CLOTHED????

Well, I have been thinking~ as Christians, are we really clothed in Jesus Christ? Before you answer so quickly, let's think for a moment what that really means.

When we sin and repent~ do we really let go of that sin as Jesus does~ He throws it as far as the east is from the west~ ARE WE CLOTHED IN HIS FORGIVENESS?

When we have worldly thoughts and do things of the world, ARE WE CLOTHED IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS?

When really hard times occur~ when we can't have babies, when a loved one receives news of cancer, when we lose a loved one~ DO WE CLOTHE OURSELVES WITH HIS PEACE?

When we've had a really horrible day and the train is delaying your getting home from work, or you get behind that school bus when you are already late~What about when we have prayed and need an answer~ ARE WE CLOTHED IN HIS PATIENCE?

When that dirty homeless man asks for a dollar, or when a "lazy" relative asks you for money~ ARE WE CLOTHED IN HIS GENEROUSITY?

When we are trying to be obedient, but the road seems uncertain~ ARE WE CLOTHED IN FAITH?

Think for a minute~ what if we were as generous,as faithful, as forgiving, as patient, and as peaceful as Jesus, wouldn't that be amazing ~ to live a life of pure glory for the Father~ It is my deepest prayer that we as Christians join together and "get it" that we keep our focus on being clothed and completely enveloped and engulfed in the love that Christ has for us, and that we remain focused on being completely and utterly sold out to bringing glory to Jesus Christ~ that really should be our one and only desire and concern. I continue to pray for each of you, and if you have specific prayer requests, please continue to email me at kimstarkville@yahoo.com

Desiring to be clothed in Jesus Christ always~
Kimberly
Isaiah 61:3

FREEDOM

Why is it that even with our closest friends, family, and sometimes even our FATHER that we place ourselves in some sort of bubble, and act as if we don't hurt,contain fear, or need others. Regardless of where you are maybe it is infertility or cancer or job change, I don't know, but I do know that God wants to hear from you even when your words to Him are not always pretty. I do know that when we choose our friends with the same criteria that Jesus chose His friends that they can be a provision from Him to offer comfort, hope, and peace. Yet, and still, we walk around with a deeply devestated heart that is broken, and we miss the point that we need to let it all out. On the night before Jesus was cruxified He sat down with His closest friends and prayed, I am sure there was a feeling of dread over what had to take place the following day, but He did let it all out so to speak. Where two or more are gathered, He is there~ not only when we release our troubles and fears does it help us, but it can also help others. Jesus is Jehovah Jireh ( the God who Provides) and El Roi ( the God who sees) He knows what we need to hear when we need to hear it, He knows just the thing that we will find rest and comfort in whether it is a scripture, a friend ,or in my case something as small as a bluebird. Since He created you He fully understands and expects that sometimes when you are releasing your burdens that your words will not always be poetic before Him. He then picks you up right where you are.He is the true source of rest for weary souls. Make sure that no matter your journey, that you are not walking around in some bubble fog "pretending" to have everything under control. Cry out to your Father the only one that can truly bring peace and comfort to you~ remember that we can release our burdens also by sharing with our friends just as Jesus did. Every single person on Earth needs to have one person that they can go to and just let it all out, and really get real and pray together. I pray that this week, that you will realize that there is no "pretending" with Jesus~ He knows and understands your innermost thoughts and fears. LET IT ALL OUT!!! THIS PRODUCES FREEDOM like no other!!

God's glory always~
Kimberly
Matthew 11:28-29

HE IS ALIVE!!!

Well, it has been a couple of days, sorry for those of you who have been checking!! The beach was wonderful, I had some great time with the Lord!! For those of you asking about Sunday, we are going to reschedule now that Angie is well! Please continue to keep this service in your prayers. As the title of this post makes a strong claim ,it is my prayer this Easter and today on Good Friday, that each of you will stop, take a breath and realize the depth of that title~ HE IS ALIVE~ He is alive every second of every moment of every single day, He is all about the details of your life. Easter and the fact that we as Christians serve the God that is alive today, is what the complete and total purpose, He is alive today, so that He can be with you, walk with you, carry you, speak to you and work in your life. How neat is that??He did not stay in that tomb, He rose, so that we would always have Him with us! No matter your struggle, no matter where you are in life, no matter where you find yourself, stop and Praise God for Easter~ you are never alone, not even for a second. He holds you in His hands, Remember, because He lives, we can seek His face and listen to His voice. I will post more a bit later~ Thank you Jesus for Easter and thank you that you care enough to be with us always! Mark 16:11

Moment by Moment~
Kimberly
1 Peter 1:3-9

DON"T MISS THIS SUNDAY AT CROSSPOINT!!

