A Letter to my Dad

First, I want to say how grateful and thankful I am to have a Dad like you!  You’ve taught me so much throughout my life and as an adult I can see how truly blessed my life has been because of you.

You’ve always been there for every event, big or small, in my life!  You have a love of sports and you wanted to share that with me, your oldest daughter, by putting me on teams when I was younger.  You taught me how to play basketball and golf.  Basketball didn’t work out too well for me, though, as I ducked for cover every time the ball came at me…so much for the tall working in my favor for that sport! 🙂  Then, you showed me a hurdle because you knew my long legs could leap over those in a race.  But I just looked at you like you were crazy!!

As it turned out, music was more my speed, so you exchanged exciting basketball games for less exciting band concerts.  But that never stopped you, because you were there for every single one…from junior high to high school and all the way to college. You were there at all the football games and all the concerts.  You came to all of the Parents’ Days at Texas Tech and watched me march the halftime shows during the football games.  You even traveled to watch me play my trumpet at church and in Christmas programs…you’ve been there for it all, Dad.

And you continue to support and encourage me in my adult years.  A couple of years ago, you took all of us to the Texas State Fair in Dallas; something you’d wanted to do for so long. You come to Lubbock when you can to play in golf tournaments with me (mostly with Jim, but I play when I can); you get up early on your vacation to come watch me at my Crossfit class.  And most recently, you went to watch me run a 5K at the Mayor’s Marathon and took me to breakfast to celebrate when I finished.

As I’ve gotten older, I know the true value of a dollar and what it means to work hard and those are things you taught me when I was growing up.  You and Mom worked a lot to save for family vacations we took during the summers.  And we didn’t just go camping; we loaded up and went to places like California and Montana.  But they weren’t just trips to get to those places; it was the trips to those places. Because of those vacations, I’ve been to the 4 Corners, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park; I’ve even been to Canada and Disneyland.

When I was younger I wondered (and sometimes complained) about why we had to drive and not fly to all those places and why we always stopped at parks for picnic lunches instead eating in restaurants.  But now I know it was to save money for all the good stuff…the fun stuff; not waste it on expensive restaurant food.  Because of your good work ethic, I not only have great memories from those family vacations, but I also know how to work hard to provide for my family.

You’re always there Dad, for everything!  You’ve taught me so much and I just wanted the opportunity to let you know that I noticed.  Life is short so we need to make the most of the time we have. We need to make the time to tell those we love that we love them. And we need to tell our loved ones why they mean so much to us.

I thank you for my love of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers.  We weren’t just fans that watched on TV, we were fans that sat in the stands and cheered on our teams.  And I know now that those tickets weren’t cheap, so I thank you for taking the time and the money to take us to fun games like those.  Like the family vacations, those are priceless memories I will treasure forever

I know my husband thanks you for my love of football, playing golf and watching action movies!  Thanks to you, he never has to go to sappy chick flicks; he gets to watch the good stuff because that’s what I always want to see…the good action movies! 🙂  But I thank you for taking the time for Daddy-Daughter dates, too, to dinner, the movies, to play Putt-Putt or whatever I wanted to do; I treasure those memories to this day.

Thank you, Dad for always working so hard to provide for our family!  You gave us a happy childhood, good work ethic, memorable family vacations and a great role model to follow.  Next to the word “Dad” in the dictionary, should be your picture because to me, you are everything a Dad stands for and was created by God to be.

You’ve been there for me from the beginning…I think there’s a picture of you sleeping in the waiting room when I was born.  And you’ll keep being there for everything I do…as long as God allows.  So until that time comes, we’ll make the most of every opportunity we have to make new memories.

Thanks for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, Dad!  I love you so very much!!!   

  

The Promise of “And”

The word “and” is generally used as a connector for other words and phrases or to mean that something is being added to something else already existing.

For example, you can say, “For your birthday, we’re having cake and ice cream.”  You were already having the cake (existing) and then added ice cream.  Or, when you think of the word “and” as a connector to other words or phrases, it’s something like this, “Today, we’re going shopping and we plan to shop at the mall, Hobby Lobby and Home Goods.”

