Lose the chip

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

From my years of anger, I can definitely say it's not worth it.  It just makes you empty and miserable.  It brought bad choices that hurt others and myself.  I saw this saying on a paper towel and really liked it:  "Forgive others. Forgive yourself."  Sometimes I tell myself  "Forgive and forget and move on."  I must confess though sometimes the hardest person to forgive is myself.  That's probably pride, thinking more highly of myself than I should, and then being extremely disappointed.  Sometimes we think humility is self-hate.  But that's not what it's about.  Being humble is to consider others as more important, not better.  It's learning to be selfless when I help others, to listen without changing the subject to me.  A challenge for sure!

Jesus quoted this verse from Leviticus.  It says to love others as yourself, not to hate yourself.  If we confess our sins, He'll forgive us.  Seems like we should too.

Leviticus 19:18
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."
NIV

There used to be a thing called "worm theology."  The belief that we are lower than worms and completely worthless.  I've honestly never read anything like that in the Bible.  God loves us so much He died for us.  If we were worms, we'd be fish food.

Proverbs 3:30-35

30 Don't walk around with a chip on your shoulder,

always spoiling for a fight.

31 Don't try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.

Why be a bully?

Anger really does twist our souls, and sets our imaginations in really bad directions.  It's good to get angry, a very human emotion.  It's bad to hold on to it tighter than love.
32 "Why not?" you say. Because God can't stand twisted souls.
It's the straightforward who get his respect.

We know God hates the proud, He loves the meek, humble, the persecuted.  Think about a world where everyone says, "Thank you," "Excuse me," "I'm sorry," "You can have it.  I'll wait."  After I became a Christian I got very polite.  It's actually quite fun to see people's faces light up when I say, "Thank you."  We've lost that in our society.
33 God's curse blights the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

There's nothing like being down to make me humble.  That's when God can help the most.
34 He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,

but if you're down on your luck, he's right there to help.

35 Wise living gets rewarded with honor;

stupid living gets the booby prize.

THE MESSAGE

Word-filled Wednesday

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

See Christians are sorta like James Bond (the movie spy) : )  Only our hearts pump God's Word.  We love the unlovely, even when we married them and they don't smell so good.  God shows us exactly where to go and when.  I found this photo today and knew it was my post.  Then I had to pray to find the verse.  This is where I landed.  I must admit I love the drama in this verse.  It sounds like the opening to a novel doesn't it?  With God's Word pumping through us our feet are steady and sure. 

That's Frankie in the photo.  He was born and raised in a shelter before we adopted him.  He'd never had a house before and had all sorts of exploring to do.  When I saw this I just had to laugh and grab my camera.  His agility, and the way he keeps his balance is amazing.  We go through a lot as Christians, it's not a sheltered easy life.  You can see that in my blog- I could've titled it, "The Perils of Pauline" (err Karenine?).   We fall down, He picks us up.  We get shakey and He steadies us.  Personally, I prefer stepping out in faith now and then- it's much more exciting than watching TV.

Challenge sponsored by Internet Cafe Devotions.

Challenge sponsored by Katie Lloyd Photography.

Let there be light

We still don't have power. It's beginning to get a bit annoying. So I was trying to think of a verse. "Let there be light Father. You can do it!". Remembering this brought a big smile to my face : ) Our neighbor had all of us over for a barbecue today to clean out his freezer. I am blessed. Be back to post soon.

God bless!
Karen

UPDATE:  Our power just came on at 8:25pm EST!  Praise God!  Lord willing I'll draw you a nice cartoon tomorrow : )

No need to panic

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

I just love it when I open the Bible and it applies to my day : )  Our 19th wedding anniversary is tomorrow.  Yesterday my husband called from work and said, "Uh honey, we probably shouldn't take that dinner cruise in New York for our anniversary."

I was disappointed, then I realized and said, "OH!  No, I guess we shouldn't be touring the harbor in a boat during a hurricane!  That's a bad bad idea."

He suggested we go out to dinner instead.  My husband likes to do the fancy stuff, where I like to do the simple.  Make my very best meal for him, bake a cake, listen to classical music, light candles.  So I told him, "We'll have a great time, no worries."  I think we balance each other out.

