Kathiey's World

  Does God answer all of our prayers?  He does, but we may not always get the desired answer.  I believe that sometimes He says “yes” to our request, sometimes “no,” and at other times, the answer may be “not today.” I like this quote by CS Lewis… “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” The list of entirely reasonable requests sent up to God has no limit.  We may be asking for a soulmate, praying for a positive outcome for our friends and family, or looking for the perfect job for financial security.  Why wouldn’t God say yes to all of these requests?  After all, we have given our lives to Him. We have put our trust in His love for us.  Why would He say no to something that would make everyone’s life easier and better? The Silent Treatment There are many ways to react when God, our Father, says “no.”  I will use Maggie as an example. One way that Maggie rea...

Because of you, God, I will sing in the shadow of your wings! Thank you, Lord, for the shadow of your wings.  Thank you that I find protection, fatherly encouragement, direction for my path, and your endless, unfailing love that can be found in the shadow of your wings. Thank you because you uphold me in all things, and because of this, I have the strength to sing:-) God Bless You On Your Journey! KathieyV:-)

  I found this short story on a site called  Spiritual Short Stories.  The title of the story and the author are unknown.  As I read the story,  I thought of myself and the many others who have experienced pain and despair. The Story A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one would pop up. Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire, and soon the pots came to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then s...

**This is a memory of the day I was baptized at CrossPoint Church. 2013** I remember distinctly the day I was baptized.   I was 18 years old.  A large group of us in a country field stood in front of a large pond.  We all lined up and then took turns being baptized through immersion into the cold pond water.  I remember it being a fantastic experience.  I was giving myself over to God. Here we are many years later.  Over those years, there has been great joy, lots of mistakes, and hopefully learning from each of them, the pain of illness and death, the birth of two beautiful girls, and the gift of Caleb, my grandbaby. Today I struggle with the pain of an unwanted separation and pending divorce, which to me, is like a death but with intent.  Through this trauma, I  have a greater appreciation of the gift of friends and the increasing knowledge of God's love for all of us. Yesterday I went to Cross Pointe Church.  I went by myself, and ...

"I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;  for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of  trouble." Psalms 59:16 New International Version Oh, how I loved to sing.  I remember as a little girl my parents, and I were at the home of family friends.  I was standing on a bed with a pretend microphone singing.  I even remember the song,  "Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" by the Herman's Hermits.  I was singing away enjoying the moment.  Little did I know my voice was streaming through the entire house through an audio system they had just installed in the home.  I was mortified, but in my embarrassment I heard my dad say "Kathy loves to sing." I do love to sing, and I was able to express that love in the church.  I used to sing duets with my friend Dottie in a small Methodist Church in Goldsboro Maryland when we were in elementary school.  I later married a man who became...

Have you ever failed at anything?  I have.  Have you ever fallen down either physically, or figuratively and felt you did not have the strength to keep on trying? I have.  Have you ever felt lost/confused and just did not have the motivation even to try to get out of the hole you have dug for yourself, or the energy to attempt to get out of the pit in which life has had placed you?  I have. I guess most of us have been in these situations.  But there is good news!  It is a new day and can be a new beginning; we can get back up and keep on trying to be the best we can be.  I find this is only possible with God's help.  Here are a few sayings to help us pull ourselves up by our bootstraps no matter what is going on in our lives. "This thing called failure is not the falling down but the staying down."  (Author unknown,  at least to me.) (I happen to know the person in the photo, and he did get up and had many triumphant sledding ...

I love my Sunday mornings. I do not have a home church as of yet, so I grab my coffee and note pad and listen to a sermon via podcast. In the last two weeks, I have listened to services from Bridgeway Church in Maryland. The pastor both times has been David Anderson. He starts his sermon by quoting a man that just faced down a bear. I wish I were as brave as Carl, but I am not. I have fears and worries. I want to be brave and face each day, confident that God walks beside me and is in control, and I do 90% of the time. How do I maintain this confidence 100% of the time? I need to follow David Anderson's advice. He said we need to develop a courageous heart. We need to take courage. He says we can do this in 4 ways. "Take" *T-Trust that God is in control. (I remind myself of this constantly) *A-Act courageously to do what must be done. (I am trying to get all the things I need to do completed) *K-Kneel before God and claim his promises. (I don't always knee...

I wrote this devotional back in 2017.  I think it is a reminder of God's love for us during all things even this Covid19 Pandemic. As I was reading along with this short devotional, I soon realized that my go-to verses in my time of greatest need are incorporated in the text.  Thus making this devotional that I found on youtube very personal to me. "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 My interpretation of this verse is simple.  When things are more difficult then we can begin to imagine that is the time to take a breath, trust God because He is with us and put everything in His hands and then rely on Him for the outcome. Watching my father die was one of the most challenging times of my life.  He did not have a peaceful passing; he had a very painful passing.  He had pancreatic cancer a very cruel ending.  As I cared for him, my job was to keep him pain-free with the medications provided by Hospice.  I took this task very seriously...

I read a book several years ago called "Small Island" by Andrea Levy."  There is a quote that I came across in the reading that touched me. "He looked so pained that I dreamed of taking his hands and making him dance." Her statement is directed toward someone that is not particularly nice; he is a harsh self-centered person.  But her compassion for his pain made her want to help him, not only to help him but to bring him joy, to make him dance.  Wow, to me, that is an amazingly powerful hope of kindness — an example of God's love. "By you my sorrow is turned into dancing,  you have taken away my clothing of grief and given me robes of joy"  Psalm 30:11 Thank You God! KathieyV

I will be the first to admit that it is not always easy to wait on the Lord.  If we love God and trust Him, then wait we must for He "knows the plans he has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11. For many of us going through a separation and divorce, our path has been drastically changed. All of our plans and dreams have been shifted.  We may not know which way to go and that is when we need to trust and wait on the Lord and his timing because His timing is best. Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It’s the same in the Spirit. People who don’t understand God’s timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time. They don’t get His rhythm – and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams . –  T. D....

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of 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,     fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer  and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,  scorning its shame,  and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.     Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary  and lose heart. (Caleb and Nana:-) God Bless! KathieyV

I was feeling a bit sad last night, and I posted that truth on Facebook.  I said I was feeling sad, but I did not want to surrender to that feeling, so I was going to dive into a good book.  I find that reading does help us escape, if only for a moment, the things in life that like to take us and shake us to the point of sorrow. My Facebook friends came through as they always do with words of encouragement and love and I am so thankful for those who take the time to care. I have a facebook friend Amber who I met on a road trip to New York.  We met in the hotel restaurant, and I found her to be such a nice person, and because of that, we became Facebook friends.  Amber sent me a scripture last night, Proverbs 3:18 I must say I was not familiar with this scripture but it brought me comfort in the moment, and I decided to do a bit of research on the text. "She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;  those who hold her fast will be bl...

I found this sermonette on a website called Desiring God.  Watching the video reinforced the fact that God has not left us no matter the pain or problems in our lives.  If we "wait" for Him, have faith in him, he works for us to help not only us but others. The video is titled..   When God Works for You. Click here to watch the video  . "Call upon me in the day of trouble;  I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15 (RSV) Help us Lord to call out to you not only in the day of trouble but in all things. We trust in you to deliver us and we are happy that through our faith in you we can glorify you. "..but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (RSV) Thank you God that you will give us strength and help us not only walk but to run. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The L...

Several weeks ago I watched "The Sixth Sense."  I love that movie.  The twists and turns, the surprise ending.  And that adorable little boy, what a fantastic actor, and who doesn't like Bruce Willis. The little boy did not share much regarding his thoughts and feelings; he kept them hidden.  He kept his pain hidden.   I loved the son's relationship with his mom. He loved her deeply and could read her emotions.  At one point he asked her why she was so sad, her reply "What makes you think I'm sad," Cole's reply "Your eyes told me."  I think many of us would love for someone to care so deeply about us that they could see through our facade and see our pain.  That they could look in our eyes and read what is behind our smile, our mask.  Well, there is someone that sees, and that is God.  He understands our pain, our loneliness,  our confusion,  our guilt,  our fear, and our utter devastation.  And guess what...

I am reading several devotionals at one time.  Not that I am consistent in my reading of any of them, but  I  attempt to read a few pages daily to try to find God's will for me.  One of my favorites is "Glimpses of God's Grace"  by Anita Donahue. Anita speaks of stepping out on faith and passing on God's mercy and grace. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 This scripture was one of my support scriptures during "the beginning" of the knowledge that my husband was leaving me.  I was extremely weak, and I needed grace, and I needed God's comfort.  He did lift me up, and slowly, very slowly I began to strengthen. For those of you in "the beginning" of this process hold on tightly to this scripture because I can promise you it is true.  Please don't give up or give in to fear, which is so easy to do.  If you are in the process of "the journey" of divorc...

"Meet your fears with faith." Max Lucado "So 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 There is a young woman that I know who has not had, what I would call, an easy life.  I am not sure of the depths of the trauma in her life but I know it has been painful and I know there are scars.  This young woman has a passion and love for others, especially children, and has overcome and continues to overcome, daily, the demons of her past.  I was able to witness a very happy moment in her life.  She had a financial need, a very unselfish need,  that she knew could not meet on her own no matter how hard she tried.  She put it in God's hands.  Seemingly out of nowhere someone she barely knew reached out to her and blessed her with a gift of money so she could meet this need in her life.  I was so lucky to be there...

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your path." Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP "Trust in the Lord, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind..." I don't know how many times a day I say "help me, Lord" but it is many, and that one little sentence has become my new mantra.   When I call out to God in this way, it means I have no idea where He is taking me, but I want to remain in God's will and need His guidance. "...and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." At times, even before I realize it, I have ventured out based on my limited understanding.  These times I have allowed myself to be directed by my flawed concept of understanding are the times that usually do not result in the best outcome.  This is when I ...