Kimmy's Ponderings

"And what happened then...? Well...in Who-ville they say That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day! And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches… plus two." ~Dr. Suess I had spent most of my life dreading and hating (yes I said the hate word) Christmas.  Others may have been singing 'It's the most wonderful time of the year,' but for me it was the most painful . Broken relationships seemed all the more unbearable in the light of the world's glossy facade of a merriment I did not feel"  I was the angry bitter Grinch."   "And what happened then...?" Well...in heaven they say this Grinch's heart grew three sizes as Paul prayed. In the Book of Ephesians Paul Prayed a powerful prayer under the unction of God for the church; for you and me. 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called ...

Narrator: And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more." Dr, Suess This world will take any kind of crazy thing you can put a wreath and ribbon upon and and turn into the hollow that this world  offers at Christmas. Sugar and Spice, Empty but Nice. Let's Not get carried away with the sound of the pretty bells of Christmas because there is something weighty and solid, pure and true in the Theology of Christmas. This the higher sound,the Resounding proclamation that still rings from above just as sure today, It is The hope given that traditions of men and culture will never meet or satisfy. The Hope of Christ is in  the Incarnation....That Love Came for Me. . Love Called my name. Love took My Place. Love Came to Die.....for me.  Phil 2:7 he made himself nothing...

Must See May it never happen again http://www.challies.com/articles/a-lesson-from-the-lakeland-revival

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall go no more out." To be as immovable as a pillar in the house of our God, is an end for which one would gladly endure all the shakings that may be necessary to bring us there! " --Hannah Whitall Smith I can't believe I read the above this morning in my devotional..So timely...This verse from Revelation she is referring to has been on my heart since Easter Time. Wow. My heart has wings with hope. Thank You! Revelation 3:12 He that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  This Spring I  learned the contemporary Hymn, 'O The Blood' sung by Kari Jobe.  The song brings something fresh to my heart. A pondering upon Him who overcame sin and dea...

When they buried the blind preacher, George Matheson , they lined his grave with red roses in memory of his love-life of sacrifice. And it was this man, so beautifully and significantly honored, who wrote, "O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee, I give Thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. "O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee, My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day May brighter, fairer be. "O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee, I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shalt tearless be. "O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee, I lay in dust life's glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red, Life that shall endless be."

I use to feel that if you didn't like my 'lasagna', well then that meant that you didn't like me. I thought who I was, was in what I produced and my identity was in what you said about me/the 'lasagna'. The two were one of course! I have come a long journey down the pasta road of life. Today by the grace of God, I am not my 'lasagna.' I give you the right to hate it even spit it out. Go ahead tell me it's dry, I'll offer you more Marinara on the side. I hope you like it, I hope you love it, I think it rocks. BUT I am content and my contentment is not based on what I produce. Who I am is founded upon what God says of me and Who He is. You think I'm competing with you? Are you serious? No way! These are your vain thoughts. I understand, I use to be where you are back at the 'lasagna.' I have compassion, even though it twinges that you judge me. I wish you could see my heart, but only God can. It's Ok. God the Gardner of my heart...

"When I cannot understand my Father's leading, And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate, I Still I hear that gentle whisper ever pleading,God is working, God is faithful, ONLY WAIT."

"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?" (S. of Sol. 8:5). I loved reading this scripture today. Love this verse it is one of my favorites. Today it is a fresh reminder of God's faithfulness to complete the good work he began unto completion. He will make me to lean all the more upon Himself. That's what He does, He loves when we are a leaning people. You and I are called to lean. Way too often we lean upon everything and anything else but Him. O that we would be that leaning people...a people leaning in total dependency upon our savior , a people weaned from self sufficiency, that have stopped trusting in their 'horses' and 'chariots,' but a people that trust only upon the name of their God and they have learned to run into that name for every need and to obtain mercy and grace for every need. They ask as they see her, 'Who is this?.'.....The bride is not seen and she is not recognized because she has been ...

I longed to walk along an easy road, And leave behind the dull routine of home, Thinking in other fields to serve my God; But Jesus said, "My time has not yet come." I longed to sow the seed in other soil, To be unfettered in the work, and free, To join with other laborers in their toil; But Jesus said, "'Tis not My choice for thee." I longed to leave the desert, and be led To work where souls were sunk in sin and shame, That I might win them; but the Master said, "I have not called thee, publish here My name." I longed to fight the battles of my King, Lift high His standards in the thickest strife; But my great Captain bade me wait and sing Songs of His conquests in my quiet life. I longed to leave the uncongenial sphere, Where all alone I seemed to stand and wait, To feel I had some human helper near, But Jesus bade me guard one lonely gate. I longed to leave the round of daily toil, Where no one seemed to understand or care; But Jesus said, "I ...

