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
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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
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