Still Light

                   

In the still of the morning....
            even in the frigid still of the land,
                                                   there is light.  

Burrowing through the thick fog of painful cold, is the warmth and brightness of the sun that has never ceased to shine.

Burrowing through the thickest, coldest and saddest  of hearts comes the Son in all His glory, warmth and love.  And His Light still shines as brightly as the Bethlehem star. 

The Eternal Gift

Joy that lives down deep

                                                                                                                 






Hope that surpasses all expectations






Peace that passes understanding

   

These are the gifts of Christmas that never ever wear out, break, or lose their worth.....

                                                           

Because these gifts came at a great price.

The greatest price of all........                    


The Highest of High, Holiest of Holy, and King of all kings left Heaven to come to earth.

From the light of the heavens to the dark of the world, He Came

Angels even bow in adoration for the One who came to save

Why?  Why would the Creator of the universe choose to come save us?
          
                   LOVE

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....            
so that whoever shall believe in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life.  He did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17

Transfusion of Transformation

The light was so bright.  My camera on my phone couldn't even filter it. I love this picture....you can't even see my face because of the light.  Isn't that what we strive for as Christians?  That others would see His light upon us and in us?  Unfortunately, I don't always appear that way to others.

In Ann Voskamp's "ONE THOUSAND GIFTS" book and she talks about "Soul Holes".  Things in life puncture our soul.  Things like sin and sorrow, , tragedy and temptation, loneliness and loss----and out of these soul holes pours self securities---things that we cling to in order to feel adequate and safe within ourselves.  Like a punctured wound bleeds, so do our soul holes.  As the blood of self drains, we can become spiritually "anemic".  We weaken if we are not "transfused" with new blood.

I am a neonatal nurse, and in the past I have seen Dr.'s give babies suffering from harmful reactions within their blood, an exchange transfusion.  Little by little, their blood is removed and new blood is given, replacing the harmful blood with fresh healthy blood.  It's a process that takes time.  As a little comes out, a little is put in, until the baby is filled with healthy blood cells which stop the progression of the harm within his little body.

Satan loves our soul holes because he sees them as opportunities to get in with his dark whispers of doubt, guilt, despair, and discouragement.  I'll have to admit, I have allowed those things to enter into my soul holes at times, and it only causes the holes to grow bigger and deeper.

Jesus was pierced with holes.  He poured out His blood so that we may be filled---so that we may never wither and fade away.  He poured out His blood so that we may be transfused, through our soul holes, with His Light, His Grace, and His Love.  And so that we may be covered by His Forgiveness and His Righteousness.  This "exchange transfusion", when received, is the beginning of our salvation.  Throughout our lives God is transforming and making us in His likeness.  By His blood, we are made His.  But the transformation is a process.  Little by little we are changed.  As we empty of those things harmful to the soul, He fills us with hope and life.

We have a tendency to see the pain of our "puncture wounds" as wrong and lethal.  But what if we learn to see them as ways to be refined?  When we turn to God in times of sin and sorrow, tragedy and temptation, loneliness and loss, we give God the chance to transfuse us in His wonderful mercy and grace.

That Light in the picture?  A camera glitch, but also a message to me that I am in His intense Light.  The rays of hope and love fill me and then extend to others when I am mindful of my call in this life.  I pray that through these blogs, others may receive the warmth of His Light and Love, and the Hope of His promises.  I pray that your Soul Holes be filled continually with His Grace........

                                    IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

Happy Givingthanks!

Thanksgiving......Thanks. Giving. The word has become reference to a national holiday. It just rolls off the tongue with no particular thought. "what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" it has become different things to different people, and although many of us give much thought to what we are thankful for IN this life, I never quite give enough thanks FOR this life.....for ETERNAL life. Perhaps we should rename the day "GIVINGTHANKS" instead? Then people wouldn't even have to say,"what are you doing for Thanksgiving" because the answer would already be obvious, "Giving Thanks"!

I can make a list a mile long of all of the THINGS that I am thankful for, but the root of my gratitude is just one thing.....GRACE through Jesus Christ's sacrificial death so that I may be saved from eternal death.....His forgiveness of my filth, so that I may be made clean in His sight. His pure and Holy Grace.

His pure and Holy Grace comes unconditionally to those who believe. The Living Water of His Spirit washes away what is scrubbed clean by Grace and mercy. And for this, I Give Thanks, because without this, there is nothing on earth that can save from eternal darkness.

So WHY is it so hard to accept this? I struggle with grasping His grace myself. It's like trying to remove filth without soap or water. It doesnt work. Eventually the stench becomes unbearable to oneself and to all those around, that it drives people away, and no amount of man made fragrance can cover the persistant odor of unforgiven sin.

We all struggle with sin, even those in Christ, but instead of the accumulation of grime, we can receive the undeserved gift of Grace, which lathers up in pure joy, so we can be rinsed clean by the Water of the Spirit of God. "For it is by Grace you have been saved through Faith, it is not of yourselves, it is a Gift of God" Eph. 2:8

So take that Beautiful, Amazing, and Pure Grace into your upturned hands and be washed of all that keeps you from shining clean and holy skin of Christ's righteousness, and let the fragrance of forgiveness go out into the world where there are so many hurting souls. Take handfuls of His Grace and offer them freely to those who know no way to rid themselves of the
pain of sorrow and guilt. Hold them close so they can smell the fragrance of forgiveness and feel the warmth of love. And out of the Thanks-filled Heart, tell them of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His power to cleanse and transform.

May your Thanksgiving Day become a blessed Givingthanks day!

"Grace and Gratitude go together like Heaven and Earth.....the Grace preceeds the Gratitude like Lightning preceeds Thunder" ~Barth

Language of Love

The Universal Language is Love

Have you ever met someone and sensed something different about them that draws you to want to know them? Or have you ever felt a unique connection with someone and wondered what it could be that makes that connection so different from others? It's a blessed feeling isn't it? It's one that is nearly impossible to describe with human language. I consider these types of connections gifts from God, and I am humbled by how many of these gifts He has blessed me with.

