In Other Words Tuesday for February 7, 2012

I am the host for February 7th. My quote will be "Our problem is not a generation gap between adults and kids. Our problem is the gap between God and adults in order to reach our kids."  J Vernon Magee



I will post my writing Monday night to get the ball rolling. On Tuesday I will be preoccupied with something until Thursday so if I don't get back to those who participate be patient. Better yet, pray for the reason I will be pre-occupied. God knows what I'm up to but someone else doesn't. Its a surprise.
 
While you're praying, pray for my neice Stephanie. She is being tested for her seizures to see if they can correct them or not via surgery. She needs to have a seizure for them at the hospital in California. It sounds like a horrible prayer request but it's what needs to happen in order to see if they can help her. I went through this once when they were doing the same for me. It felt weird "wanting" to have seizures but they needed them to measure how they could help. My situation was different than her's. My problem was scar tissue from a previous head injury that was causing my seizures. Stephanie has a lesion in her forhead that is the cause of some of her seizures. If her "big" seizure is coming from that area too then they think they can operate.
 
Just pray for her please. I had this request a year ago for the same reason. The test they did helped but they need to do it again but this time hopefully with the "one" particular seizure. That's another strange thing I learned when I went through this years ago. I had different kinds of seizures. When they were measuring me I had all of them but one. They told me to concentrate on that one seizure and maybe I would have it. It worked. 
 

 This is a picture of me and Stephanie having a water fight. Stephanie was the one that started the fight but her Aunt Karen hung in there and won. She might not agree with that but I do. The little sneak years ago got herself a water pistol strictly for attacking me. The first few times I was hit came without warning. Wising up to the fact that she kept that thing loaded at all times I bought me one! Boy after that the fight was on. Talk about fun. 

Here we are showing our faces in San Francisco a year ago.
 
Love you Stephanie, Aunt Karen and many others are praying for you. Have a great and wonderful trip.

Perfect Peace

True peace comes from embracing what is, not from ceaseless striving to change everything around me to make my life more safe, secure, comfortable.” Dan Meadows in the Mosaic




Recently making a comeback from the 60’s is the famous peace sign. My grandkids love it. For every picture we try to take someone can be seen giving the peace sign to the camera. One day I told them, ‘You know what? You guys have no idea what that even means. What true peace is all about?”


Stunned at grandma’s bluntness they stared at me like lost puppies. “It means no wars, doesn’t it grandma?” one of them quietly spoke up. “Yes and no,” I replied. During the times in which we are not involved in wars, that is called a ‘time of peace.’ But the main thing about peace is the peace we receive from within. Peace that comes from God alone.” I told them. Still looking like they didn’t understand I went on to explain.

Just like those 8, 10, and 11 year olds many people don’t understand what true peace is all about. The peace that is everlasting and untouchable. Peace that stems from embracing what is so we don’t have to think we need to change everything around us that can’t be altered.

Truth be known, probably everyone can pinpoint a time in their life when they couldn’t feel the peace of God. I know I can. Like it or not life can get complicated and Satan uses these moments to blur that vision of finding God’s peace. In my case, one day as I shared my tears with the church secretary she shared with me a scripture. It was a verse someone showed her when she was going through a similar situation that cleared her vision.

The scripture was found in Isaiah 26:3,4 that says, “You (God) will keep in perfect peace him (anyone) whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You (God). Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, THE Lord is the Rock eternal.” Perfect peace! Doesn’t that sound appetizing? At the time I was struggling in my turmoil the idea of perfect peace was the key I was looking for but the last thing I could find.

I couldn’t find it because I wasn’t doing my part. I needed to trust the Lord to deal with my situation that would in turn eventually accomplish the steadfast mind leading to the promise of perfect peace.

Wow, it’s that simple. Trust God and receive a steadfast mind. A mind that is unwavering, unfaltering, committed, persistent, dedicated, and unswerving. I can do that! Wrong! In the midst of our troubles and turmoil’s the last thing our mind feels like is, “unwavering.” Thrust into a tailspin by the world and all that comes with it we easily get caught in the undercurrent and it makes it difficult to get out and establish that steadfast mind.

No matter what the struggle we need to stand by the fact that we can trust the Lord. It’s our job to claim daily His promises to never leave us nor forsake us. Allowing the knowledge that He is with us to dominate the feelings we may feel inside that have us in our wild and crazy and exhausting spin zone.

The truth is found also in Phil 4:4-7 when it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We have our part which is pretty minimal when compared to what God does for us when we are willing to do what we need to do. Trust in the Lord. The Lord who is the Rock eternal!

Peace! God’s kind of peace, the perfect kind. Amen? Amen!!!!!

Our host today is Tami over at The Next Step. Run on over there as usual and get to sharing and reading what others have to say about today’s great quote. In the process stay out of the spin zone and stick with God.

Picture compliments of Cody, Anthony, Brooke, Aubrey, and Marissa

Job Description

“We are women, and my plea is Let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is.” ~~ Elisabeth Elliot

Sometimes at work when things get hectic I feel like hanging a sign on my back that says, “Leave me alone and let me code.” My plea to people is that they would just leave me out of the day’s politics and let me do my job.

That is the cry of Elisabeth in this quote when she said, “We are women, and her plea is for people to let her be a woman.” End of story. No, it’s just the beginning of the story. The story of figuring out what it means to be a woman. There are so many different definitions and visions that the picture often gets blurred.

At work we have what we call a “job description.” Well, we are supposed to have one. They have been written and re-written, forgotten and remembered time and time again. When properly done they describe what my job is. In the Bible there are two prominent areas where job descriptions for women are posted, one in Proverbs 31 and the other in Titus 2.

You can read them, re-write them, forget about them, remember them over and over again but they remain the same as the day they were written. They don’t need to be updated every century or 10 years to go along with an ever changing culture.

