Karen Moore's Blog, page 19

We Gather Together

Happy Thanksgiving! Proverbs 15:15 says that a “happy heart is like a continual feast.”  May your heart be filled with joy as you pass the pumpkin bread and all your family favorites this Thanksgiving.

Whether you gather with your own family, or you’ve created a “family” with the people in your neighborhood or from your church group, there’s nothing quite as delightful as sharing a bountiful meal and sweet memories of days gone by. Of course, it’s also fun to tap into the blessings you’ve received all through the year. Perhaps Thanksgiving is the only time we gather with people we love and share stories of why we are thankful for each person around the table. We count our blessings, knowing we’ve overcome some challenges, grown a bit, and flourished in new ways.

This year, I’m pleased to gather with two of my sisters and their spouses. We’ll create our favorite dishes, hoping to make an apple pie that lives up to what our mom used to make. We’ll mash the potatoes until there’s not a lump in sight and then we’ll apply copious amounts of gravy when the time is right. We’ll make sauces and toppings and extra whipped cream because nobody said Thanksgiving should come with a diet plan.

We’ll have warm conversation, with crazy family stories, special memories, and genuine gratitude that we’re still all able to get together. We’ll remember the last Thanksgiving we had with our parents, never knowing it would be the last one we’d ever share with them. We’ll remember gatherings from years gone by with aunts and uncles and cousins that were always warm and delightful. I suspect we’ll also recall, that despite some difficult times, when we barely got by on noodles and tomatoes, we never missed a Thanksgiving gathering as we were growing up. It’s there that we laughed a lot, danced a little and ate our favorite family recipes.  

Wherever you gather this Thanksgiving, and whatever your traditions may be, may you join with all those families across America who are gathering with hearts of gratitude to share their own recipes for love and give God the glory.

Maybe it’s time for just one more piece of pumpkin pie!

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Changing Seasons

Life is a series of changing seasons, offering times when we grow, bloom, or move on. Though it’s possible that this analogy has something to do with our age and stage, I suspect it also has to do with our attitude of gratitude. In some areas of our lives, we’re always in the beginning stages, walking in springtime as it were. We learned something or believed something, and we’ve never changed our minds about it. For whatever reason, we never went back to investigate it again.  For example, I learned as a child that I did not like to eat liver. Yup! Still not eating liver!  As far as I’m concerned, liver had a season, and it’s over.

In those young adult years, you grew so much you could scarcely recognize yourself. You adopted new attitudes and developed habits you may be trying to shake today. You loved new things, and you were willing to try on a lot of perspectives. It was a great time of changing seasons. Today, you may not be quite as interested in all things new. You might rather wish things would just slow down and be a little kinder. 

Why do you imagine then that God inspires changing seasons? Why not just stay the same course? After all, God doesn’t change, so if it’s good for Him, why isn’t it good for us? Ah…perhaps it’s because, well, He doesn’t have to learn things, doesn’t have to grow, develop new attitudes, trust, learn about faith, figure out how to love. He doesn’t need the life lessons we receive through every season of our lives. He already knows all that’s good and He made all that’s good for us too. With every season, we get to peel back the layers of discovery so that we not only learn the intricate patterns woven into each season, but we embrace them so we can share them with others. Our seasons help us become more of what God designed us to be. He doesn’t want us to be stuck in the past, or only have one opinion that we hold forever. He wants us to be like excited children heading out into the world to find the treasures He’s hidden there. He wants us to love the moments, open the gifts of each new day, and share the abundance of the harvest with everyone around us. Yes, He wants more for us than we want for ourselves. According to scripture, one person doesn’t bring about the harvest. One person plants the seed, one waters it, and God provides the increase. It’s a process that works because we are here to serve one another.  

Praying for you today that this is the most fulfilling season of your life! 

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Your Thoughts Run Your Life

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”

Your thoughts run your life! Wow! That means your attitudes about practically everything, your philosophies and ideologies are all under your own personal management. You control how you think about them, and the good news is that you can change your mind whenever you choose. You can have thoughts you’re somewhat embarrassed to admit even pop into your mind, and simply dismiss them. You can set your heart on higher thoughts of kindness, love, and gratitude. How?

One way you might help your thoughts is simply by repeating the prayer of David in Psalm 51: Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.

You have probably already discovered that your thoughts can run amok and leave you ragged. You can get stuck on an idea, imagine the worst, and eventually react in a way that doesn’t help the situation at all. You can be totally wrong, but never give yourself a chance to look again, or look deeper to discover the truth. You can believe your own thoughts so much; you don’t even check them against reality. TV shows are full of this kind of thinking. It’s scary! It’s troubling! We need help to think more clearly. 

