Ryker

Little Ryker Carr is continuing to battle a terrible form of leukemia. Check out this web site and i am going to tell you right now ... your are going to see a family battling with Ryker for his life. Please join others in being there today for and with them. Please visit this site today and be there in support by praying for him and his family. As well as, making a donation if you can.

http://www.lovingryker.org/Meet_Ryker






Loving you... loving God and loving Ryker,

k.t. :)

What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do?

We are created to need a supernatural "friend" my friend. I know on my own, I am not enough for life's many challenges and really really do not believe any of us are.

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute—
you're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.


When you don't know what to do.... walk, run to the Hope found in Christ. He sees you. He hears your thoughts. He is the One who knows all about us. Everything is open to Him. Jesus is the One who is there in the dark with us, sees our sorrow and angst. Jesus is the One who can bring us back, up and out of every troubling situation we are seized by.

Today possibly you, your friends and family members are facing circumstances you never thought you would see. So many out of work, and it seems to me that more people are just going through all sorts of personal crisis as well. Our worlds are being shaken and we may be questioning the very foundational truths of our lives. Many, simply don't know what to do. Decisions, choices made under stress, can seem to be the wrong thing for everyone concerned. And, then there are those times when we just know, we are making the right decisions based on all the advice/facts that we can muster, and yet turn out wrong. It seems our own understanding, knowledge, experience and positivity is not enough. I certainly have been there. And, probably will be there again. Perhaps you have never been there, but will be there in the future.

Hope is found in Christ for any and all circumstances.



Words for the difficult seasons of life.

John 3:16 -17

The Message (MSG)

^16-17"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

Psalm 18:6 Psalm 34:17 Psalm 57:2 Psalm 84:2 Psalm 102:1

The following link is for Ryker Carr, a little baby boy who is needing a lot of prayer and financial support. Check out his link, his mom and dad are personal friends of mine. Thanks
http://www.lovingryker.org/Meet_Ryker

friends

Old friends and new friends, friends are a treasure we are given and embrace. To have a friend you must be a friend. Friendship develops when meals are shared, churches gather, little league teams form. They are created wherever we create room for them.

In this age of digital connectedness, the world is getting smaller.Yet, while the internet is interactive, it lacks real familial connectedness. It has the ability to make us aware of some of the things our friends are involved in and enjoying... it also gives, I believe, a false sense of relationship. Intimate relationship seems more difficult, rather than easier nowdays.

Love is a choice.The spark of the divine is found in relationships that put others first.Someone I know served in the military and through training and then combat, has had friendships that have lasted a life time. Through difficult seasons of life there there are those who are there for the long haul and those that fade away. The best thing to do is just to love them all. The good, the bad and the ugly. Love never fails.... people do, love doesn't. Love is powerful and it melds worlds together ... when given the chance to flourish.

I heard it said this week, "Some people look at you, but some look in you." I think that statement underlines the difference between an acquaintance versus a friend. Or perhaps it is about someone who has tried and has become good at being a real friend.

I didn't know I was so conflicted about friendships until I started trying to write about them. Lots of hurt places in my heart concerning relationships, but that's the trade off. For to love much, is to risk the pain of loving. Hurts could come and probably will, but it is worth it to love as a friend. Our frailty, our humanness insures us of mistakes and misunderstandings in life. But that's not the end, if it were, we might all become grumpy trolls and go live under bridges and come out to take tolls of people crossing our bridges. People need the friendship of one another. The trouble is is that we are not very good at it. Wars and rumors of wars, states the tragedy component of being human.

Blessings friend and I hope your life is filled with friendships that last a lifetime.




kt



John 3:16

Waiting (Updated 7/22/11)

Saved

Good things come to those who wait! I'm really hoping that one is true right now. The key to a remarkable person is the ability to wait for what they want. Really this is a line from a movie I am listening to. Cary Grant always gets it right, right? Hmmm....maybe not in today's fast paced social settings.

I am waiting for Robbie to get here as my car is sitting in front of Earlene’s house and won’t start due to the battery cables needing to be cleaned. (I watched my dad do this periodically as a little girl and I might just be able to get er done!…? Right! Wrong!) So I went out there, in the heat of the day to see if I can figure out how to do this little task. I know it’s the cables as … the AAA guy said so when he started it in town about an hour of ago. Anyway, there are these rubber coverings, so there is no way to see the corrosion and no way to take off the cables till…. Robbie gets here. This means that I am going to miss this evenings meeting with my new friend Cheryl. So… here I sit in the air conditioning of course, "Thank YOU God!" recovering from the heat and yes, waiting.

Hope  you are having a better day. … C.

Good things do come for those who wait! Waiting for good things is worth it. Waiting to get to go to Disneyland was a real trip when I lived at home as a kid. I still get that way, but I am not telling anyone but you that. Lol! Talk about anticipating the moments..!

So what are you waiting for? Waiting for the right moment to ask for a raise? Waiting for your spouse to get ready for a visit to your favorite restaurant? Waiting for a special someone to come for a visit? Waiting for a check to come in the mail? Waiting for the economy to recover? Waiting for world peace to come?

Thinking about waiting reminds me that a favorite form of waiting is the kind when I can get something else done while waiting….and the ride in the car to a destination with someone else driving preferably…(Southern California freeways are incredible) the best part of the trip is getting there for me. That is when I can "be with" a fav person.

Just want to also note that quite possibly some of the best moments of the human experience are the ones we spend waiting. Some things are really worth the wait. Trying to remember that while I’m waiting. 

kt

Ok....waiting, update!!

