There's a story in the Bible where Jacob is wrestling with God (or an angel - depends on who's translating the story). They wrestle all night and at dawn his opponent demands to be let go, but Jacob tells Him he won't let go until He blesses him (this is why I personally believe it's God - asking for a blessing from an angel makes no sense to me). Anyway ... that doesn't matter right now .... it's the wrestling part I'm on here (And, I normally tag these with scripture/verse, but I'm not this time. You can trust it's in there in Genesis). Anywho .... decked boldly in a Spiritual singlet, head gear and mat shoes .... I am wrestling with God, and I am not letting go until He blesses me.
The truth is ... God and I have been on the mats for weeks now. Not really sure who's winning, but man oh man, are we ever locking it up. I have fleeced like Gideon. I have challenged like Abraham. I have declared like Job. I have questioned like Moses. I have cried out like Habakkuk. I am down in strength, but my resolve is steadfast. My Spirit is so stirred that I can hardly contain myself!
I am feeling something in this battle I have never felt before. At first I thought it was anger, but it wasn't. Then I thought Spiritual frustration better described it. Alas ... no. Then, I was in the bathroom one morning, getting ready to go somewhere else I had committed to .... when I burst out laughing. Through the thoughts careening through my mind that day .... I came to a dead stand still at the realization of Spiritual Labor Pains. Conveniently acronymmed ... S.L.o.P. !!!!
How re-donk-u-lous-ly appropriate!!!!
Then I began thinking about when I had my son Malcolm, and the 24 hour labor marathon I went through with him. Pain and suffering nearly to delirium, only to, not only feel no pain, but have no memory of it either immediately after he was born. Then I came to the agreement with myself that I must be birthing a beluga whale!!!! :0)
God is a big God, and I am wrestling Him for a big blessing ..... He knows the Word he spoke into my heart. I know the Word He spoke into my heart. I am pruned. I am broken. I am on my face. However, doing my best Samson impersonation ...... I wrestle on, and I am NOT letting go until He blesses me ..... too much is at stake to get this close and let go.
Looking to Philippi,
Kalena Grappling
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Shakespearean Comic Relief
In every Shakespeare Tragedy, there is an intermission referred to as the Comic Relief. I have many of these in my daily life where something so ridiculous happens in the middle of my comedy/tragedy existence that is it re-donk-u-lous!!! True to the intended Shakespearean Way, I had a Mucho Maxine Moment the other day.
I was getting dressed to go to church for something ... not services, but some something. Anyway, I was fully dressed, make up on, hair brushed and getting ready to walk out of my bedroom, when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
:/
Understand that I've lost a few pounds over the past months, and my clothes don't fit exactly the same as they did earlier in the year. For me, the first two places I lose weight are my face and my chest. Well, because of the latter, I now find much more comfort wearing undershirts that have a shelf bra, like I had on on the day in reference. Welllllllll ........ my reflection in the mirror was most telling. Not really sure what I actually looked like, but here's what I saw:
My chichis had disappeared, and I was in desperate need of some upper ab work!!!!!!
What the heck?
Laughing Out Loud from the streets of Sag City,
Kalena Re-dressing
Monday, November 22, 2010
When Worlds Collide
Here in Northern Virginia, we have two major freeways. I-495 encircles Washington DC and I-95 is the Eastern Seaboard corridor for travelers. We spend a lot of time stuck in some kind of traffic back here, but there's this one exit - Edsall Road - that seems to be a point of unforeseen conflict for many drivers. There is at least one major accident nearly every week at that interchange. I wonder sometimes how - when everyone knows how often this happens - this continues to be a conflicted junction in folks' lives, but tonight my thoughts are not on Edsall Road, my thoughts are on life in general. Edsall Road is merely my visual.
I have a full life. I am happily married, have two awesome, intelligent and gorgeous boys, a perfect dog, great house, come and go when I please, and am blessed beyond measure that I don't have to work and can enjoy my children growing up. My guest list is full of names and I have people around me who love me beyond measure. The crazy thing is that in this fullness and abundance, every now and then, one of my childhood friends comes into my heart and the fullness I am so thankful for echoes of hollowness.
When I was growing up, Ozzie and Harriet and The Brady Bunch were the big happy family shows on TV. And, as a child it was a dream to think that our house could ever be filled with the love and understanding so undeniably visible on those shows. Our house was a train wreck, always waiting on the next locomotive to come barreling down the track and slam it again. We never seemed to get the wreckage cleared, before another hazmat spill poured on top. It was a nightmare!
My escape from the ugliness was found in my friends at school. However, it worked out, most of my friends were guys. Missey was my best friend and we were everywhere together all of the time, but she was pretty much the only girl. I knew everybody - it was a small town - but those guys were my heart, and I lived for the time I spent with them. It wasn't until I was older and moved away that I realized just how important they were to me back then. I can honestly say that I am, in a large way, who I am because of them.
I've moved on from that place in my life, and, truthfully, none of them came forward with me. They were all still around for a while, but as the years rolled past .... sooner or later, they were all still in my heart, but not so much in my life. As we all got older and married and established, it was even less. I still think about them from time to time, and it makes me smile! And, though I have moved so far way from that little town, I miss them, and I miss those simple moments of memories. Childhood memories!
And, though bringing them forward into my life would be the equivalent of any given mishap on Edsall Road ..... sometimes, just sometimes, I wish they were still around.
My cup runneth over!
Happy Thanksgiving America!
Kalena Colliding
I have a full life. I am happily married, have two awesome, intelligent and gorgeous boys, a perfect dog, great house, come and go when I please, and am blessed beyond measure that I don't have to work and can enjoy my children growing up. My guest list is full of names and I have people around me who love me beyond measure. The crazy thing is that in this fullness and abundance, every now and then, one of my childhood friends comes into my heart and the fullness I am so thankful for echoes of hollowness.
When I was growing up, Ozzie and Harriet and The Brady Bunch were the big happy family shows on TV. And, as a child it was a dream to think that our house could ever be filled with the love and understanding so undeniably visible on those shows. Our house was a train wreck, always waiting on the next locomotive to come barreling down the track and slam it again. We never seemed to get the wreckage cleared, before another hazmat spill poured on top. It was a nightmare!
My escape from the ugliness was found in my friends at school. However, it worked out, most of my friends were guys. Missey was my best friend and we were everywhere together all of the time, but she was pretty much the only girl. I knew everybody - it was a small town - but those guys were my heart, and I lived for the time I spent with them. It wasn't until I was older and moved away that I realized just how important they were to me back then. I can honestly say that I am, in a large way, who I am because of them.
I've moved on from that place in my life, and, truthfully, none of them came forward with me. They were all still around for a while, but as the years rolled past .... sooner or later, they were all still in my heart, but not so much in my life. As we all got older and married and established, it was even less. I still think about them from time to time, and it makes me smile! And, though I have moved so far way from that little town, I miss them, and I miss those simple moments of memories. Childhood memories!
