Back to the Basics -Kat

I'm glad to see you all this week!

The generation I've grown up in boasts athletics. That may not exactly be "new," I haven't checked the demographics of athleticism, but I do know how my generation has treated it. Everybody is working towards a scholarship to play some sport at some school. They spend hours upon hours practicing, playing, and talking about their sport.

My only experience as an athlete was in my high school marching band. Think what you will about the sport, but the way we practiced was not any different than the way other athletes practiced and that's all that matters for this point I have to make. It has been drilled into me that the details matter. You have got to know your technique backwards and forwards or your entire set of movements will be thrown off. There's no getting around it. Sport teams practice to win, which means they don't take a practice lightly. You have to practice the way you'd play in a game.

Humans, by nature, run on familiarity. Some of us are more methodically or routinely oriented than others (I'm a bit in the extreme) but each and every one of us is wired to like familiarity in some form. That's why when it comes to the "Real Deal," you have to already be trained in the small things. If you already know how to kick the soccer ball, your body won't be trying to figure out what angle to kick it as you're trying to figure out who you're passing to. If you can play your scales, your fingers won't be trying to make the jump from a C to a D flat while you're remembering the 16th notes coming in 4 measures.

If we're all used to this idea that we fall back on our habits, why do we not often value the habits of reading our bibles? Why don't we understand that having an open and honest prayer relationship with God serves to better our entire lives? So many of those athletes I know are Christians. And yet they find they are "too busy" to read their bibles or pray on a regular basis. Myself included! Sometimes, I just don't think I really need to work on my habit of daily reading. But you know what? If I don't work to make it a habit it will not become a habit. If I don't make the conscious effort to work on the little things, those little things won't be what I fall back on when I need to.

I hope you work on going back to the basics this week. Work with me to get back to studying your bible and praying.

I love you all!
Kat

"'For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.'" Luke 6:43-45

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny." Anonymous (I've seen this quote with credit attributed to several different people, but I really couldn't tell you who said it first.)

A Servant's Heart -Kat

"The highest position we can have within the kingdom of God holds a simple title: Servant."

These words (only altered slightly so as to make more sense to you all out of the context of the sermon) hit me square in the forehead one morning during my preacher's sermon.

Of course, I had heard it before. Several times, even! Not in so many words, but the idea has been said to me so many times, I couldn't count. Jesus actually said this first: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14b). Or later Paul says in Romans 12:3 "..I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think."  For someone like me, that's not a hard thing to take in. I have had the high title before. Though I got through it and was commended on my leadership skills, it is not a place I want to be in anytime soon. In fact, my favorite part about being a leader had nothing to do with the orders I gave out or the credit I was given for leading such a large group of people. My favorite part of leading was serving. I absolutely love to be behind the scenes, working my fingers to the bone and doing everything I can to bring the little details as close together as possible so that everything looks seamless. I can't get enough of that.

But.

I know you were waiting to hear that word. ;)

I love that job, however I don't think I even fully understood what it means to be a servant in the Lord's kingdom until a couple of weeks ago.

When I heard "servant," I thought of a man (or woman..) in a suit with silly penguin tails and holding a silver serving tray and standing silently in the corner until summoned. I may have thought of a waiter in a given restaurant as a servant to their customers; they juggle a lot of responsibility to make guests' experiences as nice as possible.

And then I went to camp. I would have loved to post about camp but something about that didn't feel right. I will say though, that camp this year was really eye opening. Our theme was Before His Throne and if I ever went to a camp where the theme meant something, this was it. The line that stuck with me was this: "You can not come before the throne of God and leave an unchanged person." Wow!

That's when I realized that the things I'd been wanting to fix, but hadn't fixed yet, were not getting fixed because I wasn't allowing myself to be changed by my experience before God's throne. I have since tried to change those things. Things like trusting God with my future, reading my Bible every single day, praying even more frequently than I thought would be "standard.."

I have since delved into my Bible and in the past two weeks alone, my entire view of things has changed. Including how I see being a servant. 1 and 2 Samuel is where I decided to start, and I'm glad I did because it's entirely applicable and it helped me to understand this point.

