You're Wrong!

As Christians, it becomes easy for us to correct. After all the Bible tells us we are to correct and rebuke, providing careful instruction. It's too easy, however, to become the the instructor of the world! Suddenly we are correcting each other's every word. Well, wouldn't it be wrong to let some one's error go unchecked?

I don't think so. There is a place for grace, and a time to "be wrong with someone."  And that's what I'm blogging about Friday, as a guest on the blog of Michael Hyatt, Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishing.

This is my 2nd opportunity to guest post, the first was in January entitled Leadership Starts at Home. I am thankful to Mr. Hyatt for sharing his platform of about 400,000 readers with me, a housewife with a devotional blog. 

Is there a benefit to being wrong with someone, and letting their error go uncorrected?  I hope you will visit my post at www.michaelhyatt.com on Friday, and see what I think. And please, come over and leave me a comment, and let me know what you think.  I'll meet you there. 

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

A Life Lesson from Salsa

Some like it hot, but I must admit I am rather a mild girl.  I am, of course, speaking about salsa! I love the salsa we get from a local Mexican restaurant with just a mild kick to it. I was recently searching in the deli case at the grocery story for something similar. I studied all the types of salsa they had; classic, home-style, and southwestern. I settled on the classic, and then continued looking...medium, medium, medium, mild! There is was. I picked up the mild salsa and put it in my cart, to finish my shopping and check out.

Imagine my surprise when I got home to discover I had gotten medium salsa! How could that have happened? I knew what I wanted, I searched for it, I found it, and I reached for it.But some where between the reaching and the picking up, I must have taken my "eyes off the prize." I was distracted, or thinking about the next item on my list, and the glance away was enough to make me pick up the wrong item, and my tongue burned as a result of the error.

This happens in my life too often. I know what I want to do, and I have every intention of doing the right thing, but then at the last moment I look away and end up doing the wrong thing. My distraction, or thinking about the next thing in my life makes me do the wrong thing, sin, and I could get burned (in hell!) as a result of that sin.

I'm so thankful that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. When I mess up (and I do more than I'd like!) I know that I only need repent (turn away from) and confess my sins to God and he will forgive them.

At the same time, I need to be more vigilant. I need to follow through with the appropriate actions. I know what I need to do, but I must keep focused and alert to do them. The Apostle Paul summed up our mistakes and sins this way, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:15). But he reassures us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39)

1 Peter reminds us to be self controlled and alert. The devil is waiting to devour us, but the Spirit of God in us can help us resist and stand firm in our faith.


Knowing the right thing to do is not enough, we must follow through and do it. I resolve to be more intentional with my follow through, and stop allowing the world to distract me. How about you?   

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Finding the Lost

Last October, in my community, a young boy was lost for 5 days in an 80 acre park. It was constantly on the news, as thousands of volunteers came out to canvas the area where he was lost. With no food or water, and nightly temperatures in the 40s, the young boy, Robert, survived! Experts believe that because he was autistic, and had little self awareness, he didn't know he was lost. This may have helped him. Robert didn't have the fear or anxiety that most lost children or adults would have.

Robert was found by a man who said God told him where to look. The man refused to be identified in the media, because he wanted God to get the glory. Our local Sheriff commented at the press conference after Robert was found,"Whether it's appropriate or not for everyone, there is a God. He listens to prayers and prayers were answered." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children gave an award to Sheriff's Office for their efforts this week. It  was one of only two agencies in the country receiving the award.

There are so many people in our world who are lost today and, like Robert, they do not even know it! They are lost from God, and do not believe Jesus is their savior. Sadly, their not knowing they are lost will not save their life, but actually cause them to lose it. It is our job to be like the man who found Robert.

We need to be listening for God's voice to tell us where to go find the lost. We need to obey Jesus command to "Go, and make disciples of all." And we need to give God the glory for everyone who comes to him through our efforts, because it is God and the Holy Spirit who draw people to him.

Thousands of people came out to find one lost boy. How many Christians will help find one lost soul?

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

But-Free Living

But-free living isn't a diet plan, though it is a before and after story. In my life, I am always waiting for the "but." You know, "Kelly, you did a great job, BUT ...." I am a master at deflecting the positive comments, and living in the critique. (I just couldn't say living in the "but, " however you get the idea.)

Saturday I had the opportunity to speak at a church with an amazing pastor. Pastor Jeff is gifted in encouragement, among other gifts. He wrote an ad in the local paper inviting people to hear me speak at his church. I felt like the write-up was so good that I would have a hard time living up to the "hype." I told him of my tendency to wait for the "but" comment. Yet, Pastor Jeff encouraged me to believe it was truth, not hype. I gave my talk, and pray that the ladies was moved and encouraged by what I shared. Then after I was done, Pastor Jeff had the ladies share some of their favorite parts about me and my talk, and he wrote them on a white board.