And, though bringing them forward into my life would be the equivalent of any given mishap on Edsall Road ..... sometimes, just sometimes, I wish they were still around.
My cup runneth over!
Happy Thanksgiving America!
Kalena Colliding
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
WRITE You Are!!!
Oh my Blog buddies ....
I had every intention of jumping on my spot and burning out some jammin' posts this year.
Alas .... not so.
I have been crazy busy designing t-shirts for my zazzle storefront, and have trecked into the deeper moments of writing. "Pray Before Reading" and "Salvation's Heart" are in definitive process, and I hope to have one before a publisher by year's end. Pray with me to meet my unseemly time line!
Much Love,
Kalena Booking
I had every intention of jumping on my spot and burning out some jammin' posts this year.
Alas .... not so.
I have been crazy busy designing t-shirts for my zazzle storefront, and have trecked into the deeper moments of writing. "Pray Before Reading" and "Salvation's Heart" are in definitive process, and I hope to have one before a publisher by year's end. Pray with me to meet my unseemly time line!
Much Love,
Kalena Booking
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Hard Truth
Last September, I entered into a deeper and dangerous journey with God. I openly began praying for truth. His truth about Himself. His truth about me, and His truth about Him in my life. Had I known at the onset the things that would manifest themselves from praying that way, I may have rethought the idea, but, alas, truth being resonant in my heart, I pressed in and prayed through.
Several of the truths that have been exposed during this year of diligence in truth, I will keep to myself; because, revealing would simply cause more harm than good. Yet the text that follows comes from a year long journey of discernment and revelation that stem from a simple prayer of asking God for truth.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a show on Investigative Discovery (ID) about this woman who had disappeared and no one knew where she was. Her children were at home with a sitter, and she had left details that she was going to meet someone and would be home at a certain time. A time that came and passed, and, sadly, she never returned. Investigators found her body some days later, and she had been violently attacked and murdered.
Throughout the investigation, there were several lifestyle choices and career choices that came out that were previously unknown to her friends and family. The thing that captured my heart was that as the detectives interviewed her friends and family and revealed these findings to them ... each and everyone of them stood by this woman and defended her .... even in death in the face of revelatory information of a shocking nature. With every new revelation, everyone interviewed continue to stand in the gap for this woman's honor, explaining that "if" what they were being told was the truth .... she must have had a good reason for what she did. "If" what was being revealed about her was truth, they ALL had a way of explaining "to her credit" why she would have ever even considered doing what was being said. It was incredible.
Based on my personal revelatory moments over this past year, I sat and thought ... if something like that ever happened to me, where I disappeared and was found murdered ... the people in my own life who would find themselves in an interview, by far and away, would all be thinking ... she must have done something to bring this on herself. This doesn't just happen. She had to have done something. I KNOW her ... she did something. Even those closest to me would be questioning my character and what had I done to end up in this situation. Even sadder, most of them would be sitting around waiting for the moment they heard anything that gave them the satisfaction of saying "I knew it" or "I told you so". This is equally as incredible as the response to the woman in the story.
And make no mistake ... this is NOT a poor me moment! I titled this "Hard Truth" by design. Because in the face of this truth, in the face of everything that has been revealed over these past months, as painful and as hurtful as some of my days have been ... I THANK GOD for leading me into this journey for truth and for walking beside me every step of the way. It has been a hard walk, for sure, and there have been days when just putting one foot in front of the other has been enough to send me tumbling ... however, the ONE THING that has remained constant through this entire adventure is that at the end of everyone of the days, God is still right here with me holding me steadfast. In truth, there have been countless where He has been the ONLY ONE, but I'll take that above a million around me, and Him absent any day of the week; and, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, you better believe I would!!!
With God,
Kalena in Truth
Several of the truths that have been exposed during this year of diligence in truth, I will keep to myself; because, revealing would simply cause more harm than good. Yet the text that follows comes from a year long journey of discernment and revelation that stem from a simple prayer of asking God for truth.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a show on Investigative Discovery (ID) about this woman who had disappeared and no one knew where she was. Her children were at home with a sitter, and she had left details that she was going to meet someone and would be home at a certain time. A time that came and passed, and, sadly, she never returned. Investigators found her body some days later, and she had been violently attacked and murdered.
Throughout the investigation, there were several lifestyle choices and career choices that came out that were previously unknown to her friends and family. The thing that captured my heart was that as the detectives interviewed her friends and family and revealed these findings to them ... each and everyone of them stood by this woman and defended her .... even in death in the face of revelatory information of a shocking nature. With every new revelation, everyone interviewed continue to stand in the gap for this woman's honor, explaining that "if" what they were being told was the truth .... she must have had a good reason for what she did. "If" what was being revealed about her was truth, they ALL had a way of explaining "to her credit" why she would have ever even considered doing what was being said. It was incredible.
Based on my personal revelatory moments over this past year, I sat and thought ... if something like that ever happened to me, where I disappeared and was found murdered ... the people in my own life who would find themselves in an interview, by far and away, would all be thinking ... she must have done something to bring this on herself. This doesn't just happen. She had to have done something. I KNOW her ... she did something. Even those closest to me would be questioning my character and what had I done to end up in this situation. Even sadder, most of them would be sitting around waiting for the moment they heard anything that gave them the satisfaction of saying "I knew it" or "I told you so". This is equally as incredible as the response to the woman in the story.
And make no mistake ... this is NOT a poor me moment! I titled this "Hard Truth" by design. Because in the face of this truth, in the face of everything that has been revealed over these past months, as painful and as hurtful as some of my days have been ... I THANK GOD for leading me into this journey for truth and for walking beside me every step of the way. It has been a hard walk, for sure, and there have been days when just putting one foot in front of the other has been enough to send me tumbling ... however, the ONE THING that has remained constant through this entire adventure is that at the end of everyone of the days, God is still right here with me holding me steadfast. In truth, there have been countless where He has been the ONLY ONE, but I'll take that above a million around me, and Him absent any day of the week; and, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, you better believe I would!!!
With God,
Kalena in Truth
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
On Top of the World
As usually happens with me, about midway through the month of August, I start getting an overwhelming feeling of being boxed in; and, as we approach the beginning of school, my box gets smaller and smaller .... almost to suffocation. I know this happens to me, because the free days of summer are rapidly coming to an end; and, the 180 days of lock down - which are the public school year - are rapidly approaching.
So, as the Labor Day holiday weekend loomed on the horizon, I determined to make an adventure explosion become a reality. My plan was to make one last day trip to the Eastern Shore, and then head over to the mountains for three days. I have an adventurer's spirit, so traveling like a mad woman was never a factor in getting it done. However ..... man, did I ever have to kick down some doors .... just to get the one day I actually got.