It wasn't the battery (replaced it thought), or the cables after all! It was the starter!! Ouch! Expensive! Anyway ... no longer waiting and thanks to friends, it, the car, is starting GREAT! Pep Boys to the rescue along with some guys I know.

Thanks so much Robbie, Rick, Don Jr. and Don Sr. See you, Kim and family at Bermuda Dunes!!

Wrapped in Hope!

When I painted this painting (the one in the picture, I named it The Quilt of Hope) it took me to another place. It wrapped me up with Hope. Hope that at some point I would find all that was in this painting to be true. True for not only myself but for others as well.

God has been faithful and continues to be. I see His miracles daily. Proven entities in my contemporary journey through life, hope and faith, continue to be constant companions from the hand of God to not only me, but all people.

Hope is transforming, it's truth keeps us and redeems our lives.

One part of my "crazy quilt" painting is a certain patch where the word miracle resides. We, each one of us, are a miracle. When we look at anyone, we are looking at a miracle. When we love each other, this is a miracle. When we pray, with faith and hope, this is a miracle. When we know God has heard and answered our prayer, this is a miracle, no matter what His answer.

I hope that you see that you are wrapped up in that hope borne in the heart of God for you.

kt

Tissue Issues

Tissue Issues

I don't know about you but I feel so vulnerable when crying. I actually hate to cry.

Maturity demands that we be emotionally in control. But the reality is that sometimes we need to find a safe healthy way to express our emotions. Being with someone else who is on the verge of emotional display is disconcerting sometimes. There are those moments when we just don't know what to say as a person is visibly experiencing sorrow. What about our personal poise under the fire of life battles? Wiser heads than mine, will tell us that sometimes we don’t cry when we oughta be cryin! There is a great temptation to applaud ourselves and others as in denial of  need and pain we ... FORGE... through.... life, stiff upper lip and all.

Tears are a blessing in disguise, they signal a cup that is full. Tears are miraculous and may come to us by way of a passionate moment upon hearing the national anthem, a crumpled flower from the little hand of a child or over the losses of life. The use of tissues for the issues of our hearts is a prerequisite.   


(People used to carry hankies, years ago. My Grandmother, Nina, saved pennies and tied them up in hankies for us when we came to visit her. We thought we had won the lottery. It meant we got to walk down to Kern’s Market, cashing them in for a coke and a Hershey’s candy bar. Remembering now makes me smile, as my dad always had a pocket knife and a white hanky handy in his pocket for my tears and the blowing of this nose! Yuck! :)

The world cries together for some things. Like little Caylee Anthony, so brutally taken from this life. Catastrophic events causing mayhem in homes and lives of people here and abroad are heard of way too often.

We cry at funerals and after. Sometimes we have to wait for the shock to subside. Some people wait a long time and then fall apart when they finally do. Be careful to help put them back together when they do and not to judge too harshly as human frailty shows up in them. Remember a hug is worth a thousand words and if you find yourself crying with them you might someday find yourself laughing with them too.

While tears all the time would really be a handicap, they have an astounding ability to free us up and changes our heart tudes' if you get my drift here. They clear the dark and cloudy skies we have somehow gotten used too. I love the words from this oldies song, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)Sun-Shiny day. I think I can make it now, the pain is gone, all of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin? for..It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day."

Those words describe the spring into summer feel that comes to the heart, when finally the tears are shed.

Again, personally, I hate to cry in the presence of others. It’s just very hard to explain ones hurts to others. It’s hard to find someone who can understand and just listen and let it all go.

He listens. He works, I believe, in our lives through our tears. I just know that God, who loves us beyond measure, is able to hear us. God is waiting for the breaking of your heart and then for the tears and the sincere cries of human souls around the world. Perhaps it can be said that tears are a rallying point for wearied surrendered sojourners.

If you need to today take some time out for a good cry, you'll feel better and a little freed up. Be sure to have some tissue for the occasional issues of the heart form tears.

Make it a great day! kt

Patriots Dream

Read with care!! I am waving my flag today. It is red, white and blue and is our patriots dream come true.

A Boston tea party, Paul Revere's ride, Iwo Jima, Tripoli, Auschwitz, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, Baghdad, D-Day, Da Nang Province, MacArthur, Grant, Lee, Washington, George S. Patton (great movie), Betsy Ross and many more known and unknowns have everything to do with the fourth of July, 1776. The words "Give me liberty, or give me death." cost the speaker, Patrick Henry everything. He knew the cost of tyranny's hold and was willing to speak out and die for the cost of the liberty he took to speak them. If we can ourselves somehow realize, this fact, the cost of freedom lost is greater than the cost of our own lives, well then there is still hope for us as a nation.

When on the fourth, we wave a sparkler, rattle pans, look up to see the sky studded with freedoms light, bar-b-q with friends and family, churn the ice cream, break open an ice cold watermelon, sing "America" with our hands over our hearts, simply say, "God Bless America" to ourselves and others, we are part of the celebration of one more year of freedom in America.

Fortunes and lives have been given for the cost of our freedom to wave the red, white and blue. The core of who we are as Americans all, has everything to do with a tremendous passion for freedom. I believe America is still a beacon of hope for others around the world, no matter what the naysayers say. And freedom must be displayed, enjoyed and celebrated today with some knowledge of the sacrifices it has taken to make it the greatest country on earth.

Whether we celebrate simply or lavishly, let us celebrate the freedoms we have with the knowledge that we are celebrating something splendid and for some it has been proven to be worth dying for.

Wave the flag on the fourth and don't forget the cost.
kt