Indeed when you go to read those scriptures you often feel overwhelmed and this sign flashes before you in your mind that says, “Need not apply.” You think, “Wow I could never fill that position. Especially the part in Proverbs 31 that says ‘she opens her mouth with wisdom’ ” For someone who has never had any coding experience they need not apply for a coding job but we don’t need “experience” to apply for the godly woman position. What is required is the willingness to strive for the goals the Lord has mapped out for us.

Some qualities will come easy, some come with tears, some come with years and years of practice but if we continue working on it eventually we will get where we need to be. I may never speak with wisdom as other women of God do but that’s okay it’s still something to strive for. With God as our coach, our boss, our teacher, our mentor we can’t miss.

How many times have we stopped to remember our piano teacher, our football coach, our shop leader, our sewing instructor, and anyone else who worked hard at teaching us what we needed to learn? Be honest, at the time of learning you probably grumbled about having to practice, you couldn’t see the point in doing some of the things they required of you. After all who cares if the button hole didn’t line up exactly with the button we just sowed on.

Why do we treat God any different? He is there to teach us what we need to learn but we need to be willing to be a student. We have our moments of grumbling about the things He asks us to do but it doesn’t change the fact that we need to do it. Down the road we should look back with frequency at the things He taught us and the things we learned in the hands of His guidance.

Eventually when we stay with God we will reach that goal of being holy through and through asking for nothing but what God wants to give us. Truly welcoming all He has to offer with both hands and all our heart.  The world will try to stop us from receiving these blessings but we need to be willing to stop it even if it takes hanging a sign on our back saying, “Leave me alone and let me be a godly woman.” Amen? Amen!!!

Our host today is Nina at Mama’s Little Treasures, hurry on over there and join in. Share and care what God has to tell us as women of God.

Barefoot and Praising

“If I can’t find God in the ordinary places of life, either I’m not looking hard enough or he’s not nearly as approachable as I need him to be. This is a paradox too. God appears in all the ordinary places, burning bushes, naked Barbies, plumbing disasters. But when he does, those places become holy. Moses had to take his shoes off.” ~from an interview with Marcus Goodyear, Barbies at Communion

Oh dear, the list of paradox things we could come up with about God is a mile long. No, it’s as long as we make it. Why is that people like to find the “paradox’ or irony things, inconsistencies, or absurdities about God rather than the truth? Perhaps they are afraid of the truth or deny it even exists. Truths like the one Marcus Goodyear pointed out that, “God appears in all the ordinary places, burning bushes, naked Barbies, plumbing disasters, you name it He’s there.


Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. Did I mention Praise the Lord! It is a wonderful, comforting, strengthening feeling to know God’s everywhere. Everywhere we are willing to look for Him and recognize Him when we see Him.


I love looking for God wherever I go, He can be seen in absolutely everything. One day as I was going to church I passed a park where a group of 15-17 year old boys were practicing fly fishing. As I watched the adults go from boy to boy showing them how to cast I thought about Jesus. ‘Oh I can write something about this,’ I thought. Yes, it would make a perfect picture for a story about becoming fishers of men. Half tempted to stop for a quick photo shop I kept on going to church in hopes of them still being there when I got out. They weren’t.

God was there and I wasn’t even looking. If I would have been quick on my thinking I should have taken off my shoes in the car because of where I was, was holy ground. Being the driver of the car that might have been a little awkward but maybe we need to do that more often. Do it as recognition of recognizing God when we see Him.


As God is everywhere we should be walking around barefoot constantly because there is no ground that isn’t holy knowing that God’s presence is everywhere. Instead of the cliché women hate about being barefoot and pregnant, we should be barefoot and praising. Praising God for the fact that He is everywhere. Praising Him for His presence. Praising Him for being near.


We must never doubt the fact that God is present in our current situations, He not just up in the snow cap mountains, the rolling waves of the ocean, or the chirping birds sitting in the trees. He’s present in our troubles, He’s with us in our marriages, He travels with us in our journeys, and everywhere else


At times we can’t see Him but it doesn’t mean He’s not there. Situations can cloud even the best of vision but it doesn’t mean God is gone. As the clouds cover the mountains near my home I can always rest assure when they gone the mountains will still be there. The same is with the Lord, when life has our vision distorted or blocked we need to stand by our faith that God is still there, He is present, Praise the Lord.


Where we are is Holy ground because where we are is where God is also. Barefoot and Praising is a place we all can and should be.




Our host today is Cynthia at Great Brain Ideas. Run over there and watch the presence of God arrive ahead of you as others talk about seeing God wherever they are.


**See God in the pencils? Yes, not having Jesus in your life is like an unsharpened pencil, THERE IS NO POINT. See Him in the sunset in Central Oregon? Who else could paint such beauty, He even makes a cloudy day look pretty, showing a bright side to darkened clouds.

Renovated

"Without the renewed mind, we will distort the Scriptures to avoid their radical commands for self-denial, and love, and purity, and supreme satisfaction in Christ alone.” ~ John Piper


As the New Year begins the New Year resolutions begin as well. And because it’s January 10th they have already ended for most people. Just teasing! But it’s the truth isn’t it. It is for me anyway, guilty as charged! When it comes to the physical resolutions they tend to be quit smoking and start dieting. On the spiritual side we think of reading our Bible more frequently and serve the Lord greater.


Recently I heard one spiritual speaker talk about reading the Bible daily. One by one he listed the do’s and don’ts of reading the Bible. One of the don’ts was to DO NOT distort the Scriptures to make it read what we want it to read. There probably has come a time in most of our lives we have all done this very thing. Guilty as charged! Although it may give us a temporarily good feeling as we break our spiritual diet but it’s only momentary. It lasts about as long as that “need for chocolate” fix we are after as we break our physical diet.


The best solution is to renew our minds as we renew our resolutions. Dropping what doesn’t belong and keeping what needs to stay. This is done by setting for ourselves good reachable and obtainable goals that we strive for daily with the help of the Holy Spirit and self discipline.