First ..... hurricane "My name is Earl" foiled the eastern Shore plans. Not because I was at pause over the storm, you understand, but because the island was closed for damage inspection.
Bugger!!!!
Second ..... and I pose this as a Q&A ..... who in the world seriously schedules a football scrimmage on a Holiday Weekend????? SCYFA!!!! That's who! Man, you want to talk about being ugly ugly!!! My plan was to bump out of here early Friday morning after I dropped the spousal unit off for his flight to upstate NY for his"manly man" weekend with his Marine Buds. NOT!!! A scrimmage at 0900!!!! And, when my boys are both on 1st Defense and two of the three down linemen ....
Bugger! Bugger!!
Anywho .... we eventually made it out of this house, out of this town, off on our adventure ... dog in tow! It was late when we got to Angie's, because we did a 4 mile loop hike to see Cascades Falls on the way down .... but the just of this story all happened on Sunday anyway.
We got up early-ish ... :) ... and headed out to conquer the day! Quick stop at Mickey D's for sustenance (sp?) and off we went to Jessee's Mill for our first photo stop. WHAT FUN! As the kids sat happily in the air conditioned vehicles, Angie, Keith and I were climbing through weeds, up and down hilly slopes, under branches, around trees and over barbed wire to get some really cool pictures of the Old Mill and the little water fall that sat behind her.
Next stop was scheduled just outside Dungannon to see the Upper Falls on Little Stony Creek. Happy little walk about 1/4 to 1/2 mile down the trail path to the bridge that walks you immediately over the top of these falls. WOW! WOW! and WOW!
We climbed around, down, behind, inside and covered every inch of this beautiful little waterfall. They haven't had much rain down there this summer, so it wasn't as full as some of the pics I saw on the web, but it was beautiful. (Photographers note .... I am in serious need of a circular polarizer, a neutral density filter and a hood for my camera) Sadly, we didn't all move forward to the next locations, because the working girl had to clock in at 4; so, Dad took her home ...... but the sisters and their sons headed onward and outward for more adventure. Little did we know what was just around the bend .....
Driving out from the Upper Falls parking lot, we noticed a little man made pullover ... big enough for three or four cars. Not being under a timeline now .... we decided, what the hey? Lets see what it is. So, we park, and, once again, the kids decide to rest in the luxury of the air conditioned vehicle and Angie and I set out to see what was at the end of the sandy little trail. Thinking it probably was an overlook of some sort, and we'd be able to see the falls in the distance. We were wrong! We walked and didn't see anything .... just a sandy little trail and some trees. The thought of turning back was quickly overcome by the fact that we both decided that whatever we were looking for out there was going to be just around the next turn, and, if we went back, we'd miss it. So onward we stayed.
Then we saw it. The little rock formation that jetted out the side of the mountain. That must be it we thought! We were wrong ... again!!! That little rock led us to the real treasure of the path. A HUGE rock formation that literally held us against the sky, atop everything, ~ 2500 feet elevation ... The towering trees that cover the face of this mountain were very much like paint daubs in shades of green, the hawks that soared were below our line of vision, the wonder of the falls we had just left was a pleasant memory in a photograph and the hustle and bustle of traffic and noise and work and life had no place in this moment in time. From our new vantage point we could see forever ... the view panned out across the Clinch River Valley Basin far into the blue silhouetted mountains that stood against the distant horizon. Incredible! Indescribable! And truly lain out by the hand of God! There is no way it can be anything other.
I had prayed for an opportunity to get out of this house this weekend. What I got was the opportunity to stand on the top of the world with my sister. To get any further away from the enclosing walls of life's 9-5, I would have had to sprout my wings and fly!!!!
Winging It,
Kalena Flying
Monday, August 30, 2010
Holy Haunting
It is my norm during the school year to catch Charles Stanley on WAVA as I drive the boys to school. It's actually kind of cool for me, because I get to spend those few minutes listening to some real Bible truth with my boys right before they venture of into the big bad world of Public School. Armor for the battle, if you will .....
Well, nearly a year ago now, as I was listening to his closing comments after dropping the boys off Dr Stanley made this comment .... what could God do in and through your life if there were no limitations?
For nearly a year now this question has haunted me ...
Two things happened that day .... One, I immediately realized all of the limitations I have allowed to take hold in my life, and, Two, I immediately realized that having a life without limitations in God is possible.
I have written in different places about this moment in my life, yet I am writing specifically about it now; because, dealing with it has changed the way I see everything, and, lately, has kept me up at night and getting very poor sleep when I do finally nod off. It has left me in an undeniable Spiritual unrest, and feeling incredibly off balance. My faith is steadfast, and there is no doubt that where ever I am right now, I am here with God. I'm just not sure I know where this where ever is. It's not like my desert time I so look forward to with Him, but it is definitely just He and I.
The beautiful thing about my unrest is that only God can lead me out of it.
Much prayer and many blessings,
Kalena Following
Well, nearly a year ago now, as I was listening to his closing comments after dropping the boys off Dr Stanley made this comment .... what could God do in and through your life if there were no limitations?
For nearly a year now this question has haunted me ...
Two things happened that day .... One, I immediately realized all of the limitations I have allowed to take hold in my life, and, Two, I immediately realized that having a life without limitations in God is possible.
I have written in different places about this moment in my life, yet I am writing specifically about it now; because, dealing with it has changed the way I see everything, and, lately, has kept me up at night and getting very poor sleep when I do finally nod off. It has left me in an undeniable Spiritual unrest, and feeling incredibly off balance. My faith is steadfast, and there is no doubt that where ever I am right now, I am here with God. I'm just not sure I know where this where ever is. It's not like my desert time I so look forward to with Him, but it is definitely just He and I.
The beautiful thing about my unrest is that only God can lead me out of it.
Much prayer and many blessings,
Kalena Following
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
William Thomas
So ... we spent the weekend down near Charlottesville for the Pace/Carter Family reunion. It's Mark's Mom's side of our family. It's the third year we've attended, and it's always a fabulous time. Usually we go down the day of and return that night, because we live so close. This year, though, we decided to go ahead and get a room, so we wouldn't be driving back in the middle of the night. It also gave us the opportunity to spend extra time with the family in a smaller setting at Aunt Fannie's. What an AWESOME treat that was for me.
Mark's family owns property down there, and they all have country settings. The boys were really excited about staying over, because it meant an extra day in the pool and a trip to see Uncle Dave's cows and barn. For me ..... it was like going home.
When I was a kid growing up, summer vacation always meant the excitement of another opportunity to be on Pensacola Beach. It also meant the trip to De Funiak Springs to see my Granny and Grampa. I was always my Grampa's girl, but, other than seeing him, there wasn't much about being at his house that was very appealing. Country living's finest, and it just wasn't my gig, especially when the beach was sooooo stinkin' close.
