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

Influence!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Today I want to celebrate my beautiful mother Janette. All day long I've been thinking about just how blessed I have been my whole life to have such an amazing woman to love & lead me through the twists and turns of life. She has celebrated the joys and hugged me through the hurts. But most importantly my mother has always shown me Jesus! Always grace, kindness, compassion and mercy! She has greatly influenced my life because her focus has always been protecting my heart...developing that true inner beauty. I honor you Mom! Your value and worth to me are beyond words. You not only have influenced my life but your grand-daughters' lives as well and countless other women. Thank you for quietly and graciously leading so consistently, for wisely speaking the truth in love and for really showing us how to love God!

You are a my hero...keep talking Mom!

♡ I'm still listening and learning!! I love you!! ♡

Influence:

The capacity to have an effect on the

character, development, or behavior of

someone or something, or the effect itself

One of the greatest gifts God has given woman is the ability to influence her world. We see this in the lives of the women of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Most of the time this gift is used for good but occasionally...not so good. The big difference is always found in the heart focus and motivation. This scripture reminds us that our capacity to change the world around us begins with developing inner beauty first. It begins with protecting our hearts and allowing the Word of God to be our guide in character and behavior. YOU can influence your world. Allow the fruit of the Spirit to wrap around your heart first and then rise to the surface to reach out and touch the people and circumstances of your life.

Maya Angelou's well-known poem Phenomenal Woman has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. Every time I read it I am once again reminded of just how beautiful and unique women are. Today as I found myself reading it again, a subtle smile snuck its way to my face.

I'm sharing it with you in hopes that you will smile too. Celebrate the beauty of who YOU are as a uniquely designed woman of God. Celebrate your funny curves, your audacious laugh, your crooked nose or frizzy hair...CELEBRATE YOU!

Know this today...

The Lord your God is with you!

He takes great delight in you!

Because of His love,

He's not worried about your past!

He is REJOICING over you with singing!

(Zephaniah 3:17)

Big hugs to you!!

Phenomenal Woman

Many women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Maya Angelou

And HOPE does not disappoint us,

because God has poured out His

love into our hearts...

you see, at just the right time,

when we were still powerless,

Christ died for us!

Romans 5:5-6

Psalm 113:4

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,

His glory above the heavens.

My husband and I just returned from 3 weeks in South Africa. Though he has been there several times over the last several years this was my first trip to the beautiful Republic of South Africa. I was glad to be able to visit a few places including East London, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and even ventured out into the wild bush country. It was a great honor to meet so many new friends and see the awesomeness of God at work in the local churches of South Africa.

Each time we have the opportunity to travel to other nations I am always reminded of just how amazing The Church is. My heart is always stirred to see how people's lives are being radically changed and how the Kingdom of God is being increased all over the world. It excites me almost beyond words. Here are just a few photos & brief videos of our time there.

East London - TBN Africa

In East London we joined Andre & Jenny Roebert as their guests on TBN Africa. My husband preached the airwaves hot...he's still my favorite preacher. We enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon family dinner at Andre's parents home in the beautiful countryside of East London. The view was truly breathtaking.

Beautiful Cape Town

We were also honored to be with Pastors Neville & Wendy McDonald in Cape Town. What a great church! The scenery of Cape Town has to be some of the most beautiful on the planet.

Johannesburg

Bishop Lazarus and his lovely wife welcomed us to Johannesburg and their church. We were delighted to meet them and their very gracious staff. Our great friends Dr. Sam & Brenda Chand were also with us in Johannesburg - always such fun to meet up with our USA friends in other parts of the world.

Mambalingwe & Pretoria

The couple of days of rest we were able to enjoy at a lodge in the bush were definitely memorable. Our new friends Pastors Deric & Belinda Linley spoiled us with their over-the-top hospitality. It was exciting to leave there and join them at their church in Pretoria for Shift Africa 2011 conference. Talk about super-charged power days...wow!! Again, I must say...my husband rocked the house along with Bishop David Huskins. We were so blessed to be a part of what was a significant moment for Light of the Nations Church.

The Lord is truly being exalted all over the world!

Let's remember to pray for our brothers and sisters all over the world that God would increase them and make them great in the land that He has given them.

Until next time...

Living & Loving!

Kathi