I promise, I am going somewhere with this…this isn’t an English lesson! 🙂

But have you ever thought about how the word “and” is used in Scripture?  Let me shed some light on what I mean by this.  I was in a Bible study class the other night and we were talking about scriptures we like.  Most people like verses that “speak” to them or to a certain situation they may be going through.  But we also  like to “cherry pick” the part we like the most, usually leaving out some of the meaning.

Take, for example, Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This is a very popular scripture.  It’s often quoted on journal covers, Facebook pages, tattoos, shirts, jewelry…you get the picture.  It’s used just about anywhere and everywhere. And it’s a great scripture; I like it just as much as anyone else.  But when we focus on just this part and don’t look at what comes before or after it, we’re only getting part of the meaning.

Here’s the full passage, including the before and after:

“10This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.  14I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

See, the Lord told His people that He had a great plan for them and that He was going to do wonderful things for them.  But first, they had to endure the struggle.  And that’s where we get caught up…we want the great and wonderful things, but we don’t want to endure the hardships that lead to the wonderful things.  We want the great plan, the financial blessing, and the hope for a wonderful future.  We don’t want the struggle, the hard times, or the bleak financial picture we’re facing.  We want to take the bad stuff and sweep it under the rug, or hide under our covers until it’s finished. But that isn’t at all what God has planned for us.

What we have to remember are the promises God has given us that help us through the tough times to get to the great and wonderful plan.  Here are some examples:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.” (Lamentations 3:31)

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

When we struggle, it doesn’t mean God has forgotten about us or doesn’t like us anymore.  He puts us through trials to teach us, or to show us something we’re not seeing or learning on our own.  When we go through the tough times, we have to remember there is another side to it; there is light at the end of our dark, treacherous and ongoing tunnel.  We might not be able to see what’s coming ahead of us, but God does.  But in order to fully grasp and enjoy the plan, we have to endure the hard stuff.

Let’s look at Jeremiah 29:10-14 once more.

Verse 10: This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.

Verse 11: For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Verse 12: Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Verse 13: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.

Verse 14: I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

God is telling His people EXACTLY what He will do FOR them.  When they do this, He will do that…in each line of that passage.  God is FOR US.  He is not against us…EVER!

Reading, learning and quoting Scripture is a good thing; just remember to read it all, to understand the full context of what God is telling us. God does know the plans He has for us and He will see each and every one of His promises fulfilled in our lives. Rest in that.

Letting Go of My Dream

Over the past couple of days, I’ve come to the realization that I need to let some things…one thing…go.

There’s this dream I have.  I’ve had it for a very long time…probably since I was a young girl.  I’m still holding on to it and I do believe that one day it will happen.  But I’ve come to realize that this dream has started to suffocate me.  I’ve made this dream the very center of my being.  I’ve let it become the one thing I think about day in and day out.  The obsession I’ve cultivated for this dream has been causing me lots of mental anxiety and stress.  And I just don’t know if I can continue like this without a complete breakdown!

But I’ve also noticed that I’ve pulled away from God because of this dream obsession.  Don’t get me wrong, I still go to church and read the Word, but my heart just isn’t in it.  A couple of weeks ago, I stood at the back of the worship service.  I tried to sing, but I just couldn’t.  One of the lines of the song they were singing said, “Your love never fails.”  I started to sing it and then I stopped.  And I thought, “I know Your love never fails, but I just don’t believe it right now.  I don’t see You doing anything for me to prove that Your love never fails.  You’re not moving where I need You to move.  When I call out to You, there’s no answer.  Do You hear me?  Do You even see me, at all!?!” Very Christian of me, I know!!

So, I stood in the back, arms by my side, listening to the song and crying.  And then I stepped out and left the service. I’ve been told I can be a very stubborn person…and right now, with God, I truly believe it!

But being this stubborn with God hasn’t gotten me anywhere!  And the stubbornness is causing me the most stress because I just want to be angry with God. I want to be angry with Him because my dream hasn’t become a reality. The way I see it, people all around me are seeing their dreams fulfilled; people are receiving the dream I so desperately desire. And as I stand there and watch, I become angrier and more stubborn, because God isn’t answering MY dream!

