Category Archives: Faith

The darkest part of the winter

Posted on by
Reply

Recently my brother inspired me with a thought – the darkest part of the winter is when the light of the world was born.  That will make you think.  It’s Christmas week.  I’ve pondered and prayed on what I would share with you this season.

The darkest part of the winter – winter can be this icy cold season we are in now.  The life nature usually shares is dormant and ice covered.  Or maybe your dark winter is a lonely cold season of life you are in.  Darkness and cold can be scary.

Just when we are tired of the short days, slowly they begin to get longer.  Light comes and stays a little longer.  The season progresses along and hearts thaw to warmth of light.  But to take in the light and warmth we have to face it and accept it.

On a very dark night, some Shepherds were just doing their job watching their flock.  It was late, the darkest part of the night; perhaps right before the sun came up.  Instead of the sun, an angel and a sky full of heavenly hosts appeared to them.  Wow, can you imagine, they must have all thought they were hallucinating!!  Each may have looked to the other to be sure he wasn’t the only one seeing this.  The first thing the angel said to them was “do not be afraid.”  Too late, but thanks for the offer. (Read the full text in your Bible, Luke 2:1-20).

If the shepherds had been so afraid that they ran away, they would have never heard the rest of the message God was sending.  Sometimes we get lost in the darkest part of our winter, and when the light comes, we are afraid and hide from it.  We need to know darkness so that we may know the light.

In your dark winter moments, I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to listen for God, invite Him to join you.  But I have to warn you, when the Light of Life comes, be ready for the darkness to leave.  Just like the day light staying a little longer in the second half of winter, each day that we seek God, He and His word stay a little longer.

All the best,

KK

Something’s in the wind

Posted on by
Reply

This morning it was warm, unseasonably warm and the wind was blowing.  It came in gusts of nearly 65 miles an hour.  And the temperature began to drop.   The wind was so strong you could almost see the air itself moving.  The skies were gray and cloudy, a storm was brewing.  The wind was transporting something – something was in this wind; more than just the storm to follow.

The winds of change blew through our community today.  It was if the hand of God was moving through; pushing summer to our past and escorting autumn in.  The clouds rolled in as if to curtain the sky while He realigned the stars for our new season.  The rain moved in dousing the thirsty earth and cleansing the air.

The day ended with the red sky busting through the clouds leading the way for a rainbow to complete God’s message to us today.  Yes, His mighty hand moved today in nature and it was awesome to experience.  But my question to you is did He move in your heart?

Something was in the wind today, and it was more than the beginning of autumn.  Did you feel it?

All the best,
KK

Monday Mania: How tight is your God’s leash?

Posted on by
1

Do you keep God on a leash?  A leash gives your pet just so much room and no more.  Are you treating God like a pet; a companion for the moments you deem he is needed or wanted?

Recently, I have been guilty of keeping God on a leash.  It wasn’t a short leash; but a leash all the same.  Every morning, I spoke to God, inviting Him to come with me.   Come with me, not lead me, not take control, and just come with me.  The leash I put God on was one of inviting Him to take so much lead with me and no more.  God doesn’t belong on any leash.  He is the God of the Universe, creator, healer, and savor and when we believe as such and call upon His name He is available for far more than just coming along with us.  His power is available to us for the asking.

God is too big and too complex to only go so far with us and no further.  Cut Him loose and be ready for blessings beyond what you can imagine.  He is available for far more than riding “shotgun” with us throughout our day.  Call on Him to be your leader, to give you the right words in challenging moments or to give you the self control to not say anything.  He is all powerful and we’re talking to Him about little things.  While those are important to, why not ask for the big things; the healing, the blessing, the forgiveness.  He cares about both.  Nothing is impossible for God.

Let me encourage you to give Him a try.  Call on God’s name and all the power that goes with it to hear your prayers.  Then be still and listen. His answer may come as the roar of thunder or in the whisper of a gentle breeze.    We need to be ready to experience the amazing hand of the creator as He reaches around and pulls us closer to Him. 

