Tales from the Booth: Horn Blowers Beware

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“So we are Christ’s ambassadors: God is making His appeal through us.” II Corinthians 5:20a New Living translation

As ambassadors may we be mindful to reflect our King with the glory HE deserves. Read on.

The other day I had a customer who couldn’t find her money. She was a big bosom woman and fished around in her cleavage for a wad of cash (You’d be amazed how many women still carry cash that way). It took her awhile to find a sufficient amount when just as she was about to hand it to me the car behind her began honking. Or it appeared the horn blowing emanated from the next car. There were three cars behind her so in reality it could have been any one of those three. I noticed the next car had a big sign on the side of the car saying “JESUS LOVES YOU!”

My coworker shouted across the lane “Guess Jesus is in a hurry?” I shook my head as my heart sank. I wanted the honking to be from someone else. I hoped the driver bumped the horn by mistake somehow. That has happened many times before in my long experience on the Pike, but three honks in succession is too much for even my rationalizing mind.

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I finished the transaction with the woman. She exhibited her disgust openly to the honker before driving off. The “JESUS LOVES YOU” car pulled up directly and the driver did not display angst, however, he did appear to be in a hurry so I aided him on his way.

Next car pulls up and I am face to face with an elderly woman. What do I have to lose, I thought to myself. I had to know the truth. So I asked, “Were you the one blowing your horn?”

Her countenance soured immediately. “No. It was that Jesus car in front of me.”

The truth lay bare and ugly as I attempted to smooth out her mood by sharing her frustration. Altho my reasons most likely were different. She pulled away and I ached inside for Jesus. His name was merely on the car but did HE do anything wrong?

The following week that same “JESUS LOVES YOU” car pulled up to my booth. We weren’t flooded with traffic that day so I took a chance.

With as much diplomacy as I had stored in my heart for just such instant occasions I asked the man driving the car;

“Do you remember if you blew the horn last week when you came down my lane?”

At first he hesitated with a seeming tinge of embarrassment, but then he said, “Yes. I was late for work.”

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Immediately I could relate. Countless times when I was running late for work or an appointment, I recalled giving in to frustration with other drivers, and yes even speeding.

With as much diplomacy as I had within me, I told him what my coworker and the customer behind him had said after the horn blowing incident. I told him I used to have a license plate on my car that read “DON’T BE CAUGHT DEAD WITHOUT JESUS”. That plate on my car was intentional to keep myself in check because I bear the name of Christ wherever I go. It was a reminder to me to react with the mind of Christ instead of reacting on my human impulse. Sort of like the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) movement from a few years back, remember that? When rubber bracelets were just a new thing.

My battle weary plate had to be straightened out many times to fit on my bumper

I told him I was sure he had no intention of making Jesus look bad and that it may be a blind spot for him. His reaction was priceless. In humility he thanked me for reminding him of his responsibilities as a Christian. It was such a moving experience of what passed between us as fellow believers. He accepted the gentle admonishment in a manner of meekness from a virtual stranger out of love for his Savior. I could feel the swell of family love and respect in my heart for this man immediately.

Christianity is so beautiful when we let CHRIST lead. I pray if things were reversed and I was admonished by a loving fellow believer, that my reaction would be the same as my customer in the “JESUS LOVES YOU” car!

Shine on. . .
karan k

Devilish Detonation Part 1

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“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 New Living translation

One of the main reasons I write this blog is because I want all of you to experience the fantastic freedom of FLURISHING.

I look around and everywhere I see so many of us dragging through life, questioning our own existence. No matter our background or current status, Christian or non-christian it touches everyone. Why? What is causing this more than mundane malaise?

I believe a bomb of hellacious consequence has been detonated eons ago and we continue to suffer from the fall out. Fall out that erodes our insides, scrambles our souls, the very seat of our emotions, and prevents us from reaching our individual potential. It’s here, hovering over us like a dismal cloud. It’s fall out from an insidious weapon of mass destruction called depression.

