November 12, 2013 - "Am I Clean?"

I'd love to know how God decided to create the universe and make a star. I am a science freak and the intricacies of creation are just a "few" of the things I'd like to discuss sometime during eternity. I suppose this is a school teacher thing, and I know God doesn't have to answer my questions, but I feel certain He will as we are in a love relationship and He knows my heart. Maybe? Do you have discovery-type questions to ask when we reach eternity? I pray you don't think I'm being disrespectful to even suggest that. I really feel there will be plenty of time to discover as we visit with God face to face. Man......I can't even grab the bottom end of that. You? Today let's speak from Psalm 51. You know the story of David and Bathsheba. David, a man after God's heart, has an experience that places him totally dealing with his flesh - an experience that could have been avoided had he followed God's plan and been off to war with the other men. However, sometimes we all wish we were elsewhere when sin crouches at OUR door. Or at least I do... But today I am grateful that God allowed this story to be penned as it brings a great HOPE to me that even in my dark times, when I have willingly embraced sin, God is able to speak, restore, and transplant. Yes, He is. I love these verses from Psalm 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, andsteadfast spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. David is falling upon the love of God who knows and yet has the power to renew and restore. I want this to be part of my prayer today and everyday. A clean and pure heart, a renewed spirit, and the joy of being saved by God - now that will make you smile. It will make me smile. :) Let's invite God to create a clean heart today, spiritually, and then let's eat properly to create and maintain a clean heart naturally. How about we do both today? Have an amazing Tuesday, PK

November 11, 2013 - "Plan For The Extras"

Good morning to all, I pray your weekend was glorious and your Monday morning tops the weekend. I am still not exactly in the groove with the time change, but I do really enjoy the light in the early morning. I wonder what God thinks about us moving time? I'm not being mean, just asking a question. Have you ever thought about that? Psalm 139 is extravagantly clear about how intricately God knows each of us and our actions prior to becoming action. So of course God knew but did he question and remark, "I set the boundaries of time for specific reasons." Maybe he just smiled and said, "good job." IDK This morning as we approach the fast paced 6-7 weeks leading to 2014, (yikes, even as I type that my heart jumped) I realize there are more parties and calories packed into the weeks than we can really expect to ration. There just are. I was listening to a doctor 2 weeks ago and she said, "If we want to be at our optimal weight, then we need to do what "skinny" people do. It's not sometimes what they eat, it's what they drink. I have studied thin people for years and the majority of them only drink water." The rest of her show spent time documenting her observations. So, as we approach the holidays with the "extras" that somehow always seem to grab us - let's give our bodies a chance to MOVE those extras. Perhaps consider drinking your 8-12 cups of water daily BEFORE drinking anything else. Now that is a challenge for me! You know I am not a huge water fan (although I still count my cups after 3 years and make myself hydrate) but I find that after my coffee in the mornings, sometimes I prefer unsweet tea or flavored teas. Occasionally I will grab a juice mid-morning and allow that as a fruit. (however, the juice is often processed and never as good as the natural fruit) But this doctor really hammered the fact that water, in its pure form, is really the best. At first I thought perhaps I could willingly give-up tea and an occasional soda or soda water, but not yet. Also, occasionally, I drink organic milk. Takes me back to my childhood, 100 years ago, when our milk was delivered to our front door in a silver box. Are any of you my age? :) I said all this because I know sometimes our days are busy and ANY fluid is welcomed. However, if we plan for those extras and make a plan to hydrate well (set a timer, get a buddy, drink your water all within an hour) then perhaps "those extras" may not find an "extra" spot this holiday season. I am making a plan as I type. Love you guys, PK

November 8, 2013 - "What Does A Fox Say?"

