November 29, 2013 - "My Wal-mart Experience"

Wow - I made the stupid mistake last evening of going to look for Christmas lights for several projects around the house and boy was I shocked when I arrived at Wal-mart. Yes, I knew all about the Thanksgiving sales and the "pre-Black Friday" savings, but nothing prepared me for the magnitude of what we saw. Terry and I were simply going to see "what" the crowds looked like and head to Kroger for our lights (which were on SALE big time) but when we arrived we were sucked into the enormity of the shock and awe factor. Not only was the Wal-mart parking lot packed, so was the Home Depot parking lot and the bank parking lot AND EVERY parking lot close to the store. We decided to pass quietly through the sea of cars, but a vehicle pulled out right before us offering the "perfect" parking spot. Why not? My husband made the call that we should at least go inside to gain "bragging rights." Really? Crowds I can do; but not the pushy, jam packed, "I'll run over you with my cart if you think you're gonna cut in front" crowds. No way! Outside the store was one revelation - once inside I felt as if time stood still. It was one of those moments where I was afraid if I was detached from my husband I would be lost forever. I thought of the thousands of people who perished on the Titanic (crazy, right?). I felt sorry for the employees trying to restock amidst the pushing and shoving. I wondered how many people were spending above their budget before the holiday began. CRAZY! Finally, I stood and let my heart respond to what my eyes saw. Where have we come from having days of being with families and not being consumed with X Boxes and Barbie houses on Thanksgiving Eve? Every ounce of the store was consumed and the lines for payment 40 deep. I wondered. While the energy of the crowd certainly fueled more than I described, Terry and I weren't fueled at all. We walked through the crowds, checked some prices and strolled back into the parking lot after hearing tales of people waiting in line one hour + for their three purchases. I told my husband, "I can't imagine waiting for anything that long." As I left, I wondered how many of these people really understood how Thanksgiving began or the real reason for giving gifts? I wondered how many were lonely and buying gifts in a HUGE crowd was simply a way to hide their feelings. Maybe I ate too much turkey, but all these things journeyed in my mind. Then, we drove past Target on our way to Kroger only to find an enormous line of people waiting outside to have the same experience as the Wal-mart folks bundled with their chairs, mittens, and jackets. Again, I pondered. I pondered, "when is the last time there were this many people as excited to minister in the hospitals or waiting in long lines to serve at a children's home?" I wondered, "would people ever line up for hours and wait to feed the homeless or serve their community?" Kathy, when have you done this? Kathy, when have you placed yourself in the context of Matthew 25? This is my morning to drink coffee and reflect. Some times I need to pause and question. Some times God allows each of us a picture reminder of the masses He sees daily and His heart for them all. My Wal-mart Thanksgiving experience has served as a challenge for me. No Life Group this Sunday - but NEXT Sunday, planning to share healthy Christmas yummies with you. Let me know you're coming. Have a great one! PK

November 28 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to ya (said with an Irish brogue - been watching too many Netflix movies during my illness) I don't have long today but I cannot let the day begin until I've had my coffee and chatted with you. Well, I always try to get my devotionals in with that first cup of coffee and then I chat with you. I LOVE Thanksgiving morning. I sit with tears as I type while I remember the smells of my childhood and the festivities of the holiday morning. There were only five of us at our table each year as we celebrated, but the memories are still abundant. I can remember my first Thanksgiving away from home as a newlywed (21 to be exact) and I cried like a baby to be away from my family. Isn't that funny that sometimes I cannot remember someone's name, but I can remember the tears? Anyway, I am carrying on the tradition with my daughter and grand daughters - the same smells and activities. I pray that when they have families they will remember as vividly as I do. While the memories have not changed, the meal has. PRAISE God. This year I am experimenting with my mom's famous mac and cheese recipe made with Quinoa noodles. I'll let you know how that works out. (wink) My father would probably pitch a fit if he were here, but a healthy Thanksgiving is TOTALLY doable. Sorry, daddy. While our meal is trimmed of most fat, all sugar and starch the love at our table is deep and rich! I pray that for you as well. I pray also that at the end of this day you smile as you realize God loves you, you are loved by your family and that your commitment to great health proves that you love yourself enough to continue to stand for your freedom. Much love this day friends, PK.