Depression affects most of us for short seasons at some point in our lives but some of us live in it daily. Perhaps you are one of them? I am mainly addressing those trapped in the perpetual fall out. By sharing some of the experiences and struggles I’ve had with depression, I hope to encourage you for a brighter future. Bear with me. I find that when my emotions are strong it is extremely hard to capture them in words. I want to be as transparent as possible with you as I share where I have been.

My first recollection of depression occurred at age 4 and appeared more like anxiety. Constant self competitive games raced in my mind, pushing me to outdo some personal high bar in my young brain. Problem was it could never be satisfied. A constant flow of new challenges drove me moment by moment. For instance, upon waking I felt driven to get dressed and beat the inner clock in my mind. Three seconds to put on a shirt, button it up quickly and jump into a pair of pants as my mind counted to 4. Two years later tying shoes became a constant source of frustration for me to perform correctly as fast as possible.

Decisions on the other hand were a slow process. Choosing seemed a stressful chore laden with guilt and anxiety. Second guessing and constant self reprimands plagued my little girl mind.

As I grew older I wondered if this was every person’s experience? Was something wrong with me? It was the late 60s early 70s at this time and nobody spoke of depression.

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The first realization that something wasn’t quite right came when I experienced extreme hopelessness at age 11. I took a handful of pills to escape the emotional and mental madness. Fortunately the pills were not strong enough to do much damage and I survived another day. This was the first and last time I attempted suicide. Although I felt the desire again many times since.

I knew “Thou shalt not kill” was one of the ten commandments. I learned shortly after that initial attempt I did not have the authority to take my own life. That belonged to God. (“. . . There is no God but Me! I am the one who kills and gives life;. . .” Deuteronomy 32:39b)
I gave my heart to HIM four years earlier. My deepest desire even then was to please Him and so I decided no matter how awful I felt, I would not damage myself.

I proposed to stay and fight this monstrous storm cloud in my life. Many rounds have led me here and I remain on my feet fighting and FLURISHING. Join me again next time to continue our discussion.

My prayer until then for those joining me on this journey toward FLURISHING is that you will see the hope in the midst of any battle with Depression and/or Anxiety. No matter how large or small it looms before you. May His glorious hope shine through to your mind and ultimately your heart. May you find your FLURISHING life beyond depression. MJT (Must Just Trust)

Shine on. . .
karan k

The Ladder

Have you ever doubted your salvation? Perhaps you accepted Christ as a child and as you grew older you questioned the validity of that experience? Or you feel you’ve failed at living the Christian life so you think you couldn’t possibly be saved anymore? Or perhaps you fear you have committed the dreaded “unpardonable sin” and lost your salvation? Maybe you just can’t remember when you chose Jesus to be your Savior?
Concerning salvation, no matter if you’re forgetful, fearful or doubtful, I have GOOD NEWS for you! Our great God wants ALL of us (“The Lord isn’t slow to keep His promise, as some think of slowness, but He is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but ALL to change their hearts and lives.” II Peter 3:9 Common English Bible), to be SAVED (If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that GOD raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Romans 10:9+10 New Living translation) and rest in knowing once we are given eternal life in Christ no one can take it from us. (“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me.” John 10:28 New Living translation) Only if we ourselves choose to ignore, give back or slander His gift of salvation through the Holy Spirit do we commit the unpardonable sin.

NOTE: “For no one who has fixedly refused the work of the Holy Spirit would be worried that he or she might have offended the Holy Spirit. The very fact that a person would be concerned about his or her relationship with Jesus is evidence that he or she is not hardened against the Holy Spirit!” Christian Research Institute

In other words if you are concerned about committing the unpardonable sin, you didn’t commit it.

Don't look down. . . — Don’t look down. . .

Recently, I heard a message at my home church that held a simple truth I couldn’t forget. The gist of the message is that as genuine Believers/Followers of Christ, each of us is on an imaginary ladder leading to Heaven. IF you’re on the ladder you ARE saved from eternal separation from God! (fire, brimstone, gnashing of teeth, darkness, pain, suffering all included)
The important question to ask ourselves is not are we still saved but which way are we moving on the ladder? There is no standing still. You are either moving upward toward God or backward away from Him.

