THERE IS A GREEN HILL FAR AWAY
A song unfamiliar to me. Since I can’t read music I google songs to learn them. This is an excellent start to celebrate Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday! ENJOY!
Transfer
Welcome all new readers to FLURISH and all those continuing from my former site!
We will share our experiences mundane or extraordinary on this site as we pursue the Abundant Life Christ offers in John 10:10. Trust me, it’s real but we have to chase after it. Join me in the journey. I look forward to hearing from you.
Shine on…
karan k
Failure to Communicate
1967 movie Cool Hand Luke.
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Said with deep southern drawl.
Being the movie lover I am this particular film is on my list of favorites. Paul Newman plays the lead of a young free spirited man full of bravado and rebellion who finds himself incarcerated on a Florida prison farm in the early 1960s.
The opening quote of this post is a familiar one for those who are fans of this movie. Failure to communicate is painful in this film and is also painful in our lives. Ever notice how much trouble a failure to communicate can cause? In relationships at work, at home at school and anywhere else our lives take us.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 English Standard Version
We each need to learn to communicate clearly and regularly. We cannot be apathetic, lazy or fearful about it without inviting trouble to cross our path. We have to listen, learn and speak clearly to avoid pain.
For example I’ve noticed lately the FAILURE to communicate on the roads. More and more people are not using their turn signals at stop signs, red lights or when switching lanes. The turn signal is a device to communicate your intentions to others on the road for safety. Why would we not use it?
In the work place communication is key to being a profitable company. Each employee must keep coworkers informed so time is not wasted on two people doing the same work because no one spoke up. Or a lone maverick employee trying to do a job without consulting seasoned coworkers can cause costly mistakes.
Failure to communicate can easily happen while texting. Keep that in mind if someone is suddenly upset with you or stops communicating. Use another form of communication to see what’s up. A phone call allows both parties to hear and convey tonal inflections to better communicate. Talking in person is the best way to communicate because you are able to see facial expressions as well as hear the tones and words simultaneously.
In sports communication between teammates can be the difference between winning and losing. It is essentially the same principle in life. To be successful in relationships and in life in general it helps to master the art of communication.
Did you ever miss out on something important because of a Failure to Communicate? It can be devastating and yet so easy to guard against. Here are a few tips to start putting into practice if your communication skills are weak.
Do not expect people to read your mind.
Never assume people know what you mean after you’ve told them something, always clarify and confirm so you are both on the same page.
Reaffirm information and/or plans with the other party if significant (more than a few days) time has passed since you last communicated. Adjustments may be necessary.
Ask questions if you are not sure what is being communicated to you.
Above all, do not let fear intimidate you to keep quiet. Speaking your thoughts respectfully and clearly will take you far in any forum. Lean on this truth daily:
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” II Timothy 1:7 New International Version
Shine On. . .
karan K
Bittersweet
The phenomenon of something occurring as both bitter and sweet simultaneously has been used in literature for hundreds of years. I am currently experiencing it as I write this post to you now.
I write today with mixed emotions giving a heads up to my loyal readers. In about 4 weeks my 3 year contract for my website FLURISH will be fulfilled. I have successfully completed my goal to write regularly in this blog for 156 months. But now it’s time to move on and focus on other projects. For those of you interested in following my writing, I plan to set up a less complicated blog site at some point. Message me on FLURISH asap and I will put you on a list to get the new blog address when it’s in place.
It has been a grand adventure that I have enjoyed very much. I pray that each of you who have followed during this journey have gained something to take away that will assist you to FLURISH throughout your lifetime. Sharing with you the regular joy of JESUS in everyday life has been such a privilege.
Pray for me as I begin to concentrate more of my time and efforts on a novel/memoir that I need to finish. It has been a project started many times in the last 35 years and now I feel led and am determined to see it through to completion.
This particular project can be emotionally draining, which is why I have stopped and started so many times. But it also can be healing at the same time even though painful. I feel that once I get this out on paper, there are other projects that will flow more freely. I want to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit who gave me the gift to write in the first place!
Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing your own FLURISHING experiences during these three years. Enjoy the final few weeks and search the Archives for missed messages now before they are no longer accessible.
