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Living in the Kingdom..... · 26 July 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
Several weeks ago I took part in a historic, long overdue, ceremony of repentence and reconciliation. Apostle Jay Swallow, a First Nations (Indian) man with historic ties to Kansas travelled to NW Kansas for several days of meetings in Oakley, KS and the culmination of that was a time of repentence for the atrocities comitted by the white European settlers against the Indians, and the reconcilliation and healing of the history that ties us together.
It was life changing.
Jay Swallow is a gentle man; a Pastor saved out of alcohol and drug abuse in a storefront mission on Skid Row many years ago. He and his wife ministered in Denver, CO for many years at a mission like the one he’d wandered into in California, until solving urban blight saw the mission torn down by the city fathers of Denver. He pastored a church that was multicultural in the Denver area until he was called back to the Reservation to the First Nations people who were so in need of God’s saving grace.
But Jay says that he had grown up hearing his grandmother weep and travail as she recounted history that she was a part of—the Washita Massacre in Oklahoma. One of few survivors of a Peace camp of Cheyenne attacked before dawn by George Armstrong Custer, the wounds were deep and painful. Though Jay was a new creation in Christ, there was a well of pain that was untouched by God’s grace.
And then several years ago, Jay’s life was changed when he was approached by John Benefiel, as part of the Oklahoma Concert of Prayer, to ask forgiveness for what had happened all those years ago between their forefathers. In Jay’s words, “he was gracious” and accepted the apology, but his heart didn’t really change until they were at meetings near Washita where there is monument that recounts the story. John asked Jay to tell him “his side of the story” and the dam broke as Jay wept and travailed telling of the massacre of the few unarmed men, and the many, many women and children. Women with their wombs cut open, babies removed and their children impaled on the swords of the soldiers. Women mowed down, their legs cut and bleeding on the sharp ice, as they tried to cross the river to safety. Jay poured out the story as his grandmother had done so many times and by the end, he and John wept together, as John asked if he could ever forgive him for what had been done to his people. Jay’s first reaction was to brush it off…....”it wasn’t you,” he started to say until God stopped him and told him it was time to let the pain go, to accept the power of forgiveness and reconcilliation.
It was life changing.
It was the beginning of walking in new power and authority for Apostle Jay. Since then, God has taken him across the nation, teaching him about the healing of our land, and he now has permission from every tribe to be a part of reconciliation on their behalf. He has seen miracles of healing even as the land has been healed.
We so often only think of the land as how it relates to people, but over and over, God talks about the land itself and how it can be defiled and that defilement then affects the people who live there!
And our land is in desperate need of healing—innocent bloodshed, idolatry, broken covenants, and immorality all stain our land! Looking at the almost 400 treaties(covenant) we made with the Indians and knowing that every one was broken breaks my heart and how it must break the heart of God!
Jay doesn’t hold back any truth when it comes to the facts concerning blood shed from his ancestors, but as the saying goes, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” and so he continues in his gentle way, going where the Lord leads him, telling the stories, walking in authority and accepting repentance and offering reconcilliation for events long past but not forgotten in the heart of God.
I was moved as person after person got on their knees before God and before the people who had born the harm, telling their story and asking for forgiveness. Story after story of tainted family land and history traced back through time to a person or event where greed or entitlement had taken over, or where bloodshed had occurred. For example, premature death or a birth defect affecting every male heir since the Washita massacre was one families legacy. We understand so little of how seriously God takes our sin!
I was so broken and even though I have no known history in my family when it comes to the massacres or breaking of covenants, God prompted me to step forward during the time of reconciliation and repentance.
I got on my knees before Jay and asked his forgiveness for my ignorance and acceptance of the Indians as nothing more than a caricature—A cartoon figure or sports mascot and a part of history I have just ignored or written off as long ago and far away and yet I reside in Cheyenne County, the site of the Cherry Creek Encampment where Jay Swallow’s grandfather came as a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre—where a Methodist minister turned soldier, gathered men and rode from Denver into eastern Colorado to a camp of Indians who had been given permission by our government to peaceably camp along Sand Creek. They were unarmed and again were bludgeoned with trophies of the unborn taken back with them impaled on their lances. The survivors came to a valley just outside of my town and camped there until other tribes gathered with them. It was this gathered force that eventually met Custer at Little Big Horn.
And yet, I never really cared.
So I asked to be forgiven for my ignorance and disrespect. I took a stone from Cherry Creek and put it into Jay Swallow’s hand as an act of reconciliation that the peace and safety they came to find at Cherry Creek would come once more. And I wept tears for not knowing.
At the end, a small girl came forward with her baby doll wrapped in a blanket as she sobbed, “I so sorry for what they did to your babies and your children…...I sorry…..I so sorry….” And the First Nations women wept and travailed for those lives lost long ago…..each one precious to God. Each one precious to them even so removed from life in the 1800’s in Kansas.
It was historic and epic and I know God recorded it in heaven.
Jay Swallow said that when the land is healed, the progress of the Kingdom of God would be measurable. For example, after multiple suicides in one place, Jay went there and dealt with the spiritual forces that had resided there since the land had been defiled long ago. And there has not been a suicide there for over 3 years! The progress of the Kingdom is measurable!
That is exciting to me! Thy Kingdom come…..Thy will be done…on earth as it is in heaven! If His Kingdom is here on earth as we pray it is, then we ought to be able to measure it in a tangible way with changed lives and transformed people. Evil shouldn’t prevail in our land.
So here in my small corner of the world, I am looking for the advancement of the Kingdom. It has been recorded in heaven that instead of bitterness there is love. Instead of injury there is pardon. Instead of injustice, there is justice. There is repentance and reconciliation for things long ago that want to rear their ugly heads in this day!
So I am looking for the Kingdom to advance, even as I’m living in His Kingdom.
How about you? Is there any wrong that you can help to make right? Repentance is powerful. Forgiveness even more powerful. Try it! You’ll love Kingdom living!
Blessings,
Kim
Wake Up! · 28 June 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
It seems everywhere I turn, the clarion call I hear is “Wake Up!’
