Life on the Sidewalk

I've notice that there is a rush to walk dogs in our new neighborhood in between thunderstorms.
It seems it is also a time that parents encourage some of the children to go out and run around before the next round of windy rain blows in.
Yesterday I was part of the mad "dash" to beat the storm.  As I walked through the area with our little dog Shadow, I noticed three brothers on the sidewalk ahead of me. Two of them looked to be under 10 and their older brother, a teenager, was running on the sidewalk as the younger ones looked on.
When the teen got to the end of the sidewalk having run full speed the length, he turned to the little boys and said,  "GO!"
After one of the little boys--who was now clearly racing his brother-- tripped on a stick that had blown from the overhanging tree, the older brother quickly ran to his little brother's side to check on him.
After they determined the only damage was a skinned knee and bruised pride, the older brother had the brothers wait back at the race starting line. As they waited, the teen carefully inspected the path where the younger ones were going to be traveling. He removed the sticks and pebbles and crumbled parts of the sidewalk making sure the path was clear for those soon to follow.

1 John 3:17

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?


Philippians 2:4 



Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Proverbs 22:9 

Whoever has a bountiful^[a] eye will be blessed,
    for he shares his bread with the poor.

Who are you leading? Who is watching you? Are you a stumbling block? Do you leave debris behind? 


Or like this brother, do you clear the path so others are safe to run their race?

Sometimes, it is simply a matter of noticing other's needs.

I hope we will actively "notice" the sticks and stones in the pathway of our brothers and sisters. 

Are you part of the clean up crew as we live life on the sidewalk? After all, someone is watching how you run your race in order to prepare for their own.

Just Thinkin',

Kathy

SHOW ME!

SHOW ME!

 Just show me what to do!

 Have you ever cried this plea to God?

 A few years ago, I found myself in a volume elevated (ok,yelling) discussion (ok,argument) with my husband. I can't remember the details, just that I spewed a rude crack when I had not managed to make my point (ok,criticism) effectively...it went something like this....

 WHY DON'T YOU LEAD BETTER?

 And with a hurt and frustrated look, Richard simply turned to me and softly said, "I've been trying, but you won't scoot out of the way." He was 100% correct.

 I realize I do this with God quite often too. I get stuck on a "what to do" moment and blame God for not showing me what to do. Often I try to go it on my own, only to end up angry, lost on the wrong trail, and perplexed over why God is so quiet in my need. When I still myself long enough to hear HIS answer, Our Father seems to softly tell me, "Kathy,I need you to scoot out of the way".

 I know many times I already know what the Spirit of God has shown me to do in His Word, but I have chosen not to obey. I get in the way, I take over and begin my own plan of mapping out what to do next.

May I encourage you NOT to try this at home?

 Dear Kathy,
 Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
 Love,
 Your Father

 Remembering that EVERYTHING is covered in HIS WORD if I will just go there for direction:

 Just Thinkin',
 Kathy

 P.S. This post has no reflection on the fact I have recently moved to the SHOW ME State! (WARNING: Not sharing this post with your stubborn friends will cause you to develop hives)

REALLY?

DEATH ABOLISHED?
REALLY?
Hey Friends,
This is a precious week to those of us who claim Christ as Lord and Savior. Regardless of your opinion of who Christ is, the sentence below from 2nd Timothy should make you want to find out just what the bible claims about Him.
It boggles the mind that some people argue about the bible without ever having studied what it REALLY says.
If you are on this ministry site, it is because we care about each other so, for me, would you check this out?
...the appearing of Jesus Christ our Savior who, [he says,] abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. {2 Tim 1:10b RSV}Timothy was in prison and knew he would die soon.
Timothy had nothing to gain by saying this. "ABOLISHED DEATH"...What? People still die right? So what does this mean...that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. {Heb 2:14b-15 RSV}

Don't let the fear of death keep you in a mental prison. T. S. Eliot put it best when he said,"It is not what we call death that we fear, but what, beyond death is not death. That we fear, we fear."

Fear of the unknown? God has made Himself KNOWN through Jesus Christ. I am not afraid...I know HIM!!!
"Kathy, how can you KNOW HIM?" you ask. He is on every page of scripture. John 14:9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

Yes...even Christians can fear death....but when we remember the cross...we have nothing to fear. It has been handled. Jesus said, " IT IS FINISHED!!!!"
I don't cherish the idea of the process of death of this body, but I am not afraid of eternity with God. What an adventure is ahead! I hope you accept your invitation to the party!

Got a few minutes? You know you are going to waste that much time on facebook or tv tonight...so....why not take a look at these few scriptures and see what you think. "I don't have a bible" you say. So get on BibleGateway.com and look this up! No excuses...technology is so cool!

You know...it has been my experience that someone HONESTLY seeking truth will find it and someone HONESTLY looking to justify their own actions and excuses not to give up their comfortable version of "truth" Won't find it (truth).
It's hard to find something you don't seek!

I love you; But more importantly, God loves you and wants a relationship with you. The bible tells us the ONLY way to have salvation, heaven and eternity with Almighty God is through the acceptance of Jesus as your personal savior. If you are breathing right now...you have sinned. If you have sinned you have separated yourself from God. You need a savior.No other way. Sorry....NO OTHER WAY! No other name under heaven by which you may be saved.Acts 4:12"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

I hope you seek the truth...you will find it!

Just Thinkin',
Kathy

Hmmmm....~ Worth reading 2 Timothy Hebrews 2 and Acts (come on... you can handle the whole book)