May His joy and freedom in your soul be yours today and always as you continue FLURISHING in HIM!!!
Shine on. . .
karan k
TRUE friend?
“Some friends don’t help, but a true friend is closer than your own family.” Proverbs 18:24 Contemporary English Version
How many friends can you count on when you find yourself in a struggle of some sort? Can anyone count on you? Being that kind of TRUE friend is an art, a skill learned and perfected over time. Friendship can fulfill the desire to know and be known.
With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, let’s take a closer look at what a TRUE friend is because whether we are single or married, we all have friends. Honing our skills of friendship will enhance all our relationships.
The famous Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, classifies friendships into 3 categories;
FRIENDSHIPS OF UTILITY—people are on friendly terms mainly due to benefits each brings to the table such as business partners, colleagues, schoolmates, etc.
FRIENDSHIPS OF PLEASURE—people find each other through common interests they enjoy such as hobbies, sports, civic activities, church, etc.
FRIENDSHIPS OF THE GOOD—are based on respect, appreciation for each others qualities and a strong will to aid and assist the other person because one recognizes their value.
The first two types change with circumstances and usually do not last as long as the third category. According to Aristotle, friendships of the good are hard to find and develop. If you happen to have more than one of these friends based on goodness, you are fortunate indeed.
To me this third type is a TRUE friend, the kind I want to be and have. The others are acquaintances on various levels and also needed in our lives but not to the deep extent of the third type.
A TRUE friend loves at all times according to Proverbs 17:17. What does that mean? I believe it follows the same principles of I Corinthians 13.
A TRUE friend is patient when we let them down because we are not perfect.
A TRUE friend is kind because we live in a cruel world.
A TRUE friend is not jealous but happy for our triumphs.
A TRUE friend does not demand their own way, they take turns with us.
A TRUE friend does not keep record of our wrongs but gives us grace, thank God.
A TRUE friend never gives up on us, even when we may deserve it.
A TRUE friendship involves time, effort and care. It doesn’t just happen. As in any deep relationship, it requires commitment and attention resulting in each of us realistically having only a few of these TRUE friendships.
We all need to have at least one of these blessed friendships. It is a tremendous gift to treasure. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
If you haven’t yet found such a friendship you would do well to look in the mirror and examine whether or not you are TRUE friend material. If you find yourself lacking, ask God to help you develop the character traits necessary to be a TRUE friend. He will help you.
For myself I know it’s an ongoing learning process to be a TRUE friend. It involves self denial and oh how painful that can be. Sometimes I drop the friendship ball and hurt one of my dear friends. I have to run to Jesus for forgiveness, strength and wisdom to know how to heal wounds I’ve caused. I have to fight against justifiying what I’ve done in order to save the friendship.
Thank God, literally, for TRUE friends who forgive me and love me even when I’m selfish and annoying, because we all are at times. But TRUE friends love us annoying warts and all. TRUE friends accept us even in our limitations.
“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15 New Living Translation
TRUE friends speak the truth in love to us even when it’s hard to hear. This is one of the hardest parts of being a TRUE friend. Finding the balance to lovingly steer a friend away from harm when they insist on running headlong into it is tough stuff. And if we on the hearing end, choose to turn a deaf ear to their loving warnings, TRUE friends wait for us to come to our senses and pray for us in the meantime. TRUE friends help us pick up the pieces when our lives shatter from our own poor choices.
How about you? Are you concerned with being a TRUE friend? Do you take from your friends without considering their needs? Are you only available to your friends when their lives are going well? Do you listen to their heart as well as their words? Do you spend time together regularly ? If distance is a factor, make it a point to call or FaceTime/Skype (Texting is ok but should not be the only form of communication)
Jesus was willing to lay down His life for His friends. What are we willing to do for ours? Surely we can be loyal, honest and remain in communication. Reach out and touch your friends during this month of Love. Don’t take them for granted. Don’t be silent in their lives.
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Don’t be a silent friend … have a voice in their lives by staying close to the end.
Shine on. . .
karan k
Choose Your Toll Wisely
“A cheerful heart is good medicine. . . “ Proverbs 17:22a New International Version
Busy Saturday morning and a car load of twenty somethings pulls up and I could tell by the drivers face they had a problem. Two of them started to tell me what was already obvious to me. Since I was busy I cut to the chase and asked my two standard questions;
Do you have EZ PASS? No.
Do you have a ticket? No.
Then your toll will be $37.70.
But we have a really good story why we have no ticket.
Doesn’t matter, I need $37.70.
I had to finish their transaction to move traffic, so my patience ran low at that point. A guy in the back seat gave me 2 twenties and I quickly made change and gave them the appropriate receipt and form for a possible reimbursement from the Turnpike. It’s the only recourse I am authorized to perform for those having to pay the exorbitant Lost Ticket fare.
Instead of taking their receipt and exiting the lane, several of them spoke at once insisting I listen to their Lost Ticket story because they claimed it would top anyone else’s. Their laughter was contagious.
My curiosity was peaked so I made an allowance as the car behind them waited.
The guy in the back seat could not wait to tell the story. Seems the driver took the ticket when they entered the Turnpike like normal. She handed it back to this guy but he wasn’t sure why? I said because you have the money. They all laughed again.
He continued to say that he began playing with the ticket. Maybe he was a fidgety sort? At any rate, he rolled the ticket tightly into a tube as they sped across Pennsylvania. The guy in the passenger seat upfront was snoozing and Mr. Ticket Master in the back was having none of that. He took the rolled up ticket and stuck it in the guys ear.
The guy snoozing didn’t flinch. Unsatisfied, Mr. Ticket Master pulled the ticket out from the unaware snoozers ear and discovered something nasty had attached itself on the other end! Finding it totally vile, he freaked out and threw the ticket out the window.
The twenty somethings were right. That’s the best Lost Ticket story I’ve heard but I bet there are others out there just as bizarre that have never been told.
This one is unique because this car load viewed their own foolish mistake as something funny. Rather than beating each other up about the exorbitant fare they had to pay they chose to share the story and enjoy it. I’m sure they will laugh about it for years to come.
How about you? Are you able to laugh at your own mistakes and find some fun in them? It’s so much better than anger, blaming and bitterness. Let’s lighten up on ourselves and learn to enjoy our personal faux pas.
It will take less of a toll on your body as you ride through life!
“Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.” Proverbs 17:22 Good News Translation
Shine On. . .
karan k
P.S. If you twenty somethings read this I sincerely hope you got your reimbursement!
Some Thoughts about MLK Day
“Intelligence plus character——that is the goal of true education.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Recently here in the USA we observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Always the third Monday in January close to the actual date of his birth on January 15th. With much embarrassment I admit that for most of my adult life this day was just a paid holiday at the beginning of every year.
I was born in 1963 so I don’t remember a lot about Dr. King. Everything I know about him was learned after he was already in the arms of Jesus.
Being part of a middle-class white family in the Pennsylvania countryside, the details of MLK’s fight for Civil Rights did not find its way onto my radar very often. However, I did understand firsthand the ugly root of perceived inequality and the need for Civil Rights ——prejudiced thinking and warped attitudes. I hated both of these.
In my local area, rabid name calling and condescending attitudes billowed into a thick ugly smog that poisoned the air we breathed. The anger seemed contagious. I never understood how you could look down on and hate someone you didn’t even know personally.
I do know one rock from which this nasty prejudice problem crawled out from under and slithered into my local world: lack of education.
The Great Depression necessitated many children to enter the labor force as young as eight years old or face starvation. This was the unfortunate lot of countless children born in the 1920s and 30s in Pennsylvania. Especially young boys were sent to work on farms to help support their large families. Scores of men who became fathers and local leaders during my upbringing experienced this lack of education in their past and never fully realized the truth of our big, beautiful world and its multi-faceted cultures.
As my dear husband often says, “they didn’t know what they didn’t know.” And so without education and lack of character molding on a stable home front, they learned to become hard workers with little understanding for anyone who seemed, thought, or appeared different.
In John 8:32 Jesus said “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Now in this passage HE was teaching about the truth of salvation being in Himself alone. Without being taught about salvation they could not experience it.