It’s easy to join a gym or get on the “patch” to quit smoking but how do we renew our minds. To renew means to renovate, refurbish, repair, restore, mend, make good, and revamp. One day as I watched a remodeling process going on at an old business office I noticed them taking out lift-truck bucket loads of dirt out of the building. I thought maybe they were trying to dig a basement or a sunken waiting room or office space. Being a person who works around construction my husband informed me they were tearing out the old concrete floor as well as the old pipes and electrical wires to start over with their own layout.


That’s the kind of renovating, restoring, and revamping process we need to do ourselves spiritually. As we draw closer to Christ we should be taking out buckets full the old stuff that doesn’t need to be there and replace it with our own new wiring furnished by Jesus. We can’t make the mistake of thinking we can do it on our own and renewing with things we want dancing around in our heads. As if that ever worked! Guilty as charged, been there, tried that and it doesn’t work.


Things have a tendency to get into our minds way to easily that doesn’t belong. It takes a good look and a long commitment to decide to clean it up and replace it with things from above as Paul put it. Twisting the Bible to read what we want it to read only puts more of the wrong instead of right things into our minds.


Bottom-line is we are in charge of our own renovating process and it would do us well to read the Bible every day. To apply it to our lives, to use it to dispose of the old as we prepare for the new on an every day basis. Just as we would never renew a subscription to a magazine we didn’t like we need to stop renewing our subscription to the things that harm us spiritually. The Bible and its author is all the renewal we need to refurbish what needs to be in Christ, for Christ, through Christ for the benefit of all and to the glory of God’s kingdom.




Therefore, next time the Holy Spirit comes around knocking on your door asking you if you want to renew your subscription to the Bible tell him, “You bet I do and forget this 2 year, 10-year plan I’m going for all eternity!” Amen? Amen!!!!!!! I’m renewed, I am renovated!




Our host today is Urailak at LivingforGod . Run on over there and read and share with the others about today’s quote. Better yet for the New Year join us and be one of the Tuesday morning contributors to the quote of the week. We’d love to have you on board.

Always on Duty

We live in a broken world full of broken people, But isn’t it comforting to know God isn’t ever broken? He isn’t ever caught off guard, taken by surprise, or shocked by what happens next. He can take our worst and add His best. We just have to make the choice to stay with Him and keep following Him through it all. Lysa TerKeurst




I must confess that at one point in my life I felt like the fairy tale character Humpty Dumpty. I was so shattered into pieces I figured there couldn’t possibly be enough of the King’s angels to put me back together again. The best I could do was lie on my bed and stare up at the blank ceiling above me and wonder if my prayers were ever going to make it past the roof of my house.

I looked at life through a broken lens, everything seemed cracked, and nothing seemed to be intact. Satan had me believing the lie that I was insignificant enough that I wasn’t worth keeping an eye on. Basically I was all alone with too many problems for a busy God to keep up with. There were more important people to deal with. Even the time clock at work confirmed my analysis as I clocked in each day when it would display the word, “insft.” To me that stood for insignificant not in shift.

Wow, how blind can we get by believing the lies Satan plants in our heads? The lies like God is broken, He’s caught off guard, taken by surprise and shocked at what is happening. It is a list that unfortunately can go on and on if we allow it.


The truth is God can and will take our worst and add His best but we have our part to play in the equation. We need to be willing to stay with Him long enough for Him to do His best in our lives. Often we either get too inpatient and go on our own way or we give up entirely not wanting to wait around for the “snail mail” our answers come in from Heaven. We want instant replies and on the spot results exactly as we think they should be answered. When they don’t come we figure God’s given up on us so we might as well follow suit.


Satan has it too easy. We give in too quickly, we fall for every lie Satan tells, and we flip the blame for everything going wrong in our lives onto God in a heartbeat. We are the ones with a choice to gloat over our worse or give it to God to add His best. God is not insignificant and neither are we when we have Him on our side. A Savior and King that is never off duty, always in shift watching over our every need.


Yes, Karen, there are enough of the King’s angels to put you back together again. Praise the Lord!




Our host today is Twinkle Mom at Sunflower Faith, this was a great quote today. You need to go over and visit her and see what others have to say about it.

Boots on the Ground

It’s not so much that God has a mission for His church in the world as that God has a church for His Mission in the world.” Christopher J.H. Wright “The Mission of God”




In reading this quote I think of the phrase, “which comes first the chicken or the egg. Good question if you think about it. Same with this quote as the first thing that God created was the world, then He had a mission for the world, and then comes the church to be the one to perform that mission. With that all put in order one has to ask now, “What is the mission?”



What is God’s mission statement? In a writer’s class I was in the leader had the class write out our mission in 10 words or less. Being a woman of many words, especially typed words, that was not an easy task. To try and cram all I wanted to say in ten words or less seemed impossible. After all that count is only double the amount of words in the first sentence of this paragraph. Unfortunately I didn’t say all I wanted to say in that first sentence and five more words wouldn’t help.



After struggling with my assignment this is what I came up with. My mission statement: Enhancing within the House of God closer walks with Jesus. There you have it, plain and simple. God’s mission statement is plain as well, He is out to make disciples that are obedient to His will and purpose.



Our mission as the church is to carry that out and make disciples for Jesus. It starts with us and it spreads from there. It’s not a matter of numbers in a church building that can be counted it’s a matter of obedient boots on the ground disciples willing to surrender all they have to march in God’s army and follow Him.



From the original mission spreads many missions to accomplish, that once again starts with us. Boots on the ground ready Christians willing to do their part in furthering God’s kingdom, one disciple at a time.

Taking Ownership

Christmas belongs to us, the believers of Christ, it doesn’t belong to the world. Christ needs to be elevated in our hearts year around. He didn’t come to be marketed as a seasonal gift on sale for half price. We were the ones that were bought at a price. David Jeremiah


When I think about this quote from David Jeremiah I zero in on the word “belongs.” We all have our posessions, our things that “belong to us,” and we are very protective of each and every item. If stolen we have no problem giving a detailed list of what was missing hoping for a speedy return of that which was taken. It does something to us to have someone steal our things. Once when this happened to my sister she told me after the person stole their mail and broke into their home that she felt violated and it really made her mad.


