I have come to this page often in my mind the past few days, trying to sort my thoughts and express them with the right words. Sometimes I have ideas in my mind and just can't get them written. Part of the issue has been physical - I still am recovering from the health challenges I wrote about in my last post, and now I am finishing a round of antibiotics for yet another infection. I did not know it was possible to come down with 3 things in the space of 4 weeks! I am gradually recovering and and beginning to have my normal energy level (and ability to think clearly!) back. It makes me even more grateful for the measure of health I have always enjoyed, when there are so many who don't. And it has been encouraging for me to see in the past few weeks how God has given me good-health days on exactly the days that I needed it - for my trip home, for my speaking at our ladies luncheon last Saturday, and for being at our son's for our grandson's kindergarten graduation recently.
When our three-year-old granddaughter saw me, she squealed "Ma-Ma!" and jumped into my arms. Love it! But even sweeter were her next words. "Ma-ma, how is your rash? (she is referring to the bad rash I mentioned in my last post) - and - "I have been praying for your rash!"
I was floored. My tiny granddaughter had been praying for my rash? And she thought it important enough that it was the first thing she told me?
Later that day at supper before my husband and I left to come home, our six-year-old grandson wanted to pray. Besides thanking God for the food and the nice day and the new play set we helped build, he prayed, "Help Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa to have a safe trip home. Help them not to be tired. I pray that there wouldn't be traffic. And help them to only have green lights and yellow lights, and to just go and go and go!"
We hid smiles at his words and his enthusiasm, but again, I was stunned at the depth and specifics of his prayer for a six year old. This was completely un-prompted and un-coached. I thought about how it was evident that their parents are teaching them how to pray. And I realized that when I pray for my grandchildren, it never occurred to me to pray that they would learn to pray. I pray every day for their salvation, for their health and safety, for their protection from sin, and for them to learn to obey and make right choices. But I had never thought about praying that they would be children, and someday men and women, of prayer!
As I have been mulling this over in my mind this week, my heart has become even more burdened for my grandchildren - all eight of them (to be nine in the next couple of weeks!) Oh, that they would learn how to pray and see the importance of praying about everything. That they would grow up to be men and women, moms and dads, and husbands and wives who take everything to the throne of grace! What a difference that will make in their lives if they learn that lesson now while they are so young.
Through this I have been encouraged to pray in a deeper way for my children and grandchildren. Praying Scripture for our children and grandchildren is something I have written about before and something that is so easy and so good to do. A book that I have that I recommend is "Praying the Scriptures for Your Children" by Jodie Berndt. This little book helps you to pray specifically and scripturally for their faith, character, relationships and their future. When we pray Scripture, we can be confident that we are praying right.
And as a side note, God did answer our grandson's prayer. We had one of the quickest and easiest trips home that night that we ever have had. I texted my daughter in law and told her to make sure she told our grandson, and she said "What a good lesson for him, that God answered his prayer."
What a lesson for me - to remember to pray about the deeper and the truly important aspects of our grandchildren's lives. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Col. 4:2
Prayerfully,
Kathi
The Light in My Window
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
A Memorable May
I have really missed being at the blog.
I didn't intend to go three weeks without publishing a post. Let's just say that the month of May this year was definitely a very memorable month. It started well enough, with the final Ladies Bible Study classes of the season and some of our sweet ladies treating me to lunch at Olive Garden on the last day. And some of the more normal events that filled my month were a cake decorating class at church for our teen girls and their moms, a weekend of much-needed yard work, celebrating Mother's Day, giving a baby shower, picking strawberries, attending a symphony concert, several meetings, and annual dentist and doctor appointments.
Yes. May was an extremely busy month. But I haven't gotten to the big stuff yet.
Our daughter, son-in-law, and 3 granddaughters were able to come for a week. During that time, our house was a busy, noisy, happy place with a 6 year old, 4 year old, and almost-2-year old. We did a lot of fun things: celebrated our daughter's birthday with a special dinner and she and I getting pedicures together (it is a rare treat to be able to be with one of our children on their birthday!), went to the beach, spent a day at Jamestown Settlement, took a ferry ride, and just enjoyed a lot of play time and making crafts. During their visit, our daughter and her husband celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary so pa-pa and I kept the children at home for a pizza and movie night while their parents enjoyed a much-needed night out.
About three days into their visit, I noticed that I was coming down with a very strange, bright red, and EXTREMELY itchy rash on my arms. It got to the point where I could not sleep at night unless I wrapped ice packs around my arms, so I made a trip to my doctor's office. He was mystified, as it looked and seemed very much like some type of poisonous plant but I had not been working outside for over a week. He prescribed a round of oral steroids as well as a steroid cream, and for the remainder of that week which coincided with our daughter's visit, I was rather miserable from the itching, swelling, and not being able to sleep.
