Time for a Break

Hey all you Kingdom Seekers,

Well, Christmas is over and it's finally time for a much needed break. I looovvve Christmas, but I'm always glad when things settle down and I can get some rest.

I have a small group of gals that come to my home once a week for Bible study and also I email them with inspirations that I get from various sources, not least of all the Lord. I want to include what I wrote to them yesterday and today. I hope you will be blessed by these emails that I sent to them.

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,







12/29/09
Good Morning Girls,

I'm so sorry that class was canceled last nite; but I am feeling sooo bad. My throat feels like it's on fire and I'm having terrible pain in my back (I have this from time to time due to my scoliosis). It took everything I could muster up to get out of bed this morning. Please pray for me; I need to get back on my feet so I can take care of my kids, run my household (Bob is not a very good housekeeper, although he's doing a great job helping me catch up the laundry - it's probably because he needs clean underwear and work-clothes, HaHa!), and be the help-meet for my husband that I was designed to be and help him run his business by taking care of all the paper-work and money (bills have to be paid whether your sick or well). Bob hates when I'm sick, he works soooo hard during the day and doesn't want to come home and work more; but he does what needs to be done without complaining (I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, hard-working, selfless husband).

I'm writing to you this morning because while I've been 'down' due to my back I've been given the opportunity to read more than usual. I'm an avid reader, I'm always reading something that will teach me something new, encourage me in my Christian walk, convict me of sin, help me to be a better wife, mother, daughter, member of a local church, and a more disciplined follower of Christ.
The book I've been reading (Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis - awesome!) has inspired me so much that I could not wait to pass it on to you! Although this book is written to fathers and is about raising sons, it hit me that the principles laid down in this book could also help us girls with our New Years resolutions. So often we decide 'what' we would like to see changed in the coming new year, but we lack the 'how.' I think this book, that is geared to teach sons how to become men, can teach us gals how to achieve some of the goals we want to accomplish in the coming year.

Here are the principles and I've included a brief explanation of what this means for us as women:

1) Reject Passivity - when it comes to becoming the women that God intends for us to be, according to His Word, we cannot be passive. We need to reject laziness, procrastination, and rebellion in order to become the godly women we need to be in our generation and inspire younger women that look to us as examples.

2) Accept Responsibility - accept you femininity!!! and the unique call that God has for you as a female. Your responsibilities are to know your God and worship Him only, serve and submit to your husband with zeal, raise your children according to Biblical standards and with joy, represent our Savior to your church and community with love. We must accept this, and all the many facets that each responsibility contains, and do all this as unto the Lord! And in addition develop a meek, quiet spirit that is of great value in the sight of God
(1 Peter 3:1-4). Accept the responsibility to run your homes well, be the wife and mother that God commands, be a woman of prayer and the Word, be committed to godly speech and actions, and committed to encourage the body of Christ - all of this is our responsibility as we pursue our Christianity. I pray that it will be said of all of us that 'Jesus is truly the King of who and what I am.'

3) Lead Courageously - we must use the Titus 2 model when we lead. Girls, we are not to lead our husbands, but our homes!!! Take on courageously the leadership of your home and make it a sanctuary for your family from the harshness of the world. I want to include here a quote from Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the US Senate:

"I was privileged, in the spring, to visit in a home that was to me - and I am sure to the occupants - a little bit of Heaven. There was beauty there. There was a keen appreciation of the finer things of life, and an atmosphere in which it was impossible to keep from thinking of God. The room was bright and white and clean, as well as cozy. There were many windows. Flowers were blooming in pots and vases, adding their fragrance and beauty. Books lined one wall - good books - inspiring and instructive - good books - good friends. Three bird cages hung in the brightness and color of this beautiful sanctuary, and the songsters voiced their appreciation by singing as if their little throats would burst. Nature's music, nature's beauty - nature's peace... It seemed to me a kind of Paradise that had wondered down, an enchanted oasis - home!"

This quote has been a constant goal of mine and will continue to be until I achieve it. I'm not there yet, but I press on. I pray that you will too!