David started as a servant. Did you know the best leaders are also the best servers? David eventually came to be King. And many times, David and his servants were thrust into these difficult circumstances (much like we are faced with today). Each time, David turned to God and said (I'm paraphrasing here. Please, please read this for yourself!!) "I am your servant, I will do what you're telling me to do. This is hard, that is scary, I don't really know 'what's what' but I am your servant and I trust you." In another instance, a man who had literally become David's servant the day before picked his whole life up to follow David as he fled from his son Absalom. Observe: "Then the king said to Ittai the Gimmite, 'Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where?..' But Ittai answered the king, 'As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be'" (2 Samuel 15:18-22).

Mary had to have been scared to death when the angel of the Lord told her she'd conceive and give birth to a child. She was a virgin, she was young, and she stood to lose a lot if her integrity was seen as lost. "And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word'" (Luke 1:38)

Ruth had just lost her father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband. Naomi urged her to return home because she would have to find a way to take care of herself and there was no way she could promise to have the means to take care of her daughter-in-law as well. But Ruth stayed. She stayed knowing that Naomi could not promise to take care of her. Knowing that she'd have to move to another new place, one where she would be a foreigner. These famous words were spoken by Ruth: "'Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God'" (Ruth 1:16).

A servant is not a passive person waiting to be called on and told what to do. We don't sit in the corner in silence, nor do we always just 'do as we're told'. Servants trust. They act on integrity. They know what is right and they don't even think about hesitating to take up the challenges they're given.

This is the highest position we can take in the Lord's Kingdom.

Ladies, pull up your chairs at the servant's table and get ready for whatever is thrown your way. It will be a lot, but you will be rewarded.

Kat

"It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud." Proverbs 16:19


*All verses were taken from the English Standard Version*

Elementary, My Dear! -Kat

Ladies, ladies, ladies

Can I be honest with you all for today? There is something about a best friend that I yearn for. You see, there are a lot of people out there who have great best friends. You may be one of those, and I honestly pray that if you aren't right now you will be one day. I, unfortunately, haven't always been one of those people. Even right now, I'm trying to understand how a best friend relationship works. I can count on two hands the number of best friends that I've had over the years and of those friends, only a couple have truly shown to be sincere best friends.

In the last six months alone: I have had to examine an unhealthy friendship with a best friend; I've had a best friend decide she didn't want to be friends anymore (and didn't want to tell me that, either..); I've had what I thought was a new best friend who apparently didn't feel as close to me as I did to him; and I've looked back through my childhood and found that "best friends" really made fun of me behind my back. "Best friends" wanted to put hurdles in my path because they didn't like where I was going.

Does that make it easier for you all to understand how much I long for a "Kirk and Spock" friendship? For a brotherhood like that of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson? Dr. House and James Wilson; Corey and Shawn; Dawson and Pacey.... Boy this list is unending.

These guys literally had each others' backs through everything. I mean, a couple of them put their lives in the hands of their best friends and trusted they were safe there. Would you guys believe me if I told you there was a friendship like this in the Bible? I can't tell you all how exciting this was to me when I learned of these two. (Side note: I realize there are more examples than this one, but this is the one I found and have since fallen in love with! I would enjoy reading all the other examples; I encourage you to drop me a comment with another example and where their story can be read. :) )

The post today will be a little more interactive than my posts usually are. For starters, you should open your Bible to the book of 1 Samuel and read chapter 18 verses 1 through 5. We're introduced here to David and Jonathan; the first thing I notice is how quickly the two were bound to each other as friends. They met, became friends, and quite literally bound themselves to each other (through a covenant which is kind of like saying a promise, agreement, or contract). This is more than a skin-deep matter. They are bound by the soul- you can't break that type of a bond you guys! Nothing could tear these two apart!