It finally started to clear up, just in time for me to get on a plane for a planned visit to my parents in Georgia. I had not seen them since last September and was looking forward to spending the time with them as well as helping out as much as I could. I had a great week - doing things with my parents, celebrating my sister's and my birthdays with a special lunch, going shopping with my mother, in addition to getting their garage and closets cleaned and organized, accomplishing some outdoor chores, cooking, and various other little things. I also enjoyed walks and extended times of prayer outside in the early mornings.
It was a great week - until Sunday night when I got hit suddenly and hard by one of the worst stomach flu bugs I have ever had. I will spare you the details. The next day I was running a fever, had a horrible headache and chills, and could not sit up in a chair for more than a few minutes. My poor mother had her hands full trying to care for me and my dad who requires a lot of her attention. And I was wondering how in the world I was going to be able to fly home in just over 24 hours.
That's when the month of May became the most memorable to me. Because I asked people to pray, and God answered prayers in such a clear and wonderful way.
I felt better by the time I had to leave - I was still unable to eat anything and was very weak, but the fever, headache, and nausea were gone, which was important because I had to make a 2 hour shuttle ride and then a trek through the Atlanta airport.
I specifically asked people to pray for a short security line. Long security lines at the Atlanta airport had been in the news just a few days prior. When I got my boarding pass, I had been granted "pre-check" status - meaning I waited in line for a grand total of 5 minutes! Without having to take off my shoes and open my bags.
I asked for prayer for strength to handle my luggage. At the gate, because the flight was full they asked for volunteers to check their bags for free. Of course, I volunteered so I did not have to carry my luggage onto the plane and stow it overhead, and because I did they gave me early boarding privileges - meaning I was one of the first ones on the plane and could just relax until it was time for take-off.
After I got home, I expected my recovery to continue, but the next day I actually felt a lot worse. So back to my doctor's office I went. I now had been at my doctor's a total of three times in a month - as much as I normally am in an entire year. The doctor diagnosed me with either salmonella or noro-virus, but we will probably never know for sure. Before he came in, the nurse was looking over my chart and said "That's right! You were in here just recently for that bad case of poison-whatever." When I agreed, she shook her head and said "You sure have had a memorable May!"
Yes. It was a memorable May. Some of it I wouldn't want to repeat. But it is memorable in good ways, too. Family time. Answers to prayer. And realizing - again- just how big and how good our God is. Psalm 28:7 - "The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song will I praise Him!"
Till next time,
Kathi
I didn't intend to go three weeks without publishing a post. Let's just say that the month of May this year was definitely a very memorable month. It started well enough, with the final Ladies Bible Study classes of the season and some of our sweet ladies treating me to lunch at Olive Garden on the last day. And some of the more normal events that filled my month were a cake decorating class at church for our teen girls and their moms, a weekend of much-needed yard work, celebrating Mother's Day, giving a baby shower, picking strawberries, attending a symphony concert, several meetings, and annual dentist and doctor appointments.
Yes. May was an extremely busy month. But I haven't gotten to the big stuff yet.
Our daughter, son-in-law, and 3 granddaughters were able to come for a week. During that time, our house was a busy, noisy, happy place with a 6 year old, 4 year old, and almost-2-year old. We did a lot of fun things: celebrated our daughter's birthday with a special dinner and she and I getting pedicures together (it is a rare treat to be able to be with one of our children on their birthday!), went to the beach, spent a day at Jamestown Settlement, took a ferry ride, and just enjoyed a lot of play time and making crafts. During their visit, our daughter and her husband celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary so pa-pa and I kept the children at home for a pizza and movie night while their parents enjoyed a much-needed night out.About three days into their visit, I noticed that I was coming down with a very strange, bright red, and EXTREMELY itchy rash on my arms. It got to the point where I could not sleep at night unless I wrapped ice packs around my arms, so I made a trip to my doctor's office. He was mystified, as it looked and seemed very much like some type of poisonous plant but I had not been working outside for over a week. He prescribed a round of oral steroids as well as a steroid cream, and for the remainder of that week which coincided with our daughter's visit, I was rather miserable from the itching, swelling, and not being able to sleep.
It finally started to clear up, just in time for me to get on a plane for a planned visit to my parents in Georgia. I had not seen them since last September and was looking forward to spending the time with them as well as helping out as much as I could. I had a great week - doing things with my parents, celebrating my sister's and my birthdays with a special lunch, going shopping with my mother, in addition to getting their garage and closets cleaned and organized, accomplishing some outdoor chores, cooking, and various other little things. I also enjoyed walks and extended times of prayer outside in the early mornings.
That's when the month of May became the most memorable to me. Because I asked people to pray, and God answered prayers in such a clear and wonderful way.
I felt better by the time I had to leave - I was still unable to eat anything and was very weak, but the fever, headache, and nausea were gone, which was important because I had to make a 2 hour shuttle ride and then a trek through the Atlanta airport.
