"COVERED"

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

On this first day of our new year, 2012, a little story is on my mind...

We raised our children on a road out in the country, about 30 miles east of Nashville, called "Tater Peeler Road", in Lebanon,TN. (I usually go ahead and tell people that Tater Peeler Road was just off of Chicken Road, where, at the corner lived a three legged dog named "Tripod", who continually chased cars, despite losing his limbs!)

Well, the drive to "town"(Lebanon) was up and down and all around many a twist and turn in the road..about 8 miles. While most of the houses were pretty nice and decent looking, with a few VERY nice ones in between, there was one which stuck out like a sore thumb. It was one of those 'rare' places where things were stacked up on sidewalk, driveway, and yard and all in between. Broken down lawnmowers, buckets, bicycles, pieces of cars, pieces of chairs, washing machines, and just about everything else you could imagine was strewn from the front door to the very back of their property. Now, I'm not even going to BEGIN to try and understand people of this mindset, but there it was to behold, EVERY time we went to or from town by that path. It was certainly nothing less than an eyesore.

But one winter's day I was driving to town, and it had just snowed a real good snow. Everything was beautiful...the hills, the trees, even the roads...were all beautiful. As I rounded the bend that faced "the eyesore", I was taken aback. I could not even find the house that had so much junk piled up in it's yard. I did not even recognize it, because it,too, was covered by the most completely beautiful blanket of snow you have ever seen. NO junk showing...NO trash showing...NO eyesore, just a beautiful shape of a roof, house and landscape covered in beautiful white snow. At that very moment I had somewhat of an epiphany. Or, at the very least, I saw a dramatic parallel between this scene, knowing what was "underneath" it all, and our lives, as Christians, and all that Jesus' precious, Holy, sinless, spotless blood has "covered" in our sin-filled lives. It was a stunning physical visual of the stunning spiritual reality that we live daily "by faith" in.

Jesus has "covered our junk" just as beautifully as He covered that junky eyesore of a house with a gorgeous blanket of snow that day on my ride to town, and I treasure the reality of what He has done for me, personally, and for all of us who believe.

"For The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty which God confers upon them; let them sing for joy upon their beds." Psalm 149:4,5

* * * H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! ! !

I'm Still Broken

Well, I finally feel like I have something to blog about, but it may be that I'm the only one that got anything out of it!! But, I'll share it with you anyway!

During tis season of my life, which seems yet undefinable, I have not been writing very many songs...I just haven't been "getting" any from Heaven, except one here and one there...with months in between. Well, I just penned one about how I feel about my life at this time, and it's called "I'm Still Broken". (I don't know if that title will hit you as glorifying to God or un-glorifying to God, but either way here's the story...)

Today I got a call from a long-time friend, and I shared the song lyrics with him and he seemed to be able to relate. Then we talked about brokeness, and he shared with me how he could go to all lengths to repair and refurbish a broken vase, and it would look like new and be used as if it were new, but really, underneath, it is really broken. After he said that, and I realized that it was so true, I remembered what happened this morning....

I had an old piece of my Mom's, a ceramic "sleigh" from the 50's, up on top of my refrigerator for a while. I took it down just this morning and decided to wash it and put Christmassy smelling potpourri in it. When I took it down and pulled the old newspapers out of the inside of it, I saw where it had been totally broken and glued together, possibly many times over. I said aloud, with noone around, "That thing has been mended so many times...someone must've really liked it!" ...My friend got it, and I think I got it....now, do you?

God likes us!!! He is committed (with His own Life's blood) to us 100%. He likes us so much, that He is going to continue to "fix us" every time we get broken. He makes us "fit for The Master's use"! The cracks let The Light (IN US~JESUS) shine through! "In our weakness, His strength is made perfect." And even more miraculous, He is "conforming us to His image".

God has determined in His own heart and mind that He will form Christ in us...that is IN and WITH our brokeness, and sometimes, I think, because of it. So, with all this profundity behind me now, I will just suffice it to leave you with the lyrics to a new song I wrote down recently....

"I'm Still Broken".

