Kim Todd's Blog: Kim Todd Author

What Is Going On

Have you noticed lately how surprised someone is when you do an act of kindness for them? Or have you been so absorbed with all the hate flying around that you aren't doing or saying anything nice? If we take a moment and let go of our emotions, stand back, and truly look at the world around us with an open mind, you may be surprised at what you will actually see. There is a true battle going on between good and evil. Which side does your actions and words represent? How do you even know which side is right and which side is wrong? My guideline is based on Jesus' example and the fruit of the spirit. Good is...love, joy, peace, forbearance, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. Galatians 5:22-23. Evil is the opposite of that....quarrels, jealousy, outbursts of anger, slander, gossip, arrogance, factions, disorder, dissensions, envy, debauchery...Galatians 5:19-21 So step back for a few minutes and look in the mirror. Which side do you represent?

There is good and bad in all of us....What is the most dominant feature in your day to day actions? Look again at the description above. Are your actions representing Good or Evil? The main point is that we are all children of God and He wants us to Love God and Love People; Unconditionally. God is in control of everything and if we reach out to Him, He will answer. He gives us "free will" but what are we doing with that! We took anything to do with God out of our schools so we withdrew His protection for our children. We removed the Ten Commandments so our children don't have a rule book to follow. When was the last time you read a bible? When I pick up a bible, I find peace and examples of how to act.

Instead of throwing money at different types of destruction, why not try putting money into scholarships for needy children; or pay for tutors to help struggling kids in school so they can have a better future; or pay for a babysitter for the single moms that are working two jobs to make ends meet; or build tech schools for people who prefer to use their hands; or think of productive not destructive ways to spend your money. "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” 1 Thessalonians 5:15

So when you are faced with a "situation", what do you do? Do you "react" with an "emotional" response? Or do you "respond" with "thought" as to what is the proper way to handle the situation? It looks to me that everyone has gone completely "emotionally" bonkers! So please stop for a minute or two to think. Those of you who know how to pray, try that. You will be surprised at the result. Prayer is a mighty powerful thing. Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" Matthew 19:26. "Testeverything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil" 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Pray for peace, pray for healing, pray for salvation, pray for repentance, pray.....

1 John 3:7-10 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed is in them. So how do we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are...anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Jesus gave His life for everyone to have eternal life and a life of peace and joy.....that's right...JESUS LOVES EVERYONE, so should we.

1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
John 14:1....do not let your hearts be troubled...
John 14:27 Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.


Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

Luke 18:1-8 is a story that urges us to not lose faith in God and remain persistent. Philippians 4:6-9 tells us not to be anxious, remember to pray, practice imitating Jesus....

God is patient with us and wants everyone to know and love and serve and honor Him. He is also a God of justice. This minute is all that we have that is sure. This minute should be lived responsibly. What are you choosing to do?

In His Love
Kim Todd

Time at Home

Where are you today? Are you battling Sickness? Financial need? Scared? Lonely? Overworked? None of us are exempt of these situations nor are we exempt from death? It seems death is in our face every day during these Covid19 days. Our emotions are maxed out.
When I was growing up, there were no stores open on Sundays, so people would go to church and spend the day with their families. Also, many took the time to rest and reflect on God and His goodness. My Sundays growing up were filled with beautiful memories.
What are you doing during this period of "rest"? Are you wasting it by worrying or are you building memories with your family? Are you reaching out to others or are you self absorbed?
Psalm 139:16 “all the days of my life were written before one came to be.” We have free will and get to choose how to live our life and what thoughts to think.
What do your choices show about your character? Do you love God and love others? Or do you just love yourself? During trials, do you talk to God and trust Him or do you feel all alone and think you have to fix the situation yourself? How is your choice working out for you? Are you still scared or do you feel peace?
I choose to talk to God and trust Him through my trials and during these scary times. That has been my first choice through all of my life and trials. It’s amazing how God shows up in ways beyond anything I could imagine. He is the creator of the universe, loves us enough to let His Son take on our sin so we can live forever in His presence after our time on earth is done.
I hope you call to Jesus when you are scared or need assurance that this all turns out well. No matter what the circumstances look like, if you have accepted Christ as your Savoir I promise you....it ALL TURNS OUT WELL. So do not fear, don’t look at your circumstances, LOOK UP, and talk to God. He cares about everything in your life.