I specifically asked people to pray for a short security line. Long security lines at the Atlanta airport had been in the news just a few days prior. When I got my boarding pass, I had been granted "pre-check" status - meaning I waited in line for a grand total of 5 minutes! Without having to take off my shoes and open my bags.
I asked for prayer for strength to handle my luggage. At the gate, because the flight was full they asked for volunteers to check their bags for free. Of course, I volunteered so I did not have to carry my luggage onto the plane and stow it overhead, and because I did they gave me early boarding privileges - meaning I was one of the first ones on the plane and could just relax until it was time for take-off.
After I got home, I expected my recovery to continue, but the next day I actually felt a lot worse. So back to my doctor's office I went. I now had been at my doctor's a total of three times in a month - as much as I normally am in an entire year. The doctor diagnosed me with either salmonella or noro-virus, but we will probably never know for sure. Before he came in, the nurse was looking over my chart and said "That's right! You were in here just recently for that bad case of poison-whatever." When I agreed, she shook her head and said "You sure have had a memorable May!"
Yes. It was a memorable May. Some of it I wouldn't want to repeat. But it is memorable in good ways, too. Family time. Answers to prayer. And realizing - again- just how big and how good our God is. Psalm 28:7 - "The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song will I praise Him!"
Till next time,
Kathi
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
"Re-Calculating!"
Rain, rain, go away.....My weather app on my phone tells me that not only is today's rain likely to continue throughout the day, we are in for more rain the end of the week...and next week. Can I just say that I sure would like to see some sunny days?
My weather app is something I use on a daily basis. Another aspect of technology that has become valuable to my husband and me is the GPS. We are on our second GPS device and now that we have a built-in navigation system in our car, we really enjoy the convenience of that. Whether we are on a long trip like our recent trip to Illinois, visiting church members, or trying to find an unfamiliar hospital, certain business, or restaurant, the GPS makes it so much easier.
I heard someone say recently that our Christian walk with the Lord is not so much like Google Maps as it is like a GPS. As I thought about that, it is very true. Google Maps lets you put in a starting point and your desired destination, and voila - you get a complete and detailed mapping of the entire trip - where to start out, what time you will arrive, which route is best to take, and what to expect along the way. It even gives you alternate routes to select from.
Don't you wish the Christian life was like that! We would be handed a map with our starting point, ending point, and all we would have to do is follow the printed directions. We would be able to see the instructions for our entire life all in one glance.
No, following God is more like a GPS. With the GPS you still put in your starting point and your desired destination, but unlike Google Maps, it doesn't give you the plan for the trip all at once. It gives you directions one step at a time. Turn here. Now exit there. Now continue for X amount of miles. Make a right hand turn. If we pay attention, and precisely follow the instructions, we will (hopefully) end up at the right place. Thankfully, God's directions are always right!
When we are following God, He doesn't let us see the entire route at once. We can only see the next step. He leads us along, one step at a time. We have to pay attention to His leading and trust Him for each moment. I am reminded of 2 Cor. 5:7, "For we walk by faith, and not by sight." Psalm 119:105 puts it in terms of a light. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." A light sheds just enough light for us not to stumble and to be able to see our next step.
Something else with the GPS that always makes me chuckle is the voice that says "Re-Calculating!" When we venture off the route to make a stop for gas or for a meal, we are chided that our route needs to be re-calculated. I always imagine hearing a twinge of annoyance in that voice, even though it is a computer and I remind myself that computers don't have feelings! Recently, while on a trip to visit one of our sons, we took an alternate route, knowing from experience that the main route would be a traffic nightmare at that time of day. When we turned off the main and recommended route, we heard "Re-Calculating!" for miles as the GPS tried unsuccessfully to get us back to the main route.
Sometimes God has to give us the "Re-Calculating!" message. It might be that we have gotten off His desired path for us and He needs to bring us back into His will. We can be thankful that God always knows the best plan for us. Psalm 18:30 - "As for God, His way is perfect." He is always good and He is always faithful, and if we heed to His voice He will lovingly guide us back onto the right path.
Or it may be that God gives us a "Re-Calculating!" message when the life that we have planned is changed. We so often have expectations of how things are supposed to be, and how our day or our week or even our life is supposed to go. God may have another plan, and it is up to us to heed His "Re-Calculating!" message and be obedient and submissive to His will for us. I have become convinced in recent days that unfulfilled expectations are one of the main causes of disappointment and unhappiness in our lives. How we react to His "Re-Calculating!" message determines our outlook and our peace and joy.
How about you? Are you depending on God's leading on a step-by-step basis? Are you discontent because He hasn't revealed His entire plan to you for this thing you are trusting Him for? Can you respond with trust to His "Re-Calculating"?
Lovingly,
Kathi
My weather app is something I use on a daily basis. Another aspect of technology that has become valuable to my husband and me is the GPS. We are on our second GPS device and now that we have a built-in navigation system in our car, we really enjoy the convenience of that. Whether we are on a long trip like our recent trip to Illinois, visiting church members, or trying to find an unfamiliar hospital, certain business, or restaurant, the GPS makes it so much easier.
