"Believe"

 I'm drinking my morning "hug in a cup" (AKA Coffee) from a mug that has a whimsical horse on it and the word "Believe"

The mug I choose for the day is definitely a proclamation of my mood. 

Do your coffee cups speak your mind like mine do?

I have one that says "Live a Life of Purpose" it's simple natural tones; yet the bold white letters speak louder than the muted tones. It's one of my favorite cups, yet today, as we prepare to go look at a local horse property, I'm in the "dreamy" mood.

We are in the thick of researching a relocation. I've been dreaming of this for over 20 years, the dream hasn't silenced so I just keep praying that it falls together. At this point, I'm feeling some turmoil. Should we stay where we are or should we pursue a big move. So we continue to explore our options, by looking at local properties as well as planning future road trips to the locations I've researched. It's a tedius process when there is no "direction" driving the relocation. The dream has grown stronger and God has nudged us along over the years assuring me my prayers will be answered as I align my "wants" to His Will. 

I've been a little discouraged over the last year or so, we are within a few years of the "good timing window" (if there is such a thing) and the thought of uprooting my family for no good reason other than to follow a dream, seems...risky. My husband runs his business here, so we don't have the justified reason to move such as "work relocation" and it will take a lot of trust to take the leap to unknown territory. We've also visited multiple "possibilities" over the last year and none of them feel like "the one" to plant our roots.

The last few days, while working through my Bible study "NO OTHER GODS" by Kelly Minter, I have been reminded of the Israelites who left Egypt, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and then started almost fantasizing about going back to where they started. Even though God's assurance that He would give them land flowing with milk and honey, there was still doubt. They wanted to go back to what was familiar, even though it was not good for them to be there. (The reference point for that particular study day is Numbers 13 and 14)

I have hope that if I keep praying and keeping "Believing" and keep "hoping" that the Lord will guide us directly into the path of His Will and that my dream is in close parallel to where we are called to serve. 

Process

 I’ve been saying “there is so much to process right now” as my response to so many things. 6 months in to Covid and so much has changed in our world. So much, on a scale of 1-100, I’d say our world is hovering around the 101 mark on the level of unfamiliar! 

Jump forward to a completely different direction and think about a long period of perseverance, “it’s a process” comes to mind.

Two completely different ideas; yet they are connected by one word; Perseverance. 

Something I didn’t think I had for many years. Being an impulsive sort of person doesn’t often leave the fruit of perseverance.

My heart is in a place of processing not what’s happening in the world (to be honest that can be overwhelming) but what’s happening on the level of my heart. 

So much is out of our control, yet, we can learn and grow from any circumstances and with God there alongside us, we know the outcome is promising. 

Process 

Perceptions and how not to Let them get you Down

 When you do things outside of the societal mold, be ready to be perceived differently. 

Perceptions will drive people’s opinions about you and if they don’t take the time to get to know you or your situation, their perceptions will be wrong and often hurtful. 

That’s not a reason not to be extraordinary, it is just an eye opening fact that you won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

It can be hard to accept, but it’s a reality. 

Moral of the story; Battle against judging others. Take the time to understand those you are forming opinions about. ❤️

Unbreakable Spirit

 I was sitting outside with my son watching him and playing along as he "planted trees" and crashed his monster trucks and I started thinking about how the Spirit is in us. The same Spirit that battled against sin and won, is in us. "Our Helper". (John 14)

I know my writing focuses a lot on getting through hard times, and this post is no different. Times are hard right now, I want nothing more than to offer practical tools of encouragement to anyone who may be reading today. 

How do I encourage? Through sharing truth. It's hard sometimes to weed through the lies and what's true. Especially if you are listening to the news and all of the perceptions of what people think is happening on any given day.

What if you settle the noise outside and start settling on the Helper that is in you? 

I've read Scripture about what it's like to live "worldly" and it doesn't often end up very well. Yet, we all fall into it. Some times more frequently than other times, but no matter how Holy you think you are, there will be times (or certainly have been times in your past) when you have fallen "victim". You feel down and out, truly overwhelmed. What then? It's hard to climb out of those times isn't it? It can even feel hopeless.

Let's shift our mind to the Helper that is already inside of us, waiting to battle for us. Let me reword, He's already battling for us, yet we don't often notice. I tend to notice all of the work the Lord has done after the circumstance has passed. 