4) Expect the Greater Reward, God's Reward - remember as we set goals and achieve them that there will be times when you will receive no thanks or accolades from anyone!!! There are things that we can expect rewards from only in the future and maybe not even until we reach eternity. Just remember, God sees all, and you will be rewarded, at some point and time and only God knows when, for all your had work and effort. Also, don't expect rewards for doing the minimum of what your duty is. Your duty to God, your family, and your employer is just that - your duty! So, let me encourage you to stretch yourself and do more than what's expected. I've had a motto for years and have tried (still trying) to pass it on to Caleb: 'It takes so little to be above average.' If you want to rise in this world and in God's Kingdom do more than expected, go the extra mile, do hard things, and attempt the extremely difficult. It will strengthen you into the mighty woman of God that you were intended to be.

Please girls, hear me on this - I do not want to set myself up as an example of what I have just written; but know that I am sooo inspired by this that I had to pass it on to you. I pray that you will be too!!!

Be blessed today and God glorified,
In His Grip, Charlotte




12/30/09
Hi Girls,

All this lying around with my back out has got me being more contemplative than usual. It's been in my heart and mind today about delighting in who we are: children of grace - God's grace. And because we are the recipients of abundant grace it only stands to reason that we should be gracious. Have you ever heard the expression, "Growing old Gracefully?" Well, that is exactly what we should be doing. As we mature, both physically and spiritually, we should become more and more gracious for no other reason that it represents Christ well. And as we mature in the Lord we can see how much of His grace we have received and will continue to need. I am in amazement of the fact that the more I learn about God the more I am in need of His grace to conquer my own flesh and be victorious over my own wicked heart.

I looked up the word 'gracious' on the online Webster's dictionary and this is what I found:

a) marked by kindness and courtesy b) graceful c) marked by tact and delicacy d) characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, good breeding

Wow!!! I loved this definition and thought of how much Christian women everywhere need to be marked with the attribute of graciousness. These are some characteristics (kindness, courtesy, tact, delicate, charm, good taste, generosity, and good breeding) that I definitely want to possess. Some [including me] may feel that they do not come from 'good breeding' but anyone can start that lineage with themselves. You may not have been born into a wealthy family (another definition I found on Webster's), which can be the mark of 'good breeding;' but remember that you have been re-born into the family of God and so the heritage of 'good breeding' starts with you. Another thing to add to my New Year's resolutions - "Lord, help me to be your 'gracious' daughter."

Another way to look at it is being 'grace filled.' Being so full of God's grace that it spills over onto those around us. Anytime you are patient with someone, forgiving someone, extending mercy to someone, kind to someone, making peace with someone, gentle with someone, joyful with someone, courteous to someone, charming with someone, generous with someone, tactful with someone, loving to everyone, you are allowing your grace filled tank to tip over and pour out on them. This is especially true when it happens with someone that doesn't deserve it (remember that grace means 'undeserved favor'). When you do this to someone undeserving, you stand in the place of our Lord; because the abundant grace He extends to all of us is most assuredly undeserved. Think about how gracious God has been with you, and as Christians we cannot do less but be gracious to others.

Please give this some thought, and think about, in the New Year, being gracious in your speech and actions, gracious in your thoughts and attitudes, building a gracious home, teaching your children and grandchildren (no matter what age) to be gracious. It's the mark of the 'beautiful, godly woman.' I pray that you will think about what it means to be gracious in the particulars and specifics of your daily life. "Lord, help us all to represent You by being gracious!"

Be Blessed today, and God glorified,
In His Grip, Charlotte

I'm in it for the Profit

Good Morning Kingdom Seekers,

Here is a devotional that I placed on my website a few years. It still holds true today. I pray that it ministers to you.



And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3


Greeting in the high, holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is rich in mercy, abundant in grace, and loves us with an everlasting love. Have you ever heard, or maybe said it yourself, “I’m in it for the money.” My husband and I have said this many times to our renters that are slack in paying their rent. It’s usually Bob that takes care of the rental business and he has told our tenants that they must pay their rent because plain and simple, we need the money. They seem to think that we are loaded and don’t need the cash (NOT!!!) and Bob has to explain to them that we are in this business for the money; for the profit we can gain. If it wasn’t for the money who in their right mind would put up with such aggravation? It’s a blessing to have good tenants.

We all go to jobs that we sometimes don’t like and our co-workers can be aggravating, but we do it in order to receive a paycheck. Let’s face it – we all go to our jobs in order to gain a profit, we invest money in the stock market in order to gain a profit, we put time and money into many other investments in order for them to be profitable to us, either immediately or in the future. It is no different in the spiritual realm and the apostle Paul gives us this admonition in
1 Corinthians 13.

