Easter throwback

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Easter circa 1976

Easter circa 1977

I know, I know. Easter is over. I had to share this with ya’ll, though. Because, Easter is always so exciting. Especially as kids. The receiving of the proverbial Easter Basket from the Easter Bunny himself. The Easter Frocks which always were accompanied by white gloves & a hat. The coloring of the Easter Eggs. Ahhh.. it was a wonderful time.

On Easter Sunday, we always went to church & then to my grandparents house. Looking back, I can remember, one particular Easter when the weather was not very agreeable. All of the grandkids had assembled at my Mamaw & Papaw’s house after church. We ate our lunch with

Easter circa 1985. My brother in his Rico Suave phase. My cousin in her cuteness phase. Me in my homegirl big bow stage, wearing my Mamaw's dress. Sadly, not true.

Easter circa 1985. My brother in his Rico Suave phase. My cousin in her cuteness phase. Me in my homegirl big bow phase, wearing my Mamaw’s dress. Sadly, not really.

a heavy heart. How were we supposed to hunt Easter Eggs with it pouring rain outside? We must have looked pretty downtrodden.

Because low & behold Easter was not going to be terrible & disappointing!

Somebody suggested we hunt Easter Eggs in the house. Now, let me remind you, this was the early 80s. If plastic eggs were popular back then, well, we didn’t have any. I don’t know what possessed Mamaw to let us hide Easter Eggs in her house. But ya’ll, she did & we were very delighted to say the least. Because Mamaw had just saved Easter.

We hid & hunted eggs all afternoon. It wasn’t as fun as being outside, but not much of anything ever was. Anyway, a good time was had by all & that was that. Or so we thought. Fast forward about 6 weeks….my Mamaw was milling around the house & heard something back in the bedroom. Walking back to her room, she smelled the awfulest smell she had ever smelled. She got back to her room & started looking around. She could not, for the life of her, figure out what was going on. So, she started looking through her dresser, her vanity, her closet, & her chifferobe. That’s when she realized what had happened. One of our Easter Eggs had not gotten found & it exploded in her chifferobe.

Oh. My. Word. Ya’ll.

MAMAW’S UNDERWEAR DRAWER HAD A ROTTEN EGG IN IT.

Not just any rotten egg. An EXPLODED rotten egg. Needless to say, she washed & washed her unmentionables for no reason. Because the smell would NOT come out. In our family, word of Mamaw’s underwear got around pretty quickly. Each of us grandkids were sternly questioned as to

“WHO IN THE WORLD hid the egg in Mamaw’s DRAWERS drawer???”

I don’t readily recall who the final culprit was. EXCEPT I knew with ALL my heart, this time, I was not to blame for ANY of it.

The guilty party was in this group of Easter Egg hiding kids.

The guilty party was in this group of Easter Egg huntin’ kids.

Mamaw was not too thrilled to have to throw away all her undergarments. And she did declare, no more Easter Egg hiding in the house. I am QUITE sure my Papaw was laughing to himself, at all of this. He would have had to of been silently dying inside. If Mamaw would have thought for an instance this was humorous to Papaw, well, that would have NEVER done. She did not intend that she ever did anything for him to laugh at her about. But, sometimes those moments just came. Especially with us being her grandkids. So, there you have it. Reason 27 why we will never hide Easter Eggs in my house. I know, I am a mean ol’ Grand.

Here are some other thoughts for today:

Psalms 18: 1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
²The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.(NKJV)

We should strive to have a rock solid faith of trust & that the Lord will take care of us, no matter what. We need to remember, no matter what is going on in our lives, at the end of the day God is still in control. No matter how worthless I may feel or how dim the outlook may be, I need to forever remember I truly matter to the God of love, truth, & hope. No pain lasts forever. No evil triumphs in the end.

I hope all of you had a blessed Easter. It was overcast, for us. However, we still got out & hid eggs. The grands ran amuck. They played t-ball, too. Each of the boys had a new ball & bat. Which really didn’t matter if it were new or not. When they started hitting each other in the face & head with them, they didn’t care if that bat were old or new. It still hurt! Not much crying. A lot of “stand back” & “watch out” & “it will be your turn in a minute” was said. My little Miss Priss grandbaby played in the wagon while we were outside. All & all I would say it was a wonderful day. My Daddy came to be with us. He had preached at a local church, Sunday. He stopped by to eat & watch the kids hunt eggs. Then, as is his duty, retired home to study his lesson for Sunday night. Not before he ate a dog’s bait of the scrumptious pork loin my sweetie smoked. But, he was not by himself. We all did. Until next time I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

As much as we try to separate these two, they seem to always end up together.

The best picture of me & the grandboys. Mr. Sweetie Pants kept trying to run off, thus, the death grip I have on him.

Pretty sure this one was the same age as the grands, say yesterday. I love this face.

One last Easter throwback with my eldest & his big ol Easter Bunny circa 1999.

Credits- Our Daily Bread author Philip Yancey

Learning to trust & can I get a marshmallow peep?

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I can remember when I was little, if I was scared, I would run & hide behind my mama. This was mostly when I had maybe perhaps done something to my brother. He would chase me & I knew, if I could find mama, I would be ok. I can remember her saying to him,

” You have to be good to her. She’s the baby. You have to show her how a big brother acts.”

(This was promptly followed by me poking my head out from behind her sticking my tongue out at him.) And oh MY word ya’ll, if that hasn’t been a reality check for ME in life. Because, you know what? People aren’t always nice to me. And they really don’t care if I’m the baby or not. But my sweet mama used this tactic to try to get us to behave. I can remember her having to stand in between me & my brother & I would hold on to her just as tight as I could. I always trusted her & whatever I did, if I could get to mama, she would take care of me. No matter if I were right, wrong, or indifferent. I had that wonderful, special trust.

Do you ever have troubles? Sometimes problems arise from a wrong choice or decision that you’ve made. At other times, you don’t really have to be responsible for any of it & here it comes. Either way, problems in life are just plain unwanted. What makes an incredible difference in bad situations? How you handle it. We can be afraid, angry, disappointed, or have a multitude of emotions. We might start to ask God, “Why me? Why us? Why this?”However, we can trust, in the middle of all the heartache, that:

1. The Lord will not leave you. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”(NKJV)

2. The Lord will take care of you. I Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Things may not be exactly like you think they ought to be. However, there are times the Lord takes care of us in a way we don’t understand. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. If we only go to Him & trust Him, He will help us, period. He will NOT leave us hanging out to dry.

3. The Lord will turn tragedy into blessings. One of the worst things that has ever happened to me is my mama’s sickness & untimely death. I will Never. Get. Over. It. But you know what? God has blessed our family with deeper love for each other. He sent people to help us through our hard times. We always had someone we could depend on, around us. He has caused me to appreciate life & to remember the wonderful example my mama left for us. I realize that for 30 years, I had a precious mama. Some people don’t have that. Some folks have never known their mother or don’t have a Christian mother. I was very fortunate to have had that. I can pass along those qualities to my children & family. I have a hope that I will be with her again one day. Until then, I have got to keep on keepin’ on.

John 16:22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.(NKJV)

The Lord is always working behind the scenes for us. We just have to trust in Him. We readily accept good from Him. As a part of life, sometimes we will have to accept bad, too.

Job 2:10 Shall we indeed accept good from God & shall we not accept adversity?(NKJV)

Life goes on. Even in awful circumstances. It’s ok to grieve the loss of a loved one, to get down & depressed about an erring child, or to feel like no one has any idea what you are going through. Those are human feelings. We just can’t unpack our bags & live in the land of desperation. There are times we get stuck going through the struggles of life. Just like a big ol’ tractor pullin’ a truck out of the ditch, the Lord can send people to help. Let them. I have said it once & will say it again & again. Folks, we are all in this big ol’ mess called LIFE together. We have to depend on each other. I hope you are at a point in your life you have finally relented to this fact. It makes things so much easier knowing you have people, who care about you. Isn’t it wonderful to know we don’t have to go through trials alone? We always have the Lord there with us. He can do things for us no one else can. We just have to simply trust. Is there a struggle in your life today? Pray about it. Seek others to help you. Look to the Lord for comfort.