As Christians we should feel that protectiveness when it comes to the most valueable possession we can have, our relationships with Jesus. We should be so alert to it that we would know immediately if it was ever stolen. Unfortunately we aren’t that alert. Not like we are with our expensive camera, high definition TV, and mink coat. More often than not we don’t even realize He was stolen in the first place.


Recently at our Christmas program at the church it was time for the two-year-old through fourth grade kids to be front and center on the stage. As they prepared to do their play the whole stage was full of cute little angels tripping over their wings and playing with their halos. As they began their opening scene Mary and Joseph took their place kneeling behind the manger where a doll playing the part of Jesus was laying wrapped snuggly in a cloth.


As each child was busy speaking their part one of the angels, a two-year-old girl, caught site of Jesus. She was so fascinated by the baby Jesus that she would walk over to the manger and take Jesus out. After unwrapping Him she would walk Him off the stage and lay Him down in different places. Graciously the kids playing Mary and Joseph tried their best to deal with the situation. When the adult at the front of the stage distracted the little angel they would run and get Jesus and put Him back where He belonged only to be stolen again the minute the angel noticed He was back in the manger. Each time this took place those who could see what was going on roared with laughter. Those in the back that couldn’t see sat in silence.


Polical correctness, busyness, distractions, and selfishness all are working together to steal out of the manger of our hearts what needs to be there, Jesus Christ. What rightfully belongs to us is being stolen and we don’t even know it. We are like those in the back of the room that don’t have a clue what is going on.


Now is the time to be front and center on the stage of our lives paying attention to what is happening. So alert that when Christ has been taken away from us we know it instantly and we immediately get Him back to where He belongs. After all, Christ doesn’t belong to the world He belongs to us or better yet we belong to Him. He’s not a seasonal gift that is taken out of a storage box in time for Christmas only to be put away with all the other ornaments from the tree to spend another year in a darkened storage room.


Christ paid dearly for us to have Him in our lives, it would do us well to be protective of that and treasure it in our hearts. Instead of replacing Him with all the things we try to get done for the Holiday lets keep Him front and center where He belongs, in a place where we can see when He is immediately gone.


Its one thing to have something stolen from us but it’s a whole different ball game when we “allow” it to be taken out of carelessness. Indeed, carelessly neglecting that which is ours by actions of our own making. We need to stop it and take ownership of our relationship with Jesus and turn it into something worth protecting with a Savior worth keeping.


Is Jesus stolen out of your life or did you neglect the door of your heart and allow Him to walk away? Its never too late to get Him back. It’s never too late to start protecting that which is yours.


Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Birthday, Jesus. We love you!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Amazed Cycle

Can we see that we are the shepherds? Can we with open eyes, see who we are and who He is and what He has done? Are we amazed. Rev Mark Shaw





I heard recently that the shepherds back then were equivalent to the homeless people of today. They were the poorest of the poor. They didn’t have the plush robs we picture them with, the finest staffs, or a nice trailer nearby they could call their home.


When you think about that you wonder, “why the shepherds?” Sound familiar? It should because that is often what we say, “Why me? I’m nobody. I don’t have all the finest things in life. Why would God want me?”



Looking at the shepherds it just goes to prove God doesn’t need the finest of the fine to get a job done. He needs someone who is willing to listen, do, and be amazed at what God has to say.



A few days ago we had an eclipse of the moon we got to observe. I don’t know about you but when I stood outside looking at it I was amazed. What I was observing wasn’t a mistake of nature, neither were the sounds I heard from the owl hooting, the roosters crowing, the pigs grunting, and my grandkids yelling at me, “Grandma is cold out here.”



The angels weren’t out to find the first person awake that night to tell the good news to. It wasn’t a mistake the shepherds were chosen. They weren’t the last on the list, they were the first.




We too are God’s shepherds, people out there available to Him to listen to what He has to say and take action. The only requirement to be one is to be willing to look with open eyes instead of a closed heart. The shepherds got to see only the beginning of what God was just about to do and yet they were still amazed.




Too often we treat God like, “Well come back when the job is done, then I’ll see if I’m amazed.” The other day I confessed something to my 10-year-old granddaughter. As I spilled out my confession she looked at me as if I was a little on the nutty side. That is a fact they’ve known for years but to what degree they weren’t sure. I told her about a writing piece I wrote. It was about going to heaven and what it looked like and how amazingly wonderful it was in mind and all the things I imagined I would see and experience.



So far I’ve never seen God’s finished project of Heaven only the beginning of what He created on earth yet I can still be amazed. We need to stop worrying about whom we are or aren’t and what isn’t finished and start living our lives in the “amazed” cycle. Amazed at what God does for us on a daily basis knowing we aren’t a mistake, we may make mistakes but we are not a mistake of nature that just happened to be. We have our worth as the shepherds did and we need to use that to further the news about Jesus coming to town.



After all, it’s not Santa Claus that’s coming to town, it’s Jesus. Spread the word! Finest of the fine, poorest of the poor, it doesn’t matter God wants us all. Listen as the shepherds did that night and get ready to live in the “amazed” cycle of life.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Welcome

“We can thrive — and even offer life-giving rest to others — because God is at home in us.” Bonnie Gray Faith Barista blog






As I work in the medical field there is a diagnosis that comes up often with many patients, it is called “failure to thrive.” It is seen in those who have come to the end of their disease and are feeling too tired to be able to fight their disease anymore. It could be anything from old age, end stage renal, cancer, or whatever it doesn’t matter. The fact is they have reached a point where they don’t think they can go on any further and are diagnosed with “Failure to thrive.”






As Christians we should never get to that point where our physical body gets. To the point we are diagnosed with “failure to thrive.” With God at home in us we don’t have to feel as if we can’t go on any further. Often we get to the point where we would like to throw up our hands and say, “No, more. I can’t go any further” but we don’t have to listen to ourselves. Going to the local physician won’t keep that spunk in us but going to the Great Physician can.






