Lessons I learned from my dog......

The other night was not a good night! I was woken up by my husband getting out of bed and then telling me that the dog, who shall remain nameless (maybe) had gotten into the garage; that of course I forgot to stick back under the kitchen sink. So suffice it to say what happened was not all his (the dog's) fault. So being awake at say around 1:00 am, I wambled out to the couch to read and most likely spend the rest of my night, as not to disturb my beloved! Herein lies my night spent with said dog, and the consequences of his previous actions. Surprisingly this lead me to biblical lessons that I would like to share with you.

The first thing that came to mind as I was letting the dog in and out, so he could, well you know, was how we as sinners always tend to get involved in things that are not good for us, and that have consequences to them. Champs (oops, said his name) issue is he loves the good treats that can be found in the trash, like bacon grease, or hamburger grease, etc, etc. Our issues are far more complex, and far reaching. The passage of scripture that comes immediately to mind if Romans 7:14-24 (The Message). In our flesh we cannot have victory over our sin nature. Even Paul, who was the greatest Apostle, struggled with the hold sin can have, in the flesh. That can way a person down. Make them feel like they can never live a life of faith. Oh but that is not why Paul wrote this passage. He wants us to see the victory in Christ Jesus! Take a look at Verse 25.

²⁵The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:25, The Message)

The very next chapter says we have been set free from the law of sin and death! Read Romans 8 and feel the victory!

The next thing that came to mind is Proverbs 26:11:

As a dog returns to its vomit,

so a fool repeats his folly.

Isn't that just like us? We can tend to return to things that we have sworn we would never return too. That we thought we had conquered. I think about this in respect to my issue with watching what I eat. I can lose weight, feel I have finally come to understand the hold food and eating have on me, and start to fall back into the same old habits that I was in. I return to my folly. We (I) can forget the promise of VICTORY in Christ Jesus!

I am so glad for Romans 7 & 8! I am so glad that through Christ we have victory and there is no condemnation, because I am in Christ Jesus!

And I am thankful that God uses all His creation (including my sweet little Champerdoodle) to teach us lessons about who we am, but most of all about who HE is!!!

My winning ways.....

Lately I have been on a winning streak! I thought I would wait until they all came in the mail before I showed them all off! Well here are my winnings!

Let's see if I can remember what I won first!!!

1. Healing Sands by Nancy Rue and Steve Arterburn - I won this from Linda @ Mocha with Linda. This is actually the 3rd book in a series called the Sullivan Crisp Series. I asked Linda for advice for a book for our book club to read and she recommended Healing Stones, which is the first book. First of all Linda is an awesome book reviewer. I have read so many of the books that she has reviewed and have loved them all. These books are awesome! You really get involved with the characters. In all truth, this is the one I related to the most.
2. I can't really remember the order I won them in any more, but the next win is the Mosaic Bible, this also is from Linda's blog. Since I have so many Bibles, I am praying God will show me who to give this one too. That is exciting!
   
3. Camp Club Girls bag. I won this too off Linda's blog. Can you see a theme here!? She has alot of giveaways because of the review she does. If you are a reader, her blog is a must read! This prize came with 2 of the Camp Club girl books, a journal, a flashlight, key-chain thingy and this cool bag. Bekah is enjoying the books and uses the bag to bring her stuffed animals places we go.
4. The next one is the 2 books "Fearless" and "Fear Not" by Max Lucado. I won these from Iris at Grace Alone . These books are part of a series Iris is doing called "Living Fearlessly" I am looking forward to possibly giving them away at a Praise and Coffee Night in the future. Thank you so much Iris!!!!
   
5. O.K. did you miss prizes from Linda? The next book I won was "White Picket Fences" by Susan Meissener. Great Book! I have since read other books of hers! She is a great author!
   
6. Finally, the last book to arrive was The Chic shall inherit the earth. This book came from Linda's blog as well. It is written for high school age girls. I have donated that to my church Library.

Woosh! I think that's it! That was fun! Thanks to these two awesome ladies for giving me something exciting to look for in the mail!!!

Marriage Monday - Celebrating Valentines Day all year long!

Want this button?

Solomon 7:10

I belong to my lover,

and his desire is for me.

Today is the first Monday in February, so it's very appropriate that Marriage Monday has a Valentine Theme! E-Mom asked us to share with each other how we celebrate Valentines Day all year long. How do we keep the romance alive? Well I thought about it all weekend. Laughed a little at the things that are TMI, and came up with my top three. Now these are very simple things, and they are not the only ones, but they were just so much a part of why I feel so close to my husband.

