I enjoyed a wonderful, long overdue, time with a friend yesterday. We shared what God has done, what He is doing and our hearts for what our future holds. It was so filled with Ps 34 without us ever quoting it. "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall be continually on my lips. My soul shall make it's boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together."  In the midst of our conversation, a thought slithered into my mind, "You are not enough". I didn't do anything with it. I should have immediately rebuked it, covered it with scripture and claimed truth, but I didn't. I let it sit sit there. I actually forgot about it until this morning. My alarm reminds me at 5 am that it is time to hang out with Jesus. Normally,a smile comes to my face and I begin to thank Him for many things. This morning, I lingered under the covers and thought he won't miss me. I did regain my sanity and got out of bed. I felt heavy and stiff as if this was something I never do. Seeking an answer for this mood, I was gently reminded of the thought from yesterday. I had not dealt with it and by letting it stay, I had let my old self doubt of unworth to  resurface.

I was ,once again, shown that when I think I am not enough that God likes to use what looks like "not enough".  Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Hagar, Ruth, The woman at the well, the little boy and his lunch of five fish and bread, Peter and so many others. 

My prayer for today is "God, I ,by myself, am not enough, it is only through You and Your help that I am able to walk where you ask. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and guide me. I surrender my "not enoughness" to You, You are the Master Craftsman and I am clay, mold me into what is Your will. Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Open my hands so I am ready to serve You. Thank you for every breath, every day and may I take every thought captive and praise You all day long.

Colossians 1:9-14The Message (MSG)

^9-12 Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

^13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

Watching the movie "The Man from Snowy River" last night. Not to spoil the movie for you if you have never seen it. After Jim's father dies, the other men who live up in the mountains come to tell Jim that he cannot stay. Jim is upset and doesn't understand. It's his home, why should he leave. One of the men tells him sternly "You have to earn the right to live up here." ( add an angry Australian accent here to get the full effect 

Ps 24 The earth is the Lord's, and all of it's fullness. He founded it upon the seas and established it upon  the waters.

"Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 

He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully."

As Christ followers, we all want a "mountain top" experience. We bemoan our time in the valley.  

I love mountains. We were given the opportunity to go up Ben Nevis when we were in Scotland. The ride to what we thought was the top there was beautiful! Disembarking, we discovered that the top was about an hours walk up a rocky path. We crossed streams, climbed over rocks, many times needing both hands to help pull us forward. The path was narrow! We watched people trying to push strollers, carrying large backpacks and the physically challenged try to make the climb. You needed empty hands, a light load, and sturdy shoes. The thought "how do people survive up here?" ran through my mind. Yes it was worth it! Sitting on the rocky outcrop, what had seemed so big below, now was just a dot. You literally could see for miles.  We didn't get to the top without doing the work. 

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? One who has clean hands and a pure heart. We must put Him first. Evaulate every area of our lives against His word. This world and God does not share the same view of what is clean and pure. His view is the only one that matters. 

Ben Nevis was available for all. Many choose to be satisfied just looking at it. Others go, but stop part way up. Some decide to make the climb but falter along the way. Few give all they have and make it to the top.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." You do have to "earn"it. You have to surrender the "easy, comfortable wide path" this world wants you to be on. The streams of Living Water that flow from the mountain top are calling. Are you coming?

Do you remember when you were in school and you had a substitute teacher? Everyone was excited! You know they don't really know what goes on in class and they don't know you. Let the games begin! I walked into one of my regular classes at the gym to find we had a sub. She had signed up to sub for our instructor who has had this class for years. Many in the class have been with her for years. Not an easy assignment. 

I go to this class for a few reasons. First, it is easy to modify to whatever level you want and second, it's fun.  I felt a little sorry for our sub, some of the ladies were circling like a shark. Blood in the water, nothing was going to make them happy. She set up different, her music was different, the workout was different, one thought it was too hard, another thought it wasn't hard enough and on the conversations went. Yet, there wasn't going to be a sub that does it exactly like our instructor. Not going to happen.

