This Book Contains

The mind of God,
The state of man,
The way of salvation,
The doom of sinners,
And the happiness of believers.

Read it to be wise,
Believe it to be safe,
Practice it to be holy,

It contains light to direct you,
Food to support you,
Comfort to cheer you.

It is a traveler's map,
The pilgrim's staff,
The pilot's compass,
The soldier's sword,
And the Christian's charter.

Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.
It is a mine of wealth,
A paradise of glory,
And a river of pleasure.

It involves the highest responsibility,
Rewards the greatest labor,
And condemns all who
Trifle with its Holy contents.

-Anonymous

A Reminder for Tuesday

The Lord has taken away His judgements against you,

He has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

You will fear disaster no more.

-Zephaniah 3:15 (NASB)

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

This song has been my anthem for the past few days.

I hope it encourages you as much as it does me.

When you pass through the waters, 

I will be with you; and through the rivers, 

they shall not overwhelm you; 

when you walk through fire

 you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

-Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)

-K

Social Media Sabbatical

Hello. My name is Kathleen, and I am a social media addict.

When I'm in class? Facebook.
Bored in chapel? Instagram.
Procrastinating on homework? Twitter and Pinterest.

This cycle repeats day in and day out. I estimate that I spend at least 3-4 hours a day on social media and I bet you do, too.

I attend LifeChurch.tv and the message that Pastor Craig Groschel preached today was centered around who your real friends are and the importance of having them build you up. Oddly enough, I did not learn much from this message, due to a statement he made in the first 5 minutes of his message. He stated that most of Americans check their Facebook first thing in the morning and right before they go to sleep. This is me....to a 'T'. He must be watching me in my daily life. 

This semester, I have told myself that I am entirely too busy to read my Bible or spend time praying. Who has time for that with classes and homework? I have time for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. How ironic. 

Therefore, I have come to the realization that God is trying to get my attention off of the world and onto Him. I don't know how long I will stay off of social media, but I do know that right now, I need to focus on my relationship with God.
If you want to reach me, you can call or text me.

-K

God is in Control

Last week, the United States was shaken by the Boston Marathon bombings and the explosion in West, Texas and reminded of the tragedy of the Columbine Massacre, the OKC bombing and Virginia Tech Massacre. In my life, I believe God placed these tragedies to remind me that I live in a sinful world and that I need to focus on Him. While I was in shock of the bombings in Boston and appalled that what seemed like an action movie was unfolding in real life, I turned to these verses. I hope you will find the encouragement I did.


"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." -John 10:28-30 (ESV)

"As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
-Matthew 24:3-13 (ESV)


-K

Storms...

I was reading Matthew 14:22-33 tonight and like many passages in the Bible, discovered a new way of thinking about it.
I have been to the Sea of Galilee and can tell you that it does, in fact, exist.

The interesting thing about the Sea of Galilee, especially in the context of this passage, is that it is more of a lake (often called the Lake of Tiberias) than a sea. So, if you think about it, it is hard to imagine a storm that made Jesus' disciples fear their lives coming across a lake. When they saw Jesus, He told them to "Take heart...Do not be afraid". Although I have no doubts that this situation actually happened, I think God is just as evident in our own situations. When I feel like I am drowning in life, He just reminds us me that He is near! Sometimes, we just need to seek God diligently enough to recognize that He really is in every situation.

This passage is just another one of God's clever ways of showing us that even in small situations that we view as the end of the world, He is always there. 

I really needed encouragement this week, even though it's a short week, and I found it in this passage. 

I hope you do, too! 

-K

Life with Integrity

I am currently reading a Youversion Reading Plan called "Altar Ego", which is based on our Pastor's new book.
One of the readings was from Proverbs 10:9 (ESV)
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
The dictionary definition of Integrity is "the state of being complete or undivided."
So, I am going to live completely devoted to God, not divided between the world and Him.

-K

Randomness

Why do I go so long without blogging?

I guess because I've been insanely busy. 

I realized something as I was reading through my blog posts from the past year or so.

I stress out trying to do things on my own, but God always comes though for me!

I am planning to finish the degree I originally planned to (Management Information Systems) in the Winter of 2015. It's crazy how God works things out!

Someone who has really encouraged me through this school year is the Pastor of the church I attend in OKC (LifeChurch). Craig Groeschel has written tons of books and lately I have been reading Altar Ego. His books are so encouraging and inspiring. I am thankful that God placed his teaching in my life when I've needed it most. You can watch his sermons here.

I also have been extremely encouraged by Colton Dixon's music.

I hope it encourages you as well!

-K

God's Plan is Greater

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, 

but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

 -Prov. 19:21

     I am currently watching a memorial for my cousin. Today marks 1 year after he suddenly passed away. He was an amazing man of God and was respected in his church for living as such. People of the world would have questioned why a man with a wife and two young children would be taken so soon.  His family and church chose to turn to God to find the answers. Although I wasn't extrememly close to him, I miss him and I wish I would have known him better when he was on earth. The awesome part of this story is that he was going through the Bible with the elders in his church and believed that God has a plan for everyone's lives.

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. -Psalm 121:2

     The Jesus Calling devotional from that day reminded his wife that God is higher and that God knows the plans that He has for us, plans to proper us, not to harm us. Plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). The fact that this passage was the Jesus Calling devotion for the day of his death is no coincidence. God knew that Kip's family would need this encouragement that very day.

"Making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth." 

-Ephesians 1:9-10

     Today, I am just reminded that no matter what our plans for our lives are, God's plan is greater and will prevail. Even though deaths don't make sense, they are part of God's plan and He showed this through Kip's death. Kip affected many people with his legacy, especially his family and elders of his church. Kip's passing encouraged so many people to turn to God and His Word to try to make sense of everything.

     Today, I am also reminded that I need to remember who I am living for. If I am living for the world and not for God, no one will remember me. From this point on, I am going to live for God and leave a legacy for Him.

-Kathleen