I heard someone say recently that our Christian walk with the Lord is not so much like Google Maps as it is like a GPS. As I thought about that, it is very true. Google Maps lets you put in a starting point and your desired destination, and voila - you get a complete and detailed mapping of the entire trip - where to start out, what time you will arrive, which route is best to take, and what to expect along the way. It even gives you alternate routes to select from.
Don't you wish the Christian life was like that! We would be handed a map with our starting point, ending point, and all we would have to do is follow the printed directions. We would be able to see the instructions for our entire life all in one glance.
No, following God is more like a GPS. With the GPS you still put in your starting point and your desired destination, but unlike Google Maps, it doesn't give you the plan for the trip all at once. It gives you directions one step at a time. Turn here. Now exit there. Now continue for X amount of miles. Make a right hand turn. If we pay attention, and precisely follow the instructions, we will (hopefully) end up at the right place. Thankfully, God's directions are always right!
When we are following God, He doesn't let us see the entire route at once. We can only see the next step. He leads us along, one step at a time. We have to pay attention to His leading and trust Him for each moment. I am reminded of 2 Cor. 5:7, "For we walk by faith, and not by sight." Psalm 119:105 puts it in terms of a light. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." A light sheds just enough light for us not to stumble and to be able to see our next step.
Something else with the GPS that always makes me chuckle is the voice that says "Re-Calculating!" When we venture off the route to make a stop for gas or for a meal, we are chided that our route needs to be re-calculated. I always imagine hearing a twinge of annoyance in that voice, even though it is a computer and I remind myself that computers don't have feelings! Recently, while on a trip to visit one of our sons, we took an alternate route, knowing from experience that the main route would be a traffic nightmare at that time of day. When we turned off the main and recommended route, we heard "Re-Calculating!" for miles as the GPS tried unsuccessfully to get us back to the main route.
Sometimes God has to give us the "Re-Calculating!" message. It might be that we have gotten off His desired path for us and He needs to bring us back into His will. We can be thankful that God always knows the best plan for us. Psalm 18:30 - "As for God, His way is perfect." He is always good and He is always faithful, and if we heed to His voice He will lovingly guide us back onto the right path.
Or it may be that God gives us a "Re-Calculating!" message when the life that we have planned is changed. We so often have expectations of how things are supposed to be, and how our day or our week or even our life is supposed to go. God may have another plan, and it is up to us to heed His "Re-Calculating!" message and be obedient and submissive to His will for us. I have become convinced in recent days that unfulfilled expectations are one of the main causes of disappointment and unhappiness in our lives. How we react to His "Re-Calculating!" message determines our outlook and our peace and joy.
How about you? Are you depending on God's leading on a step-by-step basis? Are you discontent because He hasn't revealed His entire plan to you for this thing you are trusting Him for? Can you respond with trust to His "Re-Calculating"?
Lovingly,
Kathi
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
A Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness
This is one of those days where it is hard to know what to blog about.
I could tell you that this is the 4th rainy day in a row. Not exactly significant.
I could write about the events of last week, which was pretty crazy. It was one of those weeks which inspires the motto "Expect the Unexpected." Think ministering to people hospitalized and having surgeries (in different hospitals in different cities but on the same day), being out every evening with a meeting or ministry obligation, church bus issues, a missionary family staying with us for 2 nights, a memorial service and meal afterwards at our church, and a really fast all-in-one-day trip to Maryland. We made the trip to see two of our grandchildren performing in a 50th anniversary spring concert and celebration of their Christian School, which happens to be the same Christian school I attended for 2 years when I was in high school. Our granddaughter's elementary choir sang and our grandson's kindergarten class sang dressed up like eagles (the school's mascot). I'll post some pictures so you can see how cute they were, and another one of me with their younger sister:
We left home for Maryland at 6 a.m., spent the afternoon and evening with them, and arrived back home at 2 a.m. - and had to get up in a few hours for a teen activity and a nursing home service my husband was conducting. Definitely crazy. Especially since we are not exactly young anymore.
But none of those things are really what is on my heart to blog about. I have to admit to a heaviness of spirit today, and the past couple of days, over the state of affairs in our country. I normally do not write about political things in this blog. There are plenty of other blogs where you can read about politics and the presidential campaigns and race. I must concede, however, that things are looking pretty dim for Christians concerning the Presidential election. It seems like all hope of having a president who is a Christian who leads with any standards of righteousness is gone. In fact, things are probably going to get a lot worse then they already are. We as a country are getting what we deserve - our country abandoned God and threw Him out of our schools, our homes, and our society long ago.
