Philippians 2:5 Life Application
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus"......
Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of love for god and for others, not out of guilt or fear. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.
Be blessed
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Devotional today
Wow - my devotional had me reading the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 1 today........it spoke volumes to me - especially beginning at verse 10 all the way to the end! Instead of me sharing my thoughts and opinions - I thought I would just post the chapter and let it speak to you in it's own way........taking it from the Message Bible:
1 Corinthians 1
1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God's plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours!
3May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.
4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
7-9 Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
The Cross: The Irony of God's Wisdom
10 I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group."
13-16 I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)
17 God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.
18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written,
I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."
Be blessed
Karen
1 Corinthians 1
1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God's plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours!
3May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.
4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
7-9 Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
The Cross: The Irony of God's Wisdom
10 I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group."
13-16 I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)
17 God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.
18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written,
I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."
Be blessed
Karen
Thursday, January 14, 2010
ok - well that didn't last long!
Basketball season for Jake is over!! I know, the shortest season ever - right.
Well, the league that we signed up with (who will remain nameless - even though I would like to slander them!!!) lost their minds - literally. The League has been around for a long time - very well organized and put together...........or so we thought. From what I found out - since we pulled ourselves out of this league - is that the Kindergarten part of the league is NEW!!!!! Ok - explains a TON!
Let me explain.....when we signed up - the practices were suppose to be at 5:00 PM on Fridays' with games on Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00.....both of these events were to happen at a place called The Gym - which is located close to where we live.......which would be the reason we signed up with them...........
They kept canceling practices - I couldn't figure out what they were doing - I mean - you would think that if you are going to have a game - you might need to practice - especially since you are 6 years old and want to grab your face and run every time the ball is coming towards you - you might want to practice!!! Then, the game times kept being moved around. The problem with all of these changes is that they would send you an email about 2 hours before the change in schedule......I can't work this way - all of you who know me well - you know that I am a very organized person and don't do well if it's not planned down to a tee!! LOL - I don't do well doing impromptu stuff.....I'm getting better - but I'd rather everything be planned out for me.
Then, they decided to change the practice from Friday to Tuesday - from 7:00 - 8:00 PM - uh hello - these are kindergarten kids who go to bed at 7:30.......and, they wanted to send us to a Kindergarten middle school about 30 minutes away and the practices were going to be held in the cafeteria.....Ok - this is not good.....I'm already thinking - I'm done....this is crazy!!!!!
The last straw - they games are now being held on Saturday and SUNDAY......that was it - I was finished. I'm old school and was raised to respect Sunday. We go to church as a family and we are not missing church so my 6 year old little kindergartner can play basketball.............
Mark and I both agreed that the league we signed up for was not what we were getting and my business man husband drafted a brief, but very STERN letter to them and we terminated our participation and requested a refund.
come to find out - since this part of the league was new - they didn't think that we would mind being shifted around with a moments notice.........they have quickly found out - after losing several kids.......that is not so much the case.
so, another saga down and out in our life.....LOL....jake was like - ok - whatever. Next.
No future of a NBA star coming from this house............Mozart?
Love to all
karen
Well, the league that we signed up with (who will remain nameless - even though I would like to slander them!!!) lost their minds - literally. The League has been around for a long time - very well organized and put together...........or so we thought. From what I found out - since we pulled ourselves out of this league - is that the Kindergarten part of the league is NEW!!!!! Ok - explains a TON!
Let me explain.....when we signed up - the practices were suppose to be at 5:00 PM on Fridays' with games on Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00.....both of these events were to happen at a place called The Gym - which is located close to where we live.......which would be the reason we signed up with them...........
They kept canceling practices - I couldn't figure out what they were doing - I mean - you would think that if you are going to have a game - you might need to practice - especially since you are 6 years old and want to grab your face and run every time the ball is coming towards you - you might want to practice!!! Then, the game times kept being moved around. The problem with all of these changes is that they would send you an email about 2 hours before the change in schedule......I can't work this way - all of you who know me well - you know that I am a very organized person and don't do well if it's not planned down to a tee!! LOL - I don't do well doing impromptu stuff.....I'm getting better - but I'd rather everything be planned out for me.