Led Worship this past Sunday. This week in Service we sang the popular worship song, 'Take My Life.' It is a beautiful prayer asking God to form ,transform and conform us into His likeness; A cry for holiness, faithfulness and righteousness. When we sang the verse that asked for Righteousness, I was reminded that we are already made Righteous by the Blood of Christ. We already stand 'complete though incomplete.' 'Done yet undone.' So what is the righteousness that we are singing about, that we are hungering for? 'And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of saints' Revelation 19:8 In our compartmentalization of worship in the church we are left with a focus upon what we do ...the Sunday morning outward expression of worship. But God calls a people and gets to the root of who they are. He wants to free us up, grow us up and bring us into maturity as believers. Who we are pr...

"The influence of the erotic spirit is felt almost everywhere in evangelical circles. Much of the singing in certain types of meetings has in it more of romance than it has of the Holy Ghost. Both words and music are designed to rouse the libidinous. Christ is courted with a familiarity that reveals a total ignorance of who He is. It is not the reverent intimacy of the adoring saint but the impudent familiarity of the carnal lover." A. W. Tozer, On Worship and Entertainment....Born After Midnight page 38 Leading worship this book's Title by Tozer, 'On Worship and Entertainment,' naturally piqued my interest. Having long been a reader of Tozer, I am grateful for the provoking sandpaper this brother's writing has had in my life. During times of great dryness I have read his books which reflect his hungry heart...a hunger only God can give a man and I am stirred once again to press through and somehow by grace become hungry myself again in a fresh way...a Hunge...

"I have been through the valley of weeping, The valley of sorrow and pain; But the 'God of all comfort' was with me, At hand to uphold and sustain. "As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine, Our souls need both sorrow and joy; So He places us oft in the furnace, The dross from the gold to destroy. "When he leads thro' some valley of trouble His omnipotent hand we trace; For the trials and sorrows He sends us, Are part of His lessons in grace. "Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning, Forgetting the Husbandman knows That the deeper the cutting and paring, The richer the cluster that grows. "Well He knows that affliction is needed; He has a wise purpose in view, And in the dark valley He whispers, 'Hereafter Thou'lt know what I do.' "As we travel thro' life's shadow'd valley, Fresh springs of His love ever rise; And we learn that our sorrows and losses, Are blessings just sent in disguise. "So we'll follow wh...

"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out!" (Song of Solomon 4:16). Look at the meaning of this prayer a moment. Its root is found in the fact that, as delicious odors may lie latent in a spice tree, so graces may lie unexercised and undeveloped in a Christian's heart. There is many a plant of profession; but from the ground there breathes forth no fragrance of holy affections or of godly deeds. The same winds blow on the thistle bush and on the spice tree, but it is only one of them which gives out rich odors. Sometimes God sends severe blasts of trial upon His children to develop their graces. Just as torches burn most brightly when swung to and fro; just as the juniper plant smells sweetest when flung into the flames; so the richest qualities of a Christian often come out under the north wind of suffering and adversity. Bruised hearts often emit the fragrance that God loveth to smell. "I had a tiny box, a...

Tonight I was so not 'ready' to lead in worship. Tonight I was wiped, a tad anxious by the crazy preworship rehearsal time we had, distracted and just hoping I'd be a blessing as I was just there to serve because my friend had nobody to lead worship with...but my heart was wanting to be somewhere else on this special church service night." But we so seldom gather on a Sunday Night" , was an unspoken sadly half hearted statement to self both to reconcile and complain. We sing Hymns at my church 1-2 a week incorporated into a contemporary set. Lin picked out the usually sung at Easter John Wesley Hymn, And Can It Be..a very tough song to sing in the original key....a Hymn you need to 'eat your Wheaties' for. I chided her for picking it out for me to lead with a giggle. With it's interval 'runs' it sings like a part of an Italian Art Song. Never the best for my still have to work on it pitch. I usually vocalize in the car on the way if I attemp...

Thoughts on a Quote Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that reared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them. John Bunyon 'Pose a Riddle that we may hear it' "Out of the eater came something to eat But out of the strong came something sweet." Judges 14:1 How many Lions does it take to have the wisdom and the right response for the next Lion? How could Samson not know that his wife to be was being used as his fiery dart of temptation? How did he not glean the wisdom of God's preparation by defeating that young lion roaring against him when facing his next 'lion'? What was he considering when later passing eating of the honey within the carcass? Who from death can produce life? How could one who saw the wisdom of God be played like a fool and then over and over and over again? The same lie. The very same temptation. The same trap, the same trapper. The very same sin that so...