From Ordinary to Extraordinary

For where two or three are gathered

together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20

Today started out like any other day...but God put something extraordinary right in the middle of an ordinary day. The dictionary defines ordinary as "normal; having no special or distinctive features". When I read the meaning I couldn't help but ask myself if any day is really ordinary? When I stop and study that a little while, I would have to say no, our days are not ordinary. They may be "normal" in a sense that we have our routines and we go about our days in somewhat the same fashion as other days. We want them to be normal in the sense that we don't want to be sick, we want our families safe and sound. We long for normalcy in the midst of pain. We long for routine in the midst of things changing. But when I looked deeper at the meaning and saw that it said ordinary meant having no special or distinctive features, I knew that none of our days should be ordinary. Every day is extraordinary. The key for me is looking for it. Oh, it's always there, the extraordinary, waiting patiently for us to see it and find it and grasp it and love it and soak it up and share it. Today was extraordinary. I saw it. I felt it. I experienced it. I want you to experience it with me.  

My mom had an appointment to get a mammogram today. She is 18 years cancer free, Praise Jesus, and today was her yearly exam. Having had breast cancer myself, I know all too well that this day brings about nerves and fears and doubts and flashbacks and memories of a time that was both hard and painful, but beautiful and incredible. God changed my Momma through her journey and He changed me through mine. But this doesn't mean we don't get scared we're going to have to relive it again. I often tell people that I wouldn't trade my breast cancer journey for anything and some don't understand it. But God worked in my life in such ways that I cannot explain it. I saw His extraordinary goodness and grace daily. There have been times I've not felt the same way as I did then. At that time in my life I was so dependent upon God to walk with me, and talk with me and show me His goodness and grace in each day that I was looking for Him in everything I did, everything I saw, every place I visited, every person I met. It's easy to become complacent when you walk out of the journey healed and at times I've found it harder to see Him as much. But it's me...it's ALWAYS me! Why...because I settle for the ordinary. I no longer look and anticipate and wait for the extraordinary. Oh, I long for the extraordinary. There's nothing like it and once you've experienced the extraordinary things given by God, ordinary just isn't enough anymore. But I was reminded today that all I have to do is open my eyes and He will be there. He will show me. Psalm 33:5 says, "the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord".

So my mom and I arrive at the imaging center this morning for her mammogram, and they tell her that they have no orders from the doctor and that it will be a while. They have placed a phone call to her doctor for the orders, but they cannot take her back until they receive these orders. She comes over and sits down with me and our first reaction is, "well, great, how long will this take". Now one of the reasons this is a first response is because when you get to the appointment, you are so ready just to go in there and get the results, no matter what they are. Waiting is hard. Of course, the other reason for this reaction is because we tend to be impatient and we want what we want right now. :) We notice this man and woman sitting over a little bit from us to our right and she has heard the nurse tell my mom that her orders are not there. The lady, who is Louise, says the same thing has happened to her today. She is five years out beyond breast cancer and is there for a mammogram also, but her orders are not there either. Yes, different doctors, same problem. So we begin a conversation with them and learn a little about her story. When we found out she has been cancer free for five years, we say, "Praise the Lord", because we know...we get it...it's a huge Praise to God that we are all sitting in there sharing the same journey, serving a God who chose to heal us all for this moment, for this time, for His purpose. The man said, "Yes, you said the right thing; you said Praise the Lord and all Praise goes to Him". Three words. Praise. The. Lord. Three powerful words. Three words that began a worship session right in the middle of the doctor's office. Three words that turned an ordinary day into an extraordinary moment.

They called Ms. Louise back for her mammogram and we visited a while longer with her husband, who was a pastor. He pretty much preached and we worshiped the Lord right there in the waiting room. We talked and had fellowship as if no one else was around us, and the place was packed. They called Momma to the back and we hated to leave. This man was such a blessing to both of us, and we told him. God ordained this specific time for us to meet each other. I always say I do not believe in coincidences, but I most certainly believe in Godincidences, and that is what this was. 

While waiting on Momma to finish her mammogram, I got to visit with Ms. Louise again. She got a good report today, but she is quite nervous because she sees a doctor on Friday about a place on her lung. She's had two brothers and a sister pass away from lung cancer and I could tell she is scared. When she came out of the dressing room, I got up to hug her. I told her I would pray for her and that I would ask my family to pray also. So please pray for Ms. Louise on Friday. She didn't know the way out so I walked her to the door. I opened the door and gave her husband the thumbs up sign and told him we would be praying. This is the moment that is hard to explain...hard to put into words. Ms. Louise stopped walking, turned around and it was as if light just lit up around her entire body. She was surrounded in light. She was beautiful. She turned back to me and blew me a kiss and said, "I love you". I cannot begin to tell you how I felt inside. It was as if she were an angel. God was there in that very moment. He was in our midst and He put us together as if we were family. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 18:1, "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself". The connection with David and Jonathan was a spiritual connection, a kindred connection, just like we had today. Friends, only God could knit people together so closely in such a short time. Only God.

