Karen Moore's Blog, page 3

The Season of Memories

One of the beauties of Christmas is that it inspires thoughts about family and friends who once shared the season with us and filled our hearts with warm memories. We fondly remember our family traditions and sweet moments that made the season special. It’s a sentimental season that carries its own joys and perhaps even sorrows. For the month of December, I thought I’d share some stories and memories of my own. If you have one you’d like to share with me, I’d love to hear from you. Memories are gifts of Christmas. 

When I was a young girl, we lived on a dirt road, in an old house that only had a coal stove in the cellar for heat. The windows would rattle through the winter months as the cold air made its way through the house. Dad would frame the windows with plastic sheets to help keep his little flock a bit warmer, and mom would keep the oven going making Christmas cookies and steamy soup. My sisters and I would dream of Christmas morning as we strung popcorn to hang on the tree. Dad always dragged in a freshly cut tree from the woods right next to our house. It smelled like evergreen goodness for weeks.  It may not have been “Little House on the Prairie,” but it was close!

I remember one wintry year when we’d had piles of snow, and it was difficult to get a car up the hill we lived on. As a five-year-old, I worried about whether Santa could even manage to get to our house. After all, I wasn’t sure he even knew where we lived. I kept my worries to myself, while mom continued to bake red and white candy cane cookies and chocolate fudge. She was particularly good at making fudge. My sisters and I sang in the choir at the church and had to walk down the hill to get there. My older sister did her best to keep me warm as we trudged along, quite sure we’d all freeze to death.

When the big day finally came, it wasn’t the kids who jumped up in the early morning, scrambling to get to the Christmas tree. It was mom! She couldn’t wait to start Christmas because she was so excited about what she knew was under the tree. Wrapped in our big blankets, we’d head to the tree and wait with anticipation. We did our stockings first, which was probably one of dad’s socks. There was always an orange, some candy, and a new color book and crayons. There might even be an extra surprise or two, like a slinky or a yo-yo. When the stockings were done, mom would hand out the first gift and off we’d go…new pajamas, check! New slippers, good! It was generally the time of year when we got a few very practical socks and underwear kinds of things. But then, it wasn’t over! At last, the present that had excited my mother so much she couldn’t wait till morning. She had gotten some soft, leggy dancing dolls about my same height. They had loops on their feet that we could put over our socks and dance with them. We turned on the music and danced around the living room. It was a moment that made everybody laugh. Of course, we then pretended we were dolls and danced on top of my dad’s feet. Sweet memory!

As it turned out the snow was so deep that year, my aunt and uncle couldn’t get their car up our hill to come to dinner, but that didn’t stop them. They crunched through the deep snow, bearing new baby dolls for little girls and frilly purses to delight us. Despite the snow, it was one of our warmest Christmas’s ever!

That sweet memory blesses my life every Christmas. May God bless you as you unwrap some memories of your own this year!

Joy to the world!

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A Taste of Gratitude

The year is racing like the wind

Toward the finish line,

Anxious just to start again

And leave the past behind.

 

 

It jumps into the fading leaves

And laughs as if to say

Come walk with me a while

Before it’s too late to play.

 

 

Let’s make a few more memories

And celebrate each treasure

That we’ve received throughout the year,

By the Good Lord’s grace and pleasure.

 

 

We’ll sip some apple cider,

Or create a special treat

And share the gifts of gratitude

That make this year so sweet.

 

 

We’ll remember those we’ve loved

Who helped us move along,

Encouraging our hopes and dreams

So our year would finish strong.

 

 

Yes, let’s express our gratitude

To God and to each other,

Joining hands and hearts and lives

In peace with one another.

 

 

Blessings to you. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation,

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

 

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

from Psalm 27, NKJV

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Help Me Understand

We love it when a good plan comes together. We enjoy seeing the fruit of our labors and we celebrate with those who are successfully navigating the difficulties of life. Those are the good days. Problems arise however when we simply don’t understand our circumstances, or the chaos surrounding someone else’s life. We try to imagine what brought on the troubles, or if it was the fault of one person or another. When we can’t find any other solutions, we often wonder where God is in all that mess. 

Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to worry about the mess. It suggests that we only have one job in that situation. Our job is to trust God and not to expect we should understand it. That means we cannot seek peace of mind through our own understanding of any issue that arises. Brilliant as we may be, we don’t have the whole picture of what led up to the current distress. We seldom have that kind of picture for our own lives, yet, somehow we not only lean, but we fully embrace our own understanding. Once we figure out why something happened, we move on and get back into our comfort zones, because we’ve figured things out. Whew! 

