lives. We step out into His light, His hope, and breathe renewal.
I’ve confessed that I haven’t spent intentional time getting ready for Easter Sunday, but every day I’ve connected with our Savior in prayers that were sometimes simple. Every day, I stepped into His light and recognized where my strength comes from. Every day, He met me and accepted me for who I am, in all my imperfections. He doesn’t leave me there. We are encouraged to continuously flea from the temptations of this world. To not give in. To lean into our mighty God to overcome and walk with Him.
He will meet you as well. He already knows and loves you. Today, He’d like to walk with you because the tomb was empty on that first Easter.
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.
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.
The latest #news is at our fingertips, on our screens, and between the episodes of our favorite podcasts. It’s important to stay in touch with events in our community and the world, but not at the expense of our quality of life.
Some people watch the news 24/7 and feel like they are fully engaged in life. No, they aren’t. They are sacrificing their emotional energy to the talking heads of the media. It’s like sitting inside on a beautiful sunny day to watch highlights of the last hurricane on the Weather Channel. They’re missing out on the best life has to offer.
Staying engaged with the news all the time isn’t living, it’s reacting. Do we have a responsibility to keep up with events in our world? Sure, but choose an outlet, and limit the time spent taking in the narrative. For us, it’s WDRB for local news, and CNBC for national and financial news.
Oh, and one other rant, once you watch the news, don’t forget to think for yourself. Decide if what they’re reporting as truth makes sense through the filter of your personal convictions.
Just a thought.
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 first time I experienced stopping for a funeral procession was in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I was headed back to the dorm from the mall when the cars in front of me began to stop for no apparent reason. I stopped to not have an accident. A few seconds later I saw the hearse and a long parade of mourners following in their cars. This was different. Either I’d never been in this traffic situation in Louisville, or it wasn’t the tradition.
States have different rules about stopping for a #funeral procession. Stopping is a sign of respect for the loss of others. It is an act of respect for the life of the deceased. It’s recognizing that those in the cars are possibly having the worst day of their life. It’s a sign of empathy.
How easy is it for us to get caught up in our world? We hustle to work to try and be on time when there’s a wreck and traffic gets backed up. Or someone has a flat tire and cars come to a stop; drivers are frustrated checking their watches, immediately thinking of another route. That’s understandable.
Let me encourage you the next time this happens to take a deep breath and say a prayer for those involved in the issue. You may be late for a meeting, but they may never go to another meeting again. You may have to take another route, but the guy with the flat tire may been on his way to a desperately needed job interview.
Think about it. Let me know your thoughts below.
All the best,
KK
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” –Henry David Thoreau
It’s the Valentine’s Day issue of KK’s Candor. For the younger version of me, Valentine’s Day was heart-warming feelings of hopeful romance. Most of the time the day ended with a twinge of disappointment. I survived, and I had my Valentine’s Day where there was no disappointment.
Our friends in the greeting card, #candy, and #jewelry industries have put pressure on the men in our lives to buy big. Let me help you out fellas. Before the stuffed animals, greeting cards, or jewelry your relationship may not be ready for, give us your heart. Be genuine.
I love picturing my husband in the card aisle choosing a card for me. In those moments he’s seeking a message from his heart to mine. But the words I focus on are the ones he writes above his name at the bottom of the card. Those are the words that I know come straight from his heart.
Yes, there’s usually a small sweet treat with the card. Nothing over the top. Just him taking a few minutes to buy a card, and my favorite candy. Don’t get me wrong, jewelry is welcome anytime, as long as it’s the right time.
Share a little love with someone this year. Maybe buy a box of those #valentines we had in grade school and fill them out for your friends at work, school, or church.
From my heart to yours,
KK
Scheduling for your book club in 2025? Check out Curtains for Maggie, a wonderfully encouraging novel about rediscovering personal passions. Contact me about leading your discussion.
There is a school of thought that is concerned with why animals suffer. They don’t sin like humans, yet they are burdened with living in a predatory world. To set the context for this post, I am a creationist. I believe that #God created the heavens and the earth and all that lives within both. He created the world in a mature state. Trees were full grown and produced food (Gen.1:11-12), and the first man was created as an adult (consider this when you’re trying to decide how old the earth is). I will also add that I believe that humans are just as much a part of creation/nature as plants, trees, animals, and insects; each having a purpose and responsibility to the whole. My reference will be Genesis 1 – 3.