When Ms. Louise turned back to me and blew me a kiss and I saw light surrounding her entire being, I knew this was an extraordinary moment. Deuteronomy 33:12 says, "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders". This is what I saw. I could see Ms. Louise resting on the chest of Jesus. He's got her in his arms, just as He does you and me. What a beautiful picture God gives us in this scripture. Our Heavenly Father carrying us and holding us to his chest. Oh how He loves us. He loves us enough to give us moments like this. He loves us enough to change an ordinary moment into an extraordinary experience. We just have to look for it.

What started out being a delay that had us aggravated turned out to be such a blessing in so many ways, one that I won't soon forget. Hebrews 13:1-2 says, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels". You never know when or why God will put a special messenger in your path. He put one in our path today and I am grateful my eyes and heart were open to see it. Look for Him...He's always there, carrying you close to His chest just waiting to turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary moment.

I love you all,

Kacey

Facing our Fears

For the Joy of the Lord is 

your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

I've been struggling for weeks knowing the Lord wanted me to write, but not knowing what it was He wanted me to write about. I kept asking Him to give me something - a story, a joke, anything - until it dawned on me that I have a story. It's Jesus. Jesus is my story everyday, I just may not hear or see Him the way I'm supposed to. But always know this...if I don't hear or see Him, it's because of me, not Him. He never moves, never leaves, never forsakes us.

I was sitting in the doctor's office a couple of weeks ago awaiting my yearly mammogram. For those of you that don't know, I have had breast cancer and just recently came off all medication treatment and was officially labeled as a breast cancer survivor, rather than a patient with breast cancer. That was a wonderful day! At first I went every three months, then every six, now every year. As time wore on, it got easier to become complacent. Now don't misunderstand me, it's always nerve-wracking, the what-ifs always in the back of my mind. But, the more I heard, "everything looks great", the easier it was to become comfortable and, well, complacent. This last time, though, I was in the waiting area with my mom, thinking about where we would go for lunch afterwards, when the nurse came through and very casually said, "I think we're going to have to ultrasound you today", and kept walking. I cannot begin to tell you all that went through my mind in just seconds. See, when they come out after a mammogram and want to do an ultrasound it means they see something they're not happy with. So the sweet, sweet girl that does the ultrasound came and got us (my mom went with me) and did the ultrasound. I know her and she tries her best to make it less scary and routine. However, in those moments, I relived the day I was diagnosed with cancer and all the years of radiation and treatment in between...in moments...like a slideshow in my mind of every hurdle, every tear, every moment spent waiting. What didn't cross my mind at the time was all the moments of Jesus I experienced...all the answered prayers, all the great news, all the battles won and the victories achieved all by the grace of God. I was told that day the area was most likely benign and was scar tissue and they would check it again in six months. Whew! It was only afterwards that I saw all I should have seen the moment they said the word "ultrasound". I panicked. I froze. I was full of fear. Instead of being full of peace and joy and the knowledge that God was with me no matter the outcome, I did the opposite and became full of fear.

Fear.  I hate that word. I hate the feeling. I hate everything about fear. It's a giant in my life right now...a paralyzing, gripping, crippling fear at times. Instead of being ashamed, I want to write about it and talk about it because this is where I'm struggling. Maybe writing about my feelings and about what I'm trying to do about it and really looking at what God says about it will help you, too. Psalm 18:28-30 says, "You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect. The LORD's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in him." (NIV) When I talk about fear in my life right now, it's not one specific thing - it's a lot of things. Because it's a lot of things, I feel like it's a giant in front of me - always there, always hard to get around, impossible to defeat. Of course, I can't help but think about David and Goliath in the Bible. Goliath was a giant and David was a scrawny little thing, the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy. But the Bible tells us that David would kill the lions and the bears that grabbed the sheep and he would rescue the sheep. David had a heart for God. He volunteered to go up against Goliath. David says in 1 Samuel 17:37, "The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistine. Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." And he did it! He killed Goliath! He defeated the giant before him. But make no mistake here, David didn't do it in his own strength; he did it with God's strength! And when I read this story and hear the words that David said, I don't hear fear in him. I don't hear worry. He doesn't seem paralyzed by fear, or want to run and hide. He wanted to run toward Goliath. I've asked myself why and it's because he was full of the confidence of God being with him. He was certain beyond a doubt that God would take care of him. I even believe he thought if he died trying to defeat Goliath that it was God's will and he was okay with it. This, right here, is what I need to tell myself every minute of every day if I have to. Because here's the thing...God's in charge, not me. I want more than anything else in my life, with everything in my being to be in the will of God. This being so, it would stand to reason that my life would be full of joy and peace instead of fear. But see, satan is very real and he knows he can use this against me. He has a way of creeping into our minds and before we know it we're sitting in a place of fear asking ourselves what happened to our joy and peace. Matthew 19:26 says, "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." That's a promise straight from our Almighty God - all things are possible with God, not just some things, ALL things. That's cause for shoutin'!