The psalmist David said in Psalms 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (NKJV)

I’m not saying your problems will vanish overnight. I am saying you will be able to bear whatever it is, until things are better. You will find peace of mind. Only if you are willing to trust. God’s love never fails. We must give Him a chance to show us that. Whenever I am facing something hard in life, I have to remind myself, there’s someone out there who has a worse situation than I do. There’s always something to be thankful for. Maybe it’s that things aren’t as bad as they could be. No matter what, I have to be thankful for a loving God I can depend on. It’s hard to see the other side of trials sometimes. We just have to remember to slow down & take things day by day & trust the Lord to take care of us. In times like those, we don’t know what we need. We have to let the Lord handle our needs. He’s good at that. Just like the trust that my mama was going to make everything all better, God can do the same thing. Even bigger & better. Promise.

I am so glad you came by to visit me today. Goodness gracious, I about got too serious & heavy hearted with all of this. But sometimes it’s just that way, ya know? This Sunday is Easter. I sure hope you have your Easter frocks ready for church. My grandbaby girl is going to look so sweet. If you see her, you will be tempted to eat her with a spoon. I would discourage any of that. She has a tad of a mother hen for a mama. My Miss Neenee is ready all but the shoes. We will be getting those this week. Oh the fun! The kids & grandkids will be coming over after church. We will be dying eggs, hiding eggs, running around chasing kids, eating good food, & oh the Easter candy. There is nothing that suits me more than a marshmallow peep. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: graphicsfairy, pinterest

Why I go to church & what’s up with all the rain?

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

If someone were to ask you, “Why do you go to church?” or “Why don’t you go to church?” what would your answer be? Some folks may not go to church because they have had a bad experience there. Some may not go because they just don’t feel the need to. Some may not go because they don’t know how important it is. You may say I go to church because I want my kids to go. Or some may go to church because that’s what their parents did. Others may go to church because they are Christians & it’s the right thing to do. Today, I want to talk about why I go to church.

First, I want to go to heaven. With that, I believe Jesus created us to be social creatures. He was with His friends, a lot. He was a preacher to audiences of thousands on several occasions. He fellowshipped with many & hung around with a group of guys, most of the time. It goes without saying, we need to be with other like-minded folks.

The Hebrew writer gave a commandment in Hebrews 10:25

²⁵not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (NKJV)

What assembling was he talking about? Worship service & whenever else the church decides to meet. That commandment was given to me, you, & whoever else is a child of the Lord. With that, I have a responsibility to the Lord to be with my group, the church, when they meet. Not because the Lord is trying to be mean & keep me from sleeping in on one of my days off. Or because He doesn’t want me to catch my favorite t.v. shows. He knows us. He made us. He knows we are like those that made the golden calf to worship, when Moses didn’t come down from the mountain quick enough. (Exodus 32) He knows we have to be reminded of His love for us & His purpose for us. What better way than by taking the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week? I Corinthians 11: 22-26

²³For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;^[b] this is My body which is broken^[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

He knows we need each other to help each other along. Life is hard. Sometimes we may not have a physical family on Earth, we can count on. He knows we need to know we aren’t in this thing called life alone. He knows what I need. Which is the company of others. He knows I am stubborn & if He did not tell me to do something, I might not do it. One reason I go to church is because I want to go to heaven.

Second, I need the support of the church. I need people who love me & know my heart. I need people who I can count on in this ol’ world. My church family is that. Those are some good, salt of the Earth people I am with at each meeting. If I need anything, they are there for me. They are there to support me when things are good. They are there to see me through when things aren’t so great. I need that fellowship.

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (NKJV)

We had a lady that came asking for prayer on Sunday night. Her grandson prayed for her & his family. It was truly God at work. The young man was tearful & hurting. He prayed a short prayer for help to make it through their hard time. I know the Lord heard it. Some of us didn’t even really know the grandmother or grandson. But that did not stop us from standing in line to tell her we were there for her & her family. That we loved her & that the Lord loved her. And it don’t matter if anybody in that church house knew those people or not, they needed help & prayers. That’s what we are there for. When I am involved in church, I never have the feeling that I don’t have anyone to turn to. Feelings of hopelessness aren’t common. I know there are people in my life that care about me. Those are people from my church. As a matter of fact, I kinda like those people. When I say kinda I mean REALLY love my church peeps. Another reason I go to church is I need the support of Godly people.

