Sunday, December 21, 2014

This little LIGHT of mine

I love the lights of Christmas.

I love how they take my every day home and brighten them with their glow on my Christmas trees and mantle.

I love how just one small light can erase the darkness.

If anyone sees our Christmas tree it is quite evident that ours is decorated with TONS of lights.  I want all of the parts of the tree as lit as possible.



In my last post, you read how the Lord is giving me JOY.

Now I am finding the Lord has been giving me the word LIGHT ... Not just because of the lights I am seeing twinkling on our Christmas tree, but because of the true Light of Christmas.  He has taken what I have learned in the past months and compiled them so sweetly for me that I just had to share.

When one thinks of light, one thinks of the sun, a light bulb, or a candle. 

I want to begin at the first light.

The light of DAY that God brought to us when He created this earth/universe we call home.

He IS light.  He actually had to create darkness so that His light could shine.  On the first day of Creation, God chose LIGHT first to illuminate the darkness.

There are many instances in the Old Testament of God's light and Him being our light for our path or to lighten our darkness.  There is not time here to expand on them all. 

As one steps into the New Testament to the book of John, we begin to see this LIGHT takes on human form. (John 1:1-11)

God, the Creator of the universe, could have callously looked upon this weary land, full of sin, and refused to send His Son to be our Light for salvation.  

Instead, when he fullness of time came, God sent His Son.  And what came with each announcement?

A light. 

As I was teaching my students about the first Christmas, it was as if I was having my own "connections" to what the Lord began on day one of Creation.  I was being illuminated by God's Word just as I was desiring to illuminate the minds of my students.

Just as God said "Let there be light!" on that first day of Creation, the shepherds experienced a great LIGHT with the angels proclaiming that Emmanuel was with us.

When Jesus was still a baby he was seen in the temple by Simeon, an old man of Jerusalem, who called Jesus, "the light to lighten the Gentiles."

When the Wise Men came from the east, what led them?  A LIGHT of a star that brought them to the Savior.  

The Lord illuminates our dark hearts to show us our need for a Savior.

When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus was taking on the verse of Psalm 119:105 ~ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

After Christ is in our hearts, we, as Christians, become that LIGHT to bring others to Jesus. 

It has made me pause and think of how my little light is shining.  I can't help but think of the song I used to sing in Sunday School and still sing with the kids today:

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let is shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.


On what is my central focus in life that I am lighting? 

Is it money?  Power?  Prestige?  Having a good time? Myself?


What am I illuminating to others when I post on this blog, Facebook, in emails, or other forms of communication?

What am I illuminating for my family and friends?

What am I illuminating as I stand before my students and teach them daily?

What am I illuminating as I wait in traffic?

What am I illuminating as I wait in line at a store?

Basically.... What am I illuminating as I say, do, or think anything?


Is my light illuminating what God began in Genesis 1 and continued when He sent His Son to be the Light of the World?

We are living in dark times.  And, as I have heard on the news recently, our days are getting darker by the minute. 

One small light can make a difference and expose the darkness.

The only way my light can become brighter is by reading, studying, and allowing God's Word to illuminate my own heart.

Then my little light will shine before men so they may see good works and glorify my Father in heaven.

God, the Creator of the Universe has chosen little me to be a light for Him.  May I be found faithful and brighter as each day passes.

What about you?

Is your light shining for your own desires and wants, or is it shining for the Savior? 

Sunday, December 07, 2014

JOY in the season


It's Christmastime!

It is the time of year when we hear a lot about JOY.


The Lord has been putting this word of JOY in front of me a lot in the last couple of years, but He has really been showing it to me recently.

In recent years I have been concentrating on teaching JOY to my students in Jesus, Others, You.

Jesus should come first in your life; Others are second; You are last.

LAST? Oh, goodness... in this day and age of everyone's rights and entitlement, why in the world would YOU be LAST!?

Because we were made to glorify the Lord.