So all these things I worry about - safety of my children and family, sickness, all the things that seem silly when I read God's word - He's got it. John 12:46 says, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." We should never be in darkness, and fear is dark, no matter what that fear is. Matthew 6:27 says, "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" I think about this and know it in my heart, but boy is it hard some days. But I don't want to spend the days I have in fear, but rather in celebration and joy because of all Jesus has done for us. Because the bottom line is this...if we know the Lord as our Savior, we are only passing through this life. Our lives truly begin when we get to eternity. James 4:14 tells us, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." We're not here for long in the scheme of eternity, so why waste it in fear? That's not what God wants for us. Our job is to tell as many people as we can about the Heaven that God has prepared for us if we know Him. We are to get others so excited about it, that fear vanishes. Jesus came to this earth and died for us so that we can live with Him forever. Our time here on earth is fleeting, but it is to be lived to the fullest in Jesus. He can fill us with a peace that nothing or no one can ever fill. Psalm 144:4 says, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." Compared to eternity, it's a blink of the eye. I don't want to spend my future in fear, do you? We don't have to. We may not know the future, but we can know the God who does. 

What I've realized is that living in fear is exhausting. However, God gives us such hope and tells us over and over again in His word not to fear because He is with us always. He put it in His word so much because He knew we would need to hear it. When I read the promises God gives us, that fear starts to diminish...I start to feel a peace come over me that I know are the arms of God. He's our father, our daddy, wanting to protect us in all things. He doesn't want to see us hurting. One day, that trumpet's gonna sound and the eastern sky is gonna part and Jesus will descend to call His children home. At that point we'll stroll hand in hand with our Savior through Heaven, singing and praising Him, visiting with our loved ones, in a place that's too beautiful for us to fathom. The sun will always shine and fear will never be an emotion we ever feel again. When we look at it like this, why would we ever fear when God is on our side? Just like David, let's run this race with the confidence that because God is with us, fear has no place in our lives. Let's look toward the big celebration we'll have in Heaven when we get there. 

So I say all this, and I"m thankful that God has given me these words today, because the more we can talk about it and encourage each other, the better we will be. The more we read God's word and brand these verses into our minds, the less room there will be for fear. Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." God commands us to be strong and to not be afraid. The joy of the Lord is our strength says Nehemiah! Joy is our strength...not fear. I want to be the kind of woman that is so full of God and have so much of Jesus in me that satan is too afraid to approach me. I want him to know better than to mess with me because whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. I'm a child of the King and so are you, so let's straighten up our crowns and walk on!

I love you all,

Kacey

The Power of the SONshine

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

One thing I love so much about the Lord is His way of speaking to us. I get ahead of Him, or try to, and eventually wake up and know that He's very gently, very patiently, very lovingly pulling me back in...closer to Him and away from myself. It's an ongoing struggle, but I'm trying. 

It all started a couple of weeks ago when it snowed. We don't get snow very often, and each time I am amazed and humbled. I know that sounds funny, but it humbles me that God creates something so beautiful for us to enjoy. I am amazed at the sheer creation of it...the look, the purity, the brightness, the way there are so many flakes yet each one is different. But the thing that struck me most this time was the silence. I stepped outside to take some pictures and was completely awestruck. I always am because of the beauty, but this time it was as if all of creation paused to admire it. The birds and animals were silent, no sounds of cars on the roads, nothing...the snow was falling hard, but for the most part it was silent. Silent but powerful and beautiful and wonderful and pure. It made me realize what Jesus did for us on the cross. How, you might say? Well, growing up a good ole' southern Baptist girl, I was reminded of the hymn, Jesus Paid it All. It says, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow". (You just sang that didn't you?) :) So I stood outside that day, looking across our backyard at the bright white snow, humbled and so, so grateful that Jesus took my sin and washed me as white as the brilliant snow I was looking at. Funny how He uses His own creation, a very fragile snowflake, to remind us of something so powerful...the most powerful thing to ever be done for us...His death on the cross. 

It doesn't stop there, though, not with His death on the cross. Stay with me for just a second. The next day the sun came out, and even though the temperature was not above freezing, the snow began to melt. The snow that was directly under the sun melted. The power of the sun melted the snow regardless of the temperature. The snow that was shaded and not in the direct path of the sun did not melt. This spoke volumes to me, not only about the power that God gives the sun when it shines, but mostly about the power of the SON, Jesus Christ! Yes, He died on the cross for me and for you, but like I said, it didn't end there. He arose and is alive and by His death we are given eternal life! If we accept Him as our Savior we will always take with us the power of the SON, we will always have the guarantee of an eternal life in Heaven. His death, burial and resurrection wipes our sins away and we are never without hope. Jesus paid it all and washed us white as snow...that's the true power of the SON and He can shine through us in so many ways if we let Him.

I have been burdened for quite some time about the lost, those that don't know Jesus as Savior. Reaching the lost and telling them about the gospel of Jesus is supposed to be our main goal. It's what we are commissioned to do. But it's hard and we have a hard time. Why is that? Why is it so hard for me to tell people about the most wonderful gift ever given? Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's fear of rejection. Maybe it's because I don't feel equipped enough to argue with someone who doesn't want to listen. I think it's all of the above. We are supposed to live and be a light, so that when others see us they see Jesus. I mess that up sometimes. But I'm working on trying to plant seeds of salvation and tell others about Christ. The Bible tells us in Psalm 144:4, "They are like a breath, their days are like a fleeting shadow". This is what has me so burdened. Our lives are like a breath or a mist and can be over in an instant. Just like the snow we had a few weeks ago, it was here today and gone tomorrow. 

