Mom Monday

How about I encourage you with what encouraged me last night.          Last night, the Link 7 gathered in our living room around our Christmas tree and fire in the fireplace and listened to the 'Family" stories offered on the radio, 91.3 (Wcsg) every Sunday night  from 7:30- 9pm.  They call it "Family Night" radio and play a bunch of different fun stories that pour a little of God's words into the souls of our precious children (and ourselves as well). The one that ministered to me most last night was one about the long car ride to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving.  It was the kind of car ride that included lots of sibling bickering, annoyances and that wonderful whining and complaining with phrases like, "I'm hungry," "Mooooommmmmmmmmm (in that very distinct sing-songy  voice/tone)...............he touched me", "How much longer?...Are we almost there???". If any of you have or have had older children that can speak and have more than one,  I am sure you know what I am speaking of.  At one point in the program Rob, my husband, and I looked at each other as if to communicate "Did they use OUR children for this broadcast?"   It sounded oh soooo familiar.   At the end of the very loooong, 9 hour car ride for this family, while everyone else was annoyed and unthankful, one of the children in the show articulated that he was soooo thankful for the car ride because it was the only time they could all be together where no one could go anywhere else or do anything else.   As you mother your PRECIOUS children, KNOW that whatever you are going through, EVERY OTHER MOTHER has gone through it as well. Sometimes it is easy to feel like you are all alone and you are the worst mom in the whole world because your children are whining and complaining and bickering, etc.......... May we certainly do all we can do to continue to help our children become delightful, thankful, kind and peaceful children through our training, prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit.   However, may  we also accept that we are NOT the worst parents because our children still aren't perfect and may we focus on all the reasons we have to be thankful rather than on all the annoyances in life.   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Happy Thanksgiving!

May we be the most thankful women!!!   It's a TERRIBLE thing to be "ungrateful."   " There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be .....................UNGRATEFUL............." 2  Timothy 3: 2   Ungrateful- 1. Without a feeling or expression of gratitude, thanks or appreciation.     During this Thanksgiving season, may our minds be FULL & OVERFLOWING with thankfulness and EXPRESSIONS of appreciation....to:                                                                          * Our God                                                                          * Our parents & parents-in-law                                                                          * Our children                                                                          * Our husbands                                                                          *Our friends                                                                          *Our children's teachers                                                                          * Our Pastors/teachers                                                                          * Our mailmen                                                                          * etc....(every soul you meet)   May we be soo busy being Thankful for all we have that there is not room for negativity and ungratefulness.  Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you women who are hungry for more of Him. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

Be on your guard!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired of my people being brought down. May these words sink deep and produce in us women who believe a FIGHTING (not with weapons of the world, but weapons of truth) SPIRIT:   "BE ON YOUR GUARD; stand firm in the faith; be men/women of courage; be strong. Do everything in LOVE.' 1 Corinthians 16:13     There are forces and things in this world that want to destroy us. May we be on our guard- For the sake of His name. For the sake of our own soul's peace and joy. For the sake of our families. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday...."He doesn't grow tired.."

Being a mom has certainly revealed 2 things about myself and motherhood:            1. I get tired. Mothering can be exhausting. I find myself falling asleep many (if not most) nights while I am tucking my children in bed. What could be a half hour routine becomes a few hours because I fall asleep in almost every child's room. I have frustrated them on more than one occasion as I try to read them a bedtime story and fall asleep while reading only to wake up to being gently hit on the arm and told to "wake up."              2. I am in great need of wisdom and understanding. Ahhhhhhhhhh! Not a day goes by that I'm not calling out to God for help in understanding what my children need from me  or how I should interact with them that would most reveal God and his wisdom. Right now I have an almost teenager...do I need to say much more???   I take great comfort in this truth found in Isaiah 40:28 & 29   "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. HE WILL NOT GROW TIRED OR WEARY, AND HIS UNDERSTANDING NO ONE CAN FATHOM. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."   As a mom, on those days when you feel exhausted or very unwise/fooish/ignorant/etc.... (which for me is actually almost every day), may we take comfort knowing that there is a real God out there who does not get tired and who has all the understanding you need. You/we aren't doing this parenting thing alone. God says that he helps us:   "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,for I am your God. I will strengthen you and HELP YOU; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10    and   "Even to your old age and gray hairs (which are unfortunately appearing more and more) I am he, I am he WHO WILL SUSTAIN YOU. I HAVE MADE YOU AND I WILL CARRY YOU; I WILL SUSTAIN YOU AND I WILL RESCUE YOU."  Isaiah 46:4   Call on Him. Draw near to him. Wait for him. Trust him. Be alert to him. Worship and adore him. Thank him. Wrestle with him ("I will not let you go unless you bless me." Genesis 32:26) Love him. Obey him.   May we adore the One ( & only) today, who doesn't grow weary and whose understanding we can't fathom. When (not "if" ) we are exhausted, say to him, "I'm soooo glad that YOU don't get tired, God. I'm so glad I am not in this journey of raising this child/these children all alone. Thank you that you will sustain me one day at a time."   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Isaiah 42