King David was a “man after God’s own heart” and yet he committed adultery and murder. So why did God say this in the Old Testament book of I Samuel and again in Acts 13:22? Since our great God is all knowing, HE knew before He created the world that David would commit these horrific sins. His omniscience also revealed to Him that throughout David’s life, the good the bad, and the murderous, David was always facing Him on the ladder. No matter what David did as a shepherd boy, warrior, fugitive or king, he always had his face and heart set on God. David desired foremost to please God and when he sinned he repented and began moving up the ladder again toward His loving and forgiving God.

If you are not on the ladder yet, what are you waiting for? Go back and read Romans 10:9+10. Receive His salvation in Christ while there is time, for none of us know when our opportunity will cease. He is calling your heart. Get on His ladder today for tomorrow may be too late. “. . . Today is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2c
For the rest of us, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and move up the ladder moment by moment suspended in His love and grace! We will FLURISH together!

Shine on. . .
karan k

Tales from the Booth: PAY Attention, Not just Tolls

Come into my world... — Come into my world…

A week or so ago we had an interesting occurrence at the Reading Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. An oversize or what the Turnpike refers to as a Class 9 vehicle, was attempting to enter the Turnpike through one of our regular lanes designated for EZ-Pass only traffic. A special Turnpike permit is required for overweight and over-dimensional vehicles to gain access and such vehicles must enter and exit through larger designated lanes. For example, the transport of cement barriers is a common Class 9 occurrence at our Interchange. We use wide lanes without scales to put on and take off such vehicles. If the entire vehicle length including barrier exceeds 85 feet it is identified as a “Class 9”. Likewise, overweight vehicles (in excess of 125,000 pounds), overheight vehicles (in excess of 13 feet 6 inches) and overwidth vehicles (in excess of 10 feet wide) also require Turnpike Class 9 permits to gain legal entry and must use the specified lanes..

Now that you have an idea what the term Class 9 is, I will continue recounting this Toll Booth Tale:

That morning the mist rolled in thicker than usual for this time of year. It crept eerily across the lanes as I sipped on some steaming java from my thermos. My morning somnolence ended when a shrill back-up beeper startled me. I turned to see an over-size vehicle backing out of an EZ Pass entry lane. An adrenaline surge pumped my blood into overdrive sending me across the lanes to halt this extremely dangerous and foolish maneuver.

Yelling and waving my arms like a crazed orangutan are not included in my job description but every now and then that skill set pays off. Fortunately it was effective in this instance and the driver stopped in the middle of our dedicated EZ Pass lane.

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To cut to the chase, the over-width vehicle was stuck in our lane and impeding oncoming EZ Pass traffic entry to the Turnpike. I called for back-up and explained to the driver the predicament he caused and that he must wait for Turnpike personnel to help him out of the lane.

Within minutes the First Responder/Safety Patrol arrived and shortly thereafter a State Trooper. The dilemma: Should the truck move forward or backward to exit the lane? The driver was in jeopardy of causing Turnpike property damage as well as damage to his truck. The truck was wedged in so tight that the trooper and safety patrol together took over an hour to figure out how to safely remove the truck from the lane. They moved it a few feet forward. Then they tried a few feet backward. Cooperation, time and effort got the truck safely unwedged and on its way in the right direction.

Now I must say, the driver experienced all this trouble because he simply did not pay attention. His company issued specific directions to him for the routes he was to follow. The directions to his final destination did not include the Turnpike. So why didn’t he pay attention to his instructions? Why did he try to enter the Turnpike illegally? Was he stubborn, lazy, prideful? Only he can say.