We were made to praise Him.

We were made to lift Him up to others.

We are made to be last.

However, so many times it is the other way around.... You; Others; Jesus.

That doesn't make such a nice word.  YOJ.

In fact, it makes no sense.  And that is exactly what life becomes when we think of ourselves first, others second, and the Lord last... if at all.

For many years I had joy.  Or what I thought was joy.... maybe it was just happiness.

I learned, however, that one can be happy without having any JOY.  I had a world that was a bit twisted... it was a world of KELLIE; OTHERS; the Lord.

I loved the Lord... don't get me wrong.  I thought I was serving Him.  I thought I had joy.

But that is where I was wrong.  The Lord had to show me that I was not responsible for my Joy.

HE WAS.

And IS.

Let's continue....

The Lord seems to be showing me more in this word of JOY, though.

He has taught me, and still is, that there is JOY in the journey of this life....through EVERY season of life, and not just at Christmas.

This summer I went to a jewelry party and it took me forever... I mean, I was the last person, I think, to place her order.... to pick out my necklace below.

(I could blame it on my ADD and say there were too many choices, but I know that is not the case...)

I wanted this necklace to resemble what the Lord has done for me.  I wanted this necklace to be a statement of what is important to me so that if someone asks, I can tell them.

The first part of the necklace says "the JOY is in the Journey."  The flowers have a verse from Matthew on the back that says to not worry about what you will wear because God clothes the lilies of the field and He will clothe you.  The last is my initial because I am having this JOY in the Journey of Kellie's life.



There truly is JOY in the journey.  Let me explain.



The Lord began taking me on a Journey of life that became hard, rocky, and quite difficult.

There were days of fun and excitement.

There were days of wondering if He was really there. 

There were days of brightness and beauty.

There were days of sadness and darkness.

Through all of those days I learned to cling to the Lord.

I learned how HE became my JOY.

My Joy in the Journey.

You see, He never promised life was going to be great.  He never promised that I was going to get everything I wanted and all of the money I wanted.  He never promised that I would not get sick.  He never promised that I would always be happy.  He never promised that life was going to always be smooth.

BUT HE HAS ALWAYS PROMISED ME JOY.

Look at these verses the Lord has recently given to me:

Psalm 5:11 ~But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psalm 16:11 ~ Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 30:5 ~ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 51:8 ~ Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Isaiah 52:9 ~ Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Isaiah 61:3 ~ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

James 1:2 ~  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (testings)

Hebrews 12:11 ~ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Hebrews 12:2 ~ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jude 1:24 ~ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy


...and there are many more.

The Lord has shown me through hard times or good times, that He alone brings me JOY.  True Joy in all of my circumstances.

I can actually look back with MORE JOY on the hardest times in my life because it drove me to HIM.  It drove me to the ONE Who did not worry about my happiness, but was concerned of how I could find JOY in Him.

Jesus counted it all JOY to go to the cross for me.  I should count it all JOY to die to self daily and put Him first so that my JOY may be full.

JESUS first.

Others second.

You last.

Joy in the good times.

Joy in the surprises.

Joy in the sufferings.

Joy in the testings.

JOY in EVERY season, whether Christmas or the seasons of life.

Because there is JOY in the Journey.

.... and that is only through Christ.

Have YOU found JOY in and through HIM?

At this Christmas season, may you realize we celebrate the reason we can have true JOY at any season.

Jesus Christ.

Enjoy some JOY.

 
Jeremiah 15:16 ~ Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Truly Thankful in All Things

I love Thanksgiving time.  


It is a time of looking at how much the Lord has blessed you and truly be thankful.  However, should this really be the only time of year we look around us and see how much the Lord has done for us?

No, it should be minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year.

Unfortunately, I am finding in this world that true thankfulness is becoming a thing of the past. 

For example, the simple courtesy of hearing a "thank you" when the door was opened for someone or if something was given to an individual is becoming less and less.

What about even the daily weather?  We want it hotter or colder.  We want more rain or less rain.  We want snow or no snow.  We want the weather to be "perfect" on our own terms of what makes us happy in a days time!

I have experienced a lack of thankfulness and an increased in wantingness and whiningness (my own words, thank you...) that have caused me to ponder the true meaning of thankfulness.

We only want to be thankful when it is on our own terms and we feel certainly BLESSED by God with good health, wealth, and an undisturbed life.

My heart's desire is always to be thankful, and I have been asking the Lord to put a guard on my heart and mouth that a complaining spirit would be far from me.

I am truly human and have failed at that many times, but I will say, the Lord has caused me to stop and think before my mouth is opened.  I want to examine my heart before words spill out and cannot be placed back in my mouth.

Is what I am saying glorifying to the Lord for all He has done for me?

But wait.... I know, I know... you may be sitting there saying, "But Kellie, YOU haven't faced what I have faced!  It is kind of hard to be thankful!"

Yes, you are right.  I may not know what you are going through... but I know Who does.

Today in church I was reminded that the Apostle Paul wrote about thankfulness many times.  He wrote those words while in prison.

A stinky, dark prison.

No new clothes.

No 3 meals a day.

Probably varmints everywhere.

But yet he reminded us often to be thankful.

I loved this verse that was brought to my attention again this morning:

Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Give thanks.

Always.

For all things.

ALL THINGS?
 
We have food.  Be thankful.

We have clothing... even if it is not the latest and greatest.  Be thankful.

We have a place to call home.  Be thankful.  
(Even Jesus did not have a place on this earth to call "home.")

We have electricity.  Be thankful.

We have vehicles... even if they are not "new" they still get us from Point A to Point B.  Be thankful.

We have heat or air conditioner in our homes.  Be thankful.

Get the point?


What about the dark times... the hard times in a person's life?

The loss of a loved one. 

The loss of personal possessions. 

The loss of health.  

A wayward teenager.

A broken marriage.


This year I can look back and see where I or one of my family members/friends has experienced all or part of those.   I can honestly say that YES... we can give thanks even through ALL of those things.

Why?

Because the Lord will always use them for good.  It may not be the "good" that we think... but we do not know the story of our life as the Lord does.

I am not the person I was a year ago and it is all thanks to the Lord for the trials He brought to me in 2014 that have driven me to Him.

My Comforter.

My Healer.

My Friend.

My Glorious Savior.

I am reminded of this song and have sung it often recently..... clung to it at times... when the darkness seems to close in...  and still I can say "Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

I challenge YOU to do the same.


Sunday, November 02, 2014

Time to Clean


Cleaning.



Yeah, this past weekend I got excited about it.

Since school has begun I have not had the time or energy to really clean like this house needed it.  My family has pitched in and helped me several times, but I never got around to a more thorough cleaning.

Until this past weekend.

I was excited to...
...clean up areas that had been long neglected.
...vacuum and mop.
...clean out the spider webs.
...have a day to do just that.

Then, as I was mopping, the Lord spoke to me in His still, small voice and reminded me that spiritual cleaning is even more important than physical cleaning of my house.

I need to make sure I have taken the time to clean up my spiritual house.

Are there cobwebs of pride and selfishness in the corner of my heart that need removing?

The dust of discontentment can surely cloud my view of what the Lord is trying to do in my life.

Piles of busyness in my closet cause me to stumble and fall.

And, shock, mold of hidden sin can be ignored then grow and cause a spiritual decay or sickness. 


How can we spiritually clean?

Just as I had to take the time to clean my house, I must DAILY take the time to clean out my spiritual life.  I cannot expect it to get cleaned if I allow busyness, which leads to tiredness, take away the "better part" of spiritually cleaning.  I must get in God's Word and allow HIM to clean.