Hello~
I will be posting another post later tonight~ However, I know I have mentioned it before, it is worth mentioning again!! This Sunday March 16, here in Trussville at Crosspoint~ we are stepping out of the box and we are hosting a service, actually this service will be offered at 3 different times, 8:15am, 9:30am, and 10:45. This service we will have testimony from Angie Harris and we will have a huge time of prayer before our Father for anyone~ women and couples who are or have struggled with infertility, pregnancy loss, failed adoption, loss of foster children, loss of children. THIS WILL BE A TIME THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!! Your heart will be changed~ if you are at all within driving distance, make an effort to be here~ I am so very excited to be a part of a church served by a pastor who is unafraid to step out and touch the lives through Jesus Christ of people dealing with these struggles~ This is what the bigger picture is!! IF you are 100 or 15 and any age in between~ Please don't miss this very special time~ if you have been blessed with children or have seen God's other provisions in your life ~please come be a part of this!! God's hand is so upon this and I don't want you to miss experiencing what He has in store!! Please feel free to e-mail me at kimstarkville@yahoo.com for directions and more info!
Moment by Moment ~
Kimberly
Philippians 1:3

So.... Just how far is the East from the West???

Pretty neat question! I wanted to post about this,because I hear people say all of the time, oh, I deal with this struggle, it's just God's way of punishing me for my past. Ok, stop, wait just a minute~ God doesn't work like that~when we ask for forgiveness God throws our sins as far as the east is from the west~ in case you missed it, that is infinite, neverending, he leaves them there, and then we are able to live in the ocean of His forgiveness~ I love that in Psalm 103:12 the Bible uses the east and west as reference~ NEVERENDING, we cannot even imagine or try to understand that analogy, but God can! Those sins that have been forgiven and forgotten, they don't stay with us once we ask for forgiveness. We don't stand at the place where Jesus found us~ we are forgiven~Jesus Christ conquered and erased all of our forgiven sin. Jesus picks us up where we are when we ask Him into our life and hearts~ then we ask for forgiveness~ we don't come before Him again at the same place where He found us. God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be about our sin! He wants sin far away from His children; thus Jesus died on that cross. Now, are Christians going to struggle with different issues, is life going to be difficult and challenging at times, ABSOLUTELY, it is in these times we are able to draw even closer to God, HOWEVER, these difficult times are NOT punishment in any way for the person you might have once been. He paid the price, so we would not constantly remain the person that we once were before we met Him. God felt that His forgiveness of your past was important to an extreme, this is the reason He sent the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus.

See the distance from the east and west is one scarred hand to another.

God's overflowing Mercy~
Kimberly
Psalm 103:12

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ. If we are afflected, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in the endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you wil share in the comfort." 2 Cor. 1: 3-7

Today I did somthing a little unusual, at least for me....I had a yard sale. I know you are wondering why in the world I would be writing about such a subject. Well, it was a sort of God moment. I like to try to seek God in even the smallest things. A friend of mine needed some help making a little room in her basement and needed a little extra cash for an upcoming trip, so I suggested a yard sale. We loaded up three vehicles worth of stuff and went to my parents home and set up shop. I have never seen so many things....beautiful things. There were so many people who stopped by. I saw all kinds of people, young and old, short and tall, skinny and fluffy, pregnant and not pregnant. As I looked at all the baby things that needed to be sold and all of the people buying things for their children I thought about several things. One...there are so many people who desire to have children who can not who pass venues like this and are saddened. There are people who have children who pass away and they are burdened with the task of selling or giving away things and this brings them great saddness. I've had so many patients in my career who have to take down a nursery that they very much wanted to use and this brings great saddness. I want you to know that if you are, or have been, in any of the above situations 2Cor. 1: 3-7 is for you. Please remember that He is the God of ALL comfort. He comforts us in our afflictions. If others come to your rescue, let them...they are acting as an extension of the Father's hand in providing comfort to you.

I find hope, peace, and understanding in knowing that God knows all my hurts, hangups, and pains. My prayer for you is that our heavenly father will comfort you where ever you are at this very moment.

In Christ's love,
Belinda

In this crazy world~ why should we really make time for one another?!??