Then, they decided to change the practice from Friday to Tuesday - from 7:00 - 8:00 PM - uh hello - these are kindergarten kids who go to bed at 7:30.......and, they wanted to send us to a Kindergarten middle school about 30 minutes away and the practices were going to be held in the cafeteria.....Ok - this is not good.....I'm already thinking - I'm done....this is crazy!!!!!
The last straw - they games are now being held on Saturday and SUNDAY......that was it - I was finished. I'm old school and was raised to respect Sunday. We go to church as a family and we are not missing church so my 6 year old little kindergartner can play basketball.............
Mark and I both agreed that the league we signed up for was not what we were getting and my business man husband drafted a brief, but very STERN letter to them and we terminated our participation and requested a refund.
come to find out - since this part of the league was new - they didn't think that we would mind being shifted around with a moments notice.........they have quickly found out - after losing several kids.......that is not so much the case.
so, another saga down and out in our life.....LOL....jake was like - ok - whatever. Next.
No future of a NBA star coming from this house............Mozart?
Love to all
karen
Monday, January 11, 2010
Ok - parents at Kinder basketball - chill out!!!!
This past Saturday was Jake's first basketball game........mind you - it's for Kindergarten and 1st graders......they don't know much about the game - it's basically for fun........OR SO I THOUGHT!!!!
Good night nurse - I couldn't believe how many parents already push their kids for excellence. I mean - I know that it's important to push your kids for excellence - but at 6/7 years old - they barely know what it means to "guard the other player", steal the ball, don't let them in front of you, knock em down, they are going to beat you if you don't pay attention"....just a few of the nice words that I heard this past weekend. I was shaking my head cracking up!!!!! What happen to let's have fun - everybody is a winner at this age....I mean - I know that isn't good when they are bigger - they have to learn the difference in winners and losers - but they are freaking KINDERGARDNERS!!!!!!!!!
Picture this: Jake in his cute jersey and black shorts....looking all like a basket ball player and NOT HAVING A CLUE WHAT HE IS DOING.....but, having a great time running back and forth from one end of the court to the other........"guard your man Jake" the coach would say.....and off Jake would run to his "man"....once he got there - he would just kind of run around the other player.....we were cracking up!!! He had a blast - that is all I care about. I do know that next year - he will be with upward - a christian based sports group......much better place for him. This competitive stuff right now is not for Jake (or better yet - not for MOM!).
I do, however, like the coach that he has. This man is not about the score board (yes, they keep score - electric score board and believe me - the parents are watching it and keeping score themselves!). When the game was over - the kids were asking what the score was and he told them it didn't matter - that they all played very well. He also rotates his players - even the good kids - the ones that actually have big brothers and have been playing basketball for their 6 years of life - have to sit out and rotate (which I think they rotate every 4 minutes).
Pray for me - he has 4 more games and I need prayer so I don't knock the crap out of some of these parents!!! LOL.....actually - one parent almost got kicked out of the room - he was bickering at the referee and the referee told him not to talk to him and he wouldn't stop -so the referee told him if he said one more word - he would be asked to leave!!! HELLO DAD - this is for KINDERGARTNERS!!!!!!!
help me Jesus!! LOL
Hope everyone has a blessed day.
k
Good night nurse - I couldn't believe how many parents already push their kids for excellence. I mean - I know that it's important to push your kids for excellence - but at 6/7 years old - they barely know what it means to "guard the other player", steal the ball, don't let them in front of you, knock em down, they are going to beat you if you don't pay attention"....just a few of the nice words that I heard this past weekend. I was shaking my head cracking up!!!!! What happen to let's have fun - everybody is a winner at this age....I mean - I know that isn't good when they are bigger - they have to learn the difference in winners and losers - but they are freaking KINDERGARDNERS!!!!!!!!!
Picture this: Jake in his cute jersey and black shorts....looking all like a basket ball player and NOT HAVING A CLUE WHAT HE IS DOING.....but, having a great time running back and forth from one end of the court to the other........"guard your man Jake" the coach would say.....and off Jake would run to his "man"....once he got there - he would just kind of run around the other player.....we were cracking up!!! He had a blast - that is all I care about. I do know that next year - he will be with upward - a christian based sports group......much better place for him. This competitive stuff right now is not for Jake (or better yet - not for MOM!).