Having been in the class for about 6 months, I know the changes, how she ques, what the inflections mean, what equipment I have to have and where everyone likes to stand. I know because I have spent time there. I have invested time and sweat under her teaching. This sub wasn't her. 

Jesus tells us in in John 10:27, "My sheep know my voice, I know them and they follow Me." We only know someones voice by listening to it.  "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10 :3  Jesus calls us by name. We follow His voice because he is our shepard. 

When we follow substitutions instead of Jesus, we get led astray. I f we follow them long enough, we turn aside from Jesus. In life Jesus has no substitute, there is NO ONE else that brings us to the Father. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. He is our cornerstone. We must spend time with Him so we can hear His voice. 

We all survived the class. We survived the sub. Today, our instructor was back and we were all very glad to have her. Watching the new ladies in the class try to figure  it out, I thought, they just need to keep coming so they get to know her voice. 

The Lord is my shepard. Jesus is my cornerstone. He calls me by name and leads me beside the still waters. I listen for His voice. I will go where He leads. 

I have been surprised this week at the attendance of the gym I go to. I was expecting a large increase of people, after all it is the first of the year and everyone has decided to get in shape and lose the weight, right? Yet, each day , there were less than average attendance in the classes. Why? I wonder if the frigid tempuratures we are experiencing keep them home.

Yes, our weather has been frightful and the snow really isn't delightful. On Tuesday morning, with the windchill at about 10 below, I was telling myself that I am crazy for going out in this. Yet, if I only choose to go workout when I am comfortable or the weather is lovely, how often will I go? Most likely never! We are creatures of comfort and habit. We are in the habit of being comfortable! Growth never happens in the comfort zone. 

It applies to all areas of life. We have to push through the challenges. If you never dig in to learn a new skill, you'll not achieve it. This is repeated for as long as it takes. Think about an olympic athlete, yes they are at the top of their sport. They won't stay there if they do not put in the work to stay there. Tiger Woods still picks up his golf clubs outside of a tournament.

I ran from my house to the car, looking like the "Staypuff Marshmellow" man. Layers, it's all about the layers to stay warm! I ran into the gym the same way. In class, no one was in a hurry to loose their sweatshirt as we complained about the cold.  By the end , we were all glad we had braved the cold to come and said " I will see you tomorrow!"

The weather in our life will never be perfect for what we want to do.  Putting on the whole armor( layers!) will help protect us from the elements. In the book of Matthew, Jesus' disciples were in a boat when a huge storm arose. They just wanted to get to the other side of the lake.  That happens to all of us. Don't let a little turbulance keep you from flying.  Remember, just because there is a storm doesn't mean you won't get to where you are going. Jesus was in the boat with them. He is your cornerstone. He is always with you in life regardless of the weather.

For the past few years ,I have spent time in prayer, study and writing seeking from God a word to focus on for the upcoming year. About mid way into December I thought I knew what the word would be. I even wrote it in bold letters on my roadmap wall. Got to love it when I get ahead of God!

Brian and I went away for a weekend to lay out the upcoming year. What priorities, projects and growth do we want to happen. Yes, we talk about everything. Our relationship, finances, hopes, goals, dreams ect.... nothing is off the table. We walked  through the process of discovering a word for this year. I love how God, if we are paying attention, always shows up. Brian is an overachiever! He picked a scripture because , as he put it, it's everywhere he looks. There is nothing "magical" about this word or the process. If your word is Money, I am telling you, money is not going to start falling from the sky. What you do gain from this is Clarity. You peel back layers to dig down deep into your soul and seek the Creator of your soul and tune into His voice and direction.

Clarity- the quality of being easy to see or hear; sharpness of image or sound.  