Let us not be afraid to ask if people know Jesus. The power of the SON is great and mighty. God offers us beauty every day here on this earth and in this life. It's all around us if we look around. We're given the sunshine, the snow, the rain to make things grow, beautiful people we come into contact with every day. But the most important thing Jesus gave us when He died on the cross for us is eternal life in Heaven - a place we cannot fathom or understand until we get there. God gives us a glimpse into what it will be like. Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 22:4-5 says, "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever". What a wonderful glimpse into Heaven! And the road to get there is so simple. Don't you want to go? Ask Him into your heart and acknowledge who He is. Don't you want to see your loved ones and friends? Don't we even want strangers to go? Then we must ask them. We must tell them. We must give them directions on how to get there. Did you notice there in Revelation where it says "they will not need the light of the sun"? Can you imagine that? I know when the sun doesn't shine for a few days, the sunshine makes me feel so much better. The power of Jesus, our God and our Savior, is so strong, we don't need the sunshine. He is the SON. He is our light! 

Thank you for listening, for taking the time to let me share. Sometimes I feel as if my words are jumbled and that I don't convey what the Lord is really wanting me to say. But the biggest thing I want you to get from this is that, no matter who you are, I want you to know Jesus as your Savior. I want you to be able to spend eternity in Heaven with me. Let's get out there and tell others about this wonderful gift God has given us, and about this wonderful place He is preparing for us. We cannot truly fathom eternity, but our days will be endless. There will never be an end to praising God, to worshiping Jesus, to singing praises, seeing our loved ones, and the list goes on. We will be forever happy, forever grateful, forever healthy in a place as bright as the sun. Just as the power of the sunshine melted the snow last week, the power of the SONshine will light our days for all eternity in Heaven.

I love you all,
Kacey

A Word for the Brokenhearted

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:31

Today is the fourth day I've tried to write. It's the fourth time I've tried to put into words what's on my heart. I'll admit that when God began speaking to me about writing on this subject I knew it would be hard. It's out of my comfort zone and something hard for me to put into words. I've asked myself why, and I believe it's because this subject is one we don't talk about much. I'm talking about loving one another. Oh, we'll say we love everybody. We'll say we're Christian so we have to love one another, right?  We'll put a smile on our faces and act as if all is right with the world and be dying inside because our hearts are broken and shattered in a million pieces. What do we do about it? How do we mend our hearts and move on? If we're Christians, shouldn't we love each other, constantly turning the other cheek, no matter the circumstance? And what if it's family or a true and trusted friend that's stopped caring and loving us, shouldn't we just keep on keeping on because that's what we're meant to do? I believe the answer is no, and I want to share with you why I think this. 

I keep coming back to write and seem to get stuck. I'm not sure if it's because I'm having such a hard time putting it into words, or because I so want to convey what the Lord has laid on my heart. I have people in my life that have left or hurt me in ways I never thought possible. I've sought God's help in trying to understand what I'm to do in situations where I've been commanded to love, but deep in my heart I'm so heart broken I can't find my way. So I've continued to ask God to show me, speak to me because I really believe that when He speaks to me this strongly it's meant for someone else out there that may be struggling. 

I think another reason this has been difficult for me is because it's hard to watch someone you love go through something painful when there's nothing you can do to fix it. But God can. Psalm 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds". So that's the first thing we need to realize. God is here to mend and heal our hearts. He's here to heal our wounds, no matter how deep. God also tells us in Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." I LOVE this verse. Peace just flows out of these words right to my heart. You need to know that we have a God who is close to the brokenhearted and the crushed. He must have known we would need these words in this life we live. I know I've needed them. Let me share with you two instances where I have not only needed these words, but I've needed to understand how I'm supposed to move on - do I stay or do I walk away.

The first instance is about bullying. One of our sons was bullied at school last year. It was hard to watch and harder to explain. It was a friend who turned on him. Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right." This child knew what he was doing. He was called out on it, asked about it, so he knew. Our son knew what was happening, too, but he didn't know why. The bullying was subtle and sneaky and quiet, yet the impact was huge. The impact was hard on all of us because our whole family lost a friendship over the actions of a child. Psalm 41:9 says, Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me." There's nothing harder than watching your child hurt, watching them lose their confidence, watching them let someone else have power over them. Well, we made it through the school year and we grieved the loss. Does it hurt less because we're angry? No. But we get through it and begin a new school year. The very first day this same child starts again with his words. My son comes home with a first day that's not what he anticipated. First. Day. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt - angry, frustrated, hurt, weary to name a few. My husband and I have taken steps to make sure this stops, but what I really want to focus on is what God says. How do we get our son through this and not let him suffer? This can be tricky because although he is a Christian, it's hard for him to understand that God may be using this to strengthen him. The Bible says in Psalms 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever". We have shared with him Matthew 5:39 where Jesus tells us to "turn the other cheek". However, we must understand here that He is telling us to not take our own revenge. God does that for us. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord", says Romans 12:19. We must also look at the significance of when Jesus was slapped on the face by the guard of the High Priest. He did not turn His face so the guard could slap him again. Instead Jesus said in John 18:23, "If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" This shows us that even Jesus defended himself with words and demanded an answer for the treatment He was given. We don't have to take it. We don't have to subject ourselves to the mistreatment of others. Stand up. Stand firm. Stand on God's word that says that confronting is okay. Let me interject here that we are to always continue to love in our hearts. Mark 12:31 says, "The second is this, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." So we are working on this with our son. We are showing him what God says, encouraging him to confront it so he feels powerful instead of powerless, but also encouraging him to walk away. We can love, but we do not have to participate in a hurtful relationship.