There is freedom in truth. This principle laid out by Jesus hits so many areas of life including combatting prejudice. KNOWING the truth that our world was created intentionally with many varied, wonderful people groups with unique cultures, individual personalities, and differing opinions sets us free to respect and love each other.
Growing up in an environment where many leaders were infected with the pestilence of hatred, my odds of contracting the disease ran high. God only knows how I escaped the enslavement of a heart fettered by prejudice. I praise Him as I am reminded by this 2019 Martin Luther King Day that freedom from such an enslaving mindset needs to be guarded. If I fail to guard it I risk slowly compromising it and losing it without my realization. I must protect how I view the virtue of each individual lest I too become poisoned and chained by prejudice.
May it never be so and may we who are free from prejudice teach by our daily conduct those around us how to respect, appreciate and love all men by the grace of Almighty God!
“We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools.”
Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr.
What are your thoughts on MLK Day? Share so we can learn from one another.
Shine on. . .
karan k
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Who is Christopher Robin?
Who is Christopher Robin? I just spent four glorious days in Southern California with my dear husband, Dwight on aqtn extended holiday. My life is so incredibly blessed sometimes I can hardly stand it. It’s FLURISHING only because of Jesus. Of course it isn’t always this way but somehow HE makes even the hard times easier. Right now we’re flying over the Pacific to meet our precious “Juniors” (that’s what we call our daughter and son-in law), in Hawaii. We wanted to share a bit of our blessing with these two twenty-five year olds we adore. So the anticipated blessings continue in the present and on into the future. Hawaiian Air offers onboard movies which I usually partake of only when complimentary since I am frugal beyond words most of the time. How else could we travel so often? But today I decided to splurge and rationalized that the movie was cheaper on the plane than in the theatre. So I used my credit card to watch the movie “Christopher Robin”. Being an avid film fan I was particularly impressed by the opening scenes incorporating the book, the stuffed toys and real life rolling along together scene after scene in such a delightful whimsy. A friend had recently told me how good the movie was so I wanted to see for myself. Never ever did I expect what happened next; While watching the grown up Christopher Robin struggle with the everyday rat race called life I was introduced to his old stuffed friend Pooh Bear. When they met again on a park bench after 30 years, something struck my heart. Pooh seemed all too familiar to me. His voice, his mannerisms and his love of food, particularly honey. My mind bounced back and forth like a pinball machine against memories in search of who Pooh reminded me of in my life that seemed so close, so real and yet just beyond my mental grasp. Scene after scene when Pooh takes in the world at face value played out before me and I just couldn’t place my finger on this uncanny familiarity. It wasn’t until Pooh received a scolding after bungling and complicating Christopher Robin’s life that the answer became crystal clear. Automatic tears streamed hot and uncontrollably over my cheeks. I completely soaked a large napkin that was supposed to be for food. My crying became so audible that Dwight glanced over at me in disbelief and confusion. He looked at the screen I was watching totally mystified that scenes of a stuffed animal and a grown man riding in a train car together should provoke such a reaction. I had to wave his concern away so I could continue watching and so he wouldn’t worry. For in Pooh’s tiny innocent eyes and in his simple observations of life my heart could distinctly see and hear my mother, who I lost a year and 12 days ago. I thought my grieving was rather short last year and over months ago but the reprimands and frustration of Christopher Robin toward Pooh in this film revealed to me that I had unfinished business to attend to right now. I cried because I missed my Mom who could be very childlike at times. I cried because she and I had a special bond but not such a healthy one. I had to always be the grown up and she the Pooh Bear even when I was a child. Of course I learned as I grew up that Bipolar disorder and eventually Dementia had caused my mothers “Pooh-like” existence but I never quite recognized the hidden resentment and codependency that resulted—- year after year, complication after complication, embarrassment after embarrassment that my mother’s lack brought into my world. So I cried through the rest of the 104 minute movie. I so needed this cry. I needed to see my own harshness at times with my mother and take responsibility for it, laying it at Jesus’ feet for forgiveness and healing. Mom always said ‘Tears were healing’ and she was right. But I also laughed aloud several times at Pooh’s simple yet sometimes profound statements that echoed words of my mother. Pooh’s face could be so expressive of innocent oblivion just like my Mom’s. It was incredibly healing for me and so unexpected and random as I fly toward Hawaiian paradise. But then again NOTHING is random with our God! HE knew I needed this! To shed the weights that were burdening my heart in secret, so I could be just a little bit freer to enjoy HIS island creations and experience HIS miraculous surgery and recovery of the soul! “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” New Living Translation HE wanted me to go to Hawaii and do nothing because sometimes nothing leads to the very best something! Who is Christopher Robin? Today I am and I am grateful God uses things I love like movies to speak to and work in my heart… if you love innocent and imaginative films then take the time to watch this one. It may have no emotional affect on you but it is something simply sweet in a world that needs a little more of just that. Shine on. . .