They are predicting a hurricane for the eastern seaboard of the US this weekend.  It looks like New Jersey is in it's path.  We had the same prediction last year and God sent a wind from the west which blew the hurricane out to sea.  I know He can do it again.  As I write this, I have peace.

Proverbs 3:21-29

Clear thinking and common sense tells me I should stock up on canned goods and water.  Maybe get some more wood for the fireplace.  We should do our grocery shopping today instead of Saturday when the stores will be packed.  We should figure out exactly where the New Jersey evacuation centers are!  If I think about ways to prepare for a calamity, and do all I can.  It's not as frightening.  Ok, so I was a Girl Scout as a little girl : )
21 Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don't for a minute lose sight of them.
22 They'll keep your soul alive and well,
they'll keep you fit and attractive.
23 You'll travel safely,
you'll neither tire nor trip.

I read an e-mail story something like this.  A fisherman lived in a small village in Greece.  Every morning he got up and went out to fish.  He sold the fish at the market and came home to have lunch with his wife and take a nap.  Then he'd go out and fish some more.  A corporate person came to his small village and told him, "You have no idea what you're missing!  If you become a big business, you can combine your fish with other fishermen and charge more money and be rich."

The fisherman thought about it.  Then he asked when he would have time to have lunch with his wife and take a nap.  The corporate man said, "When you make enough money to retire.  Then you don't have to work anymore."  Sigh, that's how America is now.  The fisherman had clear thinking and common sense.
24 You'll take afternoon naps without a worry,
you'll enjoy a good night's sleep.

Whatever happens with the hurricane, God will be with me and my husband.  Our souls will be safe and sound. 
25 No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner,
26 Because God will be right there with you;
he'll keep you safe and sound.

I remember a song that said, "We are His hands, we are His feet..."  It's so amazing that God would use my hands for His work, then He gives me such love and compassion.   I share my ministry stories in hope that maybe it will help someone else give it a try.  It's awesome stuff!
27 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
your hand is God's hand for that person.
28 Don't tell your neighbor, "Maybe some other time,"
or, "Try me tomorrow,"
when the money's right there in your pocket.
29 Don't figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor
when he's sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.
THE MESSAGE

Guess you knew a prayer would be coming : ) Please feel free to pray with me about the hurricane.

Dear Heavenly Father I pray You will protect us from this terrible storm.  Please be with those in the Carolinas, Bahamas, and all in the storm's path.  Keep us all safe and strong.  I pray You will have mercy and reduce the power of these winds to a gentle sea breeze.  Bring hope and healing to our nation Father.  You control the earth, the weather.  Sometimes I look forward to seeing how You will work things out, we are so unprepared.  You are so amazing.  Nothing is impossible for You!
In Jesus Name, Amen.

This verse always makes me see a cartoon of God's two giant feet, running across the sky, kicking up clouds.
Nahum 1:3
3 ...His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
NIV

Word-filled Wednesday

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

Sometimes I get so caught up thinking about the future, I forget to use all those pretty pens on my drafting table : )  It's hard isn't it?  The Lord is timeless; He only gave us one day to think about.  Guess He knew that's all we could really handle.  Just today.  Not yesterday, not tomorrow.  Today.  I put the verse above, in my calendar to read everyday.

Isaiah 43:18-19
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
NIV

Challenge sponsored by Internet Cafe Devotions.

Challenge sponsored by Katie Lloyd Photography.

Wisdom?

So, I read this part of the Proverbs and thought, "This is an easy one."  But then I started to realize how I'm not always wise.  And also how I may not understand the exact meaning.  How Jesus described those who claim to be wise.  This is what came to mind.

Proverbs 3:13-20

Wisdom brings understanding.  It's more profitable than silver, gold and rubies.  With all the stock market stuff happening.  It's easy to see this is true!  I just can't trust in money.  I need to trust in God.

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,

those who gain understanding,

14 for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

It reminds me of this verse:

Philippians 4:19
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
NIV

In this Proverb we are taught the results of being wise.