I do, however, like the coach that he has. This man is not about the score board (yes, they keep score - electric score board and believe me - the parents are watching it and keeping score themselves!). When the game was over - the kids were asking what the score was and he told them it didn't matter - that they all played very well. He also rotates his players - even the good kids - the ones that actually have big brothers and have been playing basketball for their 6 years of life - have to sit out and rotate (which I think they rotate every 4 minutes).
Pray for me - he has 4 more games and I need prayer so I don't knock the crap out of some of these parents!!! LOL.....actually - one parent almost got kicked out of the room - he was bickering at the referee and the referee told him not to talk to him and he wouldn't stop -so the referee told him if he said one more word - he would be asked to leave!!! HELLO DAD - this is for KINDERGARTNERS!!!!!!!
help me Jesus!! LOL
Hope everyone has a blessed day.
k
Thursday, January 7, 2010
My devotional time
I'm really trying to read my devotionals every day - not promising every morning - but at least at some point during the day. My great expectation is to get up every morning and pray and read the word - but I have to admit that my flesh kicks in most mornings because it feels so warm in my bed!!! LOL.......I do make the time during the day to spend time reading.......it really does make a difference and help me get through some things that I may be going through.
I have several different devotionals that I read, along with my bible. One of them today was a book by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland....love them. The one today is about the root of hopelessness.......several things struck me - so I thought I would share...
scripture for today is Mark 9:23 "all things are possible for the one who believes (NCV)."
from the book:"Have you ever felt hopeless - ready to give up? Maybe you've already given up....felt that there were no answers and that you were simply trapped right where you sit. Well according to the Word of God, you don't have to stay there.
According to the Word, hopelessness isn't caused by lack of money. It isn't caused by lack of education. It isn't caused by negative circumstance. Hopelessness comes from being without God in the world. It comes from being a stranger to His covenant. (Ephesians 2:12)
Anybody, anywhere can have hope if they know Jesus and the covenant promises of God. Your background, race or financial status doesn't matter. You can live in the worst slum in the world and still have hope in God because He isn't limited by man's resources. He isn't limited by man's prejudices. God is an equal opportunity employer! :)
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20, "according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed". If you'll look up the two Greek words translated "earnest expectation and hope" you'll find that both mean the same thing. So hope is earnest expectation.
"But how can you so intensely expect to prosper when the unemployment rate is up and the economy is down? you may ask.
Because, what I'm earnestly expecting isn't dependent on the world's economy. It's based on what God has promised in his covenant. Because He said it, I earnestly expect it! I have a covenant with Almighty God and I can be filled with hope. Take authority over the devil and cast hopelessness away from you! Stand on God's word....his personal promise to you , and let hope rise up within you! With God - ALL things are possible to him that believes!!
Wow - this really spoke to me this morning - I love it when that happens!!! I am going to earnestly expect all things! We have to learn to speak the word over ourselves and believe it as we speak it. It's one thing to speak it from head knowledge - but wow - the difference when we speak from the heart..........and believe it too!!
Speak it over yourself.........I am a believer. All things are possible to me!
Be blessed!
Karen
I have several different devotionals that I read, along with my bible. One of them today was a book by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland....love them. The one today is about the root of hopelessness.......several things struck me - so I thought I would share...
scripture for today is Mark 9:23 "all things are possible for the one who believes (NCV)."
from the book:"Have you ever felt hopeless - ready to give up? Maybe you've already given up....felt that there were no answers and that you were simply trapped right where you sit. Well according to the Word of God, you don't have to stay there.
According to the Word, hopelessness isn't caused by lack of money. It isn't caused by lack of education. It isn't caused by negative circumstance. Hopelessness comes from being without God in the world. It comes from being a stranger to His covenant. (Ephesians 2:12)
Anybody, anywhere can have hope if they know Jesus and the covenant promises of God. Your background, race or financial status doesn't matter. You can live in the worst slum in the world and still have hope in God because He isn't limited by man's resources. He isn't limited by man's prejudices. God is an equal opportunity employer! :)
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20, "according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed". If you'll look up the two Greek words translated "earnest expectation and hope" you'll find that both mean the same thing. So hope is earnest expectation.