He then wrote BUT on the board, and I honestly thought for a moment he was going to write some ways I could have done better. I didn't know what would happen next. But he took a marker and put a big X on the but.  There was no "but." He encouraged us to live a life of "But-free living." A life where we encourage one another without the "but." 

God knows all about us, everything on both sides of the "but." However, he loves us anyway, and because of Jesus, he only sees the good side, forgiving everything else.  In him we can realize our value. In him, we have great worth.

Jesus loves you....no BUTS about it!

What differences can you make in your life, and in the lives of others, by implementing "but-free" living? 

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Special thanks to Dr. Jeff Scott for speaking wisdom and encouragement in my life. And I thought I was the one who was supposed to be doing the speaking and encouraging that day!

Platform: Book Review

Platform is the new book by Michael Hyatt. It is a smartly written, beneficial, and encouraging for every person who is trying to "Get Noticed in a Noisy World." 

Whether you have a product, a service, or even a ministry, Platform will give you the edge to stand out. Each chapter is packed with a wealth of information, usually written in list form.

I quickly realized I could put the highlighter down, because every word was valuable. There was no filler, like so many other books include. I could go right to the chapter I wanted to review, and get a list of tips, each one useful, without having to search for them.

Hyatt is Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishing, and one of the top bloggers in the world. This gives his book real credibility. He knows what he is talking about. Platform offers a step-by-step guide with proven strategies, practical tips and easy-to-replicate formulas. Whether you are an author, pastor, public speaker, entrepreneur, musician, or small business owner…developing your platform is critical for your success.

*But wait - there's more!* (I've always wanted to say that.)  To celebrate the launch of the book this week, Hyatt is giving away $375.98 worth of free bonus content for those who purchase the book between May 21 and May 25. Complete details are available at http://michaelhyatt.com/platform

Bonuses include: Platform Video Jumpstart Program (six sessions), How to Write a Winning Book Proposal (two e-books and two audio sessions), Why NOW is the Best Time Ever to Be an Author (hour-long video), Digital Versions of Platform (audio and eBook), and more!

Obviously I'm a Michael Hyatt fan, but I think you will be too. If you are trying to "get noticed in a noisy world," then get this book today, so you may take advantage of Hyatt’s bonus content and start building or expanding your platform right away!

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

I hope you enjoyed the book review, devotions return on Wednesday!

Feedburner Error

For some reason, unknown to me, my feed burner email subscriber service decided to resend out a blog post from March on Saturday. I have no idea what happened, and I hope it won't happen again.  I apologize to everyone who received a duplicate email. Thanks for your continued support! 

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Platform Launch Team

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know I recently joined the Platform Launch Team. Several of you have asked what exactly is the Platform Launch Team, so I thought I would explain it here.  Platform is a new book coming out on May 21, by Michael Hyatt. The Launch Team is a group of about 100 individuals selected to help create buzz about the book before the release. I was selected to be part of that group out of about 750 applications, so I'm pretty excited about it.

But why do I want to be part of the Team? Why would I want to help promote someone else's book? I'll share three reasons why:

1. The Community - It's so exciting to be a part of this community of 100 folks who share a common goal. We're not all "authors" but we are all people trying to build our own platform. We're reading the book together, and brainstorming together ways to both promote the book, and ourselves. Plus we're all fans of Michael Hyatt, who is an active member of the team. It's really neat to see a sense of community form from a group of virtual strangers who become "virtual friends."

2. The Contacts - This is different than community. Community is the sense of relationship, but a Contact takes that relationship to the next step, where that relationship gains you access to further information or benefit. When I was at the SCORRE conference earlier this month, my mentoring group was a community, but one member of that group was so moved by my testimony that he followed up afterward to offer me a writing contract to share my story in print. That relationship changed him from a member of my SCORRE community, to a contact. Who knows what contacts I may make on the Launch Team?

3. The Commodity - (that is, the book!) The truth is, it's a great book, and I am happy to add my support to it. Platform is teaching me all kinds of things about "getting noticed is a noisy world." If I ate at a great restaurant I would tell you about it. If I see a great movie I share it. This is no different. It's a good book, so I'm telling my friends.

But don't buy it yet! I'm writing my review of the book next week, and Hyatt is offering incentives that you don't want to miss by waiting and buying the book the week of the 21st. Sign up to receive those incentives here. 

If you're not familiar with Hyatt, you may want to check out his blog at www.michaelhyatt.com. You may recall I guest posted for him in January, and will be again in June. As a matter of fact, you may have met me through his blog! If so, than you know why I am fan. 

If you aren't familiar with Hyatt, and visit me for my online devotionals, thank you for your support! I hope you will excuse this departure from my normal post. You are a valued member of the "Chatty Kelly" community! Keep visiting, I appreciate you.

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com