From the youth conference theme at Celebration Church in Hays, KS last weekend, to the St. Francis Community Church worship service last Sunday, to KGCR, the Christian radio station with all my favorites like Chuck Swindoll and Alistar Begg, the message is coming thru loud and clear—It is time to WAKE UP!
We know that each and every moment ticks us closer to the return of Christ as our King, but do we live with intent and purpose that we need to get ready for that imminent return?
I was appalled at the recent report from the Pew Forum. It is evidence that most Christian’s are asleep at best and don’t care at the least!
It also shows a lot of confusion on the religious front!
Did you know that 21% of Atheists in America believe in God? I am not sure if that is good news or bad news—Good news that they believe or bad news that we are so illiterate in our country that maybe those defining themselves don’t know what atheist means! (Dictionary.com defines atheist as one who denies the existence of God or divine beings, so…....)
Okay, so let’s set aside those confused atheists…..the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that a majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation (and that includes Evangelical Christianity, folks!). But that same majority rank the importance of religion very highly in their lives, attend religious services regularly and pray daily. They also say that there is more than one way to interpret the teachings of their faith…in other words, what they hear at church maybe isn’t the Gospel Truth, if they don’t want to believe it!
So what is going on? Why do a majority find it important to have religious faith and yet, with Evangelical Christianity, reject the very basis of that faith?
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” John 14:6. That seems pretty clear, but others might say that is just my truth, not THE Truth.
I recently heard it explained this way….A man who was challenged to defend God’s truth asked several men at a conference who did not know his mother to describe her. One said she was 5 ft. 1 in, gray haired, 120 lbs. Another said she was blonde, blue-eyed, 5 ft 4 inches, 150 lbs. Still another said she was 5 ft. 2 inches tall, 115 lbs. and gray haired. The man said, “They can’t all be true, even though you might sincerely believe it to be so. If she is 5 ft. 1in., she can’t also be 5 ft. 4 inches. If she weighs 120 lbs., she can’t also weigh 115 lbs. One is true and one is not. You can sincerely believe it, but they can’t all be the truth.”
So why are so many questioning that Jesus is the Truth?
The Bible says this:
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 1 Tim. 4:1-2
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
All the signs point that we are in that “last days” age when 83% of Christians in mainline Protestant churches believe that many religions can lead to eternal life….and 82% believe that there is more than one true way (Hello?) to interpret the teachings of Christianity! (what does mother look like?)
Romans 13:11 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
I don’t want to be like Chicken Little shouting, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” but Jesus said to his disciples,
“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
(Did you see the ABC report on the guy in the Ukraine who claims he is Jesus Christ returned to earth who has doctors and lawyers and housewives and business men and women leaving their lives in Europe to live in a mountain meadow in the most rustic circumstances just to be close to and worship him?)
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”
(Can you say, Iraq, Israel/Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan????....)
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
(In Jan. 2006, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned that 11 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia were in danger of starvation due to the combination of severe drought and military conflicts. Currently the situation is worse due to the toll of natural disasters on many parts of the world, including earthquakes. There are 20,000 earthquakes a year of large and small magnitude)
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
(171,000 Christians are martyred each year for their faith. In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million Christians have been martyred for their faith—65% of those have been in the 20th Century according to a study published on EWTN news.)
“At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firms to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14.
So, the hour has come to “Wake up!” from your slumber! “Wake up!” to speak the Truth to your world in love! “Wake up!” so you can tell your friends and neighbors that time is short! “Wake up!” so you can feed the hungry, pray for the sick, visit those in prison! “Wake up!” so that your love will not grow cold and you will be found faithful when the trumpet sounds! “Wake up!” and prepare for the Bridegroom. He is coming soon! “WAKE UP!”
Waking up with you,
Kim
Ministry EVENTS:
Sat. June 28, 10:00 District Sabbath School
St. Francis, KS
Seventh Day Adventist Church
“The Woman at the Well”
Sunday: June 29, 10:30 am Mountain time
Goodland, KS
First Christian Church
“Mary, the Mother of Jesus….’My Son, My Savior’”
Thursday: July 10, 9:00 am
Community Women’s Breakfast
Stockton, KS
First United Methodist Church
“The Hem of His Garment”
Friday/Sat.: September 12th & 13th
Topeka, KS
Town and Country Church Women’s Conference
Dramatizations from Scripture and “Ashes to Beauty,” the REAL Cinderella Story!
For information about booking or for information about any event, please contact me @ kim@kimzweygardt.com
Living Simply....or simply living..... · 2 June 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
I am sorry if you’ve been trying to contact me and I haven’t returned the email. Please try again. I’ve been having some technical difficulties that hopefully will be taken care of tomorrow morning. I am so glad I don’t have to understand technological marvels like the internet or how computers work! I am just so glad when they do their work for me!
Anyway, it is great to be back in the blogosphere. One of the issues has been logging on and able to blog so that part is fixed thanks to my web guru-ette, Cheryl, at Seabriz.com. (If you are wanting a great web design, check her out!)
When Kary and I went to Scotland we noted that recycling was very important there and it became our habit in the short time we were there. We came home and have tried to be a little more “green” although I confess I am still quite the consumer of goods! But we have made small steps; recycling magazines and newspapers, glass, tin cans, and plastic at our local recycling center. We also have begun to go thru the things we are keeping for “someday” to see if there is someone else who might need it now and blessing them with it. God has been so incredibly good to us and we have long believed that we are blessed to be a blessing to others. We believe in giving of our bounty in money and goods and support mission work in several places as well as our local church.
I say all of that not to have you think what a wonderfully generous and environmentally concious person I am, but to let you know that we have tried in the past to be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us. But sometimes things happen that knock your spiritual socks off and shake you right out of your day to day complacency and sense that you are doing all you can.
Last week we were given a video called Invisible Children in preparation for some missionaries from Uganda coming to minister at our church. Kary previewed it for showing at our youth group. He came home to tell me I needed to see it, too, so we watched it together and wept. It was not an easy story to watch, but a story that we needed to see.
It is the story of 3 young men who, on their own, went to Africa looking for a story that would change the world…..and they found it. They documented the story of the effect that the Civil War in Uganda has had on the children there where children are abducted and forced into the rebel army or they are killed so that the other children will be too scared to run away and not fight.
