Just a reminder that you can post your comments if you like.
Also, if you'd like to chat a bit one-on-one you can e-mail me at quartzministry@yahoo.com.
Be blessed!
Kim
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Who am I?
Isaiah 44:2-3
2 This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
I have to tell you that I was wowed by these verses when I read them. How funny that God reminds us who He is, then proceeds to tell us not to be afraid, then tells us what He plans to do for us. Too cool! He calls Israel by 2 names: Jacob, my servant and Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. Very descriptive and intimate - don't you think? He knows Israel. He knows us. He made us. He formed us in the womb. He will help us.
I was listening to the radio recently and came across this song that reflects these verses. Israel's (how appropriate!) "I am not forgotten". Here's a link to the YouTube video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7DHsMbxZg (Turn it up load and be ready to jam and dance! Yes, this Southern Baptist girl loves to dance!)
The main lyrics of the song are: I am not forgotten. God knows my name.
I take comfort in knowing that my Savior cares enough to remind me who He is. He reminds me of his power and his creativity. I'm hopeful that you, like me, are discovering the assurance, freedom and boldness that come with knowing Him, believing Him and trusting Him with everything.
Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
2 This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
I have to tell you that I was wowed by these verses when I read them. How funny that God reminds us who He is, then proceeds to tell us not to be afraid, then tells us what He plans to do for us. Too cool! He calls Israel by 2 names: Jacob, my servant and Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. Very descriptive and intimate - don't you think? He knows Israel. He knows us. He made us. He formed us in the womb. He will help us.
I was listening to the radio recently and came across this song that reflects these verses. Israel's (how appropriate!) "I am not forgotten". Here's a link to the YouTube video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7DHsMbxZg (Turn it up load and be ready to jam and dance! Yes, this Southern Baptist girl loves to dance!)
The main lyrics of the song are: I am not forgotten. God knows my name.
I take comfort in knowing that my Savior cares enough to remind me who He is. He reminds me of his power and his creativity. I'm hopeful that you, like me, are discovering the assurance, freedom and boldness that come with knowing Him, believing Him and trusting Him with everything.
Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Waves of Fear
Exodus 14:9 – Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not be afraid of the people of the land because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. (NIV)
This verse comes from the time when Joshua and Caleb and 10 other guys went to spy and scope out the Promised Land. They spoke about how beautiful the land was. Then the one of the 10 guys spoke up about how large the people were and compared themselves to grasshoppers in comparison to their large stature. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to speak up and say, “No, we can take them!”
Scott and I recently celebrated our 8th anniversary (I love you, honey!). We were preparing to get away for a weekend and I decided to look through my journal. Last year at this time we were going through one of those difficult times in our marriage. We went away to celebrate our anniversary then too. I wrote in my journal the following,
Scott and I took a stroll on the beach in the dark – very cool!
Saw a shooting star – quick, but amazing. Just what I needed to feel romanced tonight. Thank you, Jesus!
Saw the waves coming in and noticed that they’re a lot like our fears – they seem so big so far away, but once they get to you they’re really nothing but salty water ebbing to and fro.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking, well what about the waves with hurricanes and tsunamis? Well, those are the storms of life. God promises in Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when I can think about my circumstances and within a matter of minutes in my imagination have the whole thing turning into this monumental disaster. This is our enemy’s ploy to distract us from the One who holds the future and the One who knows the truth. If we focus on our circumstances and their size or severity we will be stuck there. If we are aware of our circumstances, their size and severity but choose to focus on God, our Rescuer and Redeemer, than we experience freedom and have the privilege of living out a child-like faith by trusting him through the circumstances. By no means is this an easy task, but it is one that is life transforming and worth all that it brings.
Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
This verse comes from the time when Joshua and Caleb and 10 other guys went to spy and scope out the Promised Land. They spoke about how beautiful the land was. Then the one of the 10 guys spoke up about how large the people were and compared themselves to grasshoppers in comparison to their large stature. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to speak up and say, “No, we can take them!”
Scott and I recently celebrated our 8th anniversary (I love you, honey!). We were preparing to get away for a weekend and I decided to look through my journal. Last year at this time we were going through one of those difficult times in our marriage. We went away to celebrate our anniversary then too. I wrote in my journal the following,
Scott and I took a stroll on the beach in the dark – very cool!
Saw a shooting star – quick, but amazing. Just what I needed to feel romanced tonight. Thank you, Jesus!
Saw the waves coming in and noticed that they’re a lot like our fears – they seem so big so far away, but once they get to you they’re really nothing but salty water ebbing to and fro.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking, well what about the waves with hurricanes and tsunamis? Well, those are the storms of life. God promises in Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when I can think about my circumstances and within a matter of minutes in my imagination have the whole thing turning into this monumental disaster. This is our enemy’s ploy to distract us from the One who holds the future and the One who knows the truth. If we focus on our circumstances and their size or severity we will be stuck there. If we are aware of our circumstances, their size and severity but choose to focus on God, our Rescuer and Redeemer, than we experience freedom and have the privilege of living out a child-like faith by trusting him through the circumstances. By no means is this an easy task, but it is one that is life transforming and worth all that it brings.
Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
Getting Started
I’ve waited long enough to do this!! Now I’m overflowing with things I want to share. Hope it comes out clearly!
I had an amazing “God experience” about 5 or 6 weeks ago. Here’s a description:
The company my husband worked for decided to close their doors. Not a fun place to be anytime, but especially when you’re 6 months pregnant. We had taken our 3 and a half year old to watch Pop Warner football (he’s a football fanatic and wants to be where the action is, in the action at all times!). Later that afternoon I needed to go get my haircut. You know just a normal Saturday of doing life stuff. Well, it cost us more than we expected to go watch the football games and then we didn’t have enough time to go home for lunch before I needed to get to my haircut appointment. It was logistical craziness. I submitted (with a bit of an attitude) and we ended up at McD’s for lunch. While Scott was getting our food, Ian and I were sitting at a table. Ian was singing some goofy song quite loudly. He quieted down and then this woman came up to our table. She said, “I know you don’t know me, but I feel it’s important for me to be obedient with what God tells me to do.” (Can you say freak out moment!) She proceeded to say, “You’ve been praying about some important decisions and God just wants you to go for it.” Struggling for words, I politely said “thank you” and sat in total shock. Scott came to the table and I explained the encounter to him. He looked up and saw the woman and by the time I turned around to confirm it was her, she was walking out the door. I told Scott, “I don’t know about you, but over the last several days I’ve been praying about a ton of important decisions – so which one is it?” Dumbfounded yet feeling secure and loved on by our Savior, I continued with the day. Later that evening I was getting Ian ready for bed. After his bath he wanted to read his Bible, but he wanted to read the whole thing right then. I explained that God tells us many things in His word and that we need to read a little bit every day so we can listen to all that God tells us. I referred to a movie we had been watching over and over again - “Facing the Giants”. I reminded Ian that in the movie, Coach Richt tells Coach Taylor that God tells us in his word 365 times to not be afraid. Well, I’m not sure what happened except that the Holy Spirit took over my son! He started preaching for the next 5 minutes about not being afraid and giving examples that were relevant to him. He turned out his light and said, “Mommy, see this shadow? We don’t need to be afraid because God is with us.” He continued with this type of message and related it to scarier shadows, thunderstorms, lightning, and more. Again, overcome with God’s clarity, specifics and truth, I sat there in shock. After a couple of days of digesting what had happened, I came to this conclusion: I had been letting fear steal so many of the things God has for me through various excuses like procrastination, timing not making sense, what my plans were and much more. So, I’ve embarked on a new study adventure: what does God’s word say about fear? It’s been enlightening so far. I trust that you enjoy the journey with me! Here we go!
I had an amazing “God experience” about 5 or 6 weeks ago. Here’s a description:
The company my husband worked for decided to close their doors. Not a fun place to be anytime, but especially when you’re 6 months pregnant. We had taken our 3 and a half year old to watch Pop Warner football (he’s a football fanatic and wants to be where the action is, in the action at all times!). Later that afternoon I needed to go get my haircut. You know just a normal Saturday of doing life stuff. Well, it cost us more than we expected to go watch the football games and then we didn’t have enough time to go home for lunch before I needed to get to my haircut appointment. It was logistical craziness. I submitted (with a bit of an attitude) and we ended up at McD’s for lunch. While Scott was getting our food, Ian and I were sitting at a table. Ian was singing some goofy song quite loudly. He quieted down and then this woman came up to our table. She said, “I know you don’t know me, but I feel it’s important for me to be obedient with what God tells me to do.” (Can you say freak out moment!) She proceeded to say, “You’ve been praying about some important decisions and God just wants you to go for it.” Struggling for words, I politely said “thank you” and sat in total shock. Scott came to the table and I explained the encounter to him. He looked up and saw the woman and by the time I turned around to confirm it was her, she was walking out the door. I told Scott, “I don’t know about you, but over the last several days I’ve been praying about a ton of important decisions – so which one is it?” Dumbfounded yet feeling secure and loved on by our Savior, I continued with the day. Later that evening I was getting Ian ready for bed. After his bath he wanted to read his Bible, but he wanted to read the whole thing right then. I explained that God tells us many things in His word and that we need to read a little bit every day so we can listen to all that God tells us. I referred to a movie we had been watching over and over again - “Facing the Giants”. I reminded Ian that in the movie, Coach Richt tells Coach Taylor that God tells us in his word 365 times to not be afraid. Well, I’m not sure what happened except that the Holy Spirit took over my son! He started preaching for the next 5 minutes about not being afraid and giving examples that were relevant to him. He turned out his light and said, “Mommy, see this shadow? We don’t need to be afraid because God is with us.” He continued with this type of message and related it to scarier shadows, thunderstorms, lightning, and more. Again, overcome with God’s clarity, specifics and truth, I sat there in shock. After a couple of days of digesting what had happened, I came to this conclusion: I had been letting fear steal so many of the things God has for me through various excuses like procrastination, timing not making sense, what my plans were and much more. So, I’ve embarked on a new study adventure: what does God’s word say about fear? It’s been enlightening so far. I trust that you enjoy the journey with me! Here we go!
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