You gain Clarity by spending the time. Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days for prayer and fasting before He started His ministry. He needed time alone with the Father. He regularly withdrew from His disciples to pray. To accomplish the work God has created me for, I have to follow Jesus' example. Spending time one on one with Jesus. That is where Clarity comes from. 

Yes, my word I was so sure of  was not what God had for me. His is so much better ( of course!)  I am excited about this coming year and the very clear roadmap He gave me. It will stretch me in many ways, which is good because if I am not 100% relying on God for this, than it's just all about Kate and that's not His plan!

If you are reading this and are thinking "Clarity? I have not had that in a while" I would love to help you. You need Clarity in your pouch to successfully slay the giants in your life.

Everyone has the secret to your success for the new year. Everyone! They are all lined up to tell you how to lose weight, have your "best year" ever, or land the perfect job.. What if there is more to it than that? What if there is fear, doubt, lack of self worth, or poor self image hanging out trying to hold you down? Losing the weight ,or a new job will give you a lift but doesn't tackle the giants behind the scenes.

So what's in your hand? What are you carrying with you to defeat these loud mouth giants who want you to give up? They want you to feel defeated. They want you to feel like they are unbeatable.

In 1Samuel 17 The army of Israel was being challenged by the Philistines. There was one among them, Goliath, who was quite bold. He was HUGE and intimidating and he knew it. His mouth never stopped challenging the Israelis. It went on for 40 days. The Israeli army was defeated mentally and they hadn't picked up a weapon yet. Along comes David.  He was delivering food to his brothers. He heard the challenge from this giant Goliath and asked what will be done for the man who defeats this giant. The rest of the army thinks he is nuts. Goliath is too big, too strong, it's hopeless.

We often have the wrong perspective of the giants in our life. They seem so big, to big for us to tackle. We give them their power. The more power we give them, the more they look like they grow. We look at one who has victory over a giant in their life and wonder how was that possible.  

David picked up 5 smooth stones, put four in his pouch and one in his sling, and took Goliath down.

We need to remember what we carry in our pouch. We carry with us the weapons needed to slay the giants in our life.

5 smooth stones. 

Cornerstone, Clarity, Confidence, Committment and Commission

Let's tackle your giants together. This can be your first "giant slaying" year! 

We as a nation celebrate the new year coming in. Millions watch the big ball drop in Times Square. We make our New Years Resolutions and declare this will be our year. What did you decide was your resolution for this year?  Lose weight? Quit smoking? Married? Divorced? The follow through on these resolutions are terrible. Only 50% are still focused on it after 3 weeks. Within 6 weeks 95% have let it go.  Why? We want to change something in our life. 

Change only happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change. 

Jesus loves each of us and wants all of us to be saved. I have heard many say," Jesus loves me just as I am", this is their reason for not changing. Yet we are called to be changed into His image, this transformation brings us into deeper relationship with Him. Transformation isn't a New Years resolution, it's the surrender of self to the Maker of the universe.  It's the day by day, step by step, decsion by decsion attitude to get to the end of our life and hear "Well done."

2018 the year to surrender your life to Jesus and watch the transformation of your heart. I know if you choose today to follow Jesus with everything you have this year, you will not regret the journey when you see the person you have become.

Yesterday during a conversation with my husband, he posed this question, " In what arena do I have the biggest struggle reflecting Jesus?" Then he followed it with "The one that I need to be a reflection of Jesus the most!"

Is the atmosphere at work changing us instead of us changing it? Are we the only Jesus our families see and is it a positive reflection? I know the moment by moment struggle it can be. I didn't ask for them to base their opinion of Jesus on my actions.  My mouth gets me in trouble and how I wish I could take things I have said back!  My impatience gets the best of me, and my temper flares up as I seem to watch myself acting like this and I think "What am I doing?" I am acting like the imperfect person I am, one who is in the lifelong process of being transformed into His image. One whose sinful nature trips me up and causes me to humble myself, repent and apologize.

