findingkaren's blog

{19/05/2011} My journey to the cross..

My inspiration doesn’t have the greatest timing and today was no different. Just dragged myself off the couch after dozing through a series I was watching and was preparing to jump into bed to prepare for work tomorrow when Bam!Just like that…so I did what I always do…pen every thought down before it disappears and pray my grammar’s up to par at this great hour of the night.

So as I’ve mentioned before that my Christ walk began around beginning of 2009 and I remember at that time I had no expectations for the journey ahead or even what I was asking of God. My journey to the cross had been riddled with lots of nothingness and I pleaded with God to give me something meaningful to fill me up.

Well for the most part – until end of 2010 – it was this huge love story with Jehovah. The events around me seemed to indicate that He had just been waiting for me to say Yes! to Him before He could bless me…or so I thought..

So when He took everything away it took me a minute to refocus on Who is important..Questions arose in my mind like did I chew off more than I could swallow with this following Jesus thing?? I got mad at God sometimes because I made promises to Him that I had to keep and sometimes this was a very painful thing to do!

It wasn’t pretty..

It’s been one huge discovery of yet another face of Jehovah and my part in all this. I feel my relationship with Him ceased to be one of puppy love and is now ‘For better or worse’ .Surprisingly in the end I dusted myself off, found some inner strength I didn’t know existed and proclaimed He was God and I wanted to stay in His camp. That wasn’t always so clear up till now.

So that gives you a rough idea as to why this blog has been so quiet with the writer for the first time daring to stand and question God and this huge mandate He placed on me when He called me to be His. However just like Job I have realised that He is the one with the plan not me…and it’s only wise that I follow one such don’t you think?

Whatever life may throw at you that may not seem fair, I may not have the answers but I can only point you to the Source of all Grace whose name is Jesus..

Job 38:2 -3 who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words? Now stand up straight and answer the questions I ask you.

{17/12/2010} the teacup story …

You should hear Joyce Meyer narrate this..enjoy!

TEACUP STORY – BY JOYCE MEYER.

A couple went into an antique shop and saw this BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL MAGNIFICENT little tea cup sitting high up on a shelf. And they just fell in love with that tea cup. They said,” We have got to have that teacup!” They were admiring the teacup – all of a sudden the teacup began to talk to them.

It said, ” You know, I have not been always like this! There was a time when nobody would have wanted me. There was a time when I was not attractive at all. You see there was a time in my life when I was just an old, hard, gray lump of clay. And the master potter came along and he picked me up one day and he began to pat me and reshape me; and I said,” STOP IT! What are you doing? That HURTS! Ahhh, LEAVE ME ALONE!’ and he simply looked at me and said,”Not yet!”

And then he put me on this wheel and he began to spin me around, and around and around! And I got so dizzy and could hardly see where I was going anymore! I was losing it! Everything was spinning around and around and I felt sick to my stomach. And I said; “LET ME OFF HERE!” and he said: “ Not yet!”.

Finally, the day came when I had taken on another shape. All of that spinning around finally gave me another shape. All of that patting and molding and squeezing and pinching gave me another shape. And all of a sudden – he put me into this FURNACE! It is called the first firing. And ‘twas SO HOT in there! Oh, I could not believe how hot it was. I thought, ” I can’t stand this! I’m going to DIE in here! ‘GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! Don’t you love me??(Crying.) Why are you leaving me in here?’ You see, the oven door had glass in it and the master would just look in but HE WOULDN’T LET ME OUT!! But he would just smile at me and say, ‘ Not yet!!

FINALLY, the oven door opened and he took me out – set me on a shelf and I thought, ‘Whew! Thank God that is over!’. Then he began to paint me all over with this stinky paint! Changing my color from gray to this pretty blue that I am now! And I said: ‘This stuff STINKS! It is choking me!(coughing) I don’t like this smell! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!’ He would just say: ‘Not yet!’.

