Painting a Picture of God

Recently a young girl I know who is struggling with trying to find herself said that if she found worth in herself then maybe she wouldn't need drugs. My heart cries out for her and so does Jesus'. As I think about things I wanted to share with her I thought of this piece I wrote six years ago for an online Christian magazine that was called "Reflections."

For you my sweet one, God can be this to you as well:


Lift your eyes and look to the heavens, who created all these. He who brings out the starry host and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26 NIV)



For those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to view the starry sky at night, it’s an awesome thing. Billions of stars sparkling in the night, too many to count, yet God reassures us that not a star is missing thanks to His great power and mighty strength. No different than the stars are the billions of people on earth that God is aware of, each and every one, present company included. Imagine that; He not only has every star accounted for but He gives surety to me that He even has the hairs on my head numbered.


Looking down at my hairbrush full of hairs, one day I began to ask myself, “I know what I mean to God but Who is God to me?” As my imagination took flight, I began to color in the picture already in my mind of Who God was to me. As I quietly searched through my heart full of memories, thoughts and feelings collected over the years, the picture began to form and became more colorful with each thought.


The reflection over the years showed God often being the source of my laughter when the world left me crying. The disciplinarian I needed when life was telling me it was okay to misbehave. A teacher ready with lessons and pop quizzes for me to learn when the world didn’t care if I ever was educated, pushing me with His determination and pulling me with His love. Forever watching over me on a daily basis, being the first to notice my tears and the last to leave my side as He counted each tear and paid attention to my sobs.


Truly loving me when I didn’t feel lovable, hugging me when I needed to be held. Working hard at reminding me that He was there for me as He sent notes in the form of rainbows, deer, a grasping hand, a warm smile for me to read. Definitely big enough to be Lord of all the earth yet small enough to fit in my heart if I would let Him. The battery pack that kept me going when my weak spirit told me I needed to quit and give up. Leaving me in awe over how much faith He had in me when I had none in myself.


A listening ear when I needed Him the most, Someone Who never ignored the sound of me knocking at His door no matter when it was, a true Shepherd who cares for the needs of His sheep even when they tend to wander. A patient parent willing to adopt me into His family, being understanding when I didn’t understand and my first words as a child were, “Why me, Daddy, why me?” When I couldn’t walk, He took the time to carry me, guiding me to where I needed to be once I was able to stand on my own.


He’s the glue that holds me together when I start to fall apart; a healer, someone I can trust, a wonderful artist, a creative friend who is unseen at times but never far away; the forgiver of my faults, even those that are hidden to the world. Praise the Lord that because of His great power and mighty strength, He’s allowed me to spigot in to where I can’t be shaken. I’m supplied with a spirit of power, not timidity, making me able to overcome life’s challenges and be a victor instead of a victim.


Satan is the one that has to listen to me instead of me paying attention to his lies. I leave my heart readily available to God’s Truth, a worthy resource of genuineness and grace available the day I lifted my eyes to the Heavens and invited the Lord into my life, where I could seek Him with all of my heart and be obedient to His will out of my love for Him.


God is not a Santa Claus, grandfather figure-in-the-sky, giving me all that I ask for. But He is a true Father who cares for His children, holding tightly to the inheritance He anxiously waits to give me some day, as He builds my eternal home in Heaven while I work on assembling our relationship together here on earth.


There I had it. The picture I was looking for: Who God was to me. Without a doubt, I matter to Him and He matters to me. Because of His great authority and impressive vigor, not a virtue is missing and my love for Him continues to grow, as I know His love for me does as well.


Again, Who is God to Me? Everything I could ever hope for and all I could ever need!


© 2006 by Karen J. Gillett

To Do, To Done

The kind of religion that God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless “wouldings”—those weak inclinations that lack convictions—that raise us but a little above indifference. God, in his word, greatly insists that we be in good earnest, fervent in spirit, and that our hearts be engaged vigorously in our religion.” By Jonathan Edwards



I was told once from a Native American that her belief in God was not a religion but a relationship with the Creator. Shockingly enough it was the first time I had ever heard it phrased that way and I liked what I heard. According to Webster religion is an organized system of faith, service and worship of God. Hummmmm…..it doesn’t say anything about something we believe in and that’s it. It goes far beyond that but it’s a journey that needs to be taken intentionally.


