Storms Come

Storms come, creating obstacles that block the way and problems the size of mountains which hinder us from doing this thing we call life.  Regardless of the problems, at the end of the day, God shows us over and over, that He will not fail or leave us.  It is a matter of trust: “God, I trust you.  God, I trust you.” 

God will calm the storm, moving the mountains to provide a way through the things that limit the way we live.  Look at the people of God.  Unbelief had blocked their way.  Unbelief is a weapon that works against trust. 

The people aligned their actions with God’s Word through trust.  God told Joshua to go; so he did.  God told the priests to go; so they did:  And when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were lifted up to the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all its banks as they had before. Joshua 4:18

Can you imagine being one of the last ones to cross over? Were they afraid that it was going to take too long of time and the walls of water would fall down and block their view?

Did they see that God is always faithful when the walls of water stayed strong and firm until the priests touched ground?

What causes our faith to grow and trust to build in God?

Trust is a choice.  Trust is tested in the storms of life.  Trust is a decisive action.

God will guide you and lead you through the storms. I

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . trusting God . . . even in the storms,                                                               

Pastor Kerrie

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

In The Midst of Pain

As a pastor, I see pain on a frequent basis.  It’s  never easy to see the force of pain in people’s lives.  Sometimes the pain of life can be unbearable.  But . . . I have seen the miraculous . . . in the midst of pain . . . the presence of God is experienced.  

Peace is received. 

Clarity comes. 

Priorities shift. 

Things that matter come into view.

How is it possible to experience the presence of God in the midst of pain? 

Trust.

It is an intentional and ongoing decision to trust God.

The decision to trust opens the door to experiencing the presence of God.

Look at Joshua and the people of God.  He revealed the power of trusting God.  Certainly, he must have experienced pain when the people rejected  his determination that it was possible to go into the Promised Land.  But. He trusted God.  Forty years later, Joshua led the people into the Promised Land.  He listened and followed the directions of God:  So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan." Joshua 4:17

Trust God in the midst of pain.

Experience the presence of God.

Surrender to God’s miraculous transformation.

Learning with you to KICK START the day with trust, even in the midst of pain.

Pastor Kerrie

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

Joy-Ride Called Life

Sometimes life can be described as a joy-ride . . . when we do life together . . .  in a healthy and whole way.  There is a connection that God gives us with one another. The thing is . . . we don’t always live like we are created to live . . . and life can be difficult. 

Yet, when we find ourselves taking the joy-ride together, there are breath-taking moments.  We have experienced the breath-taking moment of meeting Madelyn.  There is a great indefinable joy when it is visibly clear that God has clearly put together a moment.    

The mystery of how God puts events together has certainly been present . . .

the ride began . . . before Tricia and Troy were born . . . 

when God determined they would meet . . . 

they fell in love . . .

they married . . . 

and knew  God had called them to be parents of a little girl born in China . . . 

then they saw Madelyn’s picture . . . 

God spoke to them . . . 

and they pursued and persisted until they could go to China to bring her home . . . 

and then the day came that they brought her home . . . 

this weekend.   

And. . . then of course the story includes the rest of us . . . 

that fit into their life . . . 

to love them . . . 

and to do life together.  

 It can only be described as a joy-ride of a lifetime!

But,  isn’t that what Joshua and God’s people discovered?  They were called before the beginning of time to accept the gift of the Promised Land from God,  created to connect with God and one another, and to cross over into the place planned for them.   

So. They crossed over to the Promised Land and God said to Joshua: Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan." (Joshua 4:16)

Joshua had entered into a relationship with God that led to a joy-ride of a lifetime. He led the people through a conscious and intentional relationship with God and one another. And, then they experienced more than what could have been imagined . . . a joy-ride . . . experiencing the plan of God together . . . a indefinable moment . . . as they crossed over to the Promised Land.

Believe God has something more . . . a joy-ride called life. 

Connect with God and one another.

Do life together.

Take the joy-ride together.

Experience the breath-taking moment of knowing God has put the moment together.

Learning with you to KICK START the day in the joy-ride called life,                                                                Pastor Kerrie

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

Big-Deal-Day

So. This is it.  A big-deal-day.  Madelyn’s home day.  As I write this . . . Tricia, Troy, and Madelyn are in the air . . . making their way home from China to Oregon.   Family and friends will be at the airport when they touch ground, celebrating the life God has planned . . . a good life . . . actually a big-deal life.   The thing is . . . life can’t get better . . . than the way God has planned it. 

It seems to me that we often doubt that God has planned the best life for us to live.  When we do trust God, engaging in his plan . . . we discover that there is more than what we could have ever imagined. 

Joshua sat for years in the second chair, serving Moses, the revered leader of God’s people. Imagine how he felt when the people turned around and treated him like a really big deal: On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life. Joshua 4:14

In the eyes of God . . . you and I are a big deal . . . his beloved . . . created with exact thought and detail.  

Created to experience joy . . . love . . . hope . . . we are on a journey that moves us forward . . . into something more  . . . what God has planned. 

There is a way . . . to live a life that is more than can be imagined . . . to experience the way God has planned.

It is a big-deal-day.

Experience.

Celebrate.

. Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . a big-deal-day,

                                                                  Pastor Kerrie

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