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I willl put MY SPIRIT on him and he will bring justice to the nations . He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; HE WILL NOT FALTER OR BE DISCOURAGED TILL HE ESTABLISHES JUSTICE ON EARTH.   This is what God the Lord says- he who CREATED THE HEAVENS and stretched them out, who spread out the earth AND ALL THAT COMES OUT OF IT, who gives BREATH TO ITS PEOPLE, and life to those who walk on it;............................   I the lord have called you in righteousness; I will TAKE HOLD OF YOUR HAND. I WILL KEEP YOU AND WILL MAKE YOU to be a covenant for the people and a LIGHT for the Gentiles, to OPEN EYES THAT ARE BLIND, TO FREE CAPTIVES FROM PRISON AND TO RELEASE FROM THE DUNGEON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS.   I am the LORD; THAT IS MY NAME! I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER OR MY PRAISE TO IDOLS..."   Isaiah 42:3-8     Meditate on all these words. Blessings from Bombadil. Remember....we are alive today because He has chosen to continue to give us breath and life. We are alive for a reason today. Kristy "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

"You promised!"

Have you ever heard these words ( or said these words) from/to your children, a friend or anyone else in your life:   "You promised!!!" or "You said................"   I heard those words come out of one of my daughter's mouths the other day and I was immediately reminded that I too, can say that to God as his daughter.   "But God, you promised!!!" and according to Hebrews 6:18 , "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE."   "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he PROMISE and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19   Do you know what God promises????? You/we just might want to spend some time in his word finding out just what he promises. Then, as his daughters, you/we might want to very respectfully remind him and ourselves that "He promised..."   I know one thing He promised that I'm holding out for today. He said in John 14:21,   "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and SHOW MYSELF TO HIM."   My prayer:   "Show yourself to me today, Jesus! I want to see you! You Promised! You said that if I have your commands and I obey them that I love you." And you said, "Whoever loves you will be loved by God and you and that YOU WILL SHOW YOURSELF."  I want to see you today. I want to experience and know your reality in a fresh, tangible way TODAY. Open my eyes, whisper to my spirit, reveal your most AWESOME self to me today in a way that is undeniably YOU. You don't promise and then not fulfill. That's not the kind of God you are."   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link   "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

"Proper time and procedure"

Let this truth guide you in all of your ways today:     "There is a PROPER TIME and PROCEDURE for EVERY matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him." Ecc. 8:6   However this applies to your situation today............apply it!!! There is a right time, a proper time for what you long for. There is a right way of effecting something, right steps and course of action. Though your misery (prolonged or extreme suffering; a state of great mental, emotional, or physical suffering) may weigh HEAVILY upon you.............hang in there!!!!  Wait for God's perfect timing. Do life His way.............pray, wait, pray some more, wait some more, trust him to give you the best in his time and in his way. Don't take matters into your own hands because you want "IT" and you want "IT" NOW!!!!!! He wants what is best for you.........and for your people around you.................WAIT for that "proper time................WAIT for that PROPER PROCEDURE................despite the suffering you are going through right now...............it you walk close with your God, trusting him to provide and make things happen...........you will be RICHLY REWARDED!!!!!!!  And you will KNOW when it's the right time and way...........it will be HIS doing, not your own. It will b epeaceful, much easier than forcing something to happen, it will be right ..........and you will KNOW it deep in your soul.  May your life on this earth be RICH, ABUNDANT, AND FULL............because you trusted that his words are true and you  waited for "the proper time and procedure thought your misery weighed heavily upon you."   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy LInk "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday

Happy Mom Monday....................If I may pass along a favorite quote of mine that applies to all things in life, especially mothering.   " We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ORDINARAY (dishes, laundry, cooking, etc...........) things with EXTRAORDINARY LOVE." - Jean Vanier     May you do many of your ordinary things today with deep, sincere, joyful, extraordinary, God-given LOVE.  Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