And so the children seek shelter. Walking miles each evening into town to sleep on the “veranda’s” of the hospital and the bus station so they might be safe from the rebels. Thousands upon thousands come each night seeking only a safe place to sleep. They come with maybe a mat or a thin blanket or piece of cloth to cover themselves and the clothes on their backs. And at daybreak, they awake, carefully re-folding their mats and sheets and return to their own village for the day to work or go to school. And when dusk comes, they again hurry into town to escape the terrors of the rebels who target the innocent to keep the war going.
I cannot even describe the lives of these children and what it looks like to have them curled around each other, back to back, front to back, head to toe and toe to toe covering every inch of space available just to sleep unafraid. The images of their frail bodies remind me of other images of war where the dead are piled upon each other awaiting burial. The difference is that these are the living with the only sign of life the occasional wiggling of a foot or an arm movement that causes all of them to turn in accord. It is heartbreaking and the images of children who should have not a care in the world, instead holding the cares of the world are unforgettable.
But the children are resiliant, beautiful, and joyous in the small graces of life but each one hopes and prays for peace which has not come in 20 years. (for more information, go to www.invisiblechildren.com)
Parts of this life-changing video was shown to our church yesterday to give the background for the work of the missionaries who visited us, Seggy and Mark with the Nkumba, Uganda ministry to orphans and prisons, plus a Christian School which is teaching all who come, the truth of Christ.
Mark and Seggy work with John Mugabi, a young pastor who is called to minister to those in prison and to the orphans and children who have no homes or safety, little food, and little hope. They are doing a great work in Uganda, but they need help!
Their desires are so humble and the needs so great! For running water at the Mugabi home where Mrs. Esther Mugabi cares for 20 to 30 children at a time.
For construction of classrooms that have a cement floor instead of dirt, for classrooms that won’t fall down when the termites begin to eat away the wooden walls.
For enough food so that these growing children can have more than one, maybe two sparse meals a day.
For dormitories where bunk beds are stacked three high and children have the first mattress they have ever slept on in their lives.
Pastor Mugabi’s salary is $400.00 monthly with the cost of living approximately the same as the cost of living in the U.S. The salary feeds his own family as well as the orphans that live with John and Esther, including some teenage boys they are discipling.
Seggy and Mark each have a salary of $300.00 monthly—much below the over $1,000.00 a month they could earn with their college educations in the city. But God has called them to love and work with this ministry and when they see needs, their salary is given back into the ministry to meet those needs, to fill hungry bellies of precious children, often one half of their salary going back into the ministry. As Seggy said, “Why should I save money when I do not know what the future holds and there are those who have needs?”
Sponsorship of a child is $42.00 a month because the money is stretched to help feed those who have no sponsors but have needs just the same. Their dream is to have all the children with sponsors so that the cycle of povery and death will be broken. Learning what the Bible says about celibacy and monogamy, learning about responsibility for your family will help keep children from being abandoned. It is a good work.
Seggy and Mark showed a video about their particular work in Uganda and there was a quote that said, “Will you live simply so that others can simply live?”
Suddenly my meager efforts to recycle and be a good steward of what must seem like vast resources to those in need, seemed so little. My idea of living simply by being mindful of what I buy at the grocery store instead of praying to God that I might have a decent meal.
Seggy and Mark said the biggest difference they saw between Uganda and the United States is that we do not truly rely on God, but instead rely on “plastic” (credit cards) OUCH! But how true. I am not a big user of credit cards, but for the most part, we can easily meet not just our needs but also our wants. I have asked God to break my heart with the things that break His heart and I have been confronted with abject poverty and the effects of man’s inhumanity to man upon innocent children and I am asking God that He keep it ever before me, so that I might not forget.
Mark asked me if I would come to Uganda to perform at a women’s conference and both Kary and I feel led to go, though we are not sure of the timing. I have also been invited to Kenya which is “next door” to Uganda, so maybe a combined ministry trip? But even before that happens, I am beginning to seed into Nkumba Ministries. I have been looking for a ministry to highlight and to fundraise for at my events and had contacted several as I have waited to hear His voice. He spoke loud and clear on Sunday and I’m glad I was listening.
For more information on child sponsorship, their U.S. contact is Cindy May. Email her at Cindy.may@integrity.com or contact me and I’ll be glad to get more information to you.
So my question to you is….are YOU willing to live simply so that others may simply live? Are you getting blessed to be a blessing? If so, ask God what to do about it. He is there, ready to speak!
Blessings,
Kim
The Miracle of Motherhood..... · 12 May 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
Happy Mother’s Day!
I’m late to the task with only 23 minutes left of the day, but I’ve been basking in the joy of being a Mom all day instead of sitting down to write! I’ve had flowers and gifts and Jordan called from college to say, Happy Mother’s Day, and that warms any mother’s heart with joy!
As you probably know from reading my blog, I love holidays of all shapes, sizes and seasons! Any excuse to celebrate life is good for me. We spend so much time living life that sometimes we forget that life truly is about LIVING!
There is a popular saying now that I see everywhere. Sort of a Hallmark cards sentiment—”Life isn’t about the number of breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.”
I like the sentiment, but I wonder how often do we really allow the beauty and sanctity of life to take our breath away? Do we more often sleepwalk through nights and days dealing with the stuff of life and miss out on the miracle of life and God’s goodness? One thing about having children, you learn about living in the moment and seeing through the eyes of a child is to see the miracles of life, both big and small.
My husband loves to watch Frasier.
Frasier is the radio personality psychiatrist moved to Seattle from Boston and the show, Cheers, where everybody knows your name. We have a DVR and Kary likes to pause the TV to show me the funny parts of what he is watching. The other night a doctor of similar age and career died suddenly and Frasier was convicted of his own mortality. He was doing things like laying prostrate on the couch counting his heart beat and putting his affairs in order which included his family putting stickers on all the things they wanted if Frasier met the same fate as his friend. Frasier is played by Kelsey Grammer and he is a wonderful comedic actor with a hilarious supporting cast. They do slapstick comedy at its best.
When was the last time that you, like Frasier, realized the miracle of your beating heart? Do we appreciate that we woke up this morning and that our very life is a gift from God? Or do we shuffle and grumble and miss the miracle?
