My Life on the Mine Train

I remember it vividly. As we loaded onto the cars that would take us up and down and twisting and turning, there was a mixture of fear and thrill. You know that blending of emotions that causes you to want to throw up and jump up and down simultaneously. The fear starts to produce doubts, but the opportunity of a thrill enables you to get on this crazy roller coaster.

Yes, we climbed into our two-passenger seats and waited for the rote instruction... "Arms up as the safety bar comes down and locks in front of you." Except it didn't come down. The safety bar did not come down! We screamed for help and for the attendant to stop the train from beginning to move, but no one could hear us above all the other noise.

Thrill seemed to fade quickly as we literally hung on for life to the front of our car. Thankfully, there were only minor turns and hills before we saw another attendant. As we ascended onto one of the major hills, we yelled for the attendant to stop the train and pull down the safety bar. Once again, we were not heard. By now fear was our faithful attender. My aunt who was in the car with me did her best to support my twelve year old frame. The mine train coaster was in full motion now and we were about to rise to our highest peak. 

There at the top of the biggest hill was another attendant. Screaming at the top of our voices, we frantically yelled for the car to stop. Finally we were heard. The coaster was halted. Our safety bar which served as a belt to hold us in finally came down around our waists. Relief does not describe our feelings. Had we not been protected with the safety bar at that time, we most likely would have been thrown from the cars and badly injured.

My life has resembled that crazy mine train roller coaster lately. 

I am having my first article published in a printed magazine in April. UP.

My parents are both going through cancer treatment right now - Mom in chemo and Dad in radiation. DOWN.

My speaking ministry is taking off and I am so excited to see what God is going to do! TWIST.

My house is so disorganized, it is a miracle that I ever get anything accomplished. TURN.

Just spent the weekend with my husband of 20 years ministering together at a Marriage conference. UP.

There are relationships in my life that desperately need healing. DOWN.

You get the picture. There are times I jump on board this roller coaster called life with that same mixture of fear and thrill. And there are times that I wonder if Someone forgot to pull down the safety bar. I feel out of control. Desperate. I cry out and don't feel heard at times.

BUT JESUS. Even though life is crazy, unpredictable, lonely, and broken, we have a GOD WITH US. We have a GOD WHO SEES. We have a GOD WHO HEARS AND LISTENS. We have a PROTECTOR and a PROVIDER. JESUS is our SAFETY BAR. He is our ATTENDANT. He will never leave us or forsake us. He LOVES US! 

I hold on to you for dear life,

and you hold me steady as a post.  Psalm 63:8

Friend, whatever you are going through, I want you to know that God loves you and He will never abandon you. Even when you feel you are not being heard, He is there. Trust Him. He has a plan for your life and it is greater than you could ever ask or imagine. I feel that we are a community here. I have shared some of my struggles, would you share yours, so we can pray for you?

Living for ONE,


Kelli 


joining in with Jen at SDG...come join us!

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 Friendship: eMpowering Mondays

I am just returning from a second weekend away with great friends. I know what you are thinking. I must have an awesome husband to allow me to getaway two weekends in a row to do girl stuff. You are right. He is awesome. But he's also smart. Aside from me being exhausted when I return, he knows that there are great and lasting benefits of me spending time with friends.


When asked recently what I like to do in my spare time, my answer was, "When I have spare time, I love to spend it with friends...that's it. We could have coffee, lunch, dinner, or dessert; go walking or shopping...it doesn't matter. I just like to be with my friends."


I am blessed with many friends. In fact, Facebook tells me I have over 700 of them. Wow. But I can tell you this...reading a status update and writing Happy Birthday once a year on someone's wall does not make me a friend to someone else. To have friends, I must be intentional about nurturing those friendships. Solid relationships with friends will not happen by accident. There are times I fail at this miserably. But it is definitely my goal and desire to be a good friend to others.


So, after two weekends with friends, what have I learned?  There is POWER in friendships. Friendships grow us, strenghthen us, encourage us, and empower us. We are able to continue when we didn't think we could. We are able to fight when we thought we were ready to quit. 

Though one may be overpowered, 

two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 
Ecclesiastes 4: 12

We need friends! Friends are like a good LATTE...


L   Laughter happens when we are with friends. Whether we laugh until we cry, or we cry until we laugh, laughter usually occurs and it is so good for us!
A   Accountability is necessary. We need to have someone in our lives who will remind us of the goals we have set, the promises we have made, the people we were called to be. 
T   Truth must be spoken in love. Good friends don't just tell us what we want to hear, but what we don't want to hear as well. And then they are there to encourage us to work through our stuff.
T   Trust must be present to be good friends. Without trust, we are just acquaintances because we will never share our deepest thoughts and concerns with each other.
E   Encouragement abounds in friendships. We promote each other, listen to each other, and give each other courage. We pick each other up when we fall or fail, and we walk alongside each other to provide more stability.


