I have always thought of love as a beautiful, lovely, emotional experience that begins in the heart and ends with I do. And I love that part of love, bouquets of roses, sweets for the sweet, perfume, a lovely dress, a midnight supper, and whispered words. The greatest expression of love however looks quite different.

True truth about love

It starts with the heart and ends with a cross. Blood, agony, nails. Not roses but thorns. Not midnight supper, but last supper. Instead of a lovely dress, garments stripped and gambled. Whispered words become cries of pain. Why have you forsaken me? And God shows us what true love is. A decision of the mind and pours out through the heart. Raw and bare for the world to see,

because God so loved the world.

The truth about true love is there is no love without pain, sacrifice, or loss. But in the sacrifice we are blessed, in the loss we receive and in the pain we are healed.

Help me Lord Jesus to so love my husband, to so love my children, and to so love my world, my teachers, my students, and my school families. Help me to so love beyond the beautiful into the depths of true love. Amen.

 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8:

Thank you, Holy Father. Amen.

By Mary Kay Kane

copyright 2018. all rights reserved.

I was at church the other Sunday. Hungry. Thirsty. Dying for a little living water and bread of life, when the pastor did something life changing. He told us the people sitting next to us needed a little encouragement from the Word of God. Open your Bible, find a verse, and turn and share it with your neighbors. Can you believe it? The nerve of him. My pastor expected the church to turn and feed each other.

I loved it.

Scripture ringing off the walls, filling the church to the rafters as it filled the souls of the people. Word upon word, precept upon precept. Life changing words from one thirsty soul to another. People filled to full of the life-giving Word.

I talked about it for days.

I’m still talking about it to anyone who will listen. I was moved by this request from my pastor to share the Word of God. Instead of just consuming, we became active conduits of the Word. From one heart to another. Because of this experience something new is born:

Word to Go!

Jane and I are taking Only By Prayer “on the road” to Instagram (find us at @onlybyprayer). Inspired by my sharing experience at Harvest Bible Chapel, in Granger IN, Word to Go is a simple one week daily post based on a theme. Followers are invited to post a Bible verse based on our theme for the day.

Need more info?

1. Go to your Instagram account (or create an Instagram account at Instagram.) See photo from our feed on the right.
2. Follow us @onlybyprayer.
3. Watch for the daily post styled after the meme connected with this post.
4. Add your Bible verse based on the theme of the day in the comment section.
5. Read and pray through verses posted by other people.
6. Feel free to add encouraging comments to others.
7. Repeat each day for one week!

Jane and I pray you will join us for Word to Go starting Monday, August 13 on Instagram!

Come and follow us as we follow God.

Questions or Comments? Please leave a message in the chat section below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was with my hubby and oldest son on vacay in northern Michigan. We were kayaking the Victoria River. It’s such a twisty-turny kind of river, a surprise at every bend (we won’t even mention the horse flies). However, one of the male members of our little crew began complaining about the constant turns and how difficult it makes the navigation.  Imagine how easy our journey would be if this river were a straight line.

easy is just easy

Straight line journeys are easy, but easy is boring. So predictable. So vanilla. You can see ahead forever and ever. No surprises. No thrills. So straight line, flat line. No heart required. Where is the faith?

I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. Isaiah 41:18

We need a few twists and turns in our God journey. Challenges to keep us pushing and striving for more Jesus. Doesn’t every great adventure contain a few nail-biter moments when we aren’t sure if we’re to make it? I want to travel a few wide open rivers through desolate heights with God before He leads me to some still waters.  The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but I’ll take the wild ride. Yes, please.

wild spaces

Our vacay cottage is on the east end of Little Traverse Lake. Part of the lake is developed, sprinkled with cabins and cottages, but the east side is more remote with many wild spaces. Cedars, birches, and hemlocks line the rugged shoreline. These Eden-like wild spaces are teeming with wildlife. Otters gobbling crayfish and clams, Pileated Woodpeckers chiseling homes and niches, loons diving and calling. Life and growth flourish in the solitude of the wild space.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Luke 6:12

we need some wild spaces

In our structured scheduled urban lives, we need some wild spaces. Wild spaces are chunks of time set aside to meet with God in a quiet place. Maybe your wild space is a secluded corner of a city park, a hideaway nook in your favorite cafe, or your porch swing on your backyard patio. The important thing is you meet with God daily. Bring your Bible, pen and journal and forget your phone. Be ready to meet with God and listen as He uses wild spaces to to challenge and deepen your walk with Him.

Where is your favorite wild space?

Leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

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Gossip cuts straight to the heart. Always painful, always injurious. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will break your heart. But we don’t have to cooperate with our enemies by twisting the knife. We have a choice.  What is the choice? Go back and read the verse.

Words or the Word

We can either focus on the words of our enemies or on the Word of God. Which would be more beneficial? Let’s think about that for a moment. What do we know about the enemy? He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. EVERYTHING he says is a big fat lie.

But God.

What does His Word say? He comes so we can have life and life abundant. In the verse above, we are called servants of God. Why should a servant (you and me) listen to the Master?

