"Be Tenacious"

After ending my blog yesterday with the words,   "May we be alert to the WORDS around us,"   guess what words I saw  walking right in front of me for a good couple minutes wrapped around a man's head on his hat?????   "BE TENACIOUS"   I LOVE IT!!   TENACIOUS----holding FIRMLY; persistent; stubborn; clinging to another object; STRONG   FIRM----  Unyielding to pressure; solid; not easily moved; securely fixed in place; constant; steadfast; unwavering   STRONG-- capable of enduring; solid, viogr; durability or POWER OF body or SPIRIT.       "Do not be afraid. Stand FIRM and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.." Exodus 14:13   "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; STAND FIRM ( "Be Tenacious") and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17     "Therefore, my dear "sisters", STAND FIRM ("Be tenacious!"). Let NOTHING move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58     "Finally, be STRONG in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. STAND FIRM then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and ......" Ephesians 6:10-14   "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers/sisters, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning, God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the, sisters, STAND FIRM and HOLD to the teachings we passed on to you..." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15     :"If you do not STAND FIRM in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9     "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, STANDING FIRM in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, , after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you STRONG, FIRM , AND STEADFAST." 1 Peter 5:8-10   "Hate what is evil; CLING to what is good." Romans 12:9   "Be on your guard; STAND FIRM in the faith; be women of courage; BE STRONG ("BE TENACIOUS"). Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13   "Yet he did not WAVER through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being FULLY persuades tha God had power to do what he had promised." Romans 4:20 & 21     Does God want us to "Be Tenacious?" ABSOLUTELY! May it be! 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

fOCUS

The last couple weeks I seem to have come across countless times the car with the word, "Focus." I get stuck behind it at a traffic light. I drive behind the "Focus" car on my way to pick up or drop off my children at school. It's not just one car I keep seeing. It's many different cars that are called "Focus." Perhaps you have one. If so, "Thank you for driving that vehicle."          Whenever I see that car, these words of God come to mind and refresh my spirit:   "  We FIX (FOCUS) our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18   "Therefore, holy "sisters" who share in the heavenly calling, FIX ( FOCUS) your thoughts on Jesus." Hebrews 3:1   " Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us FIX (FOCUS) our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross....." Hebrews 12:1-2     What a great little reminder throughout the day to "FOCUS."  May we be alert to words all around us that draw us back to God's words and remind us of what HE says. 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

"Honor is not fitting for a fool."

"Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool." Proverbs 26:1     If we want to be honored, may we do and be what is honorable!     FOOL- one who shows himself, by words or actions to be deficient  in judgment, sense, or understanding; a thoughtless person.........one who acts unwisely on a given occasion.   If we are not being honored, may we ask ourselves why? Am I being foolish? May we agree with God's words then and say to ourselves,    "It is not fitting that I am honored because I am acting/being foolish. I am still loved. I am still cared for. It is my behavior that needs to change."   May we then seek wisdom and change our ways..............and receive what IS fitting......honor for living/being honorable.   Blessings from Bombadil. .........home of an often "foolish" woman who deeply desires to be honored, so seeks wisdom and asks God to help her change her ways. 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

"Patience of a saint."