But, I’m really not allowing Him to move or do anything for me either.  My eyes are completely blinded to ANYTHING He might be trying to do.

So the other night in my bible study class, we were watching a video.  I could really relate to this lady telling her story and the Lord allowed me to see a visual on this whole mess I’ve put myself into.  It’s like a rope or an object and I have my hand on it and I’m holding on really tight.  And by really tight, I mean white-knuckle-clenched-fist tight. And this is the conversation I had with God about my really tight grip:

God told me, “Let it go.”

And I said, “No! I can’t!  If I let go, my dream will go away!”

And God said, “Trust Me, Kara.”

And I replied, “I can’t.  If I don’t hold on, how do I know that it’ll happen? What if I never get it back?”

And God said, “I can’t move and do the things you want, until you ‘Let. Go.’”

And then I said, “I don’t know how.  I’ve been holding on tight for so long, I don’t know how to ‘let go.’”

And then God said, “It’s going to be okay. You can trust Me. My Word says that I will give you the desires of your heart. But I have to be able to move to do that and you have to let go, so that I can.”

Have you ever had to let go of something?  Of a dream?  Of something you’ve wanted for so long and didn’t think it was ever going to come?

That’s where I am right now…today…trying to “let go.”  And as I was getting ready this morning, I was thinking about that conversation with God and the visual He showed me.  Then a song came to my mind. A song with words that speak right to the heart of my situation and a gentle reminder of what God asked of me the other night.  The song is “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle.

Letting go of every single dream

I lay each one down at your feet

Every moment of my wandering

Never changes what you see

I try to win this war I confess

My hands are weary, I need your rest

Mighty warrior, king of the fight

No matter what I face you’re by my side

When you don’t move the mountains

I’m needing you to move

When you don’t part the waters

I wish I could walk through

When you don’t give the answers

As I cry out to you

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you

Truth is you know what tomorrow brings

There’s not a day ahead you have not seen

So let all things be my life and breath

I want what you want Lord and nothing less

When you don’t move the mountains

I’m needing you to move

When you don’t part the waters

I wish I could walk through

When you don’t give the answers

As I cry out to you

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you

I will trust in you

You are my strength and comfort

You are my steady hand

You are my firm foundation

The rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher

Your plans are always good

There’s not a place where I’ll go

You’ve not already been

When you don’t move the mountains

I’m needing you to move

When you don’t part the waters

I wish I could walk through

When you don’t give the answers

As I cry out to you

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you

I will trust in you

I will trust in you

I will trust in you

I’m visualizing loosening my grip and letting the color come back to my hand. I’m trying to remember what it means to trust God and how freeing it feels when I let Him move and do what only He can do.  I’ve done it before; it just seemed easier before…or at least it feels that way now, that it was easier to trust Him in the past.

I need to let go.  I will let go.  And I will put my trust back in God.  The only One that can make ALL my dreams come true!

Psalm 37:4 (NLT) “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

Psalm 18:30 (NKJV) “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

 

 

 

 

Your promise still stands…

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet

I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again

I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again

I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again

I’ll see You do it again
Oh-oh

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

And You never failed me yet
I never will forget
You never failed me yet
And I never will forget

We sang this song at our women’s worship night last week.  The song is called, “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship. After last week didn’t go as I had planned and believed it would, this song really spoke to me.  Although my plan is now delayed a little while longer, I’m still standing.  The delay doesn’t mean God’s Promise is any less true or won’t happen, this last week just wasn’t His timing.

He still moves mountains.

His promises still stand.

Great is His faithfulness.

He hasn’t failed me yet.

I’ll see Him “do it again” soon.

https://youtu.be/-6BD2z6ue90

Faith and Star Wars

psalm-119-114My husband and I recently watched the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One.  In the movie there was a man that constantly repeated a phrase over and over.  It didn’t matter if he was just sitting still or doing something, he always repeated the same phrase. (By the way, I’m not giving anything away on the movie, so if you haven’t seen it, it’s okay to continue reading!)

