Kim is away with Kassi at a basketball tournament and I'm missing her. Last week, I was away from her for one night so I drove to Nashville to be with her. This week, its Cincinnati and three nights instead of two. It just wasn't possible for me to be with her...I'm dying without her.
Why am I'm telling you this? Well, I don't know, other than it seems to make me feel better to write it down. I miss my girl. When she is away, I'm lost. I have sat around all day with Kalli and Kelsi not knowing what to do. The only thing I know to do is play with them outside and with the heat today, that just wasn't possible with a 2-year old. Kim would have known what to do today. Heck, if she were here, I probably would have too. Without her, I'm just lonely. Kalli is good company and she and Kelsi are fun but it just isn't the same without Kim.
I hope she and Kassi are having fun. As for me, I started counting down the minutes until she gets home as soon as she pulled out of the garage yesterday.
I love my baby!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
YOU can do something great!
There is something that our pastor (Brad) has been mentioning a lot at church lately and that is many of our biblical heroes were just regular people. This is a tough concept to grasp for me. All of my life, I have looked at men like David, Gideon, Nehemiah, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednigo as extraordinary men of God. In reality, these men were just as normal as I am before they did something extraordinary.
David killed Goliath but before that he was tending sheep. Then he was just taking his brothers lunch when he heard how Goliath was slandering God and Israel. We know what happened next. Then he became a great king but he fell into an adulterous affair and committed murder. God restored him.
Gideon was a normal guy sitting under a tree when the angel of God called him a warrior. Gideon basically told the angel "you've got the wrong guy, I'm no warrior". He obeyed God and led Israel to great victories...with 300 men.
Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king. The cup bearer is the guy who tastes the kings wine to see if it is poisoned. If it isn't, great. If it is, well the king will have to find another cup bearer. Nehemiah was expendable. He heard that Jerusalem was in disarray and the walls were tore down and he simply stepped up. He wasn't a leader or a builder but with God's help, he led a great building project.
Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were just young men. They had never done anything. All they did was the right thing. They didn't bow to an idle. Most importantly, they trusted God. They told Nebuchadnezzar "Our God will deliver us, but if he doesn't, we still will not bow". We know how that ended.
And then there is us. We're just normal people. We are sitting back waiting on someone else to do something great. I generally try to put things in the context of sports when I'm trying to explain something. Think basketball. Every team has got their leading scorer and then there is the supporting cast. What happens when the leading scorer is hurt or just isn't performing? Someone has to step up. If everyone else just goes through the motions waiting for someone to score, that team will get beat. They need someone to step up as the go-to player. Someone has to come out of their shell and shoot the ball even if they are more comfortable passing.
Are you ready to step up and be God's go-to player? God is ready to use you for something great, you just have to step up. When God's angel calls you a warrior, you can't ignore it even though you've never fought a battle. We must be like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo and just believe God. God gave them an open door but it was up to them to walk through. Will you? God will open a door for you if he hasn't already. Some of you may be looking through that door right now but you're scared to death to walk through. Maybe you want to walk through but you are waiting for someone else to walk through first. Be like Nehemiah. He didn't wait on someone else to build the walls, he did it. Remember, he wasn't a builder or a leader. He stepped WAY out of his comfort zone. Are you ready?
Tell God you are ready to be his go-to player and see what happens.
God loves you and I do too!
David killed Goliath but before that he was tending sheep. Then he was just taking his brothers lunch when he heard how Goliath was slandering God and Israel. We know what happened next. Then he became a great king but he fell into an adulterous affair and committed murder. God restored him.
Gideon was a normal guy sitting under a tree when the angel of God called him a warrior. Gideon basically told the angel "you've got the wrong guy, I'm no warrior". He obeyed God and led Israel to great victories...with 300 men.
Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king. The cup bearer is the guy who tastes the kings wine to see if it is poisoned. If it isn't, great. If it is, well the king will have to find another cup bearer. Nehemiah was expendable. He heard that Jerusalem was in disarray and the walls were tore down and he simply stepped up. He wasn't a leader or a builder but with God's help, he led a great building project.
Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were just young men. They had never done anything. All they did was the right thing. They didn't bow to an idle. Most importantly, they trusted God. They told Nebuchadnezzar "Our God will deliver us, but if he doesn't, we still will not bow". We know how that ended.
