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This week has been filled with news, both personally, professionally, and nationally. So much is happening and it weighs on me heavily. Millions, including myself, have been watching the developments in the case of Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie’s mother. It’s both saddening and sickening that someone would abduct this elderly woman from her home, torturing her and her family. And worse to hear that people are calling in fake ransoms.
I hear people say, and I think I’ve even seen it on a shirt, “I’m God’s favorite!” I don’t know that I’ve ever read in Scripture about God having any favorite children. The point could be argued that Enoch may have been a favorite. “Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Gen. 5:23-24) Elijah may also have been a favorite, as he did not die either, “As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11) Scripture doesn’t use the word favorite, but several people are noted as having lived righteous lives. Even living a righteous life does not mean it will be free from pain. We all experience pain from time to time -whether someone unintentionally harms us or goes to great lengths to deceive us- it happens. Scripture says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” While we are advised to have nothing to do with the people who commit the sins listed in the passage, sometimes these people seek to do unprovoked harm and that’s really hard to understand. Whatever you are going through today, whatever is on your mind, know that God is there. He is with you and understands even when you don’t. Jesus said in John 16:33, 33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Keep praying for your situation and for those in your life. Jesus is always with us and He desires that we have peace. Amen.
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We awakened Saturday morning to a beautiful blanket of white snow, as the meteorologists said we would. On Friday, I stopped at the grocery store after work, and it was obvious that many people believed the forecast because most of the shelves were bare. I want to make a snowman, but the weatherman suggests we wait and make it tomorrow because it will be less windy, thus feel less cold. We didn’t make it today because we filled the day with other things such as laundry and bathroom cleaning, but I do plan to make one tomorrow. What has surprised me today is that the snow has been nonstop! And the wind, it’s been blowing snow, horizontally much of the day! How much is going to fall? At last I measured, around 5:30pm, we had 5½ inches - and it has not stopped! Job 38: 22-23 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow; or seen the storehouses of the hail, 23which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? I probably shouldn’t say this, but one of the greatest chapters of Scripture, in my opinion, is Job 38. Powerful! For anyone who questions, wonders, thinks they know it all - which is all of us from time to time - Job 38 reminds us that we are merely human. No, I haven’t entered the storehouses of the snow, I didn’t even know such a place existed, since you mention it Lord, is the hail kept near the snow, like maybe in a separate compartment? How big is that freezer? Is it electric, no it’s God-powered! While the meteorologists and radar were correct this time, and their work is a great service to keep us safe, we must never believe they know everything. They can’t know everything, and neither can we! Many of you know I majored in and taught high school Science for many years, but scientific study cannot reveal all the knowledge of God, our Creator. While the author of Job is unknown, it sounds to me like God is the author of Job 38. Lots of events have taken place in the previous 37 chapters and multiple theories have been put forth as to why, insinuating as to why God may have punished Job, as He supposedly did. Job 38 reads as if God has been sitting by quietly listening to them talk about Him, and He’s a bit offended, and now He speaks. I suspect we offend Him with our daily thoughts and discussion, too.
I mean, I am both speechless and humbled with the questions - “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” Oh Lawd, could that be me - what am I speaking that is not of you? “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” Now I’m silent, because I was no where, He had not knitted me in my mother’s womb yet! “Who marked off its dimensions?” What, it has dimensions, but it’s a sphere! Ok dimensions…continue! As we enjoy the snowfall, be in awe of the God who created it, the God who stores it up along with the hail. Be glad He sent us snow and not hail. It’s reserved for times of trouble, war and battle, and a case could be made for why He has been extremely generous and gracious to send us this beautiful, peaceful snow. If possible, take this time to be still and quiet, and reflect on God’s goodness, and read His Word. Amen. Thank you for reading! I hope this post touched your heart this week. Please share with someone else! Kim
I confess…usually my message is written before I attend church for the week. This week, however, church was on Saturday and I didn’t know what I was going to write about yet, then Steven Furtick’s message touched my heart such that my weekly message will stem from his weekly message. His message was titled, “It’s Worth the Dirt.” My message will be called, Question of my Life - Is It Worth It? I could be the only one, but I suspect I am not, I ask myself this question multiple times per day! I wrestle with this question all the time. Sometimes, through prayer and meditation, I am able to answer and feel confident about my answer, but at other times, the Lord gives me a nudge or answers the question for me - which I appreciate! Many of you know that I began my career as an educator, teaching high school. During that time, many of my students became parents. When I was expecting my second child, I had six female students who were pregnant at the same time as me. They always wanted to talk, but there was never enough time. I took what I had bottled up to say to them and wrote a book called, A Girls’ Guide to Abstinence. Then, feeling like the message should be balanced, I wanted to write a similar book for young men, but I didn’t know how to frame the abstinence message for boys. In 2012, the Lord showed me exactly what I needed to say to young men, and that book is titled, A Guys’ Guide to Abstinence. I designed covers for both books, then, because there is a cost to publishing, I questioned whether it was worth it to publish those books. I convinced myself it was not. Life went on, I worked, raised my children, did other things, but I did not write, and that is unlike me. Finally, about two years later, I prayed and asked God, “why aren’t you giving me anything to write?” He said, and I quote, “I gave you two books.” Friends, if that wasn’t a nudge! I opened files I hadn’t opened in two years, paid someone to design nice covers, had some people to read and help me edit and I published both books. Since then, the Lord has not stopped (or slowed) in giving me writing material - I can’t type as fast as it comes to me. A Girl’s Guide to Abstinence has been my bestseller - not from Amazon, but purchases directly from me. I’ve realized that the question of Is it worth it can actually be the voice of Satan trying to stop God’s plan. By no means was that the last time I wondered if what I was doing was worth it. This is a daily, no multiple times per day, question! I recently traveled to celebrate my 50th Birthday! I hesitated, wondering if the trip was worth the money - it was! Today (Saturday) and last night I wrestled with whether it was worth driving to Charlotte for the taping of this week's church service so services could be cancelled for the coming ice storm. I decided to go, and it was worth it! Could it be that this question is one of Satan's tactics that he uses in multiple ways? -To keep us from being obedient to God's will -To distract us from the blessings God has prepared for us -To take our attention off what God is planning for us -To keep us in bondage with things that are not of God I gave the example of the two books, but I have many more examples of myself wrestling with this question, and as I think about it, there's always an element of God's blessing that I stand to forfeit if I decide it's not worth it. If we look back at Genesis 3, the first time Satan, the serpent, appears in Scripture, you can sort of see this question:
Read the whole passage, then look at verse 6, again. "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." She decided it was worth it to listen to the serpent and not God. She decided that listening to God was not worth it. We all know what happened as a result of this decision. Sin entered the world and Satan asks this question of mankind every single day! It is important that we be in prayer and that we take time to meditate of God's word each day so that as the question of "Is it worth it" is raised, we are able to discern its origins. Amen. Thank you for reading! Please comment an example of how you have wondered, "Is it worth it?" How has the Lord led you to respond? Stay warm this weekend! Kim We’ve been in Miami Beach, Florida for the past few days celebrating my birthday. One thing I enjoy when traveling is taking tours and learning about the area. This is my first visit to Miami, and truly it’s like being in a Spanish-speaking country! Little Havana has people making cigars, I ate churros for the first time - so awesome! On our tour we learned that about half of the area is Cuban, but other nationalities make up a high percentage of the population, too. They said around here when people say they are bilingual, it means they speak a little English, too. Something else that struck me is the high Jewish population. Our tour guide pointed out the “SoFi” area South of 5th Street, originally was all Gentiles due to antisemetic restrictive covenants from the original developer. We learned that in 1949 an ordinance was passed that made signs like, “Gentiles-Only" or "No Jews or Dogs” unlawful. I thought - now I’ve heard it all! The tour guide also shared about Jim Crow laws and how now Miami boasts a fusion of cultures and traditions. I’ll say, we definitely see the fusion of cultures and it’s peaceful. Everyone is happy and celebrating. As visitors, we have had to ask questions of a few strangers and we have found that you can’t tell by anyone’s appearance as to whether they speak English or not.
While we’ve been in Miami, I’ve had some downtime, by intention, and I’ve seen videos of people arguing with the monks about their lack of belief in Jesus. Thousands of people, myself included, have been following the Buddhist Monks from monasteries around the world, as they travel a pilgrimage from Texas to Washington DC spreading their message of peace. They departed, on foot, in October and reached Rock Hill, SC on Tuesday, January 13, and I along with countless others were present to greet them. It was surreal to see these quiet, humble men, wearing brown togas, carrying their belongings and flowers walking up the driveway to their evening destination - Catawba Baptist Church. Large crowds, make me uneasy, so I was a little hesitant to stay and wait for them, with so many thousands of people gathered. I did stay, though, and it truly was a peaceful and blessed occasion. As I walked from my car to the gathering place, I passed a man who was speaking about Jesus, he had signs and a microphone system. I didn’t see any interaction between him and the monks, because I would have been too far away and it was dark by the time they arrived. Had I seen an ugly or unfriendly exchange, I definitely would have left - I was already unsure. And what a paradox, an unfriendly exchange about Jesus! The monks are traveling to promote peace, but there are people who oppose their mission and want to convince them to believe in Jesus, to the point they are disrupting their peaceful pilgrimage! Wow! And is not Jesus the Prince of Peace? And did not Jesus say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27) It’s true, the monks are practicing Buddhists, they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. But peace is a Christian principle and they are committed to it to the point they are walking 2,300 miles, some barefoot! I do not think it was a sin for me or other Christians to go greet them with love and care and peace. While I understand the Great Commission, I don’t find it appropriate to disrupt a pilgrimage for peace to share the gospel. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Rom. 12:18) People believe in all sorts of things, and when they are committed to their beliefs, it’s going to take much more than a roadside conversation to change their mind. As I’ve written recently, our fruit matters. Rather than holding them up when they have almost reached their evening destination, why not give a gift, give each of them a Bibles, give them a flower with John 3:16, or ask the church hosting them for the night if there is anything you can do to help. Or just be in prayer for the monks that they will find Jesus along their route. ~Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. ~1 Peter 3:11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. ~Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Thank you for reading! Please share and/or comment! Amen. Kim For 2026, we have prayed many prayers and set our goals, and made our vision boards. We must not neglect our part in God’s ability to bless us. Quite often our blessings come through other humans, so we must operate in ways that give God the opportunity to bless us. In Genesis 37, Joseph, at age 17, was envied by his older brothers. After a series of events that served to solidify their negative feelings towards him, they decided to sell him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt. Genesis 39:2 states, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” In my years of knowing God, I think He gave Joseph the opportunity to prosper, as He always gives us choice. He likely gave Joseph the opportunity to show off his work ethic, his intellect, and his prudence - and Joseph did so! Verse 3 states, “When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” That’s a big statement. We don’t just invite anyone into our home and put them in charge. That person must have a proven track record of honesty and integrity in order to be given such responsibility. Potiphar must have observed Joseph to be responsible and prudent. Some time later Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of making a pass at her, a crime punishable by death. When Potiphar thought on the accusation and weighed it against what he knew and had seen of Joseph, he decided to have him jailed instead. Scripture tells us again, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” I believe Joseph faced choices and chose to make the best of the situation. He didn’t start acting like a prisoner just because he was in prison, he remained responsible and hard working. Some time later, Joseph, with all credit to God, correctly interpreted the dreams of 2 of the inmates. One of them, upon release, mentioned to Pharaoh when he needed to understand a dream, that Joseph could interpret dreams. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, but he didn’t just go. “When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharoah.”(Ge. 41:14) Before he listened to Pharaoh describe the dream, he gave credit to God for its interpretation. “I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Gen. 41:16) Once the dream was interpreted, Pharaoh couldn’t believe his ears and knew that fast and responsible action must take place so he put Joseph in charge saying (v. 39), “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” For 2026, we have prayed many prayers and set our goals, and made our vision boards. We must not neglect our part in God’s ability to bless us. Quite often our blessings come through other humans - new jobs, job advances, strengthening our marriage, improving relationships with family and friends - we must always do our part. God will be with us, but we must demonstrate our commitment to growth everyday. Notice the bold text above. Potphar likely didn’t just say, “Hey, Joseph, I want you to come lead my household.” He had to have observed him to be a hard-worker who always showed up and got the job done with integrity. The lead jailor didn’t just decide to put Joseph in charge, he likely observed Joseph to be someone who was responsible and had a positive attitude. Although the cupbearer didn’t immediately think of Joseph, but later he remembered him as a young man who left an impression on him he recommended Joseph to the King. Joseph was in jail, but he didn’t let it get him down. As we wait on the Lord in 2026, remember you are also responsible for your blessings. To receive the answers to your prayers that you desire you have to be working in that direction, God is not likely to elevate you to a high position that you cannot maintain due to your being irresponsible, dishonest, and less than distrustful. In 2026, let’s work hard, show up - on time, be positive, take ownership, and leave positive impressions, as we pray and wait. Watch what God will do. Amen. A few years ago, in our first meeting of the new year, my then supervisor shared that she had been reading a book that encouraged readers to choose a word as their focus for the new year. She said, by choosing a single word it simplifies our list of goals and helps us focus on a single goal that can be summed up as one word. Recently, at our church, our pastor asked us to choose a word that will be our prayer focus for 2026. If you have never done this, it’s not easy. According to a quick Google search, the 2nd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 entries - and that’s just English! I wanted to choose a big word, a complicated word, a multi-syllabic word! I have a big birthday coming up in a couple of weeks and it’s been on my mind, so I thought my word might be related to that. Instead, after much thought and prayer, my word only has 4 letters and 1 syllable. Used.
Yep, used, that’s my word for 2026. And no, it has nothing to do with my shopping on Marketplace. No, I’m not shopping for a used car. In 2026, I want to allow myself to be fully used by the Lord. I am a thinker and a planner, I am analytical, and logical, and some would even call me strategic. While I can use these thought patterns to do what I believe the Lord wants me to do, for 2026, I want to put these thought patterns aside and allow Him to guide me in the ways He wants to use me. My own thoughts, plans and analytics can dissuade me from obedience. My prayer is that I can be led by the Spirit and not by my own mind. I know that I have a call to ministry, and I use it in writing this weekly message as well as in other ways, but if there is more that He is calling me to do, I want to be fully obedient. So, what’s your word for 2026? Last week, I wrote about Matthew 3:8 NIV “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” This is John the Baptist’s advice that we should prove by our fruit, that we have repented and now live for Christ. If you need a word for 2026, you may find one in the verse below: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23. If you need more word ideas, please see this link. Think about your own life, habits and goals for 2026 and post your word in the comments so that I and others can be in prayer for you in 2026. Amen. Happy New Year! What's your word? Please post it in the comments so that I and others can be praying for you. Please be in prayer that I will be USED in 2026. Amen. Thank you for reading! Kim Matthew seems to be the book of choice for me this month. During Thanksgiving, I finally accepted the fact that I would not be traveling to Hawaii for my 50th Birthday in January 2026. I pondered what other exciting thing I could do to celebrate this milestone. To write a book and publish it on my birthday became the goal. This would be the fastest I ever produced a book, if I could think of something to write. I started praying about it, but no book would come to mind. I started writing my blog on Nov. 29 and it was getting long, too long for a blog post. Then I realized God had answered my prayer. He gave me a short book to write and publish for my birthday! I finished it this morning, and ordered my first (hopefully only) author copies this afternoon. It’s a memoir, of sorts, called Teach Like Jesus. In the book, I use examples of Jesus’ teaching from the book of Matthew, to counter the idea that effective teaching can take place without engaging the students. Look for it to debut on January 16, 2026! As I pondered and prayed about a message to end 2025 and begin 2026, the book of Matthew came to mind again. In Matthew 1, we learn the lineage of Jesus and some of the details of His birth. In Matthew 2, we read about how His birth was announced and received at the time. In Matthew 3, we are introduced to John the Baptist who announced the beginnings of Jesus’s ministry to Israel and surrounding people. Baptising all who would come, in the Jordan River, he advised the people to repent. Once word spread that he was baptising, the Pharisee began to arrive and John called them out! The Pharisees were the religious leaders and teachers of the law of that time. They were known for being very legalistic, promoting rules for other rules. They were not known for following the rules and laws they set. Jesus calls them hypocrites! (Mat 23:13) As they approach John the Baptist, he calls them a brood of vipers. (Mat 3:7) Not a very welcoming way to say hello! He then emphatically advises them, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Mat 3:8 NIV) When I read that statement, it seems super important, but I do not understand it from the NIV translation. Because it seems so important, I consulted other translations. The one that makes sense to me is the New Living Translation, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Mat 3:8 NLT) That should be our collective New Year’s Resolution. Mic Drop. 🎤 John advises that when someone looks at our life, it should be evident that we have repented of our sins, we should not still be living in sin! To repent means we first have realized our sin, then we asked God to forgive our sin, and we have turned away from our sin. When we turn away from sin, we turn to God and adopt His ways. As we live our lives and people observe our behavior, whether it be at work, at the game, at church, after church, on Facebook, on Instagram, in the grocery store - wherever we may be or whatever we may post, it should be evident that we have repented of our sins and are trying to live a life that honors God. While I understand the NLT translation better, it does not use the term “fruit” as the NIV does. The word fruit is a reference to the Fruit of the Spirit discussed in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Once we have repented of our sins and turned to God, we must conduct ourselves with love, peace and kindness. We should try to understand other perspectives offering other forbearance. We should seek to do good, do what we say we will do, be gentle and controlled. The Fruit of the Spirit is evidence of our relationship with Jesus. Our constant display of the Fruit of the Spirit is how people know we have repented of our sins and turned to God. Why is it important that others know? This world is full of people who act on the flesh. The number of people who live in sin far outnumbers those who live for Christ. While many people don’t know Jesus, they have heard of Him, and they know traits to look for in someone who is saved. Often, the unsaved look for the fruit in people to ask questions on how to become saved. If the unsaved cannot tell by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and are living for Christ, because you bear no fruit, then you aren’t truly saved and you need a different new year’s resolution. “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24) “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26) Sorry to give you a tough message on the last Sunday of the year, but I’ve got to share the truth. Either produce fruit in keeping with repentance, or repent and begin to produce fruit. As I stated last week, Jesus is going to return for His people and only those who are ready (producing fruit) will be taken to Heaven with Him. Amen. Happy New Year!!! I thank you for reading! I love reading your comments - I read them all! Please share with someone else who could use a reminder to produce fruit in 2026 - which is everyone! Amen! Kim When I was little, every couple of years we would spend Christmas with my dad’s parents in Greenville, SC. It always made me nervous to do that because I could never be sure Santa knew we were there and not at our home in Sumter, SC. It would have been devastating if he had delivered all of my gifts to Sumter, 3 hours away and we weren’t even there and wouldn’t be back for a couple of days! On the evening news, they would report Santa sightings in the sky. Multiple times on Christmas Eve night, I would go to the hall bathroom, close the door, and stand on the toilet to look out the window to see if I could see Santa and his reindeer in the nearby sky. Eventually, although I tried, desperately, to stay awake to hear a rumble in the chimney, or the pitter patter of reindeer feet on the roof, I would fall asleep. Each year we were in Greenville, when I awoke, sure enough, Santa had been there - never did he get it mixed up!!! St. Matthew recorded one of Jesus’s parables in the first 13 verses of chapter 25. There were 10 women (virgins), each hoping to be the one chosen by the bridegroom. They knew he was coming, but were not sure when he would arrive. Jesus says 5 of the women were wise and took extra oil to keep their lamps lit once they ran low, but 5 were foolish and took none. As they waited expectantly, they fell asleep. At midnight, the announcement of the bridegroom was heard. The foolish women’s lamps had burnt out so they asked the wise women to share their oil. The wise women refused saying they didn’t bring enough to share, “Go buy some!” While the foolish women were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom arrived and entered the wedding banquet with the wise women and the door was shut. When the foolish women returned with oil, they begged to be allowed to enter, but were told, “Truly, I tell you, I don’t know you.” The moral of the parable is that we should keep watch because we do not know the day or the hour that Jesus will return for His people. As I wrote in last week’s message, “Scripture tells us that Jesus will return, one day, to take His people to Heaven and leave all of the evil, unbelievers here on Earth to face judgement. When will that be? Soon!” As a child, I believed in Santa Claus. I was sure I had been a good girl, so he definitely was not going to skip me. Like the 10 virgins, I knew Santa was coming overnight, and I tried to stay awake, but I fell asleep. I thought it was foolish for us to be in Greenville and not at home. Lol! While the people of Jesus’s time had been made aware that a savior was coming, they did not know when it would happen. The prophets had spoken of His coming, but no one knew when exactly when it would happen.
While God told of the Messiah’s coming, He did not say when. God has told us Jesus will return for His people, but He has not told us when. Being caught off guard by Jesus’ birth would bear no consequences, but if He returns and you’re not ready, there will be consequences. Like the foolish women who went to get oil for their lamps because they didn’t think ahead, the door will be shut and He will not know those people. When Jesus returns, there will be no time for preparations. He is coming for the prepared!
Why wait to get prepared? Why wait to believe? Why wait to start living the kind of life Jesus demonstrated we should live? You may think this world has so much to offer that giving it up to live for Jesus would be a burden, I promise you are wrong. Don't be foolish! Life with Jesus is more fulfilling than than anything this world could possibly offer. It’s hard to explain, but I was in the world for a portion of my life, then my eyes were opened and I began to see how God was working in my life and I was taking credit for it. I began to realize that the life He planned for me is way better than anything I could plan for myself. Try it. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Amen. Come. Lord Jesus.