Then he put me back in a SECOND oven. It is called the second firing, and ‘twas TWICE as hot as the first oven! And I thought, ‘Now, I will DIE in here for sure! This is the end of me. This will finish me off! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I CAN’T STAND IT! I CAN’T STAND IT! Really – I am telling you – I can’t stand it! This is going to kill me ! GET ME OUT OF HERE!’ And he would just look through that glass and say: ‘Not yet!’

Then one day the door finally opened – he took me out and he put me up here on this shelf to let me cool off. After I cooled off, one day he came by and he handed me this mirror and I looked at myself and I could not believe how BEAUTIFUL I was! I could not BELIEVE how I have CHANGED! Why, I did not look anything at all like that old gray clay that I started out to be!

Now, I am this beautiful, little, delicate teacup! And EVERYBODY wants me now! But there was a time in my life when NOBODY wanted me; NOBODY liked me; NOBODY paid any attention to me! They just kicked me around; walked on me.

But now – I AM SPECIAL! But I WASN’T ALWAYS this way!”

{25/11/2010} Beautiful..

Lifted from Our Daily Bread..

We Thank The Lord

November 25, 2010

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Proverbs 3:1-12

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. —Proverbs 3:5

Anna Anderson’s husband died early in their marriage, leaving her with three young daughters and a difficult future. Although trained in Virginia as a teacher, she lacked full credentials to work in the Philadelphia schools, so she took in laundry, did ironing, and later scrubbed floors at a large department store. As African-Americans, they often experienced racial prejudice and discrimination. When doors of opportunity closed, Anna believed that if they would trust the Lord with all their heart and acknowledge Him in all their ways, He would direct their paths (Prov. 3:5-6). She taught her daughters to depend on God, follow Him, and always be thankful.

When her firstborn, Marian, rose to become an internationally acclaimed classical singer, Anna continued to pray for her, and always gave God credit for her success. Reporters, who asked Anna how she felt after attending Marian’s concerts at Carnegie Hall and her 1955 debut with the Metropolitan Opera, heard her say, “We thank the Lord.” Her reply was not a cliché, but sincere gratefulness to God.

Rather than lament what she lacked, Anna Anderson expressed gratitude for what she had and used it for God’s glory. Today, we can follow her example with faith, confidence, and a heartfelt, “We thank the Lord.” —David McCasland

When we consider all God’s gifts
And all that we possess,
A grumbling mood of discontent
Gives way to thankfulness. —Sper

Gratitude is a mark of godliness.

{22/11/2010} Morning devotion…

Sharing my morning devotion with you.. It’s from ‘Our daily bread’ and you can read online on http://odb.org/

Storm Clouds And Blue Sky

Our light affliction . . . is but for a moment. —2 Corinthians 4:17

I was feeling down about some circumstances the other day and wondering how I might lift my spirits. I pulled from my shelf the book Life Is Like Licking Honey Off a Thorn by Susan Lenzkes, and I read this: “We take the laughter and the tears however they come, and let our God of reality make sense of it all.”

Lenzkes says some people are optimists who “camp in pleasures and good memories,” denying the brokenness. Others are pessimists who “focus on life’s losses, losing joy and victory in the process.” But people of faith are realists who “receive it all—all the good and bad of life—and repeatedly choose to know that God really loves us and is constantly at work for our good and His glory.”

As I read, I looked outside and noticed dark clouds and a steady rain. A little later, a friendly wind came up and blew the clouds away. Suddenly the skies were bright blue. The storms of life blow in and out like that.

By faith we cling to God’s promise of Romans 8:28. And we recall that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). God loves us, and He’s getting us ready for the day when skies will be forever blue. —Anne Cetas

The purposes of God are right,
Although we may not see
Just how He works all things for good
And transforms tragedy. —Sper

God promises a safe landing— but not necessarily a calm passage.

{10/11/2010} of roasted maize and rain…

Nairobi traffic is no joke! Our country is re-doing the roads and building new ones so many a time you’ll find certain roads/lanes are closed, diversions to new roads etc. Now when you add rain to that equation, you thank God for cleaning up the air but you brace yourself for a looonnngggg ride home like has been the case this week.

