Pick Up The Word of God

27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 

28 And we know that all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

30 Moreover who He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 

34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:27-39 (NKJV)

Living With Sword and Coffee,
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photo credit: Danilo Rizzuti | FreeDigitalPhoto .net

Is Your Joy Full?

These things I have spoken to you,
that My joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be full.
John 15:11 (NKJV)

As I read through John 15, I meditated on verse 11 a little longer. The words, “that My joy may remain in you”, made me a little sad.

Sad because I know that there’s SO MUCH that I’m missing out on by not understanding the depth of joy that Jesus Himself is…and that joy is in me!

Jesus said that our joy should be full! Its even included as a fruit of the Spirit.
It’s important!
Joy is too often a take-it-or-leave-it way to live.

We sing songs about joy unspeakable and having the joy down in our hearts but do we fully comprehend it?
I know that I don’t.

I don’t walk around sad and all negative.
I usually have a really good attitude and positive outlook.
But am I living in full joy? The joy of Jesus?!

Do you know one way that our joy can be full?
Abiding in Jesus; the Word of God.
Its spelled out in 15:1-10.

Abiding is being in close fellowship with our King, the Lord of our lives.
We GET to have intimacy with Him!
After time with the Father, His joy should be shining from our faces.
Time with Him is worshipping Him.
Its not just a tingly feeling, but a life changing experience.

Need joy? 

Spend quality time with God.
Let His word sink in and let joy come up.
Take some time to read and study John 15.
Even if you’ve read it countless times, read it again!
We will NEVER exhaust the Word of God!


Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela >

*photo credit: hyena reality|freedigitalphotos .net

What Does It Mean (to you) To Spend Time With God?

When someone says to you, “Spend time with God”, what does that mean to you?

What does that look like?

Is it getting up early to sit in quiet?

Do you pick up your Bible and randomly pick a passage?

Do you primarily pray only?

Do you grab a devotional or spiritual book and look up the verses in the writing?

I’m simply opening dialog here.

What does it look like for me?

It’s not a formula, but sometimes I feel it would be beneficial.

I feel that I’m all over the place when it comes to spending time with God.

Sometimes I read a devotional and most of the time a spiritual book.

I used to be more deliberate in my time.

There was a time that it seemed that God would lay a topic or word in my heart and I’d go on a mad hunt for Scripture using my concordance.

I’d be sprawled out across the kitchen table with all of my tools…then came distractions.

Those are things that I should and now know that I MUST say “no” or “wait” to.

I need to read more of my Father’s words before the plethora of man’s word.

When I came to my desk this morning, my laptop was closed.

I realized that it helped TREMENDOUSLY with focusing in my time. Some of you would probably say, “DUH!” ha!

I wanted to make the most of it, but I’d gotten so out of “practice” that I was grasping at different things (the current Bible study that I’m doing, a devotional and even my phone!).

I think that a great thing for me to start doing is bringing my Bible and other study tools into the family room (away from the office) before I go to bed each night.

Simple!

Doable!

So…what say ye?!

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela >

20 Years of Marriage and More Celebrations

Brian and I have been very happily married for 20 (TWENTY) years!
It comes as no surprise.

I just love seeing and saying that number as it relates to our marriage!

We have no secret to our happiness. It’s a choice for BOTH of us.
God is our source of everything that’s been given to us in this life.

Without Him, and us being teachable, our marriage may not have amounted to much to shout about.

I’ve written a little bit about marriage over the years. You can read those posts on my MARRIAGE and MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT page.

We still have a lot of growing individually and as a union. We happily accept the forward motion.

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I now move on to other celebrations and dreams come true! I wrote several weeks about my Aunt’s debut concert!

Here are a couple of pictures from the concert! I’m pretty sure you can pick me out.

It was so neat to see how things worked behind the stage to put it all together. I’ll stick to the singing, thank you very much!

Her CD is now available for purchase. (side note : I did backup vocals (soprano) on song 9, “When Love Hurts”). www.AnnetteHaston.com



I just realized that I haven’t shared any photos of our gorgeous grandson, Grayson!!!!

Many apologies! I think that I took for granted that a lot of you are my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter friends.

Grayson is 6 months old and the light of our family. I posted back in January when he was born and that he was 10 weeks early.

Since day one he’s been thriving and is living proof of God’s awesomeness in his life!





Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela>