As most of you know by now I have had my share of physical trials. And still today I have trials. Last week I had a new procedure to help with my immune system. With leukemia and chemo my system is pretty well depleted. I went into that with high hopes. But I knew I may experience some side effects. I really did not know what to expect since everyone reacts differently. I ended up with some severe side effects. I pushed through knowing they would eventually cease. Of course we always ask ourselves is this worth it? And yes, it will be worth it.
That got me thinking, when we have trials, or even set backs, what do we do or what have we learned? Let me go back to 1990. When I was very, very ill, and no doctor near where I live could determine the problem, I was referred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That was 5 hours from home.
Our son was 6 years old at the time. I went into that journey with high hopes that there was some doctor who could determine my problem. That is when it was discovered I had the spinal cord problem. By then there was already a great deal of damage to the spinal cord. But I had a diagnosis.
And I knew God had me in His hands.
So how did I receive this information? At first shock, but then I thanked God we finally had an answer. But a very important thing happened. During the testing that was basically unbearable, I said to God " please use me Lord as an example". I said to Him, I never want anyone to go through what I had just endured. I did not want anyone to endure the pain I had endured. It was then that I said to God, please use me Lord to encourage others and help them through their trials. Whether it was small or large, it didn't matter. A trial is significant to the one going through it. I made a decision at that time that I would do what God would ask of me to help others or encourage others.
I have tried to do so since then. My desire is to serve our Lord Jesus with my best. Sure I am limited. But God can use your limitations for His purpose. As long as we remain faithful to Him, and try to do our very best, then He will enable you and bring forth the fruit of your efforts.
It was just over a year ago when God asked me to write this blog for Him. I share from my heart as God leads me. I am not a trained writer, I just try to be obedient to God.
With every blog I am getting more and more views in other countries. My husband is going to get me a world map so I can mark where the blog has been viewed. God had taken this blog around the world. Almost every continent has been reached. Countries that I didn't even know existed.
This my friends is the fruit of being obedient to God, and having a heart of wanting to help others.
It doesn't matter the trial or circumstance. What matters is our Lord Jesus loves everyone and desires us all to have that encouragement in our lives.
As I close this week, I encourage you, ask God how He desires to use you. I promise you, He will show you how and enable you. And you will see the fruit of your faithfulness.
Be encouraged my faithful readers.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Are we Hypocritical?
This last week the United States watched as our 45th President was sworn in, Donald J Trump. Before I go too far, this blog is not about that. This brought about many protests, name slamming, social media outbursts, and whatever else you call it. That got me thinking.
Are we being hypocrites? Whether you are a Christian, or some other belief, or no belief, we all should be held to a standard of standing behind our words.
The news media, all of them, have you questioning if what they are reporting is true. It gives us a responsibility to investigate for ourselves the facts. By investigating I do not mean listening to others opinions, but finding out for yourself what is true or false. Many of the concerns are really an opinion. My opinion may not be the same as yours.
Then we hear of protesting, which is every persons own choice and right. However, this should only be done in a peaceful manner. If one is marching for peace, then why is that group setting things on fire, assaulting people, calling people names, threatening others, and so on. That is not in any way peaceful or standing for peace. That is hypocritical.
That brings me to my thoughts for this week. Are we being hypocrites?
I am a Christ follower. If I proclaim that yet start disagreeing with something said, something read, and so on, does that make me a hypocrite? NO! But what would make me a hypocrite is protesting or acting in a manner that goes against my belief. We all have a right to disagree. But the Bible tells us how we should conduct ourselves. If we are doing the complete opposite then how does that look to others? Oh, I've heard many say, I don't care what others think. Well guess what? You should. As a Christ follower we are to present ourselves in a manner that glorifies Jesus. If we want to see the Gospel spread to others, see lost souls won for the glory of God, then by all means we should care what others see us as. We have a standard to live by, and we should definitely hold true to that.
Whatever you believe or claim you believe, I would expect you would want others to see that as a respectful lifestyle.
As I watched the complete chaos and violence that took place, heard the disgusting remarks, watched as people made complete fools out of themselves, heard language I wouldn't dream of saying, yet that is one issue they were protesting, it made me think. How do I present myself? What do I say to others? More important what do I think, even to myself? That is just as important because Jesus Christ knows our thoughts.
Folks we must, for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, present ourselves respectfully. For me that is in a manner in which Jesus would say to me, well done my daughter. If I leave nothing else behind, I desire to leave a reputation of being a faithful Christ follower who chose to live the way Jesus would approve of.
If you get anything from this blog this week, ask yourself, are you living the way you believe you should, or are you saying one thing and living another.
I have many readers in other countries. I am so thankful for you all. But this goes for you all as well. Whatever country you call home, we should love and respect that country. We all should strive for peace and unity in our country. The Bible tells us to love one another. To love your neighbor as yourself.
“ For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another. For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “Y OU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].” But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.”
GALATIANS 5:13-15 AMP
Before we start pointing our fingers at others, let us examine ourselves first.
I pray that not only my country, but your country as well, will have peace and unity amongst its people, and in truthfulness.
Are we being hypocrites? Whether you are a Christian, or some other belief, or no belief, we all should be held to a standard of standing behind our words.
The news media, all of them, have you questioning if what they are reporting is true. It gives us a responsibility to investigate for ourselves the facts. By investigating I do not mean listening to others opinions, but finding out for yourself what is true or false. Many of the concerns are really an opinion. My opinion may not be the same as yours.
Then we hear of protesting, which is every persons own choice and right. However, this should only be done in a peaceful manner. If one is marching for peace, then why is that group setting things on fire, assaulting people, calling people names, threatening others, and so on. That is not in any way peaceful or standing for peace. That is hypocritical.
That brings me to my thoughts for this week. Are we being hypocrites?
I am a Christ follower. If I proclaim that yet start disagreeing with something said, something read, and so on, does that make me a hypocrite? NO! But what would make me a hypocrite is protesting or acting in a manner that goes against my belief. We all have a right to disagree. But the Bible tells us how we should conduct ourselves. If we are doing the complete opposite then how does that look to others? Oh, I've heard many say, I don't care what others think. Well guess what? You should. As a Christ follower we are to present ourselves in a manner that glorifies Jesus. If we want to see the Gospel spread to others, see lost souls won for the glory of God, then by all means we should care what others see us as. We have a standard to live by, and we should definitely hold true to that.
Whatever you believe or claim you believe, I would expect you would want others to see that as a respectful lifestyle.
As I watched the complete chaos and violence that took place, heard the disgusting remarks, watched as people made complete fools out of themselves, heard language I wouldn't dream of saying, yet that is one issue they were protesting, it made me think. How do I present myself? What do I say to others? More important what do I think, even to myself? That is just as important because Jesus Christ knows our thoughts.
Folks we must, for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, present ourselves respectfully. For me that is in a manner in which Jesus would say to me, well done my daughter. If I leave nothing else behind, I desire to leave a reputation of being a faithful Christ follower who chose to live the way Jesus would approve of.
If you get anything from this blog this week, ask yourself, are you living the way you believe you should, or are you saying one thing and living another.
I have many readers in other countries. I am so thankful for you all. But this goes for you all as well. Whatever country you call home, we should love and respect that country. We all should strive for peace and unity in our country. The Bible tells us to love one another. To love your neighbor as yourself.
“ For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another. For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “Y OU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].” But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.”
GALATIANS 5:13-15 AMP
Before we start pointing our fingers at others, let us examine ourselves first.
I pray that not only my country, but your country as well, will have peace and unity amongst its people, and in truthfulness.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Who Do You Compare Yourself To?
Do you find that you compare yourself to others? Thinking others are more "gifted" than you are, or others are more "talented" than you are? Face it, we all do that from time to time.
Let me tell you a little tidbit, that is totally wrong and feeds negative garbage into our minds.
Whoa you say, those are harsh words. Yes they are. I am so tired of hearing folks say they cannot be used by God like the other person. Let me tell you why I am a fanatic about that.
You have read in my previous blogs about how I used to do different ministries within the Church. Drama being one. When my illness and physical disability became worse I had to stop doing those things I loved to do. I could no longer be active within the Body the way I had been. It literally tore me apart inside. I had finally found my niche within the Church. God was using me to spread His Gospel and to encourage others. Now what?
That's when the negative creeps in. I cannot do anything else, I cannot sing, I cannot do what this one does, or everyone else is better than me when it comes to ministry.
Thankfully I read the Word of God everyday and spend time with Him everyday. It was through that and the encouragement from my husband that I quickly realized that is garbage thinking. So instead of dwelling on the negative, dive into the positive, ask God what He would have you do. And that is what I did.
He gave me the task of writing this blog. I will not go into that totally. If you like you can go back to an earlier blog and read that story. Once God placed that in my heart, I could hardly wait to get a hold of a dear sister who could get me started.
But remember the title of this blog, I had to make sure I did not try to copy the patterns of other bloggers. I needed to do this the way God wanted me to. And share only what God wants me to share. I had to make sure I was not comparing myself to others. If I had, I would end up back into that stinking thinking.
As you know, I have kept faithful to what God has asked of me. Now let's look at another perspective.
Our church is very involved in missions, particularly in Kenya. So many of my friends travel to Kenya once or twice a year. Some that do not know my situation that well have asked why I do not get involved. That began to eat at me. My husband and I do sponsor a child in Kenya. But I know some wonder why we do not do more. First of all, my health, as in earlier blogs I explain some of my health issues. Those alone prevent me from traveling overseas, and prevent my husband as well. Once again that old negative voice starts to creep in, why are you not doing more?
I began to diligently seek God about that. Then one day my answer came so very clearly. I had posted a blog. Within one day I received over 25 views from 1 particular country. This was a country I hadn't noticed before on the list. Then the light came on! I am involved in missions. I am involved in missions overseas. This little blog I write has reached well over 20 countries. Countries that I would never be able to visit in the natural. Countries that I have no direct tie or link to. WOW! Thank You God. He has taken my faithfulness to something He had asked me to do and blessed it beyond my comprehension.
You see it isn't up to us. It doesn't matter what your gifting is, or what your talents are. What matters is obeying God. And we must stop comparing ourselves to others. This is between you and God. God has asked you to do something for Him, and you alone. Was I scared, of course I was. I did not consider myself a writer, or a blogger. But God did. So I had to trust He was going to give me the words to write and the courage to do so.
So in closing, please do not compare yourself to others. We are all valuable to God. He made you to be who you are, not who someone else is. Be encouraged, God made you, He loves you, and He will use you.
2 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
Let me tell you a little tidbit, that is totally wrong and feeds negative garbage into our minds.
Whoa you say, those are harsh words. Yes they are. I am so tired of hearing folks say they cannot be used by God like the other person. Let me tell you why I am a fanatic about that.
You have read in my previous blogs about how I used to do different ministries within the Church. Drama being one. When my illness and physical disability became worse I had to stop doing those things I loved to do. I could no longer be active within the Body the way I had been. It literally tore me apart inside. I had finally found my niche within the Church. God was using me to spread His Gospel and to encourage others. Now what?
That's when the negative creeps in. I cannot do anything else, I cannot sing, I cannot do what this one does, or everyone else is better than me when it comes to ministry.
Thankfully I read the Word of God everyday and spend time with Him everyday. It was through that and the encouragement from my husband that I quickly realized that is garbage thinking. So instead of dwelling on the negative, dive into the positive, ask God what He would have you do. And that is what I did.
He gave me the task of writing this blog. I will not go into that totally. If you like you can go back to an earlier blog and read that story. Once God placed that in my heart, I could hardly wait to get a hold of a dear sister who could get me started.
But remember the title of this blog, I had to make sure I did not try to copy the patterns of other bloggers. I needed to do this the way God wanted me to. And share only what God wants me to share. I had to make sure I was not comparing myself to others. If I had, I would end up back into that stinking thinking.
As you know, I have kept faithful to what God has asked of me. Now let's look at another perspective.
Our church is very involved in missions, particularly in Kenya. So many of my friends travel to Kenya once or twice a year. Some that do not know my situation that well have asked why I do not get involved. That began to eat at me. My husband and I do sponsor a child in Kenya. But I know some wonder why we do not do more. First of all, my health, as in earlier blogs I explain some of my health issues. Those alone prevent me from traveling overseas, and prevent my husband as well. Once again that old negative voice starts to creep in, why are you not doing more?
I began to diligently seek God about that. Then one day my answer came so very clearly. I had posted a blog. Within one day I received over 25 views from 1 particular country. This was a country I hadn't noticed before on the list. Then the light came on! I am involved in missions. I am involved in missions overseas. This little blog I write has reached well over 20 countries. Countries that I would never be able to visit in the natural. Countries that I have no direct tie or link to. WOW! Thank You God. He has taken my faithfulness to something He had asked me to do and blessed it beyond my comprehension.
You see it isn't up to us. It doesn't matter what your gifting is, or what your talents are. What matters is obeying God. And we must stop comparing ourselves to others. This is between you and God. God has asked you to do something for Him, and you alone. Was I scared, of course I was. I did not consider myself a writer, or a blogger. But God did. So I had to trust He was going to give me the words to write and the courage to do so.
So in closing, please do not compare yourself to others. We are all valuable to God. He made you to be who you are, not who someone else is. Be encouraged, God made you, He loves you, and He will use you.
2 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Where or Whom do you go to for your needs?
Several years ago I was praying for my self and interceding for others. It was actually before my last surgery on my spinal cord. My symptoms had been worsening so I knew it was vital for me to pray and ask Jesus to touch my body. I knew I needed a creative miracle, a new spinal cord. While praying the Lord gave me a very clear picture in my mind. It was like a grocery store except this store had our miracles we needed in it. The new spinal cords, new legs, new hearts, and so on. As I continued to pray I asked the Lord for clarification of what this meant. This is what He told me:
"When you are praying to Me, when you pass through the courts and into the Holy of Holies, it is there that you are with Me in Spirit. It is in that place that you are in a very intimate moment with Me. And in that place is everything you need. Your new spinal cord, someone else's new heart, healing for many, provision for many, all these things are there and waiting for you to receive them."
That is when I thought of the grocery store. We have no problem running to the store for our needs. Groceries, new clothes, this and that. We go there anticipating that we will return home with those items in our hands.
Therefore, when we are praying to Jesus and asking Him to heal us, provide for us, and so on, why should we expect anything less. I would say that we should expect more. Jesus wants to meet all of our needs, He wants to heal our broken bodies. So why are we not leaving with our grocery bags full? I do not have the answer to that question. But what I do know is that Jesus has the perfect time for every single need to be met. His timing is perfect, ours is not.
What I took from this is that we must continue to have faith and hope. We must believe that Jesus will meet our need in His perfect timing.
So think about it, does that mean we do not have to go to the grocery store anymore(into that Holy place)? Of course not. When I go to the store for bread and butter, it they are out of the item I was looking for, do I give up and never go back? Absolutely not! Instead it makes me want to return more often.
Did I get my new spinal cord yet? No. But I go back to that Holy Place where it is just He and I. I pray and pray, and ask over and over for my creative miracle. I know without a doubt it will come. When, I have no idea, maybe when my days on this earth are done and I'm in heaven with Jesus.
I know that Jesus loves each and everyone of us, and He has His very best set aside for us.
But He wants us to come and sit with Him, and talk with Him. He wants that intimate, personal relationship with us all. More than anything else.
It is in that intimate place that we will receive. And it may not be the specific thing you are looking for at that moment, but we never leave with our grocery bags empty. Instead they are full of the very things we need for that time.
My prayer for you all this week is that you can find that special place that it is just you and Jesus, and you can go grocery shopping with faith and anticipation.
Jesus has so much more for each one of us than we could ever imagine. Go and find that special place where you and He can just be talking with each other. Go and receive the love that Jesus has for you.
I promise you this, you will never be disappointed.
Have a blessed week readers,
Kathy
"When you are praying to Me, when you pass through the courts and into the Holy of Holies, it is there that you are with Me in Spirit. It is in that place that you are in a very intimate moment with Me. And in that place is everything you need. Your new spinal cord, someone else's new heart, healing for many, provision for many, all these things are there and waiting for you to receive them."
That is when I thought of the grocery store. We have no problem running to the store for our needs. Groceries, new clothes, this and that. We go there anticipating that we will return home with those items in our hands.
Therefore, when we are praying to Jesus and asking Him to heal us, provide for us, and so on, why should we expect anything less. I would say that we should expect more. Jesus wants to meet all of our needs, He wants to heal our broken bodies. So why are we not leaving with our grocery bags full? I do not have the answer to that question. But what I do know is that Jesus has the perfect time for every single need to be met. His timing is perfect, ours is not.
What I took from this is that we must continue to have faith and hope. We must believe that Jesus will meet our need in His perfect timing.
So think about it, does that mean we do not have to go to the grocery store anymore(into that Holy place)? Of course not. When I go to the store for bread and butter, it they are out of the item I was looking for, do I give up and never go back? Absolutely not! Instead it makes me want to return more often.
Did I get my new spinal cord yet? No. But I go back to that Holy Place where it is just He and I. I pray and pray, and ask over and over for my creative miracle. I know without a doubt it will come. When, I have no idea, maybe when my days on this earth are done and I'm in heaven with Jesus.
I know that Jesus loves each and everyone of us, and He has His very best set aside for us.
But He wants us to come and sit with Him, and talk with Him. He wants that intimate, personal relationship with us all. More than anything else.
It is in that intimate place that we will receive. And it may not be the specific thing you are looking for at that moment, but we never leave with our grocery bags empty. Instead they are full of the very things we need for that time.
My prayer for you all this week is that you can find that special place that it is just you and Jesus, and you can go grocery shopping with faith and anticipation.
Jesus has so much more for each one of us than we could ever imagine. Go and find that special place where you and He can just be talking with each other. Go and receive the love that Jesus has for you.
I promise you this, you will never be disappointed.
Have a blessed week readers,
Kathy
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
New Year's Resolutions
OK, this may surprise some, but I do not believe in New Year's Resolutions. What, are you for real?
Yes I am. I have never been one to make a promise to myself that I was unsure if I could keep it. Year after year I hear others making these "resolutions" statements. Then within a month they are forgotten. To me one is setting themselves up for disappointment and failure. Whether it be finances, your weight, your exercise pattern, or hundreds of other topics, when we put that in a box titled a resolution then we usually fail at that topic.
Fail is a strong word isn't it. And face it, none of us like to fail. So then we feel ashamed of ourselves, we feel like failures.
I know that our Lord Jesus did not create us to be failures. He did not create us to limit our "ideals" to a box. Jesus Christ loves each and every one of us. His desire is for us to succeed, but most of all for us to be closer to Him.
When I refer to a resolution that is totally different than a goal. I do set goals for myself. But when we do set those goals we tend to not set the bar too high. Goals are meant to be reachable, then we extend it further. However, when I set a goal, I do just that, a goal. Not 5,6 or 10 goals, but 1 goal. If we overload our "goal list" then we fall back into that scenario of failure. When we set a goal, then we can reach that goal and move on to a new goal. It may take a month, or two. Then again it may take a year. But that doesn't matter, as long as we are reaching for that goal we are succeeding.
OK so what is my goal for the New Year? I tend to stick to the same goal every year, and I think this is the most important goal we could ever set. My goal is getting closer to my Lord Jesus everyday. Reading His Word, praying to Him, striving to please Him. Our Lord wants nothing more than to have that intimate relationship with Him, one that grows deeper everyday.
You might be thinking what about my weight, or my finances, etc. When we are striving to have that relationship with Jesus and keeping Him Lord of our life, do you think Jesus may be taking care of those concerns we have? I do! When we are not consumed any longer about our "situations" and more consumed with our relationship with our Lord, then before we even realize it, He has taken care of those things for us, or given us strategies to improve those situations.
I have faced many physical trials in my life. The 2 major ones being the spinal cord damage and leukemia. I could easily get into a mindset of failure because I can no longer do the things I always enjoyed. But what I have experienced is when I am more consumed in my relationship with Jesus than I am on my trials, then I no longer am stressing out over those things. Then the next thing I know is those things do not seem like a mountain I cannot climb, instead a hill that Jesus is helping me get over.
I hope this encourages you friends. You all are important to Jesus, and He wants you to succeed. He loves us!
I want to thank you all for continuing to read my blog. This in itself has encouraged me throughout the year. I pray this year I can continue to be an encouragement to you all.
God bless you all!
Kathryn
Yes I am. I have never been one to make a promise to myself that I was unsure if I could keep it. Year after year I hear others making these "resolutions" statements. Then within a month they are forgotten. To me one is setting themselves up for disappointment and failure. Whether it be finances, your weight, your exercise pattern, or hundreds of other topics, when we put that in a box titled a resolution then we usually fail at that topic.
Fail is a strong word isn't it. And face it, none of us like to fail. So then we feel ashamed of ourselves, we feel like failures.
I know that our Lord Jesus did not create us to be failures. He did not create us to limit our "ideals" to a box. Jesus Christ loves each and every one of us. His desire is for us to succeed, but most of all for us to be closer to Him.
When I refer to a resolution that is totally different than a goal. I do set goals for myself. But when we do set those goals we tend to not set the bar too high. Goals are meant to be reachable, then we extend it further. However, when I set a goal, I do just that, a goal. Not 5,6 or 10 goals, but 1 goal. If we overload our "goal list" then we fall back into that scenario of failure. When we set a goal, then we can reach that goal and move on to a new goal. It may take a month, or two. Then again it may take a year. But that doesn't matter, as long as we are reaching for that goal we are succeeding.
OK so what is my goal for the New Year? I tend to stick to the same goal every year, and I think this is the most important goal we could ever set. My goal is getting closer to my Lord Jesus everyday. Reading His Word, praying to Him, striving to please Him. Our Lord wants nothing more than to have that intimate relationship with Him, one that grows deeper everyday.
You might be thinking what about my weight, or my finances, etc. When we are striving to have that relationship with Jesus and keeping Him Lord of our life, do you think Jesus may be taking care of those concerns we have? I do! When we are not consumed any longer about our "situations" and more consumed with our relationship with our Lord, then before we even realize it, He has taken care of those things for us, or given us strategies to improve those situations.
I have faced many physical trials in my life. The 2 major ones being the spinal cord damage and leukemia. I could easily get into a mindset of failure because I can no longer do the things I always enjoyed. But what I have experienced is when I am more consumed in my relationship with Jesus than I am on my trials, then I no longer am stressing out over those things. Then the next thing I know is those things do not seem like a mountain I cannot climb, instead a hill that Jesus is helping me get over.
I hope this encourages you friends. You all are important to Jesus, and He wants you to succeed. He loves us!
I want to thank you all for continuing to read my blog. This in itself has encouraged me throughout the year. I pray this year I can continue to be an encouragement to you all.
God bless you all!
Kathryn
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