Potholes

Today at 8:38 AM

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully loved by Him, Tuesday!  We sure had a great time with Harper while she was here!  One of her favorite things to do is practice driving on our country roads.  Friday evening we went out for a final cruise before she went home on Saturday; she had gotten pretty good at dodging the many  potholes on our road and others around us too.  There are spots where it is almost impossible to miss the annoying holes, no matter how hard you try, but Harper  did a heck of a job.  Friday as she was meticulously maneuvering between/around the potholes, I couldn’t help but chuckle and say to her, “DRIVING 101 IN LULA—LEARNING TO AVOID POTHOLES.”  We had a good laugh and headed home for her last dinner in Lula, tacos!  Working on dinner, I was smiling thinking about the fun times teaching Harper to drive…..especially dodging potholes….Hmmm, suddenly I had a clear thought… my goodness, the roads we travel in our lives are so often full of potholes too…..holes of envy, anxiety, depression, greed, self-centeredness…..we definitely need to learn to dodge those potholes….the potholes I have to deal with in my car, if I’m not careful, will cause damage to my car….tires….front end….you name it…potholes are hard on a car!  Potholes of envy, anxiety, depression, greed, and self-centeredness are hard on our faith…..our hearts and minds are damaged when we hit those holes…..we sink into a place that is not good for us or those around us…..We definitely are not giving glory to our Father  when we constantly hit the holes…..But it’s not futile….Soon road construction will begin on our road, yea!!!  We are very excited about having a road without so many potholes, a smoother ride will be great….Our ride through life is not always smooth, but we do have help anytime….we are not alone….Our Father will smooth the bumps for us…..He will fill in the holes of hope, love, joy, and compassion offering us strength through His grace and forgiveness.  Father, thank you for forgiving us when we hit the potholes….fill us with Your gracious love so that we avoid the potholes of attitudes and actions that are reflections of YOU!

 

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  1 Corinthians 10:13.  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.  The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Mark 14:38.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and You shall find rest unto your souls.  Matthew 11:29.  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  2 Corinthians 5:17. 

Love you all!

 

Kathie A. Johnson

Receptionist

Administrative Services

He makes all things brand new: 2 Corinthians 5:17-8, 21

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms Wednesday!  I was so excited yesterday at the prospect of finally getting to come to work on CR 1600….if you reach back, you might remember I shared when it closed quite some time ago.  More miles and time for me, so I was so glad when I found out Monday night that it was open (well sort of).  I headed out early yesterday because of the rain, but I was excited about being back on 1600!  My goodness, what a difference, the old road was so rough, bumpy, and full of potholes….the new road smooth, wider and no potholes!  Just amazing to me what they can do with good equipment and man power…..an old road, “brand new.”  As I drove along a thought came to me…..we too can be brand new…..no matter how rough and bumpy we become, no matter how many potholes or how deep they are….we can be “band new” again too!  Oh  friends, my heart warmed as I felt HIS arms around me…reassuring me that through the blood, the death, and resurrection of His ONLY SON, JESUS we can be ‘brand new,” washed clean, free from our sin and guilt….from the bumpy, narrow road that we sometimes travel…….There’s always, always HOPE for us and those we love through JESUS……smile with me, thank our Father for HIS unending grace and mercy, and never give up on yourself or a loved one no matter how deep the potholes….Go to HIM, Be Still, lean into HIS embrace, Listen….Trust……Believe……HE Makes all things NEW….BRAND NEW.   Thank you Father!  All honor and praise to YOU!

 

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life…..for sin shall not be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace…..For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  From Romans 6.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5: 17-18 & 21.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Psalm 103:12.  It is by grace you have been save, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the girl of God.  Ephesians 2:8.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matthew 17:20.

Love you all!

See with your heart, not your mind: Psalm 73:26

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, Thursday!  Went into the bathroom at break like I always do, looked at the ceramic tiles on the wall in front of me like I always do….But today I saw things on that wall I had never seen before…..the wall was the same as it had always been, but today I saw….goodness me, I saw a big animal….wolf like, his features were quite distinct, large head, muscular shoulders, perky ears and eyes wide-open…..at first I thought you are crazy you have looked at that wall a million times and never seen anything but ceramic tile…..today you are seeing a large animal.  I stared at the wall, moving my eyes over a larger area and I saw more animal-like shapes….My mood thus far today had been very sullen….tired, worn down emotionally and spiritually….the sickness and grief in my family….getting to me…..I just sat looking at the forms that appeared life-like to me…..the thought came to me….it wasn’t my eyes seeing those shapes….it was my mind……my mood…..as I sighed, feeling heavy, I felt a gentle tap…..”My child….you are seeing with your mind….not with your heart…..Your heart is Mine and if you open it to Me I will help you SEE through the grief, the sickness, I will lighten your load…..SEE ME with your heart and I will lift your mind, your body….you will know joy through hope in ME.”  Sighing I felt HIS touch again…as if HE had HIS arms around me, under my arms, pulling me up…..lighter…I felt lighter….”Now precious child, simply be still…..be still and let ME lift you out of your darkness into MY LIGHT of LOVE…..be still and know that I am God, I love you and will carry you….open your heart to ME and you will SEE.”  Thank you Father……

 

My flesh and my heart may fail, bug God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.  Psalm 5:3. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…Romans 8:6a.  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.  Psalm 46:1-2.  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Psalm 46:10-11.  In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His Holy name.  Psalm 33:21.

Love  you all!  “Rejoice in the Lord….always!”

 

April 1, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty and Miraculous is our God, Monday!  Christ is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!  Praying that your Easter celebrations were as blessed as ours were!  We headed to church early for our annual Easter breakfast before Sunday School; what a wonderful array of breakfast casseroles, muffins, delicious monkey bread and luscious fresh fruit!  The kids had the tables decorated with baskets they had made from empty plastic containers and several different styles of decorated eggs, and of course let’s not forget the lovely green Easter grass and candy!!!!  Spirits were high as we joined in celebrating the resurrection of our Jesus, our Lord and Savior!  The kids, well me too….had a blast in our egg rolling contest…you know roll the egg, like the stone was rolled from Jesus’ tomb!  And then we headed over to Sterling House with a box full of beautiful vases that the girls had made from empty glass jars, we filled them with beautiful silk flowers, and with special Easter greetings from the Sunday school kids, handed them out to residents.  Really not sure who enjoyed it more the residents or the kids….my heart was warm with the love of Easter as I watched the kids shining brightly with the love of Jesus!  After a nice nap, Kim and I headed out on the four-wheeler to check for new calves and check a lease pasture that’s been empty for a while to see if there was any grass growing.  The sun shining so warmly, I climbed on behind Kim and thanked God for the beauty of His creation.  As we approached the lease from the road we were not encouraged; the pasture was thick with dry, brown grass…..from the road, no sign of any green….new life….food for the cows….we continued down the road, opened the gate and headed in for a closer look.  We hadn’t been in long when we could indeed see green peeking through the dead grass…..even where the dead grass was very thick, looking close you could see the tender, green, grass….hope…..the green of life coming through the dead, dry, brown.  As we covered the pasture we felt quite hopeful that in a couple of weeks there would be sufficient grass for the cows.  As Kim and I headed home, the thought occurred to me that our lives, at times, are thick with the dead, dry, grass of the world…..dry grass that wants to choke out the hope of new, green, life…..I thought of earlier in the weekend when something that happened wanted to choke us with stress and worry….and then my thoughts turned to our church service…..the joy of Easter consumed my thoughts…..Jesus died….but the world did not choke HIM out, no HE rose on the third day……Alive, like the green grass….Jesus is our hope for LIFE everlasting…..no matter how dry the world might get, as HIS children, we are never ever without HOPE….without LOVE….without LIFE.  Father, thank you for YOUR SON, our HOPE…..for life everlasting with YOU.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.  Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:11. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new Birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3. 

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

Love you all!

January 18, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Forever His, Friday!   My mom, left this earth for her heavenly home quite a few years ago, but if she were still hanging around she would be 93 today.  Gosh, after so many years, I still miss her;  today she is really on my mind, so this morning as I was browsing through some inspirational verses and came upon this quote, “Always remember, when God made you He did so with a purpose and a plan.  He saw all your days before you lived one of them and placed over you the covering of His protective love.  He has allowed nothing to come into your life that has not first been screened through that love.  His hand has remained upon you to this very day,”  my thoughts went immediately to my mom’s life.  My mom was a wonderful Christian woman…..she oozed with “Care-Isma” but she didn’t cruise through life trouble free.  No, actually quite the opposite…..her life was composed of lots of hard work, heart ache, after heart ache, at the age of 53 she suffered a severe stroke that left her disabled for the reminder of her life and  my dad passed away 6 months later…..I have just touched the surface of mom’s life, but I am sure you will follow my next point.  “He has allowed nothing to come into your life that has not first been screened through that love….”  When I read this, for one brief moment, I thought had all mom’s heartache  been screened through God’s love……how can that be?  Why would He…….then I smiled and thought of her faith….unshakable!  I have never known anyone with a faith as strong as my mom’s……throughout my life I was the beneficiary of that faith….watching her grow stronger through each heartache…..At that moment God’s words from Romans 5:3-4, came to mind, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  My mom never lost hope and she most definitely was a character…..she persevered with dignity, bringing glory to our Heavenly Father.  Suffering is not easy, that’s for sure….but thinking about my mom….the lives she touched, the Care-Ism she shared for 82 years….I know that her life was planned through God’s love and so are ours….through thick or thin He knows what we are going through….heck He knows how many hairs we have on our heads……We are His dear children….Oh Wow How we are loved by Him!!!!  His hand is on us every day!  Thank You Father, for the faith of my mother, keep my growing and strong.

For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18.  Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.  He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with Him.  Psalm 12:5-6.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Crist. 

Ephesians 5:19-20.

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson