EastCoastLove

So when I thought I would start this blog back up I had no clue how strange it would feel to start it all again. Didn't think I would have a lot of voices in my head making me hesitate. It also is at a time when lots of voices are being shared and criticized on all forms of social media, it can be crippling. I have probably written three or four different posts and haven't shared any yet. Pictures are always so much easier for me. I am not good with words. I say the wrong thing too often.  I feel like I have to do a post and rip the bandaid off to get back into the swing of it. So here is a post about me feeling insecure about starting this journey back up.  This verse, Joshua 1:9,  has been an encouragement for me a couple big times in my life. I remember when I was feeling the nudge to leave a job for another, this was the verse God laid on my heart and gave me the strength I needed to take the plunge.  When I saw this sign at Hobby Lobby I had to get it for our bo...

Today i turn 38. That is two years from 40! Didn't see that happen :) I thought about blogging on eight things i have learned since 30 or eight wisest things i have heard, you know important stuff. But what i found my soul longing to share was a verse from the bible that spoke to me sophomore year of high school. It was this year my peers voted me as their sophomore "princess" for homecoming court. I went to a small private school so they asked us girls to pick a 'life' verse so they could read it as we walked out with our escort. I chose Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you would be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Little did i realize that this verse would continue to speak to me for the next twenty years. I can honestly say that i have forgotten about it as life gets busy and crazy or just plain distracting. But this last week i have been reminded of the importance of encouraging ...

In the Kimmel family we have a split right down the middle when it comes to being a teacher. Kimmel, his mom and brother in law all teach in the public school system. Me, Paige (my sis in law) and Mark (dad in law) all know that we are NOT cut out to be teachers! Me and Paige both thought we might during college, but i just 'observed' a middle school math teacher one day and went away thinking, no that's not for me! After my sophomore year i changed my major from Math to Accounting. Riiiiight, never used that degree! After college i went on to Seminary and got my MACE in women's ministy. I was equipped to teach women, instead i taught future women. Teen girls.  I was a youth minister for 8 years, I taught several small groups and even taught big group on a Wednesday night. Those are different ways of teaching than in a school setting. It is still teaching of a certain subject and hopefully explaining how to apply that to the students life. Now all the teaching i do is...

It is good to praise the lord And make music to Your name, O most High, To proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, To the music of the ten stringed lyre And the melody of the harp. For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O Lord, How profound Your thoughts!

O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. This Psalm is where the song Better is One Day in Your Courts is taken from. The Psalmist realizes that beyond any other place in this world to be in God's presence is the BEST place ever! The verse quoted above is the final verse. Simply saying blessed is the man who trust in you. Blessed because there is peace in Him. Blessed because you know His love and share His love. Blessed because He never leaves you Blessed because He molds you into a better person. Blessed because He is God and ALL in under is command. (even when we don't understand) I am very blessed and thankful for this. Beyond our families money needs He blesses us! Take time to thank God for the blessings he has given you today!! Share the joy! :)

psalms 114:4-6 He has caused His glorious works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; He remembers His covenant forever.  He has shown His people the power of His works; in giving them the inheritance of the nations.  Life's journey takes you through hills and valleys, bumps and cracks, all the while learning so much about our Lord and even a lil about ourselves. Sometimes we watch others take many twists and turns when our seems straight and calm only to curve and shows us something new. For the past year or so God's grace and mercy has been evident for us and our friends. Its hard to see as your journey takes a turn or loss you didn't expect but the hindsight is beautiful! Its awesome to rejoice with friends after many years of no harvest to now have plenty! God's grace and provision has been very visual for me this past year. Through many changes in our family and friends He has never changed! He is ever ...

Its comforting to know that God is guiding our every step.  When the future is blurry or clear.  Thank you lord that you show us what we need to see to be obedient!  Give our feet courage to step there! 

