Who do you say that I am?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  Matthew 16: 13 - 16

I have been wrestling with this Scripture all week during prayer week at our church. 

What about YOU, Kelli? Who do YOU say that I am?

You are the Christ. You are Lord.

Then why do you live your life at times as if you are Lord?

You are the Creator and Sustainer.

Why do you seek sustenance elsewhere?

You are my Rock, my Shelter.

I want to be, but you often look for security in others.

You are the Healer, the Great Physician.

Do you really believe this? 

You are my friend.

I long to be your BEST friend. The one that you run to before you call, tweet, or post.

Lord, help me to live in a way that reflects the words that I       speak. Help my words to be... more than just words.

Kelli

The Power of Perspective: Empowering Mondays

First things first, we have Four Winners from my big 4-0 giveaway! (I used a random number generator.)

The Winner of One Thousand Gifts is Abby.

The Winner of When Women Say Yes To God is Julie V.

The Winner of Sun Stand Still is Leslie C.

The Winner of a Starbucks Giftcard is Karin H.

Please email me at kelli{at}ccclive{dot}org with your addresses so I can send your prize to you!  Thanks!

Now, back to my regular blog post...

thanks, Iain Farrell, Flickr

Many of you are familiar with the magazine, Real Simple. I enjoy looking at all the pictures and reading the informative articles, but one of my favorite sections is New Uses for Old Things. Whoever comes up with these new uses for familiar things is a genius! Actually, they are just people with a keen and unique perspective.

Who would have thought that we could use a toilet paper roll to store our hair elastics and bobby pins neatly?

What about putting marbles in your double boiler to alert you to add more water?

What would happen if we gained a new perspective with the people in our life? 

Instead of seeing our husband as the person we have to make happy, see him as the gift God gave us to make us more like Jesus, like sandpaper sanding away our rough edges.

Instead of seeing our children as little people that we have to wait on, provide for, and clean up after, see them as gifts that remind us to laugh at life, to enjoy life with hands in the air, and to eat cake for breakfast.

Instead of seeing the people in our lives that really challenge us as problems, view them as gifts that keep us humble, keep us pliable and teachable, and keep us ever so reliant on God.

What about having a new perspective of our life situations? 

Instead of seeing our health struggle as a curse, see it as an opportunity to totally rely on God, to grow our prayer life, and to increase our trust in Him.

Instead of seeing our relationship issue as a reason to not trust anyone ever again, view it as a way to minister to others, and to seek God before we plunge in again.

Instead of seeing our overwhelming workload as a good reason to quit, use it as a catalyst to get organized, to make some life changes, and to prioritize.

Having a new perspective can be empowering.  When we begin to view those familiar people or situations for what they can be instead of what they have been or what they are even today, we have the power, ignited by hope,that we can carry on.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  

2 Corinthians 4: 18

So, let’s have some perspective.  It may not be Real Simple, but it can be Real Powerful.

So, what is something in your life on which you need to gain a new perspective? Please share in the comments so that I can pray for you.  P.S. I want to thank you all for making my 40^th Birthday unforgettable. 

Unwrapping the gift of perspective,

Kelli

The Purpose of Difficulty: On Purpose Wednesdays

It has already been "one of those days." And it is only 9:00 AM! I forgot to do something that is due on someone's desk -- today. I received an email with news I didn't want to hear -- and honestly don't want to deal with. I have a to-do list with at least 10 items -- and that is being conservative. And my seventh grade homeschooler is testing this week. 

I am a huge fan of Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling" devotional. I read it every day and there are always words that stir my heart. Yesterday these words leaped off the page: 

Though the Holy Spirit is infinite, He deigns to be your Helper. He is always ready to offer assistance; all you need to do is ask. When the path before you looks easy and straightforward, you may be tempted to go it alone instead of relying on Me. This is when you are in the greatest danger of stumbling.        Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Back to my day. The path does not look easy. I am struggling. And I found myself literally crying out to God for his help. His knowledge. His direction. His love. His mercy. His grace. I am in desperate need. I cannot do it by myself. 

Unfortunately, my yearning for Him is not as great when life is going great. 

It is in the difficulties that I am reminded that He is always present even when I am presently distracted.


It is in the difficulties that I trade my independence for His intervention.


It is in the difficulties that I see my great need of Him and His great love for me.


It is in the difficulties that I learn to trust Him even though He is always trustworthy.


It is in the difficulties that I realize my inadequacy and His insurmountable power.


It is in the difficulties that I am silenced and He speaks.

What do you learn in difficulties? I would love to hear from you today! If you are reading by email, you can click here to comment. 

Unwrapping the gift of difficulties,




Kelli








Linking with my sisters over at :

eMpowering Mondays: Life in my Deadness

^{Question: Do we live our lives empowered by the fact that our God raises the dead?}

In 2 Corinthians 1: 8 - 9, Paul describes some major gut-wrenching, devastating trials he was going through. Though he doesn't tell us exactly what the trials were, we can infer that they could have been internal (sickness, anguish, depression) or external (persecution, physical abuse, or even wild animal attacks!) I am actually glad that Paul doesn't tell us exactly what those trials were.  Not being specific enables us to apply this verse to our own lives, especially when we are in desperate circumstances.

^"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."(NIV)

This verse reminds us that:

1. Our difficult life experiences increase our need to totally rely on God.  Would you agree?  When life is going great and smoothly, we tend to lean on our on power and understanding. We run the show. But when life gets difficult, we are reminded of how inadequate we are on our own and of how much we need a Savior.  God is always worthy of our trust and reliance on Him. But we often make the choice to put Him aside and direct our own steps. 

2. Our reliance on God increases our realization of His power.  When we are at our wits end, and we decide to fully give ourselves and our situations to Him, He shows up in a mighty and miraculous way. We say, "I don't know what to do!"  He responds,"Great. I'll take it from here!" We realize how powerful He is. We realize He is able. 

Ever been in a situation you thought was hopeless? Ever thought a relationship or a dream or a circumstance was virtually dead? You did all you could do. You tried all you knew to try. And wearily, hopelessly, you laid it at the feet of Jesus. Paul says that in the most desperate of circumstances, it feels as we have been given the death sentence. And then Paul gives purpose to those painful circumstances - "that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God." And then he adds these four little words that make all the difference in the world.

who raises the dead. This is not about relying on just any god. This is about placing our lives in the hands of an Almighty God. Our God raises the dead! God can bring life to a dead situation. He can bring hope to your hopelessness. There is no one like Him. Are you living your life as if you are empowered by a god? A god who isn't real? A god who doesn't hear you? A god who doesn't love you and have a plan and purpose for your life?

Or are you living your life knowing that you are empowered by THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE? The Great I AM? The Lover of Your Soul? The God Who Has a Plan for Your Life? THE GOD WHO RAISES THE DEAD?

Would you join me in praying that we can live empowered by the fact that our God raises the dead? 

Lord, help us to see our need to more fully rely on You and by doing so, see Your power at work in our lives.

Would love your comments!

Unwrapping the gift of Him bringing life to my deadness,

Kelli

Linking up with my sisters at: