just a man and a pen.

One of the things I am extremely thankful for is my church.  Some of my best friends in the whole wide world are there. You know the ones that you just know will be shacked up next to you in Gloryland, but even if they aren't you would walk the span of heaven just to spend time with them. It touches my heart deeply when I think of all the tears shed and growing up in the Lord we have done side by side. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them. They are often my lifeline to reality. Setting my thinking straight and blessing me with wisdom well beyond this earth. Its sharing life together honestly that we moved beyond the shadows cast on us by the evil one.. past all the pride and selfish ambitions.. to safety. That's what I feel. Safe. A safe place to worship my Savior as He made me. Golly it takes work, with a capital "W" to be in a safe place where freedom is celebrated, but the benefits far outweigh the squirming and flip flops your soul does in an effort to see the Truth as a community. It's a beautiful thing. Trust me. 

Thomas Obediah Chisholm

•  Born: Ju­ly 29, 1866, Frank­lin, Ken­tucky.
• Chisholm was ed­u­cat­ed in a small count­ry school, and be­came its teach­er at age 16. 
• At age 21, he be­came as­so­ci­ate ed­it­or of the week­ly news­pa­per, The Frank­lin Fav­or­ite. 
• In 1893, he be­came a Christ­ian un­der the min­is­try of Dr. Hen­ry Clay Mor­rison
• Chis­holm moved to Lou­is­ville at the per­sua­sion of Mor­ris­on and be­came ed­it­or of the Pen­te­cos­tal Her­ald.
•  He was or­dained a Meth­od­ist min­is­ter in 1903 and served a brief pas­tor­ate at Scotts­ville, Ken­tucky. 
• In poor health, he moved his fam­i­ly to a farm near Wi­nona Lake, In­di­a­na. 
• He be­came an in­sur­ance sales­man, moving to Vine­land, New Jer­sey, in 1916. 
• He re­tired in 1953 to the Meth­od­ist Home for the Aged in Ocean Grove, New Jer­sey. 
• Died: Feb­ru­a­ry 29, 1960, Ocean Grove, New Jer­sey.

He wasn't all that successful.  He never held a high office. By the look of this list his ministry was brief even. You might not know him, but you know one of his famous poems that was put to music. It is the song that you often hum to yourself when you are so thankful for Him that words just don't seem like enough. Words that are wrote by a man who wasn't anything special in the eyes of the world. Words that  give my soul a voice. 

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father; 

there is no shadow of turning with thee.

thou changest not, thy compassions, 

they fail not;as thou hast been thou forever will be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;all I have needed thy hand hath provided;

great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

sun, moon and stars in their courses above

join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! 

It's this hymn. The words of a man who was just a man who loved God and liked to write that remind me that God is faithful to the core. He can't be anything but.  It's this faithfulness that has allowed me to be a part of something way bigger than me. A church that searches out and clings to His faithfulness. A community of faithful believers who believe that being faithful to God is the most important thing in the world. When we meet, we remind each other there is strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. I  need that reminder often. 

He asked me a question.

He smiled, took my face and asked me a question. I've heard the question asked many times over again through the Bible.. but Jesus was asking me. This was different. He wanted me to be sure deep down of somethings about Him. Confident. He reminded me that this wasn't a content question. He assured me that His fingerprints would be all over the answer so that I would know and also feel that I'm 100% right in His eyes. Do you even know how much that little gift means to me?? There really IS no wrong answer! 

 "Kelly, who do you say that I am?" 

and He had me grab my camera.. and walk. 

You are the morning sun revealing the night's secrets.

You are worthy to be trusted. You are constant. You are free. 

Full of love for those who look, see and taste. 

You are complete. You are perfect words. 

You are the step giver who keeps my feet from stumbling. 

You are my foundation. You are the Rock on which I stand. 

You surround me with your grace. You are my cover.

You sometimes keep yourself hidden until my steps lead me to you. Discovery of You in me is part of the journey. You are a gift to be opened and shared. You are peace. 

I just have to ask you friend.... Who do you say that He is? 

"Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord." 

Hosea 6:3

how to motivate a hinge.

The questions collide in my soul with the force of the sun at daybreak. 

How do you motivate a hinge? 

(proverbs 26:14) 

and

Why did Jesus get seemingly all upset

 at the woman asking to 

heal her daughter 

from a demon? 

(Matthew 15:21-28)

 Did you know that there are no kiddos in the bible that asked for anything of Jesus?  No requests. Nothing. Nada. That surprised me, cuz well, my world changers ask for stuff all the time. They are children and they need stuff. So, why, in the most important book in my life is there no mention of children asking for anything?  I think the answer is found in a hinge. 

A hinge only works if someone attaches it to something. Then, it only moves if someone moves it. A hinge can't do anything by itself. It's a formed piece of metal that has a specific use. It doesn't get to decide if it wants to be a hinge. It just is. So when Proverbs likens a hinge to a lazy person it has me thinking.  

 My heart begins to sort out the evidence. 

• in the bible children don't ask for anything.. a parent does on their behalf 
• a hinge is like a lazy person.. it needs outside force for it to work. 
• children can be lazy and drive their parent's nutso. 

A ton of bricks comes off my chest when I realize that it's my job as a parent to ask God to motivate a changer into something other than a door hinge. It's not my job to motivate. I can however, plead with the Father over and over just like the woman did when she asked that He heal her daughter in Matthew. Jesus wasn't mad at her for asking. He knew she had the faith and could have healed her right there on the spot, but maybe it wasn't about healing her daughter.  Maybe it was about a woman drawing closer to the Father over and over on behalf of her child. Maybe instead of just trusting the hinge to work on it's own or even forcing it to work, the mother knew the only way for her daughter to be healed was to go to the Father ask him to move it... and to keep asking until the Father healed her child. 

it's a yummy cupcake day!

Today, I made cupcakes and I love them. 

I got the recipe via pinterest, if you haven't started pinning yet... well, your getting more sleep than those who have. It's seriously the best thing ever for us visual folks. If your so inclined hop on over to via the linky and make a batch yourself. They whip up fast, and if you get 'em done before your world changers get off the bus.. you can even lick the frosting bowl. Go ahead, I won't tell.