Identity

We are... God's children, joined with the Spirit, adopted sons and daughters of the King.
We are... followers, driven by His Spirit, heirs of the Kingdom and His glory with Jesus His Son.
We are... ransomed and paid for by the blood of the most precious and perfect sacrifice.
We are loved.  We are saved.  We are forgiven.  We are free.

Lonely Spaces

Lonely Spaces
By:  Sharina Schaller
05/30/2015

There are lonely spaces
I've filled with things and faces
Still lonely
And still weak
Exist these lonely places

Void, bitter, and empty
Describe the feeling within me
Not happy
Never full
Within these ugly places

Lord fill these lonely spaces
Joy is where your face is
Not things
Nor places
Can fill these empty spaces

The gap is far too wide
Too enormous to hide
From my mind
To my heart
You connect the pieces

Lonely yet not alone
Through cheers and painful groans
A cry for help
Or glorious praise
You fill the empty spaces

Have mercy on me Lord
A call to your reward
Not man
Nor Material
You be in their places

Fill the lonely spaces
With your mercies and your graces
When happy
Or discontent
Please fill my lonely spaces

In the Midst

My friend and I talked Wednesday on our way to my appointment in Topeka about how God made us in His image and how we are supposed to strive to be LIKE Christ... Not BE Him but to be like Him. We will never BE Him.  We will never know what it feels like to be God in the form of man. We will never know the feeling of taking on the sin of the world. We will never know the feeling of God turning away from is in a moment of despair. But Christ does. He knows more pain than we will ever know even in our darkest hour. We disussed how God works everything for our good and how He had plans to prosper us but how at times we overlook the other part of that. Yes Christ accomplished what He was sent to accomplish and in that He was successful and through that we are blessed to experience Love. But how much verbal, emotional, mental, and physical pain did He experience? To be like Him we will go through that to some extent not as close to as great as His experience. We have to experience that to some extent in order to be like Him. We may not realize it or know what that will look like but in some our many ways we will experience and persevere through some or many types of pain. Good perspective to think on for sure.

Thankful

Thankful for the ability to feel pain... A humble reminder that I am a mere mortal.  A grateful reminder of the pain endured on the Cross. For experiencing healing... A gentle reminder I am only human.  A beneficial reminder that, in order to take each breath, every step, and live a single moment of a given day, I have to lean on He who has been there, He who has made me. Thankful for the gift of living

Thankful for Hope... For Him to lead me through... For He never lets go of my hand regardless of the circumstances. Thankful for that small thread of Hope that keeps me hanging on to Him.  Hope for healing... Even if that healing may not find me physically, that it would find me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Thankful for the Hope that is Jesus.

Thankful for family... I am blessed.  For the peace and comfort of being a DAUGHTER of the ONE TRUE KING... His PRINCESS... a CHILD of the CREATOR OF LIFE, of all things above, below, and in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE.  For the family He has blessed me with... The support, care, love, and prayers of my brothers and sisters around the globe... From Kansas to Washington to Indiana... From Africa to Japan and back again. Thankful for healing hands and shared wisdom... For provided knowledge, sought out life, and support.  Thankful for who He has blessed me with and the incredible and eternal family I am a part of.

Thankful for the little things... Quiet. Rest. Stillness. Peace. Solitude. Coffee. Comfort. Writing. Relationships. Fellowship. Laughter. Rain. Green plants. Blue skies. White clouds.  The calm in the small raindrops during a summer rain shower. Hearing the rain and seeing it fall. The miracle of life.  The miracles in life. A trusting friend.  Thoughtfulness. A mini-vacation. Rolling hills. Rumbling thunder.  Sun showers.  Peaceful bliss.

Thankful for a Loving Father... Beautiful Creator... Infinite Being... Holy Redeemer... Wonderful Savior.  Kindness. Mercy. Gentleness. Humility. Peace. Love. Servanthood. Sacrifice. Rest. Calm. Graciousness.  For His Cross and Salvation that comes from it.  An ETERNITY spent with the One who gave it ALL so that I might run to Him, know Him, love Him, and follow Him.  Thankful for the One who picks me up and dusts me off when I fall... And NEVER stops loving me.  For His Path, Guidance, and Love.  Thankful for hills and valleys, the heights of the mountains and the depths of the seas.

Thankful that my King lives and loves and never lets go of me.

Jesus Calling -- June 17th

I totally needed to read this today... and definitely wanted to share what I read =)
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Jesus Calling
June 17th
By Sarah Young

Learn to laugh at yourself more freely.  Don't take yourself or your circumstances so seriously.  Relax and know that I am God with you.  When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening.  Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities -- Things that are beyond your control.  Find freedom by accepting the boundaries of your domain.

Laughter lightens your load and lifts your heart into heavenly places.  Your laughter rises to heaven and blends with angelic melodies of praise.  Just as parents delight in the laughter of their children, so I delight in hearing My children laugh.  I rejoice when you trust Me enough to enjoy your life lightheartedly.

