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Posts Categorized: devotional

Laughing our way to the Cross: Practing Lightheartedness

Posted May 25, 2016 | Karisa Moore

I take things so seriously and I have been that way from the womb. Cultivating a light heartedness, no matter our personality, is a part of character development. How is that even possible for one as serious and sometimes awkward as me? Well how did Jesus do it?

He partied!

He ate meals with his friends!

He spent time with children!

He was disciplined!

That last one seems out-of-place in our wild life of the party mentality. Disciplined people can be fun to be around? Yes, because discipline lightens our load and makes us more effective in our celebration. Amazing how much more creative I am with a clean desk. Jesus was disciplined without attempting to control the outcome. He retired to a quiet place to spend time with his heavenly father, but if the crowd searched him out, he ministered to them. There is a difference between control and discipline. Control says, I must have things a certain way to function, but discipline stretches, strengthens, and prepares forÂ us to receive our day.

As I am becoming more disciplined in exerciseÂ I am better able toÂ be a blessing toÂ my family.Â Consider the wise wordsÂ of Elle Woods,”Endorphins make you happy, happy people don’t just go around killing their husbands.” (Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blond)Â I took her advice. Sunday I was extremely agitated, butÂ after spending forty minutes on the bike trail calmness reigned in my out of control thinking.

Start small 5 minutes. Start with 5 minutes of outdoor time. Love gardening, spend 5 minutes daily weeding your bed. All kinds of biblical lessons there!

Spend time with children. My church has a stain glass window of Jesus on his throne, welcoming little children into his lap. It is easy to see how much pleasure Jesus took in them. My kids wrote me a birthday puppet show last night. They even broke out in song. Love it!

Creation itself throws one big God party! Are we too serious to pause, laugh andÂ celebrate? Life bursts forth with streamers and noise makers every morning I wake up. I am not going to be outdone by the colorful pansies in my garden, or the robin singing his praises outside my office window. My art classÂ surprised me withÂ a cake and sang happy birthday to me yesterday. A gift arrived under my Jonathan tree. Delightful!

How much I valueÂ fellowship with you! Even though my “letters” for many of you, come a considerable distance, I still feel a bond with you as we share life together. Some of you I get to break bread with in person. I learn so much, and take pleasure in watching God in your lives. So, throw your streamers! Don’t become so bogged down by the brokeness that we forget that the cross wasn’t the end of the story. Resurrection was God’s invitation, and ALL of us are on the guest list. That is worth celebrating!

Attention: Talent Needed to Save the World

The Rescued Rescue

Posted May 23, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Are we prepared to plantÂ ourÂ flags, still crisp and starched

with victory,Â on

the filthy front lines of humiliated humanity?Â Tend to

“their” soldiers? And surrender

to suffering, forÂ an enemyÂ still spewing venom as we wash

their wounds?

We are ready when we recognize ourselves as

former P.O.W.s. Defeated, and in the ditch of despair.

Rescued by the one who planted himself deep in the flesh

of our territory. Mocked and torn by a crown ofÂ barbwire. Tortured

by the enemy, to free us ALL.

Valley of the Shadow of Death

Posted May 17, 2016 | Karisa Moore

(A post from the first days after putting Jonathan in the ground.)

Day 5

Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

A spur of the moment trip yesterday afternoon to Coco Key Resort, produced a valuable image for Daniel and I to hold onto as we walk through the darkness of Jonathan’s death. Daniel is tall enough to ride the four big slides, and this summer his confidence in the water has skyrocketed. He and I tackled the first one on a two-seater inner tube. After that he was ready to tackle it alone and then moved onto the body slides.

But, he declared from the beginning, that he would not go on the two slides that did not let light in. I have to admit, I had no intention of going on those either. Later, I’m not even sure what prompted me to go on the dark body slide alone, but I did. Maybe I chose the tube because I am already walking through the darkest place imaginable. The slide was as dark as the inside of a cave cavern. I could not see the twists and turns and I didn’t know how long the ride would be, but I knew the light was at the end.

Just before leaving, Daniel grabbed the two-seater and declared that he wanted to ride the dark slide. As soon as we started down I could sense his fear. I declared that I was still beside him, and that the light would greet us at the end. When we exited the pool I told him that this how I feel with God right now. I don’t see him, but I hear his voice, and I’m trying to stand on the truth of his character. In the car the kids asked to listen to their Music Camp CD. One of the songs was “You Never Let Go”. As Daniel listened he exclaimed, “That is like the dark slide! I couldn’t see you, but I knew you were there. I know God is there, and that he won’t let go of me.”

Yes Daniel, and yes reader, God will never let go of you! Through whatever storm or dark place in this life you are going through. Our part is to know that he is here. For me, the only way to obtain that knowledge has been to read about his character in scripture, to pray, and to practice walking in faith. I can’t see where this devastating dark twist will lead, but I won’t turn back, because I know you are here.

Goals:
1. Let others help me today.
2. Work on my song.
3. Find a new copy of Barbra Johnson’s book. (Meet me at half-priced books anyone?)