I looked up "clean" on Biblegateway.com.  I was amazed at how many times God uses "clean" or "cleanse" in His Word.  This is just a small sampling showing how important the Lord desires for our lives, His Temple, to be clean.

Psalm 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

Mark 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

What about you?

How is your spiritual house?

Has it been a while since you allowed the Lord to clean it?

Sunday, October 19, 2014

To amuse or muse? That is the question!

You already know from my previous post that it is Fair Time around here.  :)  We love the State Fair and love the memories we have made there in years gone by.  This past weekend was no exception... what a great time with the family!



I will admit, though, that I am not here to necessarily talk about all of the fun.  I want to get you thinking.

I have been mulling over this topic for weeks and the Lord has continued to give me thoughts and ideas during this time.  It all started when my Sunday School teacher shared that "amuse" is the opposite of "muse." 

I never thought of that before and I guess it is because we do not use the word "muse" most of the time in our everyday language nowadays.  I mean, really, who walks around saying, "I just took time to muse over the latest headline."  In our culture today the word "AMUSE" is so much more prevalent.  Let's look at their definitions.  (Yes, this is the school teacher coming out in me.....)

MUSE

[myooz]

verb (used without object), mused, musing.
1.  to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.
2.  Archaic. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.
verb (used with object), mused, musing.
3.  to meditate on.
4.  to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.
 
 
AMUSE
[uh-myooz]

verb (used with object), amused, amusing.
1.  to hold the attention of (someone) pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner:
2.  to cause mirth, laughter, or the like, in:
3.  to cause (time, leisure, etc.) to pass agreeably.
4. Archaic. to keep in expectation by flattery, pretenses, etc.
5. Obsolete.
  1. to engross; absorb.
  2. to puzzle; distract.
What do we find ourselves doing most of the time?  Think about it.
 
Do we take the time to be still and MUSE in silence, or do we AMUSE ourselves constantly with music, TV, busyness, going, going, and going?
 
 
 
I know for our life, and it is mild compared to most people, we are too busy most of the time.  Some of it is out of necessity because it is just "life" in this present world.  But is it really "life?"  
 
We are so busy going nowhere that we take very little time to stop, think, and meditate.  
 
I see it in myself.
 
I see it in my own children.

I see it in my students.
 
I see it in other adults.
 
When we do have a few minutes of quiet, we reach for the electronic gadget that will pass the minutes.  We reach for something that will take our mind off of the ability to muse.
 
Why do we do that?
 
It seems we have become so ingrained that we need Amusing that we do not know how to muse any longer. 
 
I cannot compete with fast electronics.  I cannot compete with games.  However, I must do it every day to capture the attention of my students and sometimes my own children.  There are even days I have to do it to capture the attention of adults.  

I want to teach my own children how to muse.  I want to teach them to think deeply and take the time to dig into learning something without needing it to be flashy, humorous or entertaining.  I want my students to walk away from my classroom having an appreciation for thinking on something just for the value of what was gained by musing!
 
I am learning to do the same.
 
This past summer I took the time to MUSE.  
 
I DID NOT.....
 
deep clean my house.
 
obsess over the neatness.
 
make it a habit to go, go, go.
 
 
I DID, however...
 
spend time in God's Word
 
sit quietly at my kitchen table
 
took time to think
 
 
When school began again, I will admit that I was a bit sad.  As much as I LOVE teaching, I also enjoyed the precious time of musing.  I enjoyed the time of less busyness and more quality time of thinking.  I was not ready to be in the "rat race" again. 
 
We all need that time of quietness and thinking.
 
How about you?  Do you really take time to muse?  
 
Nothing is wrong with being amused at times, but God's Word is clear that in order to know the Lord you must be still and quiet.  You must take the time to get to know Him.
 
The Lord gave me this verse the other day.  The end of it stopped me in my tracks.  
 
 
Isaiah 30:15 ~  For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: 
and ye would not.
 