Sunday, though, as I walked down the little beaten dirt path, around the towering walnut trees toward the barn, I felt a sense of belonging and comfort that was too obvious to ignore. The smells were the same as being at Grampa's. A naturalness that doesn't exist in the city, with an undeniable air of hay and manure wafting on the breeze. Time seemed to slow down to a comfortable stride that I rarely ever use. And ..... all those things that seem so vital and important .... those things that overwork blood pressure and stress levels seemed far less urgent. The pressing issue of the day appeared to be the cows making it under the one shade tree standing in the field when the sun momentarily popped through the day's overcast skies. So many memories from being at Grampa's danced with me that day. The fig trees in the back yard, the enormous smelly sow in the barn, the long walk past the corn field to get to the fishing pond to have a peak and see if that crazy bull was still IN his pin. Great Great Grandma Lucy's house even gave me a clear reminder of sleeping at Grampa's on rainy, summer night's ... dancing with the Sandman to the beat of a million raindrops pinging away on the tin roof. The only things missing were a brown fedora, and the sweet smell of tobacco waiting just inside the front door.
I miss my Grampa, but Sunday made it ok.
Remembering W.T.,
Kalena in Country
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Invisible Goliaths
For as long as I can remember, I've known the story of David and Goliath ... of how the mighty giant fell at the hands of an unknown shepherd boy and his sling shot. In my mind's eye as a child, Goliath was 100 feet tall and weighed 1000 pounds, and David was just a small boy. It was always amazing to me that David showed near fear at facing this behemoth of a man and still had the grit to talk trash .....
Today, however, Goliath seems far less of an adversary to me.
As we live and grow, I suppose somewhere we allow ourselves to believe that living life will get easier. We are more intelligent and have more control over our lives than when we are kids in our parents homes. Yet ..... this thought process seems to run in perfect contradiction to what actually happens in life. When we are kids, most things are cut and dried in black and white ... especially in our relationships. We know who our family is, we know who our friends are and we certainly know who the enemy is. And, though the dream would be for discernment to carry us into a clearer understanding of these facts as we grow, such is not the case.
This morning I began the walk into a deeper study of King David, specifically covering the guarding of our hearts. As with all other David studies, I was expecting there to be a lengthy dissertation on the circumstances surrounding the famous battle from my childhood. Strangely the man from Gath barely made appearance, other than to point out that Goliath was an enemy of God, which made him an enemy of the Israelite children, hence an enemy of David. Today's lesson looked past the mighty giant and toward the Invisible Goliath that David would soon face ... King Saul.
After defeating Goliath, David was given choice position and power within Saul's kingdom, and with obedience to God and respect for the king, David devoted himself to doing anything and everything he was asked. However, in madness (insanity) Saul became jealous of David, because he could see that God was with him. And, all the while that David was leading Saul's army, expanding Saul's territory and making him a very wealthy man, even ministering to him when no one else could or would ..... Saul was laying wait plotting ways to kill him, because he had come to fear and hate him, for no reason other than being ..... twice even launching a spear at David himself hoping to kill him.
I have sat in silence and solitude for most of this afternoon and evening having been deeply altered by the words of today's lesson. Revelatory moments with God often leave me in a deeper state of meditation, yet today was a different moment for me. Not that I am troubled in my Spirit, but I am definitely stirred. Too true to my current walk with God was today's teaching. Having learned through out this past year that not everyone who says they love me does, not everyone who professes to be a Christian is and that far too often the lines of family and friends become skewed and gray leaving an enormous foothold for the devil to play. All the while I have been in constant support, encouragement and prayer for the people who seemingly should be the closest in my life ..... I am learning daily that there are those who embrace the opportunity to be to me as Saul was to David.
In September of last year I began a journey for truth with God. HIS truth about Him, HIS truth about me and HIS truth about Him in my life. Diligently I've prayed for all these months for revelations of truth ... the good, the bad and the ugly of it ... everything I needed to know and see in order to get where I am going with Him. Over these past months I have laughed, cried and been in complete awe of the the truth the Lord has revealed to me ..... ever in prayer, ever diligent to learning and gaining wisdom in His truth. And, even in heartbreak ... ever thankful for the lessons and the journey. I have seen windows and doors opened and I have experienced windows and doors being closed ... all by His hand. It has been a divine process like no other I've known, and I would not take one step away from it for anything in the world. Today's Word from Him ran through every fiber of my being with revelation and clarity I cannot find words to describe.
The only disheartening fact for me today was that I recognized who my invisible goliaths are immediately.
In His Truth,
No Spear in Hand,
Kalena Resting
Today, however, Goliath seems far less of an adversary to me.
As we live and grow, I suppose somewhere we allow ourselves to believe that living life will get easier. We are more intelligent and have more control over our lives than when we are kids in our parents homes. Yet ..... this thought process seems to run in perfect contradiction to what actually happens in life. When we are kids, most things are cut and dried in black and white ... especially in our relationships. We know who our family is, we know who our friends are and we certainly know who the enemy is. And, though the dream would be for discernment to carry us into a clearer understanding of these facts as we grow, such is not the case.
This morning I began the walk into a deeper study of King David, specifically covering the guarding of our hearts. As with all other David studies, I was expecting there to be a lengthy dissertation on the circumstances surrounding the famous battle from my childhood. Strangely the man from Gath barely made appearance, other than to point out that Goliath was an enemy of God, which made him an enemy of the Israelite children, hence an enemy of David. Today's lesson looked past the mighty giant and toward the Invisible Goliath that David would soon face ... King Saul.
After defeating Goliath, David was given choice position and power within Saul's kingdom, and with obedience to God and respect for the king, David devoted himself to doing anything and everything he was asked. However, in madness (insanity) Saul became jealous of David, because he could see that God was with him. And, all the while that David was leading Saul's army, expanding Saul's territory and making him a very wealthy man, even ministering to him when no one else could or would ..... Saul was laying wait plotting ways to kill him, because he had come to fear and hate him, for no reason other than being ..... twice even launching a spear at David himself hoping to kill him.
I have sat in silence and solitude for most of this afternoon and evening having been deeply altered by the words of today's lesson. Revelatory moments with God often leave me in a deeper state of meditation, yet today was a different moment for me. Not that I am troubled in my Spirit, but I am definitely stirred. Too true to my current walk with God was today's teaching. Having learned through out this past year that not everyone who says they love me does, not everyone who professes to be a Christian is and that far too often the lines of family and friends become skewed and gray leaving an enormous foothold for the devil to play. All the while I have been in constant support, encouragement and prayer for the people who seemingly should be the closest in my life ..... I am learning daily that there are those who embrace the opportunity to be to me as Saul was to David.