What do you think?

All the best,
KK

Monday Moment — starting the week

Posted on by
1

This morning I was blessed to start my week with a day off.  It’s a great way to start a work week!  The day started with a quiet time – Bible open, reading and prayer.  Oh, how I wish I were disciplined enough to get up and start every day that way.  It set my spirit for the entire day.  I didn’t have a lot planned, a meeting at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and some errands.  There was something in my spirit that moved with me and when the unexpected came up, it was handled.  Not sure, but I may have gotten more done today because of the way it started.

Sometimes we shoot out of the gate to start our week and by Tuesday afternoon we crash and burn.  Our list is long and we are sure it will all be accomplished by Monday at 5 p.m.  It doesn’t and we end up transferring what’s left to Tuesday.  Why not pace ourselves?  Why not savor the day and all it has to offer even if it means serving someone else – helping their list along.  It never fails that when I’ve put my list aside to help someone else along, the blessing is mine.

Think about it, if we put people over progress, will we be living more like Jesus?  Blessed are the motivated, for they will have time for everything.  Ok, so that’s not how it reads but if our motivation comes from outside ourselves, how much more will we look like Jesus?

Let me encourage you to be available for others as you go through your day.  At the end of the day, you will have accomplished more than you had listed.  Let me know how that works for you.

All the best,

KK

PS – the passage I read to start the day, Matthew 5: 1 – 12.

When we sit at the feet of Jesus…

Posted on by
Reply

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

-Matthew 11:28-29

Our lives can be way too busy.  We struggle to find time for the things we find most important, church, family, friends.  We are tired and over-committed most weeks.  How do we regain control of our priorities and time (one leads to the other, you know).  They say if you look at a man’s checkbook you will tell what he values, well let me add the man’s calendar.  What we spend our time doing speaks volumes as to who we are and what we value.

It’s not uncommon for Christians to attend a spiritual retreat every now and then.  You get away from it all, take off your watch and turn off your cell phone.  Then after the sweat clears from having shut yourself off from the world, you find Jesus.

What a refreshing visit it can be – to be in spirit of prayer and communion with the Savior.  The spirit reaches in and chips away at your soul, releasing all that inhibits connection with the Lord.  You then can drink in the love and teaching of Jesus.  Take a deep breath – what does this look like to you?

Luke 10:38 tells of when Jesus and His disciples were visiting Martha’s house.  You have to remember this was 13 men traveling through town and stopped in Martha’s humble home and they were hungry.  Martha busied herself preparing a meal for them.  Mary sat at Jesus’ feet; His feet that were tired and dirty.  Did they smell?  That’s beside the point; knowing how sisters communicate, I imagine she knew what Martha was thinking.  She knew her sister was a little miffed that unexpected guests were there, however wonderful it was, and she was doing all the work.

In my mind’s eye, I picture Mary hanging on every word of Jesus.  His spirit-filled message was refreshing and gave rest for her soul.

Let me encourage you to take a seat at the feet of Jesus.  Look up at the gentle eyes and search for what He has to say to you.  Sssshhhh, be quiet and listen.  He might be your silent partner, know that He is there.  He might be whispering something special in your heart, be still and receive His word.  Let the world go by for just a moment or two and sit at the feet of Jesus.

All the best,
KK

Living the Word

Posted on by
Reply

God is strong.  His hands formed and sketched the nature we ignore half the time.  His reach saved Peter from drowning and his voice calmed the storm.  And yet, as believers, with that strength at our request, we wait and we try to carry it all on our own.  There are hundreds of verses in the Bible we love to hear and they bring comfort or reassurance.  But recently, I’ve been living a verse that while it brings comfort, it is also a challenge for me to grow up spiritually.  Second Corinthians 12:9 “…my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  The context of this verse is when Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn from his flesh.