Do not miss the Joy of My Presence by carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.  Rather, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.  My yoke is comfortable and pleasant; My burden is light and easily borne.

Proverbs 17:22

"A cheerful heart is good medicine,

    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength."

Proverbs 31:25

"She is clothed with strength and dignity,

    and she laughs without fear of the future."

Matthew 1:23

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,

    which means ‘God is with us.’"

Matthew 11:28-30

"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”"

My Child

I received this from my Aunt today and it was incredibly encouraging to me so I thought I would share it.  Recently there have been quite a bit of stress in my life... and pain... whether it be financially or physically.  I know in the end that all of it will work out.  There is a Will... and it is God  =)

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My Child ~
You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3 
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27 
In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28 
For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28 
I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5 
I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12 
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26 
You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14 
I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13 
And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6 
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me ~ John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16 
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1 
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11 
For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48 
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17 
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33 
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3 
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18 
And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17 
I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40 
For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5 
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41 
And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29 
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4 
For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20 
For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18 
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4 
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4 
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31 
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10 
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32 
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39 
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7 
I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15 
My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13 
I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32
                                                                                                  Love, Your Dad, Almighty God

Unexpected Gifts...

Sometimes the most unexpected gifts are the most meaningful and precious gifts you can get.  They are often the ones remembered for years.  They are usually the ones that cause the heart and mind to cherish the friendship of those who help create those memories.  It is an amazing feeling to receive an unexpected gift... one that you really feel like you may not deserve.  Gifts that make you cry because you feel so undeserving and are incredibly humbled.

A few days ago a friend and I were talking and for one reason or another it was mentioned that I slept on an air mattress and had been doing so for about 5 1/2 months.  As I was leaving the doctor's office the next day, I received a text message to make a phone call.  On the other end of the line was this same friend.  She was telling me something I never expected to hear.  Hearing me say that I had been sleeping on an air mattress didn't seem to sit well with her.  "It really broke my heart to hear you say that because I've been there before."  A memory that I won't forget... receiving the unexpected.  This friend, in a few short hours, had reached out to many of our coworkers asking for help for a coworker they knew, and soon had enough money and this gift picked out.  No words... yes I was still on the phone but quite unsure what to say.  So humbling.  That feeling of not deserving something yet it is simply given.  A friend saw a need, reached out to those around her who know me and I am blessed to call them all my friends.  "... You work with amazing people that care about each other.  God has a way of getting the important things taken care of ;)"  That message locked to my phone.  I looked like a hot mess as I drove across town from my doctor's office to work... tears streaming down my face.  Today I was blessed with a bed because of some pretty amazing people (a real one... not an air mattress... I've never had a new bed before (that was my own)... my chiropractor would be happy to know I sleep on a bed and not an air mattress.  Then again, he'd have to know that I was sleeping on an air mattress to begin with =P).

This whole situation reminds me of the undeserved blessings we have received from another.  It reminds me of the unexpected gift that God has given... that gift that is there for anybody to take.  A hand extended to anybody willing to reach out and take hold of it.  He gives it.  It is there.  It reminds me of another who didn't  have a bed.  Instead, the place he was laid was a feeding place for animals.  He was God's gift to this world... one that had been talked about (prophesied) but was still somewhat unexpected... a King, the Son of God, born a babe wrapped in strips of cloth and sleeping in a manger.  Christ was alive on earth, born to die for mankind... and rise again to bring us new life.  That death equates to our life.  A gift from God so that we would draw closer to Him... undeservedly so.  The purpose of this child, perfection of God presented in the form of man, was to suffer for you and me... for all of mankind... and rise to bring us new life.

A gift, an unexpected version of a King.  The expected was to be a King, one of great power, a leader, mighty and strong.  This King was one unexpected, a baby born in a stable.  A servant to all.  He came to serve, not to be served.  "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45)  He came to love.  A gift form God to anybody willing to receive it.  A gift is free... that is what gifts are... they are given not earned.  Often undeserved.  Mostly unexpected.  Just as God gave us Christ Jesus... our gift of eternal life... bridging the gap between God and man... our bridge from death to life, from sin to eternity.  It started, unexpectedly, with a tiny babe laying in a manger.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
~*Romans 6:23*~

MY BED!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

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A few questions that I feel the need to ask... after writing this it is something that has sat on my heart... if you offer another a gift, would you want them to take it or not?  How would you feel if they'd say "No... I won't take it".  Think of God.  This gift that He offers... the MANY gifts, every blessing, every minute, every second is a gift.  He offers love.  He doesn't promise that it will be easy... but He offers love and guidance.  He offers eternal life.  All in the gift of His love and His Son Christ Jesus.  He is giving to the undeserving... but He WANTS us to take hold, to take the gift and receive His love.  He is waiting patiently, with open arms, for us to receive this unexpected and undeserved gift.