In John 4, we are told of a woman who comes to the well during the hottest time of the day. All of her "dirty laundry" is known by everyone. She comes when no one else should be there. Yet, this time, Jesus is waiting there. He reaches out to her. All of her past failures, choices, shame, rejections, abandonments and sin are known to Him. She runs to the village to tell them of this One she had met "who knew everything I had ever done".  Jesus has her share this news to the ones who have rejected her, shunned her from society, and called her names. Her past didn't stop her from being used to proclaim Jesus. My past choices, failures, words and attitudes are not a reflection of Jesus. My repentance and obedience is.

I read this quote today by David Platt. "My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear jesus' words and walk away, content to settle for less than redical  obedience to Him.

The arena I struggle in the most to reflect Jesus is the one where He wants me to reflect Him. He knows I will fall down and I know He will help me back up. Every time. In every situation. I will follow where he leads and I will continue to ask for "holy duct tape" to keep my words out of play so only His voice will be spoken through me.

Jesus Christ my cornerstone. The foundation of my life. I surrender all I am to Him for all He asks of me.

We have made it through another Christmas season. I hope you had a wonderful time with friends and family celebrating Jesus. I have let the busyness of the past week interrupt many things in my life.

As I sat here at the kitchen table( well my office is a mess, but more on that later) this morning, I was looking at all the beautiful decorations. As wonderful as they look, they have NOTHING to do with Jesus. My house has never looked this "holiday cheer"ish. My daughter( who has been watching all the hallmark Christmas specials) did all the decorating while I was away.Yeah!  I hate the chaos of decorating. You have to drag it all out, move things around, find places for the "not needed right now" stuff then in a few weeks do it all over again. No thanks! Yet, I am enjoying the fruits of her labors. The lighted garland above my cabinets is beautiful but it doesn't point me to Jesus, improve my relationship with Him or lead me to share Him with others.

My office, is another story. All the boxes from the decorations and  the "not needed" have taken over. I enter into my quiet retreat at 5:15 for my one on one with God and I am so distracted by the mess. It seems like the noise from the chaos is drowning out the voice of God. I want to lean in and celebrate the reality of Jesus leaving heaven to come here to this dirty, smelly place so I can have a relationship with Him.  I put busyness of this holiday ahead of my time with Him. I let the stress of wanting it to be perfect for everyone and push aside the One who it's all about. I want ears that filter out the noise of the world and tune in the voice of my Father. John 10: 27 "My sheep hear MY voice and I know them and they follow Me."

In truth, there is nothing special about December 25th. It's just a day, probably not even the actual day Jesus was born. What is incredibly special, what Jesus chose to do for us. Jesus, the "with us God", came to pay the price for my sin, for your sin. The price, of which is death, has been paid in full.  Though Christmas day has passed, may you keep "the wonder of His love" in your heart. Continue to celebrate that our Lord has come and He will come again. Spread love, joy and peace. For Jesus is truly the reason we celebrate, not just on Christmas day, everyday we live.

Sharing from Glenda Lomax from her website Wingsofprophecy from 12/23/17

   My children, the storm that is coming will overtake your lives. It is much stronger than you imagine, and it will bring chaos, and change like nothing you have seen before.

   War is coming soon, and war changes everything it touches. The war that is coming will usher in the end, and the last trumpet sounds soon. The door will shut and the Bridegroom will be inside. Those who will enter into My Kingdom must enter soon.

   Pray. Pray for those you love who do not know Me. If you will pray for them, I will save them, for it is My will they be saved as well. Some of them have precious little time, so do not put off to pray, for soon it will be too late. I am taking many of them home soon.

NOTE: I saw car accidents, etc. taking people very suddenly from the earth, and the saints who knew them realizing they had put off praying because they were busy.

   Prioritize, My children – put what is first, first. Meditate each day on what is most needful, and do those things. Soon chaos will abound and there will be no time to think.

Matthew 25:10

• 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

Luke 10:41-42

• 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
• 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from he