Moving right along with their story, you should skip down to 1 Samuel 19. Here we read just how good of friends David and Jonathan really were. Saul, Jonathan's father, was the king of Israel. For those of you who don't already know this, kings are powerful men. When a king tells you to do something, you have to do it; there is virtually no way out of it! So when Saul orders all of his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David, imagine what Jonathan was put through! His own father, and the king, was ordering him to kill his brother: his best friend, the guy he promised before God to be there for. What would you have done in that situation? For me, I hope I would do what Jonathan did.

Jonathan respected his father and did everything he could to diffuse the situation peaceably. He did what he could to save face of all three men: himself, his father and David. It works at first, but then Saul is overcome once again with an angry spirit and David is forced to talk to Jonathan about it. 1 Samuel 20 is the highlight of this story for me. This chronicles the exchange between Jonathan and David. We see that Jonathan can't imagine this evil coming from his father, but he also knows he must protect David at great costs. He wants to believe his father is still a noble and righteous man, but he knows that David is an honest man. So they come to an agreement. David looks to bring out an honest response from Saul while Jonathan looks to prove to David that all is well. The chess board has been set and all that is left is a game of quick wit. Much to Jonathan's surprise, David was right and Saul was out for blood.

Side note: Have you ever pushed your mom's or dad's buttons too far? I remember one time when I was younger I was bugging my mom (for who knows what reason) and I eventually bugged her to the point she said words to me I never thought I'd hear come out of her mouth. If that's happened to you, you know how much it hurts. It honestly scared me to silence! Imagine being told, "'You son (or daughter) of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.'" (1 Samuel 20:30b-31)

To my astonishment, Jonathan wasn't scared silent by this. Instead, he responded with confidence. He asked his father very plainly what David had done. Saul, being that he was overcome with this evil spirit didn't have an answer for that but rather he attempted to kill Jonathan. Wow... Talk about scary and hurtful!

Now, men today aren't very big on showing affection for one another. I have noticed more recently that many Christian men are better about this than those outside of the church but even with that being said, it doesn't seem to be very often that guys show affection to each other. Jonathan and David wept together. Let me say that again, they wept together. Jonathan didn't stand beside David awkwardly patting him on the back as he shed tears of grief. He didn't tell David to get off of him when he kissed him. They grieved together. They were still bound to each other. (See 1 Samuel 20:41-42.)

I don't cry very often, but I would like to know that if I were crying, my best friend would be right there with. me. Not beside me, not rubbing my back but feeling awkward to witness this, not distracted by his/her cell phone. I want to feel with my best friend. I want to be there with that person, just as I want them to be there with me.

Ladies: please, please, please take this lesson to heart. We people were made to have and share emotions. There is nothing "natural" about hiding our tears or our joys. We have to work with each other. Pray for each other this week; I will be praying for you!


With the love of the Lord,
Kat

Morals From the Movies -Mia

              Hi friends!

              Sisters, do you like watching movies? I love watching movies- it’s a great pass time, and frankly, it provides a nice way to wind down and calm down- it’s an escape from life. We all like watching movies- the movie theaters and Hollywood can attest to that!

              Yeah- movies are great. You do have to be careful though: a lot of bad movies exist, and it can be difficult to wade through and find family friendly movies to watch. I’ve found that if you’re looking for a good family friendly movie, animated movies are usually the best bet. And most of them are actually pretty good! And if you look hard, there are actually some really good moral lessons that the animators work into the movie as well. Some of them are obvious, and others really obscure, and sometimes, the obscure ones are the best!

              This past week, I watched an animated movie, and one character in particular caught my attention. She wasn’t even a main character- she was the main character’s best friend, which was, in fact, not a large role. But there was something about her that caught my attention.

              No, she wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She played the role of the rich girl who got whatever she wanted. But that’s the thing- she didn’t act entitled. She didn’t act stuck up. She wasn’t stingy with her wealth- she was actually quite generous. Sure, she was a bit of an airhead, and she was a bit shallow, but then, at the end of the movie, she did something that made me really admire her.

              You see, she was supposed to marry this certain man- she only really wanted to marry him for his social status (again, that’s not an overly becoming trait). But then she realized that her best friend and that man were in love with each other, and instead of being bitter or angry or jealous, she was ecstatic! She was absolutely thrilled that her friend had found “true love,” and she didn’t even think twice about calling off her own marriage with the man. Instead of dwelling on her own disadvantage, she was happy for her best friend!