So, what should we do then? We ask God for help. When we’re pleading with Him to help us understand a difficult circumstance, we’re heading in the right direction. We’re moving toward God, asking for His Divine intervention. We know we might have assessed things incorrectly at best, and that we simply don’t know what to do, at worst. Every prayer that says, “Help me understand,” opens the door to all we need to know, because we’re going to the Source of hope and grace and love. Will we always get satisfying answers? Will we understand things more fully? Chances are good that we still will grieve, or wonder, or struggle with the outcomes. However, we may also see God’s hand at work as He walks with us and shines His truth into our hearts and minds. It’s not magic. It’s not instant gratification, but it’s the way we develop utter trust in our Creator. It’s the way we come to know that we are not alone, we have not been abandoned, we are not at fault. We are turning to the only One who can make a difference, and give us peace. 

May God bless you as you seek Him with your own questions, your own difficulties, and trust Him even more with the outcomes.

As the Scripture also says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

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What Will You Harvest?

It’s the time of year when many of us look more intentionally at those things we’ve tried to accomplish as the year began. We may have planted a seed to be more physically active, and now we’re enjoying the fact that we can climb the stairs without losing a breath. We planted some new ideas and tested some new opportunities. Some of them are growing nicely and will continue on to the coming year. Others have already fallen by the wayside. A few of your seeds may have helped someone else plant a new dream and so they are able to harvest the rewards now.

John 4:36 talks about the one who sows and the one who reaps, that is the one who plants the seed and the one who enjoys the benefit. It even says that some harvest a crop for eternal life. Wow! It’s one thing to do something that makes your life better, but imagine all those who reap the benefit of what you’ve done. You’ve enjoyed some little harvests along the way of life, sometimes with the help of others, always with the gift of God’s grace. 

One of the reasons we celebrate the Fall Seasons and holidays like Thanksgiving is that we’re grateful for those things that came to fruition, the ones we worked hard to accomplish, the ones that fill our hearts with joy. Some time ago, God planted you in a family, in a community, and in an environment where you could grow and be nourished. He gave you talents and experiences that would strengthen you so that you could survive moments of chaos and crisis when the winds of life changed. God knows you so well, He put you in the exact place you need to be, surrounded by the people you love giving you a sense of purpose and fulfillment. He walked with you through the lean times as well. You enjoy an abundant life because what you do blesses others, and who you are is a result of the gifts you’ve been willing to share.

As you think back on all you’ve sown, all you’ve accomplished, and all you’ve made possible, thank God again for trusting you with the work He wanted to accomplish. He didn’t just start at the beginning of the year to see what you could achieve, He started before you were even knit in your mother’s womb. He knew you before you knew Him. Consider God to be the One who sows, as you come to realize the amazing ways you are able to reap the benefits. You’ve harvested a lifetime of opportunities. Keep planting seeds. Keep nurturing ideas. Keep believing that God’s plan for you is to harvest joy from here to eternity.

 

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The Spirit of Unity

Psalm 133:1 says in part, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] dwell in unity.”  The verse goes on to give examples of those who have been selected and anointed by God to do His work. It suggests that joining together brings opportunity for good to prevail. When good prevails, everyone benefits. Perhaps Veterans Day is a reminder that the world seldom embraces unity. Those called to serve under our flag stand together to do the work, to share the gifts and talents they have to offer for the greater good. Those people stand united, and they inspire our hearts and minds. They challenge us to recognize we can achieve a oneness of heart and spirit that makes a difference. United we stand!

Our hearts go out to those who have dedicated their lives to the possibilities of peace, to the opportunities to keep others safe. We can’t begin to know the things they face each day, surrounded by enemies, naysayers, and those who challenge them at home and in foreign lands. We can’t imagine what it truly means to put our lives on the line for an ideal, for love, or for a calling that is stronger than anything else.

What we can do though is unite our hearts to theirs, pray for their lives and their work and the things they are given to do. We can stand with them and respect the goals and the dreams they carry out for the good of the rest of us. We can be the support they need every single day while they serve, and all the days of their lives when that service is ended.

We can even do more than that. We can stand up in a genuine spirit of unity to promote peace and kindness wherever we are. We can give each other room to be all God created us to be and shine the light of God’s love on every person we meet. We can be ambassadors of good will in our homes, our neighborhoods and across the globe. We may not all wear uniforms, but we are all called into service. When we stand together in a spirit of unity, we are the family we were meant to be.

Thank you to our Veterans and to all who strive for peace in the world today.

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New Thoughts and Attitudes

Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.   Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

            Ephesians 4:23-24, NLT

The writer of Ephesians offers us a challenge and it’s one we can’t do alone. We are told we need the help of the Spirit to renew our thoughts and attitudes. It seems certain in an election year that many have tried to influence our thoughts and attitudes. Some are good thoughts. Some are not. Some are so confusing we wonder what to believe, what to think, or what happened to common sense. It can feel like chaos reigns.

You’ve been developing your view of the world since you were a kid. Some of your attitudes are the result of upbringing or culture. You witnessed the behaviors and ideas of the people around you and adapted them for yourself. As an adult, you’ve tried to create boundaries and moral standards that make sense to you. You’ve tried to be a good person and just get along with others. Eventually, you may have recognized God could play a role in the thoughts that fill your mind.  At that point, you may have felt a need to change, to discover more of Him for yourself. So, you invited the Spirit of God to conform you, inform you, and help you become more holy. You wanted to be influenced by something more than human opinions, politics, theology, or philosophy. You wanted to know God was there and that He could overcome the chaos and fill your heart with joy.

Today, you can tell God your hopes to have a clean heart, a kinder heart, a more giving heart. In fact, you can tell God you want to be His light more than you want to fit into a world you don’t truly understand. You want that because God’s Spirit wants more for you than you could ever want for yourself. God works to change those attitudes that don’t serve you well. He helps you get beyond negative thinking and learned behaviors that don’t please Him.

Perhaps the best part is you feel safe, and you’re filled with heartwarming gratitude for all God does and has already done in your life. You allow the Spirit to motivate everything you think and do, and you trust you are walking more closely with the One who created you to be an amazing human being. You don’t have to settle for the opinions of others, because you are personally renewed by the Spirit of God.

Today, ask God to help you receive more of His Spirit. You will be blessed from the inside out. Your thoughts will be positive and joyful, and your attitudes will shine God’s light any place you go. Ask God to give you a heart like His. His Spirit goes before you.

May your blessings abound.

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Building Your Trust Fund

Okay, I’m not going to give you advice on how to manage your money, but it might be helpful to look at ways to manage your trust, that is to build your trust in God. Many people find it so difficult to trust others, that they struggle with ways to trust God also. After all, they can see the human beings they interact with, but God asks us to trust Him even without seeing Him. In fact, Psalm 118:8 reminds us that it is better to trust in God than in people. So if the currency is trust, how do we build our account?

Let’s look at the ways you grow to trust a friendship. First you get to know the person. You share stories about your lives. You confide in one another heart to heart. You build a bridge of trust. You can do the same thing with God. You set an intention to really get to know Him. You learn about Him. You read about Him. You listen to His stories. When you’re comfortable with what you know, you confide in Him, and you tell Him your own stories. You share your heart, and you recognize that He is near you and never leaves you.

In a friendship, you invest your heart and mind in the relationship. You bring gifts on special occasions. You tell others about how fabulous your friend is. You begin to feel like you could trust this person with your life. When you establish a friendship with God and with Jesus, you find yourself giving gifts of praise, helping others, and praying often. You tell your friends about how amazing this God is who supports you at every turn and listens to your prayers without judgment. You express your love, and you trust God with your life.

In a friendship, you can suffer disappointment, misunderstanding, and separation. You might wonder if your friend is still there for you. In a relationship built on trust with God, you may also experience disappointment because you hoped for a different outcome than the one before you. You misunderstood what you could do on your own. You felt removed from God.

We are reminded in Proverbs 3 to trust in God, and not rely on our own understanding. Building a trust relationship with God takes time. It’s the thing that happens when you’ve experienced life in all its fullness and hardship but can still conclude with great conviction that God is in control and that He reigns. It’s your surrender, your willingness to accept God on His terms that allows your trust and confidence in Him to build. 

The beauty of this trust fund is that it can never run out. It can never be used up. It can only grow as you invest more of your heart and mind into your Redeemer. Build your trust in God knowing He will never leave you and that His will for your life is that all things will work together for your good. It’s not what we see that matters after all. It’s what we know. To know God is to trust Him!

Blessings to you dear ones.

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The Six Billion Dollar Holiday

It’s that time of year when some of us shudder as eerie figures are paraded across people’s yards and little children prepare for the biggest candy fest of the season. All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Halloween all come together into a celebration that has become the second biggest commercial holiday, after Christmas. You’ve probably noticed that things have changed since you were a kid and donned your mom’s old sheets to become a ghostly trick or treater. The holiday that once celebrated the end of the harvest season, the dead of winter, and the wish for better days has evolved into an opportunity to make orange and black your favorite color and candy the treat of a lifetime.

At one time in Irish folklore, children would dress up, sing a song, or tell a quick story, or bring delight in the hope of receiving a treat, like a piece of fruit, or a log for the fire. They offered to pray for anyone who may have passed away as they went from house to house doing what we now call “trick or treating.” Since they believed that the spirits of those who had already gone on to their reward could actually be near as they walked the streets, they disguised themselves in costumes so they wouldn’t be recognized.