Well, this post poses an interesting question. For years, I have heard Christian women say things like~ in order to keep my family safe, I just put up a hedge and really just spend our time with each other, or we really don't have time or room for any more, or we're so busy that in our free time we spend quality time with each other, I want Satin to stay away; therefore we just stay heavily guarded in prayer with one another; I'm really private and just can't share or pray with others. NOW, for the bigger picture, none of these things that people use as excuses are necessarily sinful so to speak, but they are simply missing a much larger picture!! We as Christians are placed here to Glorify God and to tell others about Him so that they can spend eternity with Him. Now, if everyone in your small family unit knows Christ, wouldn't now be the time to tell another family unit about Him. That's what we're supposed to be all about. Secondly, it is important to fellowship with other Christians~ God loves it when 2 or more are gathered in His name, below I will list scripture to confirm what I am saying. We are to build one another up as Christians, when one falls there is another to lift him up, so that they will not fall alone. God provides peace that only comes from the Prince, a peace and comfort like no other to us His children, He provides this peace so that we in turn can reveal this peace and comfort to another brother or sister in Christ. If you read my previous post about prepared provisions, I want you to stop and pause and think have you been that prepared provision for someone, and not even realized it? God uses us His children to reveal Himself to others, but if you are staying in your little hedged off safe place ~ you are missing the many ways that God wants to use you~ God can use you to change lives~ God has a plan, but when we are too busy or too consumed with ourselves and our family to step out and share and spend time with other Christians and non-christians, we are missing a huge huge larger than life picture. Now ,there are two sides to this, God can also use another brother or sister in Christ to reveal Himself to you in ways that you might miss on your own. There is a reason in God's plan for placing more than just you on this planet. As Christians, it is His expectation that we join together and comfort one another, bring Glory to Him , love and support one another, and accept the place where another is. Accept what they are able to bring to the table at that moment~ see isn't this how our Father accepts us~ where we are ? Then as we grow He is able to use us in even more ways, but first the acceptance occurs flaws and all! Many many times God' provisions are through other brothers and sisters in Christ~ don't Miss this!! Every individual on the planet has a cross to bear~ yours may not be infertility or pregnancy loss, it might be career failure or business issues, failed marriage, or sickness, maybe the loss of a loved one, but God has provided another Christian who bears the same cross, and they need you just as much as you need them and together God will reveal Himself. In 1 John 4:11-12 this verse talks about us not tangiably seeing God with our physical eyes, but that we see God through His other children as we show God to others His love is perfected in us. Once again, isn't God's plan miraculous!! It always amazes me how He has a plan and purpose in every single detail, even the little lady that I met at Starbuck's a few weeks ago~ now it has beome a weekly ritual that I sit and talk about Jesus with her on Saturday nights, her stories about His love for her bless my soul, and she tells my girls how much Jesus loves them~ who would have thought that I would "have tons of time" for this wonderful completely unexpected gift of a friendship with a 74 year old sister in Christ~ we walk away having learned more andhaving been blessed by being together even if for only an hour!! God is the God of ALL mercies and all comfort~ He gifts us with these mercies and comforts so that we can in turn share God's mercies and comforts with others. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is also another favorite of mine, and it is actually in our lesson tonight that I' m teaching!! Check out these 2 verses~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that 2 are better than one ~ a bond between 2 cannot be broken!! How is God using you~ I challenge you to sacrifice a bit of your time, and allow God to reveal Himself!! He definitely will!! I know how busy you might think you are,but God is way busier and He still desires to take the time to guide you and reveal Himself to you~ I am thankful for each one of you and I pray for you daily~ to many of you that read this God has used you in my life to reveal Himself to me and for that I am forever grateful!! God bless each of you and always remember to post in comments or e-mail me privately at kimstarkville@yahoo.com to share specific prayer requests~ feel free to continue sharing in the comments at the bottom of the posts~ your comment could touch someone else's life!
Moment by moment~
Kimberly

I am good and I love the Lord, don't you owe me?!?@!?

We talked a great deal about feeling owed. As Christians, we seem to think that if we are "good" if we tithe and give over and beyond, we pray, we volunteer, and we even serve that we are owed the desires of our heart. Let's stop and think about what we as good Christians are owed? Maybe in the past your thoughts have been, I gave generously, I am owed success in my business, I served, I am owed a sweet healthy baby, I prayed, you heard, now I am owed whatever it is that I asked you for, God. Here's the kicker~ DON"T MISS THIS~ you are owed only one thing. DEATH in an eternal HELL. Oh, but wait, normally when I am owed something I want it, I want that tax rebate that I am owed, I want that loan that someone borrowed, I am owed~ I normally like being owed, but not this time~ I don't want what I am owed. Hell and death???? Now for the part that you are not owed, but that God chose to give you free of charge. GRACE. If we were to define grace the definition would be: mercy, clemency, divine love and protection bestowed freely upon people. a favor rendered by one who need not do so, a reprieve or immunity.The state of being protected or scantified by the favor of God. Now remember this is from Webster's not the Bible, yet the definition used words like divine love ~ freely bestowed~ FREE~~ nothing on this earth is free, yet the one and ONLY thing that we need is a gift , a sacrifice ,a saviour and this gift is FREE!! See we can't do enough, work enough, give enough, serve enough to "earn" God's grace of eternal life. God's plan was for everyone to have the opportunity to take this free gift from Him ~ His sacrifice of Jesus Christ crucified on a cross, so that we can have forgiveness for our sins forever and leave this earth to spend eternity(that's forever) with Him in Heaven. Now what always shocks me is that people will stand in line for free food samples at Sam's, but yet there aren't people standing in line to accept the free gift of Jesus Christ~ what is wrong with that picture~ I will close with the following verses. 2 Peter 1:3-4
Phillipians 4:11-13, Ephesians 2:8 and Romans's 6:23. God gave us so much more than we could ever dream of being owed~ He gave His all~ and Jesus Christ took the wrath of God for us~ we could never be owed, nor could we earn that, but God loved you and me enough that He gave it freely to us! FREE OF CHARGE~~

Praying God's grace upon you~
Kimberly