In September of last year I began a journey for truth with God. HIS truth about Him, HIS truth about me and HIS truth about Him in my life. Diligently I've prayed for all these months for revelations of truth ... the good, the bad and the ugly of it ... everything I needed to know and see in order to get where I am going with Him. Over these past months I have laughed, cried and been in complete awe of the the truth the Lord has revealed to me ..... ever in prayer, ever diligent to learning and gaining wisdom in His truth. And, even in heartbreak ... ever thankful for the lessons and the journey. I have seen windows and doors opened and I have experienced windows and doors being closed ... all by His hand. It has been a divine process like no other I've known, and I would not take one step away from it for anything in the world. Today's Word from Him ran through every fiber of my being with revelation and clarity I cannot find words to describe.
The only disheartening fact for me today was that I recognized who my invisible goliaths are immediately.
In His Truth,
No Spear in Hand,
Kalena Resting
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Pony Penning
So ..... the husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed our week with the boys away at Messiah Camp. Raiding the local convenience store in the middle of the night for snacks we don't need ... roaming aimlessly through the mall browsing with out having to say "no you can't have that", "stop touching everything" and stuff like that. It has been a really welcomed quiet week. We even kenneled our beautiful Shiloh and stole away to the beach for an overnighter.
We were trying to decide what to do this week, and we came to two choices ... either head to the mountains of West Virginia and Black Water Falls to relive a childhood memory, or head east to Chincoteague Island to see the ponies run. Being the beach bum that I am, we weighed heavily on the East.
Chincoteague Island is a wildlife refuge at the Southern most tip of the DelMarVa peninsula ... a very picturesque four hour drive from our home. It is commonly known for the wild ponies that freely roam the beaches year round. What a photographic opportunity ..... and ..... it's the beach. Win/Win!
So Wednesday morning, we through an over night bag in the truck and off we went.
Now, I had read on the "official" Chincoteague website that there was a penning Wednesday and Thursday. I understood that the ponies would swim across the channel from Assateague Island over to Chincoteague Town, some would auctioned and then there would be the swim back. That would be something cool to see.
Well ........ as it turns out, my husband and I would be the only two people, of the 40,000 in attendance, who were unaware of just how big of a deal this little event is! Good thing we learn quick! The biggest lesson is that 40,000 on a small island is CRAZY CROWDED!!!!!
Sadly, the intended purpose .... seeing and photographing the wild ponies on the beach did not happen ... but, man, did we have an awesome time! And .... we will be back .... just not on a penning weekend! :)
There are no life altering lessons in this post ... just a genuine good time in the sun ... however, when I got home I saw a funny thing on facebook. The quote said "Life is not lost in dying. It is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the small uncaring ways"
What an awesome reality check!
Soooooo .....
Marking the seconds, caring uninhibited, loving unconditionally and choosing to dream enormous dreams without limitations .....
Kalena Living
We were trying to decide what to do this week, and we came to two choices ... either head to the mountains of West Virginia and Black Water Falls to relive a childhood memory, or head east to Chincoteague Island to see the ponies run. Being the beach bum that I am, we weighed heavily on the East.
Chincoteague Island is a wildlife refuge at the Southern most tip of the DelMarVa peninsula ... a very picturesque four hour drive from our home. It is commonly known for the wild ponies that freely roam the beaches year round. What a photographic opportunity ..... and ..... it's the beach. Win/Win!
So Wednesday morning, we through an over night bag in the truck and off we went.
Now, I had read on the "official" Chincoteague website that there was a penning Wednesday and Thursday. I understood that the ponies would swim across the channel from Assateague Island over to Chincoteague Town, some would auctioned and then there would be the swim back. That would be something cool to see.
Well ........ as it turns out, my husband and I would be the only two people, of the 40,000 in attendance, who were unaware of just how big of a deal this little event is! Good thing we learn quick! The biggest lesson is that 40,000 on a small island is CRAZY CROWDED!!!!!
Sadly, the intended purpose .... seeing and photographing the wild ponies on the beach did not happen ... but, man, did we have an awesome time! And .... we will be back .... just not on a penning weekend! :)
There are no life altering lessons in this post ... just a genuine good time in the sun ... however, when I got home I saw a funny thing on facebook. The quote said "Life is not lost in dying. It is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the small uncaring ways"
What an awesome reality check!
Soooooo .....
Marking the seconds, caring uninhibited, loving unconditionally and choosing to dream enormous dreams without limitations .....
Kalena Living
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Praying Life .....
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
For years, I have grown into a relationship with God, where, though I may pray for five or ten minutes at a time, I stay in constant communication with Him. If I'm awake, I'm in conversation and fellowship with Him, regardless of what is going on around me. It is the only way I can survive even the best of days.
However, over the past few months, I have given great attention to my prayer life, and this one verse from the Book of James has brought me to a different place, a better place, in my prayer life. There was a moment at the beginning of this revelation where, in honesty, I asked myself about the seriousness of my prayer time, and I asked myself about effectual and fervent praying and whether or not this was what I was doing .....
By definition:
ef·fec·tual (e fek′c̸ho̵̅o̅ əl, i-; often ē-, ə-)adj.
v
nt)adj.
For years, I have grown into a relationship with God, where, though I may pray for five or ten minutes at a time, I stay in constant communication with Him. If I'm awake, I'm in conversation and fellowship with Him, regardless of what is going on around me. It is the only way I can survive even the best of days.
However, over the past few months, I have given great attention to my prayer life, and this one verse from the Book of James has brought me to a different place, a better place, in my prayer life. There was a moment at the beginning of this revelation where, in honesty, I asked myself about the seriousness of my prayer time, and I asked myself about effectual and fervent praying and whether or not this was what I was doing .....
By definition:
ef·fec·tual (e fek′c̸ho̵̅o̅ əl, i-; often ē-, ə-)adj.
- producing, or able to produce, the desired effect
- having legal force; valid
vnt)adj. 1. Having or showing great emotion or zeal; ardent.
2. Extremely hot; glowing.
Was I fervent? Without doubt ... yet I found myself seriously lacking in the effectualness of my prayers. So, I wondered ... when I was praying, did I seriously expect to hear answer from God, or was I just throwing up a lifeline in case He happened to be listening to me that day? The Bible tells us that all of the answers in Him are Yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:19-21) So, I wondered why so many of my prayers have seemed to go no higher than the ceiling, and I spoke with God in detail and at length about this. Asking why is there such delay in the desired effects on many of my prayers.
When Jesus prayed, God answered immediately, and that answer was manifest for others to see. My question, then became, if it is the same Spirit on the inside of me that was in Christ (and I believe it is John 14:16-20) then why were there so few manifestations? There is no logical explanation. So, looking again at these two words that have become the focal points of my prayer life, I asked myself did I really believe to hear from God? Noting that both words are adjectives ..... describing the type of prayer that we are to send to our Heavenly Father ... I also believe that these two words should also describe the one praying. Effectual and fervent ... full of passion and glowing hot, and so becomes my resolve. To pray any other way seems to me a waste of my time, and, I don't play when I speak with God. To send up a flippant, half hearted prayer seems to me to be a waste of His time. Through it all, the only conclusion I have been able to come to is ...