Not only is the national political scene disheartening, but the rise of shootings, violence, terrorist attacks, and crime in general is just plain scary. Two Sunday mornings ago while we were in Sunday School there was a shooting at a grocery store only 2 miles from our church. A young man who was a customer in the store was killed, leaving a pregnant wife and a toddler. This is a store I often shop at. Hardly a day goes by that you don't hear about a shooting or attack of some kind at a mall, a school, theatre, or home. Several churches have been the scene of shootings in recent weeks. When you add other recent events such as the "bathroom bill" and all that will mean, and it is no wonder we are overcome by a spirit of heaviness and hopelessness.
In light of all these things, what does a Christian do? The only answer is to meditate on our God, and Who He is. My thoughts are drawn to a verse in Isaiah 61:3 that talks about having "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." A garment is something that you have to purposefully put on, and it covers our humanity. God's prescription for a spirit of heaviness is to think upon Him. Specifically, we can dwell on His attributes and praise Him for them.
I have been meditating on God being a God of truth. Truth is something that seems to be rare these days. You can use your Bible and a concordance and look up verses on God being a God of truth. These are some of my favorites:
Other characteristics of God that are good to meditate on and praise Him for are His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23), His goodness, and His sovereignty. I love Isaiah chapters 40-46 which tell us over and over again that the Lord is God, that there is none other, and that He is in control.
These are the things that we need to think on right now. Praising God for Who He is will put things into the right perceptive and lessen that spirit of heaviness. God is good!
Till next time,
Kathi
I could tell you that this is the 4th rainy day in a row. Not exactly significant.
I could write about the events of last week, which was pretty crazy. It was one of those weeks which inspires the motto "Expect the Unexpected." Think ministering to people hospitalized and having surgeries (in different hospitals in different cities but on the same day), being out every evening with a meeting or ministry obligation, church bus issues, a missionary family staying with us for 2 nights, a memorial service and meal afterwards at our church, and a really fast all-in-one-day trip to Maryland. We made the trip to see two of our grandchildren performing in a 50th anniversary spring concert and celebration of their Christian School, which happens to be the same Christian school I attended for 2 years when I was in high school. Our granddaughter's elementary choir sang and our grandson's kindergarten class sang dressed up like eagles (the school's mascot). I'll post some pictures so you can see how cute they were, and another one of me with their younger sister:
We left home for Maryland at 6 a.m., spent the afternoon and evening with them, and arrived back home at 2 a.m. - and had to get up in a few hours for a teen activity and a nursing home service my husband was conducting. Definitely crazy. Especially since we are not exactly young anymore.
But none of those things are really what is on my heart to blog about. I have to admit to a heaviness of spirit today, and the past couple of days, over the state of affairs in our country. I normally do not write about political things in this blog. There are plenty of other blogs where you can read about politics and the presidential campaigns and race. I must concede, however, that things are looking pretty dim for Christians concerning the Presidential election. It seems like all hope of having a president who is a Christian who leads with any standards of righteousness is gone. In fact, things are probably going to get a lot worse then they already are. We as a country are getting what we deserve - our country abandoned God and threw Him out of our schools, our homes, and our society long ago.
Not only is the national political scene disheartening, but the rise of shootings, violence, terrorist attacks, and crime in general is just plain scary. Two Sunday mornings ago while we were in Sunday School there was a shooting at a grocery store only 2 miles from our church. A young man who was a customer in the store was killed, leaving a pregnant wife and a toddler. This is a store I often shop at. Hardly a day goes by that you don't hear about a shooting or attack of some kind at a mall, a school, theatre, or home. Several churches have been the scene of shootings in recent weeks. When you add other recent events such as the "bathroom bill" and all that will mean, and it is no wonder we are overcome by a spirit of heaviness and hopelessness.
In light of all these things, what does a Christian do? The only answer is to meditate on our God, and Who He is. My thoughts are drawn to a verse in Isaiah 61:3 that talks about having "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." A garment is something that you have to purposefully put on, and it covers our humanity. God's prescription for a spirit of heaviness is to think upon Him. Specifically, we can dwell on His attributes and praise Him for them.
I have been meditating on God being a God of truth. Truth is something that seems to be rare these days. You can use your Bible and a concordance and look up verses on God being a God of truth. These are some of my favorites:
- Psalm 33:4 - "For the Word of the Lord is right, all His works are done in truth."
- Psalm 100:5 - The Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations."
- Psalm 117:2 - "For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever."
Other characteristics of God that are good to meditate on and praise Him for are His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23), His goodness, and His sovereignty. I love Isaiah chapters 40-46 which tell us over and over again that the Lord is God, that there is none other, and that He is in control.
These are the things that we need to think on right now. Praising God for Who He is will put things into the right perceptive and lessen that spirit of heaviness. God is good!