If we want to live in the victory of an unbreakable spirit, we need to realize how victorious we already are in Christ. This takes a lot of thought pattern habit breaking to do, but reading truth will help tremendously.

"What if....?" 

"Even then".

No matter what the end of your "What if" question is, Jesus, your Holy Spirit and Helper has got it. 

"Even then" 

If God is for us, who can be against us?

And then it hit me!

 I wrote this post in 2014; one of my favorite things to do is look back and recognize "full circle". This lightbulb moment I had then, it's still true today. God's Promises are unchanging, though our emotions do change, He is stable and faithful. 

July 25, 2014

Friends, it's been a while since I have been feeling led to write. Today, I have a message. I've been suffering inside. I've been feeling, discontent, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, stress overall, just miserable. I kept moving forward, day by day, keeping that smile on my face and my optimistic perspective, but deep down, it's been less than desirable. 

Things in life are getting in my way of happiness, or so that is the mask that I've been allowing myself to believe. Until today. I have some clarity. The enemy wants to pull people away from God. The closer you get to God, the harder the enemy tries to get between you and the TRUTH. Until this moment, I was allowing that to happen, through confusion and chaos, I was leaving a door wide open to allow darkness to come in and steal the relationship I have with the Lord. My guard is up again and I am holding on to my faith. It's a daily choice, lightness or darkness. I have found I can't let my guard down for even a second, because Jesus is the only way for me to see TRUTH in each day. A walk with the Lord is a faith filled walk, but it's a walk that must be committed to with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

"The enemy is like the weeds in a garden, if you don't tend to the flowers faithfully, the weeds sneak in and overtake the beauty of the garden. The weeds are always lurking and creeping, if they aren't uprooted they flourish and they overtake what's been planted. But, it's never too late! You can clear the weeds and the beauty of the garden comes back looking better than ever! Just like with God, every day is new." -Karrie Viscogliosi

You see, I wasn't always so close to God. I didn't work to build a relationship with God until well into my adult years. And, that's when my life changed. I was so enamored with a life that was filled with the Holy Spirit, which has been and continues to be such a blessing! As with everything else though, I go all in and my reality and logic gets cluttered when I am excited about something new and now, the realities of day to day living have once again snuck in. 

God is so good about holding my hand through this life and I am so thankful that no matter what I am feeling, I always have Him to lean on. He's been gently urging me to read my Bible and I humbly admit, I have ignored the gentle urges. The Bible has been the missing link. It has all of the answers I need, the answers I have been seeking from places outside of the Word, the Scripture, the Life Book. 

No wonder I've been missing a key piece of my happiness, I've been allowing life and all if it's hectic busyness to keep me away from The Word of God. His whispers have turned much more audible and honestly, I finally picked up that Holy Book. One night I wasn't able to sleep, I was filled with anxiety and I just needed some peace. I picked up my book. 

Once, a few years back, I was told, if you don't know where to start, when you read the Bible, start with getting to know Jesus. The books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are a great place to start. So I have. 

God is always there for me, he always knows just what to say, and He always knows how to get that loud and clear message to me. I will hold on to that, and trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and with all of my soul and with all of my mind. (Proverbs 3:5)

Change

 I was a child who loved change; to the point where I was described as "fickle" by my best friend. 

The best example of my love for change was the state of my bedroom as a girl. As soon as I was strong enough, I would regularly move my furniture to different locations in my room. My parents didn't love the fact that I would move the wall hangings around too! There were holes all over the walls. I am laughing at the fact that I never used a hammer, but a pair of heels to hammer the nails in. I did things quite creatively or perhaps we can call it innovative! :)

The first night of my bed facing a different direction was always a challenge to fall asleep, but overall, it was thrilling to shift my "world" and I did it frequently! 

Looking back, I don't know who that was because I'm not a super fan of change right now at almost 40.

Some change is good, of course, but the way life has been, it seems no matter what you choose to go forward, there is more weight to that decision. 

We are currently facing a new school year. A new school year as a conclusion to the summer some of us may have thought would never end! Yet, here we are. Facing a new, yet familiar time of the calendar year. 

I've been reflective about how much has changed since early March, when life was different. 

"Pre-Covid Times". 

I look upon "Pre-Covid Times" fondly; even though our world was quite broken then, it felt "normal".

Now, we are looking at "normal" events, such as #backtoschool yet, there is a different feel. 

