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Showing posts from August, 2017

Quite Frankly...I Dunno

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"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Jeremiah 33:2-3 ESV). Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your best response is "I don't know."? Recently, this phrase has become our family motto. Along with it comes doubt, tears, health issues, and a cluttered mind. And quite frankly, we're tired of it. With that said, on my way over to the office, I asked God a simple question. "Lord, how do I reclaim joy? How do I take what Satan intended for bad and turn it around on him? How to I flip the table on this situation and use it for good?" + + + Reading today's devotional indicates that all I need to do is ask God for His wisdom. And in order to hear from Him, I need to be still, seek Him out sincerely and specifically. My prayer today is that when I

Chasing After God week 35

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"The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."  (Psalm 14:2, ESV). Photo Credit B. Mathias @ Hardy Co., WV REFLECTION ​I've considered chasing it, you know? That pot at the end of the rainbow. I figure a lot of us have. Wishing it were a possibility. Imagining what we'd do with such a treasure. Instead, we gaze on in wonder. Considering what it means, Where it came from, How we can touch it. With a sigh, we watch the colors fade. And go back to chasing a more realistic dream. A DEEPER LOOK Sunday Psalm ​9:10 Monday Acts 17:26-28 Tuesday Jeremiah 33:2-3 Wednesday Matthew 7:7 Thursday Hosea 10:12 Friday Matthew 6:33-34 Saturday Isaiah ​55:6 IMAGINE THIS Have you considered how special you are to God? I think of the parable wherein Jesus talks about one wayward sheep. How the shepherd would leave 99 in search of the wandering one. When I look at my children, I often consider

Don't let me fall

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"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. " ( Jude 24, 25,NKJV). I've been ' doing ' the weekly church scene all my life. I've taught, planned, served, and learned a lot over these fifty years. Yet one thing that continues to taunt me is how easy it is to get caught up in the dos and don'ts of doing church. Lately, I've been more interested in actually being the church than doing church. I sincerely want to be Christ-like. Copying the example of Jesus by doing the little things He did. Like loving my neighbors, giving compassion, setting a good example, being friendly to strangers, tossing a few tables if need be...nothing huge...just not-so-little things. Reading Jude reminded me that doing these things, even doing them right, isn'

The Ultimate Satisfaction

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I want you to know the delight I experience,  to find ultimate satisfaction, which is why I am telling you all of this.(John 15:11, VOICE) Reading today's devo verse left me wanting to know exactly what Jesus was saying here. The preceding text laid the foundation for verse 11. They mentioned words like abide, continue, love, commandments...foundational. As I was reading these verses, it occurred to me that we want God's best for our lives...but aren't always willing to remain steadfast in our faith. Take this picture for example. I hate when guardrails or other obstacles get in the way of a good shot. However, they have an important purpose - and I wouldn't want to cross this bridge without them! Yet often times, we test the boundaries of our Christian walk...straddle the fence as my mom used to say. My point is this: The Word of God is like a set of guardrails. It gives us boundaries that keep us safe. It clearly shows us our boundaries. We have the optio

As I Walk With You

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Photo Credit D. Kelly @ Grant Co., WV "Instead, You direct me on a path that leads to a beautiful life.  As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment."  (Acts 2:28, VOICE) As we stomp through life's muck, it's easy to get distracted. These distractions then steal our focus; they steal our sunshine.  Without sunshine, we stumble in darkness; darkness that creates a chasm between us and God.  When we take a moment to be still and regain our composure, we're able to resume our walk on the path He created specifically  for us. Today's devotional reading is an awesome reminder to stay focused on what lays ahead.  When we stay focused on the eternal...joy, contentment, and a beautiful life are right around the corner!  Although our paths look different, with Him in the lead, our final destination is a beautiful eternal life.  Have a blessed Thursday y'all, In Christ with love and compassion - Coach Kel

Our Glory Our Joy

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1 Thessalonians 2:20: You are our joy!  You are our glory! What an amazing concept. That the God of the universe is our joy! When Jesus ascended, He paved the way to heaven and offered us the opportunity to experience, first hand, all of His glory! Can you imagine that?! Can you feel Him stirring within?!  The Holy Spirit of our creator residing within?!   Us?! Individually, we are clueless about what today holds in store...it may be the best day of our lives, it may be one of the worst, or it could simply be a typical Wednesday. We may have an attitude that stinks - or we may have the brightest outlook ever...but these will pass. The one thing that remains true is that nothing can separate us from His unconditional love. Have a blessed Wednesday y'all -  Today, I pray that you will allow Him to be the source of your joy :-) In Christ with Love and Compassion - Coach Kelly #BeyondTheMirror #YourLifeCoachingWV http://www.lifecoachingwv.com/week-34.

Filled with joy

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Today's devotional verse, Psalm 4:7 , reminds me that happiness and joy are about so much more than our physical being. Joy is not achieved through what we have or what we are going through. Being filled with God's joy comes from knowing Him. Being able to see and feel Him by simply being alive. When we take time to be still for a moment - step away from distractions - break free from the pressures of life - when we close out the chaos - and just be in the moment with Him - then we can experience His joy and the happiness that comes with it.  I love the verse where He simply refers to Himself as " I Am ." Those words stir my spirit. Today, I pray that you will carve out a few moments to just be joyful in the presence of the Great I Am.  Have a blessed Tuesday y'all - In Christ with Love and Compassion - Coach Kelly #BeyondTheMirror #YourLifeCoachingWV http://www.lifecoachingwv.com/week-34.html

The Hypocrite at Our Table

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The Hypocrite at Our Table Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another I was feeling sick to my stomach. Too many things testing our family's wisdom and faith. A glance in the rear view mirror ended my weekend reprieve. Oh God help me now. + + + I sat at the kitchen table looking out the back door. Rainy Mondays require a cup of hot tea and cinnamon sugar toast with lots of butter. West Virginia comfort food. My soul heavy, my spirit in flux…I needed something good. Looking around the table I thought of the diverse folks that have ate, laughed, and cried here. The teenage druggies looking for a little normalcy over a plate of spaghetti and an animated game of Uno. The broken hearted widow taking comfort that her children could laugh over Christmas dinner…like before. The religious folks showing off their knowledge of the Bible while the rest of us looked on (in wha