 We all carry thorns of our sinful nature.  Some reading this post may carry a thorn of an emotional or physical struggle.  In God’s infinite wisdom, he knows better than to just poof heal us.  Let’s face it, we already live in a time of instant gratification (I won’t go there now), but how silly of us to think that we know better than God.

In living out this verse over the past few weeks, I have found myself learning to reach out to other believers and ask for help or prayer; I’ve learned to lean on my husband more and feel more of his unconditional love; I’ve reached for the scriptures more.  In my weakness, I have found God in a new light, one that has led to a deeper walk, and greater searching to know Him more.  He is my heavenly father, and I want to run to Him and feel his comfort and wisdom.  Not that I am a fake person, but I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve.  Those closest to me are those with whom I confide.  It is those believers who have shown me Jesus.

Yes, in our weakness or brokenness God is strong, but He is strong anyway.  Will we ever learn to not wait until we are completely down to look up?  Will we ever learn to lay our burdens at the cross sooner?

Be encouraged to take the hand of the Father and walk with Him.  Let me know where he takes you.

All the best,
KK

Hand-crafted with You in Mind

Posted on by
1

Does summer seem to be flying by for you?  I can’t decide if summer is a faster or slower pace than the school year.  Maybe that is because it’s just different.  Breaking out of our routine can make for some refreshing sites and experiences.  Sometimes that’s when God catches our attention.  During the school year we drive the same route to school, work and home.  But in the summer our schedule changes and the kids are at camp or doing other activities and we find ourselves on a road we wouldn’t ordinarily be on at sun set.  We look up and God has hand painted a vision that makes us think of Him, the artist that hand-crafted every detail.  He knew you would be on that road at that moment and He was hoping you would look up.

When this happens to me, I am convicted and wonder how many times that day He tried to get my attention and I ignored him.  Where have you seen God lately?  Has He tried to get your attention?  Were you too busy to notice?  Look around, I think He’s waiting for you; maybe in the most unsuspecting place.

Keep me posted.

All the best,

KK

A Guy and his dog

Posted on by
Reply

A couple of weeks ago I was driving on I-64E near the Gene Snyder.  When I describe to you what I saw remember I was traveling 65 miles an hour (or so) and was trying to not miss my exit.  As I made my approach to the exit there was a hitchhiker with a small dog.  The man had a beard and a full size pack as if he had everything he owned in the pack or was just prepared for a long journey.  Ok, so we’ve all seen hitchhikers or backpackers, but what struck me as unusual was the small dog he had on a leash with him.

Then just today I was the exit at I-64 and Hurstbourne lane.  A man was there with a red and black back pack and a dog on a leash.  It was not the same man or the same dog.  While waiting for the light to change I observed a woman in an SUV stop.  That’s right, she didn’t just hand him some odd change or a dollar, she pulled off the road, got out of her car and asked him if his dog had been fed.  She then proceeded to open the back of her car and pull out a opened bag of dog food and bowl.  She poured some food in.  While the dog was wagging its tail, it didn’t seem too hungry; even when she pulled out the milk bones.  She gave him some extra dog food for later.

Our light turned green and we had to leave the scene.  It just made me wonder about the man and his dog and even the woman.   Driving past them, I couldn’t help but remember the other man I’d seen.   Two men probably homeless each with a companion, a dog.  I wondered about the woman who stopped to help one of the dogs.

Tonight as we said our bedtime prayer, we prayed for these people who God created for a purpose and that He would take care of them.

What are your thoughts?

All the best,

KK

Are you wearing that?

Posted on by
2

Apparently, people have forgotten how to dress appropriately.  We were raised that you dress for the occasion.  For example, going out to dinner a play, the orchestra or fine dining restaurant meant a dress or skirt, blouse or sweater and dress shoes.  Going to church meant dressing up, because in the words of my mother, “if you can’t dress up for God, who can you?”  Holidays at a relative’s house meant wearing our dress cloths as well.  After college when I began interviewing for jobs there were very specific rules for what to wear to a first interview, second interview.  As well, there were rules about what NOT to wear.

