Aware and Aligned

She was alone . . . sad . . . despondent . . . and hopeless.  Her daughter had died without warning.  Life had not turned out the way she expected it to be. Nothing would ever be the same.  It was just too hard to move forward.  Actually, it did not seem to matter what happened.  The thing is . . . for all practical purposes . . . she was stuck . . .  in a dead-end mind-set and lifestyle. 

What does it mean to live beyond a dead-end mindset and lifestyle?

Study the life of Cornelius Acts 10.  His life was about Christ rather than circumstances:

 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.  Acts 10:1-2

Living beyond a dead-end mindset and lifestyle is not a matter of what we feel like doing but about what the power of healing and wholeness that comes through living  fully engaged with God.  Acts 10:1-2 describes one individual, Cornelius,  being aligned with the power of God rather than his circumstances through a specific way of living.  An awareness of God filled his life through the way he chose to live . . . which allowed him to be ready for what more God would be doing in his life.   

 

Certainly, there is an increase of confidence and a willingness to respond to the stuff of life in faith through an alignment and an awareness to the presence of God.  As we align  our will with God . . . our mindset and lifestyle . . . more power is manifested in our life. 

Be aware and align yourself with the presence of God.

Surrender to the release of the power of God.

Be confident and willing in response to life.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . aligned and aware of God.

                                      Pastor Kerrie

 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

The Risk

Most of us know we are supposed to do something good with our life . . . to care about all people . . . throughout the world.  So . . . when we see someone with a need. . . we must make a decision.  Will we help?  Will we reach out and make a difference? 

Read Acts 3. Peter and John, filled with the Spirit of God, saw someone with a need . . . an impossible need . . . and they took a risk.  The man had spent his life outside the temple . . . begging . . . because he could not walk . . . ever.  The man was healed through a force that nothing and no one could contend with, the strength of God, so powerful that he could walk. The thing is . . . we see more, enabled to do more, through the Spirit of God.

There is a crossroad we come to . . . a place in life that we must decide what to do . . . whether we will take a risk and reach out with the belief that God has something more. So, Peter and John talked about what more could be experienced with. God, while people listened:

They couldn't take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that? (Acts 4:13-14)

So.  How is it possible to know if a risk will do anything good?

Words written in the ancient days say it best: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit' Zechariah 4:6.

Ultimately, God enables us to more through the Spirit.  When we risk being led by the Spirit . . . something more occurs . . . something that so powerful and life-changing that nothing ever is the same again.

Stop.   Ask.  Respond to the Spirit of God. Be willing to do something good through a power that nothing or no one can contend with.

 Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . taking a risk to do good.

                                      Pastor Kerrie

 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

Hope

Challenges, difficulties, and disasters often lead to worry, depression, and even despair.  Hope makes the difference . . . hope produces encouragement, energy, and peace.   We are created for hope . . . hope that there is more to come . . . more to do . . . more.  Hope changes our perspective of today and tomorrow.   

The story of the man being healed in the book of Acts is filled with hope.  The fact that God would heal a man that lived on the margin . . . barely noticed by society . . . and  turn his life upside-down-inside-out with complete healing . . . gives hope to humanity.  And, there is more, the man that had never walked was not only healed but enabled to give others hope.   In other words, we are not only given hope through the power of God but able to touch others with hope.   

What does this mean for you and I?

It is never too late to stand before God and ask to be transformed and renewed with hope.  God has designed us to receive hope and in turn live with hope.  Meditate on Acts 3:10:  

And they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The people saw that with God, we never have to give up or give in . . . there is more to come . . . there is hope for everyone. Only through the power of God, can we experience the kind of hope that changes ourselves and others.  In fact we are released from living the bondage of our circumstance.  The picture of the healed man walking and jumping, who used to sit because he not been able to walk since birth is the picture Isaiah 40:31 describes:

  Yet those who wait for the LORD
         Will gain new strength;
         They will mount up with wings like eagles,
         They will run and not get tired,
         They will walk and not become weary.

Hope . . . the picture is given to us in these two passages.  We wait on the Lord and we will gain strength . . . we will mount up . . . run and not get tired . . . walk and not become weary. 

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . living in hope.

                                      Pastor Kerrie

 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

Colliding with God

Why did they do it in the first place?  They gave what they had . . . to help others.  There were some that felt they virtually wasted a year of their life . . . at least that is what some said . . . when they returned.  They believed that they were a part of a life-changing opportunity.  What was the truth?

The thing is . . . when individuals collide with the  power of God. . . lives change.  

How often do we live life with limited vision?

We struggle seeing beyond our own life. Since the ancient days, humanity has looked for a way to be saved from living with limited perspective. The presence and power of God is  the unseen reality of this world, a bigger picture than just our own life and circumstances.

Take time to think about the man that could walk for the first time in his life because his life intersected with Peter and John who were filled with the Spirit:

He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:8)

The man’s life had never changed.  He had lived the same way all his life . . . unable to walk . . . until Peter and John stopped what they were doing . . . saw him . . . and reached out through the Spirit of God. The reality of freedom . . . healing . . . and wholeness was given and received  . . .  completely dependent on the  Spirit of God. His world collided with God.

Collide with God.

Refuse to start your day without seeking Christ first.
Ask Christ to give you eyes to see what He sees in your world.
See more than your own needs.
Slow down throughout the day to see more than yourself.
Ask God to show you what He sees in specific individuals and/or situations.
Proceed through your day with new vision.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . colliding with the presence and power of God.

                                      Pastor Kerrie



 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

More Than Imagined

She is battling cancer.  Even so, life has become intentional.   She intentionally made a decision at the time of the diagnosis to make a difference in the lives of family, friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers. Simple things . . . acts of kindness . . . kind words . . . a phone call . . . have become a part of  her daily ritual to make a difference.  The thing is . . . she believes that the actions she intended to mark the end of her life . . . has given her a way to bring hope and even healing to others . . . something more than she ever imagined.
Mother Teresa said:

"There is a light in this world, a healing spirit

more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.
We sometimes lose sight of this force
when there is suffering, too much pain.
Then suddenly the spirit will emerge
through the lives of ordinary people
who hear a call and answer
in extraordinary ways."

History changes when an individual hears and answers the call of Christ.   A radical shift occurs.  The impossible becomes possible . . .  through the power of Christ . . . a force that nothing and no one can conquer . . . more than could ever be imagined. Living through the power of  Christ frees us from the power of circumstances.  

Two individuals, Peter and John, experienced the power of the Spirit working through them: Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong (Acts 3:7).   It was more than anyone could have imagined.  

Paul wrote, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us  (Ephesians 3:20).

Relax.

Live in the extraordinary power of the Spirit.

Experience more than can be imagined.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . experiencing more than can be imagined.

                                      Pastor Kerrie



 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

Mind Walking

Sometimes things are not as they appear. I have a friend that looked successful from top to bottom; however, he had severe emotional pain that elicited troubled thinking. He admitted that the troubled thoughts often drove him to do unhealthy things that created chaos and problems.  

He made a commitment to change . . . he had the intention to change . . . but change did not occur until a friend said he would help. The thing is . . . this is one of the many situations that I have learned that doing life together with God and others . . . is the healthiest and most fulfilling way to live. 

Look at the beggar at the temple . . . life changed . . . when Peter and John entered into his life.  Their lives intersected in the power of the Holy Spirit . . . Peter and John looked at the man and wanted him to be healed. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk"(Acts 3:6).  They responded . . . as Jesus responded to the unhealthy . . . with compassion and the desire for each to have something more . . . health and wholeness. 

How do we do life together and impact others the way Jesus did?

The Apostle Paul said it best: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

It takes a conscious effort to renew the mind on a daily basis. Renewal is an exchange process. Without the renewal process, our perception is limited and skewed—the renewal process begins with a sifting and sorting what is in the mind through the help of the Spirit of Christ. I call it “mind walking” with Christ Jesus. Each thought is evaluated as the question is asked, “Is this true—does this thought unite with the thoughts of Christ?”  Then, as we do life together, we respond as Jesus would respond.

Take a mind walk.
Ask Jesus to go into the corridors of your mind.
Seek to sift and sort the thoughts.
Throw out untrue thoughts.
Dwell on the truth today.
Give thanks for the ability to dwell upon true thoughts.
Enjoy your walk!

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . taking a mind walk.

                                      Pastor Kerrie



 (written by Kerrie Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)
interactstudies/ ~ kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/