Third, I want to help my family go to heaven. I believe it is just as much my responsibility to raise my family spiritually healthy as it is to raise them physically healthy. If I don’t tell my loved ones about the Lord, who is? If I don’t try to teach my family about Jesus, they may just believe anything anyone tries to tell them. Whether it be true or not. And that’s not good.

I go to church because I want my kids to learn about Jesus & become spiritually strong. I want to give my kids the best chance they have at knowing the Lord & going to heaven one day. And isn’t that all we can hope for? No matter what is going on around me, I have to make sure I am a good example. I can’t expect my kids to love the Lord, if I don’t. I can’t be disappointed that my kids don’t study the Bible & go to God for help, if they don’t see me doing it. Still another reason I go to church is to help my family go to heaven.

Fourth, I go to church because I NEED it. I need to hear the preacher tell me what I should be doing & how Christians should act. Not that I don’t know, but because I’m just human. I need reminding, continually. I need to see my brothers & sisters in Christ. I need to feel the comfort & warmth of being with God’s people. I need forgiveness. I need to remember what it’s all about. I need to sing songs & pray prayers. I need to listen to scripture read. I need to be held accountable for my life. I need my faith strengthened. Just like the members of the early church had the same need:

Acts 14: 22 ²²strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”(NKJV)

Humbly, I need to remember Jesus died for me on a cross from my sins. If I am not there, all these things may begin to seem not so important. And these things are the MOST. Important. Things. Ever. Last but not least, I go to church because more than anyone, I need it.

Thank you for listening to me tell why I go to church. Please don’t think I look down on people who don’t go to church. I’m just telling you, though, if you don’t you are really missing out. The blessings you receive & the standard of living is like no other. On a random note-I cannot even handle hearing people say they don’t go to church because of the hypocrites there. There are hypocrites that go to the grocery store & Walmart. Does that keep you from going to one of those places? I will tell you like I tell my kids. Church is a public place. Anybody can go. That means there may be some hypocrites there.

My father-in- law used to always say this,

“You can either go to church with hypocrites, or you can go to hell with them.”

I don’t think I have to say much else past that.

I am so glad you stopped by to visit with me today. I hope you are having a good week. I hope it is warm & sunshiny wherever you are. Because it is NOT here in northeast Mississippi. However, I will choose to think of the long, stiflin’ hot, muggy, humid days of summer & thank the Lord for a little cold weather. We have had our fair share of rain.

I don’t even know what our weather is doing anymore. Rain. And lots of it. Cray. Until the skies are full of fluffy clouds and bright sunshine again, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

You don’t have to go to church, you get to go to church.

photo credits: heartprintsofgod, http://www.cedarspringschurchofchrist.org,www.exclusiveblend.wordpress.com,pinterest

Time change is for the birds & my secret sister

November 6, 2014November 5, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Ooohhh, the time change……..Really, is this change necessary? I mean, at work Monday around 2:30pm, I thought it was time for me to go home. Imagine my surprise. Since, I work until 5pm, that was definitely upsetting for me. Next time they take a vote for cancelling daylight savings time, will someone let me know? I perhaps have a strong opinion about it. Thanks ya’ll. Because time change is hard.

Isn’t it wonderful the love of the Lord never changes? It is a very constant thing for those who are His. Do you wonder sometimes if Jesus still cares? He does. He never changes. We all get discouraged. We all have struggles. It’s every day, for some of us. Not just occasionally. It is nearing the time of year that is, harder than normal, for us folks who have lost loved ones. Times come when you feel you just can’t go on. It may be the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, a divorce, or sickness, whether it be you or someone you care about. Things happen. Things that we don’t plan for. Change happens. But, I am here with some good news, the Lord is here for us. The whole time. Not just for the parts that are easy. He will be with you as long as you will let Him. He wants us all to have a home in heaven. Now, that’s a change I am happy about. I will gladly change my earthly address in exchange for a heavenly home.

David talks about his own troubling times in Psalms 30. David had a man killed, so that he could take his wife. David & his new wife had a baby & the baby died. (II Samuel 12) David was so full of grief. He called on God. He knew His love was there. Never changing.

Psalms 30: 2

Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. ^{v. 3}You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. (NKJV)

The Lord obviously loved David. He was right there for him. Even though David did wrong, God came back to him, when he repented.