Indeed it’s not a once a week trip to church consisting of a bunch of weak, dull and lifeless “wouldings.” I would like to do this, I would do that if I could, I would have been but I couldn’t….” and the list goes on. The truth is when the Lord returns He needs to find us in a good earnest, fervent spirit with our hearts engaged so vigorously in our religion that the time flies so quickly towards His return that we hardly even notice.


Our relationship with the Lord needs to be strong and alive, something so full of action we don’t have time to make a “I would” list but a “done list.” At work we have what we call an “Idea board.” There are four sections in it 1) Ideas 2) What needs to be done 3) what we are doing and 4) Done. So far most of the filled out papers are under the “Ideas” section and only one has made it to the “Done” area. The one done task was the fact that the idea board was finally done.


We can’t put up an idea board of good intentions to do for God consisting of categories of 1) could 2) would 3) should of 4) Almost done. We need to intentionally live for the Lord. It really amazes me that the mountains, flowers, birds, and even a pile of rocks can glorify God and all they have to do is stand there. We need to be living in such a way that without saying a word we glorify God in our actions.


It’s our job to take ourselves from the “to do” to “done” list for Jesus Christ. A good place to start is our relationship with Him. We need to develop it as you would any other relationship. Nurture it and treat it like anything that has the ability to grow and it will definitely flourish. We don’t need two green thumbs to do it but a heart that is diligently seeking a system of faith, service and worship of God. When we do this we quickly will find ourselves going from religion to a relationship with our Creator, Lord and Savior, Jesus himself.

This is done down a working path that is blazed by the actions of our hearts, the obedience of our minds, and the willingness of our souls to follow the One who has the ability to lead us into eternity with the Lord. It’s definitely not down a “woulding” path of half baked ideas with no commitment to take it further that merely believing in a superior being.


We really need to think about what we want out of life. Is it going to be a half-baked religion or a fully done relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The choice is ours. Why else would God have said, “Well DONE, good and faithful servant.” Let the journey begin to the “done” not just the doing. I love you, Jesus!

© 2012 Karen Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes

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

Beyond the Morning Mist

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6


Reading through the whole chapter of Hosea we see where they are talking about Israel’s un-repentance. God had a whole list of things they were doing wrong to demonstrate their un-repentant hearts. God accused them of having a love like the morning mist or early dew that disappears. Wow, it must have been pretty weak, shallow, and temporary for Him to say that.


Later God goes on to say what He did in today’s verse, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Too often we make the mistake of thinking if we sacrifice something like an hour of our time on Sunday, or a $20 bill in the offering tray, or allowing someone to cut in line at the grocery store that we have it made in our standing with God.


Boy, do we have it wrong. God says here He would rather have mercy and us acknowledging Him instead of other things we label “a sacrifice.” Sad part about the whole thing is the fact that we are cheating ourselves out of something that is tremendous. When we do that we not only have kind of love God describes but a relationship with Him too that disappears as quickly as the morning mist does.


Frequently you hear people say, “Well I pray to God.” “I read my Bible” and that is as far as it goes. Wham bang out with the morning mist. Acknowledging God and having that relationship with Him that can go beyond the morning mist is awesome. We have our responsibility to make it happen. We can’t sign up for it, the waters of baptism doesn’t wash it into our lungs and spirit. It’s a daily choice we need to make. A choice to choose God over the things we think makes us “look like we chose God” when really we haven’t.


We need to stop cheating ourselves out of something spectacular. Did I mention that before? Well it’s the truth. Don’t settle for the morning mist when you can have so much more with the Lord. Such as a full day, a full life, one that will take you further into a full eternity with Him. It begins with acknowledgement and it ends, well it will never end Praise the Lord!

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

A Souvenir

“Grace is Christianity’s best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a force stronger than vengeance, stronger than racism, stronger than hate. Sadly, to a world desperate for this grace the church sometimes presents one more form of ungrace.” by Philip Yancey What’s So Amazing About Grace?

I hate to start with a disagreement but I have to. Grace is not Christianity’s gift to the world. Grace is God’s best gift to the world. It is something that the church and Christians need to practice but as far as the gift, that’s God’s best souvenir. It is what He brought to us when Christ visited earth.

Occasionally when I travel I like to pick up souvenirs along the way because its fun and I may never go there again so I better get them while I can. They may collect dust on my shelf at home but by golly molly I have my souvenirs. A cow from Texas, a necklace, from Hawaii, a domino from Las Vegas, a T-shirt from Disneyland, a cable car magnet from San Francisco.  

Too often we treat God’s grace that same way. We grab it while its there only to take it home and place it on the shelf to collect dust. Grace is our gift to use and practice. It should never sit around long enough to collect soil, filth, and grime. What it needs to collect is souls, faith, and glory.

The problem with a souvenir such as grace is people tend to treat it like a toy. The cute little Holstein cow I bought in Texas that says, “I love Texas” to my grandchildren was a toy they wanted to play with but I wouldn’t let them. In the spiritual world some see grace as toy to play with.


Sinners on the outside toying with the idea that because of God’s grace they expect others to love them as they are with the ability to continue their sinful paths skateboarding on the free ride of God’s grace. Those in the church tinkering around kicking the soccer ball of responsibility to those they think should be in charge of that ministry. People like the preacher, missionaries, or youth group leader anyone but themselves.


We need to get it right. Grace is something we all need. Its something we all require. We are all one of those “sinners” on the outside of Heaven in need of it. In need of it to help us change into the children God wants us to be. It gives us the desire and ability to do it. Once we pick up that souvenir we can’t place it on the shelf to get dusty but we need to put it into practice on a daily basis.


It’s not a one time pass to a free concert we watch and walk away from. No it’s the door to a relationship with our Heavenly Father. It’s the beginning of a journey that has no end. It’s taking our life out of our own hands and placing it in God’s in a gesture alone that increases our value tremendously. Extend that gift to others. Bring it back not to be abused but used to glorify God and better ourselves.

I’ve got a souvenir; it’s the grace of God. Share it with me.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Spring Into Action

“Won’t the awareness God loves us no matter what lead to spiritual laziness and moral laxity? Theoretically, this seems a reasonable fear, but in reality the opposite is true…the more rooted we are in the love of God, the more generously we will live our faith.” ~Brennan Manning, Lion and Lamb~

The answer to the million dollar question in our quote today is “Yes and No.” Different people handle the knowledge of God loving them differently. Some take advantage of the fact that “God loves them no matter what.” They figure they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Their relationship with Christ is as shallow as their reasoning. The model they use is the smaller the effort required to exert into the relationship the better.

However, those who treasure this knowledge do something with it as they spring into action. They build upon it instead of sit on it. They add increasing value to it through their faith and actions instead of devaluing a precious treasure. They set it aside as something personal instead of making it an impersonal thing they care little about as if it was an item to be pulled off the shelf and used at their convenience.


No, the knowledge of God’s love is something of priceless value. You would think after all He went through to show us what we are worth to Him we could at least get off our spiritual duffs and show Him back how much we care. We are as lazy as we make ourselves to be. Why are we so willing to stop at a good thing (knowing God loves us) when we can go on to even greater things such as a closer walk with the Lord?


Lazy. I’m sorry but that word just seems to fit. We think its all about receiving and not about the giving of ourselves in return. Our reasoning is, “God loves me so I should get all I want. The church is supposed to love me so they need to meet all my needs.” And the lazy attitude continues on.

People, people, people! Wake up! The answer is not to take away the knowledge of God’s unfailing love but to learn what to do with it. To enhance upon it as we move on to those greater things we can have in a closer walk with Christ. It starts with rooting ourselves in God’s love not hiding behind it. God’s love for us is so totally awesome, a treasure that will only increase in value if we allow it.

Only we personally can improve, increase, and add to this wonderful thing. We can’t outsource the job to someone else to accomplish. We can’t not feed it and still expect it to grow. We can’t take advantage of it and expect to get something in return. We are the ones responsible to take this knowledge and use it. Use it to grow closer to the Lord. To appreciate what He has done for us and look forward to the blessings to come.

The knowledge of the Creator of the Universe loving us should spring us into action not the other way around.

© 2010 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

God's Presence, the greatest gift of all

“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a Baby in the manger is the truth that this promised Baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!” by ~ John F. MacArthur, Jr.


What the angels said that night to the shepherds about “We bring you good news of great joy” remains our excellent news to this day. The good news of great joy wasn’t just the fact that a baby was born in a local manger. The angels weren’t there simply to deliver a birth announcement there was more to it. That child, that very child wrapped in swaddling clothes meant more than that. He was the Immanuel, the beginning of a new way of life with the equation of “God with us” being in it.

Imagine what the reaction of the shepherds would have been if the angels had announced it was God who had come instead of an infant. I could hear and visualize it now, “Hey guys, we’ve got news for you! God has arrived on earth and you can see Him at this address.” I don’t know about the other shepherds but if I had been one of them I would have been scared to hear such a thing. However, the announcement of a baby in a manger arouses our curiosity but the trail still leads to God.

Instead of picking out baby clothes and wishing Mary well we need to stop and ponder what His birth is truly all about. We needed a Savior, someone to come and rescue us from ourselves. It was a task too big for anyone but God. We had messed up royally and it was time to get His children back on track. His arrival and exit would open a very large door giving us direct access to the One who was and is indeed “with us.”

What is so awesome about the whole thing is God remains WITH us and we get the choice on whether we want to remain with Him or not. This Christmas we need to concentrate on God’s Presence instead of the presents we may want or get under a tree or in a stocking. It is His presence that is the greatest gift of all.

The sad thing today is we see so many people fighting for all they are worth against that presence. They want it out of the school, they want it out of the work place, and they want it out of Christmas. This year they even fought to get it out of Thanksgiving. What next Easter, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, the local church, the local charity, private homes?

I was almost going to say, “where does it all end?” Praise the Lord we know where it is all going to end, it ends WITH God. For all eternity we can either be in His presence, WITH Him or separated WITHOUT Him. The choice is ours. As pretty as we would like to make the second option appear, being somewhere without God, it will never be what we would like. We can take a Christmas tree out and replace it with a couple of snowmen or remove a manger and dress it up with pretty lights instead but we will never be able to replace eternity in Heaven WITH God with anything “just as good.”
No matter where we go with it. No matter what we try to do the trail leads back to God. We can either be on the good side of the equation or on the other. God’s presence is here and we must never lose sight of it. For indeed it’s not going away no matter how hard we try to kick it out and make it look like something different.

God WITH us, means God with me and I like that!

Happy Birthday Jesus, Happy Birthday!

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Inclined to Action

“We Americans are pragmatists to the max. We want results. And we want them yesterday. We want them without too much pondering and too much pain….We have developed all kinds of Christ-coated remedies that are shallow and short-lived. We are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were.” John Piper

The original note that I wrote on this quote had me disagreeing with John Piper’s remark that Americans are pragmatists to the max. Now that I understand what it means I’m afraid I do agree with him. We are so stuck at trying to be practical that we have ridden the pendulum to the other side to where we are too practical for our own good. When that happens it appears, to the ignorant like myself, that we are anything but practical and down-to-earth. Many people think that having faith in God and believing in Jesus just isn’t all that practical. However, that’s where faith plays it part.

After writing on this quote on the news I heard two anchormen say, “That’s not very pragmatist.” As I heard it I shouted out to my husband, “Hey honey there’s that word I had never heard of before.” According to Webster pragmatist is “a practical approach to problems and affairs. It’s trying to strike a balance between principles and pragmatism. This started out an American movement in philosophy founded by C.S. Peirce and William James that was marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings. That the function of thought is to guide action, and that truth is preeminently to be tested by the practical consequences of belief.”

Practical or too practical remains to be seen but what we definitely show ourselves to be are people who want results and we want them yesterday. We have come a long ways in the wrong direction as we believe that everything should be handed to us on a silver platter with very little pondering and pain on our part. We appear to be more prone to be lazy and people of assumption than people of true action.

We have moved away from where our forefathers were in the fact that we are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints a great deal of them were. We find it easier to develop those Christ-coated remedies that are shallow and short-lived. We think being “good” is good enough. We don’t need to go any deeper than that. We believe just sitting in a local church pew once a week will make us a Christian with no further efforts on our part.

Too often we choose the sand to build our house upon that shifts with every passing storm instead of the solid rock of Jesus. Not a very practical thing to do but oddly enough we find that more practical than building our lives upon the rock of Jesus. This extreme has left us hanging in a place we shouldn’t be. Christ needs to be a permanent fixture within our heart not something we wear on the outside like a jacket. A coat we keep around to put on when the weather gets bad.

We fail to take our knowledge of God and turn it into a relationship. When that happens we handicap ourselves to shallow waters instead of the deeply grounded Saint we all have the opportunity to be. How deeply grounded we are in Christ is a choice we all need to make. It requires trust, faith, commitment and obedience on our part. It’s something that is well worth the effort and time to develop.

One of the definitions Webster gives for practical is, “one who is inclined to action as opposed to speculation.” There we have it. This is where we need to be as Christians. People who, as they walk with Jesus, are inclined to action as opposed to speculation! Amen? AMEN!!!!

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Left Behind for the Packing

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27 NASB

As I take this verse from John and mix it well with the great line Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I come up with something very tender for my soul. Together or separate they make a comforting place to lay my weary head.

Before leaving for His journey back to heaven Christ left with us His example to follow, His love to copy, and His peace to rest within us. Peace not like the world gives but true peace to where there’s no need for our hearts to be troubled or fearful. It’s because of that peace we do find rest for those weary souls caught in a yoke to heavy to carry.

I don’t think anyone in their right mind would turn away “true” peace but unfortunately we do. We think His peace comes with too high of a price when the price was already paid for by His blood. We don’t like giving up the things we enjoy in exchange for His kind of tranquility. Our reasoning is we will get that peace after we die and find ourselves either skipping around on the streets of “paradise” or living it up with all our buddies in “no rules attached” hell.

How stiff-necked and blind can we be? Jesus’ peace isn’t like a medication designed to be taken only once a month, He is something we need to carry in our hearts daily wherever we go. He’s not an inhaler that is brought out only when we find ourselves out of breath. Nor an umbrella that comes out strictly in the rainy season.

Whether we recognize it or not we need His peace today. It is what gets us through tomorrow and allows us to let go of yesterday. As the world is today we may never know what its like to be in total peace but with Jesus we can. We have been given His “perfect” peace to rest our weary spiritual souls upon. ( Isaiah 26:3,4 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord is everlasting strength.”) The kind of peace that is true and total and guaranteed to last forever. A peace He left behind for us to pack up and take with us.

Living in the country all my life being engulfed in the quietness around me is very peaceful until a jet flies over or a mean bull catches wind that I’m in his territory. Strolling down the ocean beach listening to the waves talk is ever so relaxing and peaceful until a storm comes or a sneaker wave shows up. Flying high above the earth in an airplane can be a peaceful moment until interrupted by wind pockets, lightning flashes, and flocks of geese.

UNTIL…..why wait for the “until” to pick up what we need to be stocking up on today. If you think about it, we are not very good shoppers. Frequently we shop for things that will only last a short while or UNTIL the expiration date stamped on the bottom of it runs out. The choice is ours. Temporary or permanent. Everlasting or short-lived. True or false. Now or never.

As we should never wait until the lights go out to get the batteries we need for our flashlight (although I’m guilty of that) we should never wait to store up on Jesus’ peace until the lights go out and we fall alive into eternity.

Christ left it behind for us to pack for our trip to Heaven. Get it into your luggage today!


Our host this day is Miss Patricia drinking on her coffee and trying to type one-handed so visit her at, Typing One-Handed. Travel light but travel with Jesus surrounded in the luxury of His perfect peace.

On Glow for Jesus

Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. Arnold H. Glasow

Life would be grand wouldn’t it all our successes were a result of a spontaneous combustion. We could have it scheduled like you would an implosion but instead of bringing a building down it would be to build it up. That way it could happen all at once then we could go on with other things in life. “Hellooooooooo…..you need to wake up…..earth to Karen……earth to Karen!”

Honestly what I thought of when I first read this quote was not success but other things that require a little time and work on our part. Things like our relationship with God and others. Oh, to get married and as you stand at the altar and the preacher says, “I now pronounce you man and wife” the church rumbles, the spontaneous combustion happens and the couple lives happily ever after on fire for each other. Oh dear I think I went to sleep again, wake up Karen, wake UP!

The same thing with our relationship with God. As much as we would love to think it happens instantly it doesn’t work that way. We’re not lifted up out of the waters of baptism by a tidal wave followed by a tsunami and wham bang spontaneous combustion sets in and we rise the perfect Christian on fire for Jesus for life.

God when He created us left us in charge of our own fires. We are the ones that need to learn how to start them and keep them from going out. In other words we are to play the part of our own firebug. We can’t wait for fire season to come along and hope a fire starts. No, when it comes to being on fire for Jesus and those around us we need to light them ourselves.

My husband and I always thought it sounded funny when the news media would announce that this is the beginning or ending of fire season. They always make it sound like a start and stop time that the fires respect. Sorry, they must not watch the news. We must’n watch the news either as we don’t listen to others who tell us we could never be on fire for Jesus like someone else. Or our relationship with others doesn’t need a spark.

As my Tuesday Ladies Bible Study group discussed last week we determined that how close we get to God and others is strictly up to us. Its what we are willing to put into it. Drawing closer to Christ is a choice we make by our attitudes and actions. With our relationship with other people its 100 to 100 not 50 to 50. We give 100% and that is all we are resonsible for. What someone else does with their half of the relationsip we are not responsible for but we are responsible for what we do.We can’t be like those who allow the fire to go out out of laziness, selfish behavior, and giving in to Satan’s petty garbage he throws in the middle of our relationships to try and put the fire out.

Don’t wait for the spontaneous combustion to happen start your own. Our relationship with Christ if we stick with it long enough can be like those trick candles on a birthday cake that no matter how hard you blow on them you can’t get them to go out. Satan will try his best to prevent the fire from burning but we can keep it going.

The process takes time, it takes effort, and it takes the kind of commitment needed to ignore the lies of Satan. To get past his folly to reach out to what God has waiting for those willing to keep on trying. Praise the Lord. Be your own Firebug so those around you can see your glow for Jesus.

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Stop Look and Repent

“Is it possible we could experience the joy of our salvation if we mourned

[over our sin] as if someone had died? We cannot experience joy without mourning.” by Pastor Robert Morris, from Sermon: “Those who

mourn are happy”


Steady as she goes, mate’! Before we even begin we need to find our balance here. Today’s subject is one that people seem to lose their balance over very easily. They go to the extreme one way or the other. There are those who don’t mourn or feel sorry for their sin at all. Then there’s the group who mourn too much thinking God could never forgive them for the things they have done. One side takes over the role of god and the other takes away from God’s role and His ability to forgive us no matter what the sin.

If you look out as well as inward it appears we have gone from mourning to dancing in 10 easy steps when we should still be mourning over our sins as new ones frequently appear. We seemed to have passed some unwritten law in our lives that everything is permissible. There’s no need for mourning any more. Why feel sorry for something that is so wildly accepted in our world today.

We are focused on the wrong world. We need to be looking towards maintaining our citizenship in the world with Christ in Heaven. Beating ourselves up over things we have done is never the answer either. We’ve all been there and done that since we all fall short of the glory of God thanks to sin. The purpose of mourning is to lead us to repentance not emotional abuse on ourselves or others.

Repentance is the key we need to unlock the door to a better relationship with God. Isn’t it funny how the lock on the door between us and God is on our side? No, it’s not a Ha Ha kind of funny that’s for sure. It’s a sad strange kind of funny. We are the ones standing in the way of the happiness God wants us to have through repentance. Clearing the slate makes room for that happiness. It gets rid of the luggage we like to carry around so people can feel sorry for us or we feel sorry for ourselves.