Till next time,
Kathi
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Something Old, Something New
A few years ago when we came to our present ministry, a dear lady gave me this verse she had written out on a card for me: "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
I still have that piece of paper, and God brought it to my mind as I was contemplating the events of the past week and what I should write about today. I was absent from the blog last week because we were away at our former church in Illinois. In celebration of their 20th anniversary, they held a homecoming mini-Bible conference and invited us, as the first and only former pastor, to come and participate. We were fresh out of Bible college where my husband was a much older than average student, when we moved to this town where he was called as the first pastor of that church. Little did we know at the time that we would stay there for 17 years. And this visit was our first time returning since we left 3 1/2 years ago.
Our visit was wonderful. We had precious times of fellowship with friends there, and God blessed the services. Our hearts were filled with joy at seeing first-hand how God is continuing to bless and lead that church in that small midwestern community. There is nothing like leaving your first church which was (and continues to be) so precious to us, and seeing it grow with new families and have a joyful, Christlike spirit and standing strong. 2 John 1:4 "I rejoiced greatly that I found my children walking in truth, as we have received commandment of the Father" and 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" are both so true! I have always applied that to our children and the joy we have as parents that they they are all living for and serving the Lord, but now that verse has even more meaning to me.
At the same time, during our five days there we could not help but do a lot of reminiscing. Everywhere we went the memories were present. We remembered the early days of renting a senior citizens community facility and having to set up and tear down before and after every service for five years. We remembered buying our new building and how excited we were to have a place to call our own; building an addition, putting on a new roof, renovating a small missions house. There were memories of Vacation Bible Schools, evangelistic services, church picnics, Christmas Cantatas and plays, youth rallies and activities, fellowships and dinners and trips to camp. Things only people such as ourselves who had been there at the beginning and throughout the entire life of the church could know and experience. And we missed seeing many people who had been very dear to us who have been promoted to heaven since we moved away. Our three children grew up there. We drove by our old houses and remembered playing basketball in the back, kids learning to drive, the blocks where they used to deliver newspapers and walk our dog, the library where all three of them worked in high school. The memories were overwhelming, and if I may be honest, really sad. Because they were memories of a season of life that is now in the past and can never be recovered.
I experience the same feelings when I work on or look at the photo books I have made. I have mentioned in previous posts that I enjoy scrapbooking. I have made special photo books of each of our kids and our grandchildren, of family vacations and trips, of special family occasions. They are filled with pictures of children who were once adorable babies and children and now are grown and have children of their own, of grandparents and great grandparents who are in heaven. They capture happy times in the past. And sometimes they are hard to look at.
All of these things together, if I dwell on them, can make me feel sad and even filled with regrets and longing for the "old days." But God doesn't want us to live in the past! That's why the verse I started today's post with is so special to me. God is wanting to do something new! If we are living in and longing for our past life, then we miss what He wants to do for us now. In addition to promising us that He will do something new, the end of that verse contains a promise that He will even do the unexpected and the seemingly impossible - making a road in the wilderness and a river in the desert certainly falls into that category.
When we get thinking about days and special times gone by, instead of being sad, we need to
I still have that piece of paper, and God brought it to my mind as I was contemplating the events of the past week and what I should write about today. I was absent from the blog last week because we were away at our former church in Illinois. In celebration of their 20th anniversary, they held a homecoming mini-Bible conference and invited us, as the first and only former pastor, to come and participate. We were fresh out of Bible college where my husband was a much older than average student, when we moved to this town where he was called as the first pastor of that church. Little did we know at the time that we would stay there for 17 years. And this visit was our first time returning since we left 3 1/2 years ago.
At the same time, during our five days there we could not help but do a lot of reminiscing. Everywhere we went the memories were present. We remembered the early days of renting a senior citizens community facility and having to set up and tear down before and after every service for five years. We remembered buying our new building and how excited we were to have a place to call our own; building an addition, putting on a new roof, renovating a small missions house. There were memories of Vacation Bible Schools, evangelistic services, church picnics, Christmas Cantatas and plays, youth rallies and activities, fellowships and dinners and trips to camp. Things only people such as ourselves who had been there at the beginning and throughout the entire life of the church could know and experience. And we missed seeing many people who had been very dear to us who have been promoted to heaven since we moved away. Our three children grew up there. We drove by our old houses and remembered playing basketball in the back, kids learning to drive, the blocks where they used to deliver newspapers and walk our dog, the library where all three of them worked in high school. The memories were overwhelming, and if I may be honest, really sad. Because they were memories of a season of life that is now in the past and can never be recovered.
I experience the same feelings when I work on or look at the photo books I have made. I have mentioned in previous posts that I enjoy scrapbooking. I have made special photo books of each of our kids and our grandchildren, of family vacations and trips, of special family occasions. They are filled with pictures of children who were once adorable babies and children and now are grown and have children of their own, of grandparents and great grandparents who are in heaven. They capture happy times in the past. And sometimes they are hard to look at.
All of these things together, if I dwell on them, can make me feel sad and even filled with regrets and longing for the "old days." But God doesn't want us to live in the past! That's why the verse I started today's post with is so special to me. God is wanting to do something new! If we are living in and longing for our past life, then we miss what He wants to do for us now. In addition to promising us that He will do something new, the end of that verse contains a promise that He will even do the unexpected and the seemingly impossible - making a road in the wilderness and a river in the desert certainly falls into that category.