It’s strange to think of working for the Lord and pursuing godliness in order to acquire gain and maybe that concept goes against everything you’ve been taught, but as we will discover it is scriptural. We often accumulate material possessions and we work hard for those things – a nice home, a nice car, nice clothes, nice furniture, nice vacations, etc. And how often have you heard the expression, “You can’t take it with you.” Well, the material things you acquire in this life you can’t take with you, but there are some things you and they can’t be transported in a U-Haul trailer. The things that we take with us are in the spirit realm and we don’t necessarily take them with us when we go to heaven; the profit we have gained in the spirit are already in heaven waiting on us when we get there, because we have sent them on up ahead of us. Everything we do now for our triune God is making deposits for us in heaven and those rewards are waiting on us there. It’s our heavenly profit!!!

Let’s take a look at some scriptures to confirm a spiritual profit or gain:

1 Samuel 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain

Proverbs 3:13-14 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than find gold.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

1 Corinthians 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that thy which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. (These things are good and profitable unto men.)

Hebrews 12:9-10 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

As you can see there are many scriptures that teach us concerning profitability and gain. As I was researching this I found 67 references for the word ‘profit’ including it’s various forms; and 41 references for the word ‘gain’ and it’s variations. Anytime the Holy Spirit sees fit to repeat something over and over again in the scriptures it’s a ‘heads up’ and we need to pay attention to it.

It’s more than obvious that the Lord expects us to be profitable to someone else and in the doing gain profit for ourselves. We see in Paul’s statement in 1 Cor. 10:33 that we are to seek the ‘building up’ of others and also in his first letter to Timothy that godliness is profitable to ‘us’ in all things. What a foreign idea, that we should pursue our Christian walk in order to gain a profit – but as you can see it is biblical. But lets be clear, the profit is more for the Kingdom of God and Christ than for us! Jesus said:

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8

Let’s look briefly at another example: What happened to the stewards in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25? The ones that gained a profit were praised and received a reward, and the one that did not was ‘cast into outer darkness.’ The servant that gained nothing was called by Jesus, ‘the unprofitable servant.’ Christ expects us to be a profit and a benefit to His kingdom. Not in heaven, the Lord has no need of our talents there. Our profiting is to be here on earth; and all the while storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven. Also, take a look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:26a:

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Although your work is here on earth, your reward will be in heaven. Oh, please don’t think that you won’t receive a few goodies here on earth, we most certainly will. But it may come in a way that you never expected – all your bills paid on time; health for yourself and your family (what a blessing to never hear the word ‘terminal’ from your doctor); your children serving the Lord with zeal and gladness all their life and marrying others that have the same zeal for the Lord; etc. But, if you expect your blessing to be the BIG house on the hill, and the BIG bank account, and the expensive cars, you may be sadly disappointed. God rewards those who are His obedient servants and the most valuable piece of profit-sharing we can receive from the Lord comes in a package that when opened we find a jewel called “PEACE.” Another package comes on your doorstep and inside is a nugget of gold marked “SATISFACTION & CONTENTMENT.” Well, what d’ya know, the delivery angel has stopped at your house once again with another package. You hasten to open it and find a precious ornament labeled “FULFILLMENT.” I can’t think of any other better earthly rewards than these. I can do without the big house, cars, a large bank account, and expensive clothes in order to have peace, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. These, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ, are all worth whatever it takes for us to be a profit to someone else, to ourselves, and ultimately to our Lord.

In conclusion, I want to leave you with the words of the apostle Paul concerning two of his fellow co-workers in the ministry. And it is my prayer that the following statements may be said of us all:

2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Philemon 1:10-11 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Go with God Kingdom Seekers,




1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Changed by the Word

Hello all you Kingdom Seekers,

You know how I love to pass on meaningful quotes. Well, here's another one:

"[It] is important that with every message something of an intensely practical character should be incorporated lest its hearers be carried away with the glowing pictures of the future and the visions of such prophecies as set forth in Daniel and The Revelation, while very careless and indifferent as to their life. Once when I was asked to give some addresses on the Second Coming of the Lord, a speaker sitting beside me remarked as someone entered before the meeting commenced, "There is one of the most godless men in our community and yet he is always on hand if anyone lectures on prophecy." He is so interested in finding out all about the future--When I got through preaching, this man came up to me. "Brother," he said, "I'm glad to know that you hold the Second Coming - I hold that too." I asked, "Do you? Does it hold you? It is one thing to hold the Second Coming, it is quite another thing to be held by it. The Word says, 'Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.' Does it have that effect on your heart and life?" --H.A. Ironside

Be blessed today and God glorified,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Heroic in Faith

Good Evening, all you K.S. Guys and Gals,

It's a raining Friday evening in southern Ohio, so that makes it a perfect time to blog. I ran across this quote and it expresses exactly how I feel about the standard, that our heavenly Father has put in place for His church, is continually being lowered by men and women who want to appease their flesh and not walk according to the Spirit. And in doing so they lead others that are immature or weak in their faith astray. Here's the quote:

"The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age of spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message to low."
Dallas Willard, 'The Spirit of the Disciplines'

I give this a hearty 'Amen.'

Be blessed all you Kingdom Seekers and God glorified,
Have a good weekend,

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Standing Alone

Hello, all my dear Kingdom Seekers,

It's been awhile since I've been able to post here, but the last several weeks have been more than challenging. But, the Lord has provided a little time this morning to talk to you about something that is so important in all our lives - 'standing alone.'

If we are going to be Christ-like, there is going to come a time when we will have to stand alone; because we are going to stand for the truth of God's Word that is so often not popular. I just saw an article where an Old Testament professor wants the translations of the book of Genesis rewritten to accommodate her views. This professor is promoting her interpretation of the biblical text that God did not create the earth - how foolish! How many will follow after this individual and her teaching because she is dregreed and holds a position of leadership and authority in a university (don't misunderstand, I believe in coming under authority; but when that authority isn't teaching the truth of the Bible and the whole counsel of God, then we can no longer place ourselves under their influence). And many of those followers will be in the Christian church because they are not taught truth, nor are they seeking it on their own. Because the leadership in many churches do not promote the study of the scriptures by those in the pew, many will be deceived. But, those of us who have studied the Word of God and know better can stand against such foolishness as this, and stand 'alone' if needs be. We that know the truth know that the scriptures tell us that:

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: Heb. 1:10

Well, as far as I'm concerned, that settles it - God is the creator of everything. This woman is not taking into consideration the whole counsel of God, which is the entire Bible (although she claims to). And so those of us that are in Christ will have to take a stand against what is being taught by this professor and possibly stand alone.

I often tell my younger son (age 10) that at some point in his life he 'will' have to stand alone. It's just part of our suffering for the cause of Christ. It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 100, it's never easy; but it's how we share in Christ's suffering and only those that "suffer, will reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12).

I want to encourage you to strengthen and prepare yourselves to stand for Christ. And if necessary to stand alone - you will be rewarded for it. But don't forget, like the apostle Paul when he had been abandoned by his companions, that the Lord stood with him (1 Tim. 4:16-17). You may feel alone physically, but the Lord is always by your side.

Be blessed today my K.S. sweeties and always remember, 'Go with God.'

In His Word and at His Work,
Your K.S. Mama,




if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, Col. 1:23-24 esv

Thin-Skinned or Hard-Hearted

Happy Saturday all you Kingdom Seekers,

I told you in my last post that I had something to share and I've got a little time this morning so I thought I would get on here and talk to ya for a few minutes.

It has been an on going problem for me - being thin skinned. I can't take being talked down to, having someone be hateful to me, being criticized in a negative way (constructive criticism is OK, as long as it's done in love), or just someone being rude or mean to me. When someone is mean to me, Oh it breaks my heart. I will cry and cry over it. Especially when that someone is an extended family member or my immediate family. I've been told that I'm thin-skinned, although I never considered myself so. I've never been sure why I turned out this way; I always thought it was a direct result of my up-bringing. I do not want to be disrespectful or dishonoring to my parents, so I won't elaborate on that. But, this is the way that I am.