November 27, 2013 - "A Prayer For My Table"

How does one spend the day before Thanksgiving? I guess that depends on "if" you're the one doing the cooking. Right? For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am a planner and a schemer and this traditional meal requires planning. I have the food lists and the days when they are to be created and where they will be placed until they go into the oven. Yikes - too much to share in a blog probably. But if you're like me, confusion on Thanksgiving morning can mean a "not so peaceful" lunch. So I plan. Yesterday we spoke of thanksgiving proceeding from a place of remembering. And then I encouraged you to find people round about to whom you could remember and thank. Today, I want to share a passage of scripture from Psalms that I feel speaks into our Thanksgiving season perfectly. Psalm 145 (CEV) I will praise you, my God and King and always honor your name. 2 I will praise you each day and always honor your name. 3 You are wonderful, Lord, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand. 4 Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds. 5 I will keep thinking about your marvelous glory and your mighty miracles.[a] 6 Everyone will talk about your fearsome deeds, and I will tell all nations how great you are. 7 They will celebrate and sing about your matchless mercy and your power to save. 8 You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. 9 You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. 10 All creation will thank you, and your loyal people will praise you. 11 They will tell about your marvelous kingdom and your power. 12 Then everyone will know about the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom. 13 Your kingdom will never end, and you will rule forever. Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere. 19 You satisfy the desires of all your worshipers, and you come to save them when they ask for help. 20 You take care of everyone who loves you, but you destroy the wicked. 21 I will praise you, Lord, and everyone will respect your holy name forever. Wow - this entire passage causes me to stop, remember, and give thanks. I pray this Thanksgiving each of us can find a quiet place where we can sit still and contemplate. Perhaps you could turn this Psalm into a prayer of Thanksgiving that you could share at your meal on Thursday. I am. Remember - LIFE GROUP IS NOT THIS SUNDAY, BUT NEXT SUNDAY. We will share our healthy, Christmas dishes on our pretty, Christmas dishes. Hope you can come.

November 26, 2013 - "Giving Thanks!"

Good morning to you all and Happy Thanksgiving week. I am feeling better and I appreciate your prayers! I cannot convey how excited I am to feel basically normal after three days. Praise God - now I can see people again. It's one thing to be sick and another to be isolated because you're contagious. UGH. It has been great to hear from some of you as to how your Thanksgiving meal is shaping up. I love the creative, cooking ideas from our team. You guys are amazing! I was listening Sunday to a minister who made the comment, "90% of Thanksgiving comes out of thinking." That really intrigued me and yet I found it profoundly true. A grateful heart really does flow from remembering all that God and others have done for us. While I am certain our children and families are grateful that Christmas presents are gathering under the tree (one level of gratitude), I am convinced that once opened and placed into action they become a deeper source of gratitude. See where I am going with this? However, heart-felt gratitude for long-term faithfulness is beyond the "gift-level gratitude." Right? Can you remember the day when God delivered you, healed you, walked with you during a horrific time, and spoke to you to bring comfort that you could never explain? I do! Many of us could say, "yes" to that and add, "for many years on multiple occasions." Simply saying, "thank you" for such care devotion hardly seems appropriate. Let us stop and remember this season and have that type of reflection affect our Thanksgiving for 2103. Are there people coming for your dinner on Thursday who have been faithful and stood with you when others walked away? Have you told them? Is there someone today who has encouraged you when quitting seemed an easier option? Can you stop and tell them? This is thanks...giving, or giving thanks by taking the time to recognize and validate others. Ohhhhh.....I am so smiling. Many of you have done this for me! When I couldn't write another blog or host another Life Group, you were there. When I wanted to question all the research and quit the fight for healthy choices among the nay-sayers, you encouraged me. I want to express my thanksgiving to you this season. I look forward to 2014 knowing there's a healthy, free person inside each of us and together we can help those healthy, free people remain FREE. I appreciate you! PK

November 25, 2103

Sorry, no blog today. I am dealing with the stomach flu. Let's chat tomorrow. PK

November 22, 2013 - "Trample Is A Good Word!"