So today I almost just made it out of the office when it decided to pour. As I balanced my brolly between covering my head and shielding myself from motorists who were keen to shower me with puddle water as they raced past, I came upon a guy who roasts maize at the corner of the junction I was getting into. Roasted maize on a cold day is really yummy especially when you do it the Nairobi way which is pepper it with lemon based chilli…

So if you looked in my direction today you saw this lady with a scarf on her head ,happily munching on a cob with her windows all misted up ,bopping her head to some awesome music on my fav radio station – radio316 and you probably really wanted to share..

Have a safe and happy drive home …

Karen

{06/11/2010} march and april rays of sunshine

Baby Joshua Baby Nia

I recently had the honour of walking one little girl (Baby Nia) and her falling asleep in my arms. It’s true what they say about a baby falling asleep in your arms..it’s just so aww….So had always meant to write about these two little angels one of whom I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting(soon Baby J)but both of whom are not only the cutest little munchkins but are also symbols of God’s amazing love and faithfulness..

Baby Joshua came to us in March and Baby Nia in April and since I’m self designated aunty to these two little people, allow me to show them off and join me in thanking Jehovah for His kindness and goodness…

Love and faith,

Karen

{30/10/2010} Lifter of my head…

Psalms 3 bears one of the most uplifting words of all time. This has also been made into song and is for me an anthem in my daily life. Want to share it with you. Here are the links below on youtube; one is by by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and the second is by Byron Cage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y284YvkYrZo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9OT4vsZYoo

Both are really good so be forewarned..YOU WILL BE BLESSED!

Lovely weekend guys !

{29/10/2010} been gone too long…

I have been away so long from this blog that when I tried to log in today with my credentials I got a ‘Lost your password’ message and I had to reset it ! Well we’ll remedy that right away..I’ll blog randomly..a friend of mine once told me I could blog every 30 minutes on every topic including my cat. Well dunno about that seeing as my beloved cat Gacungwa had to go back to KSPCA as I couldn’t keep her anymore but I will try to put down my thoughts as randomly as they come ..they may just bless somebody’s socks off!

Well in my ear at the moment plays ‘Voice of Truth’ by Casting Crowns on one of my fav radio stations Radio316 (you can stream it live on www.radio316.net)and the host is my fav breakfast host wacky Mike on the Mic..

The song speaks volumes on what we should believe. Whatever your giant is right at this moment that reminds you that you can never win, focus on the Voice of Truth(Jesus) and what He says about you and your situation…Joyce Meyer in her book- ‘I dare you’- says ‘Glance at your problems then stare at Jesus’

‘Nuf said..

Love and faith,

Karen

{14/07/2010} change is the only constant in this life ..

I’m a person who prefers stability and security. I prefer to see what I’m working with and know that it will be there tomorrow. Henry T. Blackaby in his book ‘Experiencing God’ puts it in quite the opposite way. He says ‘Sight is an opposite of faith. If you can see clearly how something can be accomplished, more than likely faith is not required’.
Situations come about in our lives where we can do nothing but watch the carpet snatched from right under our feet and you can do nothing about it but go through it. My other thing in such situations is to RUN! to a better place..Well in the past 2 months I’ve learnt that you sit put and trust and believe that Jehovah’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 is true for each and every one of us.
I’ve learnt that even when I’m scared because rainy days have come my way unexpectedly…my times are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).
During these very uncertain times I wondered what I would have done had I not had Jehovah? Who would give me that peace that passes all understanding, under whose wing would I hide? I’m so thankful that I have you Lord and my prayer is that no matter which way the world’s fortunes would turn Father; please don’t take Your presence from me.

Psalms 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. (Bible verse lifted from biblica.com – inspired by Kabbz)

{17/05/2010} big up to my gals !

just wanted to say a big thanks to my gals kui and kate who contributed to me having a fab 31st celebration:-) they took the evening slot…the whole evening was a complete surprise and it was lovely to be on the other side of a surprise equation ..

so i’m telling everyone who listens..too bad i have a blog so y’all have to sit and listen..a picture is worth a thousand words

the gals and me..