Just what is this "language" that is spoken in these amazingly unique relationships? Well, I have pondered this over and over as I have encountered each special connection in my life, and I am sure of one thing: it is the language of Love.

So......what is Love? Is it a human emotion? Is it our human emotion of love that connects us with certain people? I know that the emotion of love is a factor, but what about those people that we don't even know, yet are drawn to? It has to be something more than human emotion that connects us. It is something that we see or sense within them. Love is, in this case, a part of them. It is In them.

I believe Love is the actual Spirit of God that moves in these beautiful connections that we encounter.

In Genesis 11, we learn that the people of God at one time spoke one language and common speech, but it wasnt necessarily the language of love. They communicated in human language with human thoughts and desires. They decided to build a city in the form of a tower that reached to the heavens so that they could "make a name for themselves and not be scattered all over the earth". They made the tower of bricks, rather than stone. Man made bricks verses stone from the earth. Man made desires verses the plan of God, which was for them to reach out to the world with His love. The consequences? God confused their language so they could not understand each other, and then He scattered them throughout the earth. The only common language from the beginning of time was and is Love.

Now, fast forward to Pentocost. This is when after Jesus' death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit was first sent to indwell those who belong to Christ. In Acts 2:4 it says that as the the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. As the people gathered around, from all walks of life (so to speak), heard, they were astonished to actualy be able to understand what the apostles were saying because they were speaking in languages native to each group of people----not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles. Do you see what was happening? God was using language to bring mankind back together. He was using the language of His Spirit to connect those who had been separated from Him by man-made walls of judgement and favoritism, because Jesus died for sinners from all walks of life. Those who receive His gift of salvation, receive His indwelling Spirit. His Holy Spirit draws man to Him through the common language of Love, and connects us with an unspeakable understanding of Him and one another.

I wonder how many times I have turned people away from wanting to know God because of my inability to share that universal language of Love? If only we could just see others through the eyes of God.....we would reach out to them with the Spirit of love instead of the spirit of judgement or condemnation. After all, we all share one common factor......as mankind, we all share the same flaw.....we are human and we have been tainted by the nature of sin since the beginning of time. Not one of us is free of it. So.....who are we to look down upon one another fom our so-called towers of "godliness"? The truth is, the only way that we can truly be one with others is to be one in the Spirit of God, sharing the one common language.....the language of love. And for those who do not yet know the Spirit of God yet? Well, one thing is for sure, they will surely understand His love through us, because Love is the universal language. Oh how I pray that I can speak with a tongue that only forms words of love and goodness. And when my tongue is silent, let my actions speak louder than words, in the beautiful dialect of the Spirit Himself, connecting me to others of His choosing. Because when we are connected by the Spirit of the Lord, we are gifted with the most precious blessings of all......Eternal understanding, and Eternal relationship with Him and others.

It's all I know how to do~~God does the rest

There's an ache deep down in the pit of my gut.

A broken-hearted son's tears still dampen my shoulder, like bloodshed from a deep wound, poured out in a mother's open arms.  His pain somehow penetrates my own heart, stabbing and throbbing as I hold him close.
 It's all I know how to do.

Another election~~~another uncertain future. Emotion surges in community, like caged animals, we cry out in fear as we envision loss of freedom and darkness looming over the Christian beliefs this country was founded upon.  I turn from the chatter on the TV and the comments on facebook and shut my eyes in weak surrender to God.
 It's all I know how to do.

A comment shared by one of my friends in Bible study today, twists my heart tight until the tears spring forth. What she said was, I believe, from the heart of God, spoken straight in my direction.  It caught me off guard totally and I lost control of all composure.  It was in reference to how we treat those who struggle with alcoholism.  And I know that I broke when she said it....and I cried in places nobody could see.
 It's all I know how to do.

Sometimes all I know how to do seems like it's not enough.  But it's simply all I have, and all I know.

I know how to hold the broken-hearted close.
I know how to close my eyes in weak surrender to God.
I know how to cry out in my brokenness.
                      That's all~~~~

But if that's all I ever know~~~I guess it's enough, because God does the rest.

Maybe it's just that simple?  Returning to that fragile, yet open state of being allows God to step in and be The Healer, The Ruler, and the Forgiver.

He heals broken hearts.  He rules over all creation. And He forgives our sorry souls.

NOTHING is too big for God's Love to overcome.  He is faithful and He is good in all things.

Listen to these songs.....beautiful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHL5IQRF_qk Come to Me by Kari Jobe
Find You on My Knees~Kari Jobe
Healer by Kari Jobe

Peace to you
Kara

Continued....

Ok now.....yes, you see a picture of a big truck.  And soon you will see another one.  It's not the Ark, or even a big boat, but it has alot to do with what I shared with you in yesterday's blog.  I know that this is odd, but right after praying for God to show Himself to me in the little things in life, so that I can know His presence and grace and be more thankful, He answered in the strangest ways!

As I was saying.....I was driving home from seeing my daughter yesterday, and I had 7 hours just to think.  I shared with you some of my thoughts from the story of Noah and the Ark.  I was still making connections in my mind,  when all of a sudden I was passed on the interstate by a truck like the one in the photo above.  Look what it says on the side.....it says "Paraclete".  "So What?" you might be saying.  So I will tell you what!  I knew that word had some kind of significance.  I had heard it somewhere~~~hmmmm~~~where was that?  Well, I just couldn't get it out of my head, so I contacted my daughter and asked her to look it up in the dictionary for me.  This is what she said it means:  "an advocate or intercessor.  The Holy Spirit".  NO WAY!  REALLY?

OK then.....how does this fit in with my previous thoughts about my lesson on Noah and the Ark?  Do you remember in the story where it talks about the dove that Noah sent out of the Ark to look for signs of land?  Nooooooo, it wasn't a Parakeet!  It was a Paraclete!  The dove served as an intercessor, if you will, to bring hope back to the Ark that there was indeed land nearby.  The dove brought back an olive branch as a sign that God's promise to save Noah and His family was true.