And then there is us. We're just normal people. We are sitting back waiting on someone else to do something great. I generally try to put things in the context of sports when I'm trying to explain something. Think basketball. Every team has got their leading scorer and then there is the supporting cast. What happens when the leading scorer is hurt or just isn't performing? Someone has to step up. If everyone else just goes through the motions waiting for someone to score, that team will get beat. They need someone to step up as the go-to player. Someone has to come out of their shell and shoot the ball even if they are more comfortable passing.
Are you ready to step up and be God's go-to player? God is ready to use you for something great, you just have to step up. When God's angel calls you a warrior, you can't ignore it even though you've never fought a battle. We must be like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo and just believe God. God gave them an open door but it was up to them to walk through. Will you? God will open a door for you if he hasn't already. Some of you may be looking through that door right now but you're scared to death to walk through. Maybe you want to walk through but you are waiting for someone else to walk through first. Be like Nehemiah. He didn't wait on someone else to build the walls, he did it. Remember, he wasn't a builder or a leader. He stepped WAY out of his comfort zone. Are you ready?
Tell God you are ready to be his go-to player and see what happens.
God loves you and I do too!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Today is a new day
I've taken quite a break from my blog and I certainly owe some of you an apology. I use my blog as a way to keep myself accountable but if I'm not careful I can use it as a sounding board. Kim and I discussed it and we believe that it was best to take a couple of weeks off. But now I can say that today is a new day.
Have you ever needed one of those, a new day? I know for us, it was feeling like we were living the same day over again. Took us back to Bill Murray and Ground Hog Day, we tried different things but each day seemed like the same old stuff. For the record, everything is fine with Kim and me. We are just as happy together as we ever were. The "stuff" I'm talking about are things outside of our family that have a direct impact on us but are completely out of our control. But our situation did remind me that there are people out there that need a new day.
There are hurting people in this world, maybe even reading this blog, that need to know they can have a new day. I met some men at a prison in KY on Friday that found this out. They knew they needed a new day, they didn't think it was possible. They wake up every day with the same outlook, the same situation, the same people giving them trouble, and the same people telling them what to do. Every day is planned out and the longer they are in their situation, the more bleak it seems and the less help they get from the outside world.
Sound familiar? Had I left out the fact that they were in prison, some of you may have thought that I was talking about you. Some of these men got a new day on Saturday because they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They know that things aren't going to be perfect. But they also know that now they have hope. In the end, isn't that what we all need to start a new day, HOPE? Where there is no hope, there is no way out. Where there is no hope, there is defeat. Jesus Christ gives us hope, hope for a new day.
God loves you and I do too!
Have you ever needed one of those, a new day? I know for us, it was feeling like we were living the same day over again. Took us back to Bill Murray and Ground Hog Day, we tried different things but each day seemed like the same old stuff. For the record, everything is fine with Kim and me. We are just as happy together as we ever were. The "stuff" I'm talking about are things outside of our family that have a direct impact on us but are completely out of our control. But our situation did remind me that there are people out there that need a new day.
There are hurting people in this world, maybe even reading this blog, that need to know they can have a new day. I met some men at a prison in KY on Friday that found this out. They knew they needed a new day, they didn't think it was possible. They wake up every day with the same outlook, the same situation, the same people giving them trouble, and the same people telling them what to do. Every day is planned out and the longer they are in their situation, the more bleak it seems and the less help they get from the outside world.
Sound familiar? Had I left out the fact that they were in prison, some of you may have thought that I was talking about you. Some of these men got a new day on Saturday because they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They know that things aren't going to be perfect. But they also know that now they have hope. In the end, isn't that what we all need to start a new day, HOPE? Where there is no hope, there is no way out. Where there is no hope, there is defeat. Jesus Christ gives us hope, hope for a new day.
God loves you and I do too!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
My cool daughter Kassi
Our internet connection was down the other day and Kassi saw Kim's computer on so this is what she did. She opened Word and commenced to typing. I was laughing pretty hard by the time I got finished. What do you think?
So our wireless was down so I got bored and started writing. And now you’re reading. Let us ask ourselves, why? Why am I writing and you are reading? Why are you reading this in my voice? Why are you not creeped out yet?
What is our place in the universe? Why can’t you wear white after Labor day? What is wrong with my font? what is this witch craft? There, much better.
Oh gosh now it’s red. Why is it red? Red is the color of blood, what sign is this? Is there an ax murderer waiting for me in my shower?
Doesn’t matter, I always check first. Why do girls that wear no clothes get more likes on facebook than cute puppies and babies? Why can’t I get my braces off yet? WHY ARE YOU STILL READING?