Hearing God in the Silence of Grief

Posted May 16, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Romans 8:31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us allâ€”how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who diedâ€”more than that, who was raised to lifeâ€”is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

â€œFor your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.â€^j

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Itâ€™s the silence, after a house full of guests, that threatens to undo me. In grief, you brace yourself for the days of deepest memories, but the days that would have been routine, those are the days that crush bones. In these difficult days I grow best if I listen to what the new aspects of grief want to tell me.

I hear God calling me.

I am here,Â in this season of depression, toÂ shout that God makes a way through.Â I am being stretched and prepared to love more deeply than I ever thought possible, so that you know, beyond a shadow of doubt that God loves you. He has chosen you since before the beginning of creation! There is not a single second of your existence that does not matter to him.

Lean in and listen to the silence of your circumstances. AllowÂ God to teach you more about both loss and gain than you knew before. Grief can widen our hearts to love God and our neighbor more deeply or close us off. Perspective is the only difference. Do IÂ fix my eyes onÂ the evil ofÂ losing Jonathan, meant to harm me (which it was), or allowÂ God to transform my loss intoÂ good, for the salvation of many?Â Even typing these words are hard. I grapple with the untamed nature of God most when ask this question.

But, then I look at the son God did not spare. Was the cross evil. Yes. Was Jesus innocent. Yes. Did God spare Jesus. NoÂ What kind of God operates this way?Â I have heard again and again from people suffering the horrid torment of cancer that they felt God’s presence, and were able to love more deeply than before their cancer. What kind of God determines what is evil as being for the good of the world?

A God who is not limited by evil!Â A God who sent his own son to the pits of hell to save us. A God who gave us over to ourselves, but made a way for us to be better since the beginning of time. My God isn’t tame, he is dangerous to follow, but he is good! How glad that I am that God has never fit into my box, or been limited by what evil men do!

Listen to God’s call on your life and walk through the flames if that is where he leads. He may take you out of the furnace, he may take you through the furnace, or he might take you by the furnace, but one thing is certain,Â others will see himÂ standing with us as we walk in obedience to his will.

I Write Because . . .

Posted May 7, 2016 | Karisa Moore

. . .Sand should be squished between toes
and the ocean caught in cockle shells.
. . .Children’s laughter begs even the soberest of lips to curl into a smile.
. . .Pain digs into my heart
And I refuse to hold it in.
. . .God tickles my ears with
whispered clues to life’s mysteries.
. . .Pop-sickles melt loud summer days
into cool splashes of flavor.
. . .Treasures are found in the cracks of chairs that bring back memories we lose.
. . .I want the sugar I harvest
to sweeten someone else’s black coffee.

When the Evidene is Stacked . . .Windex

Posted May 5, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Hebrews 12:10Â [Fathers] disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Daniel had a rough evening out on Sunday, topped off by cleaning the restaurant windows. (He gave me permission to share with you.) While the adults had a good chuckle, we have all been there as kids, this was no laughing matter for Daniel. He felt embarrassed and ticked at all of the adults. He wasn’t quite getting the point of the lesson.

The young waitress had waved off my request for Windex and paper towels, assuring us that she could handle the mess my kids had made. But the owner, overhearing my request, knew that I was wanting to teach my kids to respect other people’s property and to take responsibility for themselves. “Your not a mom,” she told the waitress “this is important.” She brought out the requested cleaning supplies and put my kids to work.

I asked Daniel why the owner should clean up after the messÂ he and Natalie made? His eyes widened as he looked at the window, and heÂ no longerÂ denied the evidence. His prints wereÂ everywhere.Â He and Natalie were just having fun, they weren’t thinking about causing someone else more work.

Most of Christianity is not a list of don’ts, in fact I’d argue that scripture teaches us to be gentle, kind, loving, and thoughtful to all we encounter. The children,Â certainly weren’t being bad, and this was not a sin issue. Windex moments are a chance for God to expand our compassion towards other and catch patterns in our lives that may lead to sin.

I still have Windex moments. Especially ,when my temper–I try to blame my Irish ancestors–Â gets the better of me. Like the waitress, I would be more than happy to let God or others clean up my mess, or let my lack of awareness slide. After all I didn’t mean to, or I was abused as a child so my actions are justified. But, gratefully God brings out the rag and Windex. He brings me into awareness and helps me to mature in faith.

Monday morning I came downstairs to see Daniel already up, Windex in hand, cleaning my patio windows, grinning from ear to ear. I am so grateful for Windex moments that teach us to better love others.

Parents Note: Next time I’ll try to save the chuckles for later.

Promotion: Crossing the Line of What Ifs

Posted May 2, 2016 | Karisa Moore

2 Corinthians 3:2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.â€¦

Ephesians 4:10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;â€¦

Completion opens the door for promotion, but it alsoÂ opens us to rejection.Â Much of my struggle with depression has stemmed from a desire to say just the right thing andÂ do just the right thing, to please others. And, at the first sign of displeasure, I quit. I bought the lie that the incomplete was safer than risking completion, and therefore, further rejection.