"But how can you so intensely expect to prosper when the unemployment rate is up and the economy is down? you may ask.
Because, what I'm earnestly expecting isn't dependent on the world's economy. It's based on what God has promised in his covenant. Because He said it, I earnestly expect it! I have a covenant with Almighty God and I can be filled with hope. Take authority over the devil and cast hopelessness away from you! Stand on God's word....his personal promise to you , and let hope rise up within you! With God - ALL things are possible to him that believes!!
Wow - this really spoke to me this morning - I love it when that happens!!! I am going to earnestly expect all things! We have to learn to speak the word over ourselves and believe it as we speak it. It's one thing to speak it from head knowledge - but wow - the difference when we speak from the heart..........and believe it too!!
Speak it over yourself.........I am a believer. All things are possible to me!
Be blessed!
Karen
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year's resolutions............
Not real big on New Year's resolutions because I never seem to keep them!!! LOL. For years - I made them and then, like so many of you, they would be over with before the end of the month............so, I try to do now what I call Life Changers......what can I do this year to change my life - to change my way of living, thinking, being..............
Sometimes it's some of the old resolutions - like, diet, read my bible more, pray more.........I really try to make these stick - although - I sometimes fall by the wayside and have to pick my self up again after a couple of weeks of being lazy. How is it that we can find the time to do the things we love - but not the things we should? That should tell us right there that our priorities are sometimes not exactly as they should be.
I'm looking forward to a great year - some big things are changing for us this year and we are anxiously excited (can that be?). One of the big things we are doing is changing churches. We've gone to one place for a very long time - but now that Jake is starting to get to the age of needing a good foundation and a good solid teaching experience - we need to look at somewhere that has more of a kids program for Jake. This was a very hard and difficult decision because I have been so very involved in the place we have been going for the past 10 years. This was definitely not an overnight decision - but something that we have been praying about for about a year now. God is requiring me to step out of my box and put the needs of my family first and foremost......so, with that said - we are checking out other churches over in our area and have pretty much narrowed it down to where we will be going.
Change is sometimes scary - but this move is the right thing to do. Season's come and go - and my season there is over. One of the Pastor's confirmed some stuff to me that she received while she was praying - so I know we are on the right track.......gotta love it when things are confirmed to you!!!!!
I hope that whatever you have planned for this year brings you much joy and happiness. God is good to each one of us that have breath in our bodies - we have so much to be thankful for.
Count it all joy!!!
Love to all
karen
Sometimes it's some of the old resolutions - like, diet, read my bible more, pray more.........I really try to make these stick - although - I sometimes fall by the wayside and have to pick my self up again after a couple of weeks of being lazy. How is it that we can find the time to do the things we love - but not the things we should? That should tell us right there that our priorities are sometimes not exactly as they should be.
I'm looking forward to a great year - some big things are changing for us this year and we are anxiously excited (can that be?). One of the big things we are doing is changing churches. We've gone to one place for a very long time - but now that Jake is starting to get to the age of needing a good foundation and a good solid teaching experience - we need to look at somewhere that has more of a kids program for Jake. This was a very hard and difficult decision because I have been so very involved in the place we have been going for the past 10 years. This was definitely not an overnight decision - but something that we have been praying about for about a year now. God is requiring me to step out of my box and put the needs of my family first and foremost......so, with that said - we are checking out other churches over in our area and have pretty much narrowed it down to where we will be going.
Change is sometimes scary - but this move is the right thing to do. Season's come and go - and my season there is over. One of the Pastor's confirmed some stuff to me that she received while she was praying - so I know we are on the right track.......gotta love it when things are confirmed to you!!!!!
I hope that whatever you have planned for this year brings you much joy and happiness. God is good to each one of us that have breath in our bodies - we have so much to be thankful for.
Count it all joy!!!
Love to all
karen
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