The truck driver needed help to move in the right direction. On his own he could easily have moved the wrong way and caused himself and others a lot of costly damage. But to move successfully in the right direction he needed several things. Things we need when we are stuck. When we fail to follow instructions:

Determination- to choose the right direction; defeating the sin of stubbornness. ( See Jeremiah 7:24)
Humility- to receive help and support; defeating the sin of pride. (See Proverbs 16:5)
Effort- to work at putting the determined plan into action; defeating the sin of laziness. (See Proverbs 6:6)
Time- to give to the endeavor; defeating the sin of procrastination. (See Ecclesiastes 11:4)

Do we see any parallels between ourselves and the trucker? We can get into trouble quite easily without any assistance. But we need fellow believers to help us get out of jams or slumps or sin that we, even as devoted Christ followers, experience. No one wants to admit it when we do stupid things that easily could have been avoided had we followed the directions. If we deny that we get ourselves into these negative predicaments we are not facing the truth. As I John 1:8 states “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” New Living translation

We need to pay attention to our motives and follow the instructions given to us in the Bible if we want to FLURISH at all in this life. Let that sink in. Don’t wait until you are stuck in a precarious situation. Pay attention now.

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Shine on. . .
karan k

Change in Motion

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 New Living translation —-Including CHANGE.

Earlier this week I found myself in rapid motion in a small space. Being barefoot you can guess it did not end well. For the first time I experienced the pain of a broken bone. Even though it’s a very tiny bone, it has created an unexpected shuffle of events. And life as I knew it changed.

I like this photo because it is a freeze frame of motion. Everything is in motion around the surface. It’s an intriguing word picture to me.

Imagine this water is a single freeze frame of your life, your world. The water is suspended from its natural path of change. Right now in this moment do some personal pondering. What is your status? Your emotions? Your thoughts? Who is close to you? How is your health? What are your responsibilities? What are your challenges?

Lift the freeze frame for a split second and each of those aspects of your life will change. The orange will plummet in relationship to the splashing water. The glass bowl will wobble and possibly move a teeny bit and the water will completely have changed in location and shape. This is life in a minute scenario but represents all of life when you get down to it.

Motion is constant and so change occurs on so many levels repeatedly, rapidly and relentlessly that our conscious mind is incapable of keeping up. This is the natural cycle of life.
Some changes we can detect through our senses. We can taste the change in milk when it becomes sour. We can hear the change in an instrument in need of tuning. We can feel the changes of temperature.

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Life is a constant cycle of change. Seasons change in most places in our world. Daytime changes into night. Seeds change into plants, flowers, vegetables or trees. Caterpillars change into gorgeous butterflies. Growth and change are all around us. It should be expected as a familiar friend but somehow in our personal lives, change can scare us.

A new opportunity arises for learning. What is our first response? Excitement, fear or something else? I encourage you to welcome the change. Our knowledge can increase by embracing the change. Our interests can change with the newly acquired information which can change how we spend time and with whom. Change can be a flurry of FLURISHING, if we do not give in to fear.
The loss of someone dear changes everything. Suddenly there is a gaping hole in the fabric of our soul and an emptiness in our heart. Our thoughts change—Things we rarely thought about now become so precious: The sound of their footsteps crossing the floor. The smiles and sense of humor that could so easily annoy us. The scent of their signature perfume, cologne or body scent lingering on their clothes. The simple sense of their presence in our lives is missed. But EVEN this our God can use for our good. Good changes. It’s one of the hardest changes in life to master and entrust to God. But as all other change we cannot escape it, nor control it. MJT! Must Just Trust!

Our great God is always with us, even to the end of this age! (See Matthew 28:20b). He implores you to trust Him and His perfect love that casts out all fear. “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” I John 4:18 New Living translation

The point here is that fear (and anxiety being generalized fear) is one of the greatest enemies and obstacles to a FLURISHING life. I have fought against various fears most of my life and I see the insidious nature of it and why our LORD tells us NOT TO BE AFRAID but to trust HIM instead, repeatedly in the Bible. (Over 500 times throughout the Old and New Testaments in various ways, but who’s counting?)