One of my greatest miracles was becoming a mom.
I wanted so much to be a mom. I had fertility problems and went through the roller coaster of fertility treatments. I didn’t concieve Lauren until I was 33 and though my doctor said it was a “fluke,” I knew it was a miracle. I was put to bed for almost 4 weeks during my pregnancy and every cramp and kick and flutter in my womb was cause for concern. But during those months of pregnancy, I was totally alive and consumed with the miracle of the new life growing inside of me.
I saw her face multiple times via the miracle of modern medicine called a sonogram. I worked on the Obstetrics unit providing labor epidurals in those days and when it was slow my doctor would do a quick sonogram to check on my high risk pregnancy! She had a way of holding her little hands together and stretching and wiggling her tiny fingers. I was amazed and awed the first time I saw her face after birth because I had seen her “picture” so many times, I already knew her face. And I spent many nights bent over the crib watching her flex and wiggle her little fingers just the way I had seen it on the sonogram.
That peep into the womb reminds me of Ps. 139:13-16 “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” What a miracle!
I have loved every part of being a Mom. It is my most important ministry and has made me a better person in so many ways. I have learned what real, unconditional love looks like. I have learned that I am not quite as selfish as I thought I was because when it comes to my kids, I have given them my heart and all that I am and all that I have belongs to them. I have learned that the most important things in life aren’t things and if I fail at this most important ministry of motherhood, nothing else I do matters.
I have had many moments that have taken my breath away in the miracle of being a family.
If you are a Mom, you know the moments I mean….moments when everything is right with the world and you are together and safe and fed and laughing and in love with the ones you love. When the STUFF that normally gets in the way in life fades away and it is all about living in the moment.
The smell of sunshine and grass stains. Dirt and sweat creased on little chubby necks from a hard day at play. Sticky kisses that taste of PB & J. The tiny hand that slips into your own as you walk to the park. The sighs and sounds of sleeping and night time prayers and whispered “I love you’s.” The drawings on the fridge that are worth more than a Picasso.
And the times that take your breath away because of the pain. When you hurt because your child hurts. When his pain is your pain. When her heartbreak breaks your own heart. The times that you would move heaven and earth to keep them from being hurt….and yet you know that life brings pain and part of motherhood is letting them learn hard lessons so that they can have strong wings to fly.
Being a Mom is being invincible for a brief moment in time—when your kiss made every boo-boo better, when you knew everything about everything, when you were the center of their universe.
It changes now that my kids are leaving the nest….and yet, we still see the miracles. Moments when the lessons you’ve taught are suddenly demonstrated through the kind word and making the right choices and doing what Jesus would do!
Last night was Britt’s Prom. He looked so handsome in his black tux with pale blue vest and tie. His date was a lovely girl and they looked so grown-up walking the “runway” for the Promenade. Each couple lines up after they walk through until the gym is ringed with young men and women wearing their finest. Suddenly, Kary’s phone signalled a text message. It was Britt wanting to know if we were there—he had searched the crowd and missed us and with the miracle of technology and very quick, highly experienced texting fingers had sent out the distress call, “Where are you? Did you make it?”
Kary sent back a message and we watched from across the gym as he read it, searched the crowd again, found us and grinning with relief, pointed us out to his date. For just a moment I saw again the little boy swimming or playing baseball, looking up to make sure we were watching.
“Did you see me? Did you?”
Yes. Yes, we did.
And it takes our breath away and makes our lives richer and we know beyond a doubt that our lives have mattered because we have been important in the lives of our children. Yes, we see you, Lauren and Jordan and Britt, and it is cause for celebration because God, the Father, created motherhood and fatherhood and families and He chose us to parent you.
That is a gift that takes my breath away.
Happy Mother’s Day and welcome to the miracle of motherhood!
Blessings,
Kim
Happy Birthday.....to me! · 19 April 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
It’s 10 am on Saturday morning and the paint and wall paper tools sit idle (we are up to our ears in remodeling a bathroom!).
I have a confession to make.
It’s 10 am on Saturday morning and I am sitting in my pj’s drinking coffee.
Lauren is at the beauty shop being primped for Prom which is tonight.
Kary is at the studio teaching art lessons.
Jordan went to Denver to a concert with friends.
And Britt is sleeping.
The house is quiet and though there are many things that I could/should do, I am in my pj’s, drinking coffee and celebrating.
Today is my birthday.
It is not one of those milestone birthday’s where people send you black balloons and throw you surprise parties to keep your mind off of the swift ever-marching-onward march of time. I, again, am “in-between” decades with a non-descript birthday year.
And yet, today is my birthday. It is the day God chose for me. It is the day, He provided a way for me to make it into the world. It is a day that has been celebrated (or rued) for these many years. And I am celebrating for a few moments in quiet contemplation.
I’ve always loved birthdays! I love other people’s birthday’s—cake and cards and cake and parties and cake and fun. And you get to eat cake! (Did I already mention that?) I love other people’s birthdays, but I have always loved my own birthday, as well.
I only have one memory of dreading this day. It wasn’t one of the “Big Ones” either—I wasn’t turning 30 or 40 or 50, it was another in-between-the-decades birthday and “my life had not turned out the way I planned,” to borrow a phrase from my drama of the Woman at the Well.
I found myself a single parent, recently divorced with a toddler, in a new city, with a new job, with new friends, instead of living the white picket fence life that I had dreamed of. I should have been planning/expecting my second child. I should have been plannning a celebration with a loving husband and friends. I should have been…....
Instead, I had a broken heart. My new friends knew it and were kind. Instead of fully appreciating the kindness for what it was—God’s hands-on grace for me in a tough time—I only felt more, “less than.” I felt….pity instead of kindness. And I hate to be pitied. I hid my broken heart for the day as they brought flowers and cards for me to work and laughed my way through the cake and lunchtime celebration. That night I ran headlong into the arms of a loving Father, pouring out my “less than,” “not good enough” heart to Him. I gave Him all the broken pieces of a life that I had damaged by going my own way and He began to put the pieces back together. He CAN heal a broken heart, when you give Him all the pieces.