The joy we get down the path of repentance and mourning over our sin is a lasting joy that will never end. It’s a joy that carries over into eternity to that destination resort we have chosen to live at, Heaven. It’s nothing like the temporary joy we may get out of the sin we allowed in our lives and the consequences resulting from it.

We definitely need to be aware of the seeds we are planting so we can remove them via our repentance or mourning before a harvest of wrong doings begins to develop. Like the skinny person who wails and mourns over the “one” little pound they gained. They become so intent over losing it that they actually do before another comes along beside it. The overweight person rolls their eyes and thinks, “Hey, I’ve got a 100 lbs to lose, fuss over that!” We act like once we’ve crossed the imaginary line we set up for ourselves that there is no going back. It doesn’t matter if it’s weight loss, sin, our attitude, or anything else. Wrong, praise the Lord. The first sign of gaining a worldly characteristic or sin we need to stop, mourn or repent until we lose it. Chances are we may gain it back. It’s a constant battle that we can win thanks to God but its one we have to want to win.

How intent are we? Are we balanced between the two extremes? Now is the time to stop, look and repent. If you get rid of the seed, you’ll avoid the harvest that can come from it. The seed we should be after is the seed of joy. The everlasting kind manufactured in Heaven, delivered through our repentance and surrender to God.

Our host this Tuesday is Michelle over on her blog, Because I Love You wander on over there and read and share with the gang. Don’t pick up any nasty habits on the way, travel in the joy of Jesus!

Stop, Seek, and Find

September 9, 2008

“For at least when we express our anger to God, our wrestling keeps us our skin pressing into His. God is still present. When we honestly expose our inflammation, express our soreness, we are still staking our commitment to our relationship with Him.” Ann Voscamp from her blog post, Even if He doesn’t: Learn to Lament


I love the fact that we have a God we can talk to. Share our fears, failures, and feelings with even the sentiment of being angry. Sometimes it may be anger directed towards God while other times it’s towards ourselves, other people, or situations. But thanks to an established relationship with the Lord we can sit down with Him to unload and talk things out.

As Proverbs 3:5,6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” We need to go to the Lord to acknowledge Him seeking proper direction for our paths in order to find our way out of whatever it is that has us angered.

Our task is not to go to the Lord to dump and run but to find and seek the proper way through. Expressing anger to God is a good way of clearing the way to better thinking. It can open the necessary door to find its true source. It’s important that we don’t go to vent but to talk it out with God one issue at a time, sorting through the mire, wading through the muck of the source. There’s nothing that beats the feeling of the loving arms of God wrapped around us while we pour out our hurting heart to the One who can heal it.

Frequently we think that being angry is a way of dealing with issues when it’s really not. We don’t have to “get angry” to show that we are handling a situation. If you think about it lack of communication can be a source of anger. We hold inside things we should be talking about or releasing until the pressure inside us builds up and it seems to pop like a ripen zit. Sorry about the illustration but it fits. J

Anger directed towards God is often common. Without even knowing this is going on deep down inside of us we find ourselves angry at God that life wasn’t going as we had planned. Situations were not turning out as we figured they should. A love one died before we were ready to let them go. Unnecessary suffering, not getting what we prayed for, feeling cheated out of what others have. All of which contribute to the fuel that sparks this fire called “anger.”

I remember being angry with God once. He probably remembers it too because it was for a ridiculous reason. But isn’t that the way anger is. We get all worked up over something that isn’t as big as we like to make it out to be. In my case I was mad at God for not letting me “snap” like I wanted to. The pressures of life were greater than I could handle or so I thought. Snapping, going over the edge, losing it or whatever you want to call it was my way out.

However, God wasn’t about to take me “out” He was taking me through the current situation. In order to do it I needed to be able to travel. Therefore He kept slipping in those little bits and pieces of strength, encouragement, and love that I needed to keep me strong and able to make the journey life had given me. I could be mad at Him all I wanted but He wasn’t about to let me go and for this I’ll always be thankful.

Anger expressed is not necessarily anger resolved. We need to deal with it and going to God helps. Cuddling up to Him to share our feelings knowing He is listening is awesome. However He expects us to listen as well and learn and mature from these times. Learning how to release it instead of hold it in. To share it with Him without pointing all five fingers of our hand towards Him in blame.

Remember Mary and Martha and their anger toward Jesus about their brother. “If you had only been here our brother would be alive today!” They said. End of anger, they expressed how they felt and left it there in the trusting hands of Jesus. “Yeah but He at least raised their brother from the dead.” Ah ah ah there we go again getting off track. Our source of anger is not to be used as a hammer to pound over God’s head but as tool to get to the source to gain control before it controls us.

God cares. He’s more than a sounding block to shout at. He’s a Father who is there, who understands, who will love us through anything if we are willing to get ourselves into the kind of balance that will accept that love, that won’t reject His loving arms. One that is open to His guidance, faithful to His will, anchored in trusting His judgment.

Cuddle up to Jesus not to dump and run but to stop, seek and find. The extent of our relationship with Jesus depends on what we are willing to invest in it. It’s not a backup system for life’s problems. Put Jesus in the lead where He belongs, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. That’s a promise we have from God himself. Take it, live off of it, watch for it to happen. Praise the Lord.

Goodness gracious sakes alive I rattled on today. Why not go on over to Loni’s place at Writing Canvas and see who else is rattling on about today’s quote. Stop and share with others as you practice how stop, seek and find God in your life.

The Object of our Focus

September 2, 2008 IOW

“The key to either great purpose or great destruction lies in where we choose to sustain our focus. Knowing this fact should move us to jealously guard our intimacy with the Lord.” by Bill Johnson - Sr. Pastor, Bethel Church - Redding, CA (from “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord,”)

It’s hard to believe there is such a close line between great purpose and destruction. The line according to Bill Johnson is where we choose to maintain our focus. Are we going to look towards being successful or are we always going to look as if our life and efforts are nothing but a great destruction of worthless time and energy.

In thinking about focus my mind goes back to the classical example of Peter and the situation he found himself in on the lake one evening in Matthew 14:25-33. Peter started out on the right foot (ha ha, no pun intended) but he lost his focus. Catching sight of Jesus walking on the water Peter told him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Immediately Jesus told him, “Come.” I wish I could have seen the expression on Peter’s face just then. In spite of what may have stirred inside of him you don’t read where he replied or remarked, “Come? Now? Oh you mean me? Let me get the fish off my fishing line first. Did He really say, come!” No, Peter got out of the boat and proceeded to walk on the water to Jesus.

As usual what caught Peter’s attention or focus were the wind and the waves of the roaring sea. Soon it didn’t take him long to begin to sink crying out, “Lord save me!” Sound familiar? It should. We seem to start out on the right foot but then we get away from what our original focus started out to be, walking to Jesus. Soon we find Jesus stretching out His hand catching us and He did Peter saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

That very question from Jesus leads us to another classical thing, the question of, “why?” Why do we allow ourselves to lose our focus? Why do we doubt when we know better. Why do we give permission to our emotions, circumstances, doubt, frustration, sin, foolishness, and pride to take us away from where we need to be, closer to Christ? That million dollar question may stay an unanswered classical question forever.

Like a good quarterback in a football game we can’t focus on the things that are coming at us. To be effective we need to look out beyond all that to Jesus and where we choose to put our center of attention. Satan will always try to get us to lose our focus by walking in front of the camera of our life making the picture temporarily blurry. However if we allow these moments to pass the picture becomes clear once again.

Perhaps what we need to do is to take ourselves off “automatic focus” and put it strictly on focusing on God, the object of our focus. When we do that, as Satan or other things in this life step in front of the picture, we don’t robotically change focus while our vision of Christ goes blurry.

No, we definitely need to jealousy guard our close relationship with the Lord. Standing firm in our convictions that because we have Christ on our side we can have successes we never dreamed of having. The temporary setbacks we run across should only serve as momentums to try even harder. The choice once again falls on us and where we place our heart and the control knobs of our lives. What are we striving for, Satan’s grin or God’s smile? The object of our focus will tell us which we have chosen.


Our host today is Michelle over at her site at Because I Love You. Hobble on over there and read and share with others on today’s quote. In the meantime let us join our voices of prayer together and pray for Michelle's son Chaz who was in a serious accident recently.