Last week when our assignment was to write about our favorite scripture or quote I chose Philippians 4:13. The title of my piece was called, “I can, through Christ.” This past week when I was slipping quickly into a downward mood heading for the “failure to thrive” category I opened up my internet and the first thing I saw was my own blogspot. Staring me in the face were my own words, “I can, through Christ.”






Choking on my own words I had to re-read what I wrote myself. They are words we all need to be reminded of telling us we are capable of many things thanks to the Lord making his home in our heart. Our problem is we clutter the home of our heart with so many things that He can’t either get in through the debris in the front yard or He can’t get out because of the clutter of our collections on the inside.






It would do us well to clean the house where Christ is to make His home, our heart. Recently my husband and I put in new carpet in the living room. After the task was done and the big furniture was returned I marveled over how nice it looked uncluttered from all the extra stuff that was in there before. Reluctant to fill it back up with all the wrong things I got rid of what didn’t need to be.






It’s our responsibility to do that to our spiritual hearts. The point is, “we can” we can thrive and help others as well as long as we got our own spiritual homes in order. Properly putting God in His place instead of making it so He has to fight His way through the “extra stuff” we are reluctantly to dispose of. Such things as our attitudes, bad habits, disobedience, pride, and so much more.






“Welcome” at the door of our heart should mean just that, welcome not “enter at your own risk.” Praise the Lord, our God wants to live in our hearts, make His home there. The rest is up to us.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

I Can, Through Christ

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13




The night appeared to be a long one. The fight with my husband, the news of our finances, with the piles of other issues weighing upon me I turned to God’s word. Like magic my Bible opened up to Philippians 4:13. Well maybe it wasn’t so magical after all. Perhaps it was because I had been there so many times it left a permanent dent in that area of my Bible.


Although I know it by heart it did something to read it. It’s amazing how a small verse can carry such a large weight of influence. It is a bridge to many gaps and a life support system to people who often feel like they are dying within. An encouragement to those who are not like the storybook train named “Thomas” that made it up the hill saying, “I think I can, I think I can.”


I was the one who was always saying, “I know I can’t, I know I can’t,” but God through His word kept telling me “I can do all things.” The key to doing so was to do it through Christ who strengthens me. It was my own created strength that was failing me, not Christ’s. Like my mom reminding me over and over again to do my homework my heavenly Father through this one verse was reminding me, “I can, through Christ.”


Time and time again He would sit me down and go over the message frequently. “I can, through Christ” was the center of every lecture, the theme behind each talk my heart received. Once engrained in my mind the talk opened up to further things. The whole chapter of Philippians 4 that covered what Paul was talking about when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


Paul’s list of things were: rejoicing in the Lord always, being anxious for nothing, praying with thanksgiving, meditating on things that are pure, noble, and anything praiseworthy. After that he put the icing on the cake when he said he had learned to be content in all situations, whether hungry or full, in need or in want. In other words, Paul could do it all because it was Christ who was giving him the strength to do it.


Over the years Satan’s number one attack on me has been, “No you can’t.” It was up to me to listen or not. God told me I could through Christ. The winner of this tug-a-war would be determined by me. Was I going to listen to Satan or God? I had a choice to make for every situation I was in. I’m ashamed to say Satan won a few rounds. However, the true victory continues to go to God as He never stopped reminding me that, “yes I can, through Christ alone.”


Too often we think since Christ has the strength then He should just do it for me. That’s not what the verse says. It says, “I can.” I had my part to play, my part to fulfill and with the help of Christ it would be possible. All it needed was a little initiative on my part to keep moving forward up the hill of life chanting to myself, “Yes I can, yes I can, thanks to Christ.”


And there my wonderful readers, is why this verse in my heart makes my favorite list every time.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Homage To, In Remembrance Of

“Let us remember that, as much as has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”–Theodore Roosevelt




The declaration Theodore Roosevelt (26th President 1901-1909) spoke to the United States were good words to listen to. They started with the attention getter of, “let us remember!” Following his opening phrase came more to think about. He wanted the American people to remember the fact much was given them and much will be expected from them.


Next the President would give them the reason behind it all. The why of why he told them they needed to remember. It was because, as he said, ‘true homage comes from the heart as well as the lips and it shows itself in deeds.’


For being the youngest President up until then he really knew what he was talking about. They are words that not only pertain to us as citizens of America or wherever we live but they pertain to us as citizens of Heaven as well. Sad part is we are way too quick to forget and way to selfish to know what true homage is all about.


To pay homage to something means to show it respect, pay tribute to it and to find ways to serve and honor it. It is something that needs to come from our hearts as well as our lips to the point it shows up in our actions.


Too often we overlook what was given to us and we concentrate on what “we don’t have yet.” We think we are entitled to everything but don’t need to return anything. We treat our families, country, church, and God this way. As long as we get what we want that is all that matters. Wrong!


That is why it’s important that, we remember! Over and over again in the Bible we read about how altars were built, wells were given special names all in a process to help them to remember. Remember what? Remember what was done for them. The cross along side the road is there to remember the one who died there. The picture on the wall is there to remember a love one. The special token in a hope chest lies there as a reminder to the story or deed or person from which it came.


What are we doing today to remember what God has done for us and our country? We have kicked Him out of the schools. We’ve outlawed prayer in public places. We’ve taken His name out of Christmas. We want the words, “In God we Trust” taken off our currency. We compromise our beliefs in the church in order to bring in more bodies with voices to sing our jazzy songs. It’s almost like we forgot instead of remembered who God is and what He has truly done for us.


The fact that God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow should give us something to remember. Remembering the reality that God hasn’t changed, we have. The only thing that needed to change over the years is technology not our belief system or values. There is no expiration date on the Bible or God. He deserves our honor and respect and we need to pay homage to Him by the way we live our lives.