Not only do I believe to hear from Him ... I sit in earnest expectation.
Much love and prayers,
Kalena in Fervency
Was I fervent? Without doubt ... yet I found myself seriously lacking in the effectualness of my prayers. So, I wondered ... when I was praying, did I seriously expect to hear answer from God, or was I just throwing up a lifeline in case He happened to be listening to me that day? The Bible tells us that all of the answers in Him are Yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:19-21) So, I wondered why so many of my prayers have seemed to go no higher than the ceiling, and I spoke with God in detail and at length about this. Asking why is there such delay in the desired effects on many of my prayers.
When Jesus prayed, God answered immediately, and that answer was manifest for others to see. My question, then became, if it is the same Spirit on the inside of me that was in Christ (and I believe it is John 14:16-20) then why were there so few manifestations? There is no logical explanation. So, looking again at these two words that have become the focal points of my prayer life, I asked myself did I really believe to hear from God? Noting that both words are adjectives ..... describing the type of prayer that we are to send to our Heavenly Father ... I also believe that these two words should also describe the one praying. Effectual and fervent ... full of passion and glowing hot, and so becomes my resolve. To pray any other way seems to me a waste of my time, and, I don't play when I speak with God. To send up a flippant, half hearted prayer seems to me to be a waste of His time. Through it all, the only conclusion I have been able to come to is ...
Not only do I believe to hear from Him ... I sit in earnest expectation.
Much love and prayers,
Kalena in Fervency
Freak Shows
Step Right Up! 10 cents to see the bearded lady and the tall man! Or for just one dollar, you can see the amazing lion faced boy!
When I was a kid growing up, pop up carnivals were a dime a dozen and seemed to pop up over night. There were rides galore, cotton candy and corn dogs and the smell or assorted fried and sugared foods filled the air. The smell, though enticing, was really close to sickening. Carnies were everywhere, and looked as though they hadn't been in the sun for months. Then, as quickly as they appeared ... the would mysteriously vanish in the night, with no trace that they were ever there ... and show up with all the flashing lights and wonder a town or two over. As a child, I was amazed by the wonderment of it all. Well, everything except the "amazing" and "spectacular" attractions that loomed just outside the entrance gate. Amazing and spectacular as they may have been described, creepy and borderline haunting is the way I remember them.
For there in the front ... the head liner, if you will, were the bearded lady, the tall man, the lion faced boy, or the "Unbelievable" serpent boy. Half boy/half snake. As a child ... the thought was horrific ... partly because of a genuine fear of snakes, partly because it was terrifying to me to think a kid could be half snake. But, at each and every roadside carnival was the FREAK SHOW. I suppose at that time, a carnival was incomplete without some kind of sideshow attraction. Quite obviously these memories are emblazened in my mind. The whole purpose of these side show attractions was to distract you from your original destination and take your money before you ever got inside to the actual carnival itself.
As my life moves forward, I have come to understand the workings of these carnies and the smoke and mirrors that made them such a wonder to see. And, though roadside carnivals are not such the common theme anymore with grandiose theme parks more prevalent than in days past, freak shows remain.
For me these days, though, where I notice these distractions popping up regularly is in my walk with God. I have a destination. I have a purpose, and God is leading me to that place. However, along the way freak shows pop up in the night, and I find myself warding them off repeatedly. And just like the roadies of old, they disappear as quickly as they appear, and pop up again two or three days down the road. Identifying them as quickly as possible is the key for me staying on pace with God and getting to the place in Him that manifests the scriptures that are the cornerstones of my life.
Spiritual Freak Shows are anything, anybody, everything and everybody that pop up to cause a distraction from my walk with God with the intended purpose of getting me off track. Things that take my focus off of the Lord and try to drive it toward something else. They are always temporal. They always have the appearance of importance without having any substance. And ... they are ALWAYS Spiritually suffocating. In years past, I have struggled greatly with these side shows, never knowing until they were put down just how detrimental they truly are.
I thank God for always guiding me back and waiting for me on the other side, yet these days, I am thanking God for teaching me how to identify them and call them out for what they are ... FREAK SHOWS; so, that my walk is not so greatly side tracked anymore.
Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way .... this is my path.
In 10:10,
Kalena Straightening
When I was a kid growing up, pop up carnivals were a dime a dozen and seemed to pop up over night. There were rides galore, cotton candy and corn dogs and the smell or assorted fried and sugared foods filled the air. The smell, though enticing, was really close to sickening. Carnies were everywhere, and looked as though they hadn't been in the sun for months. Then, as quickly as they appeared ... the would mysteriously vanish in the night, with no trace that they were ever there ... and show up with all the flashing lights and wonder a town or two over. As a child, I was amazed by the wonderment of it all. Well, everything except the "amazing" and "spectacular" attractions that loomed just outside the entrance gate. Amazing and spectacular as they may have been described, creepy and borderline haunting is the way I remember them.
For there in the front ... the head liner, if you will, were the bearded lady, the tall man, the lion faced boy, or the "Unbelievable" serpent boy. Half boy/half snake. As a child ... the thought was horrific ... partly because of a genuine fear of snakes, partly because it was terrifying to me to think a kid could be half snake. But, at each and every roadside carnival was the FREAK SHOW. I suppose at that time, a carnival was incomplete without some kind of sideshow attraction. Quite obviously these memories are emblazened in my mind. The whole purpose of these side show attractions was to distract you from your original destination and take your money before you ever got inside to the actual carnival itself.
As my life moves forward, I have come to understand the workings of these carnies and the smoke and mirrors that made them such a wonder to see. And, though roadside carnivals are not such the common theme anymore with grandiose theme parks more prevalent than in days past, freak shows remain.
For me these days, though, where I notice these distractions popping up regularly is in my walk with God. I have a destination. I have a purpose, and God is leading me to that place. However, along the way freak shows pop up in the night, and I find myself warding them off repeatedly. And just like the roadies of old, they disappear as quickly as they appear, and pop up again two or three days down the road. Identifying them as quickly as possible is the key for me staying on pace with God and getting to the place in Him that manifests the scriptures that are the cornerstones of my life.
Spiritual Freak Shows are anything, anybody, everything and everybody that pop up to cause a distraction from my walk with God with the intended purpose of getting me off track. Things that take my focus off of the Lord and try to drive it toward something else. They are always temporal. They always have the appearance of importance without having any substance. And ... they are ALWAYS Spiritually suffocating. In years past, I have struggled greatly with these side shows, never knowing until they were put down just how detrimental they truly are.
I thank God for always guiding me back and waiting for me on the other side, yet these days, I am thanking God for teaching me how to identify them and call them out for what they are ... FREAK SHOWS; so, that my walk is not so greatly side tracked anymore.
Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way .... this is my path.
In 10:10,
Kalena Straightening
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Open Vents
I am soooo spiritually ugly right now!
Every time I turn around, I keep finding myself in a place where the Christian company I keep ... and they are Christians ... is overwhelmingly complacent in their faith and walk with God.
It makes me sick!
What I DO NOT understand is how we can read our Bibles daily ... hoard to church every time the doors are open ... process, profess, profess and then when a situation arises that may cost us a moment outside of our "it's really all about me" mindset, throw out a flippant "I'll pray for ya" and run for the hills. It is no wonder that this dying world that we live in has such an ugly opinion of Christianity as a whole and Christ in general. This kind of behavior makes my "attitude of gratitude" scream in anger, and I always have this mental image of my Lord sitting on the steps of the temple weaving a whip right before He went in and ran out all of the money changers.
Every time my phone rings, or I open my e-mail, I am bombarded by stories of hurting saints who are having one bad spiritual encounter after another. And, I'm not talking about the evil one and his ploys either. I am talking specifically about Christian encounters where the ones in need of help, assistance, a shoulder to cry on or just genuine compassion are being railroaded by fellow Christians .... always, and I do mean always, because they have their own "stuff" to deal with and won't take the time to get over themselves to lift up a hurting brother or sister in Christ!!!
And, when God sends these folks to me, I find myself spending more time undoing the damage from their last encounter than I do actually helping to address the hurt that started the entire chain of events.
Sometimes folks actually need for us to pray them through a hurting situation, but sometimes what they really need is for us to get over ourselves, get in the dregs with them and beat out a victory! That is the love of God! My personal hurt is that we have taken the love of God and perverted it into some temporal miscue that fits our own lives, instead letting it transform us into the Children of God He created us to be!
WE HAVE MISSED IT COMPLETELY!
The Bible clearly tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, and I don't believe that was a suggestion!
From the dregs ....
Kalena Weaving
Every time I turn around, I keep finding myself in a place where the Christian company I keep ... and they are Christians ... is overwhelmingly complacent in their faith and walk with God.
It makes me sick!
What I DO NOT understand is how we can read our Bibles daily ... hoard to church every time the doors are open ... process, profess, profess and then when a situation arises that may cost us a moment outside of our "it's really all about me" mindset, throw out a flippant "I'll pray for ya" and run for the hills. It is no wonder that this dying world that we live in has such an ugly opinion of Christianity as a whole and Christ in general. This kind of behavior makes my "attitude of gratitude" scream in anger, and I always have this mental image of my Lord sitting on the steps of the temple weaving a whip right before He went in and ran out all of the money changers.
Every time my phone rings, or I open my e-mail, I am bombarded by stories of hurting saints who are having one bad spiritual encounter after another. And, I'm not talking about the evil one and his ploys either. I am talking specifically about Christian encounters where the ones in need of help, assistance, a shoulder to cry on or just genuine compassion are being railroaded by fellow Christians .... always, and I do mean always, because they have their own "stuff" to deal with and won't take the time to get over themselves to lift up a hurting brother or sister in Christ!!!
And, when God sends these folks to me, I find myself spending more time undoing the damage from their last encounter than I do actually helping to address the hurt that started the entire chain of events.
Sometimes folks actually need for us to pray them through a hurting situation, but sometimes what they really need is for us to get over ourselves, get in the dregs with them and beat out a victory! That is the love of God! My personal hurt is that we have taken the love of God and perverted it into some temporal miscue that fits our own lives, instead letting it transform us into the Children of God He created us to be!
WE HAVE MISSED IT COMPLETELY!
The Bible clearly tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, and I don't believe that was a suggestion!
From the dregs ....
Kalena Weaving
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Where MY Heart Is .....
WOW! What a year it has been ... and it is barely half way through.
The Queen has sat quiet for months now, and I still don't have the words to fully explain or express the changes and growth I have gone through. Over the next days and weeks, I plan to finally bring all the past months into words that weigh in on those changes and where I've been to where I am.
Life has such roller coaster moments, and I have been holding my breath and screaming at the top of my lungs continually since the changing of the year. What a ride it has been!
I have learned what the true emotion is that follows the expression "Holy Crap!" I have come into the full understanding of what a "Holy Haunting" is. I have laughed until my sides hurt and cried until there were literally no more tears left. I have felt better and been sicker than I've been in my life ... all in a matter of months!
And, through it all, I have grown into a deeper, fuller, richer, truer me than I even knew existed. My life is flourishing, and God's presence is undeniable at every fold and corner of it. I hope that through my words over the upcoming days, you, too, can find places of growth and growing in your own lives.
With Soooo Much Love,
Kalena Soaring
The Queen has sat quiet for months now, and I still don't have the words to fully explain or express the changes and growth I have gone through. Over the next days and weeks, I plan to finally bring all the past months into words that weigh in on those changes and where I've been to where I am.
Life has such roller coaster moments, and I have been holding my breath and screaming at the top of my lungs continually since the changing of the year. What a ride it has been!
I have learned what the true emotion is that follows the expression "Holy Crap!" I have come into the full understanding of what a "Holy Haunting" is. I have laughed until my sides hurt and cried until there were literally no more tears left. I have felt better and been sicker than I've been in my life ... all in a matter of months!
And, through it all, I have grown into a deeper, fuller, richer, truer me than I even knew existed. My life is flourishing, and God's presence is undeniable at every fold and corner of it. I hope that through my words over the upcoming days, you, too, can find places of growth and growing in your own lives.
With Soooo Much Love,
Kalena Soaring
Friday, February 12, 2010
Writer's Crowd
All my life I've been a writer. I actually wrote my first short story when I was in middle school. I just never followed through with it, because those nasty girls, who were supposed to be my friends, made fun of it. However, all my life I guess I've always known that I would be a writer for real if I ever grew up! The growing up part took longer than expected, but here I am!
Like everything else in my life, I have gone through much communication with God about this. I have reached out and talked with the other writers in my life, as well. I've been reading and studying my Bible and spiritual, God inspired authors. Then, a couple of weeks ago, as I was trying to find my next "great" book to read, God ever so gently, yet matter of factly, let me know it was time to stop reading and start writing. YIKES!!!!
Of course, my first thought was "do we seriously need ANOTHER Christian writer"? I mean, seriously, go into any book store - not even just Christian book stores either - and there are entire sections dedicated to Christian writers. Francis Chan, Joyce Meyer, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Andy Andrews, CS Lewis ...... the list goes on and on. People who are much more qualified than I, I suppose. I had a serious Moses moment with God over a "who I am?"
I mean .... really .... stay at home Mom with a little bit of college ..... not much to go on, if you're on the outside looking, I guess.
BUT ..... here I am ..... at the beginning of a journey ..... out here on my faith ..... with nothing but that faith to stand on .....