16 Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Jesus turned things upside down and backwards.  It's actually not the wealthy who are counted wise but the foolish.  The weak will shame the strong.  

1 Corinthians 1:27-31
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
NIV

Now that describes me: foolish, weak, lowly, with faith and every once in awhile wisdom.  Jesus has become my wisdom.  I can do anything through His strength!  In the Old Testament, there are many rules.  But, man just can't follow through.  Man even added to them making things more difficult.  I talked to a friend who's a Jew, and she said that now they've added so many rules to the Old Testament no one knows what to do!  But that's not really wisdom.  True wisdom comes from God.  It brings understanding.  Jesus fulfilled the law.

I love this story, it's one of my favorites.  We probably wouldn't notice him.  Unless maybe to run and hide- because he was a tax collector.  He was short and wealthy.  Zacchaeus had to climb into a tree to see Jesus.  If his wife was with him, she'd say, "Zacc!  Get down from there this minute."  Jesus was very pleased.  Throughout the New Testament there are many people like this that Jesus saw.  He looked for real people, not fakes.  Of course, the people muttered.  Maybe being wise is not worrying about what other people think and doing what we know is right.

Luke 19:1-10
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
NIV

This is amazing.  God created the heavens and the earth.   The earth was created out of wisdom.  He is timeless so He knew what we would need to survive on our planet.  And He created the heavens in understanding.  I was so excited to hear that lightening carries chemicals which actually brings nutrients into the soil.  The only "know it all" is definitely God.

19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

NIV

So, what is wisdom?  Zacchaeus was wise- he sought Jesus even though he looked foolish.   He called Him, "Lord."  The widow was wise, she gave Jesus all of her money.  In the dictionary it says wisdom is, "accumulated knowledge, good judgement, attitude, or course of action."  Hmmm... following Jesus is the wisest decision I ever made!  I see wisdom as applying knowledge from the Bible to the realities of our lives. 

Live well & have some fun

This Proverb has lots of great advice, and one of my very favorite verses that's helped me out quite a bit.  Hope you can find some peace in it too. 

Proverbs 3:1-12

I love the way this proverb opens, "Good friend."  That's how I see this blog, one blind man (err woman) showing another blind man where to find bread.  Friends looking at the Bible together.  I'm no expert.  As I've read the Bible over the years, I am always astounded at the simple wisdom in it.  The teachings of Jesus just plain make sense.  They will help us live well and long.

1 Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you;

take to heart my commands.

2 They'll help you live a long, long time,

a long life lived full and well.

Love and loyalty, I like those words.  I shouldn't be afraid to love, to be loyal.

3 Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.

Tie them around your neck;

carve their initials on your heart.

4 Earn a reputation for living well

in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

God wants us to live well cool huh?  Live well, not with a drugged mind, or so many worries we don't leave home.  He doesn't want us to be what other people tell us to be- but what He created us to be.  He wants us to be free and not bound up in our hearts.  Let the world see what joy is.  Here's a quote by Mark Twain that reminds me of God's heart:

Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though Heaven is on earth.

Boy I can see myself here... I think too much.  Sometimes it gets in the way of my dreams.  My Grandma used to say, "Don't think about it.  Do it!"  She could've worked for Nike.  This is one of my favorite verses.

5 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

6 Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he's the one who will keep you on track.

Here it is in the NIV-

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
NIV

To me this describes being humble.  Don't be a "know it all."  Only God is.  It's ok to admit we don't know something.  It's ok to use a dictionary, or handbook.  It's great to ask God.

7 Don't assume that you know it all.

Run to God! Run from evil!

8 Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!

This is a challenging concept.  But it's true.  When I was single I gave 10% of all my paychecks to God through tithing.  I was able to pay off my school loans and car early. : )  When I got married I handed it over to my husband.  I've enjoyed watching him grow.
9 Honor God with everything you own;

give him the first and the best.

10 Your barns will burst,

your wine vats will brim over.

I love this part- He corrects the ones He loves.  So... some of our lessons are love lessons made specifically for us, shaping us into His people.
11 But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;

don't sulk under his loving correction.

12 It's the child he loves that God corrects;

a father's delight is behind all this.

THE MESSAGE