The View from Here

Believe it or not, this beautiful picture is taken right outside my back door. One would think that with a view like this, I'd be outside enjoying it every minute. But over time I've come to take it for granted.

When my husband & I moved into this house 14 years ago, I had my coffee out on the back deck every morning it was over 60 degrees. We often ate dinner outside too. After the first year, life happened. We got busy. I got a promotion at work, his company took on a big project, next we had kids. And suddenly this view was forgotten.

Isn't our relationship with God like that sometimes? When our relationship is new we are so excited and want to spend so much time with God. Quiet time every morning, we enjoy our coffee with God. Then life happens. We get busy, and certainly our kids - especially babies keeping us up at night - interfere with our relationship with God. How can we get it back?

Friends can help. When a friend says to me "wow, the view here is amazing" I get reminded to enjoy it more. A friend can also be an accountability partner for your relationship with God, becoming a bible study or prayer partner.

Schedule it! This spring we've already had a deck party so that we could enjoy the view with some friends. The same is true with God. If you schedule your quiet time every morning, or your bible study every week you'll make it happen.

Get your kids involved. All it took was having dinner on the deck one night and now the kids want to eat out there every night. They too enjoy the view! And now that I do daily devotions with them, they can't wait for it to happen and ask if I forget. (I've also seen a positive behavioral change in my youngest since beginning the devotions!)

It doesn't take much work to renew my interest in enjoying my view. And it doesn't take much work to renew your relationship with God either! Why not get started today?

With God in your life, you'll enjoy a new point of VIEW!

"Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health." Proverbs 4:20, The Message Bible

"And how blessed all those in whom you {God} live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!" Psalm 84:5-7 The Message Bible

Heaven, Bryan Adams style

And love is all that I need, And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven.
Heaven, Bryan Adams, 1985

Do you ever think about what Heaven will be? Different ideas abound. Some think we'll have angel wings and float on clouds. Others think it will be like a "boring" church service. Some make mention of the streets of gold. What will we do in Heaven?

I love the quote by A. W. Tozer: "If worship bores you, you're not ready for heaven." I love singing praise songs to God. The idea that heaven could be one big worship service where we all lift our praises to God is thrilling to me. From old standards like "How Great Thou Art" to modern praise music like "How Great is Our God" I love worship! Still, that doesn't mean I have the full idea of heaven.

I remember one Sunday as we launched into the 100th chorus of "I could sing of your love forever" I began to wonder if we were going to. And I was no longer sure that I could sing of his love forever. So even though I love music, I can also relate to folks who don't get into singing fearing a boring heaven.

Bryan Adams lyric is fitting here. "Love is all that I need, and I found it there in your heart. It isn't too hard to see, we're in heaven." That, to me, is the summation of what heaven will really be like. Pure love. We will feel the full presence of God's love for us, without sin as a barrier. We will experience pure love for God, and others, in our perfected bodies without the influence of sin, shame and hurt we experience now in our earthly lives.

Revelation 21 tells us that in heaven there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Boring? I don't think so! So while I get a little excited about thinking that every day in heaven will be a "Musical Monday," and that my voice will be more than a "joyful noise" in heaven, the best part about heaven will be God's love and standing in the presence of God.

"You're all that I want! You're all that I need!"

Musical Musings:
1. What do you think heaven will be like?
2. Do you enjoy worship? If not, what changes can you make to find it a more enjoyable experience?
3. If you don't enjoy music, what are some other ways that you can praise God?

Karaoke:
Dear Lord: I'm excited about heaven, but I know that the thought scares some people. Lord, offer them your peace and comfort. Give them a glimpse into your love so that they will be excited heaven. Help us to have focused and spirit filled worship on earth so that we can get a taste of heaven and desire more. Thank you God for offering us eternal life, a chance to be with you forever. Thank you that your love truly is all that we need. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock On:
Read Revelation 21 to get an image of the end times. Or if you're feeling adventurous, read all of John's Revelation in the Bible.

Bamboo Two

This is Bamboo. Bamboo is one of the favorite stuffed animals of my youngest daughter. But what she doesn't know, is that this is actually Bamboo II.

You see Bamboo was left unattended downstairs. And when you have two dogs, bad things can happen to unattended stuffed animals. Bamboo gotten dirty, beaten up and ripped apart. I made an emergency visit to the store and purchased a new Bamboo. Hence Bamboo II. Now Bamboo is clean, fresh and "like" new...because he is new.

In life, we too get beaten up. We are dirty from our sins, ripped apart by our problems. Life is like two dogs chewing on us. But then there is Jesus. He makes us new again! He didn't make a trip to the store, but a trip to the cross. And like Bamboo II, we are brand new!

I love my daughter so much, I didn't want her to feel the loss of her beloved stuff animal. God loves us too much to lose us too. All we have to do is love and accept Jesus, then we'll be made brand new, just like Bamboo II.