              Now, you may ask, what on earth does this have to do with the Bible? The answer’s easy- Romans 12:15a. This verse says to “Rejoice with those who rejoice (ESV).” That’s a command, sisters, and I think it’s one that can be easily overlooked. Because, if we really think about it, how often are we happy for our fellow Christians, especially when something good happens to them at your expense? When they get something that you really wanted in the first place? (This seems to also tie into covetousness- an action that we are specifically told not to take part in. But it’s not necessarily always covetousness- it can be any number of things.)

              Sisters- I am as guilty of this as anyone. I let my personal desires and grudges get in the way of sharing my fellow Christians’ joy. And that is not okay. It detracts from the unity of the church when we let things come between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. To achieve full compatibility to do the Lord’s work, we must be completely unified, and nothing says unity better than if we are all on the same page in our emotions. Like 1 Corinthians 12:26says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” That’s how we fully support each other, sisters. Nothing shows support more than that contagious excitement or the sorrow everyone feels with you.

              And I know that’s really hard sometimes. Sometimes, our first reaction may be jealousy at someone else’s good fortune. Or maybe we’re just annoyed at how happy they are and how much they talk about it all the time- believe me, I’ve been there.

              Have you ever heard the phrase “if you can’t beat them, join them”? You can apply that mentality here. If you’re happy about something, nothing can damper your excitement. And honestly, it’s much more fun to join in on the excitement than to let it bother you. Easier said than done, but sometimes a little bit of new perspective can make you a whole lot happier too.

              Sisters, this week, let’s make sure we show our fellow Christians that we feel with them and that they are not alone. Let’s be happy for each other!

                    Mia                       

Lessons From A First-Time Temporary Missionary -Kat

Hello ladies!

I just got back from a trip to Honduras. My mission team worked with Mission UpReach on a medical brigade to help further the efforts of their local church planting team. Going into the trip, I was so excited to finally serve on a mission trip and I was looking forward to helping people. But to say that my standards were overshot is a serious understatement; I was blessed beyond measure this week. As the week went on, I started to realize how many things I was learning about myself, about other people and about how God works through and for us. I started writing things down and I decided to share these all with you. While some of these are pretty well focused on mission work in general, I firmly believe most (if not all) of these can be applied throughout life. I would encourage you all to take what I have to say with a grain of salt because these are my opinions and the things I have experienced and learned about myself. I do hope these words of advice are helpful and encourage each and every one of you.

Lesson 1

What you get out of it is what you put into it. No matter what it is you’re doing, your attitude is half of the experience. Here's the secret: every situation will be whatever you allow yourself to think the situation is. I saw a whole lot of people excited to serve this week, and even through illness and exhaustion they thoroughly enjoyed what they did. On the flip hand, I saw people who complained about several things and what it boiled down to was their attitude and nothing else.

Lesson 2

Patience and a long-term outlook are crucial. To get things done, you have to know (even if it's in very few details) where you're going. You have to have an idea of what your single, tiny action will do in the long run before you can appreciate how important it is. And sometimes it takes patience to think ahead that way. It's pretty easy for me to say, "That's a good goal, but it can't be achieved for another three years so I can wait a little longer to work on it." But the truth is, I need to work on it now. I need the patience and foreknowledge to stick to my plan when the going gets tough.

Lesson 3

(This one is a huge lesson for me. I won't explain why, but just know as you read this how hard it is for me to accept this particular lesson.)