The phrase he repeated over and over was, “The Force is with me. I am one with the Force.”  Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not, you know that “the Force” is what the Jedi use to fight against the Dark Side.  So by this man repeating this phrase over and over, he was basically building faith within himself that no matter what he encountered, the Force would be with him and would help him accomplish his plans.

As I was driving to work this morning, I thought of this phrase and realized how easily I could change the wording to become, “God is with me. I am one with God.”  No matter where I am, what I’m doing or what I might be facing, reminding myself that God is with me and I am one with God is something I should be repeating all the time.  It’s an assurance, a faith booster and a reminder that God is ALWAYS with us.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.  All we have to do is simply call on Him and He is there.

 

I am not inferior

inferiorPreviously posted at https://cherishedministriesfcfc.com/blog-posts/

Last weekend, I completed a 5k race.  I use the word “completed” because I’d be lying if I said I “ran a 5k”.  I don’t like to run!  Ever!  I always used to say that the only way I would run would be if someone were chasing me. 🙂  But, I want to LIKE running.  I’m more of a motivated walker and kind-of-sometime jogger…for limited…very limited amounts of time.

I have a friend that, while I did the 5k, she ran a 10k.  Notice my choice of words…I “did the 5k” and she “ran the 10k”.  Yep…she ran it…all of it!  And beat her last time by over 4 minutes!  I’m really proud of her…and truly impressed.

I could look at her and say, “Wow, she’s so much better than me.” But that’s not really true.  I mean, she is in her own way, but not in a way that makes me inferior as a person.  She trains.  She runs as often as she can and she practices running.  I don’t practice running…or really walking/jogging for that matter.  I’m not as dedicated as she is.  But that doesn’t make me any less of a person, just different.

I started a new work out a while back and I told myself that I was no longer going to engage in negative self-talk.  In my previous workout class, we did a lot of running and I always found myself being the last runner…the slowest runner.  I always equated that to being inferior to everyone else…that they tried harder than me or that they were just better than me.  But that’s not true either.  That’s just what my thoughts would tell me…that because I don’t work out like her or I don’t run like her, that I’m an inferior person.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  I’ve always liked that quote and it’s true.  No one can.  But, no one was…I was.  I was making myself inferior to everyone around me.  “She does that workout really well…I wish I could be like her.”  Or, “Wow, she runs great…wish I could run like that.”  It goes on and on and on!!

It’s not that anyone is making me feel inferior…I’m doing a pretty outstanding job of doing that on my own.

Want to know why she does that work out well?  It’s because she goes to class every day and works really hard.  She wants to be good at it, so she trains and she tries.

Want to know why she runs so well?  It’s because she trains day in and day out; improving herself and working on her skills so she can be better.

I can do all of that, too.  I just have to WANT to do that.  If I don’t want to do that, then I’m not going to have the results that others do.

I have a choice.  I can either keep looking at other people around me, comparing myself to them and think about what I don’t have or can’t do… OR…I can just be me.  Am I perfect? Haha…no!  Could I run more consistently or train in class regularly? Yes. Are there things I want to improve about myself? Yes.

But the sum total of all of that…I can be whoever I want to be and I can do whatever I want to do. The only person standing in my way…is ME!

So I made a deal with myself to stop feeling inferior to other people…to stop making myself feel inferior to other people.  I am not inferior.  I am exactly who God made me to be. I am created in His image (Genesis. 1:27).  I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

If I’m in a group of people and I’m not very talkative, then it’s because I’m more of an introvert.  There’s nothing wrong with being quiet; it’s just who I am.  If I go to my workout class and only do 5 burpees in the same time it takes everyone else to do 10 or more, then that’s what I do.  There’s nothing wrong with that either.  Everyone starts somewhere and I can only do what I can do. If I walk and jog a 5k while someone runs the whole time; that’s okay, too!  They’re a runner and I’m a walker-sometimes jogger. They’re being who they are and I’m being who I am.

I’m proud of what I did last weekend.  I completed a 5k.  I walked and sometimes jogged the 5k.  I did exactly what I was capable of doing and I am proud of myself.

I am not inferior.  I am…ME.