Good morning to all. Hoping your weekend is shaping up beautifully. So, I have to admit that I am hooked on the goofy song, "What Does The Fox Say?" Have you heard it? Yikes - it's a hoot. I sing the melody line all over and over the place. This morning I started to meditate on exactly WHAT a fox would say. The Lord drew me to Song of Soloman 2:15, "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." The Bible paints a picture of how a tender vineyard can be destroyed by a small fox. Okay, so we understand how animals unconfined can, in fact, destroy. But I believe that God is using this natural description to paint a clear picture for us. We must understand that the little issues we allow, and tolerate, although we see them as small could be as destructive as a hurricane. Consider this about the fox: The fox is a rather peculiar animal. It derives its name from its tendency to dig underground to settle in holes or burrows or to feast on grapevines. It is silent and solitary. It has an incredible sense of sight, smell, and hearing. It exhibits tremendous cleverness in going after its prey. At times, it will actually play dead in order to attack a bird which is within its striking range. When hunted, it is very cunning, devious, and capable of misleading its pursuers with utmost skill. Resultantly, the fox has always been considered as an emblem of slyness - cunning - craftiness - mischief. Right? How does that apply to our lives? We often laugh at a toddler who screams, "no." Little fox. We often tolerate the white lies, because they are not "real" lies. Little fox. We make excuses for our fleshly desires and promise to do better tomorrow. Little fox. I want to encourage all of us.....watch for the little foxes. They, in fact, could be as destructive as any "hurricane" in our lives. Can you begin to search the journey of your daily life to determine if the LITTLE foxes are in your vineyard. Oh yes - I see a few. So I said to myself this morning, "The fox does say something even though the song indicates that the fox doesn't speak." Oh yes, the fox says...... Have a great weekend, PK

November 7, 2013 - "God Is Intentional About Us."

We had such a great class last night at church! Our discussion began with considering that God pursues us. That God loved us first. That God comes to us way before we come to him. If mankind could come to see God's great love for His creation, it could impact the masses. I really enjoy preparing each week for the classes in this Experiencing God series. If you have not done it, I would suggest you at least read the book. The fact that God pursues each of us straight up says, "Intentionality." I am reminded that God is not absent, inactive, or passive. I am reminded that God wants to be involved in our daily agenda and is waiting as our feet reach the ground each and every morning to enter our day and walk with us. Intentionality is a great word and critical to our daily success in so many areas. I believe there are times where life happens - yes, I do. But more often than not, I like to be intentional with my life. I intentionally start the day reading God's word and marveling at him. I intentionally select my clothing. I intentionally get to work on time. I intentionally pack my lunch and intentionally choose my health plan. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but planning actually allows me to REST. I'm not struggling to make decisions when tried, frustrated, or hungry. I am convinced that great planning is critical to arriving at the finish line on time and well. Yes, I am. Today, are there areas in your life that are really causing frustration...the groceries, the laundry, the kids, the yard, your health? Are any of these spinning from a lack of planning? Can I suggest you take one area and for a couple of days be intentional with a plan of action? I would imagine you will begin to see some of the stress released when a plan is established. God established a plan for each of us and has a perfect will for our lives. I want to "trust without borders" in his intentionality. I want to REST in His plan and then use my planning to keep my life and those around me at rest. Whew! Gotta get dressed. Love you! PK

November 6 - "Am I In The Vine?"

Good morning, It's cool here in Georgia and the leaves are beginning to cascade from the trees. They are so beautiful streaming in the sunlight. I pray that wherever you are this morning you are enjoying the fall season. I also love daylight savings time. :) As I am studying for the lesson tonight at church, I am reminded that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5: "22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Do you ever feel as though YOU HAVE failed to really develop in one of these areas? I certainly do. But I am convinced in our own power and "might," these will not be developed well at all. The Holy Spirit knows the inner working of our hearts, including our agenda and motives, and His plan is to help us be the BEST we can be each day. So, what is our part? John 15:5 says, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will produce much fruit." I think our part is in the abiding. Staying connected to Jesus through daily devotion, worship and prayer means we are remaining connected to the branches and therefore abiding. The verse from John indicates that we must choose to remain. Life pulls at us from so many directions sometimes it's difficult and hard to hang on. But I want to produce much fruit. And I want to produce good fruit. I was thinking about how at this season of the year - late fall and winter - the fruit choices become less, the quality is often not as good and the cost explodes. Why? There is less light, less water, and the soil doesn't support growth. Can you see a picture to our lives sometimes? I can. However, even during the winter, I choose whatever fruit is available and stick with my routine. Sometimes I eat 2 apples if there are no other options. I eat canned or frozen fruit sometimes when desperate - I ABIDE. I want my life to produce the kind of fruit that is Holy Spirit inspired. How about you? Have a good one, PK

November 5, 2013 - "Are We There Yet?"