We live in a society today that wants little or nothing of the Lord.  It is all about the "ME" factor.  They want to be entertained... amused.  Even our churches are becoming an entertainment field instead of a time of pure worship and musing.  We must take the time to stop, rest, and become quiet before the Lord so that confidence from Him will be our strength.
 
In order to do that, AMUSEMENT must go away so that MUSING can stay.
 
Think on that.      

Sunday, October 12, 2014

FAIR TIME!




It's that time of year again!

Fair Time for the Fowler's! 

We had our annual bake-off this weekend and we made lots of memories!  We are now officially exhausted, too.  :)

Here is what we did:

Kellie:  
Photography

Baking:
Blue Cheese Straws
Banana Nut Bread
Cupcakes (Hershey Chocolate with Caramel Icing)
Oatmeal Raisin drop cookies

Wesley:
Old fashioned chocolate fudge (yes, we are nuts for choosing that one)
Honey Muffins (Honey food category)
Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Honey (Honey food category)

Mikayla:
Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies
Blueberry Muffins
Pecan Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Frosting

 

I have "blown up" this blog with pictures.  Enjoy our antics!


Working on my blue cheese straws.





 Me and my sweet Mikayla




Of course I dragged my brother Kevin down here... I needed help!

Mikayla getting ready to make her Pecan Spice Cake.

She put the flour on our noses. lol

Yes, I photographed the sifter.  This IS ME you are talking about.....

Kevin guiding Mikayla in the process of sifting dry ingredients together.  Kind of hard for a left-hander to hold a right-handed sifter sometimes.

Mikayla got to grate the nutmeg for her cake.


Oh, goodness... the cake batter was SO YUMMY.

Now I am mashing bananas for my banana bread.  Such the pro.


Along comes Wes.... there are not many "normal" looking pictures of him on here this time.  Of course, THIS IS NORMAL for him.  Have NO idea where he gets this from....

Working on his Whole Wheat Banana bread with honey

My banana bread and oatmeal raisin cookies cooling....  YUMMO.

Is that candy thermometer right!???

Day 2 of working with the blue cheese straws.  I had the privilege of using my rolling pin and rolling out the dough!  Kevin's sternum was thankful we didn't use a cookie press this year!


The recipe called for poppy seeds on the blue cheese straws.... I had cut them in little strips before I baked them.

This is my son.  Working on his fudge.  Goofball.

Mikayla was melting her chocolate for her Bittersweet Brownies.

Waiting on the fudge.... with a toothpick in his mouth.....

Mimi was such a blessing.... helped keep all of us straight!  haha!  

Making my caramel frosting.  I ate too much.  Yes, I admit.  I almost got sick I ate so much of the stinking good stuff.

But look at these pretty Hershey Chocolate cupcakes with the Caramel Icing!!!!

We taste-tested A LOT....


Trying to avoid licking our fingers..... heehee


Wesley is getting ready to make his honey muffins....and his sister is being the goof again now.

But he gets back into it quickly...

He made an executive decision to add more honey to his recipe.  Proud of him for thinking through and choosing to do that.  :)

My blue cheese straws. YUM.

Mikayla with her brownies as they were cooling.

The honey muffins looked scrumptious!  Wesley tested them.... with a toothpick to make sure they were done... and then by eating one.  haha!



Mikayla did a great job frosting her Pecan Spice Cake.

Wesley making his fudge... AGAIN.  The first batch we overcooked.  :(  Perseverance was our keyword for him!

Mikayla making her blueberry muffins.

Now she is modeling her cut brownies and half of her Pecan Spice Cake.

And here are all of the entries on the table ready to go.

I ingested too many calories this weekend so I will eat carrots and celery the rest of the week.  haha.  Truly... I love these times with my family.  I love how we learned much just by being together.  It doesn't matter if we win or not... and if we do that is like "icing on the cake!"  I know I have already won because I am so thankful for the family God has given me. 

Taste-testing will be at school with me...... heehee.....