Pretty solid ground!
Kalena Writing
Like everything else in my life, I have gone through much communication with God about this. I have reached out and talked with the other writers in my life, as well. I've been reading and studying my Bible and spiritual, God inspired authors. Then, a couple of weeks ago, as I was trying to find my next "great" book to read, God ever so gently, yet matter of factly, let me know it was time to stop reading and start writing. YIKES!!!!
Of course, my first thought was "do we seriously need ANOTHER Christian writer"? I mean, seriously, go into any book store - not even just Christian book stores either - and there are entire sections dedicated to Christian writers. Francis Chan, Joyce Meyer, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Andy Andrews, CS Lewis ...... the list goes on and on. People who are much more qualified than I, I suppose. I had a serious Moses moment with God over a "who I am?"
I mean .... really .... stay at home Mom with a little bit of college ..... not much to go on, if you're on the outside looking, I guess.
BUT ..... here I am ..... at the beginning of a journey ..... out here on my faith ..... with nothing but that faith to stand on .....
Pretty solid ground!
Kalena Writing
Friday, January 29, 2010
What Would Jesus Really Do?
BACK STORY:
I had the occasion to go to down to Fredericksburg last week. I do this periodically when I'm having a shopping Jones. Make the ten minute run down south to visit the most AWESOME store in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD ..... Kirklands. I'm very fond of Kirklands, because it is in the middle of secularville and has the most AWESOME selection of spiritual and scriptural gifts for the home! LOVE IT!!! I put my name on their little list, so they e-mail me coupons in my inbox!!! Woo!Woo! This is unbelievable, because their prices are already incredibly below everywhere else I frequent. Yep ..... very fond of Kirklands.
Well, I was just in a browsing moment, so, when I got my necessary fill, I got back in my truck and headed across the street to Long John Silvers --- note that I was browsing no longer!!!! Hit the drive thru and headed home happy .....
FRONT STORY:
All day long I had been in battle with God ..... I would have answered to the name Jacob on that day... my Genesis reference. Not fighting against Him, you understand, but definitely locked in battle with Him. I was in the middle of a dissertation about giving and receiving, blessings and the promises of God. Not that I needed to remind Him of what He has said, but diarrhea of the mouth none the less. I came up to the turn I need to make to get back on I95 and was behind a panel truck. I couldn't see the light or anything in front of me, so I had to put my trust in the hands of the driver in front of me about when to go. The light turned green and traffic began to flow. Almost immediately I saw a gentleman standing on the curb holding a homeless sign. I had money laying in the middle console that all I had to do was stop, hit the auto roll down on the window and give it to him. Easy enough right???
Now, you can call me Peter ..... I took my eyes off of the blessing and immediately went through the hostility I would create in the drivers behind me if I did what I knew was the right thing to do, so I drove on. God said nothing ..... I said nothing ..... UGH!!!
Enter I95 on ramp ..... exit I95 and back to the intersection!!! Good redemption plan, right?
The guy was NOWHERE to be seen!!!! WHAT THE HECK? Couldn't God have just let me known the guy had walked away? What the heck was the return trip for? I didn't actually have to do my keystone cop loop da loop for God to know I was going to go back ..... because I did ..... and He knew I was going to .....
Back to the I95 on ramp!
Without ever pondering the infamous WWJD, I knew instantly the answer, of course. Jesus would have done the right thing the first time negating the need for the return trip? But, then I thought what would Jesus really do in this situation? Would He just give the man the money? Or, would He have shown the guy how to get a job to not be in this situation again? Do bandaids ever help on blunt force trauma? I don't know ..... Is a temporary fix efficient? I don't think so.
Maybe .... I need to get a little bit away from the generalization of WWJD and seriously consider What Jesus Would Really Do.
Just sayin' .....
Kalena in Traffic
Oh and by the way ..... back at the same intersection yesterday ..... there was my gentleman holding his sign .....
On my word, brought traffic to a dead stand still during a green light and gave the man the money I had promised to carry with me until I saw him again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had the occasion to go to down to Fredericksburg last week. I do this periodically when I'm having a shopping Jones. Make the ten minute run down south to visit the most AWESOME store in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD ..... Kirklands. I'm very fond of Kirklands, because it is in the middle of secularville and has the most AWESOME selection of spiritual and scriptural gifts for the home! LOVE IT!!! I put my name on their little list, so they e-mail me coupons in my inbox!!! Woo!Woo! This is unbelievable, because their prices are already incredibly below everywhere else I frequent. Yep ..... very fond of Kirklands.
Well, I was just in a browsing moment, so, when I got my necessary fill, I got back in my truck and headed across the street to Long John Silvers --- note that I was browsing no longer!!!! Hit the drive thru and headed home happy .....
FRONT STORY:
All day long I had been in battle with God ..... I would have answered to the name Jacob on that day... my Genesis reference. Not fighting against Him, you understand, but definitely locked in battle with Him. I was in the middle of a dissertation about giving and receiving, blessings and the promises of God. Not that I needed to remind Him of what He has said, but diarrhea of the mouth none the less. I came up to the turn I need to make to get back on I95 and was behind a panel truck. I couldn't see the light or anything in front of me, so I had to put my trust in the hands of the driver in front of me about when to go. The light turned green and traffic began to flow. Almost immediately I saw a gentleman standing on the curb holding a homeless sign. I had money laying in the middle console that all I had to do was stop, hit the auto roll down on the window and give it to him. Easy enough right???
Now, you can call me Peter ..... I took my eyes off of the blessing and immediately went through the hostility I would create in the drivers behind me if I did what I knew was the right thing to do, so I drove on. God said nothing ..... I said nothing ..... UGH!!!
Enter I95 on ramp ..... exit I95 and back to the intersection!!! Good redemption plan, right?
The guy was NOWHERE to be seen!!!! WHAT THE HECK? Couldn't God have just let me known the guy had walked away? What the heck was the return trip for? I didn't actually have to do my keystone cop loop da loop for God to know I was going to go back ..... because I did ..... and He knew I was going to .....
Back to the I95 on ramp!
Without ever pondering the infamous WWJD, I knew instantly the answer, of course. Jesus would have done the right thing the first time negating the need for the return trip? But, then I thought what would Jesus really do in this situation? Would He just give the man the money? Or, would He have shown the guy how to get a job to not be in this situation again? Do bandaids ever help on blunt force trauma? I don't know ..... Is a temporary fix efficient? I don't think so.
Maybe .... I need to get a little bit away from the generalization of WWJD and seriously consider What Jesus Would Really Do.
Just sayin' .....
Kalena in Traffic
Oh and by the way ..... back at the same intersection yesterday ..... there was my gentleman holding his sign .....
On my word, brought traffic to a dead stand still during a green light and gave the man the money I had promised to carry with me until I saw him again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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