Not Yet

Parents are waiting for governments to give the okay to come pick up their children and begin their life together. The wait seems long.  So.  We had a party for two of the babies, twins, who need their legal consent to be released to their waiting family.  Waiting for the "not yet" of life is a life-changing reality.

In some ways waiting feels like we're holding our breath until something happens as, if, life has paused.

Even so, waiting is a time of growth, a season of asking the "whys" and "what" of life when we realize we're not in control of the world around us, when we struggle with what we want and what might be, when we beg God to work circumstances out, when we want more in the "not yet " than what we see in the "now," a time to decide whether or not we will trust God.

Consider:
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31, NKJ)

Look at the picture Isaiah depicts when we wait.  It's a picture of movement towards God, believing what Jesus said, "With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)."

To live well in seasons of waiting, we must seek God first, surrendering what we want and when we want it, trusting God to be God in the "not yet" of life, receiving supernatural infusing strength and power to manage it all, believing all things are possible.

So.
Wait on God, renewing your strength to mount up above the stuff of life with wings like eagles, running without weariness, walking without becoming faint.

Learning to Kickstart the day trusting God for the "not yet" of life,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

To-Do

I'm a list maker.  I love to make a to-do-list and to check it off.  Even so.  A list is a list.  There's always something to do, there will always be more tasks to do than time to get it all done; however, the gift of the day will be missed when our priority is checking off the list.

We need to know what's ours to do and what is not.  And.  I've learned, especially in the last few months, to enjoy the process of doing what's mine to do. 

Of course, doing too much is nothing new.  It was an issue for Moses in the ancient days.  Consider what Jethro, his father-in-law, told him:
You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. (Exodus 18:18-19, NLT)

Moses needed to make a change in his life.  He had become burdened by the doing, unable to see beyond the tasks.  When we focus on the to-do-list we'll eventually experience stress, feeling overwhelmed.  In other words, we become enslaved by what needs to be done, weighed down by it all.  So. It's imperative to seek God first, asking for wisdom and direction, letting go of what's not necessary to do.
Experience the gift of the day, refusing to miss it. ~Change the way you see what needs to be done. ~Lay down the burden of doing. ~Ask God what's yours to-do and what's not yours to-do today. ~Enjoy the process of doing what you're given to-do.

Learning to Kickstart the day freed from the burden of doing.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

The Word

I love hearing the stories of people finding God.  No one has the same story; however, it's always miraculous to hear about an individual meeting God for the first time.  So.  There's been another miracle.  It occurred a few weeks ago when a teenager feeling alone, lost in the bigness of problems, needing direction, wondering what to do, heard God for the first time. And, he listened, receiving the divine words. In that moment, peace came.

The thing is . . . in one moment life changes . . . when we listen to God.    

I love how Mother Teresa explained it:
"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."

 A radical shift occurs when we hear and receive the Word of God.  The darkness of this world no longer has power over our life, we're freed from anything that's claimed our attention, we're freed from it all.
Consider: 
In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1, NCV).

• Ask the Spirit of God to speak to you right where you are at today.  Receive the Word.  Let the Word change you.  Respond to the Word in extraordinary ways . . . in peace, in joy, in kindness, and love  . . . live in the miracle of hearing the Word.

Learning to Kickstart the day listening to the Word.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

God-produced Opportunities

Sometimes the best advice I give to people is to stop, breathe, step back, and refocus.  The times I've followed this advice for myself are the times I've seen opportunities in the crises of the day.   I like how the Chinese write the word "crisis" with two characters:  One character means danger, the other, opportunity.

Our perception of a crisis directly impacts the outcome of a crisis.  Is it possible to see an opportunity when all things seem too hard?  

Consider how the report of twelve spies sent to determine the condition of the land God had promised them.  Ten reported the land to be dangerous, filled with giants.

"The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge.  (Numbers 13:32, NLT )

Two others, Joshua and Caleb disagreed:

Joshua and Caleb, two spies of the twelve saw it differently: And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, "The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. (Numbers 14:6-7 , NLT )

Ten perceived the people would not survive if they went forward into the land; however, two saw the land not only as good, but exceedingly good.  Both Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, emphasizing their distraught over the others' point of view.

Our perception becomes our reality.  

And.  The people chose to follow the report of the ten spies, missing out on the opportunities God had planned for them in the land.  They were blind to what God could and would do.  How many opportunities are missed because we do not see in faith?

Sometimes we need to take a breath, step back, and refocus, looking for the God-produced opportunity in a crisis.  It requires perceiving life through faith, believing God is able to more than what anyone would ever think possible, making all things new, changing a dangerous place of life into a great opportunity.  Then, we must trust God to give the necessary courage and strength to step forward and enter into the opportunity.

Look for the God-produced opportunities of the day.

• Stop~Breathe~Step back~Refocus~Choose to see with faith~Step forward and enter into whatever God has planned for you. 

Learning to Kickstart the day looking for the God-produced opportunity.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

The Reality of Surprise

I've always loved surprises, all kinds and sizes.  The greatest surprise has been the revelation of the presence and goodness of God, especially when life does not make sense and things are not going as planned.   I've often thought, if. we were able to watch episodes of our life with the full vision of the presence of God as well as angels surrounding us, then, we would see life differently, realizing living in faith is not a risk but the wisest and best life.

I know for sure, we would see there's no room for fear, if, we could see the reality of the supernatural.  The thing is . . . God is never contained . . . despite our limited perception of what is.   

But.  When we see life through our limitations, we miss the surprising miracle of living.

Consider the Message: 
If I were in your shoes,
I'd go straight to God,
I'd throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts;
there's no end to his surprises. (Job 5:8a, The Message)

When we hang out with God, we're changed.   We step into the realization God is not only present but will not leave us, entering the space of life that allows us to receive the unexpected and surprising activity of God into our daily life.  It's the place where more is experienced than what could be thought, asked, or imagined with the promise that there's more to come.   Trust comes and worry dissipates as we become more aware and attentive to the great and surprising active work of God on our behalf.

• Stop seeing life without God~Go straight to God for everything~Refuse to see life through limitations. ~Believe in the unexpected work of God. ~Live in the reality of surprise.  God has more planned for you than you've ever asked for, thought about, or imagined. 

Learning to Kickstart the day in the reality of God's surprises,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Longing For God

Sunday is a busy day for me.  Busyness is a reality for all of us.   I ran into an elderly couple.  Literally.  I was running into the church building as they were going out.  We laughed and talked for a moment.  Their to-do-list was long, however, their peace was evident.  Too often, we allow busyness to take away our peace.

The thing is . . . the key to our peace is not based on what we are or aren't doing . . . but being in the presence of God.  

Once again, I've been reminded that in each moment of the day, irregardless of the level of activity or how important or unimportant a task may seem, we're invited to be engaged with the presence of God, experiencing divine peace and power, living with a purpose beyond what's seen.  Even, so.  Somewhere along the busyness of life we lose our attentiveness, our desire, our thirst and hunger for God.  There are seasons of life when the stuff of life gets in the way of what our existence is all about.

When we're immersed in what must be done, worried about what's ahead of us, and consumed by busyness, we find ourselves overwhelmed, driven by the stress of it all.  In seasons of stress, it's wise and necessary to stop in the midst of the chaos and craziness of the busyness and seek God.
Consider:
As the deer longs for streams of water,
      so I long for you, O God.
 I thirst for God, the living God.
      When can I go and stand before him? (Psalm 42: 1-2, NLT). 

There's an amazing interaction of peace and energy within an individual who longs for God.  The chaos and craziness coming from the stress of busyness no longer take precedence as the Spirit answers the longing, revealing the fullness of life, giving hope, making all things possible, transforming endings into beginnings, issuing peace in the all-consuming stuff of life.

~Intentionally long for God.  ~Thirst for the living God.  ~Live each moment in the presence of God. 

Learning to Kickstart the day longing for God,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Daily Legacy

Are you ever ready for someone that focuses on the negative of life?  Seriously.  It's a challenge to spend much time with an individual stuck on what's wrong, unable to see what's working.  I don't know all the reasons an individual allows the negative to become all-consuming, but I do know it comes from a place of hurt.   Eventually a negative individual is unable to see there's more to life than the negative.  The day is definitely impacted by the individual who lives in the negative places of life.

The thing is . . . negativity is contagious . . . and the challenges of life make anyone susceptible to it. 

How we live is how we impact others on a daily basis.  Whether, it is intentional or not, we leave a legacy each day. So.  Ultimately, the message of our life is our choice, regardless of the negative stuff that's been a part of our personal life.

Consider the Message: 
It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone (Ephesians 1:1-12, The Message).

Christ transforms our story, changing our daily legacy from negative to the supernatural good and great of life.   It's a process to step away from living in the negative of life and to live new each day, but we're given the supernatural gift to see the day as a new beginning and the ability to purposefully give up negative thoughts, intentionally keeping quiet rather than complaining, learning to build others up rather than to destroy with negativity, focusing on the message of Christ as our daily legacy.

    "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!!" (2 Corinthians 5: 17, NLT)

Start the day fresh.  The old is gone, the new has come!
Purposefully see the day as a marker of becoming new.
Give up the negativity.
Make your daily legacy to be the message of Christ in you.

Learning to Kickstart the day leaving the message of Christ as a daily legacy,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)