Psalms 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.(NKJV)

Have you ever stayed up at night & wanted relief? Didn’t things look much better in the morning? David found favor with God. God made sure he was there for David. Why? Because God’s just awesome like that. He’s a dependable. He never changes. And after the baby died, David went to worship the Lord. David was changed. He knew the same Lord that allowed bad things to happen to him, was the same Lord that blessed him. He knew God was going to take care of everything. And He did.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. Did you know it’s only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving? I am so excited! I can’t wait for all of our family to be together. There is ne’er a dull moment with my bunch. There will be lots of cooking, eating, & fun times. And too, my secret sister, from the Only a Breath encouragement project, sent me a card this week. She wrote a beautiful scripture in it. Do you know where it was from? Psalms 30. I had been reading & studying that very scripture the same day I got the card. Now tell me the Lord didn’t just send me a friend! I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: deposit photos, pinterest

Confessions of the I should be washing clothes blogger & what Ebola doesn’t care about

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I have a confession to make.

I am not as awesome as you think I am.

There. Now you know. Oh, I know it seems like I have everything in the world together (Please don’t talk to my friend Jen about this. She knows me too well.) That I have the perfect life. (Refer to the last statement in parenthesis.) I am always totally put together. (Ha. Haaa. Haaaaaa.) I never let the occasion pass that I don’t always say & do the appropriate things, at the right time. I never leave anything to the last minute & am on time for everything. (Ok. I really have to stop with it now.) And you all know what a total math whiz I am. (Ok. Seriously, that’s the last one.) Whew, glad to clarify all that. Those who know me, know I have my share of flaws. As I get older, I begin to reflect on what it is all this life stuff is about. Because c’mon. I had some things I wanted to do in life. I’ve done some of them. Other things have just fallen by the wayside. That’s just reality. Most importantly, I am a put-ter off-er. I always think there’s more time to do better, change my life, or help make other’s lives better. The bad news is there’s really not more time.

The other night, at church, Bro. Brad gave a thought provoking talk about how today is the day. We can make excuses from here to yon on why we can’t do something. He said there are many that are not in a right relationship with God, that think, “I’ve got time.” Folks that say, “When I make more money, I will give more to the Lord.” Then, they are blessed with more & it seems they take up another payment on something they could not live without. Bro. Brad brought to our attention the only reason people don’t own a pet elephant is because we have never been offered a deal for zero down & make monthly payments. ( That Bro. Brad can be pretty comical.) His point was, we shouldn’t let stuff get in the way of our relationship with the Lord. We may say, “I will work more for the Lord, when I have more time.” When the kids get older, when my job slows down, when I don’t have so many other activities going on, such as kid’s soccer practice, softball games, basketball games, being a taxi to your kids. When all of that stops, I will devote more time to the work of the church. Let me tell you. Time doesn’t stop. If you don’t make a way to do things now, the time has past. And guess what? Yep, you know. You never get that back. That’s why we must figure out a way to maintain a balance.

II Corinthians 6:2

For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (NKJV)

It’s to our ultimate advantage to be faithful to the Lord. So many times I see people not attend church services because all of their other activities have them worn to a frazzle. I heard a preacher say one time, when you start missing church, you can bet it won’t be long until more & more things hinder your spiritual life. Let me tell you, sweet friend, the ol’ devil has his ways to keep us from doing the Lord’s will. Many times, it’s not one big thing that happens. It’s more of a slow leak than a big blow out. That’s why the small things matter.

I know sometimes people search for something, in life. They are looking for a purpose. I am happy to tell you, you need not look any further. Jesus is it. There are so many things out there that tries to make you believe happiness & contentment comes from this world. If I only had a new car, a better house, more money in the bank, a bigger t.v., then things would be better.

Umm, not really.

Ebola doesn’t care how much money you have in the bank. You can still be inflicted with a dreaded disease, even if you have a 72” big screen t.v. Then, what becomes important? Relationships? People who will take care of you & help you through hard times? Many times your relationship with God takes a front seat. God should be our first choice at all times. Not our last resort. The apostle Paul talks about how matters of the heart, really matter. Especially when it comes to love.

I Corinthians 13: 4-8

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Faith, hope, & love are very important. It’s a good thing to choose to make those a part of your daily life. Don’t think you have time to make things of your heart right. The time is now.