"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" Revelation 21:5

A Wise Woman

Proverbs 14:1 - The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

I am a wise woman. Really. However, consider the fact that my six year old has to take allergy medicine during the fall pollen season. The problem was, I would always forget to give it to her. Dashing around each morning getting ready for school, it never would enter my mind. No, I would remember in the car on the way to school. As we sat in the quiet of the car, I would hear her sniffles and remember. And the guilt would come. I forgot...again! And I would tear myself down for being a "bad mom."

I tried making myself notes, enlisting the help of my husband, and encouraging my six year old to help me remember. Nothing worked. And then I realized that I remembered every morning without fail in the car. Why not just keep the allergy medicine in the car? Voila! No more problem!

Sometimes we get stuck in a way of thinking, and by thinking outside the box the problem is solved. We can build ourselves and our homes up, instead of tearing them down.

Join me at Titus 2 in Action to talk about some other ways to be a wise woman!

Still the One

“We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one.”
Still the One, Orleans, 1976

We live in a multi-tasking world. Our cell phones are not only phones, but calendars, email servers, text messengers. Our televisions are also DVRS, with cable access and internet access and the ability to upload photographs for slide shows. It's not enough to just have a nook (e-reader), we now have to have the ipad, which does it all!

Our schedules are packed and over flowing with to-dos. I know that I personally must be over scheduled, because never have I been so happy to be forced to stay home all day today while the carpet installers come. Forced to stay home! YAY!

We fill our lives with stuff. We fill our time with stuff. We fill our homes with stuff. We're packed full with so many things, we may miss the one thing that is most important. Jesus said, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." (Luke 10:41-42) He was and is the one thing.

Being a follower of Jesus doesn't mean adhering to a list of rules either. Jesus wants us to live a full life, an abundant life! I have a T-shirt that states "Believers have more fun!" It's true. Being a follower of Christ brings you joy!

Jesus is THE ONE. We're still having fun, He's still the One.

Musical Musings:
1. Is your schedule so busy that you often forgo devotional time with God?
2. Are you distracted by all the stuff in your life that making time for God is tough?
3. What changes can you make to focus on the ONE.

Karaoke: Lord, I admit it! I like stuff. I keep too busy, I buy too many things, and I don't make enough time for you. Forgive me! Help me remember that you are THE ONE thing that I need. Help me to make wise decisions and prioritize my life better. Thank you for being a God of hope, a God of love and a God of joy! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock on: Romans 13:11 -- But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! (The Message)

Read the story of Mary & Martha in Luke 10:38-42.

I Want to Know What Love Is

I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me.
I wanna feel what love is, I know you can show me.
I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner, 1984

"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a 1984 power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The #1 hit song is the band's most successful single, not only hitting #1 in 1985, but also charting in the top 25 in 2000, 2001 and 2002 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart. Obviously, people relate not only to the music of the song, but also the powerful lyrics.

The song is about vulnerability. The group sings, "In my life I've had heartache and pain, I don't know if I can face them again." Truth is, nearly everyone has experienced heartache and pain. And if you haven't yet, stop and praise God...and know that it is coming. Facing heartache is no easy task. We all want to experience and know true love. We want to know what love is.

There is One who can show us. God is love. He is true love, and unconditional love. There is an empty place in all of us, custom designed by God to be filled with only his love. We can try to get a spouse, friend, career, or hobby to fill the space. We can try to dull the empty space with alcohol or drugs.

But only the love of God can fill that space. When we have a relationship with God, through Bible reading and prayer, we can fill the emptiness with God's love.

I wanna know what love is. And because of God, I do. Do you?

Musical Musings:
1. Do you know what love is, because of God's love?
2. Do you look to your spouse or friends to fill the emptiness inside you?
3. If you have that empty place inside of you, consider praying and ask God to show you what love is, and fill you with his love.

Karaoke:
Dear God, I want to know what love is! I know you can show me, and so I humbly ask that you do show me. Help me to realize and feel your love. Help me to be overflowing with your love so that I can love others like you love me. Forgive me for my hard-heartedness. Help me to know what love is. In Jesus name, Amen.

Rock On:
Read about love in 1 John 4:7-21.

The Whole Pie

This pie chart represents me. This is what my heart looks like. Well, not to scale mind you, but I have a heart divided. In my heart I have a love for family, a love for friends, a love for God, a love for coffee.... Well you get the idea. There are lots of things on my mind and in my heart.

Sometimes I can feel very distant from God. However, knowing God like I do, I realize that if I'm feeling that distance, I must be the one who moved away. The Bible is clear, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

All my heart. Not some of my heart, part of my heart, or most of my heart. That can seem hard at times, because like most people I am pulled in so many directions daily. How can I make room for it all?

It's like that old analogy with the jar filled with rocks, then pebbles, then sand. If you put the big things in first, all the other things fit. However, if the sand goes in first, the big things don't fit.

Putting God first is the answer. When I seek him with my whole heart, somehow there is room for everything else. But if I seek the other stuff first, I can't find room for God. When I give God the whole pie, I get pie back. I like pie. Don't you?

Here is the jar analogy video. If you are reading this post via email, you may need to visit my blog at http://www.chattykelly.com/ to see the video.