Another translation of this Proverb says, “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” Guarding your heart isn’t always easy and can even feel beyond your control. When you struggle with how to do that, you can talk about it with friends, or with counselors, or you can take it to God. Ask Him to protect your heart and mind, so you can hold fast to those things that are good.

Philippians 4:8 offers some guidance. It says, “Think about what is good and trustworthy. honorable, and pure.” When you focus on good things, giving God thanks and praise for all that is going right in your life, you find your thoughts are lighter, brighter and healthier for your soul. What you think about really matters. You don’t want to have any “stinkin thinkin” as some have said. Today, pay attention to what crosses your mind and get rid of anything that weighs you down. The more aligned your thoughts are with God’s purpose for you, the better every idea will be that you have today!

After all, your thoughts run your life!

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You Are the Answer

It’s always been you. It’s you because God sees you right where you are. It’s you because you have unique gifts and talents that only you can bring to the world. It’s you because whatever the question is, love is the answer, and no one could be loved more than you are. Oh sure, you have made mistakes, whoa! You have made some poor choices, ouch! You have done a few things that you might even worry have pushed the limits on God patience and forgiveness, but the fact is, He has never given up on you. He has never ceased to love you. 

The exciting part about being the answer is that the door is wide open for you to be the answer for a whole lot of other people too. You’re the answer to the person who feels lonely and rejected, because you are willing to invite them into your life. You’re the answer to the one who feels lost and out of control, because you have an anchor that will hold them too. You’re the answer to what it means to see others with the eyes of love because you know how much you’ve been forgiven and how much you are loved. 

God put a measure of His eternal hope and goodness inside your heart and He’s been helping you see that it’s always available to you. It’s always a place you can go when you feel more like a question than an answer. It’s hard to imagine sometimes why the Creator of all things keeps choosing to love His creation, the works of His hands, but it appears that infinite love is at the root of all He does. You can try to ignore Him, but He’ll keep showing up when you least expect Him. You can turn your back on Him, and He’ll leave you alone for a bit, giving you some space to discover Him again. You can resist His love for you, but why would you? After all, He not only designed you as one of the most amazing people on this planet, but He looks to you to inspire those around you, reminding others of all that He has done. 

You’re the answer and God is pleased with everything you do to shine His light. Thankfully, God has placed His answers all around the globe so no one will miss the chance to know Him.

Thank you for every time you embrace being the answer.

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Now that Is Crystal Clear!

Barbra Streisand gave us a crystal-clear rendition of that moment when you truly see who you are, when you discover all that God designed you to be. She sang, “On a clear day, rise and look around you and you’ll see who you are. On a clear day, how it will astound you that the glow of your being outshines every star.” 

You are brilliant, sparkling, and designed to illuminate the darkness. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.”  Even though your glow can outshine every star, it’s possible that you’re still doing a few things to hide your light under a bushel. What keeps you in the shadows when there’s so much to be done? After all, the world seems to be getting darker by the day. 

Perhaps you need to recharge your spiritual batteries or clean up some of the clutter from news feeds that throw the weight of the world on your shoulders. After all, you were not made to carry the weight of the world. You were just made to shine your light.

November is a good time to take a little spiritual inventory so you’re ready for the Christmas season and all that awaits you in the New Year. As you rake the leaves and gather wood for the home fires, you might also shake the dust off those attitudes that keep you stuck in the past, or step aside from those endless murky thoughts that always rub you the wrong way. If you’re having trouble with that, you may find that it helps to remember that verse in Hebrews 4 that says, “Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before Him, and to Him we must explain the way we have lived.”

Well, if God already knows those things that keep you hiding out, you may as well come clean with Him, get your glow on and go out there and be the person you’ve been called to be. Only the light can make a difference in the darkness and it’s exciting to realize you don’t have to struggle to be the light. You simply have to shine wherever you are.

Take another look because you can see clearly now!

 

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Unwrapping that Gift of Faith

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. Ephesians 2:8, MSG.

I love the direct observations The Message translation makes about some of the most important matters in scripture. It appears that faith is one of those things that keeps us wrestling with life and our own circumstances. We either want to blame it or have it support us. We want it to be what we want it to be because that’s what gives us a sense that God is with us. However, is also feels like we’re not that determined to actually unwrap this gift of faith we’ve been given. Sure, we might take a little peek into it, but if it doesn’t give us the satisfaction we expect, we just throw the box back up on a shelf and forget about it. 