Today, those many years later, I sit in Kansas, in my lovely sun-shiney home on a Saturday morning drinking coffee. The shafts of sunlight coming through the stained glass windows turn into magical dancing light across my kitchen floor. My mom has called me this morning, just to say “Happy Birthday.” She is remembering this day from her perspective. Daddy called on his way to the farm wanting to make sure his card had arrived and his cheerful voice reminds me of the years of early morning phone calls through out my life, all just to say, “Happy Birthday.” I got home yesterday to flowers on the porch from my dear friend, Bonnie and yesterday morning, the regional prayer council brought peanut butter pie along with a card signed by all, and sang “Happy Birthday” in harmony when they arrived at the church for our monthly meeting. I went to let the dogs out into the yard this morning and two cards were on the porch from friends and the mailbox has been filled with birthday greetings from family and friends this last week. And last night my sister, Sharon called and we laughed and laughed on the phone over the changes of the years and all that is going on in our lives….. Did I say, “I love my birthday?”
What a difference the years make when you cling to a loving, faithful God! He truly does restore the days the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).
My toddler daughter is 18. A beautiful young lady secure in the love of both her heavenly Father as well as the Daddy that God provided for her 11 years ago. She is transformed from the hurting, clingy, little girl into a young woman with confidence and grace, passionate about God and music and friends, ready to take on the world after graduation, but today, we just have to get ready for Prom.
I have gained two son’s—Jordan with the quirky sense of humor, kind heart for the under-dog and artistic ways now finding his way through the maze of college and career, and Britt, the budding musician who writes his own music and sings his own melody as he readies himself for graduation next month.
I have gained the best husband in the world. Kary is my dream-come-true. He loves me with fire and passion. He would defend me to the death. He believes in me and God’s gifts in me and he proudly takes time from his own pursuits to help at my book table and events. He is a man of God who is passionate about all that he loves—Jesus, his wife and family, his youth kids, his friends. I am a much blessed woman when God knit our hearts into one.
My life is a tapestry woven by God, bright with my husband and childre, colored threads of family, friends, my beautiful home, living in a place I love, doing things I love to do. I am so blessed!
I have all my heart desires and then some. On this, the day of my birth, as the saying goes….”You’ve come a long way, Baby!”
“Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord for making me whole. Thank you, Lord for giving to me, Thy rich salvation, so rich and free.”
I love you, Lord. Happy birthday to me!
He is Risen, Indeed...and other thoughts of New Life.... · 29 March 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
Spring sneaks up on you in Kansas. Kansas is one of those places where people often say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes—it’ll change.” And it does. This morning was cloudy and cold with a strong wind that made me want to put away the new sandals I bought this week and pull out the fleece jacket and boots, but when I went out to walk this afternoon, I was too warm in a light windbreaker! Go figure!
My mother used to complain about my frequent clothes changes in High School. I’d change out of a perfectly acceptable shirt and jeans that I’d worn to school into another shirt and jeans just to go riding around in the car with friends. (or maybe it had something to do with the fact the invaribly the outfits ended up on the floor beside the hamper instead of in the hamper or, heaven forbid, hung up to wear again!)
I still do the same thing, but now it is less fashion and more often because of the weather. It can be 70 degrees at noon and snowing by 6 pm. Kansas weather is a little like a woman with PMS! You just never know what may happen!
I’m sure you already know this, but Easter was very early this year! (I know there are some who take exception to talking about Easter since the roots of the name are of a pagan holiday—I prefer to focus on the Resurrection rather than get caught up in what I call it, so please set aside your difficulties with the name for a few minutes and hear Resurrection in your heart…..thanks!)
I was told at the flower shop as I shopped for Easter flowers for our church that this is the earliest it will ever be in my lifetime. The last time it was this early was in the 1800’s.
I’m not sure who figures these things out…..is there a little committee of gnarled, bearded old men in brown robes in a church tower somewhere with an abacus, a mathematical formula, the Bible and maybe some old Farmer’s Almanac’s who figure this stuff out and then send it by carrier pidgeon to the Keeper of the Calendar’s? Then all the calendar printers spring into action and as they come hot off the press, I just look at my new calendar and say, “Hmm. Easter is on ______ this year. Cool.” Except this year it was more like, “YIKES! Easter is WHEN??????? How can that be?”
The March Kansas weather didn’t cooperate and snow was predicted Sat. night, so after our Pastor and Elder’s conferred, the sunrise service was moved indoors. We have a wonderful family in our church who have a roping arena and tack shed in a beautiful place along the Republican River just outside of town. Our normal is to invite anyone who wants to come from our community to join us out there to see the sun come up, drink steaming hot coffee and celebrate with singing and preaching around a big bonfire. It is very special and wonderful. Then we all head into town to the church for a wonderful Easter brunch and fellowship.
However, when I got up to bake cinnamon rolls Easter morning, Weather Bug said it was 18 degrees! Yowza! I hated wimping out on seeing the sunrise to celebrate the Son Rise, but I’ll admit I was praising our church leadership for making the call! We’d gotten the word out of the change in place and our church was filled to overflowing as we celebrated Jesus that morning.
But Easter really began for me on Friday. We have a Good Friday service that has become deeply meaningful to me and many in our church family. Something I do in our church is take care of how the altar is decorated and on Good Friday, it was skirted with purple cloth for purple is the color of royalty, but because our King was crucified, yards of black crepe spilled over the purple cloth signifying our mourning.
Our church is very fun and upbeat -our services filled with laughter and joy, but two times a year in particular it is dark, quiet and solemn-with the hush of His coming on Christmas Eve—and with the grief of His betrayal and death on Good Friday. Pastor David showed a movie clip from the Passion of the Christ, the images on the screen flickering against the darkened walls illuminated only by a few candles on the altar that held a simple cross, a crown of thorns and a single red rose, the music swelling, “Thank you for the cross, Lord. Thank you for the price You paid, Taking all my sin and shame, in love You came and gave amazing grace…..”
“The darling of heaven crucified, Worthy is the Lamb…..”
Worthy, indeed. Tears flowed freely as we did as Christ asked us—taking the broken bread and wine in remembrance of Him, of His sacrifice, His body broken for me, His blood shed for me. Pastor David’s voice was choked with emotion recounting the sacrifice of Christ….for me. What He did on that terrible, wonderful day of the Cross was more than I deserved, more than I could have asked for, and every other thing He has done in my life pales in comparison for the finished work He did that day….....