Therefore, instead of kicking Him out we need to invite Him in. In to our lives, our country, our homes, our churches and give to Him the glory due His name. As another famous president once said, “It’s not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country.” It would serve our country and God well if we would teach our younger generation this forgotten trait and dying deed on how to pay homage to both their country as well as God.


In God we trust. As for as me and my household, we will serve the Lord!


Happy Thanksgiving




I heard on the news this morning people arguing over the fact that we don’t know if the pilgrims ate turkey on Thanksgiving or not. Who cares what they ate? Thanksgiving wasn’t for the purpose of the main menu but for the giving of thanks for the harvest and for what God had given them. It doesn’t matter if they ate tacos, noodle casserole, roast beef, or salmon. How utterly ridiculous this political correct garbage has gotten. Talk about paying homage to our country it would do us well to pay homage by allowing us to be ruled by values instead of what someone thinks is “politically correct.”

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Running Wounded

No wound? No scar? Yet as the Master shall the servant be, And pierced are the feet that follow Me; But thine are whole. Can he have followed far who has no wound nor scar? ~~ Amy Carmichael


Isn’t it funny how we think we can get through life without any wounds or scars? Too often we reason with the fact that Christ was the one wounded therefore we don’t have to be. We need to wake up and realize that wounds happen. Everyone is going to have their “scars” to heal and live with.


I love my Sunday school preschool kids. The boys are so cute when they get to comparing their scars received over the week. There always seems to be a skinned up knee or elbow to show off to the other boys who try to top each other’s wounds.


My grandson is one of those boys. He thinks he has the scar that could beat any other wound story in class. On his leg remains the reminder of the time when he was one-year-old and was burnt severely by McDonald’s coffee and air-lifted to a burn center 200 miles away.


It doesn’t matter who has the most wounds or who gets the prize for the “biggest” scar. The important part is in the healing. We can’t be afraid to get in and do certain things like witnessing for Christ in fear of being wounded. “Oh, what if someone says something to me or what if this happens.”


Revisiting the Garden of Gethsemane we find Christ was concerned about what was ahead of Him. Who could ever forget His prayer? “If this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” In other words, “Not my will but Yours be done.” Its been said that the word BUT erases everything that came before it. In this case that is a good thing. In our cases it’s usually used to make excuses. “I would give more to the church BUT I need a new car. I would love to serve in the soup line BUT I just don’t have the time to go there.” No one likes to be wounded for any reason but (oh there’s that word again) it’s what we do with our wounds that make them important.


Recently as I was observing my daughter and things she was going through raising her four kids I noticed how she appeared to be “running wounded.” As life was throwing up one blow after another she was unable to recover from one before the next hit. She had no time to heal from the first therefore she was, “running wounded.” What was important was the fact that she kept on going, eventually the healing came, the scars formed but she was way ahead in life.


We need to keep on going and learn how to keep on “running wounded” until the healing comes. We can do this when we realize the person running along beside us has His own wound and scars such as it says, “pierced are the feet that follow me.”


I don’t know about you but I’m not proud of a lot of my wounds but I’m proud of my scars because of the healing they represent. Healing God has helped me with as He nursed my wounds and tended to my hurts. It begins with turning to Him and lifting up our wound before Him like a young child asking their daddy or mommy to kiss their “owie.”


We don’t have to run wounded forever if we run along side of God. Believe it or not healing is a choice. We can allow God to heal our emotional and spiritual wounds or we can sit around picking off the scabs before the scar of healing has a chance to even form. Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves keeping our wounds open inviting in further infections and deeper damage.


Trust me, I’ve been there and done that and all I got was a deeper wound. Run wounded to God, stay there beside Him until the healing comes! For once again, pierced is the feet that follow me, He knows what its like to be wounded.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

It Depends

  “And why should the good of anyone depend on the prayer of another? I can only answer with the return question. ‘Why should my love be powerless to help another?’ ” ~ George MacDonald

“It depends.” How often have we heard that in our lives? “We will go to the coast but it “depends” on this or that. We might be able to buy  a new car but it “depends” on if I get my raise at work.” We even use that phrase on our kids. “Can I go to the dance this weekend mom?’ ‘Well it depends.”


The picture really gets dark and dim when we think of the fact that we also use this phrase on God. “I will be good to the person but it depends on how nice they are to me. I will give to the church but it depends on if I get what I want first.”


In life some things do depend on other situations or circumstances. However, when it comes to being good that is something that should never depend on anything except the fact we need to do it, no conditions attached. Our Christianity and the things we are suppose to be in Christ should never “depend” on something else. If you think about it and tear apart this formula we have created the “something else” always is centered on us getting something first THEN the later can happen.


It’s like the Psalmist who writes in the Bible, “God if you do this for me I will praise you.” No, we need to praise the Lord no matter what, not add a condition to it. Imagine that prayer, “God I will praise you but it depends on if my husband gets that job he applied for.”


What part of the word “No!” don’t we understand. When we allow our attitude and Christianity to be controlled by our circumstances then we have a problem. We are the ones that need to be in control. Recently as my husband applied for a job I read Phil 4:4-7 that talks about being anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. THEN the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.


After reading that scripture I had to stop and examine my prayers asking myself, “Did I pray with thanksgiving or just a laundry list of why I thought my husband should be hired.” Behind the scene was I saving the “thanksgiving” part of the verse for after the “Depends on if my husband gets hired or not” clause.


To make sure I did it correctly I prayed once more and with thanksgiving as well. It felt good. I even made up a mock prayer praying for someone’s mom’s knee surgery to see if I could pray with thanksgiving with all my prayers. It was a good exercise for my heart.


This morning the news of my husband’s job came in. He did not get the job. Eleven long years of only hit and miss jobs will continue on. However, my goodness, my thankfulness, my gratitude and praise to the Lord doesn’t depend on the answer being “Yes.” As much as the job would have helped life, what I have with God is of more value. I can’t imagine waking up this morning thinking, “Well God no praise for you today because it depended on whether Don got the job or not. Good day, maybe tomorrow.” Yuk, it brings tears to my eyes to even think of such an attitude, to think my fingers could even type such a thing.