I have watched my mother deal with the same situation, except in her case it's with family. Does this make it harder to walk away from? Yes. Does it mean that because it's family we should stay and take the abuse? No. We don't have to be trapped in a relationship that's abusive. Sometimes I think we, as Christians, believe we are to feel guilty if we walk out on a family relationship no matter the treatment. We can forgive our abuser but the Bible does not tell us to continue in it. I have watched my mother grieve the loss of her mother and sisters for years. She kept returning to the relationship because of her deep longing for their love, acceptance and relationship. Much like my son, she does not understand why things are the way they are. She's asked herself a million questions and tried to figure out what she's done. What if there's nothing? She's been to them many, many times to reconcile and will eventually find herself in the same hurtful, heartbroken place. Psalm 27:10 says, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." See, although our family members may leave us, God never does. Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families...". I can attest that He has set my mother in a family and she is lonely. She has no relationship with her mom or sisters. She is crushed in her spirit. But hear this. 2 Timothy 4:18 says, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Amen. God will rescue us. He keeps us safe. To give the details of this relationship is not what's important, for there are too many to tell. What's important here is that I have watched my mother suffer in the name of family, even when it's been unhealthy for her - for all of us. Psalm 129: 2 and 4 says, "They have greatly oppressed me from my youth, But the Lord is righteous; He has cut me free from the cords of the wicked." Wait a minute, now. Did I say wicked? You bet I did. My mother has been oppressed by her family for years. Is it not wicked for a mother to turn her back on her own daughter? Is it not wicked for a family member to keep on hurting over and over again? There are many verses in the Bible that speak of leaving bad situations. Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Please know that I do not condone just haphazardly leaving family or friend relationships. But look at the heart of those you're trying to convince to love and like you. Do they love you? Do they treat you with respect? Have you done all that God has asked you to do to try and reconcile? If so, I think one of the verses that helps the most is Mark 6:11 that says, "And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." Did you hear that? God wants us to live for Him. He wants us to experience full joyfulness. Don't let anyone stand in the way of that. Let's pray for these that hurt us. Let's love them. Let's always pray that God shifts their hearts enough for reconciliation. But 1 Corinthians 7:15 says, ",,,A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace."

I believe the main verse to focus on here is Romans 12:18 that says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Unfortunately we are not able to live at peace with everyone, and as this verse says, as far as it depends on you - meaning that it takes all parties. If the other party is not willing, pray for them, but don't be guilted into staying because you think it's un-Christian not to. 

Am I hurt at my friends and my family? Yes. Do I love them? Yes. Do I miss them? Absolutely. Do I grieve over the loss? Every day.  But I don't want to stay and continue to be hurt. I don't want to watch my mother or my son hurt any longer. So we are choosing to walk away, and that's okay. God richly fills our lives with love - look for it. You'll find it. In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. That's all we need, but that's not all He gives us. He sends us people to love us and care for us so that we may pour ourselves and our love for Him right back in to them. God is good. God is big. Jeremiah 32:27 says, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" There is nothing too big for God to do, even reconcile a broken relationship. Just remember it takes all parties to be willing to let God work. He's even big enough to allow you to walk away and still love at the same time. Just ask Him. I love Him and I pray you know Him as your Savior. I've made it to the end with something very personal and this is long, but I felt Him leading me to share. I hope it helps if you find yourself in a relationship where you're hurting and don't know what to do. Thank you for reading and for listening. And don't be afraid to love deeply. It's what we're called to do. Even if you walk away, you can still love. Reach out, for He gives us each other to share everything under the Son.

I love you all,

Kacey

Altogether Beautiful

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Song of Solomon 4:7

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Who are "they"? Who gets to decide what the parameters are for beauty? Somewhere, somehow, someone came up with the definition of beauty and it stuck. I think we can all agree on the beauty of some things, like a beautiful sunset or sunrise, the beauty of nature, or the vast beauty of the ocean. But what happens when we try to agree on the beauty of us, of people? Society tells us that we are supposed to look a certain way, weigh a certain amount, dress a certain way in order to be beautiful. Our youth are plagued with wanting to be beautiful, but the parameters are near impossible to meet. I read a quote the other day by the philosopher and teacher, Confucius, that said, "Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it." While that may be true for us, we must know that God always sees beauty, our beauty.

I, myself, have struggled my whole life over beauty - how to reach it, how to hold on to it, how to be more like those that have it. But over the last five years, my mindset about this has changed. For those of you that don't know, I have had breast cancer. It's been an amazing journey, for God taught me so much. I think one of the biggest things I learned is about beauty, so that's why I have such a passion for what it really is. I certainly haven't reached the place I need to be on this issue. My struggles are still real. They are still hard, and I am constantly trying to be a better version of myself for the Lord. But I see young people and old people alike not liking themselves because of stigmas society has placed upon us. Let me explain.