  There are several references in the gospels of the dove that descended upon Jesus as He was baptized, referring to the dove as being like the Holy Spirit.  John 1:32 said, " I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove".  Could it be, that God used the dove as a messenger of hope for Noah and his family?  He does it for us: "It is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 1 Cor. 5:5

God gave a promise of HOPE through His Holy Spirit then, and He does it now.  His Spirit is in us as we reside in Him.  His Spirit is His comfort, His wisdom, His guide, and His gift of hope.  After Jesus rose and ascended into heaven, He sent His Spirit to indwell those who believe in Him and have repented of their sin, so that we may have the hope of eternal life.

 Do you see what God was doing here?  He was expanding my understanding of His Word by giving me Word Pictures, even from unlikely sources, to show me His presence, and grace, just as I had prayed! Crazy?  Well, I don't think so!  I think it is CRAZY LOVE!

So.....I'm driving along, just tickled pink that God heard my request and was answering in such a witty way, when , YOU GUESSED IT, another truck passed beside me.  I glanced over at the drivers door as he passed and immediately saw the word, "COVENANT" Yep, I sure did!  I am not even kidding!  Now this time I just smiled big and said, "OOOOOOOHHH  I get it!  I may be blonde, but I GET THIS!"

Piece by piece, God was taking me through that Bible lesson and showing me the highlights, the things that were most important.  And really, this covenant part is most important of all because it encompasses the entire message.  It's the message that God created all things and has complete sovereignty, but He gave us free will.  In mankind's freedom, the choice to disobey God (sin), resulted in increasing wickedness and violence.  That disobedience separated mankind from God.  The consequences came in the form of a deadly flood which wiped out everyone on earth except a small remnant of people that were faithful to God.  God kept them safe, encapsulated, until the waters receded.  God established a covenant with Noah, which led to his salvation.  What keeps God from wiping out the entire earth again?  GOD'S NEW COVENANT. The covenant He established through Jesus Christ.  God promises to save lost sinners through Jesus' death on the Cross.  Instead of wiping out mankind, He sent His Son to take the punishment upon Himself so that we could be saved.  Although we will still suffer physical death, those who are "encapsulated" in Christ's salvation will live eternally with Him.  In the meantime, we have His Spirit~Paraclete~ in us to give us hope and help us live lives pleasing to God.

What an awesome way to learn truth....on a long stretch of highway in a minivan!  Who woulda thunk it?  God can reach us in significant and personal ways when we are walking close to Him and keeping our eyes fixed on Him.....and when we dare to ask Him to show Himself in the little things in life, He answers!  Praise be to His Holy Name!

that's all!
Kara

The Boat

During a long drive home from my daughter's today, I had 7 hours to ponder the things I've been learning this week in my Bible study.  Thoughts swirled around in my head as I tried to imagine what it would have been like in the time of Noah.  I mean, how would it be if God told you to do something so outrageous, and told you that He was going to save only you and your family and a bunch of animals and wipe out all of the rest of  the life on earth?  We cannot even stand to think about the horrendous storms, flooding, and lives lost over on the East coast right now, let alone try to fathom such a devastating catastrophe as the great flood in Noah's time. Maybe some think this story is a metaphor, but I believe that every word of it is true.  It seems "easier" to think of it as a metaphor because then it doesn't seem quite so drastic.....some would say, "why would a good God do something like that?"  But when looked at in light of the WHOLE story of God, there are many truths to be found and applied in this absolutely amazing account in the Bible. In fact, this story points to the most essential truth to our faith as Christians.  This story points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in more ways than I had known before today!

So.....I'm driving along the interstate and I'm thinking about Noah.  What made Noah so different from all of the other people in the world at the time?  Why did God choose to save only him and his family?  And why would God want to do such a drastic thing as the flood?  Genesis 6:5-6 says, the Lord saw how great the wickedness of man on earth had become...and He was grieved and His heart was filled with pain.  It's true, all of the evil in the world must still grieve God.....it's like how we feel when we see our kids making bad choices and the suffering it causes.  Sure, it angers and frustrates us, but mostly, it breaks our heart to see such hope dashed by careless decisions and rebellious acts.  God was greatly grieved.

Genesis 6:7 tells us that God decided to wipe mankind, whom He had created, off the face of the earth....men, animals, reptiles, and birds.  He was grieved that He had made them. Now, I don't think this means that things were beyond God's control, nor do I believe that God had hoped for something better but was unable to achieve it.  I believe He knew exactly what man would choose to do, but it still affected Him deeply.  

But Noah "found favor....he found grace...in the eyes of God". Gen. 6:8
Noah didn't EARN grace;  Noah FOUND grace in the eyes of God.

None of us can earn God's grace, but we all can find it.

Why did Noah find favor in the eyes of God?  Gen. 6:9 says that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  HE WALKED WITH GOD.
He was in step with the will of God...right?  I mean, when you walk with somebody, you are in step with them, not straying all over the place.  Noah followed God.  He walked so closely with God that He could see grace in the eyes of God.  The only way we can truly see grace in the eyes of God is if we are seeking it, and if we are staying close enough for Him to reveal it to us.  What stands between you and God?  What blocks the view of His FACE of GRACE?  I asked myself those questions as I drove along that long stretch of highway.....and I came up with lots of things.  Things that had mostly to do with selfishness.  MYSELF stands in the way between me and God's face of grace.  Either its selfish wants, or selfish things that I do that is blocking my view of His eyes.  God chose Noah....why has He chosen me?  I am not like Noah in any shape or form. My list of faults is too long to count, and just when I finally have victory over one thing, another thing trips me up.  What makes me different than anyone else? Why does He love ME?

 Isn't it true that we all are unworthy of His grace? What makes this world different from the world back in Noah's time?  I mean, it's still full of evil.

I ponder these questions as I am driving along, and I KNOW the answer..  It is one Word.  THE WORD.  JESUS. I have been saved only because of Jesus. Yes, it's true that we all are unworthy of God's grace. But because of Christ's death on the Cross, I have been saved by His grace. Jesus' death took the place of the death that we all deserve, so that we could be saved. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this, not from yourselves, it is the gift of God....Ephesians 2:8


Then the thought crosses my mind that the Ark was a housing for the saved.  The Ark separated Noah and his family from all of the rest of the life on earth. They were separated from death because of their faith.  They were literally encased in the protection of God. Being in the Ark is like BEING IN CHRIST!  

God told Noah exactly how to build the Ark.  The dimensions, how to seal it from the water, what supplies to take.....the whole deal.  Down to the last detail.  And Noah did not question God.  He did exactly what God told him to do.  Why?  Because he wanted to be saved?  Probably.  But he did it all because HE TRUSTED GOD.  Noah was saved because he trusted God's promise to save him. Noah had faith. Noah was housed in the boat of protection, even when the flood of disaster wiped out everything on earth, because he belonged to God and he trusted God enough to do what He said. He was faithful to God and God was faithful to him. 

God tells us what to do in order to be saved as well.  It's all written down....every last detail. 

ARE YOU IN THE BOAT? If not, what is stopping you?  The door is still open....it's not too late.  What things are flooding the ground all around you right now?  Financial stress?  Illness?  Broken relationships?  Death? The guilt of sin?  What seems to be drowning you right now?  Are you having trouble keeping your head above water?  If so, will you consider taking that Hand that is reaching out for you?  Come in out of the rain!  Enter in to the eternal safe place in Christ, because He already paid the price for all of the sin on earth so that when we come to Him with all of our junk and admit that we are unworthy of His grace, we can leave our sin at the door.  By faith, we can enter in to His salvation and walk with Him.  The flood waters of difficult circumstances are still going to come, but instead of drowning, those who are in Christ Jesus will be saved.

It's far too late at night to tell you about the rest of the story, but please check back again, because some really cool things happened on the rest of my drive home!  I have more HOPE for you! G'night.....love to you!
Kara

Praise is the beauty of a Christian

“Praise is the beauty of a Christian. What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn, that is praise to a child of God.” ~ Spurgeon                        
  
In the topsy-turvy busyness of time, I move from one thing to the next, checking off duties and events like I am banking a stack of accomplishments so that I can prove that I am worth something and have done something with my life.  When the day is done and someone asks, "what did you do today?" I want to have good solid goods to show.  But what really shows?  Does anyone really care as much as I do that I got the laundry done----all 6 loads---and the errands completed and the bills paid and the house cleaned and the family fed?  Sure, all of that is important, but what about it is lasting?  What comes of it all?

When my kids are all home and they start talking about the things they remember most, it always surprises me that it is the little things that meant so much to them.  It was those times when I put everything aside to play with them in their toy room, or when we made Christmas ornaments together, or when I let them make up stories before bed.  They remember the "good stuff".  Those are the things that last.

And what about our connections with others?  Who are the people that make the deepest impressions?  Are they the ones who brag about how much they get done in a day, or about how much they have accomplished in their lives?  To tell you the truth, those people intimidate me and make me feel small.  No, the ones who make the sweetest impressions on me are the ones who actually look you in the eye when you are talking to them.  The ones who value the moment.  The ones who shine with hope and who share the positive side of the maybe not-so-positive circumstances.  The people who, instead of praising themselves or their accomplishments, praise God for the "good stuff" in life.  It's those kind of people that are the most beautiful to me.  

Yes, there has to be a bird beneath the wings, a rooted tree connected to the fruit, and a thorny stem under the rose.....but what matters is the bird taking flight in the sunny blue sky, defying the pull of gravity and soaring freely as God intended it to do.

  What nourishes, is the ripe succulent fruit on the branch that took many days of light and dark to be formed and to grow sweet. 



 And what brings joy to the heart is the velvety petals of a rose, opening wide to the sun in it's own time and space and loveliness.   

Perhaps the only way that we can show true lasting beauty is when we defy the gravity of the burdens of life, and fly freely toward the eternal promises of God.  And maybe the best way to reach out and help others is by sharing the fruits of the Spirit growing stronger as we draw from the roots of God's love? And if we offer a lovely aroma of praise instead of the thorns of anger and frustration, maybe others would take time to stop and smell the scent of the goodness of God?

Oh, how I need to stay near to Beauty Himself, because without God, I'm a wingless bird, on a dead tree full of thorns!  I praise Him for creating us in His image and covering us with His cloak of righteousness so that His beauty can be seen instead!



   

Funky Chicken

FUNKY CHICKENS

OK~~~SO SHE'S NOT PRETTY, but how can you not smile when you see such a thing?! 
                      Maybe that's what it's all about?

I can remember when my husband first suggested we get some chickens.  Let's just say that I wasn't crazy about the idea!  I really wasn't!  So we didn't.  A few years later, as I was pulling into the driveway after a weekend at work in Billings, I saw a strange sight.  My husband was out on a ladder and there was an appendage happening on the back side of the horse shed.  "What?  Could it be that he was building a little storage shed for all of my Rubbermaid tubs full of stuff?  Oh~~maybe he is adding a place for all of those tools in the garage?  The lawn mower?"  All kinds of things ran through my head.  "I rolled down my car window and shouted out, "Hey!  Whatcha doin'?"  The look on his face was nothing but pure glee.  "Park the car!  I've got something to show you!"  Hmmmmmm.  I felt uneasy at this point~~~but that look on his face......

I slowly emerged from the car, not sure what I was in for.  "What are you doing?" ~  He was dancing around like a child  with a big secret that just can't be contained. "Come 'ere! You gotta see this!"

We headed in the direction of the garage, and again, that uneasy feeling came back, and I was thinking, "Oh, I hope he didn't buy a 4-wheeler or something~~~or a motorcycle~~~NOT A MOTORCYCLE!"