Some of the change over the months has been met with downright grief and disappointment. Some of the change over the months has turned out OK, even better than the old way. We hopefully can agree some good things have come out of the changes we are seeing in this world. 

So, this is my check in. 

How are you?

Are you having good days and bad days?

Maybe today is a bad day? I'm here for you. 

Maybe today is a good day? What gratitude comes from the good days!

Maybe today is a new endeavor? Always a little exciting, yet nervewracking!

Maybe you are going back to work; the work that you haven't been to since early March? Or maybe starting a new job? 

Maybe your kids are going to remote learning every day?

Maybe you are struggling to balance work and helping your kids with homework from various grade levels?

Maybe your kids are returning to school in person, while wearing a mask all day as staying distant from their friends? 

Maybe you are feeling the weight of all of the division going on?

Maybe you have lost a loved one and are working through the grief of that heartbreaking reality? 

Whatever the case is for today, I pray you see God. I pray you see His love and dedication to inviting us to lean into Him. I pray your heart is OK, that it's not hurting, and if it is, that you feel true mercy very soon. 

Peace be with you,
Karrie

What is church?

I'm going through a period of really missing church. Yes, we've followed the "live" feeds every week from the comforts of home, but that is not the same.
We've even had the luxury of listening to worship on the go! It's not the same.

What is it about the building we call "church" that makes it so special?

Well, I'll start by saying, the Spirit comes where people gather. Prayers are heard, praise is sung. Truth is preached.

I've heard the argument that church is wherever God is, you don't need a building to worship.

After facing locked doors for over 100 days, I'd like to venture out and state, this argument couldn't be more wrong.

There is something about the building, God's House.

Sure, the people inside are sinners, but they go to this place to seek God. Where else can we go to seek God and have truth fed into our souls?

Some may say nature is church. Being a lover of nature, I really can't argue that the Holy Spirit is present in nature. God's Divine Creation is definitely worthy of our appreciation.

Whats missing when you aren't in the physical House of God?

Accountability. In church we gather as believers, seeking to praise God.

Repentance. The chance to openly confess sin and have a blessing over us that validates we are free from what we have confessed.

Soul Food. There is no other place I can go in and come out a better, more joyful version of myself. My soul is fed in God's House.

Fellowship. If you are like me, sometimes fellowship is hard. I tend to not quite fit in a lot of the time, but in church, there is an unspoken unity that helps my guards to fall away. When our voices come together in song, even if I haven't connected with anyone up to that moment, connection is there in our unified melodies.

The Word of God. Any good church has a lot of The Word. Gifted Pastors stand up to speak a message that is rich with truth. I crave truth. I read my Bible at home and work to understand the message, but there is something about hearing God's Word in God's House that really nourishes my faith seed from mustard size to fertilized!

What is church?
Church is a body of believers who seek to know God's character on a personal level. There are many faults with "organized religion" but that makes perfect sense because church is run by sinful humans.

If you do anything: pray for your church. If you don't belong to a church, pray for any church that's mission is to understand and apply God's Word to individual lives. Not just the Word that we agree with, but all of it. So help us God.

Feeling like Groundhog Day?

As a stay at home mom, I often feel like I am doing the same things every day. I will be honest and say, yes, it feels mundane at times, and yes, I get kind of tired of the same same same.

We are a few weeks into staying home. This life for many looks very different than it did before. I can't help but think, perhaps some of you may be feeling the same way. We've come face to face with the mundane.

When I write from the heart, I would like to make it clear, I am not complaining. My underlying feel is this is the life I have always dreamed of. Being a mom was the one thing I have wanted to be since as long as I can remember. I am blessed beyond measure to have three children and I marvel at them almost every day.

What no one tells you about is the incessant "needs" that arise leading a family. It can leave you feeling ill equipped for the job. What do we do with that feeling?

This is when gaining your footing; AKA perspective comes in.

I often am struck with the weight of my day when I am tackling laundry. Everything can be going well, until I face the laundry! There are many things that seem never ending. For me, it's laundry. What's your insurmountable task?

 It's interesting, when you are facing something mindless that must get done almost everyday, you get time to think.

I think when I go for long walks as well, but that's something I enjoy!

What's even more interesting is the content of my thoughts when I am doing something I enjoy (like walking) vs. something I don't enjoy (like laundry). Both are essential but one brings joy and one takes much more self discipline to complete.