But, in this world rejection is guaranteed. Jesus had more followersÂ leave him, than stick with him! (John 6:67) Just ask Dr. Zeus or Picasso if completion resulted in rejection from man. History is replete with man’s rejection. By not completing what God assigns us to do, we attempt to control the what ifs and disappointmentsÂ of life. God has brought me into repentance and realization that Jesus, for the joy set before him, completed the cross! How can I not also do the same? God expands our tent as we are faithful. Through completion we draw clearerÂ conclusions about life and base further action on the reality of our beliefs.

I believe that God’s power surges through my writing. His word will not go out and come back void, no matter how imperfect I am. Risking publication, putting these blog posts into a book form to encourage and help a wider audience, who may be grieving and struggling with depression, is scary. I printed out the first draft of the daily devotionals, just before our tripÂ toÂ Texas,Â and it was like a line drawn in the sand was crossed. I am, heart pounding,Â deeper into enemy territory than I have ever been before. There is no longer any question that I am a “letter writer”, bolder and more skilled in the gospel messageÂ through written form, rather than public speaking. Words open my eyes wider to God, delighting in discovery of his truth, and more resolved in purpose. I’ve sharedÂ my journey with you for almost two years, crossing the line of private thought, to encourage you publicly . . . but to reach farther? How can I not share his love and presence through writing?

God has uniquely gifted each of us to share the gospel. Lay claim, in obedience to His will,Â to His complete work revealed through you.

No Regrets, Mother Mary

Posted April 27, 2016 | Karisa Moore

If I could reach back and trace the pink face not yet

troubled and embroiled in years, stroke little fingers,

And nuzzle dependent heart, would it make a difference in your dying?

No.

There should be no surpriseâ€”obeying God leads to rolling the dice with men.

I carried complete power and total submission in my womb nine months.

But, even as I nursed truth, I struggled

to die to motherhood.

The cross was born of my obedience.

Your heart now beats in the tender words spoken to

the desperate and despised. We fellowship with bread offered

to empty bellies.

Our hope is planted, watered, and grows in resurrected soil.

And I breathe. . . Oh, my soul breathes

deeply the fragrance of your presence with me. The cross did not

separate us, it made us one!

You live in the past, present, and future, and I find you in the gutters of obedience.

Stop to Watch the Fish Jump: Our Elijah Moment

Posted April 17, 2016 | Karisa Moore

1 Kings 19:â€¦11So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

Sometimes we need normal, in an abnormal life.

By normal I mean that some of the best moments in life come in plain packages. Ours came in the shape of a random park on the edge of a lake in the middle of Houston. My husband wisely realized that the kids needed time to run and play after touring and being in and out of the car for a couple of days. Like Elijah, weÂ were exhausted fromÂ the constant barrage of sickness and difficulty we are experiencing. We needed aÂ respite.

Chasing each other, climbing, and exploring was just what we all needed to lay bare our wounds before God and allow him to feed our souls. What we didn’t expect wasÂ the hour of delight my kids took in watching the numerous fish jumping in theÂ lake. They squealed with laughterÂ when a fish jumped close to the dock and splashed them. Brian and I sat onÂ a dock bench,Â enjoying our kids and sharing the quiet moment to worship together.Â It was easier to hear God.

“I am here andÂ just as I provide for these fish, IÂ am and always will be your sustainer.”

“Operation Texas” is preparing us for the new aspects of our journey! Just like Elijah, we came back better, refreshed inÂ spirit, and aware that we are not alone.

The tree won’t save you!

The Grass is always Greener Where God Abides

Posted April 6, 2016 | Karisa Moore

2 Samuel 7:4 But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5“Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? 6“For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.â€¦

I have struggled with “catch a one-way-bus” syndrome for the past few weeks and today it reached fever pitch. I sat at my dinning room table, staring at housesÂ listings,Â feeling like I was going to implode if I didn’t open the release valve. So I began mowing our yard.

God brought to mind theÂ overwhelmingÂ longing I felt 14 years ago, to share my life with someoneÂ after being totally content with beingÂ single for 6 years was confusing. I felt stirred up. In those days, friends and family moved away, and I asked God to either make me content with Him alone again, or if this stirring was from Him, to provide a husband. He did both. I had such a joy in the journey and, because IÂ opened myself to new possibilities, I met Brian. As I mowed my rows today, I finallyÂ Â became quiet enough to listen.

Me:Lord I want a change. I wantÂ a one story house in the country.

God: You take yourself wherever you go.

Me: So that’s a no?

God: Contentment is in me, not a location. If you do not learn to have a joy in your work here, then expanding your tent pegs isn’t going create lasting peace.

Me: Yes, Lord. Teach me to love being present with you here in my home. Reveal the sinÂ in me that rebels against your will and direction.

The tension left my shoulders and I let the bus leave without me.

Posts Categorized: devotional

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