We read about the whole #creation, and then the passage focuses on one area – the garden. The picture is described as lush and abundant with animals, vegetation, Adam and Eve. Man was created last and given the job of caring for the garden. Like all the other creatures, he was given a mate, a partner, Eve, to do life with. At this point, the creation is described by God as “very good.” Adam and Eve were given one rule, don’t eat for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:17, says “…but from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Notice that he doesn’t say that IF you eat of it, he says THE DAY THAT YOU EAT FROM IT. God knew what was going to happen. Did he set us up to fail? What does this have to do with the animals suffering? Spoiler alert – woman and man eat the fruit of the tree. While I’d like to take a deep dive into who’s to blame, let’s stick to our point of how this impacts animals.
God placed in the soul of humans the ability to reason and make choices, otherwise, we’d just be puppets. It’s out of our choices that we journey either toward or away from God. When Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, it set in motion humankind’s separation from God at the same time our journey back to Him. It also began the demise of the world. (Go ahead and hum, it’s the end of the world as we know it…)
When sin entered the perfect creation, it destroyed what was perfect for all of creation. The plants we need to grow for food or beauty must survive dramatic weather along with thorns and thistles in order to produce fruit. Many species of animals will hunt or be hunted. And mankind, well, look around, unfortunately, we don’t have to look far to find depravity.
Remember the warning was that when they ate from the tree, they would die. But they didn’t die immediately. I believe two things happen here. First, the broken rule began the deterioration of man, the ticking biological clock, so to speak. Our lives on earth became finite. The second thing we see God do is shed blood to provide for man and woman clothing (3:21). In the midst of discipline, He shows compassion and makes provision.
He drew the first blood. This began the pattern of shedding blood for the covering of our sins. The cadence of blood sacrifice for forgiveness is threaded through the Old Testament. In the New Testament, God drew the last blood through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus (John 3:16).
In Genesis 3:14 – 19, God doles out the consequences for their disobedience. He begins with the serpent through which the curse of sin is placed on cattle and every beast of the field. (v. 14 NASB). It is my opinion that this is when animals became predatory. Prior to the curse, Genesis 2:30 says the green plants were to be eaten by all. Chapter 3 changes everything – the ground now is cursed with thistles and thorns making Adam’s work harder. Animals are cursed, and the serpent is put on his belly to eat dust. Eve will experience the pain of childbirth, and her relationship with her husband will be challenging. Humans are ashamed (3:10), the first of many emotions that can steal our joy.
Do animals suffer because of humans? I guess it depends on who you blame for the original sin, the serpent or Eve. At this point, does it matter who to blame? God has given us the roadmap for reconnection after sin – be it sinning against each other, or Him. Nowhere in Genesis did God change our job to care for creation. We are still the highest form of creation and still responsible for taking care of it.
Everyone suffered at the fall of creation, animals included. Sad but true.
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.
Scheduling for your book club in 2025? Check out Curtains for Maggie, a wonderfully encouraging novel about rediscovering personal passions. Contact me about leading your discussion.
Are you living a 72-degree existence? How easy is it when we work remotely, have garage door openers, and can order just about anything delivered to our door, never to experience getting cold or hot or even dodge rain drops. Are we living a sterile existence? Are we creating a vanilla life?
Now that working from home has become somewhat of a norm, it’s possible to spend your days in the comfort of your home where your biggest pain point is a late delivery of groceries. #Doctors will even do video appointments. There are no freezing fingertips or frizzy humidity hair. But there’s also no interaction with humanity; no colorful characters to spice up our day. Every day looks the same because your view never changes.
Are the senses dulled by not experiencing the robust odors of a restaurant or the icky odors of a sewer grate? It’s not unlike when you’ve given up chocolate, #coffee, or soda for Lent. Remember that first taste after the 40-day fast? The flavor is bold, and the carbonation in your soda almost burns your mouth (I’m not a coffee drinker so I have no idea about that experience). You get the idea.
Modern conveniences are wonderful and certainly make much of life easier. But can we agree that bubble-wrapping our lives removes so much of its flavor? The discomfort of sweating is quickly forgotten with the plunge into a #swimming pool. The extremes of life remind us that we are alive. Embrace them! Let them stretch and grow you as an individual. Let them be what molds and changes you over time.
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.
Scheduling for your book club in 2025? Check out Curtains for Maggie, a wonderfully encouraging novel about rediscovering personal passions. Contact me about leading your discussion.
KK's Candor 