Inspired: God breathed

from the Latin spiritus meaning breath,courage,the soul

I love how God gives. 

Whatever He gives always has the ability to reproduce in our own life and even more so in others when we choose to give. What He gives is not meant to be held on to or hidden. 

He generously gives with great hope that we will in turn do the same. 

Choose today to be filled with His inspiration & choose to give it away!

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer 

that becomes bread for your meals is more than 

extravagant with you. He gives you something you 

can then give away, which grows into full-formed 

lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, 

so that you can be generous in every way, 

producing with us great praise to God.

II Corinthians 9:11 (msg)

Be Absolutely Ridiculous

You know what I like about this quote? 

It says to me...live life OUT LOUD!

Stop sitting on the fence of life and get moving!

You don't have to be perfect and your life does not have to be perfect for you to make a difference to someone, somewhere. I think we oftentimes look at our circumstances and allow them to fully dictate to us what we can and cannot do. I've been there. In a mindset that told me because I lacked this or that qualification or resource that somehow it excused me from doing anything at all. Guess what? It's simply not true...

simply not true.

Abundance is not a prerequisite for giving...love is.

Jesus put it this way...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with all your mind 

and with all your strength.

The second is this: 

Love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30

Making a difference begins by realizing you are loved by God. Followed by loving God. Followed by loving others. Take a minute and read I John 4. Pretty amazing stuff there...its not that we loved Him but that He loved us first and GAVE Himself for us. It's out of His love for us that we now ought to love others. 

Making a difference will never happen if you just sit there watching and excusing yourself from life. Nothing you do, no matter how small or large, for someone else is insignificant. Even if it seems silly or ridiculous, as the quote above says, "...it's absolutely better to be ridiculous than boring". Boring never got anything done or anyone's life changed or made an impact in a community. Stepping out with your imperfect self and your small, crazy idea can be risky; but history tells us that the people who took a risk and were called crazy are the ones we now applaud for their genius. 

God has filled you with His life and creativity and empowered you to do something by His love. Get rid of your excuses, get off the fence, take a risk and do something. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two tiny fish and fed thousands. I know that He can do the same with what we give him. 

Look at what you have in your hands right now. 

What can you do with it? 

How can you use it to help someone? 

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, 

but not merely given back—

given back with bonus and blessing. 

Giving, not getting, is the way. 

Generosity begets generosity."

Luke 6:38

Until next time...living & loving!!

Here Comes the Future

These past couple months have been pretty exciting around our house. We are thrilled to have both of our children back home with us for a little time. Soon they will be off on new adventures again. Our daughter will be getting married the end of March and setting up her new home with her handsome fiancé Phil. Stephen Michael will be with us for a few more months and most likely will be off on a European tour with a Christian band. Pretty excited for them both. In the meantime...A couple of their friends have taken up residence at our house too. Having "the kids" (they'll always be that to us) around has created a lot of activity and fun conversations. It is amazing how their presence has brought such fresh vision and perspectives to the atmosphere of our home. As parents it is quite rewarding to hear and see our children and their friends so engaged and excited about their unique purpose and how it fits into the Kingdom of God at large.


One of their friends, Colin, has spent his two weeks with us in a recording studio setup and run by one of the young men who has grown up in our church. They along with Stephen and his friend Rosie have created Colin's very first recording. It has truly been fun to see them spending hours on end, pulling a few all-nighters, to finish the project in time. We can feel their passion and have witnessed their dedication to walk toward the calling of God for their lives.


Listening and having conversations with Meredith and Phil about their new journey together has caused us to smile and remember our own newlywed days. Such fun we had! It has also caused me to remember warmly the early days of founding Cornerstone Church. The sky was the limit! Interestingly and gratefully I am still just as excited about what God has called us to as I ever was. Thank goodness I am a bit wiser too...at least I think I am. I am inspired, encouraged, motivated, joyful!


Having "the kids" around has served to remind me that the best is always yet to come. It has reminded me to never stop dreaming or leading or following or praying or strategizing...in other words I want to always be future and forward focused. What is God speaking now? Where is He leading me today? Who can I bring with me? 


Today's post is really about celebrating God's goodness in our lives. Watching the next generation go after God for themselves is truly the ultimate Kingdom blessing. It hasn't always been so easy to "see" what we see today...raising our kids has definitely had its "C'mon God we could use a bit of help here" moments...ahh the moments...only now can we look back and smile. Recently one of our staff, while giving announcements during service, shared how he had found out between services that one of his children had bitten someone during first service. I sat there and laughed as I looked over his shoulder at our own son standing on the platform holding his guitar ready to help lead worship with the band...he was kicked out of kids church when he was two for repeatedly biting. Ah...but in due season we are reaping the rewards. 

Don't allow yourself to get focused and stuck on where you are at currently. Look past the clouds and rain to see the small rays of sun peeking through. Know that you are sowing for the future...your own personal future and the next generation's future. Remember this, the path of the righteous grows brighter as we walk along. God always sees the best ahead for us. Let's see it too!

What Do You See?