A Reflective Thought…

Proverbs 27.19As I was reading in my quiet time this morning, I came across this scripture.  I’ve had this particular scripture highlighted in my Bible for awhile.  This has always stuck with me as a true representation of who we really are.

Have you ever stopped to think that the very words that come out of your mouth represent what is in your heart?  You may think, “No, the heart doesn’t really reveal who I am. I can control my thoughts and what comes out of my mouth.”  And to an extent, yes you can.

But in the heat of the moment, when you’re really angry or upset or someone cut you off in traffic, the words that come out of your mouth at that moment…those words reflect what is in your heart.

It’s definitely a good indicator of what we may need to work on so that when we do speak in the heat of the moment, God-things can come out of our mouths.

Here’s another scripture that is similar to this one, “For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, NKJV)

Am I sharing this because I’m perfect?  Heck no! Far, far from it.  I’ve always loved this scripture and it struck a chord with me today when I read it and wanted to share it with you.

 

 

Be YOUnique

Jeremiah 29.11

I was reading a devotional from Christine Caine this morning.  In it, she talks about our destiny and it being a “common trap” to want the destiny that others have.

It’s the same as comparing ourselves to others based on their looks or physique; or thinking their marriage looks better than ours; or that their life looks easier than ours.  Whatever “it” is for you, the game of comparison to others is a trap from the devil.  That doesn’t come from God.  Like Christine said, “YOU are a God-ordained puzzle piece that fits perfectly into His strategy for reaching the hurting and lost at this very moment in time.”

Don’t fall into the trap of comparison and wanting what others have. God has a specific purpose for each one of us.  God has given each of us gifts and talents and visions and destinies that belong just to us.  Be the unique puzzle piece God made you to be! 🙂

The Dream and the Wilderness

Mark 9.23

Lately, I’ve been drawn to the story of the Israelites.  Mostly, their journey from Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  One of my favorite illustrations of this journey is from the book, “One in a Million” by Priscilla Shirer.  I read the book for the first time a few years ago.  I had heard Priscilla speak at a conference and was instantly engaged.  A friend had been reading the book and recommended it so I immediately went out and bought it.  Of course, then I got busy and didn’t read it for a few months.  But when I finally picked it up to read, I couldn’t put it down.

In all my years of attending Sunday school, youth group and church, I never fully picked up on the facts of this story.  Two million people left Egypt with Moses and out of the original two million, only two…T-W-O… actually entered into the Promised Land.  Not even Moses got to cross that final river and stand in the Promised Land.  Why? Lack of faith.  All of the original two million people, with the exception of the two, died in the wilderness during the 40-year journey.  The two million people that did cross into the Promised Land were the offspring of the original group.

It is such an amazing story…sad at times, frustrating at times and happy at times.  And there’s so much we can learn from them.  This has become one of my favorite bible stories!

So as I said earlier, I’ve been drawn to this story, so I decided to dig this book out and read it again.  I’m currently reading it and this will be the third time (yes, 3rd). I’ve also been doing some other reading during my quiet time and each and every reading I’ve done lately…they’ve all referenced this one story about the Israelites and their wilderness journey.  It has just completely blown my mind how everything I’ve been reading or studying or scriptures I’ve found all lead back and tie into this story.  God is simply amazing!!  And obviously has something for me to learn! 🙂

When I read the story about the Israelites, my first instinct is to get frustrated with them for their lack of faith.  I mean, God was with them day and night; He had a visual presence they could see with the cloud and the fire.  He provided everything they needed, every time they needed something.  And when they complained, He provided. They even got to be a part of and witness one of the greatest miracles in the history of mankind…the parting of the Red Sea!  They got to see the water split down the middle and become a wall so they could walk on dry land right through it.  They got to see all two million of their traveling buddies walk through completely unscathed.  And then they got to watch Pharaoh’s army follow after them and get swept away as the walls of water came crashing down on them.

They saw it all!  And then they forgot.  And then they complained.  And this is where my frustration with them begins.  And then I remember that I am a flawed human just like they were.  And I remember how quickly I can forget the miracles God does in my life when things start to get hard again or busy or I stop seeking after the One I need.