I don't know if any of you had an opportunity to recite the verse from yesterday (Luke 10:19) during the day, but I did! As I breathed that into my spirit, it encouraged me. The more I was encouraged the more I began to settle on one word. Now, I love authority, power, no harm...but I continued to come back to the word TRAMPLE. Let's end our week here. trample |ˈtrampəl| verb [ with obj. ] tread on and crush: the fence had been trampled down | [ no obj.] : her dog trampled on his tulips. • [ no obj. ] (trample on/over) treat with contempt: a drug-testing device that doesn't trample on employees' civil liberties. First of all, the part of speech indicates this is an action word. That means I am physically moving and doing something. Early in the week we spoke of resting in the foxhole, but how many of you know one cannot remain in the foxhole and win the battle? We are required to rest for regeneration, but we are required to MOVE for energy's sake. So trample being a verb is a good thing! Let's move forward THROUGH our lives with the confidence that God's Word proclaims we WILL trample on deadly things with no harm. Shout somebody! Maybe stop and look at Luke 10:19 again RIGHT NOW. Then, let's look at the definition - tread on and crush - treat with contempt. Have you ever had a scorpion in your home or shoe? OCCASIONALLY I can strike that guy with enough force to kill him in one blow, but often it's several strong blows before they really slow down. Don't you wish the enemy of our soul was like that? Sometimes we can strike with one blow, but often he is determined to win and is banking on the fact that we will get discouraged and quit before our real breakthrough. HE IS COUNTING ON IT! And left to myself, I might do just that. But I have found that declaring God's Word out loud, memorizing passages, and believing - without waivering - the scripture gives me the courage to fight. Do you need courage to tackle your flesh? I do! Try memorizing one or two verses each month and use them as YOUR sword. It's powerful! And finally, trample, tread, crush doesn't seem to indicate the principle of one. Have you seen how grapes are trampled? I have that picture in mind. I really believe that God is trying to remind us in Luke 10 that tough life-circumstances will come but we will crush them and keep on crushing them, with contempt, until we STAND in victory. Now I am not certain that this is in it's completed work until we see Jesus in our eternal state, but God does say that he has given us authority and power to tread, crush, and trample on our issues and no harm will overtake us. I choose to believe that. How about you? As we close this week - remember, that in God all things are possible and apart from Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5) Have a great weekend! PK

November 21, 2103 - "Serpents and Scorpions"

Yesterday we chatted about God being in the fox hole with us and how that often brings a high-level of comfort. Beyond that, I feel knowing God is in that war place with me actually allows me to rest with the sound of exploding bombs and firing bullets close at hand. (somehow even as I type I am gathering a vivid picture in my mind and REST settles into my spirit) I am grateful to know that we can rest in the presence of our God in such a manner. Yes, I am. But Luke records another facet of the heart of God. While God wants us to abide in Him and rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91), He also promises that He will give us power over the enemy and that nothing will harm us. Does God's Word say nothing? Yep - I read this passage in 5 different translations which make the same declaration. Luke 10:19 Amplified Bible (AMP) 19 Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you. I like this - I can REST because God's in the fox hole and I can be confident that nothing shall harm me because God has given me AUTHORITY and POWER. The Amplified version indicates that physical and mental strength and ability over ALL the power the enemy possesses is mine! That means I can sleep AND I can stand as God has made a way to victory. I really feel that often we forget Who gives the power and Who gives rest. Sometimes it's easy, especially following seasons of victory, to start moving in our own agenda, power and might. But I have found that to be dangerous and costly. Luke, in this verse, reveals that God has given authority over ALL the power of our enemy and NOTHING shall harm us. Do you like those words ALL and NOTHING? I do! The greater issue is do we TRUST God's Word in this verse? Tough question. Immediately many of us could recount times when we have not felt authority or power and may, in fact, feel as we have been harmed so a question mark could arise. Let me remind you, just because we feel a certain way does not mean it's the truth! God tattooed that concept on me this year. Luke 10:19 places us within the context of trials and difficult situations and often what we want is NONE OF THAT. Remember our trust in God strengthens and develops as we REST in the foxhole and STAND in our God-confidence within the battle. I would like to challenge you this morning to memorize this verse, today, and say it out loud at least once a day for 30 days to close out 2013. I can promise that your confidence in God will increase as well as God's perspective on exactly what serpents and scorpions represent in your life. I know some in my life and I am renewed this day in my confession that I will trample on them and they will not harm me. I have already said it THREE times. Man, it's awesome! Thank you, God, for knowing I needed a little boost added to my smoothie this day. (wink) Talk in the morning, PK