Lately, I’ve become more convinced than ever that God does not need me. He can do this world just fine without me. He will continue the plan He set in motion before anything was ever in black and white and before I even became a blip on a radar. He did all that and didn’t need me in the process. But here’s the thing, one day, I started opening the box, the one marked faith. I was curious. I didn’t understand how you got it or why you wanted it. I thought it had something to do with religion, but that’s only a tiny speck of it. It has everything to do with God, and my one simple belief that He exists, and He has big plans for the people who open up His box of faith. 

He doesn’t need me, but He wants me. He wants me to trust that He is real and that we can have a powerful relationship right here on this mixed-up planet. He wants me to trust that despite any news I may hear, He’s still got this, and He is in control. I didn’t make Him! He made me!

So today, I just want to remind you that it’s okay to struggle with faith, to ask questions, to shake your puny fist at God, because all of that is what you do in any relationship when you’re trying to understand it. And here’s the Good News! God wants you to understand that He is always, forever, beyond a shadow of a doubt present for you. Just keep unwrapping that gift of faith and He will fill you with surprise delight.

God gave you the gift of faith so that you could see His heart. His gift will sustain you your whole life. Heart to heart, faith to faith, God sees you right where you are.

 

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All Because of Margaret

I’m dedicating this blog to an amazing woman who has been my friend and my mentor for over forty years. When I first met Margaret, she was a direct answer to prayer. I was new to Long Island, in my early twenties, and was looking for a new church home. I had visited a couple local churches within walking distance of my house but hadn’t felt drawn to either one. On my third try, I spotted a Lutheran Church and though I wasn’t a Lutheran, it seemed to be worth a try. As I got to the door, I sent up a prayer, “Lord, if this is the church You are calling me to, then please let at least one person speak to me before my hand turns the knob to leave after the service.” I had noted that no one spoke to me at the other two churches, and it seemed reasonable to me that people of God should somehow be inclusive, inviting you in when they catch a new face.

As with the other churches, I got through the service without a friendly hello from anyone. I started walking out through the vestibule and as I reached the door to exit, I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I turned around to the bright smile of a lovely woman who asked if I was visiting that morning? I affirmed that I was and so we chatted more.

Over time, Margaret invited me to come to her women’s Bible study group. It was another Divine appointment for me. These women were all seasoned Christians, a couple were Pastor’s wives, and they had all committed their lives to the Lord. As a young believer, I was a sponge, ready to soak up all that they had to teach me. I learned new words and phrases about the Holy Spirit. I learned that I mattered to God and to them and so our times together influenced my walk with the Lord. I was also part of another Bible Study group of people my own age at the time, but Margaret’s group was the one that filled my soul with a deep desire to know more about God. 

We not only talked about God, but we acted out our faith serving as volunteers at nursing homes and visiting hospitals. It was a time of true mentoring for me, and a growth spurt that I was ready for. As a mother of five nearly grown children, Margaret possessed insight and wisdom to be open, honest and understanding. When my first child was born, Margaret became his godmother.

When I moved away from Long Island, we missed out on each other’s lives for some time, even disagreeing on certain events that transpired for each of us personally, but then one day, by the grace of God, we got back together, offered each other love and forgiveness and we have known a friendship that few can claim in the years that followed. 

I remember when Margaret turned 80. She sent me a picture of herself riding a camel in Egypt. She and her husband, Fred, had traveled the world together doing eclipse tours and she knew how to travel and make the most of it. I hung that picture in my office for years as a reminder that no matter what age we are, God can still use us if we’re willing to let Him. Today, Margaret is still mentoring me as she blesses those around her, though she’s well into her 90’s. She responds to my blogs with love and interest, asking questions, supporting my ideas, and making my work more meaningful to me.

I can truly say that meeting Margaret all those years ago impacted my life in meaningful ways. I can only hope to do the same for people I cross paths with today. Let’s mentor each other into true greatness…all for the glory of God!

I love you, Margaret, for always. 

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Prayer Matters

I’m speaking to a church group this month on the importance of “Prayer.” As I’ve been preparing for the talk, I’ve become more intrigued by what prayer is and what it does. For instance, “How do you pray without ceasing?” or “If God already knows all about my problems, why do I have to pray about them?” For many of us, prayer is not our first thought. It doesn’t begin our day. Instead, we rush off into the world and wonder why we often feel defenseless.

Of course, some of you are awesome prayer warriors and you’ve got this prayer thing down, but for those of us who might need some reminders on matters of prayer, or even why prayer matters, here are a few thoughts from yours truly.