More feathers

I had a little bit of a difficult night the other night. A conversation that needed to happen, perhaps some truth that needed to be spoken. The details aren't important. As I lay there crying, my soul was screaming to God, "I love you! I want to honor you and please you with my life. I cannot wait to see you as you REALLY are...I long to know all that is right and true....I LONG for you God."  Then I fell asleep.       The next morning I came to my computer, as I do every morning, and there, just underneath the screen and above the keyboard was a little white feather. How it got in that specific spot where I go every morning, I have  no idea. Where it came from....Who really knows?? All I know is the night before my soul was SCREAMING for God, and the next morning I find a little white feather seemingly appearing out of NOWHERE.    Now, let me remind US of these words:   "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ...He will cover you with his FEATHERS, and under his wings you will find refuge." Psalm 91:1   I know I've written about this before. I'm only seeking to give a testimony/witness of my life experience.   I cannot prove a thing (although I do have the feather taped in my journal), I only know there is reason in Scripture to believe this feather may be a gift from God and it sure makes my soul SOAR WITH JOY to believe that TRULY He is surroundeing me and covering me with his feathers.???????   "You will seek me and FIND ME when you seek me with ALL YOUR HEART."   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

May the Message ring out from us....

"The Lord's MESSAGE rang out from YOU not only in Macedoinai and Achaia- your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you TURNED TO GOD FROM IDOLS to serve the LIVING and TRUE GOD, and to WAIT FOR HIS SON FROM HEAVEN, whom he raised from the dead- JESUS, who RESCUES us from the COMING WRATH." 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10   May his message ring out from us and may our faith in the living and true God become known everywhere we go. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

A friend's story

I have a dear friend who has made the choice to believe in and follow Jesus. Over the years God has continued to reveal Himself to her in so many ways. Just recently, she had deeply desired to live in a house on a very specific street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has lived in apartments for years and was really desiring an actual house for her and her children. There was one particuar street that was close to her daughter's day care and her boys school so, knowing that she can go to her heavenly Father about ANYTHING and simply lay her requests at his feet, she began asking him to provide a house for her on this  very specific street.  I am not sure how many streets there are in Kalamazoo, but I do know there are A LOT.  Understand then, that this is a pretty BIG ask.        A few weeks after bringing this request to Him again and again, a woman that both my friend and her mom know, crossed paths with my friend's mom at a local store.  This woman who "just happened" to be at the same place at the same time as my friend's mom, and who "Just happened" to live on that VERY SPECIFIC street that my friend had been asking God for, "just happened" to have a house on that street that she "just happened" to decide to rent, and "just happened" to ask my friend's mom if she might know anyone who would want to rent a house on that VERY SPECIFIC STREET THAT MY FRIEND HAD BEEN PRAYING FOR.   Are you kidding me??? There is ABSOLUTELY NO "JUST HAPPENED!!!!!!"   This is the Ruler of all Creation, The One who "every bird belongs to," the One who says, "call on me and I will answer you," the One who SEES my friend and LOVES my friend, the One whom "Nothing is too hard/impossible for"....this is GOD, THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH who says;   " Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God, because anyone who  comes to him must believe that he exists and that he REWARDS those who DILIGENTLY/ EARNESTLY SEEK HIM." Hebrews 11:6   May this story of my friend's experience with answered prayer remind you that we are called into the most amazing and greatest RELATIONSHIP ever. May this remind you that once we have said "Yes" to Him and have received his gift of  forgiveness for our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus that we can come to him about anything. He is  REAL. He is ALIVE. He is our Father in heaven and loves to bless those who call on his name. As you pray, as he answers your prayers and you personally experience him and come to a deep belief that he REALLY SEES YOU AND CARES, may you fall DEEPLY in LOVE with Jesus that only grows deeper and deeper each new day. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday

Hey guys. Sorry for the lack of e-mails last week but I was using my early morning times to pray for and prepare for our Women's retreat at the River this past weekend.  We had an awesome time as we spent time together pursuing the topic of "Messages."   So, as I wish you a happy "Mom Monday" I thought I'd continue on in this "Messages" theme as it relates to being a mom.   God's word says to "Watch your life and your doctrine (the principles presented for belief..what you believe to be true) CLOSELY." 1 Timothy 4:16   When you take inventory of your life as a mom and what messages you are sending to your children, what beliefs you are passing on through your actions, what is it that your children are hearing through your life?   What messages SHOULD we as women who love Jesus be sending to our children through our words & actions?           1. You are DEARLY loved soooo I will be kind, patient, unselfish, not easily angered with you.       2. I love God/Jesus and His words more than anything else.       3. I love your daddy very much       4. After God and your daddy, YOU are my # 1 priority       5.You are sooo special and I do NOT compare you to your siblings or anyone else       6. I trust God & won't will not allow anxiety or worry to rule me.       7. I want to provide for you but I do NOT want to spoil you.      8. Other people matter VERY MUCH!      9. I am trying to do myself, what I am asking you to do.     10. I fail often and am in need of mercy just like you.     etc, etc, etc,............there are so many messages we are passing on (or NOT passing on)  all throughout the day depending on what we say or don't say, do or don't do. May we watch our lives carefully to make sure we are sending the messages we want to send. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link       "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26