This week alone I have had two separate stories told to me about young women who do not realize their beauty in the eyes of the Lord. One mom said that her daughter struggles with no self-esteem, that she equates her self-worth and beauty on something her first boyfriend told her. The other mom told me that her daughter struggles because she's shy and feels like she doesn't fit in. Oh my goodness, this just gets my heart pumping! So many thoughts go through my heart and my head so quickly that my mouth can't keep up with what I want to say. You see, when I had cancer, I had markings over my body to mark the radiation site. I had scars from when I had numerous surgeries. My skin was red from the burning of the radiation. I got shingles three times in one year because of the stress. I was so tired, and I looked tired. I was weary, and I looked weary. Every time I looked in the mirror, I didn't like what I saw. I didn't feel like myself, or look like myself, so I never felt beautiful. Ever. Not. Ever. I admit that at the time I didn't care so much because I was too busy fighting to realize what I was really thinking when I looked in the mirror. But you know what? I did care. I was paying attention. I was learning the truth that God was teaching me through this time of my life. It's just taken some time for it to sink in. 

The Bible tells us in Psalm 139:14, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because I think it speaks so much about how God feels about us. I did some research and found that in the original Hebrew text of the Bible, the word fearfully means, "with great reverence, heart-felt interest and with respect." The word wonderfully means, "unique, set apart, marvelous." So God is saying with great reverence, heart-felt interest and respect, "I have set you apart and made you unique and marvelous." Wow! So for all of you, know that you are unique and wonderful and marvelous and set apart because God made you to be who you are. Genesis 1:27 tells us, "So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." We are all created in the image of our Almighty Savior. 

This year while on vacation we ran across a painting in a restaurant that I fell in love with immediately. It says simply, "in the morning when I rise, give me Jesus." I asked the manager of the restaurant if she would be willing to sell it to us and she said yes. I was so happy! I came  home and placed it on the wall beside my bed so that when I woke up each day that's the first thing I see. It's a daily reminder to me that all I need is Jesus. Every morning when I rise, I need Jesus. I have His love and acceptance of me and that's all I need.

Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." We need to let our light shine. Our light is Jesus, and we are to shine it for all to see. We cannot shine our lights if we think we're ugly. We cannot shine our lights if we think we're not good enough. We cannot shine our lights if we think we don't measure up to the person next to us. No, God made us to be us. So to the mom who has the daughter that has no self-esteem, let's pray she can rise up and realize that her self-worth is in Jesus. To the mom of the daughter who feels like a misfit because she's shy, let's pray she can rise up and realize that her shyness could be God's way of making her compassionate, having and wanting a heart more like Jesus. Let's pray we all learn to rise up and let our lights shine for Jesus because underneath what we see in the mirror, and underneath what we think people see when they look at us, is a warrior. If we know Christ as our Savior, the Bible tells us nothing is impossible with God. We are created in the very image of a God that created the entire universe. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here." Let us not look at ourselves and see fault. God sent His only son Jesus to die on a cross for us so that we may have eternal life. This is the greatest form of love there is. Let's rise up and be warriors for Christ, using how He made us the way He intended us to use it. No matter if we're shy or outgoing, tall or short, big or small, a talker or a great listener, He made us this way on purpose, for His purpose! Embrace it! Don't try to be someone you're not because you're supposed to be exactly who you are. Build on it. Ask God to help you see what He sees. Proverbs 3:15 says, "She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her." He loves us with an ever-lasting, unconditional love. So let's rise up together and accept each other and love each other and encourage each other to be who we have been created to be. Rise up and be a warrior in who God created you to be. You are altogether beautiful, my love. All the time.

I love you all,
Kacey

He's Alive

Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit." When He had said this, He breathed His last. 

Luke 23:46

Imagine with me, just for a moment, a place of pure beauty; a place where the light is brilliant, the colors magnificent. The great street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass (Revelation 21:21). There will be robes of white and gates of pearl. There will be no more night, no more tears, no more worries, no more pain, no more suffering, no death or mourning. Instead, there will be praise - praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Praise to the one who came to earth to live and die on a cross to give us this eternal life in this wonderful place called Heaven. Doesn't it sound wonderful? And I know that we cannot truly fathom what Heaven is really like...we can only imagine. It will be more than we can comprehend. But what I've thought about so much this week, this Easter, is what it took for us to be given a place such as this to spend eternity. What did it cost? It cost us nothing. It cost Jesus everything. What sacrifices were made? We made none. Jesus gave it all.

See, Jesus was the only perfect man to walk this earth. He came to show us He was and is Christ, the Messiah, our Savior. He showed His love and His power to all, telling them what was to come. Oh, to be there then - what was it like? What was it like to watch Him feed thousands or make the blind to see? What was it like to see Him raise the dead? What was it like to touch the hem of His garment? To hear Him speak, to see Him perform these miracles, to watch Him give grace and show His love and speak of His death, burial and resurrection...what was it like? I wonder what they thought when He spoke of these things. He was perfect; unlike us, He was without sin, yet He was condemned to die. 