We entered the garage, and a funny smell was in the air~~~and a noise~~~WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?  It was like a distant little squeak~~~no wait~~~there were squeak(s)~~~plural!  Over in the corner was a circle of light.
  (Sounds almost heavenly doesn't it?!  A circle of light? )
Under that light was a little pen full of fuzzy little peeps.  OH NO!  NOT CHICKENS!  As I turned, (not in a happy way, I might add) to ask why, what, how~~I suddenly halted my frustration.  Scott was beaming like a proud daddy, gazing down at his little babes.  He looked SO HAPPY! 

He said, "they came in the mail just this morning! There wasn't a single dead one in the bunch!  Isn't it cool that they can mail these things?!"  I was just trying to grasp the fact that he actually had planned this little "surprise" ahead of time without my knowing it~~~let alone the fact that it was SO COOL that they came in the mail!  I just stood there dumbfounded and speechless.  I mean, there were CHICKENS in our garage!  But something deep inside told me to hold back my disdain when I saw Scott's excitement. So~~~~ I just smiled and said,~~"Wow honey, we really got~~~uh~~~chickens~~uh~~~wow~~"

 And from that moment on, I've had to share Scott's affections with his other "girls", because he has taken great joy in raising these funky chickens!  I have chicken stories aplenty!  Enough to write a blog a day for a year, in fact!  But I smile as I tell each one of them.  I smile, because seeing my husband act like a child~~~or a proud daddy~~~or a slightly crazy Redneck~~~well, whatever~~
seeing him like that just makes me all warm inside!

I suppose each of us needs a little something to remind us that some of the simplest of things can bring some of the greatest laughs and release some of the greatest burdens of life.  If I would have known that all it would take is a coop full of hens to make my husband so happy, I would have built the coop and ordered the peeps in the mail my own self!

Hey, did I ever tell you about Farrah?  She was one of our~~~I mean Scott's~~~ hens that actually landed a part in a movie at Northwest College!~~~~~

The Fall

The wind is howling through the small opening in the window like a threatened lion, and the dark gray clouds are quickly moving across the sunless sky with their ominous warning of sudden cold.  Just yesterday I was sitting in the sun on the front porch enjoying brightness of the leaves on the fall-kissed trees.  How can warmth and beauty be interrupted so abrubtly?  It seems wrong somehow.  Shouldn't we have a chance to at least enjoy this spectacular beauty until the leaves fall off?  This is what I don't like about fall! So unpredictable!

               








  I mean, just look at these colors!  The light just seems to glow from within the trees!  They shout, "Hey, Look at Me!"  My husband and I spent Saturday evening fishing....well, he fished and I wandered and wondered! I snapped pictues and I WAS HAPPY surrounded by all that glorious light! Why the cold now?

Isn't that the way life is sometimes?  When things are going good, we notice the beauty around us.  We are awed even by the little things.  We wander and wonder about in a state of bliss.

And then BOOM!!!!  The strong chilling winds of difficult circumstances howl, nearly causing the hair on the back of our neck to stand up.  The dark clouds of doubt or depression come rolling in, and suddenly there is no more blue sky.  The color drains from our sight and things turn to gray. 

And ~~~somehow it all seems so wrong.  Shouldn't we be happy all of the time?  Shouldn't we be sheltered from the hard things if we are trying to do all the right things in life?  I used to think that way~~~~but that was before I knew God, and that was before I understood what GRACE is.

I don't like THE FALL~~~the fall of mankind in the beginning of time.  The moment that sin and darkness entered in, things flip-flopped.  Originally, God created a place of perpetual beauty and peace.  He provided everything that man would need in order to survive.  Everything lived in constant harmony.  Man had a purpose, and that was to tend God's creation and love Him.  There was no conflict, no death, no bloodshed.  Just bliss.  But as soon as the first act of disobedience was committed, it all changed.  Darkness and evil became known~~~the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was eaten, and Evil Became Known.

Before that point, mankind could expect goodness and beauty.  It was a free gift.  They didn't know how good they had it!  But when evil entered in, and man fell away from God, the hard things of life became part of life. No longer could mankind expect perpetual bliss, nor feel deserving of it.  Apart from God, all we can expect is WHAT IS.  And nothing more.

But, in God's GRACE, He had a plan and a way to bring perpetual good.  But not in the way that man expects.  The perpetual good is what comes when we allow Perpetual Light to enter in.  Jesus is the Light of the World.  When we let Him in, there is only external darkness.  Because in Him, there is no darkness

Now, I see things differently.  I realize that if it weren't for Jesus and His death on the Cross, we would never be satisfied.  We would always be searching for things that make us feel good, but nothing would be able to fill that heart-shaped void. There is not one of us that deserves goodness, because we all are human and fall short of the glory of God.  But by His GRACE, He gives good. And even in the dark times of life, He shows us His Light by His Grace. He fills our void. And THAT is the kind of good that WE CAN EXPECT.  How can we not be thankful for that?!

The Golden Thread of Friendship

Did you know that there is no definition in the dictionary to describe friendship really?  I looked, and there was nothing that even came close to describing how I feel about my friends.  It's because you can't really put human words to a connection that goes deeper than the human language.  You can't really put words to things that God does within the soul~~~between souls.

Today is the anniversary of the day my dear friend Christy passed, after enduring 5 years of ovarian cancer.  I refuse to capitalize the words "ovarian and cancer" because they don't deserve the honor of capital letters.  True~~~~I HATE cancer.  But, again~~~there is something that goes way deeper than words when you are dealing with God, because God can take even the ugliest things and use them to bring beautiful things. 

Today is the reminder~~~the reminder of what is gone~~~the reminder of the empty spot that losing a close friend leaves. 

Today is a day that brings a tug on my heart because I miss her so.  I miss the walks, the deep conversations, the laughter, the mountain hikes, the "teacher"~~~~

But today is also a day to remember what was gained, what was learned, what was built within the soul, what was woven~~~

If we could see the heaven side of things, I'm sure we wouldn't even know how to describe the beautiful splendor that God is weaving in His creation.  Those connections between friends are threads of pure gold.  Gold is the strongest metal~~~the threads of gold that connect friends are of the strongest kind.  The kind that never sever.  And who am I that I would be so blessed to have so many of them?  Those threads come from the spool of Grace, and are given by God Himself.  That's what I believe~~~because there are no earthly words to describe what happens when God gives us such a treasure in life.