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. I have been traveling so much that I was really tired and decided to sleep in. Then, on a whim, my hair dresser had a cancellation and I was able to jump on my clothes and head out. My precious boss gave us the day off following a long, hard month. YEA! So, I am rested and ready to go. Sunday night was a great life group - only one more this year. We will NOT MEET on December 1st as that follows Thanksgiving weekend with so much family in, but we will meet on Sunday, December 8th for our final group this year. We will all share a Christmas dish and recipe. Love to have you! Speaking of love, as you know we are working through the Experiencing God series on Wednesday evenings. Our homework this week is centered around the scripture from Matthew 22:37-38, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." The word all contains three letters, but has a large inclusion factor doesn't it? I like to say it this way, "all is inclusive of everything and exclusive of nothing." BIG WORD! This verse is such so powerful. Yes? Have you ever REALLY contemplated your response to it? Of course I would imagine that many of us would emphatically say, "I absolutely love God as this commands." But obedience to this command requires more than a simple answer. My daily response to life is a great indicator of how I find myself tethered to this verse. How about you? My response in a time of difficulty often makes a bold statement. If you had to honestly answer this question, what would you say..."what is the first thing you turn to in a difficult situation?" You...your spouse...your resources...the church? Loving God with my heart (the Greek word cardia meaning mind, will, and emotions) is often proved in my actions...or at least I see it as such. Can we agree that loving God with everything within means that we are going to love God when everything is drawing us from the truth that God loved us first AND more than we can imagine? Trusting and loving God when everything is great in one's life can be a lot easier than when bad circumstances happen, especially without provocation. But if we can stand firm and not waiver in our confidence throughout our journey that God is our center, our number one, our stabilizer and that no matter what thoughts or circumstances come our way that serve as an enticement to draw us from this stance, we LOVE God period. That's the first step - then moving toward loving him with ALL of our being is the maturity within the command. Sometimes we need to pre-determine our response and practice it. I do. I know how my flesh responds sometimes, and I will practice ahead of time so that I can remind myself that all of me LOVES God and TRUSTS him and WILL OBEY when the enemy of our soul is making his stand. Let's ask the Holy Spirit today if there is any portion of our mind, will, or emotions that is emphatically not committed to Matthew 22:37-38. Could it be that God didn't answer your prayer as you felt he would and there's a sliver of disappointment? Maybe we could all answer "yes." I know I need the Holy Spirit to show me my heart. How about you? Ask and listen today. If this is the first and greatest commandment, we need to start here. Have a great Tuesday! PK

November 1, 2013 - "Questions"

Good morning everyone, I am running a little behind today as I rested in from a long day yesterday following a long Wednesday. It's rainy here in Georgia and that always says, "it's okay to rest a little longer" to me. How about you? Anyway, after some coffee and reading of the Word, I am feeling a smile in my spirit again. Now, just need a little sunshine and it's on! :) I felt the Lord speak to me about the word questions late yesterday. I was not certain if that was for us, or simply me. But the notion came back to my heart this morning, so I want to talk for a second about that. Have you ever noticed that children, often, ask a lot of questions? Sometimes it's cute and sometimes it can get out of hand. As we mature and grow older, often the questions slow down or in some cases stop. Have you ever thought about that? At what point did the freedom and innocence to ask "whatever" get halted? Questions can be the opening to so many wonderful things: conversation, learning, exploring, etc. and yet I find that many have transitioned from questions to gain information and show concern to statements of opinions and simple facts. Let's consider our daily journey. I was speaking with a young person yesterday who often asks frequent questions, and second-level questions to clarify. I complimented this young lady on her tenacity "to know as opposed to assume." As she is asking things of me - I am teaching and grooming her, but learning what's really important to her as well. I thought about the situations in my life where I feel the most confident. Often, these are cloaked with the most questions. I know asking can be risky sometimes, but I would much rather ask and know the truth. That's why I like having my blood tested a couple of times each year. The testing is a deep-level answer to the questions I have about my health. I don't need unanswered questions about my health to place me in a fight along the journey when it's really too late to fight easily. Right? But beyond our health, let me encourage you to consider asking some of these questions today: "How can I help you?"....."How are you feeling?"....."Can I help with your children today?"....."God, where are you working today and can I help?"....."Father, what's on your heart?" Asking these questions means we need to stop and listen - stop and respond - stop and follow through with a sincere answer. Asking and responding takes time, but shows love and concern. Can you find someone to ask a "them" question this day? We now begin a month of focused attention on being thankful and showing others we care. Challenge: each day ask someone a question that cannot be answered with a simple "yes or no" and allow time to respond. This is a GREAT way of showing someone, especially those you find challenging, that you care. Have a great Friday and I am accepting my own challenge. (wink) PK