Solomon was the wisest man & had great wealth. He had access to all the things of the world. It was unbelieveable! The Queen of Sheba was so curious of his riches & knowledge, she paid him a visit. Afterwards, she had this to say:

II Chronicles 9: 5 & 6

Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.(NKJV)

After all the glitz & glamor of having everything he could ever wanted, the wise Solomon gave the recipe of what our whole existence is about.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.(NKJV)

So, if Solomon is giving us the answer to the meaning of life, why don’t we take heed? It’s like we have found the answer, but we often times keep looking somewhere else for what life is all about. We must act now to make things in our life right & know we are not promised the next minute. At the end of your life, what will really matter? Whatever you have been putting off, take that step of faith. The Lord will be there to walk with you. It’s time.

I hope everyone has had a blessed week. With this past Friday being Halloween, I had my share of sweet trick or treaters! We trunk or treated at church Wednesday night. The kids had a great time. And then we had that thing called setting your clock back an hour on Saturday night. We really need to quit with the time changes. Just make it one way & leave it, is what I say. Oh well, another time no one consulted with me. Until they do, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: love printables, behance.net,tolavishlylove, justsaynototoxicrelationships

Until God opens the next door for you….

February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Do you ever get discouraged & want to give up? Does it just seem like nothing is going right? No matter how hard you try, you just get in a rut & think,

“How much more can I take?”

You may pray about it & wonder where God is. The devil will always try to make things seem hopeless. As if there is no way out. Well, good news! I am here today to tell you, you don’t have to worry any longer. God is working for us, even when we don’t realize it.

I want to take a minute to share with you some scripture about a man named David. In reading Psalms 40, he must have had some problems. He sure was bending God’s ear about them. He poured his heart out to God & waited & cried & waited & pleaded & trusted & God heard him. He said he had more troubles than hair on head!

Psalms 40:12

For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.

Hold on, now, I think sometimes I get to sounding like David. My faith may get a little lacking, as well. Look at what David said God did for him in his trials.

Psalms 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
²He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.

God is always working behind the scenes for us. It’s in those moments of waiting, that we learn being faithful is essential. When God comes through for us, it’s like a load is lifted. It’s as if everything finally falls into place. We know it just got real. We look back and see that God was there all the time. He was molding us into what He plans for us to be. We are a work in progress. Ever changing & developing into a faithful servant for the Lord. Don’t let the devil try to tell you God doesn’t care. He does.

Psalms 40:17

But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

Just like He took care of David, He takes care of us, too. That just makes me happy! Like sweet tea with my cornbread happy! That’s the kind of God I want to serve. The One that’s always thinking about me.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. I love it when you take time to come by. Take a minute this week to make a phone call, visit, or send a card to someone to encourage them. You never know if your kind word might make all the difference in their day. I will see you next time, right now I have to be going because, I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: Kimberly Jones

How to make it in a hard time

November 25, 2013November 25, 2013 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Sometimes when I have a problem, I let it take me over. It’s all I think about. I just can’t get it off my mind. I want to talk about it, whine about it, be a bit dramatic about it, contemplate “why me”, & so forth & so on. I walk around with a cloud over my head, tensed up, perhaps not very friendly, & then inside the pit of my stomach, it starts to burn. I begin to feel bad all over. I get to thinking nobody has had this bad of a situation EVER! Then, I hear a voice in the back of my head, (which is my mama, God rest her soul). She always would tell me,

“Get ahold of yourself.”

Now, what does that mean, you may ask? Well, my sweet southern mama had her fair share of problems. At what most of us call mid-life, she found out she had Multiple Sclerosis. For years, she fought this disease with such grace. She never relented or let on that she had given in to what life had set before her. She “got ahold” of herself & the life changing event & did not let it overtake her, as a person. It’s so funny. We respected her & loved her so much, that even being bedfast, she still told us all what to do. And we did it, because even though her body was weak, the fire the Lord put down in her was not. She showed us that even though you are right in the middle of a bad situation, it does not have to take ahold of you. Morals & character surface when troubles make themselves present. Let me tell you, my mama had strong Christian convictions & proved to us that living it was the only way to survive. She never held a pity party for long. She encouraged us to follow suit. No matter how out of sorts things got, with the MS, she showed us the Lord had a plan. She strongly believed He was the healer. She did what the doctors said, but in the end, she showed us God has the last say. The message was when you live for the Lord, no problem you have is too big for Him. There is nothing that you & Him can’t handle. No matter what happens it’s for the greater good. We may not see it right then. However, it’s God’s time, not ours.