Christy was adamant about how we should describe her life with cancer.  She said, "never ever say that I am battling cancer, because this is not a battle, this is my life and I am living it despite the cancer and I am living well even with the cancer".  And she was right, she did. I learned more from her in that 5 years than I have in a lifetime about "living well".  And that's exactly what I mean about what happens deep within the soul in such a connection of hearts~~~the undefinable changes that occur within us when we are blessed enough to experience such beauty in the midst of such ugliness as cancer.  Cancer may have been the disease that ended her life, but it was that time with her during her cancer that she taught me and many others to really LIVE and savor each and every moment we are given. It was during that time that God must have been weaving the most intricate design.

Christy is not here today~~~but that golden thread still connects us firmly.  You see, the thing about that thread is it doesn't stop being woven.  That thread that connects me to Christy is the Spirit that lives on and through me, the thread of God's Spirit.  That thread connects me to others and causes me to extend what I learned from Christy to other places in my life. God often uses people to show us parts of His character~~~to teach us Who He is.  Through Christy, I saw how God wants us to deal with the ugly things that happen to us.  He wants us to see that those ugly things just happen TO us, not IN us.  Those ugly things do not define us, nor do they take away from who He created us to be.  And if we allow Him, He can use those ugly things to bring such utter beauty~~~beauty beyond imagination.  Heavenly beauty.

So, today I am going to dwell in that undefinable beauty that the golden thread has left in my life.  I am going to let Him WEAVE ON and extend the thread of His Spirit.  I'm going to savor the beauty of the weaving of those golden threads being woven in my life. I'm going to live well.

Christy would say, "Ah, now you got it!" 

Sonrise

"God’s mercies are new every morning — not as an obligation to you, but as an affirmation of you. It's right there in there in the sky every morning: Every sunrise proves the burn of His passionate heart" Ann Voskamp

 

 

I just love this quote!  And isn't that what my sunrise picture looks like?  The "burn of His passionate heart" spreading warmth from the very start of our day?  Even though He is an all encompassing, all powerful, majestic God who created all things and is above His entire creation, He still stoops to affirm His love to us.  Why?  Because we were created to love Him.  It's like a parent and a child~~that never-ending kind of love that lights up the heart like no other.  No matter what, that love never wavers and it is a downright pleasure to show them~~~not an obligation, but an affirmation that they are special.  Our prayer is that they love us back.

 

Sure, there are times when we may not "like" our children and they may not like us, but always, that deep love is there.  I can't say as there was ever a time when I didn't "like" God~~~but there was a long time when I didn't know Him.  Kind of like a child that is so involved with their own world that they forget their parents are there~~~until they need money or something! Well, I didn't turn to the Lord because I needed money, but I guess the need is kind of the same in a sense when it starts out!  I found myself with a need for something that I couldn't find any other way.  I really didn't even know what I needed for sure, but there was a definite need. 

 

I've seen toddlers that were so tired that they couldn't sleep!  Sounds strange, but it's true.  They get so overtired that they don't know what they want.  They are restless and wander aimlessly about, whimpering and unsettled.  When they finally turn to their mom or dad for comfort and are held close, they fall into that beautiful baby slumber.  Maybe I was kind of like that?  When I finally found the Father, and accepted His unconditional, unwavering love that was there all along, I wanted to be close~~~I mean in-His-arms-snuggled-to-His passionate-beating-heart close.  Because just knowing He was real and He was God was not enough.  Like that toddler, I would be still wandering aimlessly if I didn't get the connection.  Just knowing about Him had to change to knowing Him intimately. 

 

But how can we understand someone's love for us and really love them back without knowing them?It was not until I really started reading the Bible and studying with a group of passionate Christian ladies, that I started understanding that love in a deeper way.  Because you know what? It wasn't about finding out why He loves me, it was about understanding why He shouldn't love me. 

 

In the beginning, He created all things perfect~~~there was Light~~~but there was also dark.  And mankind chose to step away from what was good, and dabble in the tempting dark of deception.  And then everything changed.  Once darkness was allowed to enter in, it became part of our existence and there would be a constant battle from that point on.

 

Nothing has changed since the beginning when man fell.  God is still our Father, and we are still His children, but we still fall to sin and the darkness separates us from Him.  The solution?  The connection?  I mean, someone had to take the consequences of that darkness because that's just how God works.  Darkness doesn't touch Him.  But He knew all along that man would do what he did~~~so in His all-knowing wisdom, mercy, grace and love for us,  He had a plan for redemption. He knew a way to forgive the children that had gone so far into the darkness. But it was a huge sacrifice.  He sent His one and only Son as a sacrifice for what we had done as mankind, so there could be forgiveness.  So that gap of dark could become Light. 

 

Jesus took the punishment for our sin.  Not just a supernatural unseen punishment~~~it had to be an earthly punishment that fit our earthly depravity.  So Jesus, the being of God, came as man to receive that horrid, brutal punishment so that we could run into that gap and beyond, to get to the arms of our Father.  That gap of darkness is filled with Light for those who are brave enough to step out~~~~for those who recognize why He shouldn't love us, for those who acknowledge the darkness in their lives and accept His forgiveness.  And then everything changes. 

 

We find our way to the Father's arms and let Him hold us and as we lay upon His chest, we hear the never-ending beat of His passionate heart~~~~and we finally REST.  And we LOVE HIM BACK.

 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest~~~Matthew 11:28

 

For God so loved that world that He gave His one and only Son, that all who believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.  John 3:16

 



Morning assurance of His presence and love

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Morning sun shining warmly on my back~~~~~~

 sweet music playing~~~~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8HDmGSePio&feature=related

the rich aroma of the steaming coffee before me~~~~

my tattered Bible and BSF lesson in front of me~~~~

some of my favorite things~~things that I put in place myself, (except the sun of coarse!) readying me for my day~~~

 But the shadow of the Cross on my paper.....oh my!  What a beautiful reminder that Christ is present when we present ourselves to Him. 

