Sunday, March 28, 2010

Scripture Memory Verse Week #9

Good afternoon Princesses!

Since I am today limited by simultaneous nap/video-interest time, (I am grateful that Gregory's nap is overlapping with Stephane's quiet time watching Tarzan in French!) this will indeed be short and sweet!

I pray that you are feeling loved and adored by your Father, the King! I pray that these memory verses are starting to sink in and stick with you to encourage you in your daily walk....

Your Father delights in showering His blessings upon you...what a remarkable thing if you stop and let that sink in a minute. The Creator of the universe is tickled when what He has created blesses you!

I thought of that today as I noticed the first daffodil blooming in my yard...He made it just for me to enjoy it! What an awesome God we serve!

Here are a couple of photos taken just now...

...yes, it is wet and cold, but they are starting to bloom!...

...and another lovely bloom, just for me to enjoy!...

So, our verse for this week reflects a little bit more just how crazy He is about you! It is again taken from the book of Isaiah...

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1b

You have been redeemed (bought back), summoned by name (have you ever been called by name by someone important? It makes you feel important, too), and lastly, that Kingly hug for all of us princesses, "you are Mine." Picture Him here holding you on His lap like a daddy holds his little girl. He is telling you it is all going to be ok, because He's your Daddy.

This week as you memorize this verse, picture yourself in the lap of your Daddy, your Abba Father. He holds you, redeemed you, called you by name and you are His.

Blessings...
kimberly

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Scripture Memory Verse Week #8

Well, my fellow princesses,

This is going to be short and sweet tonight! i have hardly had a second to use the restroom, much less blog and think creatively about spiritual things! My prayers are certainly breathed throughout each and every day, but honestly, at night these days, they are whispered as i crawl into bed, pull up the covers and quickly go into full sleep mode. I am having the time of my life caring for Stephane and Gregory now that Grandma Leonie returned to Haiti for the funeral of her cousin and brother-in-law, Pastor Louis. It just so happened that the funeral was the same day as the 5th anniversary of the passing of Leonie's husband, Pastor Israel Izidor. It was good for the family to be together as they grieved and celebrated the life of two very Spirit-led, influential men in the history of Haiti.

Since Leonie left on Thursday I have had the privilege of caring for the boys. What an honor and a blessing! And to say that I am tired is not a complaint, but only a statement of fact. This sort of tired happens anytime we find our life routines and patterns changed...and it's all good. I'm so happy and blessed to be used in this way. God is so good. Here are some recent photos:

Here is Stephane listening to a Curious George book read by his "cousin," Jacob.
And this sweet photo is after our first night with me in charge! He woke up early, we cuddled on the couch for awhile and he fell back asleep for a couple of hours....
And...after being absolutely TERRIFIED of the dogs, Stephane has found some ways to enjoy them...feeding his Cheerios to Rocky, and playing fetch with Max!
And Gregory was enthralled with the musicians that stopped by our table 
at the local Mexican restaurant!

So, with all of that you can see that life is busy, but so, so blessed!

With that, let me get to the Scripture memory verse for this week:
"For I am the Lord, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13
Ok, what a blessing is that???? Holy cow, princesses...Do you ever wonder what your Heavenly Father thinks of you? He adores you! He will take your right hand and tells you not to fear because He will help you!

This makes me think of Stephane and how almost every experience is new to him. In Haiti he was well cared for, but frankly there are limited resources...so seeing dogs that are friendly, a cow at Cook's Dairy, a slide at a playground, or a million other things are outside of any experience he has ever had...well, they can be frightening at first. It is easy for us to think, "Boy, he really is afraid of a lot of things," but think about it...if you were plucked up out of your world and placed in an environment where everything was unfamiliar, wouldn't you be timid, too? I know I would...

That's where this Scripture verse is so powerful....you see, when Stephane encounters something new, he looks up to me to hold his hand, or just hold him. Period. That's all he wants. With that comfort, he can face the new thing with a little more security. It's security that is so simple for me to provide, and I'm so happy to do it...and it means the world to him. It helps him learn more about the world around him from safe arms.

Princess, that's the same thing your Father, the King, wants to offer you. He will hold your right hand through every situation. AND, He tells you not only not to fear, but that He will help you. It is easy for Him to do and He is eager to do it for you. WOW!

So, what are you facing today? Loss of a job? Family strife? An uncertain future? My prayer for you is that you allow Him, your Father, to hold your hand through this....allow His peace to fill you so that there is no fear, and know that help is on the way...whatever it is, He is already there.

Wow, again. What a blessing. I know that I need some hand-holding right now. How about you? Let's rely on Him together...

Finally, I cannot sign off here until I give the most minimal, but heart-felt thanks to my fellow princesses that are helping me care for the boys during this time! Tom just returned from Spain last evening, and he and Adrianne will leave for Haiti on Tuesday. I, of course, still have a fulltime job, lol, and therefore need load of help with the boys. My fellow princesses have stepped up to the plate and are offering more help than I ever imagined! I am so humbled and thankful. There aren't even words...for me to have to have to have the privilege of being in ministry with these women and to call them my friends is such a blessing. God is working miracles here...

Blessings...
kimberly

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Scripture Memory Verse Week #7

Hello Princesses!

I have been praying for you and praying specifically that you are being blessed by doing these Scripture memory verses. I pray that you find them to be strengthening to your spirit, and a good reminder during your day, whatever comes your way!