Disciple or Believer

What is the difference between a person that believes in God and a disciple of God? Many people go to church when it's convenient or occasionally read their bibles. But God is not the Passion and Purpose of their lives. A person can believe in God, but not really make a difference in the world around them.
God-created all of us for one purpose….to glorify Him. His two main commandments are to love God & love people. So, what did your day look like today? Do you think you made a difference in someone's life today? Maybe by just doing one small kind act you could have turned a person’s day around and brought Joy to them. Were you a good example of how Jesus wants us to live? Or did you live in a comfortable bubble & stay to yourself? Do you speak to others in an elevator or do you pretend they are invisible? What are your normal actions in the world around you? If you know Jesus ask yourself …… Are you a disciple or are you a believer?
Kim Todd
Author

ASAP

ASAP
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Seems we are always in a hurry and people are telling us to hurry! Things to do, people to see, work to be done ... then in the midst of all the hurrying someone reaches out to you and they have an ASAP in the request; which typically means hurry up more in your hurry up process! Sometimes it feels impossible to do everything & then we have to hurry up even faster! Grrrr!
One day I saw a sign that had in big letters ASAP on it & below the letters it read "Always Stop And Pray". Wow! What a reminder that no matter how tough the going gets, if we just stop & ask God to join us...everything seems to fall in place, the going gets easier, & there is actually a bit of joy in your heart! So try not to stress next time someone sends you an ASAP. Use it as a reminder that God wants to walk beside us in everything; He wants us to ask Him to join us. Take the time to Always Stop And Pray. You will be surprised at the difference it will make!
Jeremiah. 33:3 “Call to me & I will answer you …."
Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked at them and said ‘with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’ "
Kim Todd
Author

Happy New Year 2020!

There's a lot of excitement regarding a New Year coming upon us and I'm even more excited because of this new year being the year of 2020. When I think of 2020, I think of perfect vision.
Do you ever stop and think about the way you look at things in your everyday life? God has so many surprises in store for us each and every day and he has the perfect vision of what our future holds. I was reminded of this recently when my Christmas cactus burst forth with tons of blooms that were just absolutely stunning. It amazes me how a plant can be dormant all year long and then every year at the exact same time at Christmas, it bursts forth with such beautiful wonder. God has this type of surprise for us every day, but we get so busy with daily tasks that we put much pressure on ourselves to complete that we totally miss so many gifts from God each day. We are definitely our own worst enemy.

I would like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful, joy filled, New Year. I hope that you will take time in each day to look at your surroundings & circumstances with perfect vision, the vision that is seen through the eyes of God who is teaching us every day that He is there & He loves us.

Happy New Year everyone. Don't miss God's blessing for you today. Look up/

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was the last time I spent time with my son and a week later he was killed in a car accident
Thanksgiving was the last time that Tony Dungy spent with his 18 year old son. Less than a month later his son died.
Tony Dungy said that One of the regrets that he had was that he didn't tell his son that he loved him when he left his house that Thanksgiving day. They both just said, “See ya later”
I obviously faced many regrets of my own regarding my son. However, I’ve been very mindful most of my life of how short life really is. My family has experienced a lot of family and friends passing on to the next life. Most people don’t think about the possibility of not seeing someone they love again. But it happens and it happens very fast and unexpectedly. I encourage each of you during this Holiday Season to spend time with your family, reach out to people you’ve not spoken to in a while. Let them know that you're thankful for them and that you love them.
I can rejoice and so can Tony Dungy because we know for sure our sons are in heaven with Jesus and happier than they could ever be here on this Earth. We can THANK JESUS for loving us all so much that he died for us so we can have eternal life. I am going to see my son again someday. So will Tony. While visiting or talking with your family, ask them if they know Jesus and believe in Him. I’ve met so many people who have lost a family member and they are not sure. I have family members that have died and I am not sure where they are. It hurts more, not knowing. If you're not sure where they are, your mind will make you nuts after the loss of a loved one. The joy that you can experience knowing for sure that they're in Heaven eases the pain so much more. Sure, it may be uncomfortable to talk about it at first, but do it anyway. There are no chances after they are gone. There is no promise of tomorrow. Death actually affects all of us sometime in our life. It does take you by surprise even though it is the destiny of all mankind.
Take time to say I love you. Take time to laugh. Take time to enjoy the little things. Take time to BE THANKFUL! Don’t sweat the small stuff! Don’t forget to let them know you care.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for you all. I love you!

What is your Story?

Have you ever looked at a stranger and wondered "what is their story?" What has happened in your life to make you the person that you are today?

Instead of getting upset at someone who is mean and angry and grumbling all the time, instead of lashing back, stop and just look at them through different eyes and know that they are a human being just trying to get through this life on Earth. They obviously have had issues that have caused them to be the way they are at that moment. Did someone they love die or did their wife or husband leave them?
Did they just lose their home? What is their story? If we looked at everyone with compassion even though they may be coming across as a jerk, it may change their story into a better one moving forward. Do you dare break the chain of the common reaction of the same type of behavior? Instead, respond with a hug or a kind Word. The results may surprise you. Let’s make a difference today and try turning someone’s sadness into gladness. Ask yourself, what would Jesus do?
Kim Todd

Help In Hurting

When Zach died I wasn’t sure if I could live another day, much less take another breath. I could not understand why God took such a young wonderful life. I started searching the Bible to see what it says about death and Heaven. I was amazed at what I discovered. There was so much hope in the Bible that it gave me peace.

Some of the verses:

Ecclesiastes 7:2b Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

Psalm 139:16 All the days of my life were written in your book before one of them came to be.

John 13:7 You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He made everything beautiful in time. He also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end.

John 3:16-17 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his son to condemn the world but to save the world.

There is so much hope and joy in the Bible. I knew I could not change what God had planned for my life. I had to keep living and try to make each day count. I want to bring joy to people I meet every day. We don’t know what they are going through. I decided to be “outward “focused, not “in word “focused.

God created so many earthly examples of life after death. Look at butterflies. They start out as caterpillars crawling on the ground, struggling to get to where they are going. (Example of our daily life). Then one day they go out into a cocoon (grave) and emerge into a beautiful butterfly flying carefree and so beautiful.

Imitate Me

Imitate me
What would it look like if you said to other people "imitate me".? Would the world be a better place or would it be full of hate and anger and dissension.
What do people see when they look at you and the way you act? When someone yells at you, do you yell back or do you respond with a kind word? When someone talks badly about you, do you endure it or do you talk badly about them as well.

What do others see when they look at you? Would you want your children to be exactly like you or to be like someone else? If you want them to be like someone else maybe you should rethink how you act and resolve to change. Be the person you want others to be. Set an example with your actions & your life. Then have the confidence to say "imitate me".

Ignoring Others

My granddaughter was nervous about starting back to school this year. She said that the kids from her neighborhood never allowed her to sit with them at lunch and that they always ignored her or ran away from her. I told her that maybe they had too many friends and that they didn't appreciate them as much as they should. I told her she should make new friends. I suggested that she look for someone who was sitting by themselves or was always alone. Go up to them and extend her friendship to them asking them if they would like to sit with her or play with her or even walk from class to class with her. Maybe the people who are alone are looking for friends as well. I told her be the friend that she would want others to be to her and set an example.

I think if people would stop thinking about themselves and look at others around them, they could make a huge difference in the world. I encourage each person who reads this to "do something" positive & kind to those around you and make the world a better place. Start something good.