What's better than a good latte? A good friend enjoying a latte with you!




Do you see the power in friendships? Can you add to this list of attributes? I would love to have your comments. And I thank you for being a friend and reading this blog!




Unwrapping the gift of friendship,




Kelli

These ladies are gifts to me!

Presence Filled Fridays

We are introducing "Presence Filled Fridays" today and I am so excited to talk about Emmanuel, God with us! 

Have you ever felt like the Lord may have forgotten you? I hope that you will read this post today filled with God's Word and encouragement and learn to trust His Presence!

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains!

For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands... Isaiah 49: 13 - 16

Shout! Rejoice! Burst into song! Why? Because we have a God who COMFORTS us. That word comfort means to breath forcibly, console, or have mercy. Our God intentionally and powerfully breathes His sweet breath of grace and mercy on us in a way that we feel it. We recognize it. We are enveloped by it.  


And the Lord has compassion (deep love, tender mercy) for HIS afflicted ones. He knows when we are depressed -- in our mind or in our circumstances. And He longs to express His deep love and tender mercy toward us if we will receive it.


But we are sometimes like Zion (Jerusalem) and say, "I feel like You have left me all alone, God.  Are You oblivious of me? Are You even aware that I exist? You seem to be blind and deaf to me and my circumstances. Have You forgotten me?"


I have been in that place. I have felt like I was no longer on the Lord's radar.  That somehow I was no longer of concern to Him. I was totally engrossed in my own situation and felt alone and abandoned. How could God forget me?


It is difficult for us to imagine a mother forgetting her child. Even more so, a mother who is nursing will be reminded by her own flesh that she has another life in need of her. But in the darkest of situations, unfortunately, it can be possible for a mother to neglect the baby at her breast. But our God will NEVER, NO NOT EVER  forget us. It is impossible for Him to forget you, friend. It is against His very nature. He is in covenant with us and He will never leave us or forsake us. Rest in the promise of His presence even when you don't feel it. Even when we don't feel that breath of comfort and tender mercy. Trust Him. Trust His Word. 


God has engraved and inscribed our individual names, our very lives on the palms of His hands. When those nails punctured our Savior's hands on the cross of Calvary, our lives were literally "cut into" his gentle, caring palms. He cannot forget us. He is our God. And we are His people. 


So what about you? Have you felt forgotten? Overwhelmed or depressed by your circumstances? Let the God of Comfort remind you that He has you etched in the palm of His hand. Rejoice knowing that He is there to comfort you, to love you deeply, to soothe you, to have mercy on you. Trust His Presence. 


Where are you today? Feeling abandoned by Him? Or maybe today you are very aware of His presence.  Please share and comment below...I would love to hear from you and pray for you. If you are reading by email, please click here to comment.


Unwrap the gift of His loving Presence today,
It is yours to unwrap!


Kelli

Linking with Soli Deo Gloria...

She Dives In... (She Speaks Takeaway, Part 3)

Dive in, a photo by andrea_sdl83 on Flickr.

You may have never seen me dive into a pool or river. That's because I don't. I have before...about 30 years ago when I was taking swimming lessons. But only because I had to in order to finish the class. I don't like to dive. Into anything. My preference is to wade in.  It is safer.  It is slower.  It doesn't make water go up my nose.

Honestly, I have been wading in this river (of life, ministry, speaking, writing) for many years now. Though I have appreciated the security of being in waters that I could tower over, I have not experienced the fullness of what God has for me. So what now? God has spoken truth into my life.  I have listened and want to obey.  The call:  dive in.

Dive into My Life.  Dive into My Word. Dive into My Plan. Dive. In.

I want to. I really do. But my heart trembles and my mind races to the what ifs. What if water goes up my nose? What if I can't catch my breath? What if I am overtaken by the current? What if I...drown? 

He whispers, "I am the River. The River must overtake you. It must consume you. It is only then that you experience the abundant life I have for you. I am waiting. Trust the River. Once you release yourself fully to me, it is freeing.  It is exhilarating."

Where the River flows, life abounds. Ezekiel 47:9

In his book, Chasing Daylight, Erwin McManus discusses this next step in our journey with God.  

"Is it possible that there is a place that you must go to experience the fullness of God in your life? There is for all of us a pool of Siloam, a place called Sent, a journey we are called to where things become more uncertain before they become clear, where our need for faith in God increases with every step rather than diminishes. This journey requires absolute certainty in the goodness of God while at the same time we relinquish our demand to know the details."

Lord, I am in over my head now. Please help me not to panic, but to trust You. Help me to rest in the rushing River. 

Won't you join me in the River? Please leave a comment and let me know if you struggle with diving in as well.  I would love to be in this wild adventure with you!