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever!!!”

King James Bible

In light of the above truth, ask God to help you defeat fear and/or anxiety of change. OUR GOD IS THEE ONLY UNCHANGEABLE FACT IN OUR EXISTENCE. Ask Him to help you trust Him with whatever changes you face now in this moment and beyond. He can turn your fear into FLURISHING!!! I know firsthand and it is AMAZING!!!

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Shine on. . .

karan k

Sneak Peek BELOW THE SURFACE Part II

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“I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. My bitter soul must complain.” Job 7:11 New Living translation.

I have a friend who recently had some cosmetic surgery because she hated a certain part of her body. She hoped for beautiful results similar to those of a coworker. After 4 weeks of complete immobilization, the surgery failed. She now needs to undergo a more invasive procedure, which of course is more painful. This caused my friend to be extremely “Pee-Ohed”!! She’s convinced that things never go well for her. She stopped talking to God concerning her trials in life a long time ago. (Of course I keep yakkin at her not to abandon His ear;) )

I have another close friend who has suffered one third of her life, plagued by serious illness and multiple diseases. Lately, the struggle has been overwhelming her. She’s tired of being sick. She’s angry. She wants to break things. Is she angry with God?

Do these two people have anything in common? If you said “disappointment and hurt” you’d be right. This dangerous duo leads to resentment and bitterness which given time will destroy mind and body.

Have you experienced anything that hurt you, made you angry or disappointed you? Sure, we all have. What did you do with those emotions?

“I believed in You, so I said, ‘I am deeply troubled, Lord’.” Psalm 116:10 New Living translation

When I found myself with humongous resentment slowly evolving into bitterness, I ended up yelling at God. I had refused to deal with it the first time someone attempted to point out my souring attitude. When I opened my eyes to the truth about myself, I was horrified to see what had grown BELOW THE SURFACE. Hence, the screaming at God. I blamed Him for my pain and disappointment because I thought He should or could have eliminated it from my life.

That screaming session with Jesus was a milestone in my journey of faith. He allowed me to vent like no human could. The peace and feelings of well-being afterward that rushed through my soul are indescribable. I decided never again to delay going to my faithful friend with ANY issues I have.

If you find yourself in a similar mindset/struggle as one of my friends or myself, go straight to God! Don’t be deceived by thinking HE won’t understand or He will punish you for feeling this way. HE knows your heart thoughts already, remember?
“…for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.” I John 3:20 English Standard version

And His mercy endures forever—-see Psalm 136.

Only by coming before Him in honesty and humility can we find healing and deliverance. Otherwise, the ugliness will continue to fester and grow destroying any hope for FLURISHING in this life!

Find a private VENTING ROOM now!!

Shine on. . .
karan k

Legally Bound?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Message Bible

Isn’t this a beautiful portrait of how He wants our life to be with Him? So often we get bound up in legalistic do’s and don’ts that were never a part of His plan. We feel like we’re living in a religious cage, rather than basking in our position in His family. (See John 1:10-13) When we allow Him to take His role as heavenly Father in our lives, He leads, guides, helps, works with, talks to and builds our relationship on grace. Our lives are meant to be joyful and thriving because of Him in our hearts. We can FLURISH without limitation if we stay close to Him and follow His lead.

How that looks in each of our lives will be beautifully different because each of us has a distinct relationship with Him. This is how He meant it to be and even though it’s difficult for our minds to fathom, He can easily have a UNIQUE relationship with each of His children throughout history because He is the Almighty God with no limits on His power! Think about the awesomeness of that.