• Because His Word is law and love and good and glorious.
• Because the purpose of a servant is to listen for his/her Master’s voice.
• Because we will obey who we allow to speak into our life.

Think

Consider the definition of think. In the Greek, siyach, means to speak, to sing, (I love this part) to talk to oneself. So when others are talking about you, you talk about you too, but you talk to yourself about God’s truth. When the enemy swoops in to remind you of your failure, you remind him, OUT LOUD, that God promises to use all things for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. When the Enemy or your enemies at work, school, or the office say you aren’t strong enough, good enough, or smart enough, you think about how the statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7. Do not allow yourself to focus on the lies of the enemy. Replace them with the truth of God’s Word.

Grow

Siyach also means to germinate, to grow, to put forth buds. Think for a moment and lets put this all together. Times of attack and criticism from the enemy are growing times. During those hard times we must turn our thoughts from lying word of the enemy and think on the Word of God. And in the thinking, God’s word which is sharper than a two edged sword, goes deep and cuts out the lies, and plants seeds of truth. The truth germinates, put forth buds and produces fruit. When we eat of this fruit, we are made stronger.

Take Action!

1. Reject. Reject the lies of the Enemy.
2. Think/speak. Think and speak the truth of God’s Word in your situation and about yourself. Do this as often as needed.
3. Pray. Pray for God to give you wisdom and strength to overcome this hardship.
4. Humble. Thank God for how He is using this hard time to grow you into His image.
5. Serve. Continue to serve God and follow God’s will for your life despite the criticism of the enemy.

What are you thinking about? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

all rights reserved. copyright 2018

“We thought we could go because you did,”

an older lady shouted to me above the traffic.

I was making a dash against the light on a street in my small Midwest town.  I turned my head and smiled a feeble apology to my fellow pedestrian as she dutifully scurried back to the curb, pulling her companion, who was in a wheel chair. Thankfully, they made it back to the curb before the pick-up truck rushed through the intersection. I beat the truck (I was in heels and a dress) and hopped up on the sidewalk. Safe.

I was on my way to Veni’s Candy Shop to get some dark chocolate salted caramel turtles (yes, please). Since it was my lunch hour, I didn’t have time to waste. I needed to be back to school before my Bible class arrived.  So, I  ignored the do not walk sign and made  a break for it.

I usually follow the rules.

Usually. If they make sense.

If they don’t inconvenience me too much.

What does it matter as long as nobody gets hurt, right?

But my decision to break the rules and dash across the street almost caused someone to get hurt. While I was able to beat the traffic, the older lady and her friend were not. My candy dash could have ended in tragedy.

⁹ But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 1 Corinthians 8:9

While I was waiting for my sweets to be weighed and bagged, the Holy Spirit  brought to mind my Bible class who had been entrusted to my care for a semester. What were they learning from their teacher? Where was I leading them? Were my actions giving them permission to do something that wasn’t glorifying to God? Were they saying “We thought we could go because you went.” ?

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren knowing that we shall be held to a stricter judgment.” James 3:1

All of us are leaders.

What we do affects others, and our example influences others for good or evil. Someone is watching you to see how you will handle yourself in the sticky situation you are facing. Where will you lead them? Where will they go because of where you went?

Have you had a similar experience? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

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I was half asleep, somewhere in the zone where asleep and awake collide,  of fuzzy thoughts and drowsy dreams, when God interrupted with a message.

I had been praying for my drama class. After weeks of rehearsing, running lines, rehearsing again, blocking, dancing, more rehearsing again (because you still haven’t given your all), my troops were weary and timid and wondering: Did they have what it takes to knock it out on stage? I wanted them to quit holding back and open their mouths and hearts and give their all so God would get the glory. I couldn’t wait to tell them.

The next day during our pre-rehearsal prayer time pep talk, I rallied my students by telling them the message God gave me for them:

be the one.

Would they to be the one to use their gifts? Would they be the one who’d leave it all on the stage, to

? Would they be the one who’d stop living small, hiding in the shadows, and step into the light and live large?

What about you?

Can you be the one? Can you be the one to say yes, to say no, to stand up, to hold your ground?  Can you be the one to speak up, speak out, speak for?

Can you be the one to pray, to believe, to walk, to run, to fight, to love, to forgive? Can you be the one to tear down walls, take down giants, and tell mountains to move?

Can you be the one to tell the world, your neighbors, your friends, your enemies that Jesus loves them? Can you be the one to speak truth, to speak hope, to speak faith?

Life today is filled with pressures to do more, be more and achieve more. But God has called you to do one thing, to be the one He created you to be.

Be the one.

“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Philippians 1:27

Action points

1. Be the one at work who goes the extra mile, who doesn’t complain, and who encourages others.
2. Be the one at home who loves with no return, gives forgiveness, and offers a second, third, twentieth, or two hundredth chance.
3. Be the one at church who  lifts a burden, who gives from the heart, and serves like Jesus is coming back today.

How can you be the one?

Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

all rights reserved. copyright 2018.