There were some people in the Bible that thought they had problems. One that comes right to mind is Peter.

Peter denied Christ.

Jesus told him by the time the rooster crowed, he would deny Him three times. (Matthew 26:34) Peter thought that was crazy talk. Until it happened. Historically, it is said, the 3^rd time Peter denied Jesus, Peter looked across the way & locked eyes with the Lord. If that is true, can you imagine what a rush of shame must have come over him? After that he went out & wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75) Not just a silent, tearful, moment, but bawlin’ his eyes out. Don’t you reckon Peter thought he had created himself a big problem? Poor Peter, I’m glad the story did not end there. Peter got through that awful experience & went on to serve the Lord with great eagerness. He did not let a tragedy paralyze him in the work Jesus needed him to do. He repented, “got ahold of himself” & went on. Thank goodness there is life after problems.

When Mama was sick, we thought we had problems. Big, huge, frightening problems that we did not know how to handle. But you know what happened? Every time we turned around, there was someone there willing to help. Sometimes it was someone sharing their story to let us know they had also been through a similar trial, so we would not feel like we were in this by ourselves. Sometimes it was a homemade cake or meal cooked. Sometimes it was a wonderful helper to relieve us & sit with Mama while we tended to other things. Sometimes it was a friend with a listening ear. In the whole ordeal with her, I never remember feeling like we were alone. It gave us a greater thankfulness & faith in humanity & how God works through people. It strengthened our faith in the Lord, as well. Would we have learned & appreciated all of this, had we not been through this experience? I’m going to say probably not. Was it a wonderful & beautiful thing? Well, if you would have asked me that back in the middle of all of it, I would have absolutely said no. Now, though, I see so many blessings that came out of it, I just can’t keep it to myself! In this storm of life that came our way, I want everyone to know how good God was to us.

Today, I hope you know if you are struggling with a problem, you are not alone. I am here to tell you everybody on the face of this Earth has a struggle. If someone says they don’t, don’t you believe them! We are here to help each other. If you stretch out your hand to help someone, you will be blessed for it, as well. Sometimes it can be hard to admit we have things in our lives that are not so great. However, when we open up, we find a whole lot of support from people, that we never would have imagined. As Christians, we are not told we won’t have problems. We are just given the tools to know how to handle them. What can you do to help someone? Start by smiling at someone today. That may just be all it takes to melt their heart & make their day more bearable.

I have so enjoyed you stopping by today. I hope you are getting that menu ready for your Thanksgiving dinner. We will be hosting another breakfast & dinner at our house, for our family & friends. There are 13 of us now (that just includes my husband, kids & their families) I just can’t put that off on somebody else to try & feed us! My brother & his family will be coming from a faraway land, 200 miles south of us, as well. Miss Neenee has only asked 241 times when her cousins will be getting here. I hope each & every one of you have a happy & healthy Thanksgiving holiday. As for me, I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.

Into the Word Wednesday

June 5, 2013June 4, 2013 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

So glad it’s Wednesday! That means Falen & Laura will be hosting their usual link up “Into the Word Wednesday” over at Upward Not Inward. This is a link up where we tell what the Word is saying to us. With no further delay, I present to you, my findings, this week, while into the Word:

I Samuel 20:17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him;for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

Jonathan and David were terrific friends. They had a deep connection that meant the world to each of them. Jonathan’s dad Saul did not like David. He threw a spear at David, trying to kill him at one point. And do you know why? He was jealous of him, that’s why. Why is it we let jealousy have such a strong hold over us? Jonathan was so upset with his father, that

he arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month,

for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. v. 34

Saul did not stop there with his jealousy.

I Samuel 23:14 says ….Saul sought him (David) every day but God did not deliver him into his hand.

Why did God not let Saul find David? He was holding out for the greater good. He wanted Saul to be truly sorry for how he was treating David. God was trying to teach Saul a lesson that being jealous hearted is not Godly & it doesn’t lead to anything good.