What I want is God to be able to depend on me not me living my life around made up conditions of if A doesn’t happen then B won’t happen either. I want the “depend” to be on me, that God and His kingdom can count on me no matter what the circumstance, no matter what the situation.


The best part of it all is the fact that we can depend on God. Amen? Amen!!!


**Before starting this today I didn’t know what I wanted to say about the quote. I just couldn’t come up with something to say. I prayed to God to take my fingers and give them something to say. Once I got started I couldn’t shut up. God is awesome isn’t He? Imagine if He was one of those who waited around for the “depends” to happen. We’d never be saved!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Lighter and Brighter

We need to walk out of our worship time with God lighter than when we came in. Lighter because we left behind at the foot of the cross the things that needed to go. Left behind in preparation to learn and lean on the promises of God. Wayne Corderio


I don’t know about you but there have been many times I have gone to Sunday worship heavily burdened. The extreme weight from the week just seemed to follow me into the church building. The sanctuary was my refuge as I sought the strength needed to endure another week out in the world. What a blessing it was to see God at work as the promise of Matthew 11:28,29 came true. The promise where Jesus offered the invitation of, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”


Running to the foot of the cross with my arms held high and my hands waving in the wind I cried out in my heart, “I’m coming Jesus, I’m coming!” Each step closer to the cross of Christ allowed me to draw nearer to my ability to lighten the load my heart was carrying.


The more I worshipped, the lighter my load became and the brighter my light for Jesus shined in this domino affect of faith, trust, and obedience. What a praise it is to be able to have that place of refuge and strength to see us through life’s struggles. It starts with removing what doesn’t belong and replacing it with something of worth like the valve found in trusting in God’s promises.


As we eventually learn how to bundle up before going out in a snowstorm or severe weather conditions we need to learn how to bundle up in God’s promises. Wrapping ourselves tightly in God’s promises to protect us from the intense weather of the world. The world where storms are rougher, burdens are heavier, where no one is immune from extreme damage to their spiritual heart.


It’s not good enough to dump our burdens onto Jesus and run. What we need to do is learn how to lean on His promises. Making the decision daily to carry with us the strength they put out in order to face the world and the battles we come across.


Yep, lighter and brighter is the only way to go and it begins at the foot of the cross.




Thanks everyone for participating today. Happy November!!!!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

One love, Two outlets

“When you love the unloving, you get a glimpse of what God does for you.” Max Lucado

There seems to be two kinds of people in this world. Well maybe more than two kinds but for today’s quote let’s say “two kinds.” People who think of themselves as extremely loveable and those who don’t think anyone could possibly love them at all. For both species of human beings they have their eyes on themselves when their focus should be elsewhere. Instead they should be keeping their eye on the true target of God, the one who can love anyone in spite of their shortcomings.


To most people it’s a hard thing to love the unloveable as they don’t seem to care if they are loved or not. Although the unlovable won’t admit it they have put more condtions on their love than any one could possibly imagine. After attempting to love the unlovable we frequently throw up our hands and say, “I give up!”


Praise the Lord God isn’t that way. When Christ hung on the cross He didn’t throw up His hands to say “I give up, these people are way to unloving to be loveable.” No instead He threw up His hands to say, “I love you whether you think you are loveable or not.”

The important thing we need to do is remember that each of us in spite of personality flaws is loveable in God’s sight. Its something He has chosen to extend to us and in spite of the difficulty of it, we need to extend it to others.


All of us in our own ways are unloveable but that is what makes love so wonderful. It looks passed the unloveable characteristics to love anyway as God loves us. How dare we keep God’s love for us to ourselves and not pass it on to the next unlovable person in need of Christ’s love in their life.


Let’s change two kinds of people into two kinds of love. The kind of love Christ gives to us and the kind of love we can pass on to others. If you stop and look when the two are mixed together there really is only one kind with two outlets, heaven and our heart.


Praise the Lord God found a way to love us and we can find a way to love others too. Being loved by God is not a license to be rude, indifferent, disobedient, and disrespectful because after all He says He loves the unlovable. No, it’s an opportunity to give back what we don’t owe out of love ourselves to someone who cares enough to love us first.


One love, two outlets. God in Heaven and God in our hearts.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Staying Put

“ When you have no helpers, see your helpers in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God. When you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord. ” ~ Charles Spurgeon


On my kids blogspot http://www.karenskidskorner.blogspot.com/ I write devotionals using pictures. I call them my “picture DEES,” DEES standing for devotionals. I look for things I can use to write something about God for my grandkids. Over the years it’s been fun watching them catch on to the fun of finding things we can use for our “picture DEES.” They have gotten to the point where they can pick out a picture and what needs to be said about it regarding God.


What we use to do together soon became something they could do on their own. Something they would get all excited about when they came to my house on the weekend about a picture DEE idea they came up with during the week. After telling me their idea I would come up with a picture to put it to even if we had to “act out” a picture to use.


Indeed in the long run it has taught them to see God wherever they go, to look for Him in all they see. Charles Spurgeon in his quote today is trying to get us to do the same, to see God wherever we go and look for Him in all we see.


It doesn’t matter what we are looking at, how much we have we can see God in everything if that is what we are looking for. We see Him in our plenty as well as our poverty. God is there and our focus needs to be on Him. The circumstances, atmosphere, conditions or anything else doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that we have stayed our hearts only on the Lord.


As I have tried to train my grandkids to see God everywhere we need to do the same because you know what? God is everywhere. We would like to think He’s not there watching us steal from the store, or drive under the influence of alcohol, or gossip at work, or tell the lie we just told but He’s there and it would do us good to remember that. God is not just there when we need Him, He is there always. Praise the Lord.