Well, its been a few months since I've posted. The last quarter of 2011 was quite busy and interesting to say the least. 2011 was filled with many highs and a few low spots...hey so goes life right? Wonderfully, as we walk through life, we can always know that God is faithful! So as I enter into 2012 I am filled with such wonder at the potential and possibility it holds. I'm sensing a strong wave of faith rising in my heart and mind and I find myself full of anticipation. Some may look at last year's struggles and let their focus rest there but may I say that our ability to move forward into all that God has for us is fully dependent upon our equal ability to see things through the eyes of faith. Perspective is everything! What are you seeing? Are you seeing only the needs and hurts of your past or present? Or are you seeing God's infinite ability to sustain and supply those needs? Choose faith every time! Choose trust every time! Listen to the quiet, still voice of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding you to Truth. He will show you which way to go and how to bring things in your life into alignment with the Word of God. Listen, follow, obey. 

2012 is a year to put things in order and 

watch God cause us to LEAP ahead! 

It is our Catch Up Year! 

Can you SEE it? 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.   Hebrews 12:1-2

Every Step of the Way!

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Ps. 37:23

Every so often I have one of those moments in my life when I can see the ordered steps of God at work. It always makes me stop, smile and shake my head in amazement. Today is one of those moments. The funny thing is that it isn't any one particular happening that is making me stop to remember. I woke this morning with the overwhelming sense of God's hand at work in the steps and purposes of my life. I woke completely in awe of how I can look back over the small and large moments of my life, from childhood onward, and see that He has always been working and directing even in times when I was less than cooperative.  Nowadays I work more diligently to keep in step with His leading but how wonderful to know that when I sometimes sidestep His plans for me He is faithful to mercifully guide me back.

Today be encouraged that God sees, hears, knows...walk confidently aware that He is speaking and guiding. Look back over the days of your life and know that even in the worst of times He was there and rejoice in knowing that in the best of times that He was there too. Even more know that God is with you NOW.  He has ordered your steps and is not going anywhere...He is with you every step of the way!

...be content with such things as ye have:
for he hath said, I will never leave thee... So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, 

and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

                                                                                         Heb. 13: 5-6

Until next time...♡

Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!

Rejoice, be in high spirits and glory with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem [in that day].

[For then it will be that] the Lord has taken

away the judgments against you;

He has cast out your enemy.

The King of Israel, even the Lord [Himself],

is in the midst of you;

[and after He has come to you]

you shall not experience or fear evil any more.

That day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not, O Zion.

Let not your hands sink down or be slow and listless.

The Lord your God is in the midst of you,

a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]!

He will rejoice over you with joy;

He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love

He will be silent and make no mention

[of past sins, or even recall them];

He will exult over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:14-17

I love the idea of God singing over me.

When our children were babies often I would hold them and sing special songs over them that my husband and I had composed just for them. Not songs that would ever be chart toppers, just simple lyrics & tunes in an attempt to express our heart & prayer for each of them; to begin to reassure them of our unconditional love and commitment to guard and protect them. Sometimes my husband would play the piano as I held them and danced around the room singing.

I know, I know...it all sounds a tad bit corny but we really did do it. More often I would sit in the middle of the night as I rocked them back to sleep, sing softly and pray for them. As a mother these are some of my favorite moments to reflect upon. I loved the intimacy of those moments as I held the beautiful gifts God had so blessed us with.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the moments with our children were filled with that kind of warmth. Unfortunately, they are not. There are just as many moments of temper tantrums, baby powder & vaseline smeared in their hair as well as around the room ( yes it did really happen) and as they grow older moments of defiance and full out challenging of boundaries. Plain and simple our children are human beings and they use poor judgement, mess up and disappoint us. Oh who's kidding...sometimes they down right tick us off. But because we love our children we soon discipline and before you know it they are the apple of our eye again.

How wonderful and ideal it would be if when we entered adulthood we had learned every lesson in poor judgement and every skill needed to know how to navigate life. Again, unfortunately, it's just not how it works. Even as adults sometimes we make mistakes, have lapses of character and hurt and disappoint ourselves and those around us. The hard part is that as adults the consequences are usually more than getting your bike taken away for the week or losing driving privileges...sometimes they can be almost unbearable.

Good News!

Ok, here's the good news...God has made provision for us to get things back on track. Romans tells us that at just the right time when we thought all hope was lost Jesus came and died to save us (Rom. 5). He came fulfilling our hope of redemption and freedom from...well...ourselves. You see even when we should know better but somehow find ourselves lost and in sin He made a way to redemption through repentance and faith in Him. Though our actions may have caused us to walk down a pathway we never thought we would or deal with consequences we never believed we could, He will not hold us to that season or moment. The prophet Zephaniah tells us here that our punishment will not last forever and neither will His rebuke.

When we repent and turn, He forgives and restores. God will sing a new song over your life. One of His everlasting love, daily mercies and empowering grace. And His song will be personal...His heart for you expressed. He is so faithful and just to forgive and restore us when we turn our hearts back toward Him.

Begin to listen for His song over you. There is forgiveness in it. There is everlasting love in it. There is rejoicing in it. There is freedom in it. There is new life in it. Just as we sang over our children to surround them with our love and protection so God sings over you! Lift up your hands and walk with renewed energy because you are not forsaken or forgotten...YOU are HIS child! You are the apple of His eye and He is singing over YOU!

Until next time...

Kathi ♡

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I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and

heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm

place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Psalm 40:1-3 NIV