“Legalism” simply is the wrong use of laws or rules. It’s not from Jesus.
“Yes,'” said Jesus, “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.” Luke 11:46 New Living translation

We must free and guard ourselves against the foul spirit of legalism. It can be so subtle that we often do not recognize it in ourselves. It sours our spirit and can sour others around us. Legalism is wrong because it emphasizes the external without encouraging the internal. God is all about the heart and its motivations. He offers love, forgiveness and grace in abundance for our lives. Some examples (certainly not an exhaustive list because it truly would be exhausting to write it) of modern day legalism that are all too alive and well are:

Type of Attire?
Devotions—When? How long?
Hairstyle?
Observing Sabbath? (see Leisure Update post)
Make-up?
Women working outside the home?
Smoking pipe, cigars, cigarettes?
Drinking? (Not to be confused with drunkenness)
Going to movies?
Upbeat worship music?
Using instruments in worship music?
Watching tv?
How often to attend corporate worship?
To spank children or not?
Dancing?
Bible versions?

Etcetera etcetera etcetera

Have you developed any convictions of your own? For instance, some people feel you should never write in your Bible. I personally write and highlight in my Bible to track my special times talking with and learning from Jesus. As a result, my Bible is full of marked up memories. I do handle my Bible as sacred in other ways by not setting things on top of it and using it regularly. These are personal convictions not commands, demands or “less thans” in God’s eyes.

If you face a biblical gray area, talk to God about it. Reason with Him over what is right for you and make that your standard but do not expect others to hold to your standard. Where gray areas are concerned, our loving Lord provides freedom and invites each of us to find our personal convictions with His Spirit’s direction.

“Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—-then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.” Romans 14:22-23 The Message Bible
FLURISH in His freedom and grace!

Shine on. . .
karan k

Pass the Buck

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“Don’t be in debt to anyone, except for the obligation to love each other.” Romans 13:8a Common English Bible

Call me crazy, but I love bill paying day. Yesterday I was gathering all my bills and paying each one ahead of time in preparation for an upcoming trip. Still VERY old school, I wrote out a check for each one. And then euphoria set in. I cannot tell you how freeing it is to know all the monthly financial obligations have been met and I am not in the red! It’s a bit of a thrill every time. I know, insane right?

You see, I’ve trained myself since I began working full-time to give back to God His tithe and then pay any and all debts I incur monthly. Whatever is left after that is mine to spend. Of course some months are more exciting than others depending what’s left! 🙂 The freedom I feel after the bills are paid is tremendous and so fulfilling that I have continued this practice from 1981 to the present. It simply works for me and I remain debt-free except for my mortgage. And now I am chipping away at that to pay it off early.

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Now don’t think for even a millisecond that all of this came easy or natural to me. It did not. I moved out on my own at eighteen so it was first born out of FEAR that I would not be able to provide for myself. After that, it was PRIDE that I would fail and have to move back home if I didn’t discipline my spending. So my motivation in the beginning was negative and sinful. But as I learned to trust God and give Him my finances, I began to develop His fruit of self control. HE is a kind, generous and easy Master (Matthew 11:29). Now my motivation for self control in my finances is positive and freeing.

Perhaps a different system works for you as far as HOW you pay your bills such as online banking, auto withdrawal, debit or credit cards etc.,? But the discipline of self control is the key to success. I told you way back in the beginning of our journey together that self discipline is a must for Christ followers. (See ‘God Gave Us What?’ post in Archives). The excellent news is HE will help us develop self discipline if we ask Him! Galatians 5:22— Self Control is one of the fruits of His Spirit.

If you feel you need help in the area of finances, check out Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps or Peace University at http://www.daveramsey.com or Crown Financial at http://www.crown.org;

Don't be in bondage to your spending habits... — Don’t be in bondage to your spending habits…

“The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.” Proverbs 21:20 New Living translation

Financial Freedom is just another area to conquer on our journey of FLURISHING together. Spend wisely, my friends.

Shine on. . .
karan k

Steep Challenge: Are You In?

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“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and the way He works. STEEP yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” Luke 12:29-31 The Message Bible

I find it interesting that the word steep is used in this passage. My daughter has a small hollow rubber man that hangs over the side of her mug to steep her tea. It amuses me. Anyway, steeping is the soaking process for teas and other foods in water or other liquid to draw out flavor. It involves time, just soaking in the water, becoming saturated and thus steeped.

