Scripture Memory Verse Week #18

Good Afternoon, almost evening!

How are you today? How is your spiritual healthy? How is your spiritual weight training going? I'll be honest...I've had days when I've felt like I've been completely in the game and others where I have felt on a distant and faraway planet, spiritually speaking. I have allowed stress to get the best of me at moments, and turned my back on all I know to be true in my heart at others. There are times that I practice my memory verses and I feel that I am just going through the motions...other times I feel like they renew my spirit in a new way with each one that I practice.

How about you? Am I alone in this journey? I told someone this week that with all that is happening in our lives right now, I feel like the hills and valleys have leapt off the pages of being rolling and have moved straight into craggy, steep rocks as we ascend and descend. There are times that we see God clearly opening a door...not only a door, but a warehouse rolling door, and waving bright flags to show us through it. At other moments or situations, I don't always see a door...or one that I desperately wanted to believe was open is clearly closed. I can't help but know that He is in control, but I really want to see the other side of this tapestry. Anybody hear me on this?

Updates on the girls (since they aren't doing it themselves!)...

Kati arrived home last Monday, and we have been greatly enjoying our time with her! She and I went to lunch the other day and it was just so much fun to talk with her about her plans for the future. An awesome young woman that I am blessed to be related to...

Stephani has completed her 2 weeks of training for Group Workcamps in Estes Park, CO. Rough assignment, right? And today, she and her team of 3 others left Colorado to seek their first workcamp in China Grove, NC. They will spend tonight in Salina, KS, and apparently the Ryder truck they are using overheats about every 60-90 minutes....sounds like an exciting trip already! Here's a couple of photos from her:

and...

I think she had a great time there and will be anxious to get back there at the end of the summer. By the time the summer is over she and her team will have traveled from Denver to the east coast to northern Idaho...and many spots in between! What fun!

Adrianne is doing great! She and her friend Julie have a single focus: Haiti. Everything they do is planning for their trip to Haiti, planning their events with the children, planning the blog that is going to be soon redone...all Haiti, Haiti, Haiti. Here is a photo of her from yesterday at the Bowling for Haiti fundraiser that Amanda and Megan organized:

It was great fun and a big success!

So, there's a little catch up for you. As for me, I am struggling to keep up with:
1) Where my children are at a given moment
2) Where they will be the next day
3) Trying to keep up with my grad class
4) Trying to help Tom get ready to leave for Haiti on 6/26
5) Trying to plan for my trip with Kati to Delaware on 7/5
6) Planning for my 6 weeks in Haiti beginning 7/12 with Adrianne and Julie
7) And the other miscellaneous details of working full time, managing a home and being a wife a mother!

So prayers would be greatly appreciated for all of us as we travel somewhere in the next month, and not just a trip up north!

Let's get to this week's memory verse, shall we?

Several of you have shared with me how you've been blessed by the recent verses. Thanks for letting me know how our Father is working in your life...it's such an encouragement and blessing to me! You have no idea...

This week we continue that same passage of instructions:

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." 

Romans 12:11

I sort of feel like there is no explanation needed here, but give me a moment. If you read the first few paragraphs of this post, you know that I've have moments of lacking in zeal, fervor has been waning, and frankly, when that's happening, can I truly be serving? I think not. Not to my full capacity.

So, my sister-princess, this week we rise up with new energy, knowing Who is the strength behind our energy, and are renewed in zeal, spiritual fervor, and side by side, we serve the Lord. Who knows where our spiritual fervor and service will take us!? I invite you to share your stories here.

And please, if you are still reading, consider commenting here with your gmail address. It is so encouraging to me...and I am trying to make a plan for the future (not so distant) when I will be in Haiti and your responses will be my connection to my royal family here. I know it's a pain to get logged in, and, I may be changing that while I'm in Haiti to a different blog host, but for now, let's practice doing it here, if you don't mind. I'd also like to know that you continually encouraging each other...

Blessings...
kimberly