It is my prayer that you and all who read this week's message have joyous time with family and friends this week as you celebrate Jesus' birth. If the opportunity arises, share Jesus, the meaning of the season with someone who may not know Him. I know your comments shouldn't matter to me, but they do! I read all comments posted on this blog each week. I appreciate them, and they really encourage me to write the next week. Thank you all for your support. Kim [email protected] Like me, you started seeing hints about Christmas and Christmas shopping way back in October! Maybe you participated in Prime Day shopping back in July - I didn’t. I am, however, a frequent Amazon shopper. I caught myself waving at the Amazon truck one day, as it passed my home, as if the driver was a friend of mine. I receive Amazon notifications to my phone daily - today’s was, “Your cart is calling! Tap now to purchase.” I told you in last week’s post that my shopping would be extremely light this year, and that’s still true, but what an excellent marketing strategy!
I have items in my cart that I am undecided about, but if I put them in my cart, that means I have considered the price, the color, the size - yet I remain undecided. I know that only 12 days remain until Christmas, so I will soon have to make a decision. Soon is one of those words that can be certain or uncertain. When I turned 48, I thought, “Whew, I’ll be turning 50, soon!” When we travel with kids who ask, “Are we there yet?” We say, “Not yet, soon!” We may be driving a car that’s beginning to show signs of wear, and we think, “I’ll probably have to buy a new car, soon! Soon means some time in the future. We may know the exact date in the future, in the case of my birthday; but to a child who wants to be there already, soon is just an appeasement. When your car has had enough, soon is relative to multiple variables. What’s always certain, is that soon now, is sooner than soon was then! Jesus’ return is spoken of in many instances in the Gospels, and Revelation 22:20 states, “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” John wrote Revelation between 90-95 AD, and he said “soon!” More than 1,900 years have passed and Christ has not returned, so we can be assured that He is coming sooner now than He was then. What does this mean? I could never explain it all in a single blog post, but Scripture tells us that Jesus will return, one day, to take His people to Heaven and leave all of the evil, unbelievers here on Earth to face judgement. When will that be? Soon! If I knew when, I would tell you. Matthew 24:36 says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” If you are reading this post, consider this a notification that Jesus is calling. You can choose to believe at no cost. We know we have 12 days until Christmas, but we don’t know how long we have until Jesus returns. It could be tonight, in the morning, next week - who knows Jesus may come on His birthday 2025! I can only advise you to be ready and to alert those you know to be ready as well. If you have not chosen to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is a great day to make that decision. Don’t be like me and let the decision (referring to my Amazon cart) linger, you have the information, it’s time to decide. John 10:10 states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I encourage you to decide today, to choose Jesus and begin to live life in righteousness and truth. If you have questions, I invite you to email me at [email protected]. I am happy to answer your questions and discuss salvation with you. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Thank you for reading! Please, if you haven't before, please share this post with someone you know and love! Kim We (I) usually put up our Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving. For me (us) Black Friday is for decorating for Christmas. This year, however, I drove to Atlanta and back on Thanksgiving Day, so Friday was a day of rest, and Saturday we watched Clemson beat the Gamecocks. On Sunday after church, I told my husband, I guess we need to put the tree up, right? He didn’t really answer, but I said, “Part of me doesn’t want to even up a tree this year, but if I find out I can have Christmas without a tree, then I’ll never put up another Christmas tree.” I went upstairs for a while and when I came back down he had taken everything out of the Christmas closet, everything - even the St. Patrick’s wreath! He just didn’t know when to stop! Since it was out, I took the opportunity to decorate for Christmas. And it is beautiful! A few years ago, I wrote a blog about how I felt when my stepdaughter introduced me as someone who did not like Christmas. I am very much on-guard now, because I don’t want to give off that sentiment, but I do become frustrated by what I perceive as Christmas expectations. I am committed to paying off each year’s financial damages by the end of the calendar year, as I do not want to carry debt into the new year. I do this by paying my credit card balance down to zero, usually by Oct. 31. Property taxes on one car are always due Nov. 30 and another Dec. 31. For the past several years, I have had my son’s college tuition due mid-December, but this year I have two sons in college so both tuitions are due - there goes any savings! Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not sore about these realities! It’s a blessing to have vehicles that are in good, running order, and taxes just come with the territory. It’s a huge blessing to have two children in college, and if I want them to return in January, their fees are due in December. What’s left for me to give? Love!
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Kimberly G. Massey, AuthorI am a wife, a mother, and grandmother! Categories |
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