All day as I had readied the altar and worked on the music what sang thru my mind was that it was too early to be Easter, that I wasn’t ready for it to be Easter, that I couldn’t believe it was already Easter…...but as I stood in the darkened sanctuary, my tears flowing together with the tears of the church family He has blessed me with, on soft wings, His Holiness crept in and I was ready.
As the Psalmist said, Grieving may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5).....and that was my story…..As Good Friday turned into Saturday, my excitement mounted. My spirit began to sing, “He is Alive! He is Alive!”
I couldn’t wait for Sunday morning! It didn’t matter how early it was—it didn’t matter how cold it was! He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! The “grave clothes” of the altar draped in black had been replaced with white and gold—His Glory, His majesty, His Royalty revealed. An ugly cardboard and foam cross adorned our altar in sharp contrast to the beauty of the shimmering cloth and I saw several people eyeing it before the service began. It looked so out of place, but as we sang “I know He rescued my soul, His blood covers my sin, I believe, I believe! My Redeemer Lives, My Redeemer Lives!” every man, woman and child took beautiful Spring flowers and covered the cross—baby’s breath, yellow and white lillies, pink and red roses, puple mums until the ugliness of the cross had been transformed with beauty—exactly what Jesus did with His sacrifice. He took the enemies plan and turned it into God’s greatest triumph. For me! For you! For all mankind….. so that forever more, we can simply pass from death to life, the fear and loathing of death becomes the doorway into eternity with our Beloved! What the enemy schemed that would destroy us instead becomes something beautiful in New Life. All because of Jesus.
And that is something to celebrate.
“He Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed!”
Happy, Happy Resurrection Day to you!
Blessings,
Kim
March....In like a Lion or a Lamb? · 1 March 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
It was wonderful to be in Eckley, CO with the lovely women of The New Life Christian Center a few weeks ago. They were welcoming, worshipful, and attentive to the dramatization of the Woman at the Well and it was a blessing to me to share with them.
One of my great joys is to fellowship and share my gifts, joys and struggles with women from every walk of life, in every stage of life, with many different church backgrounds. As we come together to celebrate Jesus and His transforming power, we can major on the major’s instead of majoring on the minor’s of our faith and just agree that Christ has come to seek and save the lost….and that’s me….and you! What good news!
Today was a beautiful day with Spring truly in the air. It was a great day to be outside and I saw many people with “spring fever” walking, riding bikes, kids playing in the park, people working in their yards or beginning spring cleaning!
It was one of those days that just makes you glad winter is past and though everything still looks dormat, we know “green” is on the way!
Today I took part in a prayer gathering to pray for God’s purposes to come forth in Kansas. For revival to come and for Jesus to truly be Lord of our state and our nation. For the scourge of abortion to be overturned and for Kansas to be known for a culture of life instead of a culture of death. There were several groups praying in Northwest Kansas, but we were the most “west” of the groups!
We met outdoors along the “old” highway that parallels I-70 at the Kansas/Colorado border. As we prayed and praised, we were grateful for the gentle breeze and the sunshine, especially with snow showers predicted tomorrow! We felt God’s presence as we praised His holy name and asked Him to set right the wrongs in Kansas.
In readying for our gathering, I was thinking about March 1st. It is Kary and I’s wedding anniversary and so we are used to unpredictable weather on this date. In fact, there was a major snow storm predicted 11 years ago, but my dear husband had great faith that nothing would stand in the way of our wedding! And March 1st, 1997 dawned much like today—clear and warm!
The old saw says March either comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb or vice versa. In other words, the weather today predicts the weather at the end of the month, but I was thinking of a different Lion and Lamb today as we prayed and praised Jesus for what He is going to do in Kansas. The weather didn’t matter because Jesus is the Lion of Judah and He is also the Lamb of God who was slain, so either way….Lion or Lamb, it is all about Jesus!
Isn’t that a great thought? We don’t have to worry about what a day brings because He is already in our today, and in our tomorrow and He promises He’ll never leave or forsake us! It doesn’t matter what the future holds because He holds our future!
Does that mean life is perfect? Well, no, because we live on this side of the Fall when Adam and Eve chose to go their own way instead of God’s way. Therefore, we live with our own sinful nature and the sin of others that affects us, but He also doesn’t leave us in our sin! He provided a way out and He promises if we give Him our hurts, our pain, our sorrows, our disappointments, all things will work together for good and for His glory. Not perfect….not pain free….but not alone and not without hope.
That is good news! Tomorrow in church, the hymn I chose to open with is “This Is My Father’s World.” I love the last verse….”And tho the wrong seems oft so strong, He is the ruler yet!”
So did your March come in like a Lion or a Lamb? Is life mild mannered and on a pretty even keel or do you feel about to be devoured by life? Like you’re being chewed up and spit out? Been there. Know how that feels.
But in the midst of it can you believe that “though the wrong seems oft so strong, He is the ruler yet?” Can you trust Him no matter what life looks like just now? Can you accept that at the end of it, it really is just about Jesus and your relationship with Him? Have you accepted that He is the Lamb who was slain? That He died for you? And what about this Lion of Judah? Same Jesus. The Lamb that was slain is also our soon and coming King. It’s a paradox, but as I said, no matter if March comes in like a Lion or a Lamb, it’s all Jesus and that is good enough for me! What about you?
"We Are God's Masterpiece!" · 29 January 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
Well, a good time was had by all, especially this Cinderella wannabe at the McCook, Nebraska E. Free Women’s Winter Retreat! It was a beautiful day for wearing an evening gown and tiara even in Nebraska in January! And the ladies who attended my Ashes to Beauty workshop really responded to what God is saying to us as women. As Hans Christian Anderson said, “Every life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” Are you living yours as a daughter of the King?
Ruth Calver, the Keynote Speaker, was a treat as she spoke on “We Are God’s Masterpiece.” Ruth is British, tho she now lives in the states and tho she assured us that she talks normal and we have the accent, it was delightful to sit and listen to her on many different levels. She has an amazing work among third world women.
God did an amazing job of weaving this conference together. I did not know the theme until I received my conference brochure, but at one point, as Ruth taught, I thought, “she’s giving my talk!”
I love that!
That God so wants us to know something that He makes it plain to us in many different ways. Sometimes we act as if God is playing Hide and Seek with us. “I just want to know His will!” we cry dramatically. And as a very pragmatic Senior Saint once told me, “Go to your Bible and if you are already doing everything He’s told you to do in there, wait for further instructions!”
I call it the Kim Zweygardt Remedial Prayer Answer Method—I ask God to really conk me on the head with something so I get it! And that is one of the methods He uses~~ when I hear the same thing over and over from different people and in different places, I know He is wanting me to “get it.” God has always been faithful to confirm what He is asking me to do. And that is a wise thing to do if you are not sure you are hearing from God….ask Him to confirm it in some way. He WANTS to speak to us! He WANTS us to hear Him!
This weekend was that way—the ladies from our church that went with me sat in our motel room Friday night and laughed, talked and prayed together about some concerns in our town. The next morning, Ruth addressed some of those very things! And later in her Sat. morning talk, was when I thought she was giving my talk…how we are special to God and He wants us to know that He has an everlasting love for us and a plan for our lives.
The point of my Cinderella story is that God loves us, calls us beautiful, and has ordained our times and where we live, and when we grumble about our looks, our lives, etc. we are in sin!
See how that fits into the “We Are God’s Masterpiece” theme? God is so good to be so personal with us. He meets us where we live and loves us when we fail. He sees our shortcomings and imperfections and still calls us beautiful and His beloved. What an awesome God we serve!
My husband, Kary, was sick the week before the conference and I did my best to keep from getting whatever it is he has…...and failed. This Cinderella sounds more like she kissed the Frog Prince instead of Prince Charming, so I will keep this short! May God richly bless you in new and fresh ways~~and may you learn to see yourself in the way that He sees you!
Blessings,
Kim
Face to Face....or who are we really???? · 20 January 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
Looking forward to seeing many of you at the McCook Women’s Winter Conference at the E. Free Church in McCook, Nebraska, this next weekend! I will be teaching on “Ashes to Beauty—the REAL Cinderella Story” for three workshops on Saturday, Jan. 26th. I am very excited about this series—Kary and I are beginning collaberation on a new book by the same title, I am in negotiations with a jewelry company for a “tiara” type product, and there is so much good stuff in this study, that I can see this expanding into a full length conference offering! Are you thinking about a weekend Ladies event? This would be so good for women of all ages and in all stages of life! He so wants us to “get” that He adores us!!!!
In Feb. I’ll be performing a Wed. evening meeting and ministering to women from the Eckley, CO New Life Christian Center. I met the Pastor’s wife and some of their lovely ladies when I performed in Wray, CO at the Christian Church before Christmas. I love when women from different backgrounds and churches come together to just celebrate His goodness and I get to be a part of that!
If you have any questions about my events or asking me to come to an event, please write, call or email me using the contact info on the website! I’d love to hear from you! ........
Recently I was invited to join Facebook. If you haven’t heard of it, it is an online teen phenom for keeping in touch and meeting people. You can post pictures, be part of on line groups with common thoughts (Everything from “I’m from a little town you’ve never heard of” to “1 Million Christians”), add “friends” (people you know or that know people you know), post favorite quotes, likes and dislikes, and write on each other’s “walls” (like a public email) You can even send virtual gifts! (Why didn’t I think of that little money maker….if a million people buy a non-existent flower for a real dollar, that is a million real dollars for a million virtual flowers!)
The reason I joined was to take part in a virtual Bible study by my friend and web guru-ette, Cheryl Briseno. She is the whiz behind www.kimzweygardt.com. She had this great idea—we all join the Bible study group, Cheryl video’s herself teaching the weeks lesson which is then available when you have time to watch it. She’ll post questions and Scriptures and we can post thoughts, replies and prayers about the lesson and comments raised by others in the group. Lauren and I are doing this together as is Cheryl and her daughter, Sophie, who is friends with my Lauren. I hope and pray it helps Lauren and I grow closer as sisters in Christ now that my no longer little girl is a young woman who loves God.
When I started my Facebook profile, Lauren had to coach me through it. She is more computer and on-line savvy than me. Then all kinds of friends from my area popped up. Did I want to ask them to be friends (they see my profile and I see theirs)? I am all for keeping in touch, so I added some kids who are now in college that once were part of girl’s groups I took to Girls of Grace or part of youth group trips down the wilds of a Nebraska river, I added some lady friends that I know locally that are on facebook, I added some nieces and nephews that live far away, and I added some kids that I still see each week at church.
It has been an education.
I don’t mean to be judgmental, but some of the profiles I saw made me sad. Language of some that wrote “on their walls”. Language that they wrote on their profile or in quotes of “funny” things friends had said. You can flirt, send a drink, high 5, slap, etc. etc. anyone on your list. It is all in good fun, but I have been amazed at some of the things I have seen posted by people I love!
A few months ago I read an article about companies using Facebook and My Space to evaluate potential employees. Nice looking, polite kids graduating from college who had a great interview losing out on a future at a good company because of things they (or their friends) posted on a public website. I was amazed when I read the article. Now I am not.
With one sweet young lady, my first thought was that I was thankful (and hopeful) that her mother wasn’t reading what I was reading! And then I thought, this young lady has several Christian groups listed on her site. You list whether you are liberal or conservative. You list as part of your profile if you are part of a religion. It is right at the top of the profile. Hers notes that she considers herself conservative politically and she is a Christian.
Let’s put aside the quandary if her Mama sees it or a potential employer.
What does Jesus think about what it says?
Several years ago when our kids were small, a young, single nurse came and stayed a week at our house while Kary and I went to a conference. She enjoyed making a little extra money. Our kids were old enough to not be a lot of trouble, but too young to stay by themselves for a week. I cleaned my house readying it for “company” but didn’t change much except to fix a guest bed and get rid of the dust bunnies! When we returned, I’ll never forget what she said to me. I knew this young nurse from the hospital where we both worked. I knew she was a Christian and a very sweet person. She knew that I was a Christian as well. When we returned she said, “Thank you for the opportunity to stay here and get to know you thru your home. You know, sometimes people profess something, but you don’t know if they are really sincere or they really live it. I could just tell this week that you really do live what you say.”