I was sitting in my 3 year old daughter's ballet class, yesterday, enjoying watching these PRECIOUS young ballerinas dance around when a woman sitting near me made a comment that caused me to stop and ponder.  She was referring to the dance teacher relating to nine 3/4 year olds and said,   "She has the PATIENCE of a SAINT."     I immediately thought to myself,   "Hmmmmm....I'm a "SAINT." Do I have great patience?"   I also recognized that that phrase had to come from somewhere with the belief that godliness/being a saint SHOULD include great patience.   Allow me to share a few truths on being a "SAINT" and on "Patience;"   SAINT- A person officially recognized by the Roman-Catholic Church and certain other Christian churches as being entitled to public veneration and as being capable of interceding for men on earth; ANY baptized believer in Christ, according to the New Testament; A very holy person; A charitable, unselfish, or patient person.     PATIENCE- capacity of calm endurance; Tolerant; understanding; tolerance of something or someone over a period of time, generally without complaint though not neccessarily without annoyance...any admirable endurance of a trying situation or person, usually through passiveness which comes from understanding. ...capable of bearing delay and waiting for the right moment.   "A man's WISDOM gives him patience; it is to HIS GLORY to overlook an offense." Prov. 19:11   " We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings,imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, PATIENCE and kindness, in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God..... 2 Cor. 6:3-7   "And we pray this in order tha you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorius might so that you may have great endurance and PATIENCE, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the SAINTS in the kingdom of light....." Colossians 1:11-12   "Love is PATIENT" 1 Corinthians 13:4   "Be PATIENT with EVERYONE....." 1 Thes. 5:14   "Be completely humble and gentle; be PATIENT, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2   "A hot tempered man/woman stirs up dissension, but a PATIENT WOMAN calms a quarrel." Prov. 15:8   "A PATIENT WOMAN has great understanding, but a quick- tempered woman displays folly." Prov. 14:29   "But for that very reason I was shown mercy  so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display HIS UNLIMITED PATIENCE as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:16     As believers in Jesus, we ARE SAINTS. May we display the "Patience of a Saint."......to the glory of God. Blessing from Bombadil. Kristy LInk   "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the SAINTS in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26 & 27   "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the SAINTS, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:17-19   "And pray in the Spirit on all occassions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the SAINTS." Ephesians 6:18   "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a hard and they were holding golden bowls full of incense-which are the prayers of the SAINTS." Rev. 5:8   "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

Not ashamed!

I received a phone call from a friend yesterday telling me of her son who wanted to bring his Bible to school to share God's truths with a boy who doesn't  believe there is a God. He had no shame in sharing his faith. He simply believed God's words, cared about his friend and wanted to help him come to a knowledge of the truth.  This morning I've been typing up some verses for him to store away in his soul as he goes about being God's messenger.  Listen to God's truths about NOT BEING ASHAMED.   "If anyone is ASHAMED of me AND my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26   "I am NOT ASHAMED of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." Romans 1:16   "So do not be ASHAMED to testify about our Lord.." 2 Timothy 1:8   I am sooooo proud of this young guy for not being ashamed.   Jesus himself says,    "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. Everyone on the side of TRUTH LISTENS TO ME." John 18:37   May we not be ashamed to "testify to the truth." 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

Man didn't make this up...

"I want you to know, brothers/sisters, that the gospel I preached is NOT something MAN MADE UP."Galatians 1:11   "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20 & 21   A few swords to tuck away when faced with an accusation that men simply made up this "good news."    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

Mom Monday

This weekend I went to and was involved in the "Tricked out Parenting" conference at the River, here in Kalamazoo. It was a fantastic conference for many, many reasons. Parenting is hard. It can often feel incredibly overwhelming.  There are soooo many distractions in life that can pull us away from investing fully in it.  It requires sooo much wisdom and knowledge and energy much of which feels in short supply. It was sooo great gathering with others who really desire to parent well and to be re-engergized, re-focused, helped with some tangible ideas, to be "spurred on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10: 24) and filled with God's truth about parenting.  Doreen Beltz, our family pastor, did an excellent job of inspiring us to keep moving as parents and to not become complacent, to be a hero to our "own people" (our family)  through our parenting. She reminded us that we have 167 hours in a week to invest in our family and teach them about God. We were taught through Paul Davis and Rob Link that passing on our faith begins with us and that we need to love God with all of our own heart first and have his words deeply impressed upon our own hearts before we can pass that on to our children.  We were taught and reminded of the power of a praying mom.  Oh, how good it is to gather with God's people to be spurred on, strengthened, encouraged, instructed and inspired. May we NEVER take the freedom to gather with God's people for granted.   Rob and I led a break out session about the "rites of passage." In that session I shared a quote I had just read from John McArthrur (a pretty famous preacher):   " Let me give you something you NEED TO KNOW. The first half of your life, women, you  make an INVESTMENT, the dividends of which you will reap the second half. It flips over. This woman (The Prov. 31 woman) would raise her children and when her children were old enough to be on their own, they would spend the rest of their life blessing the woman who gave HER LIFE TO THEM. That's God's design. The compensation then for old age is the EXHILARATING BLESSED JOY OF THE RETURN INVESTMENT OF YOUTH IN CHILDREN. ...The sad thing is (if you don't put the time in NOW , you won't reap the rewards)....God has designed our life in PASSAGES and when we INVEST our life in those children God gives us, we will find the backside of our life will be the greatest, sweetest time of blessing as they repay to us the blessing given. That's God's design."     Oh Moms,..........may we invest NOW that we might reap a great harvest later in life. May we not become distracted by all the world throws our way. Remember that there is one out there who seeks to "steal, kill, and destroy." He is the "Father of Lies." May we cling to our God and His awesome words that we may experience the "exhilarating blessed joy of the return investment," years down the road. May we care more about what God says about motherhood than the world. In God's eys, motherhood is the most sacred and important job as we teach and show our children who God is and how great his teachings are.  Happy Mom Monday. 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

"storehouses of snow...."

SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW.  Happy snow day to those of you in Michigan.  As you gaze upon the beauty of the fresh, white, clean snow  remind yourself of this truth from Scripture;     " Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!  .................Have you entered the storehouses of SNOW???................Then Job replied to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.............My ears had heard of you but now my eyes see you." Job 38:22- 42: 5     May we TRUST him the creator of the Snow. Blessing 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

The invisible door opener

I can't tell you how many times I've come to the locked  locker room door at the YMCA, pressed the button, "waited patiently," (like they encourage with their sign posted on the wall) until someone (who knows who) responds to my "ringing of the doorbell" by unlocking the door.  I have gone through these same motions COUNTLESS of times without giving it much thought.  That is until a few weeks ago  when I FINALLY noticed the video camera  that was near the locked door and it all of a sudden dawned on me that when I am standing at that door, I am being watched. I wondered, "Oh my.........have I ever fixed my wedgie while standing here?? Hmmmmmmmmm.....what have I done thinking I was alone, now realizing SOMEONE (???) is watching me???"       Yesterday, as I walked into the Y, my eyes were suddenly opened to that which has been there all along but I never noticed.  There, right on the front desk, was  a HUGE screen of that very hallway and any person who was waiting to get into the locker room and the "SOMEONE" behind the screen.   I decided when I went through the door on this day, now knowing I was INDEED being watched and seeing the "SOMEONE" who was actually watching me, I would wave and say "Thank you!" for opening the door for me (after I rung the doorbell AND waited patiently) .........maybe even blow a little kiss.  Well, after doing what I had set out to do (waving and saying " thank you" to the camera), I asked the woman at the desk if she saw me. Much to my chagrin, she smiled and appreciated my thankfulness and acknowledgement of her............the invisible door opener.     WE HAVE AN INVISIBLE DOOR OPENER. We have ONE who although we cannot see HIM , sees us, and tells us to "ring the doorbell/knock" and to "wait patiently."      "Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight." Hebrews 4:12   "Knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7   "I WAITED PATIENTLY for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40: 1   May we be like Moses today who;   "Persevered BECAUSE he SAW HIM who is INVISIBLE." Hebrews 11:27   Even though we cannot see him, may we TRUST that HE IS BEHIND ALL, HE SEES US, and may we turn our faces toward heaven, wave, thank HIM, blow him a kiss trusting our thankful gestures DO NOT GO UNNOTICED. May we look forward to the day we see the "FACE"  behind EVERYTHING............every door opened, every gift given, every lesson taught..........EVERYTHING.   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