When we get thinking about days and special times gone by, instead of being sad, we need to
- thank Him for each person and each special time
- praise Him for the gift of memories
- trust Him for the future
As one of my favorite quotes says, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened!" (Dr. Seuss) God blessed us in the past - God wants to do something new!
Till next time,
Kathi
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Learning to Pray
It's been a busy time, both in our house and at church. At church, last night we concluded several days of Revival Services with Evangelist Ben Farrell and family. It was a blessed time, made even sweeter by an added bonus of having Tara Hamilton Farrell's family with us for 2 services. Ron "Patch the Pirate" Hamilton, along with Shelly, their daughter Megan, Megan's fiance Adam, and Tara & Ben ministered in music each night, and it was exciting that they graciously held a Patch the Pirate concert on Tuesday evening. The children (and adults, too!) were so excited to meet Patch and be able to help him sing the songs that they know and love!
On the home front, my husband and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Illinois, where my husband will be preaching at a Homecoming conference that our former church is having to celebrate their 20th anniversary. This will be our first visit back in the 3 1/2 years since we left, and I can't tell you how excited I am. We dearly love the people here that God has given us to minister to and are grateful for Him bringing us here, but when you minister in the same church for 18 years, the church family becomes part of you. They are very near and dear to our hearts. In addition, that is where our children grew up. Our youngest son was only 6 when we moved to Illinois, and lived there until he graduated from college and got married in 2011. There are many, many memories of raising our children and serving the Lord there, and I confess that I have been praying that we would fully be able to enjoy our time of reunion and ministry there, without being sad about that season of our life being over.
What a privilege it is to be able to pray about things like that and to know that God cares about every concern of our life! When I was with my dear friend in South Carolina at the end of February, she gave me a special wall plaque to hang in the area where I have my time with the Lord. She got one for herself just like it. When I look at it, it never fails to speak to my heart. Here is what it says:
Lord, teach me how to pray!
In everything, let me give thanks.
That I would be anxious for nothing,
That Your desires would become my own.
May forgiveness flow willingly from my heart.
Show me your plan for me for today,
and may I pray always.
There are so many thoughts in those few lines that I hardly know where to begin. The first thought that has been going through my mind is that I need to not only ask the Lord to teach me how to pray, but to teach me to pray. Period. So often when a situation comes up, I think of a hundred other things and ways to "fix" and resolve the situation rather than just praying first.
The next two lines remind me of Phil. 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." We are also told in 1 Thess. 5:18 to "in everything give thanks". That can be so hard to do, but the rest of the verse gives us some helpful insight - "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Trusting God is such a huge and a hard thing for us to do. Why is it we can trust Him for our eternity, but not for our daily life? When we understand who God is - that He is wise, loving, and good - and because of that we can trust Him, then we truly can give Him thanks in everything.
"That Your desires would be my own." What an awesome thing to pray for and to realize that true joy comes when God's desires become our desires. This is something we can pray not only for ourselves, but for our spouses, children, and grandchildren.
"May forgiveness flow willingly from my heart." I think the key word is "willingly." God wants us to forgive willingly, not grudgingly, and to forgive as He forgives us. If we understand how much we have been forgiven of, how can we withhold forgiveness?
"Show me your plan for today and may I pray always." If we could only get in the habit of beginning our day with this simple prayer, what a difference it would make. God does have a plan for our days, and His plan is always best, so on the days when it seems like nothing is going according to our plan, we need to remember that God might have a different plan. His plan is much better than any of ours. Psalm 18:30,"As for God, His way is perfect..."
I know that none of these thoughts are anything earth-shattering or new, but hopefully they will give you some things to think about over the next few days. May we all have a desire to go to the Lord and ask Him to "teach us to pray."
Thoughtfully,
Kathi
On the home front, my husband and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Illinois, where my husband will be preaching at a Homecoming conference that our former church is having to celebrate their 20th anniversary. This will be our first visit back in the 3 1/2 years since we left, and I can't tell you how excited I am. We dearly love the people here that God has given us to minister to and are grateful for Him bringing us here, but when you minister in the same church for 18 years, the church family becomes part of you. They are very near and dear to our hearts. In addition, that is where our children grew up. Our youngest son was only 6 when we moved to Illinois, and lived there until he graduated from college and got married in 2011. There are many, many memories of raising our children and serving the Lord there, and I confess that I have been praying that we would fully be able to enjoy our time of reunion and ministry there, without being sad about that season of our life being over.
What a privilege it is to be able to pray about things like that and to know that God cares about every concern of our life! When I was with my dear friend in South Carolina at the end of February, she gave me a special wall plaque to hang in the area where I have my time with the Lord. She got one for herself just like it. When I look at it, it never fails to speak to my heart. Here is what it says:
Lord, teach me how to pray!