When I'm walking, I find gratitude comes incredibly easy. I am taking in the sights and enjoying the movement of my body and the time I get to just ponder.

When I'm doing laundry, I'm still spending time doing something, but my thoughts (when I'm not putting any effort into them) tend to be more negative. Less grateful, more bitter.

I call this perspective. Knowing this about myself, helps me in the long run. You see, I don't settle for negative thoughts ruling my mind, I have learned to allow them to pass through and then set them straight on truth.

Dark days tend to take more effort to set those thoughts straight, but ultimately, the choice comes in when you have to decide if you are going to sit in the negative or seek the positive.

I want to encourage you to pay attention to your thoughts. We have a lot of them each day! Let's make them quality thoughts.



Philippians 4:8 "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

A few words about Repentance

Good morning friends,

Let me open by saying “God works out of love and faithfulness” He will stop at nothing to join us as we live our days. That’s His call on each of our hearts, to draw near to Him in all circumstances and His actions are Just, and overflowing with goodness and mercy.

With that said, we must open our eyes to what’s going on around us. These days may be bringing some unsteady emotions. It may be scary, it may be frustrating, whatever it is, it’s definitely changing how we spend our time. I’ve spent some time reflecting on the fact that if this was even just a few years ago, my peace about this storm would be radically different. As you may know, anxiety was my overactive default for over 30 years. What anxiety does is, it takes what’s happening around you and terrorizes your thoughts on various levels. I have been there. I am speaking from the other side of it though, anxiety no longer shackles me. God lifted me above those circumstances of fear and I have no doubt that He can and will do the same for you. He works in His perfect timing. Think of the coronavirus as a personal invitation to turn towards God and away from all other distractions.

In my Thursday morning Bible Study, we are currently studying the Kings in a book titled “Trustworthy” by Lysa Terkeurst. The Kings each started with good intentions of leading well, but as more power was given, they each fell away from God’s direction and into pride, even the “Best Kings” of that day, had faults. Leading into the fact that humans play a part in God’s story but the second we fall away from His direction and begin leaning into our own actions and emotions, things fall apart. God is so faithful, He continues to draw us back in and calls us to repentance. We can be so blind for so long and then one day, God’s message pierces our heart. The epicenter of our soul. This is the time to tune in to your epicenter friends! This is a time that God is calling you personally, bodly, swiftly and faithfully. It’s amazing if you think of the infinite scale in which God seamlessly goes to, to reach His people, whom He Loves.

We are being called to repent, and to do so, with fear of the Lord. (Fear in this context should be noted as “respect” and “surrender”)

Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will love it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39

(A few notes on this Scripture from the NLT version of the “Life Application Study Bible” are noted here:  “Jesus was overwhelmed with compassionate pity for the people. His response echoes the deep inner mercy of God, often described in the Old Testament. Jesus came to be the Shepherd, the one who could show people how to avoid pitfalls. Many people are ready to give their lives to Christ if someone would show them how. Often when we pray for something, God answers our prayers by using us.)

Our world is running rampant with “Idols”. Perhaps the idols in your heart are not figures on an alter, but more so, actions like; chasing the American Dream, the next dollar, your next cup of coffee? We are seeking worldly fulfillment and allowing ourselves to be distracted from our Savior, our Holy God, the Spirit that lives IN us. The time is upon us as a few have claimed. Wrath, correction, sanctification is necessary and welcome. “Holy Spirit purify and humble me so that I no longer grieve you” is the song in my heart today.

What is all of this telling us? I believe it’s a call to seek Him with our whole heart. A call to surrender. A call to cling to God and to ask Him what in your life has grieved Him and what He’s asking you to share with Him.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synogogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Sprit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:16-20 (“We must find a balance between wisdom and vulnerability to accomplish God’s work.” “In times of persecution, we can be confident because Jesus has “overcome the world” John 16:33 “Jesus is telling us not to stop preparing but to stop worrying.” Life Application Study Bible)

Sin is standing between us and God. Jesus said “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 On the cross, Jesus won the battle for us. We are called to turn our hearts to God and submit to Him in all our ways. As I’ve learned, God directs each step and brings to mind the loving conviction of what I have done in the past that can be dropped at the foot of the cross.

Do not fear. See the bigger picture. See that God’s work is GOOD and we can come before Him and humbly ask Him to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness. The Blood of the Lamb is waiting to wash over you and make you New.

Oh what awaits when your soul is FREED.