karan k Heartwarming film
Unbreakable Christmas Presents
What is your favorite Christmas present?
Our Pastor asked us yesterday what was our favorite Christmas present of all time? I sat and thought on it as he told a wonderful story from his childhood. He wanted a special match box car in the ’70s complete with sound.
Growing up with three older brothers most of my “Favorite Gifts” did not last long.
I received a pink and blue musical carousel that I absolutely loved the Christmas I turned four. You turned the knob on top and the horses began swirling in circles to a tinkling tune. It was so precious and gave me great joy, until that following Spring.
I took it outside with me and one of my brothers (not mentioning any names), submerged it in a bucket filled with water. Needless to say the horses never moved in circles and the music never played again. I remember crying a long time over that one.
A few years later, I asked for yet another wind up toy for Christmas.
A ‘Spudsie’ hot potato. You know the game where you wind him up and everyone throws him back and forth, (because he’s a HOT potato), until his alarm goes off and then that person is out of the game?
Ultra excited when I opened him on Christmas day. I couldn’t wait to wind him up and try him out. I coaxed my brothers to play ‘Spudsie’ with me but within five minutes one of them (again not mentioning any names), threw ‘Spudsie’ against the wall instead of to one of us. ‘Spudsie’ died quickly and lay in pieces on the floor. Hot tears streamed out of my eyes for my long awaited Hot Potato.
Both times there was no reprimand for the guilty brother or replacing of the broken toy by my parents. I learned the hard life lesson of loss and disappointment early.
But I survived and forgave my dear brother years ago. However, knowing of the story, my husband Dwight bought me a new “Spudsie” a few years ago. It made me laugh and cry and in a silly way provided some healing for the little Karan inside me.
“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” Psalm 16:11 New living Translation
So now my greatest Christmas present that never breaks or disappoints is what I ask for all of my friends and family to have and experience every day of this next New Year and beyond. . . The gift of the PRESENCE of God through His Holy Spirit on a daily basis! HE really is our All in All. He’s so much better than any other gift or even all the gifts of the world combined!
Praying for each of you to experience Him more and more!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 New Living Translation
Shine On. . .
karan k
Christmas Lights of Grace
I love driving around to look at lights this time of year. Some people go all out to decorate and illuminate their homes. I have more lights on the inside than on the outside of our cozy town home. How about you, do you use lights in your Christmas decorating?
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I AM the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you have the Light that leads to Life.’ ” John 8:12 New Living Translation
Jesus said these words right after the whole incident with the adulteress woman. Another simple story you can read in John 8:1-11. His message to us has not changed but remains timeless. We need His Light above all others to find our way. Any other light is false and we will end up in trouble if we follow it just like the adulteress woman. Whether its our finances, our tongues, our bodies, our relationships etc., each of us can find ourselves in trouble when we stray from His life giving Light.
Perhaps like the adulteress woman, you didn’t know about His light. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your heart so you can know Him and He can know you. His Light and Life will transform your existence. Its WHY He came. He love you and wants a life brimming of joy and purpose for you.
When His light lives in us we can let it shine through us to others. No we are not perfect but His love and grace are available if we step back into the Light after we’ve sinned. Grace abounds in the Light!
May you receive His grace today in whatever way you need it!
Merry Christmas and God Bless us, every one!
Shine on. . .
karan k
“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:16 New Living Translation
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