A Letter to My Dad on His Bday!

Dearest daddy,
How do I begin? First, I want to wish you the happiest birthday ever! I enjoyed being home every minute and I so love our outings! The grocery store runs etc. I treasure our time together. I love being your daughter. I've never once doubted your love for me. And it's unconditional and safe. I remember as a child how safe I felt being with you. How I loved doing things with you. How I would choose to stay home and play electronic football with you over spending the night out. And trains, so much fun. Shipley donuts every Saturday and cinnamon rolls on Sunday. Sunday was a day of worship and church and family. I loved watching you in the choir. I was so proud. You radiated the love of Christ to all who knew you. You shared your faith with all who listened. ( and some who didn't ) you wanted all to know your Savior. Your Lord. You love Him so much and you passed that on to us. What a legacy. You influenced so many.

You're proud of me. You inspire me to be the best I can be. I know how much you love me. I see how you smile when I or kelly walk in the room. Your hugs are one if a kind. You provided for us. We wanted for nothing. The vacations and the memories are priceless. I wouldn't trade any of it. I loved when you drove carpool in elementary and when you took me to school at ja. You sang even though you didn't know the words. All my friends wanted a dad like you and you were mine.

Even in my darkest times and yes they were dark, you still supported me. Prayed me through it. It got ugly but you never bring up the past. Only how far I've come. Thank you dad. Thank you for loving me. For praying for me. For laughing with me. For crying with me. For the talks we had for the bedtime prayers and for always cheering me on. I couldn't love you more. Or respect you more. May you have many more birthdays. And thank you for being the greatest grandfather. My children are blessed beyond measure. My son has been influenced by the godliest man I know. He clings to your every word. Kyleemckell just sings your praises. She's so proud of you. She tells all her friends about you. She wishes they could all know you. And Jordan and Tristan were practically raised by you. You were the best babysitter. When mom and I and kelly wanted a day, you picked all of then up and got McDonald or pizza and made those days special. They'll never forget. Neither will I. I wish you lived with me. My goal and prayer is to have you and mom live with me. Don't cry! It will be fun.

Remember you and gage running the dunes? Y'all had to have your water bottles!! And dancing with Jordan and ann Layton. Watching swan princess over and over. Remember my boyfriend problems in elementary school? I talked to you about them too. Oh dad. You're truly a huge blessing in my life. Please stay around for a long time. Take care of my precious mom! Love you so much!

In Him
Kim

When God blows you away!

I've been full of doubt. How can I be when He's with me and promises to always take care of me. Oh ye of little faith. He has mercy and proves Himself. I receive a gift today. Provision to keep the lights on and communications to the outside world. I believed He could. I praised Him ahead of time and thanked Him for taking care of us. Then a peace fell over and I knew He would I just didn't know how. I'm amazed and humbled and in awe. I'm ready to spread the word of His amazing love. I have a story and I'm bursting. I cannot keep this to myself. It's too good right? Our Creator loves us. He sings over us and showers us with grace and mercy. His artwork wakes us and lulls us to sleep. Blessed be the Name of The Lord.

If you're in a place of needing a miracle, claim it and praise Him for it. Ask boldly. We have not because we ask not. May you feel His love and SEE His handiwork s and thank Him for what will be. I'm praying for you dear friend! God bless you.
In Him
Kim

Bible study and more

Have you ever read The Circle Maker? I'm reading it now and loving the prayer challenges in it. I have a new prayer journal for a 21 day prayer fast, I name a few Jerichos and I circle them in prayer, daily, consistently and faithfully. The bolder the better to our Father, anything less is an insult. See, God doesn;t answer vague prayers, and He wants us to know what it is we are praying for. Jesus was on the road one day and two blind men stopped Him and asked Him to have mercy on them. Jesus asked what it is that they needed from Him, and don't you think Jesus already knew? Of course He did. He wanted to make sure they knew what they wanted from Him.

God doesn't answer vague prayers and why you ask? Because He doesn't get the glory. He loves your impossibles. Your "no ways" your dreams. He has so much for us. We just need to ask. Our biggest dreams we bring Him and He receives the greatest glory for His answers. Waiting for answers can be tough and we assume its a no when it's not in our time frame. We don't know what is best for us and we cannot see our future. He sees all and knows how all these things work together for the greater purpose which is to bring all to the Kingdom of Heaven. God always has a plan B. replacing our plan A. So don't give up. Keep circling your dreams. Your prayers. And your Jericho. The walls will come tumbling down and your God will answer. He promises. And can't we trust Him?
If you don't know what you want then be in fervent prayer because you were made for greatness my friend!!
Ask. Pray, circle. Praise.
In Him
Kim

When you're in the waiting

What do you do when you feel like you're living in the waiting room of your life? You've lived once before and now you e been stuck. For years. And it seems like your name will never be called. You're watching everyone else move forward. New houses. New cars. New vacations. New clothes. And for you? Same. Seems the choice is to either drown in self pity or choose to stay the course knowing God is good and He's written this story for you. Just enjoy the beauty He's set before you. The sunrise and the sunsets. The oceans and rivers and lakes. The birds that sing a song for you each morning. Even the awesome thunderstorms that stop us in our tracks. The sounds of rain and waterfalls. It's all for you. He loves you that much. And doesn't He deserve praise before petitions? Praise always precedes the miracle.
So as you wait for whatever it is, praise Him for what He will do and make today about Him. Friends He is enough. He is all we need. We need to become like children again and praise Him just because He loves us. Not because of what He may do for us for He's already done the ultimate. Made the greatest sacrifice. Jesus died that we will live. So that's what we do when we think we aren't living. We live for Him. And we watch a sunrise and sunset and chase the moon. And wish on His stars.

When you're hard on yourself

Why do we as women say such harsh things to ourselves? Us made in His image. When we criticize ourselves we criticize the Maker , the Creator. After all, we are His masterpiece. " you will NEVER get it right! You ALWAYS mess things up. We are ALWAYS late and it's ALWAYS my fault. Why can't I be like ____ and have a perfect home with more than enough ____ and where is the joy?" In Him I am new and He extends grace and I must receive it. The cross is where all my shortcomings are nailed to. When the nails pierced His perfect hands all my imperfections were left there. I must leave them there and say thank You to my Savior.
It's raining and windy here today. My favorite kind of day. Gray. Like my emotions and feelings and it matches outside. The ocean is loud and I hear it. Life's problems can be like that- loud, drowning out the joy. When I take my eyes off the Prize and focus on possessions or lack of in my case, I lose perspective and priorities mix and I'm heavy and a mess.

I stop hard and pray and seek. I read His words of Hope and how His timing is perfect and how if Sarah had just waited on Him for her son then the Hagar issue would've been avoided. It's just a priority problem and its all in the way I see. If I put on my Spirit filled vision I see all things different. When I start wanting more of this world , I'm left empty. He wants me to only desire Him so today I look to Him. Need only Him. Seek only Him and all will fall into place. The Kingdom is the ultimate prize and dwelling there forever with my Savior redeemed and changed and remembering nothing of this earth. Behold He's making ALL THINGS NEW!!!

I wake up to Joyce Meyer on the tv and a cloud over the day. What is wrong with me? Why can't I get it right? Why do I let the enemy talk lies in my head and I believe him? Could be the dishes in the sink or the mounds of unfinished laundry or that I wake the kids up too late to pray with them before school; I just just plain don't have it together. The electric bill barely got pd and it was two months worth. There's a couple of dollars left in my wallet that has to last for a week and my medicine alone costs 11$ a day. How can I face a day like this and just remember to breathe. I practice giving thanks for this messiness and I praise Him to show I trust Him and I count blessings or I would crawl in a hole or not come out. For we serve a good God and all He gives is good. Lam 3;21 is my hope for today and tomorrow. His mercies are new every morning. And I want to enjoy these moments. The thing about moments is they fly by whether you waste them or embrace them. I will never have this day again. My children will not always be under my roof. I want to have the abundant joy filled life and whatever it takes I'm willing to do. Simply seek Him with all my heart and I will find Him. I will give Him my all and He is enough to satisfy. He won't leave us or forsake us and His plan is to prosper us and give us His riches. I surrender all and it is well are my songs today and I get to dwell in His house forever. Amen.

Grace for today, hope for tomorrow

So today was supposed to be a start over day. Today I was going to get up earlier, pray longer, be more honest, forgive myself, make important phone calls, rededicated myself to all these jobs I have half way done, memorize more scripture and the list goes on. ......,

So to be honest? I was lazy in my mind. I let stresses of this world paralyze me and keep me from being productive. God doesn't expect from me all that I expect from myself. I'm really praying and listening to what is expected. And for now I know I'm supposed to seek Him first and put my agenda last. Die to self and dive into His word so that I will always know what He expects. To replace my desires with His. And to practice gratitude in these uncertain times. Times that I just know I could write my story much better. That I speak ugly words about and to myself about myself like " why can't you ever just clean up this clutter? Or why can't I just be a better mother ?" Or a better homeschooler? More supportive wife? " and the list goes on. But it's my list, not Gods... He wants me to do one thing well... Seek Him with all my heart and soul and all things will fall into place as I fall into Him.

Isn't that all He wants? Trust in trials. Trust His sovereignty in situations and know that a good God only gives good.

Tonight I will thank Him for His unconditional love for me and praise Him for the " not yet " answers. He's preparing something big I know. Joy comes in the morning. And after the mourning. And peace like a river floods. He makes all things new.