Why am I even asking questions in the first place? Why do I have no life so I sit here and type things to no one? Is it because I can’t run or play basketball and my mind is starting to go? Of course it is.
What if I took up knitting? Does this hurt your eyes? Hahaha I bet it does! Burn baby burn! This is the type of thing I would do if Meghan were here. But I don’t have friends over because I’m a hermit. Why am I a hermit? What is a hermit? Who came up with the name “Hermit”? It certaintly wasn’t a hermit, he never would have unzipped his full-body sweater long enough to explain it.
Why don’t I go do something productive? Why don’t YOU go do something productive instead of sitting here reading this? Huh?
DOES IT SOUND LIKE I’M YELLING NOW? I BET IT DOES. WAAAAHHHH.
You know, punctuation is a beautiful thing. It saves lives, it does. It’s the difference between, “Let’s eat, Grandma!” and, “Let’s eat GRANDMA!” Poor grandma. I would never treat my grandmother like that. Would you? I bet if you’re still reading you would.
Grammar is a cool thing too. It’s the difference between knowing your crap, and knowing you’re crap. Yeah, I went there.
You know what gets on my nerves? No you don’t so I’m about to tell you. DON’T EX OUT OF THE PAGE NOW I WANNA TELL MY STORY. YOU’VE BEEN READING THIS LONG. KEEP PRESSING ON YOU WIMP.
Anyway, what gets on my nerves is the people who tlk lyke diis and Xpect u 2 take dem siriusly.
Like dude, warn me next time before you have a seizure on your keyboard and I’ll go offline. You are not gangster. You are not ghetto. You are not “she knoww she bhadd” or whatever that is, so yeah.
Why are you still reading this? Are you not bored yet? Oh, wait , I told you to keep reading didn’t I? See I’m just too lazy to use the backspace bar. Yeah, so I’m going to go do something productive now. Hope you enjoyed reading what went through my head for the past 10 minutes.
These are random thoughts from Kassi. Not a lot about Jesus here but this is what my kid does when she's bored. I'm pretty proud of her!!
God loves you and I do too!
Names of God Wednesday Lesson
I spoke at church last night and here is the outline I used talking about some of the names of God. I love the story about Paul and the nameless or unknown God (Acts 17:22-26) but the fact is we know that God has a name. He told Moses he "I AM". There is a deep study just on that name and maybe I will share my opinions here some day. Would be too long to get into AND to list my outline for this blog. This study talks about some of the names in which people of the bible, through God's inspiration, addressed God.
Names of God:
"ELOHIM" is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power", and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible.
Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples:
Elohim Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Elohim Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18).
Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17).
Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6).
Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23).
Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2).
Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1).
Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:46).
Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19).
Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10).
Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis.
Some examples:
El Shaddai - The all-sufficient God (Gen 17:1)
El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).
El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35).
El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).
El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3).
El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).
Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14).
El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33).
El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10).
"ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples:
Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19).
Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1).
Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23).
Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).
"YHWH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". Found more often in the Bible than any other name for God (almost 7,000 times in the old testament and almost 1000 times in the new testament), the title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton," meaning the "The Four Letters". YHWH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHWH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHWH as "Jehovah" or "Yaweh," scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). (Today's rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHWH.)
Here are some examples of YHVH used in scripture:
YHWH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4).
YHWH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28).
YHWH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14).
YHWH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15).
YHWHShalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24).
YHWH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16). YHWH O'saynu- The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).
God loves you and I do too!
Names of God:
"ELOHIM" is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power", and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible.
Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples:
Elohim Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Elohim Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18).
Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17).
Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6).
Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23).
Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2).
Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1).
Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:46).
Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19).
Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10).
Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis.
Some examples:
El Shaddai - The all-sufficient God (Gen 17:1)
El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).
El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35).
El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).
El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3).
El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).
Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14).
El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33).
El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10).
"ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples:
Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19).
Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1).
Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23).
Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).
"YHWH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". Found more often in the Bible than any other name for God (almost 7,000 times in the old testament and almost 1000 times in the new testament), the title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton," meaning the "The Four Letters". YHWH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHWH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHWH as "Jehovah" or "Yaweh," scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). (Today's rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHWH.)
Here are some examples of YHVH used in scripture:
YHWH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4).
YHWH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28).
YHWH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14).
YHWH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15).
YHWHShalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24).
YHWH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16). YHWH O'saynu- The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).
God loves you and I do too!
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