This particular 'issue' had been coming up more and more often lately. So, I began to earnestly seek God over it. I wasn't sure how to pray about; I just began to ask God to help me with it. I began to take it before the Throne of Grace and I told God that I didn't really know what to do about it or what His perfect will was concerning this for me. I took this matter of being
'thin-skinned' to my heavenly Father again and again without receiving any special instructions or revelation, either from the scriptures or my husband (these are the two places I look to first for answers or to discern the will of God for my life). Then one day, out of no where, I felt that God spoke to my heart about this matter. I wasn't praying, studying the scriptures, listening to praise and worship music, or anything particularly 'spiritual.' I was up in my bedroom looking for a book that I had misplaced and had this topic of being thin-skinned on my mind when I felt so strongly the Spirit of the Lord. I felt that the Lord spoke to my heart, "Charlotte, you're not thin-skinned; others are hard-hearted. You are tender-hearted as a direct result from being protected from the world. But, others, that are mean and hurtful, are hard-hearted because of their constant exposure to it. And they have knowingly built up a thick skin on their hearts to endure the constant onslaught of an evil, godless world." Wow! What a relief; because I was beginning to think of myself as a weany. I was beginning to think that if I was to ever continue in ministry that I'd better 'toughin-up.' Oh, how I thank God for His ministry of the Holy Spirit to me that day.

You know, my younger boy is a bit thin-skinned. He's only 10, but because of his christian up-bring, he too has been protected from the world. He knows that Christ, for our family, is our life; and because his parents are called into ministry, he is too and there are great responsibilities with that. He has learned to prefer others over himself (especially his older handicapped brother); he has learned to forgive; he is (like all of us) learning to make decisions for himself as to whether his actions are pleasing to the Lord and producing the fruits of righteousness in his life; and he is learning to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to prick his heart when his actions and attitudes are unbiblical. All of this is making him thin-skinned. I was told that this is not a character trait that I would want my son to have, especially as he grows into manhood. But, I disagree; because there was something else that the Lord spoke to my heart that day - He said, "It's someone who is thin-skinned that is tender-hearted; and it's a tender-hearted person that hears My voice and follows Me." Caleb has already told me that he has heard the voice of the Lord in His heart and that when he is around the lost he has the unction of the Holy Spirit to witness to them (and he does from time to time, but he's still a little shy about it). How precious is that - a 10 year old boy asking someone "Do you know Jesus" or "Are you a Christian." There are many adult Christians that have been saved a long time that don't witness to a soul. But, my 'tender-hearted' 10 year old boy will witness for his Savior. I've told Caleb, "Don't ever change. Don't let the world beat a hard path across your heart. Don't let the hardships of life make you hard-hearted."

One of the character traits that a Christian is suppose to possess is compassion and humility. There is no way you can be compassionate and humble, and hard-hearted at the same time. They're like oil and water, they just don't mix. If for whatever reason you have become hard-hearted, if life has beat you up a bit, and people have treated you bad; remember Jesus didn't do that to you, nor will He ever. Use the hardships of life for something positive; like using that bad experience to minister to someone else that is going through the same thing. It's the only way I know to kick some dust in the devil's face and do some damage to his dark kingdom.

I know these are old cliches, but so appropriate: 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade;' 'When life hands you scrapes, make a quilt;' 'When life is a mess, let God turn it around and give you a message.' And when you stay tender-hearted through it all, you will look like Jesus and be His compassionate heart to someone else who is hurting.

In His Word and at His Work,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Fall Bible Study

Good Morning to all my Kingdom Seekers,

It's been a while since I've been able to post here. I've been sooo incredibly busy. But I love being busy, so I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm grabbing a few minutes to this morning to let you all know I'm still alive and kickin'.

I am so jazzed about starting fall Bible study. We begin on Wednesday, Sept. 16th and I will be facilitating Beth Moore's Daniel series. It's one of my favorites (the other being 'Beloved Disciple'). There truly isn't anything else I want to do than study God's Word and then teach it to others (the first being my own family). So many people wonder how can anyone study the scriptures so much? Well, we can study till Jesus comes and never know it all. It's a never ending resource of wisdom and strength. And what makes it so great is that it is soooo practical for our daily lives. That's what I love about God, He's sooo into my dailiness. And, Oh, how I need it. I need God to be in my marriage, parenting, finances, etc. And of course I need Him as I serve others through my ministry outside the church and my service to the saints inside the church.

I have something to share that God has given me, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I've simply run out of time today. But, please check back later.

Please know that I love you all with the love of the Lord and I am praying that God will be glorified in your life.

Your K.S. Mama,

Fellowship

Happy Monday, all you K.S. Gals,

Just a quick note to let you know that all went well during the whole process of burying my father-in-law. It's so difficult to go through the loss of a loved one; but God gives special grace for things like this and Bob and our entire family most assuredly felt that grace in abundance. The Holy Spirit sustained us through the visitation and funeral, and we are extremely grateful for it. We were very concerned about how our older boy (Josh, 25 yrs. old and mentally handicapped) would handle the whole thing, but he could not have been better; an answer to prayer if there ever was one. And our younger boy (Caleb, 10yrs. old) served as pallbearer and helped to carry his Grandpa's casket; it was so precious!

This part of the journey is over; and we continue to grieve his absence and allow God to heal. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;..." We will never feel the closeness of our heavenly Father any stronger than when we've lost a loved one and our hearts are broken. But, the Lord knows just how to put broken hearts back together.

We are so thankful to all those that were sustaining us through prayer, and request that you continue do so.

But, on the lighter side, myself and a couple of my spiritual daughters are going to church tonight. This is a one night revival and an awesome man of God (that is local to our general area) will be bringing forth the Word of the Lord. It's so difficult for me to ask other gals in the body of Christ to attend a revival or some other function and have them say, "No." I think it is so important for us, in this day and age that we live, to keep ourselves built up in the Lord. No, I don't need to go to a revival, etc. to build myself up in the faith; all I need to do is get my Bible and head for my prayer closet. But, the journey is so much sweeter when we have traveling companions and get out for some girl-time at a church-related event; for me that simply is the best. It's so encouraging to be with other Christian women who are like-minded. In the Strong's Concordance, the definition of the word 'like-minded' is 'equal in soul.' Oh, to have the fellowship of those who are on the same path as you are, pursuing God with the same tenacity as you. What a sweet experience it is when you mention the name of Jesus and a precious sister's eyes light up with anticipation over the conversation that is getting ready to ensue. What a precious treasure it is to have those who are 'equal in soul' and Jesus, alive and fully active, in their life. He's the reason they get up in the morning. I so look forward to the fellowship of other Christian women that love God and are in hot pursuit to know Him; and all the better when we are receiving a fresh Word through one of God's servants.

Gotta run, the girls will be at my house soon and I'm fixing dinner for us (Mexican, Beth Moore would be proud). We're going to feed our bodies, head to church and get our spirits fed, and the dessert will be the sweet fellowship we have with each other - can't wait.

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

I've Seen I Am

Hello, all you Kingdom Seekers,

Today, my husband is celebrating the home-going of his father. Bob's father walked into the presence of the Holy Trinity at approximately 8:30am this morning. I long to see what his eyes are seeing right now. All I can think of is an awesome song called "I've Seen I Am." Here are the lyrics:

I looked into the eyes of a Lion
I felt the courage in His gaze
I heard Him roar my name with passion
As I buried my tears in His mane

I looked into the eyes of a Lamb
And I saw love face to face
And I felt grace destroy my sin
As mercy flowed from those Veins

I've seen I Am, now I know that I am loved
I've seen I Am, now I know who I am

I looked into the eyes of a King
I saw the beauty of Holiness
I heard the Voice of many Waters
As worship poured from my lips

I looked into the eyes of a Savior
I saw love stronger than death
I kissed the scars that bought my freedom
As I lay my head on Your chest

I've seen I Am, now I know that I am loved
I've seen I Am, now I know who I am

I am loved, I am loved, I am loved ..... I am loved by the I Am



Oh, to see the face of the 'I Am.'

We request your prayers!!!

Your K.S. Mama,



Johnathan David, The Awakening, I've Seen I Am

Alongside Us

My Dear Kingdom Seekers,

I ran across this devotional in my 'Women's Devotional Bible 2' from Anne Ortlund and it really ministered to me; so I want to share it with you:

A mother once took her little boy to hear Paderewski, the great pianist. At the beginning there was simply a bare stage with a spotlight focused on the grand piano and bench. The mother and son had come half an hour early, and eventually the little boy got restless. Somehow, the mother got absorbed in reading the program, and when she finally looked up, his seat was empty! She looked everywhere around her, and he was nowhere to be seen.

Then - her heart was in her throat - suddenly she heard the sound of "Chopsticks." There he was on stage, in the spotlight, picking away on the long concert grand!

"Get him out of there!" came voices from the crowd.

"No!" cried a European accent from the wings, and the great Paderewski strode on stage. "Boy, keep going. I'll help you."

And he sat down on the bench next to the little fellow and began adding fabulous improvisations - chords, patterns, runs and additional melodies - as the two of them entranced the packed house with "Variations on Chopsticks"!

When we pick at our pathetic little prayers - when we live our pathetic little lives - suddenly we are not alone. Someone has come alongside us - none other than the Almighty Spirit of God! - and we have moved into a duet of greatness beyond our dreams.

I hope this will help all of us understand how powerful our prayers can be when the Holy Spirit adds a super-natural, power-packed punch to them. We may not feel sometimes that our prayers have enough faith, or enough power, and sometimes don't even get above the ceiling. But, be assured, that when the Holy Spirit gets ahold of our inadequate prayers, they are more than sufficient to move the heart of God.

God bless you today my Kingdom Seekin' Sweeties,

Your K.S. Mama,




Anne Orland, Women's Devotional Bible 2 NIV, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1995, pg. 1267

Patient Endurance

Hey, all you Kingdom Seekers,

A very quick post here to talk about 'patient endurance.' This is a subject that I am preaching to myself about lately and also in my mentoring / discipling. The Bible tells us in Rom. 2:7 -

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

The KJV calls endurance 'continuance.' The Lord through His Word is exhorting us to continue. But, continue in what? Let's look at what the Apostle Paul tells his spiritual son to continue in:

1 Tim 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Paul is telling Timothy to watch over his own soul/flesh and over the doctrine he had been taught; and continue in them. This is what we are to continue in. The word 'doctrine' in the Greek means teaching. So, we are to adhere to good, sound, biblical teaching and continue in it.

Patiently endure whatever God has in your life right now and continue in what you've been taught; knowing that everything is filtered through the hands of the Father. All the while praying for His strength, protection from the enemy, and for our own right responses to the trials and tests of life.

Be blessed today my Kingdom Seekin' Sweeties,

Your K. S. Mama,

Home Making

Happy Friday, all my Kingdom Seein' gals,

I have been recently drawn by the Master to re-evaluate my efforts at becoming the Proverbs 31 woman - UGH! But, as difficult as it may seem at times, it is what is mandated for women searching to live their lives biblically. No born-again woman of God can deny the role that she is called to as it's described in scripture. However, there is no condemnation on those gals that have to work outside the home. All of you working wives/mothers have my prayers, as you have double the responsiblity to carry - my only advise is to do all you can today and believe God for tomorrow; and do all as unto the Lord and for His glory. But, that principle apply to all of us, whether working in or out of the home.

I came across a book called 'Home Making' by J.R. Miller and I would like to leave you with a quote from this book that has inspired me to continue in my endeavor to be the Proverbs 31 woman and to make my home a place that is a sanctuary for my family and an inspiration for others:

A German sculptor occupied eight years in making a marble statue of Christ. When he had wrought two years upon it the work seemed to be finished. To test his success, he called a little child into his studio, and, showing her this statue, asked her, “Who is that?” She looked at it and replied, “A great man.” The artist was discouraged. He had hoped that his conception of the Master had been so true that the pure eye of the child would recognize it at once. He began anew, and after a year or two more had passed he invited the child again into his studio, and pointing to his new statue asked the same question as before: “Who is that?” She looked at it in silence for some time, a feeling of awe and reverence sweeping through her heart and expressing itself on her face, until with eyes full of tears she said in low and gentle tones, “Suffer little children to come unto Me.” This time his work was not a failure. He had produced a figure in which the untaught instinct of the child saw the feature of the Redeemer. His work had stood the severest test.
A somewhat similar test must be applied to all our home making. After we have done all in our power in building up a home, the husband his part, the wife hers, the parents theirs, the brothers and the sisters theirs, and when our home life is full and complete, before we can say that we have realized the ideal of a true Christian home we must prove its spirit. What impression would our home and its life make upon a pure and simple hearted child?

http://www.jr-miller.com/

Your Kingdom Seekin' MaMa,

A Quiet Heart

Here is a quote from Elizabeth Elliot's book, 'Keep a Quiet Heart.' It really ministers to me when I'm going through something I don't understand:

Jesus slept on a pillow in the midst of a raging storm. How could He? The terrified disciples, sure that the next wave would send them straight to the bottom, shook Him awake with rebuke. How could He be so careless of their fate?

He could because He slept in the calm assurance that His Father was in control. His was a quiet heart. We see Him move serenely through all the events of His life - when He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He know that He would suffer many things and be killed in Jerusalem, He never deviated from His course. He had set His face like flint. He sat at supper with one who would deny Him and another who would betray Him, yet He was able to eat with them, willing even to wash their feet. Jesus in the unbroken intimacy of His Father's love, kept a quiet heart.

None of us possesses a heart so perfectly at rest, for none lives in such divine unity, but we can learn a little more each day of what Jesus knew - what one writer called the negligence of that trust which carries God with it. Who would think of using the word negligence in regard to our Lord Jesus? The be negligent is to omit to do what a reasonable man would do. Would Jesus omit that? Yes, on occasion, when faith pierced beyond reason.

This "negligent" trust - is it careless, inattentive, indolent? No, not in His case. Jesus, because His will was one with His Father's, could be free from care. He had the blessed assurance of knowing that His Father would do the caring, would be attentive to His Son's need. Was Jesus indolent? No, never lazy, sluggish, or slothful, but He knew when to take action and when to leave things up to His Father. He taught us to work and watch but never to worry, to do gladly whatever we are given to do, and to leave all else with God.

Purity of heart, said Kierkegaard, is to will one thing. The Son willed only one thing: the will of His Father. That's what He came to earth to do. Nothing else. One whose aim is as pure as that can have a completely quiet heart, knowing what the psalmist knew: "Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure" (Ps. 16:5 NIV). I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things which happen to us which do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("This belongs to it, that does")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty.

Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter.

What do we really want in life? Sometimes I have the chance to ask this question of high school or college students. I am surprised at how few have a ready answer. Oh, they could come up with quite a long list of things, but is there one thing above all others that they desire? "One thing have I desired of the Lord," said David, "this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life..." (Ps. 27:4 KJV). To the rich young man who wanted eternal life Jesus said, "One thing you lack. Go, sell everything" (Mk. 10:21 NIV). In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that the seed which is choked by thorns has fallen into a heart full of the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things. The apostle Paul said, "One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14 NIV).

A quiet hear is content with what God gives. It is enough. All is grace. One morning my computer simply would not obey me. What a nuisance. I had my work laid out, my timing figured, my mind all set. My work was delayed, my timing thrown off, my thinking interrupted. Then I remembered. It was not for nothing. This was part of the Plan (not mine, His). "Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup."

Now if the interruption had been a human being instead of an infuriating mechanism, it would not have been so hard to see it as the most important part of the work of the day. But all is under my Father's control: yes, recalcitrant computers, faulty transmissions, drawbridges which happen to be up when one is in a hurry. My portion. My cup. My lot is secure. My heart can be at peace. My Father is in charge. How simple!

My assignment entails my willing acceptance of my portion - in matters far beyond comparison with the trivialities just mentioned, such as the death of a precious baby. A mother wrote to me of losing her son when he was just one month old. A widow writes of the long agony of watching her husband die. The number of years given them in marriage seemed too few. We can only know that Eternal Love is wiser than we, and we bow in adoration of that loving wisdom.

Response is what matters. Remember that our forefathers were all guided by the pillar of cloud, all passed through the sea, all ate and drank the same spiritual food and drink, but God was not pleased with most of them. Their response was all wrong. Bitter about the portions allotted they indulged in idolatry, gluttony, and sexual sin. And God killed them by snakes and by a destroying angel.

The same almighty God apportioned their experience. All events serve His will. some responded in faith. Most did not.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Cor. 10:13 NIV).

Think of that promise and keep a quiet heart! Our enemy delights in disquieting us. Our Savior and Helper delights in quieting us. "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you" is His promise (Is. 66:13 NIV). The choice is ours. It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion and the cup He offers. Shall I charge Him with a mistake in His measurements or with misjudging the sphere in which I can best learn to trust Him? Has He misplaced me? Is He ignorant of things or people which, in my view, hinder my doing His will?

God came down and lived in this same world as a man. He showed us how to live in this world, subject to its vicissitudes and necessities, that we might be changed - not into an angel or a storybook princess, not wafted into another world, but changed into saints in this world. The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Lina Sandell, Swedish

(Elizabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart, Revel Books, Grand Rapids, 1995)

I pray this encourages you,

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,