Some spent Halloween honoring the Saints who guided them through the year. Some spread out and adopted pagan traditions that included ghosts and goblins and witches galore. Today, the pagan traditions prevail, but the Saints and Souls are still apparent in the hearts of those who derive joy in remembering the lives of those who came before them. Whatever way it is celebrated, Halloween is big business. It’s currently a six-billion-dollar industry that keeps the candy companies booming and the costume designers hopping. Spooky Halloween greeting cards are shared with loved ones, and pumpkin faces designed to ward off evil spirits abound.

Christians seem to have mixed feelings about the holiday, but those who celebrate cherish the little children who come expectantly to their doors, crying “trick or treat,” and enjoy the neighborhood celebration of imagination, and sweet fun. If it’s not your jam that’s okay too. You can still lift up your heart in prayer for the souls of those you love and maybe give a treat or two to someone in need.

May you feel blessed at the end of the harvest season as we open the door to the gift of winter.

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Matters of the Heart

Proverbs 4:23 advises us to protect our hearts. Then it attaches another thought. “For your heart is the wellspring of life.” First of all, what does it mean to protect our hearts? How do we do that? Why do we need to do that? Obviously, the organ in the center of your being that pumps life into your whole system is important. It needs to be healthy. It needs your protection. You do that every day by giving it some exercise and eating foods that strengthen it. But that’s only a part of the story.

Every day, your heart is assaulted. It steps into the world and begins the emotional and spiritual process of trying to understand those things that seem to strike at the very core of what it means to have a good heart. It is continually in check, striving to trust, to find its way. Like a bumper car trying to get safely through to the finish line, your heart is bumped and bruised and surprised by life. The good news is that you are not alone in your effort to protect your heart and mind from the whims of the world. You have a champion, a guardian, who will walk with you and guide you. All you have to do is ask for that very protection.

Protecting your heart on your own isn’t easy though. Every negative thought that flies through your mind and lands somewhere in your consciousness seeks to unravel your sense of peace. Every unthoughtful word or gesture from those around you, steals your joy. The fact is that no one else is tuned in to the needs of your heart. No one else knows your story and your backstory and the things that cause you to feel emotions that only wreak havoc on your heart and soul. No one, that is, but God. 

God knows the real you, the heart of hearts you. He knows your thoughts that try to get you off track. He knows how fragile you are and how much you need His help. He searches your heart continually because He wants you to know what matters, what doesn’t, and what to hold on to. He knows that you are a child at heart no matter how old you are, how successful you are, or how strong you are. Your heart is always vulnerable and always in need of His attention. 

Sometimes we get caught in the drama of life, get sidetracked by things that grieve our hearts, and wonder how we got there. We’re plagued with anxiety and a sense of our own failure. We wonder if our hearts can recover from the stress and strain, we’ve applied to it ourselves. For every matter of the heart, there is one voice that forgives and renews and holds you close. When you give your heart to God, He is the wellspring of your life forever. He will never let you go.

How are things with your heart today?

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Make a You-Turn

In Jeremiah 8, God asked the prophet a significant question. He said, “Why, then, have the people of Jerusalem gone the wrong way and not turned back? They believe their own lies and refuse to turn around and come back.”

What would happen if we personalized the question? “Why, then, has Karen, Mary, John, Gordon, etc….gone the wrong way and not turned back? She/he believes her/his own lies and refuses to turn around and come back?”

Suddenly, the question is not about those people who didn’t make a u-turn thousands of years ago, but it’s about you and me today. What would it look like if you made a you-turn? We’ll call it a you-turn because turning around is only important to one person…you. If your friends don’t want to turn around, pray for them. God is helping people make u-turns all day long. He’s been providing signs along the highways of our lives that say in big letters, “Wrong way! Stop! Turn around!” Some of us see the signs and just keep going. Some of us imagine that we misread the sign, or that it must be meant for someone else. Some of us just hope for a beam of light to fall from the sky and stop us in our tracks, blinding us so we can no longer move forward, telling us to stop where we are. It worked for Paul as he walked on the road to Damascus. Not only did he see the light, but he heard the voice of Jesus asking the same question we see in Jeremiah, “Why are you ignoring me, why are you spreading lies, why don’t you turn around?

When you make a you-turn, you turn your life over to the One who knows exactly where you’re meant to go. You will never be lost, or lonely, or able to fall for the craziness around you. You’ll be a light that will beam across the world to those who still walk in darkness. You’ll have a purpose and an opportunity to see God’s hand at work all around you. 

Some people follow the crowd because they must, they feel obligated to do so. Some people follow the leader, never looking to see where that leader might go. Some people make a u-turn, turning back to God, knowing that He alone is sovereign, and He alone is in control. Don’t wait for God to ask why you didn’t turn around. Stop and listen for His voice. Call out and tell Him you are ready to walk with Him, ready to become all you are meant to be.

Turn around, dear one, and come back!

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