Prayer is the glue that holds your relationship together. You and God. God and you. You do your best when you stick together.Prayer is opportunity to talk about things that matter, with the only One who can actually do anything about them.Prayer is your standing invitation from the Designer of the universe to engage with Him in conversation.Prayer is the place you can go, when you finally give up on doing things your way.Prayer is your oxygen; the opportunity for God to breathe new life into you.Prayer is your flashlight, the thing that keeps you moving forward no matter how dark things might be.Prayer is your love language, a chance for you to let God know you couldn’t possibly live without Him.Prayer always finds its way to God’s plan and purpose.Prayer lifts you up, no matter how far down you might be.Prayer is the place where God will meet you every time you show up.

You don’t have to have all the right words. You simply have to have the right heart. God will do the rest. 

Prayer: Don’t leave home without it!

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How Can We Relate…to God?

Relationship is one of those words that has to be defined in context because it has so many applications. We can talk about the relationship of one object to another, noting their size and similarities. We can see the relationship between our attitudes and our actions. When we feel good, we tend to do good things. When we don’t feel good, we look at the world through a different lens.

We also find ourselves in a variety of relationships with others. When we fall in love, we say we’re in a relationship. When we talk about family and friends, we are connected in ways that help us relate to each other, encourage each other and share the ups and downs of life. So, okay. We get all these things, but what is a relationship with God and why do we want one?

God made this promise to Noah. When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the agreement that continues forever between me and every living thing on the earth.”  Genesis 9:16, NCV

Since an agreement can only happen when two people or entities choose to connect, that’s when a relationship is formed. God told Noah that he would keep His promise forever, that means even to our present age. From the very beginning, God had plans to help us, guide us, and bring us into relationship with Himself. He wanted us to know Him, and He wanted to know us as well. That’s what a relationship is all about. It’s a mutual decision to build awareness, connection, and support in every possible way. That’s what God does! That’s what He wants to do for you.

Let’s look at a few more benefits of a relationship with God. God knows you, down to the number of hairs on your head, and all your crazy idiosyncrasies, and He wants good things for you. He hears your prayers, comforts you in sorrow, and shines a light on your path so you can see where you should go. He holds you close and extends the continual gift of grace to cover your poor decisions, and mercy, to allow you to simply try again. When you walk away from Him, He stays near, giving you room to grow and discover more of who He really is. He forgives you more times than you can count, and heals you in mind, body, and spirit. The list is endless, but the understanding for us is this. The relationship we have with God makes all the difference in our daily lives and nothing can come between us except a bit of stubborn ego. 

When you need a hand to hold, a tender response to your crisis of the moment, or a sense that you are not alone in this world, you can turn to your relationship in Christ, and you’ll feel better in no time. If you’re still trying to do life all on your own, God is ready to begin a new relationship with you. I hear He’s having a “come as you are” party right now. 

 

 

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When You Feel Like Job

What do we do when everything hurts? Generally, we call on our best coping skills, remind ourselves that things could be worse, and soldier on. That works until things get worse. At that point, we tend to set our optimism aside, and imagine that someone or something must be to blame. After all, we can’t think of anything we’ve done. We stew about that until things happen that insurance can’t cover, time can’t fix, and the darkness hovers. Feeling like Job, we begin to call on God, trying to find Him, hoping He’ll show up, wondering if He even sees the mess we’re in. It seems never-ending, even hopeless.

One thing we know from the Job story is that despite the suffering, the losses, and the unbelievable judgments of his friends, he couldn’t bring himself to give up. He wouldn’t give up on the one source of help and answered prayer that he had depended on his whole life. It was hard. It was ugly, but he just wouldn’t throw God under the bus.

When everything hurts in our lives, we may wonder how Job could hang in there for so long. How did he manage to not betray his belief in God? I can only think of one response to that question. Job had a relationship with God that was unshakable. He trusted God to be God, no matter how things looked in his life. He believed that God was still in control, and it appears that his strong belief, built on a long-time relationship, made all the difference.

God responded to His friend, Job, and restored his life in every way. Perhaps the greatest gift Job received from God’s bounty, was the assurance that he had been right all along, that nothing had changed. Even in the midst of catastrophe, God was with him, knew him, and rescued him.

We all hurt when people suffer enormous losses through hurricanes and natural disasters, and it may make us question where God is when we’re between a rock and a hard place. The answer is the same for us as it was for Job. He is in the midst of every prayer, every broken heart, and every need. Keep working on your relationship with Him until the light dawns and gives you peace.

 

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