I thought by now I'd have a few things together

I thought by now I'd have a few things down

I've run this race for so long, pressing toward The Prize

But I still feel that I have sooo far to go...

I thought by now that I'd be a better Christian

I thought by now I'd have this "LOVE" thing down

But the longer I live, the more pieces of my life just fall apart...

They fall apart, until I know that

I'm still broken ~ Yeah I'm still broken

Oh God, You've got to hold the pieces of my life within Your hand

'Cause I'm still broken ~ Yeah I'm still broken

Breathe new Life into this clay and form a whole new man

'Cause I'm still broken.

I must've forgotten just how much You Love me

I must've stumbled somewhere and fallen behind

But You have prayed for me that my faith fail not

Lord, I believe...please help my unbelief,

'Cause I'm still broken ~ oh I'm so broken

Oh God, You've got to hold the pieces of my life within Your hand

'Cause I am broken ~ Yeah, I'm still broken

Breathe new Life into this clay and form a whole new man

'Cause I'm still broken.

Copyright 2011 / Willing Heart Music

Thankful for Now ~

I am currently exercising a muscle that has long been atrophied. I call it my "thankful muscle", or "grateful muscle".

How much time my mind spends harking back to "the good ol' days", or trying to "come up with the perfect scenario" for my present or future life, I would be embarrassed to divulge to you.

I just know what I have to do. I have my work cut out for me.

Every day, when I open my eyes, I enter a fight for my life...and I mean REAL LIFE.

I have to grab hold of my thoughts, as they're soaring downwards, towards the negative gutter, and begin to willfully and intentionally think of things to thank God for...even things like "a boxspring & mattress to sleep on", "privacy", "food to eat", and on and on. The list really IS long for us all, especially here in these United States, where we are SOOOOOO priveleged, AND where it IS a PRIVELEGE to live.

I don't know about you, but I FIGHT for my peace each day. I don't wake up with rosey thoughts, but I can tell you that I get there, off and on, throughout the course of a day. And taking time to worship God and pray? A discipline. A PRIVELEGE, yes, but it is a spiritual EXERCISE, and the flesh doesn't like it, but once we enter in, WE get to sense the PRECIOUSNESS of where we've entered into...and that would be HIS PRESENCE.

HIS PRESENCE IS MY GOAL, EACH DAY. And, I'm not trying to be spiritual, act spiritual, or make you think I am spiritual...I am just being totally honest with you. I, of all people, am most needy, that's all. I just NEED HIS PRESENCE. I am just DESPERATE, that's all. That's it.

So, if any of you out there wake up struggling in the mornings, and begin to think you're the only one like that, take another look at this blog, for I am your struggling sister.

But, one thing IS FOR SURE, whether I struggle or not...and that is that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, whether I feel like He is or not, whether the world says He is or not, come hail and high water...JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! And, for THAT, I am thankful.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Well, I am trying to start out this new year with better communication to those who may spend a little time wondering where I am and what I'm doing. Honestly, I wonder that about myself a lot, too! But, seriously, here's to a happy and blessed and prosperous 2011 to all of us! I believe God is going to do wonderful things for His children this year. As we keep walking with Him we will be blessed and taken care of and taught His ways. His ways are perfect, and He has provided everything for us that pertains to life and Godliness. It is finished! Now, our part is to just walk with Him and learn of Him, and allow him to transform us into the image of His dear Son. If you want to know what God is like...If you want to know what His Son, Jesus, is like...then read 1 Corinthians 13 over and over, as well as Galatians 5:22,23(about the fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us). If God is Love, and Love is kind, then God is kind...and on down the list we can go with all of these attributes.

I am GLAD that HE is perfect, and that HE has "made the grade" for me!

Well, I wanted to make a start tonight with reaching out (again!) to communicate with those who have encouraged me to have this blog. So sorry I was gone so long...but, I'm back!!!

Feel free to leave a message whenever you want to. I'll be posting as often as possible.

Thanks for dropping by!

2011 blessings on ya!!

~Kelly

New Blog Coming ~

~ NEW BLOG COMING....

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