You do not need to be afraid. The thing is, God can get you through any and every thing you encounter. There's not a thing in the world He can't protect you from. Will he always protect you? No. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar,.. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you O king, that we will not serve your gods..'" (emphasis added. Daniel 3: 16-18, ESV) Truthfully, many have died for Christ's sake and many more will die before the world has come to an end. No matter what happens to you, God is the one in control. On this particular trip many of us were worried about our health; and many of us did end up getting sick. But God protected us and ensured we made it to our destination alright and he certainly kept us healthy enough to do the work His kingdom needed of us. There was no need to be afraid, and praise God for that! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Lesson 4

It's okay to not know people. Growing up, I've struggled a lot with social anxiety and I have never been comfortable in settings with new groups. The last several months I have been so afraid of what lies ahead for me when I get out into the real world. I've been afraid to meet new people and I've been afraid that I may not be able to handle the situations I have to face in the coming years. But this trip really taught me that it is perfectly okay to not know people. It's okay to make friends and meet people. It's okay to have a conversation with people you have next to nothing in common with. It's okay to make friends with someone much older than you. In fact, you will be blessed with those kinds of relationships. 

Due to recent circumstances, I've been striving to understand what it means to be a peacemaker and I've been trying to incorporate that into my life. This trip to Honduras really put that into perspective for me. I learned that being a peacemaker sometimes means learning to be the "Wild Card." You have to get comfortable doing things you've never done before, and even doing things you may not like to do. You have to get comfortable with all types of people. We won't always be best friends with every single person we meet. But sometimes being a peacemaker simply means you're flexible and you're able to bend a little bit to allow for all different personalities to be heard. 

Lesson 4.5 

(Because it's related, but a separate lesson!)

Each person is their own beautiful individual. There seems to be so many standards placed on people (men and women alike.) nowadays. Many people believe they should strive for these standards, but that belief is completely fabricated and it's not worth the work. A developed character is worth so much more than a pristinely make-uped face or a perfectly sculpted set of abs. That "standard" we think is out there doesn't really exist; we have to work to stop forcing it on ourselves.

Lesson 5

It is so weird being the foreigner and sometimes no matter how hard you try to communicate, you still feel like you're being rude. You have to learn from that. If I had a dime for all the times I've heard people complain about someone else not speaking their language, I'd have quite the stash of coins. Next time you come into contact with someone at home (for me, that would be home in the United States) who doesn't speak the native language (English is most common here..) Please, please, please remember not to be rude to them just because they're struggling to learn the language. And please don't sit back and let others be rude to them because of it! You have to realize how hard it is to move yourself to a new country in hopes of a better life and yet you find yourself isolated because you don't speak "good enough English" for other people to give you the time of day. That feeling can cause people to decide not to learn the language anymore, but we all need to communicate in some way or another. Just be mindful of other peoples' struggles.

Lesson 6

(Almost done, you guys!!)

It is really great to try new things. My daring spirit isn't usually very permanent: it likes to come and go as it pleases. But it's really thrilling to try new things most of the time. Be it food, movie genre, book, the type of friend you make, what you do with your Friday night.... it's just really nice to try things. Don't be afraid to go for it!

Lesson 7

Last, but certainly not least.....

As difficult as it is for you, you absolutely need to work on yourself. You have to learn not to rely on other people all the time. Don't create within yourself an indestructable heart, but really you need to learn how to be okay with yourself. Physically, mentally, spiritually, socially.... there are so many different aspects of yourself but you have to work on each one in its time so that when the time comes to be on your own, you know who you are. When you start looking for a man or woman to live out the rest of your life with, you will know what parts of yourself you need to find "counterweights" for in your partner. You really need to give yourself more credit and start to love yourself for who you are. After all, God loves you; why shouldn't you love you?

I pray, as always, that these words have been just as much a benefit to you readers as they are to me as a writer. I welcome comments as always, and I apologize if this post is longer than normal. 

Love always, 

Kat

"'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:19-20

What So Proudly We Hail -Mia

              Hi friends!

              Do you know what today is? That’s right- the Fourth of July! Independence Day! There will be barbeques and family reunions and fireworks! Yeah- this is the one day a year when we go all out with the red, white, and blue. Flags will be flying everywhere, the radio stations will be playing the national anthem… Today, it’s pretty clear that all Americans are PROUD to be Americans!

              But if you visited America, say, in a couple of weeks, it wouldn’t nearly be the same. Sure, there are some flags around, and we don’t exactly shun wearing the colors red, white, and blue. But that spirit… the patriotic “Go America!” spirit just isn’t really there. Or at least, it’s definitely not as prominent as it is on the Fourth.