Ahhh, just soak and relax... — Ahhh, just soak and relax…

Ever relax in a hot bath? Just soaking and clearing your mind? All your muscles smile as they begin to loosen up in the warm water. If you weren’t relaxed before the bath, you should feel less tense afterward. Makes for good sleeping too, just sayin. 🙂

Soaking in God is the same as “Seeking First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.” Soak Him into your mind by reading about Him. Become familiar with His ways. Study Him in Old Testament stories of His interactions with people like:

Abraham–God counted him righteous, Genesis 15:6
Read Genesis 15-25

Joseph–God was with him, Genesis 39:21
Read Genesis 37-50

Moses– Friend of God, Exodus 33:11
Read the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy

David–A man after God’s own heart, I Samuel 13:14
Read 1 Samuel 16-31, 11 Samuel

And continue to learn about God as He comes to earth in flesh and blood:

Jesus—God’s beloved Son, Gospel of John

HERE’S THE CHALLENGE:

If we desire to FLURISH, we need to seriously put and keep God and His kingdom first in our lives. Have our souls become dried out tea bags and lost their flavor? We may need a fresh steeping. If you don’t know where to begin, make a 5 month committment to God. Set aside some time each day and study these stories. One month for each man’s relationship. (That should give you enough of a time cushion to complete this) Find a quiet spot without interruption. Have some tea or coffee and just hang with God. Maybe even in a tub, altho it can be a challenge to keep your Bible dry. 😦

Write down the realities of God that you read. How was HE real to the men in the story?
Write down God’s initiatives. How did HE initiate contact with the men?
Write down His provisions for these men who loved Him. How did HE take care of them?

After you finish this five month journey with God, you should have a better handle on who God is and what His Kingdom is about so you can personally promote them in your daily life. Put into practice what you learned about our great God moment by moment of every new day. You will FLURISH and SHINE simultaneously! Total awesome sauce!

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Who’s in? Comment about taking the challenge. Share what you learn along the way to encourage others. Happy steeping!

Shine on . . .
karan k

A Good Read

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Anyone ever see the R.I.F. Book Mobile in your town? 2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of Reading Is Fundamental or RIF (they’ve now dropped the abbreviation punctuation). RIF is a campaign started by former teacher, Margaret McNamara in Washington, DC. She saw a need among the impoverished children in her city and decided to provide books to those who couldn’t afford them. Through her vision and the help of countless volunteers over 412 million new books have been distributed free to children as of earlier this year. What a tremendous legacy to battle illiteracy.

Due to a convergence problem with my eyes, I avoided reading for a long time. My eyes do not focus together at close range so reading creates double vision and eye fatigue. Now as an older adult I realize the treasure and importance of reading and am endeavoring to push myself to read as much as possible. I have ALOT to catch up on.:)
“People who read are people who achieve. What are your life goals? It doesn’t matter if you’re ten or one hundred and ten: it’s never too late to attain those goals. Books help you get there.” Pat Williams, Read For Your Life, is a book I am currently reading.

I like self help books and learning how to grow and improve as a person. Also books to help with writing skills and communication, human behavior etc., For fun I reach for mystery novels. Any recommendations?

The first book I enjoyed reading cover to cover continues to amaze and astound me.: A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. What a wonderful story with such interwoven and intriguing characters. Set in France during the nation’s revolution in 1789 it becomes a dangerous back drop for a story of true love and sacrifice. A true classic.

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I find historical novels fascinating and a fun way to learn a bit of history and culture. “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden and “Madame Tussaud A Novel of the French Revolution” by Michelle Moran are two of my favorites.

Reading expands and exercises your mind. Good books can transport you to other places and times teaching you along the journey. Take advantage of the gift and ability to read. Challenge yourself to read more than ever before. Used books, new books, whatever is in your budget, just get you some good books and read.:)

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise , not to curse.” Philippians 4:8 The Message Bible

What’s your favorite book? Shoot me a comment.

Shine on while you read. . .

karan k