And this is love that we walk in obedience to his commandments. As you have heard from the beginning HIS command is that you Walk in Love! 1 John 1:6 I pray today that we walk in love. We speak kind words and encourage one another! It's a cruel world sometimes and our words and actions in LOVE can make it bearable! God IS love. We are HIS children so let us be like HIM and LOVE!

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.   Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-1 6 The older i get and the more i see of life i think more often then not everyone has a secret burden. They come and go and change with each season of life. Something that is a pain in their heart, side or mind that doesn't seem to leave. Like Paul prayed for his 'thorn in his side' to be removed and we assume it never was cause he never said it was. Not sure what that was but he never got released from it. For some people its an illness, a secret battle they fight everyday alone. Others its a loss of a loved one, bei...

Find rest, o my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, i will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God He is my mighty rock and refuge. Trust in him at ALL times, O people; Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Read and reread these verses this last week and just was amazed at the truth in here that everyone needs. We all need rest, hope, refuge...He has promised us these things when we put our trust in Him.

Yesterday morning i read John 10. Nothing special it is the next chapter that i was supposed to read so i did. Learned a bit more about God and him being the good shepherd and what that looks like today in our lives. Go to work and our youth staff meeting Brandon has us read John 10. I was like i just read this this morning. Suzanne said i was woken up at 4 and read this chapter. GOD WANTED US ALL TO READ THIS CHAPTER! :) Was editing the wednesday night lesson for our teams about Worship-personal and corporate. Just got feedback from a Coach that "this is perfect timing, my girls have been HORRIBLE during worship! Pray that they hear and receive this! It is always so sweet to me when God shows himself so evidently. That he cares about each one of us individually and works thru each of us to love and share him with them! Hearing and obeying God is the simplest way to say what it is to be a christian. I am thankful He allows us to see both big and small ways that He is in contr...

There are many times we offer up conditional situations up to God through our lives. If you can just get that guy to notice me i will stop fighting with my mom. If you will just make my child happy i will give you more than 10% each month. If i could just pass this test i will stop bitting my nails. So many silly things we say in order to make God do something. Is it a lack of faith, or just our silly human self. There is a story like this in Judges 11. About a man Jephthah who is a great warrior who has been asked to fight for Gilead just after he was run out by his brothers (sounds like a great plot for a movie eh?). Long story short in vs 29 it says the lord came upon Jephthah, and he led the men. He made a vow to the lord, "If you give the ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when i return in triumph from the ammonites will be the Lord's and i will sacrifice it as a burnt offering" Now here my mind starts to think..what di...

Went to a pumpkin patch with a family to take pictures the other day. It was windy and we had loads of fun! Saw this scarecrow and thought he was cute with his lil face and hat. Then i saw that he had a name tag letting you know his name is Earl. Nice to meet you earl. :) The function of a scarecrow is to scare birds or crows from eating the plants in the field. It is scaring off the enemies of the field. While i was editing the pictures i was thinking, scarecrows and how metaphorically speaking i need to have scarecrows or traps for my enemies in my thought life, cause if i don't i can go down a sad and destructive thought path way. Especially lately for me in the promise of children and lack there of, work, and friends (how to be a better one, missing some, making new ones, letting go of some i thought would be). I am struggling with these and needing to pray pray pray about it. Thankful that Jesus never tires from hearing my heart and pain. One verse that reminds me to set ...

Luke 6:27&28 But i tell you who hear me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  This is one of those verses where i like to think i have it covered...i don't have enemies, i don't hate anyone. There are some people that annoy me but i don't hate them. He goes on in the chapter to say, give to anyone who asks you, if anyone takes what belongs to you don't demand it back...do unto others as you would have them do to you...and there we get the golden rule, easy enough. The part that gets me and tells me there is more to it than that is when he continues with saying even 'sinners' love those who love them. Even those who don't claim to know jesus or follow him will love those that love them...you are no different. But we are supposed to be different! So today i am praying about who are my enemies...in my heart. Who do i not love just cause they don't love me the 'right way...