              Sisters, I’m sure you already know that patriotism is kind of my soapbox… So I’m going to try not to talk (and/or rant) about that today. Instead, I found a different lesson to be learned from the U.S.A.’s birthday. Today, I want to talk about that loss of spirit.

              I don’t know what it is about these holidays that get everyone so fired up- Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas… When these dates roll around every year, people get so excited. They get in the mood! They want to celebrate, and some go all out! The days building up to the holiday are filled with preparation and excitement, all leading up to that day… And then, after the festivities are over and the holiday is past, the excitement is completely gone- almost as if it were never there in the first place. The memories are in place, but life gets back to normal, and that excitement is forgotten, until the next holiday comes along.

              And you know what, sisters? I think we can be the same way about events at church. When a youth rally or a ladies day or church camp is coming, we get so excited! We go to that event and hear talented speakers and experience amazing fellowship with our fellow Christians, and we’re on fire for God! If you’re anything like me, after one of those events, I want to go shout Scripture from the rooftops or something like that. I feel like there’s absolutely no limit on what I can do in service to God, and I want to do it all, and-

              And then regular life catches up. And that fire? It dies down. It might even go out completely. We slowly slip back into our normal routines, and we forget about that zeal we had to spread God’s word and do those good works. Until the next event comes around- and then we’re back on fire for God for another few days. And then… it dies down once again. I’m sure you’ve experienced the cycle at some point in your life- I know I have.

              And it’s not right, sisters. Titus 2:14 tells us that God wants his people to be “zealous for good works (ESV),” and since our goal in life is to please God, we should all strive to be zealous and not lose that willingness and eagerness to do God’s work. But now that we’ve established that, we’re stuck with the problem of what to do about it. How do we stay zealous?

              Sisters, I struggle with this a lot on a daily basis. I know from personal experience whatever “answers” one gives to this question are very hard answers to apply to life and to live by. But I believe if we ask ourselves two questions, we can identify the problem. And then the solution should be a lot easier to handle.

              Here’s the first question: Why don’t we stay zealous? For me, the answer is simple- normal life gets to us all after a while. The world can bog us down; we see the evil out there daily, and it can get discouraging sometimes. Life can easily zap us of the energy needed to maintain that zeal, and once that energy is fading, it’s hard to muster up enough to keep going full-force for the Lord.

              I know I’ve said it about a thousand times, but that’s what your Christian sisters- and brothers- are here for, ladies! Galatians 6:2- “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (ESV).” We lean on each other for support, and together, we’re strong enough to keep the world from dragging us down! Like the verse says- this is the best way to keep up that zeal; we can fulfill the law of Christ by helping each other stay focused and eager.

              And this is the second question: What makes us zealous? What is it at all of those youth rallies and ladies days and church camps that get us so fired up in the first place? Again, I believe Christian fellowship plays a big role. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a whole crowd of Christians all in one place at one time. But there are other factors too- hearing God’s Word is a big one. Speakers can inspire us like nothing else. Also, after a church event, I often hear many people commenting on the singing- on how beautiful and uplifting it was. Once, I heard a woman comment that she expected Heaven to sound somewhat like how the singing had that evening. Praising God is a powerful thing, sisters.

              All of these things play a part in filling us with zeal. We can’t do these things twenty-four seven, but logically, the more we surround ourselves with them, the easier it will be to maintain zeal.

But it’s not just that- I’ve found that to keep that fire burning for the Lord for a long time, it takes a little bit of personal effort too. Whenever I’m feeling like that fire is dying, I like to take a few moments and sort through my priorities. Once I re-examine my life and ponder all of that philosophical stuff for a while, I find it’s a little easier to see the big picture a bit more clearly.

              Of course, there is no easy answer or fast solution. I can only offer suggestions. But I’m willing to bet that if we (myself included) turned to the Bible a little more often, it would make everything just a little easier.

              Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the Fourth of July, sisters! Have fun and see lots of fireworks!

              Let’s try to keep the fire burning for the Lord!

                    Mia