Because I just posted a more lengthy blog entry, I'll just leave this one to be the verse:

"So do not fear, for I am with you, 
do not be dismayed, for I am your God." Isaiah 41:10

I will admit that over the past few weeks I have at times been fearful and dismayed. I know that's not how my Father, the King wants me to live, and I want to find a day when I don't allow those emotions to take root in my soul.

I am looking forward to putting this passage to heart and mind memory this week! It will be the tool that I call upon when I am feeling anxious, confused or sad.

I pray that as a fellow princess you do the same! God wants and plans the best for us! Let's embrace it with a Daddy-Daughter love!

Blessings!
kimberly

Lord? Thanks for those opportunities....

Yes, I know that you are probably thinking that this entry is going to be about thanking God for the opportunity to host our guests from Haiti...or the opportunity to have Tom's children over for a birthday brunch for Amanda today...or the opportunity to hear the excitement in Kati's voice as she returned home from Delaware and had good interviews and a wonderful weekend....

Well, certainly I am thankful for all of those opportunities and so many more that are wonderful, deep and spiritual. But this evening, my thankfulness has to do with something much more basic. Read on...you might be able to relate...

Those of you that read regularly know that since Leonie and boys arrived almost a month ago I have been struggling with the "Martha vs. Mary" in an internal struggle. I think that God has been doing some amazing things through this, but I haven't made it easy for Him! I'm pretty sure He needs to "break" me here in order to accomplish His greater purpose. Yep...I'm a stubborn one...

Anyways, my wonderful husband left for Barcelona, Spain for business a few hours ago. He will be gone until late Saturday night. I've been struggling with a sinus infection and other interesting illness issues for the past 3 weeks, so I am a little on the tired side. Kati left for Delaware early Thursday morning, and has returned to Valpo, and Stephani went back to Central Michigan University this afternoon. If you're doing the math, that leaves Adrianne and me (as well as sometimes Ben, but let's face it, he's a teenage boy) to handle the house, our school work, our jobs, and our house guests, as well as the 3 dogs! Oh, and Adrianne seems to have the same illness struggles that I do right now, so neither of us is at the top of our game.

This afternoon after the family brunch was cleaned up, I began working on meals for this week. I made some White Bean Chicken Chili, some Roasted Chicken and Potato Soup, and got things ready for Beef Stroganoff in the crock pot.

I was feeling pretty accomplished and fairly relaxed for a Sunday afternoon...and was thanking God that I had time and energy to accomplish those things! I left the Chili on the stove for dinner, put the stroganoff makings into the refrigerator for another day, and was scooping the Chicken Soup into a gallon ziploc bag (with double bagging to follow) for refrigerator storage. It was all going well until the first ziploc bag split. Chicken Soup all over my stove...and my reaction? I must admit that I expected my reaction to be anger and stress...perhaps even a bad word muttered under my breath. But, SURPRISE of all surprises....what I said (almost out loud, but mostly to myself) was, "thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to clean my stove, because it really needed it, and I wouldn't have taken the time if this hadn't happened." And then I proceeded to disassemble my stove and clean it. All calmness...no frustration.

This, my fellow princesses, is a MIRACLE for me! Especially now. Especially today.

And, as I reflected on that, I realized that God has been creating a new heart within me. As I realized that, I was able to thank Him for all of the wonderful things that I mentioned in the first paragraph and so many more.

My wish for you is that if you struggle with similar Martha issues, that you will find some hope in what I have shared with you about the good work that God is working in me. He never gives up! Neither should we...

Blessings...
kimberly

Sunday, March 7, 2010

"tell me how You really feel...." (adored) Scripture Memory Verse #6

Good afternoon Princesses!

I hope that wherever you are, you have had a wonderful and restful weekend! Here in Michigan, we have had some of the first signs of spring...some of my early bulbs are just starting to peek through the ground in the sunnier parts of the garden, the sun has been shining brightly and melting the snow, and yesterday morning I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this sight...a sure sign of spring!
Yes, that's a hot air balloon that went right over our house!

I don't remember seeing them this early in the season before, but the weather has been beautiful, and it brought smiles to many faces to see a couple of hot air balloons going over early on a Saturday morning!

So, while I am realistic enough to know that there are quite a few overcast, cold, and most likely snowy days ahead, spring is sure to come sooner rather than later, and for that, I am quite happy.

This week we will start a new theme with our Scripture memory verses...if you will remember, our last theme was, "i am woman, hear me roar...." (strength) and all of our passages were based on our Source of strength.

This next theme is, "tell me how You really feel...." (adored). I'm sure that you have deduced that we will focus on the love that is lavishly poured out upon us from our Daddy, the King! If you can bask in that love, you will have to start to see the world from a different perspective. Who is it that is filling your cup?

This week's verse:
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you."
Isaiah 41:9

Have you ever felt far away from God? Maybe as a rebellious teen, maybe years ago, or perhaps as recently as last week or this afternoon? I must admit that I have been feeling a little distant, myself, lately. Certainly not because He has moved....but because my heart has moved. It's honest, it hurts, but it's true. But we've all been there, haven't we?

The good news is that no matter how far away we feel, we have been called by the One that adores us. He never moves away from us, and He never desires that our hearts are far from Him. 

And, what a gracious God we have, that all we have to do is call upon Him and we are restored.

If you are feeling distance today my fellow princess, I urge you to pray and read more of Isaiah chapter 41. You will find comfort there, and it's my prayer that you will feel a yearning to go back home to Him...shorten the distance and close the gap. I will be alongside you in prayer and on the journey.

blessings, my friends...and peace...
kimberly