I’ve been on many wilderness journeys of my own. And I’m sure you have too…we all have!  Sometimes God takes us on a wilderness journey to show us something new or to teach us something we’re too stubborn to learn the easy way.  Sometimes He takes us there to guide us away from something harmful that we don’t see ourselves.  And sometimes He takes us there to breathe new life into us and/or the dreams and visions He has for us.  That’s what my current wilderness journey has been…the rebirth of a dream.

I have always loved reading books.  When I was younger and still some now, good fiction books….you know, the feel-good story with the perfect people who say all the right things at the right time, with the always happy ending. I love to read mystery books and see if I can figure out where the author is taking me before I read it. And I love to read non-fiction books; books like “One in a Million” that teach me something I didn’t know before.

But the one thing I have always wanted to do is to write books.  I’ve had this dream of being a published author for as long as I can remember.  At first, it was to write fiction stories like the ones I get lost in and love.  But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself drawn to non-fiction…to write something that can help someone else.

I have a friend who is a published author and I have asked her countless times how she does it, how she knows what to write or how to start.  She tells me the same thing over and over, “You just sit down and start typing.  God will bring the words to you.”  And that is exactly what He has done!

As I said earlier, all the reading I have done lately has culminated to this story—the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness.  It was deep in the wilderness that I remembered my love for writing.  I realized my friend was right….I just need to sit down and start typing, so I did.  I have. I started keeping a journal a few weeks ago.  Is it profound and professional?  Of course not!  It’s just a way of making a habit to sit down and write something.

But I also felt there was something bigger stirring in me; a story to write; a story to share. And that brings me to this blog.  Although this is about this specific journey of discovery and rebirthing of a dream, I know there will be many more to share.  And as God brings those stories to my mind, I want to share them with you.

Maybe you already follow my blog or found it by happenstance.  Maybe you found this on my Facebook page as it came across your News Feed.  However you came across it, I’m happy you did!  I’ve always loved being an encourager to people around me…seeing the blue sky on a cloudy day.  And I want to continue to be an encourager through my writings and postings as the Lord leads.

Through the vision the Lord recently gave me, I have made some adjustments to my website where I blog and have also created a Facebook page to link future blogs and encouraging posts.

If you’re interested in seeing where God takes me on this writing journey, I ask you to come along with me on this ride. And if you’re not, that’s okay…we’ll still be friends in the blogosphere! J You can find my blogging website at http://kmhlivingbyfaith.com or find me on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/livingbyfaith.kmh.

Thanks for reading and hope to “see” you soon!! 🙂

Hello 42

As I sit here and enjoy the last few hours of this age, I think back to how this past year of my life went.  First, I try to remember what happened, as with getting older, my memory isn’t as spry as it once was. 🙂  But with anything, I look back and think of all the things I didn’t do or didn’t accomplish that I thought I would.  But as I do that, I realize that I don’t want to focus on the past, I want to look forward to what’s next.  I can’t fix anything I did wrong; I can’t change anything about the past…the past is the past.  It’s there to look at; to try and do things better this year, but that’s it…the past.  Over. Done with. Unchangeable. Just leave it behind and press onward.

In just a few hours, I’ll be 42 years old.  And as I’ve thought about that today, I find myself pretty excited about it.  I’ve always loved celebrating my birthday, but I’ve never really looked forward to any age…much less when I turned 40.  It’s a cliché, but really, it’s just a number.  It doesn’t define my personality. It doesn’t change who I am as a person.  It doesn’t make me any less of someone because I’m older than I was yesterday.  It’s simply just two numbers put together to become one.  But back to my anticipation of this new year…

Even though it’s technically the middle of the calendar year, I feel like I’m getting a “re-do” for this year…a fresh start.  I’m not really sure why I’m so excited for this coming year, but I just have a peace about it.  I’m excited for the new adventures that are coming.  I’m looking forward to a new season in life. I’m just feeling like it’s going to be a great year…my 42nd year of life.  God has allowed me to be here for this long so I feel He has great plans for this next year.

So I say, “Goodbye 41…it’s been great, it’s been fun and there’s memories I’ll have with me forever.  Thanks for a great year!”  And then I say…

Hello 42..let’s go…I’m ready! 🙂