Luke 24:20 says, "The chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him." (NIV) Now before they crucified Him, the Bible tells us in Matthew 27:28-30, "And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews'. Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head." (NKJV) They spit on our Savior, our Jesus, the One who came to save us and offer us this place I spoke of earlier called Heaven. They beat Him and hurt Him as much as they could. Not only did they hurt Him physically, they mocked Him and laughed in His face. What strikes me so much in these verses is that it says, "And they bowed the knee before Him". The Bible tells us in Romans 14:11, "For it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God." (NKJV) Yet here they are bowing before Him not to worship Him or confess to God, but to mock Him. After the beatings and the mocking and the humiliation they put Jesus through, they led Him to a place called Golgotha. It was there they drove the nails in His hands and feet and hung Him on the cross to suffer and bleed and die an excruciating death. Even as He hung on the cross, Matthew 27:37 says, "And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS." (NKJV) They mocked Him even as He died. And you know what? He was dying for them, for you and for me. This perfect Lamb of God, hanging on a cross, dying, to take our sin for us so we wouldn't have to. What a sacrifice! We gave nothing. Jesus gave it all.

Jesus died that day on the cross. Oh, they watched and waited and shouted for Him to save Himself. Matthew 27:42 says, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him." (NKJV) He could have saved Himself. If He had chosen, He could have come down from that cross. But He chose not to. He didn't even drink the gall that was offered to Him to lessen the pain. He took on the full pain and force of all of our sins upon Himself. He died to give us life. 

But this is not where Jesus stops. The story doesn't end here, with His death. Matthew 28 tells us the story. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. But there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came from Heaven and rolled the stone away from the tomb! Yes, the stone was rolled away and Jesus was not inside. The angel's countenance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The angel told the women to not be afraid and that Jesus was not there. Jesus is Risen, just like He told them! The angel told the women to go tell the disciples that He is risen from the dead, that He was in Galilee and that they could see Him there. Now, we weren't there when the stone was rolled away, but can you imagine it? If we really stop and think about the deep sadness we would be feeling for having just lost Jesus, only to realize that He's risen, we get a glimpse of the emotion running through their hearts. The Bible says they had fear and great joy. But Jesus told them not to be afraid. They came and worshiped Him and He ascended into Heaven. He told them that day, and it is written for us today, "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age". Matthew 28:20 (NKJV) 

So this story is what's been pondering in my heart all week, especially today, Good Friday - the story that Jesus died on a cross that should have been mine. But He came with a purpose, to die for us and take on all our sin and then Rise up and defeat death. I do a lot of worshiping through song, and today I was going through some music and wanted to specifically hear the song, Arise, My Love. My favorite part of this song is when it says, "Then the Father looked down to His Son and He said, Arise my Love, Arise my Love, the grave no longer has its hold on You". Can you picture it with me? I can see God, the Father, looking down upon His Son, dead in a grave after so much suffering, reaching out His arms saying "Arise, my Love". Wow! That gives me chills. The Son went home to Heaven to be with the Father. I don't know if this happened, but when God, the Father says "Arise, my Love", I can picture Jesus falling into the arms of God. After having suffered and died and completing the task laid out before Him on this earth, it was over. He conquered death and the grave!

Today, I also listened to the song, He's Alive. I love a song that tells a great story, and this one does just that. It tells the resurrection story of Jesus from Peter's point of view. My favorite part of the song is when Peter is feeling ashamed and broken, and suddenly there is a sweet and strange perfume, and a light that comes from everywhere. As Peter looks up, Jesus is standing before him with His arms open wide. Peter fell to his knees, clung to Him and cried. Oh to have been there...to have been Peter. To feel such anguish and sorrow over His death, such shame for denying Him, then suddenly Jesus is standing before Him reaching out for Him, drawing him near. The song goes on to say that Jesus raises Peter up and the love from Jesus is shining through His eyes. The guilt Peter felt suddenly melted into peace. He was alive!! The grave could not hold the King!

To have been there, to actually see Jesus raised from the dead, I can only imagine. Just the thought makes my heart sing and makes me want to shout! Jesus died for us... horrifically, painfully died, but it didn't end with His death. He arose from the grave and is in Heaven preparing a place for us forever, for eternity. 

There is no one that could love us this much. What Jesus did for us is more than anyone will ever do. The Bible tells us He knew us before we were born, but when we get to Heaven, we will fall at His feet and worship Him. He will welcome us by name when we get to Heaven because He died specifically for each of us. We'll get to see Him and thank Him and praise Him for His sacrifice. The soldiers that bowed a knee and mocked Him, they bowed again, but not to mock, but to call Him Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Hallelujah! 

Will you spend eternity in this wonderful place called Heaven, with a Savior who went to these great lengths to make sure you could? Do you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Have you asked Him to forgive your sins? Have you thanked Him for His sacrifice? If not, do it today. Ask Him so that you can have the assurance of an eternity in Heaven.  

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, to save a wretch like me. He saved me. I adore Him and I love Him more than I can put into words. His sacrifice for me makes me so humble and grateful. I want to tell the world of His love. 

So, arise, my love, and worship Him. I thank Him, today, for what He did for me and for you. Everything He did for us was, and is, all we'll ever need. He is with us today, just as He was with the people when He walked this earth. He's my everything, and today I celebrate His ultimate gift. He's given us everything under the Son!

"But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him." Acts 2:24

Happy Easter!

I love you all,

Kacey

Moving Mountains

"But the falling mountain crumbles away, and the rock moves from its place."