I Samuel 24: 4 …And David arose & secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

David perhaps was trying to seek revenge on Saul by cutting a corner of his robe when he found him sleeping. Just to let him know,

“Hey Jack, I could have turned you every which way but loose, but I didn’t.”

Later when David caught up with Saul, he had already realized,

“You know what? I tried to be a scoundrel like Saul, but then it dawned on me, if I get in the pig pen with the wallerin’ pigs, I’m gonna get some mud on me and ain’t nobody got time for that.”

That’s when , David told Saul what he had done & why he had done it. David responded with kindness when Saul was showing him hatred & jealousy. Saul’s response was this:

v. 17 You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.

Do you think Saul knew he had been treating David wrong? You better bet your bottom dollar he did. David did the right thing. He was kind, even when Saul was everything but kind to him. This still holds true for today. My prayer is that the Lord will help us to be kind, even when kindness is the farthest thing from what we are being treated. Why? Because just like it was for David, it’s the right thing to do. You will never regret being kind. You may regret being hateful, mean, or spiteful. However, you will never regret being kind.

Thanks so much for stopping by & visiting with me today. Go on by Upward Not Inward & link up with those girls. It’s such a blessing to see what the Word is saying to others. I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.

Softball lessons

April 15, 2013 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It’s softball season again. With that comes the practices. The practices & games that you aren’t really sure what you are supposed to wear. It can be about 42 degrees, 75 degrees, windy or hot as a firecracker. You just never know what’s going to happen with spring in the South! I always do love getting to see how much the girls have grown, since the year before. There are always new girls that decide to try softball & see what it’s all about. Our girls are the 9-10 year olds. With that said, you know it is entertaining.
One of the best things I have seen so far was in a practice. The coach was getting the girls to practice hitting. Oh, did I mention this is the 1st year of kid pitch? The pitcher is an actual player. Not like years past, of coach pitch. There were several players that went up to bat. There were not many hits being made. Then, one little girl walked up to the plate. It was her first time to play softball. She gets in her batting stance, then stops & looks around at the coach. She said, “What do you want me to do when I hit it?” I was standing in the dugout. I laughed to myself. This little girl had some courage! She had already assumed the hit. It never occurred to her, that she wasn’t going to hit the ball.
This is the kind of faith the Lord wants us to have.
In Matthew 17:20 it says
And Jesus said unto them,
Because of your unbelief:
for verily I say unto you,
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place;
and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you.
We should always be willing to assume the Lord will handle our situations. However, I get impatient, don’t you? That’s when I worry, fret, walk around with a cloud over my head. Instead I should say, “What do I need to do, once I receive my blessing?” That’s the attitude this sweet first time softball player had. And you know what? She did need to know what to do when she hit the ball. Because she did.

I am so glad you stopped by for a spell. It makes my heart happy when you come by for a visit. I hope you are having a great week. I have to be going for now, because I should be washing clothes.

Where your treasures are……

December 5, 2012December 5, 2012 / kstrick7 / 4 Comments

II Corinthians 12:7-10

When my mother was in the last stages of Multiple Sclerosis, she used to call my Dad to her bedside. “Pray for me.” She would say, “I am so tired, I just want to go.” My Daddy would pray for her, then he would try to lighten the mood. He would tell her that her illness was helping her to lay up treasures in heaven. That by her being sick, it was allowing others to do good deeds for her. And by that, she was allowing God to work through her. He would tell her, God even allowed the Apostle Paul to have a thorn in the flesh.

II Corinthians 12: 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

With that she would reason, if God wanted her to have this disease, He would take care of her. Just as Paul reasoned in

II Cor 12: 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

At this point in the conversation, my mama would tell Daddy “Then, go lay up some treasures in heaven & get me some ice cream!”

We never know what God has in store for our lives. However, we know where to turn when the storms of life get rough. He is the one & only hope that we have. During the holidays I miss my mama more than ever. But I do find comfort in knowing what a strong faith she had. At this time of the year, let us remember, with thanksgiving & hope the wonderful blessings God has given us, no matter what our circumstances. Christmas is a time of giving. We should be mindful that the giving of ourselves, for the work of the Lord, is most important.

I have loved having you stop by & visit today. Please come back again soon. I have to be going now because I should be washing clothes…..