Dressing appropriately does not mean you have to be uncomfortable, it simply means you need to dress for the occasion in an appropriate way according to what you will be doing and the people with whom you will be.  Failure to teach our children this is as atrocious as not teaching them table manners or to respect authority.

What happened to taking pride in how we look?  What happened to taking time to plan our outfit for a special occasion or outing?

Recently, on a Saturday evening we went to the ballet at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.  My husband wore slacks, collared shirt and jacket.  I wore black dress slacks and a dressy sweater.   There was a group of girls sitting two rows in front of us all dressed in skirts and sweaters.  It was obvious that their ballet instructor had brought them and had “coached” them on behavior and what they should expect.  In contrast, I saw a woman with her two daughters wearing dingy sneakers, Capri pants and t-shirts.

Before you call me a snob for pointing out that the mother and daughters were not dressed appropriately, read on.  Do you think they were comfortable among others who were dressed up?  It does not take a lot of money to dress up a little more than Capri pants and sneakers — even to put them in Walmart brand dress cloths.

I’ve heard preachers explain from the pulpit while wearing cargo pants and sandals that “ties just weren’t them.”   That’s fine, but could you at least wear long pants and a collared shirt?  You want to present yourself as a credible source of information.  I’m not sure I can take someone in cut-offs seriously when he is trying to lead me to salvation.  Tell the congregation (especially those checking church out for the first time) that you are a believable.  Isn’t worship time our gift of ourselves to God?  Why wouldn’t we want to look our best?

Ok, while I’m on the subject let’s talk about the “baggy pant syndrome” that so many of our teens are lost in.  We were in the park watching some kids play ball while on the other basketball court older boys were playing a shirts and skins pick-up game.  The whole time he was playing this one guy was struggling to run, be ready for the ball, shoot and hold his pants up.  I was scared that I was going to learn more about this boy than I needed to know.  Besides how fun was that for him to not just be able to run and enjoy the game? 

Let me encourage you to take a look at yourself.  You are a precious child of God, a special person.  Take pride in looking your best and presenting yourself appropriately.  If you are a parent, teach your children what it means to dress and present themselves with pride and confidence.  How we wear our cloths says a lot about how we feel about ourselves.

What do you think?

All the best,

KK

P.S. — I also believe appropriate dress for a day off at home or running errands is sweats, no make-up and hair in a pony tail. 

Take Ten

Posted on by
1

I don’t travel long or far without a book to read in my car, bag or purse.  It may be a novel I’m reading for fun, a how-to book on writing or editing techniques or a business trend book.  Many times I have a variety of all three going at once.  Having these books handy means that if stuck in traffic I can get a page read, or by chance I’m early for an appointment, a chapter could be consumed, or if I’m at ball practice watching Cole, I might get a little reading done.  These opportunities give me minutes that I use to take in a story or information.  Why then, didn’t I mention the Bible?

Before we state the obvious, think of the books of the Bible in terms of the stories they tell.  Family histories, trials, triumphs, love, drama and a happy ending – the same kinds of stories we pull off the shelves in the fiction section.  The Bible provides the “how to” and “self-help” for any situation or season of life.  And yet, it’s not in our quick read pile.

Why not pick up the inspired word of God for a verse, chapter or book?   The Bible comes in all shapes and sizes.  It can be taken anywhere.  Yet, we leave by the bed, on a shelf or in the car only to carry into church on Sunday morning.

The one, five or ten minutes in traffic or waiting on others when we pull out our other reading materials, we could use to connect with God’s word and the people He used to teach us.  I certainly am not saying to exclude a good fiction or informational book from your reading.  I’m encouraging you to keep the Bible in your regular reading pile.  Treat it like the life handbook and great literature that it is.

Let me know how it goes.

All the best,
KK