Job 14:18

We all face mountains...things in our path that seem insurmountable and impossible to conquer. We all want directions on how to get around this mountain - either how to climb it, or if we're honest, how to just avoid it and go around and miss it altogether. Never do we really want to climb it because from the bottom looking up it seems too big, too immovable, too steep, too hard. So what do we do? And how do we answer others, especially our kids, when they ask us for directions on how to move a mountain? The Lord spoke to me this week about this and I'd like to share.

. 

First, I would like to tell you that both of my boys have severe food allergies. They consist of nuts, eggs, shellfish, and milk. My youngest son, Jonah, is the one allergic to milk, and for us, it's by far the hardest to manage. On top of the food allergies, he has been diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, or CVS. About a year ago, Jonah started vomiting for no apparent reason. The vomiting is very intense, violent, fall in the floor, us begging him to breathe kind of vomiting. We had never seen anything like this. After ruling out a virus, or flu, we thought he might be allergic to something new, but he wasn't. Just when we thought of going further with testing, it disappeared. No more vomiting. He was fine. The second or third time this so called virus appeared and then magically went away, we began to dig deeper - asking questions, doing research, and having our doctor help us determine what this was. After ruling out other things, it was determined that Jonah has CVS, which is a cyclical syndrome that comes and goes. Fast forward to about a month ago, and Jonah began complaining about bad headaches and severe abdominal pain, which we now know are called abdominal migraines. This last cycle has lasted for a month. It's hard on Jonah. He misses school, his food allergies become more sensitive, his head and stomach hurt. I think the worst part for him is that it comes on so suddenly, with barely enough time to make it to the bathroom, and the fact that it is so hard and violent for him. So we pray. We pray that the cycle ends quickly. We pray that there are no headaches and stomach pain. We pray he's able to go to school. We pray that the Lord removes the food allergies from both boys. But here's the thing I was so concerned about last week when it seemed so bad - I was worried that Jonah was discouraged with God because the cycle was still continuing. So I asked him. His sweet, precious, 10-year-old little heart said, "Well, no, mom, I'm not discouraged. We just need to keep praying!" Wow! He said it like he could not believe I had even asked the question. The Bible says in Matthew 18:3-4, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4) Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (NIV) Jonah was showing me he had faith. He believes his prayers are being heard, and he showed me how patiently he is waiting. 

Then this is what God did next. I stumbled across a story about a church in the Smoky Mountains that had just built a new building. They were a very excited congregation. Ten days before the dedication of the new building, an inspector came by and told the Pastor they would not be able to open as scheduled because they did not have adequate parking for the size of their church building. The Pastor explained that it took every inch of their land and they had no room left to expand the parking lot because there were other buildings on each side and a mountain in the back. The inspector said he was sorry, but they would not be allowed to hold their dedication service or open their new building. The Pastor decided to hold a prayer meeting, a mountain moving prayer time. About 30 members of the 300 member congregation met and they prayed for three hours. The Pastor was so moved and told the members to plan on showing up for the dedication service as planned, that God had not brought them that far to just quit. He told them to have faith. So the next week as the Pastor was in his office, someone knocked on his door. He opened it to a construction worker who explained that they were working over in the town next to them and needed some fill-dirt. He said they needed it right then and asked if they could remove dirt from the mountain that sat behind the church. He told the Pastor that in exchange for the dirt, his company would pave and concrete the area free of charge! The Pastor agreed, smiled, and the dedication service was held on the original Sunday. He told his members that God moved the mountain! He said the moral of this whole situation was that faith was not the absence of doubt, but the presence of belief! 

This has moved me in a mighty way. Jesus tells us in Mark 11:23, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." (NIV) This church believed and God moved a mountain! I could not wait to share this story with Jonah. I told him just how much he had taught me with his faith and that I believed God showed us this story for a reason. Matthew 17:20 says, "Because you have so little faith, Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." See, a mustard seed is tiny, smaller than all other seeds. God isn't asking us to have an enormous sized faith. He picked the smallest seed of all and told us that if we had the smallest size faith in our heart, we could have the biggest outcomes. I explained to Jonah that God's ways are higher than our ways, and that He ultimately has the perfect plan for us. God's plan might be for Jonah to use his allergies and CVS to help others and give glory to God. But God's plan might be to remove these allergies and this CVS from his body. We don't know the plan, but we have learned this week through what God has shown us, that we don't have to know the plan. We just have to trust, to have faith, and to believe. Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? 2) My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (NIV)

Our help is in God alone. Our help comes from Him. Our faith is in Him alone, even if it's just a tiny amount. But God is so good and so big, that He doesn't ask the impossible from us, He does the impossible for us! Hallelujah! 

So my family has fully committed to praying for the boys, that the allergies will be completely removed from their bodies, and that Jonah will never have another CVS cycle again. We give God glory already for what He's done - for allowing us to understand what CVS is, what the allergies are and how to deal with them. We praise Him for allowing us the faith to pray for a miracle. And we give Him glory and praise for whatever the outcome! I praise Him for showing me a deeper side to the heart of my son, the faith he possesses as a little child in his prayers to a very big God. I thank God that He can move mountains...literally! 

I love Him and all He is and all He means to me. I pray you know Him, too. I pray you accept Him as your Savior so you can watch Him move the mountains in your life, whatever they may be. It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed. 

I'll update you and talk to you all soon. But for now, we'll just keep on talkin' about everything Under the Son. :)

"Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:2

I love you all,

Kacey