In everything, let me give thanks.
That I would be anxious for nothing,
That Your desires would become my own.
May forgiveness flow willingly from my heart.
Show me your plan for me for today,
and may I pray always.
There are so many thoughts in those few lines that I hardly know where to begin. The first thought that has been going through my mind is that I need to not only ask the Lord to teach me how to pray, but to teach me to pray. Period. So often when a situation comes up, I think of a hundred other things and ways to "fix" and resolve the situation rather than just praying first.
The next two lines remind me of Phil. 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." We are also told in 1 Thess. 5:18 to "in everything give thanks". That can be so hard to do, but the rest of the verse gives us some helpful insight - "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Trusting God is such a huge and a hard thing for us to do. Why is it we can trust Him for our eternity, but not for our daily life? When we understand who God is - that He is wise, loving, and good - and because of that we can trust Him, then we truly can give Him thanks in everything.
"That Your desires would be my own." What an awesome thing to pray for and to realize that true joy comes when God's desires become our desires. This is something we can pray not only for ourselves, but for our spouses, children, and grandchildren.
"May forgiveness flow willingly from my heart." I think the key word is "willingly." God wants us to forgive willingly, not grudgingly, and to forgive as He forgives us. If we understand how much we have been forgiven of, how can we withhold forgiveness?
"Show me your plan for today and may I pray always." If we could only get in the habit of beginning our day with this simple prayer, what a difference it would make. God does have a plan for our days, and His plan is always best, so on the days when it seems like nothing is going according to our plan, we need to remember that God might have a different plan. His plan is much better than any of ours. Psalm 18:30,"As for God, His way is perfect..."
I know that none of these thoughts are anything earth-shattering or new, but hopefully they will give you some things to think about over the next few days. May we all have a desire to go to the Lord and ask Him to "teach us to pray."
Thoughtfully,
Kathi
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Spring Freshening
Here we are at the end of March and spring has definitely arrived! Around here the flowering trees are in full bloom, and the pinks, whites, and purples add so much beauty to the landscape! In addition, daffodils and tulips are blooming. The lawn has already been mowed once and is in need of it again. This is a great time of year to do some freshening in the way of cleaning and perhaps adding some small new decorating touches throughout your home. I've been busy doing just that, and in this post I am hoping to inspire you!When it comes to spring cleaning, think in terms of those jobs that you don't get to very often and that need doing after a long winter of your home being closed up with the heat and perhaps a fireplace going. Below are a few suggestions to get you started:
Whole house:
- wash window sills and windows
- clean light fixtures and ceiling fans
- replace light bulbs and smoke alarm batteries
- shampoo carpets
- clean baseboards
Kitchen:
- clean and re-organize the pantry and toss expired items
- clean the oven and the freezer
- clean cabinets inside and out
Bedrooms/Bathrooms
- wash bedding and put away extra blankets
- clean closets and donate unwanted items
- clean out medicine cabinet and toss expired items
- clean and re-organize linen closet
How about those jobs that need to be done outside? Sweep the deck or patio of all the debris. Paint the porch or trim, if needed. Clean the patio furniture. Clear the flower beds and pick up sticks and debris. Clean the garage.
Are you worn out yet? How about the fun part - adding some small spring touches in the decor of your home? For me, that means putting away my snowman collection (which is extensive - between New Years and March, I have the living room, foyer, and kitchen filled with snowmen!) I replaced the snowmen on my fireplace mantel with a vase of tulips and some pastel accents. I put away my winter dishes and got out my spring/summer ones. A couple things that I bought that weren't huge or expensive, but made a surprisingly big difference: a new spring/summer table runner for the dining room table ($10 at a home discount store) and some new throw pillows for my living room furniture. I found these in a pretty, lively blue and yellow spring print at TJ Maxx, and I love the difference they made!
While we are talking about cleaning and refreshening our homes, it reminds me of the need to do a spiritual housecleaning as well. Hopefully you are already spending time with God and in His Word every day. But let me throw out this idea to you: how about taking some time to get away alone, outside, for a special time of spiritual renewal? I realize that depending on your stage of life (if you have little ones at home) or your schedule (if you are working a job outside the home), this might be easier said than done. Maybe you can make it a goal for the near future. I guarantee it will refresh your spirit! Acts 3:19 tells us that "times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." If getting away for a couple hours is doable for you, choose a pretty day, grab your Bible along with a notebook and pen, and a bottle of water and maybe a snack, and take off. Spend the time reading, meditating on what you read, asking God what He wants to reveal to you, and then being willing to be obedient and act on what He speaks to you about. I like to read and pray through various Psalms, and an especially good one for spiritual housecleaning is Psalm 51, verses 10, 12: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit."There's nothing like being outside enjoying God's beautiful creation and the presence of the Creator.
Happy Spring!
Kathi
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