Now I See

My friend was struggling with his life.  If, it was going to go wrong, it did for him.  Each time I talked with him, something more challenging had occurred.  Difficult, hard things happened over and over.  He described himself as burned out and over the edge.   He prayed desperate prayers of release.  Then.  He woke up one night and literally knew God was present.  He said he had always thought he was a good Christian but he had kept his distance, barely thinking about the fact that God could be or actually was fully present.

The thing is . . . we often miss seeing God is present . . . because we allow the stuff of life to blind us.

Consider the Message:
"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!" (John 14:15-17, The Message)

The reality of life changes when we become aware, acknowledge, and believe GOD is present.  In other words, to experience the presence of God is to be changed.  To see the presence of God,  our spiritual eyes must be wide open.  It's through the powerful gift of grace, we've been given the opportunity to receive a love that frees us from blindness to see the Truth of Reality. When we do see, our perspective changes, we realize the power is the presence of God, not the stuff of life.

When we are no longer blind to the presence of God, discouragement and fear dissipate, courage and faith increase.   It really goes back to what John Newton wrote centuries ago:
Amazing GRACE, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see. 

Be changed through God's grace.
Open your eyes wide and see God.

Learning to Kickstart the day seeing the presence of God,
Kerrie

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

This Is Your Time

Waiting.  It's what we do.  Yet.  There's so much to experience right now, wherever we're at, whatever we're doing, whoever we are.   Even so, we often miss the gift of the day in this hurry-up-over-stressed-problem-filled world we live in.

I am convinced the pressures of the daily stuff of life is one of the greatest obstacles from experiencing and celebrating what we've received in the moment.

The thing is . . . we're created to experience the moment . . . by giving attention to God who gives us the day, responding with faith and courage.   

But.  It means we need to release the stuff that weighs us down, resting and trusting God, believing there's a purpose and plan for the time and space we're in.

Consider what Queen Esther's uncle said to her about a moment in time: 
If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father's family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for just such a time as this." (Esther 4:14, NCV). 

There's a moment in each day, when we're given the opportunity to purposefully respond with faith and courage.  It's really what we've been waiting for, a moment in time which counts.  And.  It's what we choose to do with the moment that matters in the end.

This is your time, this very moment, to experience the gift, responding to it with faith and courage. 

Breathe.
Release the pressures, surrender the busyness, trust God.
Experience the gift of the moment, trusting you were born for it, responding with faith and courage.
Celebrate the time you have received with gratefulness.

Learning to Kickstart the day grateful for the time,
Kerrie

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

A Day

A lifetime is one long day of sorts, a day of problems and possibilities, a day of sorrow and joy,  a day of endings and beginnings, a day of fear and faith, a day of hopelessness and hope,  a day of of hurt and healing, a day created through the purposeful love of God.  The specifics of the day may change from one to another; however, it's a gift.

The thing is . . .  it's our choice to wisely invest the time we're given. . . paying attention to the day with respect and gratefulness for the gift of it.  

But. When the day is marked by difficulties, trials, loss, and hurt, we're drawn to focus on what might have been rather than on what could be through the presence and power of God.
Consider. 
A thousand years in your sight 
   are like a day that has just gone by
   or like a watch in the night . . . Teach us to number our days, 
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:4;12,  NIV). 

The Psalmist explained the brevity of life by measuring a thousand years as a day.  When you get down to it, there's little time on earth.  So.

We pray:  Teach me to value (number) the day through a heart of wisdom.   

The Spirit of God gives us the ability and power to learn to live beyond the stuff that comes at us, to see each moment as a gift, to gain wisdom about what we have received, purposefully valuing the day.

Value the day.
Surrender the stuff.
Ask the Spirit to teach you to live the day well.
Respect and be grateful for the gift of the day.

Learning to Kickstart the day with respect and gratefulness for the gift of it,
Kerrie

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

The Look

I talk with people when they're desperately trying to make sense of all the hard things of life. One woman, looked at me with visible pain, explaining how things in her life had worsened with time, making it hard to believe something good would ever work out.  I listened and shared what I know to be true about the good that comes when we trust God.  But. When we face an ongoing difficulty, it's a challenge to grasp the possibility of something good working out, let alone a positive outcome.

It takes intentional faith to refuse to let any circumstance weaken our faith, to continue to believe there's  a possibility of something good in the impossibilities of the stuff, to live strong in the power of Christ, standing firm despite the hardship and pain produced from it all. The thing is . . . it's a matter of believing Jesus . . . "with God all things are possible."   

Consider what Jesus said to the disciples:
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26, NIV).
Jesus not only communicated the truth of that all things are possible with words, but by looking at them.

So.  What did Jesus communicate by looking at them?  Was it a look that made them understand this was important to remember?   Or did He give the teacher look?  Or was it an incredulous look, wondering how they could have missed the point of it all?   Or what?   At the very least, Jesus' look must have emphasized the importance of what His words.

So.  To believe what Jesus said, is to surrender the fear of a situation, especially the things that seem too hard and impossible, intentionally attaching ourselves to his words:  With God all things are possible!  

Breathe.
Meditate on Matthew 19:26.  What do the words mean to you?  How would Jesus look at you when communicating this life principle?
Turn away from the power of difficulties to the truth of what Jesus said.
Surrender your fear.
Step into the power of Jesus' words.
Attach yourself to the truth of the life principle, regardless of impossibilities of the stuff of life.
Experience the situation with God, rather than trying to manage it on your own.
Walk in faith that with God all things are possible.

Learning to Kickstart the day believing what Jesus said,
Kerrie

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

Living In The Shadows

They need work.  Now.   They moved, hoping for a new opportunity. But.  Nothing has opened up.  They're focused on their needs, wondering if anything will change, wanting life to work out, worrying about everything, wishing for a miracle, magic, or something to happen.  They've imagined the worst case scenario, fearing they will lose everything, knowing it could be reality, if, something doesn't change. It's as if they live in the shadow of darkness, waiting for the day to begin, and life to get started again.

We fail to perceive the reality of the Light of God in the shadows of our circumstances.

The thing is . . . we either walk in the pathway of Light or in the shadows of the darkness. . . it's a choice.  

Loss, hardship, and suffering will give way to a season of hope, joy, and new beginnings when we intentionally and purposefully walk in the Light.

Consider. 
"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (John 1:4-5, NASB)

The darkness does not comprehend the Light within us.  So.  The darkness is unable to win.  Ever.  We get this concept when we enter a dark room and turn on a light . . . the darkness is gone, unable to exist in the Light. Transformation occurs when we intentionally walk out of the shadows of darkness into the light.  But.  When we make it a daily habit to allow the stuff to be front and center in our life, we have to take steps to break free.

 So.  We need to stop and see where we're at.  Sometimes we don't see we've situated ourselves in the shadows of darkness.  Anxiety, worry, and fear are key indicators we're walking in the shadows. When we admit where we're at and that we need help, the Spirit will not only empower us but guide us out of the shadows of darkness into the Light.

Learning to Kickstart the day moving out of the shadows of darkness into the Light,
Kerrie

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

Art and Attitude

Rain.  It's back for a while in our neck of the woods, a reality in the Oregon valley we live in.  True Oregonians enjoy a walk in the rain,  listening to the rain fall on the roof, the smell of the earth after a good rain, and even watching it pour from the skies with a hot cup of coffee, a good book, and a fire going.  There's a certain peacefulness about it; however,  I question how grateful I am for shelter when I think of those who are living without it.  The days of darkened skies, wind, and rain become a huge challenge for the homeless.

As I listened to the rain pound on the roof down last night, I thought about a family, three generations, who had been living in a tent for several months.  A way had been found for them to get into an apartment.  I am certain they're grateful for being provided with shelter.

Gratefulness is a way of life, an art and an attitude.  The thing is . . . gratefulness comes from paying attention to God, the Giver of Life . . . intentionally giving thanks.

Consider: 
 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, NCV). 

The words, always and everything, require our attention.  Seriously, Ephesians 5:20, has some big implications in the way we live, making it clear we're to ALWAYS give thanks for EVERYTHING.  Look closely at what this means.  There's no condition put on it, which means we're to give thanks in the good times as well as in the times when life is not going the way we want it to go.  I have no problem giving thanks for what I define as good and great.  It's far more of a challenge to give thanks when life is messy, inconvenient, and even down right difficult.  But. The true art and attitude of gratefulness comes from taking the focus off of self and our circumstances, recognizing God to be the Giver. It's humbling, isn't it?  It takes the exercise of intentionally saying thank you for everything to develop gratefulness.

Giving thanks makes us mindful of what's really important and what's not.  If, we're not careful, we will feel we are owed everything.  We're not.  Life itself is a gift from God.  So.  The first step to being grateful is to pay attention to God rather than to ourselves.  When we lose sight of God, we tend to stop giving thanks.

• Pay attention to God.  
• Intentionally develop the art and attitude of always being grateful for everything.  
• Take time throughout the day to pray the simple and powerful prayer: Thank You!

Learning to Kickstart the day grateful for everything,
Kerrie

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

Adversity and Uncertainty

Miss Madelyn is a reminder that God brings good to us in the midst of suffering.  I think about her biological family and the loss they feel every day without her; they unselfishly made a way for her to experience the best life possible.  On the other side of their pain is joy.  Without question, our family has experienced joy as she has become a part of our life and we have become a part of her life.  But.  I also think joy is for her biological family, if, they live in faith, certain God is at work though they are unable to experience Madelyn's life personally.

How do we experience the kind of faith that results in joy when we face adversity and uncertain times? Jesus told us simply and powerfully to seek God first in Matthew 6:33.  When you get down to it,  seeking God first is key to developing a faith which produces certainty and joy in adversity and uncertain times.

Sometimes life is more difficult than anyone could ever anticipate it to be. But.  Something miraculous occurs when humanity seeks God first in times of adversity and uncertainty: Heaven and earth collide and divine power moves in, producing possibilities out of impossibilities, good out of  difficulties, joy out of suffering, beginnings out of endings, healing out of hurt, and hope out of hopelessness.  In other words, God never leaves us alone or does less than what He has planned and promised to do.

The thing is . . . there's a desire in all of us for a happily-ever-after ending . . . but there's something deeper to be experienced when we seek God first and pay full attention to Him: a divine certainty that God is at work fills us, producing joy in the "now" of our reality, regardless of what we're facing. 

I think that's why the end of the book of Job is so profound; we see that though he went through unimaginable adversity, Job had a full life :   So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning . . .  Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life (Job 42: 12, 16-17, NLT).  

The story of Job should change our perspective in the midst of adversity, giving us a bold certainty that God is present and bringing the good work He began in us to completion.

Regardless of what the day holds, we are given assurance that all things will work together for good.

• Trust God.  
• Live beyond the circumstances of the day, be certain of the work of God, whether you see it or not.  
• Experience the joy through the grace of God, which though it's undeserved and unmerited, is a blessing in the midst of the adversity and uncertainty. 

Learning to Kickstart the day with a full life,

Kerrie

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