Reading thru Dueteronomy for my personal worship time this month. Sounds exciting eh? To simply put, Moses is retelling all the things the Israelites need to do to stay right with God. The rules and festivals, the sacrifices and restrictions. These are the things the Israelites based their lives on. I noticed today that Moses says after talking about a disobedience, or doing evil in the sight of the LORD, it says "You must purge the evil from among you". Meaning get rid of that person. Don't let that one spoil the whole lot of you. One time this quote is followed by the famous "eye for an eye" passage people like to quote when defending the death penalty. It makes me thankful for Jesus and the grace he brought. That he nor others can spite me when i do evil in the eyes of the lord! It caused me to pause and think...this is how i need to feel when a thought, or reaction comes to mind our out of my mouth that isn't pleasing to the Lord. PURGE THE EVIL FROM AM...

Sometimes i feel like an actual life situations explains how you feel about your reality. We purchased a refurbished canon for me to start playing with :) and it is due tomorrow. I arrived home to a sticker on my front door saying that the FeEx person had come by to deliver 'the package' and my signature is necessary for it to be left, so they shall try again tomorrow. -no time mentioned- Reality sometimes feels like you know you ordered, want, desire how ever you want to put it, something, someone, some object. For some reason unknown to you, you missed it. Or so that is what 'they' say. You rack your brain as to what is wrong with you, what did i do wrong and how could i have not thought to prepare for this. You respond. This is not really about anything in my life...just reality, whether its a red light your sitting at putting you 3 mins more later than you already were or the line at the grocery store you picked is uber slow....or quite the opposite its super fast ...

In our student group time we talked about LOVE. We read the passage everyone know about love. It's read at weddings, funerals and ring ceremonies around the globe and i have heard it multiple times but it was a great refresher for me this week. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal . If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where t...

So the other day at work a co-worker shared a story of him and is lil 7 year old talking about the bible and a passage that talks about God coming back and making a new earth and what that means. The lil boy asks his dad what does that mean, why would God need to make a new one. Dad proceeds to explain a little bit of how after God made us we disobeyed and sin separates us from God and since he died on the cross we are saved but we will one day be with God and he will make us a new heaven and earth. So the lil boy looks at his dad and says, 'so its like baking a cake with poop in it and you can't have so he's gotta get the poop out and make a new one'. So simple and true...our creator wants to make a new earth for us...in HIS time. One day he will come back and give us the gift of being with him. For now we are preparing for his return. Like sweet smelling perfume that we put on before a date. What can i do to smell good for HIS return?

Just started reading thru Luke, not really sure why but that is where i am now. :) If you have grown up in church you know the second chapter my heart. You know all the players and their lines. It seems like God's word does a dance with you when you read it. Each time you are not sure which dance it is but different spins and steps lead you to see different people, events or words stick out no matter how many times you have read it. This time verse 19 and 51 stood out in our dance. 'But mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." -after the birth of jesus. 'His mother treasured all these things in her heart'- after she lost jesus and found him in the temple. Not sure if there are any other times written in scripture of her treasuring things...i will find out....but i bet her treasure box was huge as the mother of jesus...with sad and happy things. Then i thought about my life and all the things i have treasured thru out my 'short' li...

Been reading through Mark off and on and today as last part of chapter 13. Talking about the return of Christ. When He sat with his disciples and said i will return to bring you home after a lot of difficult things happen. He ends it with mystery and intrigue by saying "be on alert!" Right before he says no one knows the time He will return not even himself...just the father. Be on alert...what does that look like for me today. Be on alert in my pursuit of Him. Be on alert of unbiblical teaching. Be on a alert to see where He is leading me daily. Be on alert to exhibit the fruit of the spirit, love joy peace patience kindness gentleness and self-control. Be on alert to submit to my husband and be his helpmeet. Be on alert to love others. Be on alert to conversations and make them pure. Be on alert to share the gospel with EVERYONE. Be on alert... To be on alert means He is always with me, always guiding and always loving. Never worrying cause God knows! What does be on...