He satisfies us in the morning with His unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 

Holy Joy

"Holy joy, it rings loudest in the deepest canyons." Ann Voskamp


This one line struck me~~~and isn't it true?  It's true that the deep places in life are often the places that are hard and dark and low.  The mountain top experiences seem to draw us and we want to stay where we "are on top of the world"~~~where everything seems oh, so right.  But the truth is, sometimes it's the deep places in life that teach us the most.  It's the valleys and the bottoms of canyons that can sometimes make us feel like giving up.  But it's in the deep places that the water flows and the rich green grows. 

I've never been to the Grand Canyon before, but I've been to enough steep canyons here in Wyoming to know that it's often quiet and still~~~until someone gives a shout,
and then the echoes ring out!  Sound bounces off the walls in resonating pitches.  One shout yields more and more and more.  Laughter multiplies, and the rushing river sounds like a never-ending story.  And light~~~well, the light shines anyway. Even in the deepest parts with the narrowest openings, light beams find their way clear to the bottom, overpowering the cool, damp, darkness. 

What is "Holy Joy"?  Well, I imagine it's the kind of joy that comes from deep within.  The kind that flows through our veins, pumping from the heart of the soul.  It's like a Still Small Voice that echoes from every single steep ridge of our lives.  It's sometimes sorrow, and it's sometimes delight, but it flows like the river~~~it's the never-ending-story of life.  His light shines anyway~~~~even in our darkest times.  His light shines anywhere~~~even in those narrow, jagged, turns in the path. Holy Joy is sureness that He is steadfast and faithful.  And the sound?  Holy Joy rings out sheer praise!  Even one small murmer of thanks, when our heart is still hurting, can ring out and multiply like a thousand voices~~~~~because of the walls.  The walls of The Rock. The Rock stands on all sides, raising up high into the heavens.  His light shines through~~~~ and the echoes of praise ring loudest in the deepest canyons of life.

He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the Light.  Job12:22

In His hand are the depths of the earth and the mountain peaks belong to Him.  Psalm 95:4

It's the little stuff

Who would know, if they gazed down the street at the park with the thick green grass and pleasant little picnic table, under the shade of a big cottonwood tree....who would know that there is so much pain surfacing in the building right across the street, at the hospital for the sick and wounded?

Who would know, as they watched a little girl spin and dance her way into the hospital cafeteria with such utter joy on her pretty little face....who would know that the one playing the beautiful piano music for the little girl's joy, is a patient in the treatment center, probably fighting his way through the tangled web of addiction?

Who would know that behind the preciously delicate little face, silky soft hair and the peaceful looking slumber of the baby, is a body struggling to survive and make sense of this complicated world?

Sometimes it's the little stuff that makes this big stuff seem not quite as big.

The Heart of Joy

Yesterday you could see every stone, every pebble beneath the gently flowing river. Crystal clear, it was. My eyes saw clearly the beauty below the surface. Today, it's like chocolate milk. The overnight rain had brought cloudy waters. I strain to see at least a little bit of rock bottom, but the river is moving fast and there is nothing visible except the rushing flow of dense brown water.

This is a picture of how I am feeling lately. Things that used to bring me joy and trigger desire, just havent even touched me lately. And it is downright disturbing. I'm having trouble seeing beauty through the muddy waters of day to day life.

Where has my joy gone? Has my joy gone?

Moisture has been a rarity lately with temperatures in the 90's consistently for over a month. The ground has become parched in places, but still, there are berries on bushes and pretty little wildflowers sprinkled about the mountain floor . The man at the little red country store said this rain was the first measurable moisture in over a month in these parts. I imagine this rain was a welcomed site. The moisture that brings good, also brought the muddy water.

Maybe that's where my joy has gone? I see muddy waters. I have clouded vision. But if I would take my eyes off of the places that bring disturbance in my life, and look around at the places that show perseverance and promise, maybe I would see that the same rains that cloud my vision, also cause growth. Is it possible to just have one without the other? Not likely. In order to find joy, sometimes we have to experience the things that disturb the flow of our lives, so we can be thankful for what really matters. Indeed, it is hard to see below the surface of a troubled world, to the rock solid foundation over which it flows, but nevertheless, it still remains. The bedrock that lines the path is unmoved. My faith foundation----my salvation----cannot be disturbed. My human nature gets muddled easily by even the gentle storms of life, but my faith will not waver.

So where does joy reside when all I can see is brokenness around me? If my faith is unmovable than shouldnt my joy also be?  Joy is not dependent on earthly means, and is not just a state of "happiness". Joy comes from the root of our faith and it is embedded deeply into our soul. It is a steady sustainer of body and soul, pulsating from the heart of our existence. It is the bloodlife of our faith, because in order to have faith we have to believe that we are forgiven and receive with gratitude the Lord of our salvation. As long as the heart beats, there will be the circulation of joy, because of Jesus' blood poured out for our salvation, poured over and into us by the One who was pierced, so that instead of eternal joylessness, we could be filled with Joy Himself forevermore.

This thought stops me short in my tracks. How can I be so blind to the Joy in me? I know this. I am blind to the Joy in me because I am too focused on the brokenness around me. What I see as brokenness, God sees as opportunity to show Himself faithful. Like the red berries and tiny purple and yellow wildflowers amidst the parched grass, He reveals joy even amongst the dying. Like the long hard rain, He saturates with good, even when we see mud.

Perhaps I am looking with my eyes instead of my heart? Open the eyes of my heart Lord....I want to see You. I want that same heart that pulsates wildly, circulating body and soul with Joy to the utmost tips of my existence and beyond, so that I may see you everywhere, and so that I might see others with your eyes of compassion and love. Because isnt that what joy is all about? To give on Your behalf?

The bottom line......joy is revealed in us when we see with His eyes....not just the muddy waters, but when we know what lies beneath the murkiness, and are ever so grateful for our sure Foundation. Joy is revealed around us as well, as we look beyond the places of sorrow to the blooming life around us that perseveres even in the parched lanscapes of time----because the rain storms that bring muddy waters also bring new life. And for that, I am grateful~~~~and I am Joy~full!

The Climb

She asked me to climb with her, and before the words were out of her mouth I said yes~~because I would do anything to spend a day with her~~including hiking Heart Mountain!  I mean, how hard can it be anyway?  She took her 3rd graders up there every year and they made it clear to the tippy top every time!  It would be an absolute delight to view the whole valley below from the top of this local icon, and I have always wondered what it would be like to be standing right in that spot that I have been looking at from the ground practically all of my life.  So, YES, I will climb!

A day with Christy~~~as usual, every moment spent with my dear friend would hold special lessons and cherished memories.  At the time, I didn't know that in 6 short years she would be gone.  I look back at that climb now, and I glean so many more lessons than even before.

We started walking on a sunny July day.  The path was long and flat at first.  We talked and laughed and bounced along looking at everything around us.  Heart Mountain stood majestically before us and as we approached it's base, it became our journey.  It melted under our feet as we began the gradual ascent.  The walk was easy at first, just like all of our other walks together.  The path was clear and smooth so I could keep my gaze on the friend beside me and the gorgeous mountain ahead of me.

After a brief snack in the grove of Aspens we set off for the actual climb.  The path got steep very quickly and the talking slowed to more brief sentences in order to make room for the increased need to breathe!  Christy always said that the key to climbing was to maintain a slow and steady pace. That's how she tackled her own steep climb~~~her walk with Cancer. As I walked with her through her illness, I found myself feeling almost like I did when we did the Heart Mountain climb together~~~following her lead, but wondering at times if I was going to lose my very breath before it was over.

 Christy was a practiced backpacker and hiker and I trusted her to lead me safely up the path. I followed her steps carefully, finding my eyes on the path far more than before. In fact, I think I was focusing too much on the path because I was starting to wonder if I really was going to make it to the top~~~this was steep and hard!  The path was narrow and twisty with big jagged stones to dodge.  In some spots the sandy gravel caused our feet to slide, so our footing placement was very important and purposeful.  I kept wondering if this all was really worth it, but then I would look up and see that indeed, we were getting closer and closer to the sky and farther and farther from the ground.  We were making good progress despite my pounding heart and heaving breath.

Christy was confident because she had been on this path many times before.  She knew right where to go.  Her eyes were accustomed to scanning back and forth between the rocky path and the top of the mountain.  She kept the ground and the sky in constant view.  I, however, could only focus on the path, my breathing, and the leading of my friend.

 When I look back through my friendship with Christy, I see how God used this hike as a metaphor to follow.  He knew what was coming~~~He knew the journey ahead~~~but He also knew that together, we would trudge, one encouraging the other and back again.  When we are in the midst of something hard, He gives us people to follow and people to encourage us, but it's never just a one-sided thing.  He uses every situation to it's maximum by teaching all who are involved some very precious lessons. We learn from each other, and together we journey along, and all the while we are getting closer and closer to the top~~~to the eternal view of things.  Christy journeyed through her Cancer with one eye on the path, and one on eternity. She lived every single moment purposefully.  There were big obstacles to dodge, breathless days when her abdomen was so full of fluid that her lungs were unable to fully expand, and the sandy ground of fatigue that threatened to cause her to backslide.  But because of her steady and purposeful living, she walked victoriously upright and led with honor.

I can still remember rounding that last corner and her saying, "We are almost there Kara!"  I can still remember the awe that I felt as I made it to the top and saw what was waiting for me!  Speechless for a moment, I stood and just shook my head.  Who woulda thought that anything could be so beautiful?  And it was right in my midst all of my life!  The thing is, I never had this perspective before.  In fact, I never even knew there could be a perspective like this!  The panoramic view from up top gave me understanding of how the land was laid out~~~~everything seemed to make sense.

Reaching the Top

By some amazing blessing, the wind was not bad that day, so we were able to sit awhile and talk, and listen, and look.  A hawk circled above us as we contemplated life.  One of our dear friends had been killed in a horse accident a few weeks before, and so death was part of our conversation.  We talked about the importance of living every moment as if it would be the last~~~~but not living selfishly.  We talked about making a difference~~~living and loving for the sake of others and for the glory of God.  Living purposefully because of the gift we have been given.

God grew Christy through the last of her journey on earth, just as He grew all who loved her.  He blessed us by her presence and her exuberant example of living well, and He blessed her with His constant comfort and presence and many many loved ones to encourage and care for her.  At the end of her journey I was there with her.  And this time, I was able to whisper in her ear, "You are almost there Christy!  The hard part is almost over."  I can only imagine what she must have seen as she reached the top, entered into glory, and was able to finally see how God laid everything out perfectly in her life and how everything makes perfect sense.  I can only imagine what it must be like to finally get to view not only creation, but the true Creator Himself, and to hear Him say, "Well done my child. You lived with love, and purpose and used your gifts well."

I'm learning that the journey isn't all about the path, it's about where we are going. In order to keep a slow and steady pace through life, we have to know where we are going.  We have to know that there is more than the tough things under our feet and the long climb ahead of us.  We have to know that we are not alone.  And we have to know that there is a purpose for our existence.  We were created for a reason and when we know the Creator Himself, we have a constant companion to guide us through those twisty, narrow, rocky, exhausting times in life and lead us on to glory.  Instead of just living, He calls us to LIVE WELL.

"If you make the Most High your dwelling~~~He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone~~~'because he (she) loves me' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him (her);  I will protect him (her), for he(she) acknowledges my name.  He (she) will call upon me and I will answer him (her);  I will be with him (her) in trouble, I will deliver him (her) and honor him (her). With long life will I satisfy him (her) and show him (her) my salvation." Psalm 91:9-16