Our job is the get our hearts to see that and stay there forever. To be that stubborn person who refuses leave. One who says, “God’s with me and I’m with God and I’m staying put!”




Our host today is Jennifer on her blog, Scraps & Snippets. As much as I would like you to stay put on my blogspot you need to go visit Jennifer and everyone else and see what they have to share.

The Source

“ The ethics of Jesus cannot be obeyed or even understood until the life of God has come to the heart of a man or woman in the miracle of the new birth. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those who walk in the Spirit. Christ lives again in His redeemed followers the life He lived in Judea, for righteousness can never be divorced from its source, which is Jesus Christ Himself!” author unknown




Often you hear from people about how “so and so is a good person.” We have gotten the thought in our heads that if we are “good” we have it made on our way to Heaven. We forget the fact that “good” outside of Christ isn’t good enough to get us where we need to be in Christ. Frequently we try to separate righteousness from its source and claim the act for ourselves. The Pharisees tried to do that and Jesus warned the disciples to not be like them.


Christ is our life and righteousness source when we walk and live in Him. It begins with asking Him into our lives and then being obedient to His ethic standards found in God’s word. We don’t get the pleasure of believing in Christ without walking or following in His ways. Likewise we don’t get the enjoyment of not accepting Christ into our lives so we don’t have to be obedient to the things He talks about in the Bible.


We need to get hooked up with the source that will take us places, Jesus Christ. He is our key into Heaven, our door into our future. Indeed the foundation of our strength, the basis of our love, the supply of our goodness, the source that supplies us with all we need. All we need to give us the ability to be obedient to His ethics, His ways, and His will.


Praise the Lord we come supplied when we have accepted Christ into our lives. The rest is up to us to use Him as the source of our resources not the rock to hide behind but the Rock to stand upon!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

ALLOWance

“We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.” John Stott





Recently as I was reading in the book of Philippians something jumped out at me around the 20th verse in chapter one. Paul talked about how he didn’t want to do anything that would shame him. It made me think about how we have gotten away from that kind of stuff. We don’t worry about things shaming us because we aren’t ashamed.



As John Scott says in this quote we need to allow the Word of God to confront us and convict us and to realize there are some behaviors we should be ashamed of. The Bible wasn’t meant for our Sunday reading pleasure and a place to keep track of our family tree and who died when and when someone was baptized.


The Bible is there as our guide to better living. Often people say they wish babies would come with an owner’s manual. Truthfully if you think about it they do if we have our Bible near by. It gives us all we need to know in material that never becomes outdated. It works from infancy to our golden years and beyond.

As well written as it is it will never do us any good without allowing it to pentetrate deep down inside of who we are. It needs to get to the core of our being not the surface of our lives. Instead of turning our backs on it we need to confront it as it confronts us and our patterns of behavior. The patterns not pleasing to the Lord that should cause us great shame.


Years ago when I was a young Christian there were several scriptures in the Bible I thought were misprints or outdated material. For example the scripture that says that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The way life was going for me at the time I just couldn’t see that as being true. It took awhile but finally God’s word and spirit was able to undermine and overthrow the lie I was trying to believe as the truth finally came out.

What good is love if we don’t allow someone to love us. What good is learning if we don’t allow someone to teach us. What good is being forgiven if we don’t allow ourselves to forgive. What good is God’s word if we don’t allow it to penetrate deep into we are or should be.


The choice is ours to allow God to do the work He needs to do in all of us. The work of undermining and overthrowing our patterns of shameful behavior that shouldn’t be. Its not always easy to step aside and allow it to happen but when we do we will never regret it.


God’s in the building up business not the tearing down. Its up to us to turn over the construction job of our lives over to Him and let the ALLOWance begin. The paying back of benefits reaped from trusting God and following His word to do what it was meant to do in our hearts. To confront, convict, and conceive a life born again in Christ, unashamed and fully devoted to our Lord Savior. Praise the Lord.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

A Better View

“‎ The God who walks in the paths of history through the pages of the Bible pins a mission statement to every signpost on the way.” C.J.H. Wright (The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative )


Its great having hindsight isn’t it? We get a better view and we understand a little more. Plus if it’s the hindsight from someone else’s journey we can breath a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to go through it ourselves. Sorry Noah, Moses, Daniel, and Shaddrach. Looking through the pages of the Bible we can see the messages on the signposts where to those who were currently traveling through couldn’t. Once again, we are the ones who get a better view.


It works no differently with our lives and the journey’s we are taking. We may see a mission statement here or there but they are not always visible to us. We can’t even pay attention to the warning signs along the way let alone the mission statements.


It would serve us well to learn how to probably travel. When you’re a business person on the road a lot you learn from experience how it’s done. Traveling in new territories you pay attention to the signs along the way. As fast as they come up on you sometimes they are easy to miss. “Oh that was the road we were supposed to turn on.” Even the good old faithful GPS’s have been known to lead people astray.


Six years ago when my grandson was severely burnt by McDonald’s coffee he was flown in a helicopter to a bigger and better hospital a hundred miles from where we lived. Thrust into the journey to follow the helicopter who took our precious one-year-old away in we set out for the big city. Needless to say at 11:30 at night we had to call the hospital to get directions to talk us in to where we needed to be.


At the time we weren’t looking for a duty roster along the way, just directions. Looking back at the situation I can see all sorts of things God had planned for us to do and learn during that time. What’s important for us to learn and live is knowing that in God’s society nothing is wasted. He can take anything and use it to His glory and our benefit.


Our assignment may not be as clear as that big billboard along the way but its there just the same. Like we had to trust the helicopter to deliver our young one to the right hospital and trust the hospital to give us the right directions to get us there, we need to trust God. Trust Him to know what He is doing, that He’s not out there leading us around in circles. He has a mission for us and we will eventually see that if we continue to look in the right direction, going forever forward to Christ alone.


The better view of our situations may not come until we reach Heaven but by then, who cares. We will be in the best view of all, in view of Jesus. Praise the Lord.


Journey forward, journey strong!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing