This week is my birthday. 🙂
I’ve always loved my birthday. (Even if there were a couple of years when moving into the next decade was a little hard to swallow.)
I wonder if God is like a parent—anxious to help His child celebrate her day.
Reminiscing…I remember the day I thought of you. How I enjoyed deciding exactly how to create you! The gifts and skills you would have…the plans I made for you.
And disappointed when we grumble about getting older.
My grandma wore the title of senior citizen proudly. She loved her birthday and until her last few years when she didn’t feel well, she just kept going, keeping busy and enjoying life.
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For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NIV
Last month, I spent a couple of weeks studying the Book of Esther. I knew I would enjoy it and learn a lot, but I didn’t expect God would use it to speak to me. I shouldn’t have been surprised.
God uses what we know and where we are to speak to us.
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Written on
January 20, 2013 by
Kris in
Blog
“Come messy”, That’s what I read right before I closed the book for the night. I took a photo of the words and tweeted them out to anyone who might need encouragement like that–because honestly, more than I care to admit, I do. I seem to need constant reassurance that my cluttered heart, and my messy emotions are ok to bring before God.
I remind my children all of the time, that God sees everything–that there’s no place they can hide from Him and how that fact shouldn’t be scary, but instead ought to be a comfort. But when it comes to my own messy parts, well, suddenly, I’m not so sure anymore.
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It was Valentine’s Day weekend of my Junior year. The lanky basketball player, future preacher to whom I had given my heart dropped to one knee and officially asked me to spend my life by his side. Of course I said, “Yes.” And he slid the ring we had chosen together onto my left hand.
Fast forward a few days . . .
Back on my own campus I had hurried from class to my weekly ironing job. I walked a little more lightly that winter afternoon in Chicago as I began dreaming of wedding plans and married life.
Ironing board in place.
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Written on
September 8, 2012 by
Kris in
Blog
No one is ever ready when I would like them to be. Around here, when I say, “get your shoes on, it’s time to go” I’m often met with grumbling, or a frantic race through the house for that something to bring along in the car. It doesn’t seem to matter that I gave a five minute warning, or that I’m already standing at the door with purse and keys in hand–nobody’s ready, and so until they are prepared for action, we’re not going anywhere.
The other day as I read 1 Peter 1, I noticed this little line, that though I’ve read it before, didn’t leap out at me until that day–
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self‑controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
Promises.
If you’re like me, it doesn’t take long to learn who can be trusted to keep their promises and who can’t. After a few times of being disappointed, I become leery of trusting someone when they say something will or won’t happen.
But there is One whose promises can be counted on. Always.
God doesn’t break His promises. His Word is solid, it can be counted on, and His promises are for you and for me.
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This summer, I have two healthy cherry tomato plants growing in my garden, despite the fact that I didn’t plant them and I’ve done nothing to make them grow.
Long after they started to grow, my daughter heard me talking about these plants, and she innocently said, “I planted them.”
What?
With a shrug, she said, “I planted two tomatoes last year.”
Apparently, not knowing if they would grow, she took two tomatoes from last year’s plant and buried them. Not seeds, but whole tomatoes.
I thought the extreme temps and very little rain would be the end of them, but my husband started watering them and they continued to grow.
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“If we have learned anything over the last 22 years it’s this: God is able to do the impossible! We have seen it time and time again.” ~Tom and Allie Harvey, Safari Zoological Park.
I like to hear and share faith stories—stories of miracles and of God’s provision. Tom and Allie Harvey are living a story of faith through their Safari Zoological Park in Caney, Kansas.
This zoo is different from any other I’ve been to. Tom, Allie and their staff interact with the animals, including tigers, wolves, bears, and lemurs, just to name a few. Personal stories invite visitors into the lives of the animals, making you feel like you know them.
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