What a great compliment! She could have opened any drawer in our house while we were gone! She had ample chance to look thru our selections of books, movies, and magazines. There was nothing there that was not authentic to our faith.
Facebook makes me wonder. For someone of my generation, it is so public! I am from the era of being told by your mother to always wear clean underwear in case you were in an accident and taken to the hospital! It would have been such a disgrace to show up critically injured wearing torn or dirty undies! Now, we strip ourselves down to our undies figuratively speaking showing the world what is under our respectable clothes and it isn’t pretty!
The Bible says there is no one without sin…no, not one! I certainly am a sinner saved only by His grace and it is only His mercy that I have a beatiful life now! But what bothers me is almost the sense of pride and lack of shame that I sense in some of these very public writings. I talk of my sin and shame from the past in my conferences or writings as a way to send a light to others that there is hope! God loves me! God saved me, the worst of sinners, through His Son! Here is a life line for you! You are not beyond hope! You are not beyond saving! You are not beyond His love because what He did for me, is available for you!
Instead, we list ourselves as Christians, join Christian groups, and then spread out the filth of sin in the next paragraph?
Beloved, it should not be! We cannot be of the world and in His world as well. So I guess my question is…..if Jesus, the Lover of your soul, read your facebook and wrote on your wall, what would He say?
“Well done, my good and faithful servant?” or “Away from me, you white washed tomb!” He told the Pharisee’s they were guilty of washing the outside of the cup and leaving the inside filthy.
What would He say to me? What would He say to you? Who are you away from church and when you’re “in the world?” Who are we when we think no one is looking? It is a question we all should ask ourselves and a question we should teach our children to ask themselves.
When you meet Jesus face to face, who will He really see?
On the journey with you,
Kim
Happy New Year! · 2 January 2008 by Kim Zweygardt
A commonly recurring theme here at kimzweygardt.com is how quickly time flies…...is that a sign of aging or a sign of the times?
I’m not sure it is either/or….most probably it is both/and!
Anyway, ready or not, a New Year is here and with it all of the hopes and dreams, fears and frustrations, regrets and resolutions that come with opening a fresh new calendar and beginning to fill the little squares with the events of life.
What will the New Year bring? It is only the end of day 1 and already there are events planned that I must pencil in.
Ministry events in January and February. My son and daughter both graduate in May. Birthday’s and Anniversaries. Seminars and vacations. Meetings to plan. College for three in the fall.
All the stuff of a busy life—some events bring joy and some are just a part of the “dayliness” of life. But all will fill the 366 (it’s Leap Year!) days of 2008.
So how best to fill the pages of my days of 2008?
I am at the place in my life that I want to concentrate on the hopes and prayers and dreams come true, and leave the regrets, fears and frustrations behind me. To concentrate on joy-filled days where the glass is half-full, not half-empty, and better yet, with His joy, see the glass of my days filled to over-flowing!
And what of the resolutions, you ask? Well, since most of us (including yours truly!) don’t do all we resolve to do, I’m also leaving that one behind.
As John Lennon said so well, “life is what happens while you’re making other plans.” But when His life, is your life….and when His plans are your plans, the moments in your days should bear the fingerprints of God rather than your own. I want my days to count so that when 2008 has passed, the history of 2008 won’t be just my story, but His-story.
So, I plan to spend January seeking God. (“What a concept!” (said with tongue firmly in cheek!)
You see, if I sit down with pen in hand, my enthusiasm gets the better of me and I end up with a lengthy grocery list of changes I want to make in 2008. It becomes like my ultimate to-do list ending with “discover a cure for cancer” and “hold Middle East peace talks!” And weeks later when I have fallen and I can’t get up, I give up on all the things I think I should do this year, even those that are attainable.
Instead, I am seeking God for what He wants for me for the year—how does He want me to live out the life He has given me as a wife, a mom, a friend, a dramatist, a worship leader, an author, as a temple of the Holy Spirit, etc. etc.
If my passion and purpose is to “know Christ and make Him known thru writing, music and drama,” and if He has given me a sphere of influence and a ministry as a wife, mother, friend, neighbor, etc. how exactly do I go about fulfilling that call on my life? What will please Him? And what will show others Jesus in me? What can I do each day to show the love of Christ not only to those I love, but also to the unlovable?
And what things do I need to STOP doing?
I don’t want my own laundry list of changes to make—lose 10 pounds, work-out every day, stop eating potato chips and dip at 10:00 pm, spend less, give more…...not that those things might not be a good thing, but I want Him to examine my heart and tell me in that still small voice the places He sees that I miss the mark. I don’t want to be like the Pharisee’s who did all the external things right but totally missed the message of God.
What must I leave behind to have the fruit of discipline in my life?
What things am I doing that take the time I should be spending on the pursuit of being transformed into the image of Christ?
What are the small foxes that eat the grapes and ruin my witness in my world?
Last year my resolution list was to Love God and Love People more than I had before. I hope I fulfilled that call. But it is also somewhat vague…especially in the Loving the People part. This year I am asking Him, “how exactly do you want me to do that?”
And I am “a people”....so how do I love myself and honor God in my life? His word says to love others as we love ourselves, so how do I do that?
And as a Christ follower, what tangible things can I do that demonstrate my love for Him and deepen our relationship?
I am not satisfied with a list that I can check off the items for the sake of checking them off, but at the same time, there must be feet to my faith. I’d like to look back and know because of my actions as well as my heart that I lived and loved well in 2008.
One thing I do know is that God answers prayers and hears those who diligently seek Him. My prayer is that when I sit here next year, tapping out how time flew in 2008, I will be ever more transformed into His image because of how I spent the days I have been given.
This is a song that I love and I will leave you with the lyrics:
“Life Means So Much” by Chris Rice“Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody’s rich, nobody’s poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who’s under
Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much
Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don’t you think giving is all
What proves the worth of yours and mine
Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Every day is a gift you’ve been given
Make the most of the time every minute you’re living
Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there’s plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching
Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Life means so much
Life means so much.”
As we count the days of 2008, may all of our days count for Christ.
Blessings,
Kim
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