1. We laugh alot! We are always saying to our children, what a weird family we have, because we do so many strange things that make us all laugh. This past weekend Steve and I got to go on a mini date to shop for bathroom fixtures. It was so exciting! It's amazing to think that shopping at Lowe's would bring such excitement, but we were just two tickled lovebirds, every once in a while sneaking a smooch when we got a good deal on something! What I realized at lunch was we laugh alot when we're together. We thoroughly enjoy each others company! Steve is my very best friend! The one I go to first, (after God of course), so it just makes sense that we would find each other amusing too!
2. We pray together. Now this doesn't happen every night, so we're not like some super couple who is very righteous. But I can see how praying together keeps you talking and close. God meant for us to bond through our relationship with him. After all his Son is the Bridegroom and we are the Bride. So it just fits that when we are doing something that honors him together, he draws us closer together. I love how Steve prays over me at times too! He knows when I need to be covered in prayer. When I'm at the end of my rope and I just need his arms around me and a prayer said over me! Oh I love that!
3. We encourage each other. Just yesterday was when he encouraged me. Spent some time with the SMIL, which can be difficult because she is a opinionated woman, and if it's not done her way, she says things that can be hurtful. I'm not going into the whole sorted story, just suffice it to say Steve know I needed to be built up after that, and he did! We both do that for each other. Now I may feel that I don't do it as well as he does, but we HAVE EACH OTHERS BACK!!! Also we were just talking with weekend how it seems that when one of us is discouraged about a certain issue, the other is able to give encouragement. It is very seldom that we are both down at the same time.
4. O.K. so I said three and now I am putting a 4th one. I just thought of it when I found the verse above. This is more about Steve, and it falls into the encouragement category, but I think it's great what he said and this is what God give us as couples. I have struggled with my weight FOREVER, always feeling inadequate, and defeated. A couple of years ago when I was lamenting again Steve said "but Kim, God made me addicted to you". He loves me! When he sees me he desires me, not anyone else! God made him addicted to me and me to him! As far as I'm concerned Steve is the most handsome guy on the planet!!!

I hope you have enjoyed stopping by today! God bless you all, and God bless our marriages!!!

What does ministry in the Church look like in 2010?.....

For some that know me this may be a brutally honest post for you. You may wonder "What is going on in Kim's mind these days?" Well so be it. I have been contemplating many things about ministry within a local body for sometime now and am feeling compelled to write about it.

Questions:

• What do you think ministry looks like within your local church body?
  
• Is it the same as it was years ago?
  
• Do you find people rise up to the challenges placed in front of them to serve, or do you find that it is harder to fill volunteer positions?
• Is the church providing to many ministry opportunities?
• Has times changed so much that ministries within the local body have become obsolete?
  

I am the Director of Children's Ministries in our local body. Questions I think about a lot are:

• Are all the ministries we used to have still utilized?
• Do people still think they are important?
• If there were no longer there, would people care?
• What do people want? What do they feel are important?
• Are we just to busy, or do we need to rethink what we are doing?
• Are we holding on to things because it has always been done, or are they truly important to the faith of our children?
• Would our children be O.K., if one or two of the programs we offer, were no longer available?
• DO PEOPLE CARE?

These I do not have answers for, and it burdens me. I want what Christ wants for our kids. Simply I believe that is to know Him. To be a follower of Christ. To Love Christ and Love Others.

I look at the church (and in particular the local body I attend) and wonder. Is this what Christ meant by the Church. We are so caught up in programs, and procedure, and recruiting volunteers, and following this lovely book called the BCO (Book of Church Order; that even sounds awful to me!) It seems the leadership gets so caught up in following this book of man made rules and procedures that it just weights down anything Christ could be doing within the church. I often find myself saying "What does Christ think of that: overture, motion, vote, liturgy, process, etc.....? Sometimes I just want to scream!!!!!

Following Christ is so simple really, but we make it so much more complicated!

So where does that leave me? Who knows! Do I step down because I'm not comfortable with church government? Do I speak out against man made government, and ask "Really, is this important in Christ's eyes? Do I remain silent and just minister to the children? So many questions, and so much business that I find I am not listening to God so I can't hear him speak to me!

I don't know if this post made since or not, but I feel better having gotten if off my chest. Please pray that God will open my ears and eyes to His will! When he gave me this call, he gave me this verse:

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it."

I pray that I will hear him regarding my future work for him now.

A Small Decorating Job!

We just did a little decorating job in our front living room. I thought I would share a couple of pictures! I took these pictures of the kids this summer. My sister told me I should put them over the couch, but in order to do that we need to patch holes and repaint. I have been wanting one of the walls in the living room an Olive color, so I thought this was the perfect time to do it.

The words above the pictures say "Children, are a blessing from the Lord."

Another Treasure from my Bible

Dear Child,

Before you open my Word this morning, stop and consider what you are holding in your hands. It is more then paper and ink, more then words and sentences. You are holding in your hands the very essence of who I AM! My Word is my nature, my wisdom, my guidance, my love distilled into letter form. You are holding health and life, truth and healing. Keep my Word before your eyes. Give it permission to roam the rooms of your heart - cleaning, straightening, rearranging; closing doors on some things and opening windows on others. My word can be for your heart a companion, a hearth, and a housekeeper; a gardener to weed your thoughts and a guard against intruders. And so, as you open my Word this day, read with your eyes, but listen with your life.

I want to speak to you,

God

The Sphere of Exaltation

This morning I have been going through one of my old Bibles. This Bible happens to be my NIV study Bible that I used for years. Tucked away in it's pages I am finding little treasures I left for later. This is one of them. I don't know where it came from. It looks like it was typed and photocopied, so I hope I'm not violating any copyright! It is not intentional.

The Sphere of Exaltation

"Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves." Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness want to make them the only time.