kaseyewing.com - Kasey Ewing's Official Website

The Gospel of John

Kasey — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:15:10 +0000

The week I teach in my running clothes

Kasey — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:45:33 +0000

Gorgeous with Deb

Kasey — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:43:47 +0000

GOD ISN'T RESPONDING THE WAY I THINK HE SHOULD

Kasey — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:27:17 +0000

Have you ever had a time that everything seemed to be falling apart?

The past three months have been rough in the Ewing household. We haven’t had any major traumas but the multiple dramas piled up so high that I was crying, “UNCLE!”

We had two cars, paid for, that broke down the same day and we watched as our savings dwindle to cover the cost.

We discovered our teenage son was rebelling against God's ways and our hearts broke.

Often we believe that if we are trying to live a Godly life we should not experience these kind of situations. We believe that if we follow His commands we will have a free pass from heartache and stress.

Deep down we believe that if we handle our money wisely and pay off our loans, both cars shouldn’t break down in one day.

Deep down we believe that if we raise our kids in a Christian home, teaching them the way of the Lord, they shouldn’t rebel.

Deep down we believe that if we follow God’s plan for our lives in our job we should be blessed with acceptance and approval.

Deep down we look around and see others that we believe aren’t living by His commands, yet they are being blessed and we feel mistreated and unloved.

Deep down we believe that God isn’t responding the way we feel he should to our difficulties and hurts.

Continue reading at Flourish

Transformations

Kasey — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:36:40 +0000

Thing One and Thing Two

Kasey — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:30:24 +0000

Have you ever had one that you wanted so badly you can hardly stand it? You spend time dreaming about and it constantly fills up your time and attention. You beg, plead, and ask God to grant this wish for you just this one time. It could be a dream home, a new job, a child, or maybe even a different child. We all have dreams and desires but I tend to lock into that one thing that I feel will change my current circumstance.

I have a had a few of these one things in my lifetime. OK, maybe more than a few. I have longed for them with a deep yearning and many of these “things” have been good, some you could even consider great things. But I slip into the thought process that if this “thing” comes to pass, I will feel better. If God allows this one thing to happen, I will be ________. The only problem is thing one turns into thing two and so on. It never stops at thing one or even thing two.

You know why?

Contentment isn’t about a circumstance. Contentment is about a Savior.

Joy isn’t found in a new place. Joy is found in the midst of Jesus.

Jesus showed me today that I was waiting for the next thing to happen and He was waiting for me to turn to Him. I was looking ahead instead of living right now, in the midst of where God has placed me.

Jesus whispered to me, “Find me here in the midst of now.”

What's Buzzing in Your Head?

Kasey — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:46:43 +0000

Early this morning I came back from bootcamp and slid into the bathtub. I was trying to relax my sore muscles when I heard a buzzing noise. I thought this odd to have a bee in my bathtub so I ignored it and continued along with my soaking. Seconds later I heard the noise again but saw nothing so I lingered longer in my bubbles tuning out the obvious sound of a bee. The sound grew louder and I opened my eyes to watch a bee fly out of the faucet and into my bathtub. I jumped up, drowning the bee with water till he lived no more.

I feel like that bee has been living in my head lately, buzzing around inside me. I have tried to ignore the thoughts whizzing around in my heart but they just keep circling around, swirling in every direction. I keep recalling situations and play them around in my head till I am dizzy with ignition or I recount all the things I should have done to be a better mother, wife, friend etc. The list of should have done’s or should be’s bombards my inner thoughts till I am worked up over things that have already occurred and are out of my control.

God reminded me this morning with my bathtub bee that I have some thoughts that need to be drowned immediately and that some of my thinking needs to swatted away with the power of His word. My thinking leads to my actions. When I spend time pondering things that are not true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable I become angry and agitated. Have you ever been just thinking about a situation that irritated you and then your kids harmlessly walk into the room and you spout your frustrations on them? You haven’t? Me either.

When I begin to change my thoughts from recalling all that I should be, or what I shouldn’t do to what Christ did for me when I was a mess (THE GOSPEL), a crazy thing happens - my thoughts transform how I treat others. Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

How do we do this?

Stop thoughts right when they begin, swat them away quickly.

Think on things you like about those around you and voice your appreciation to others.

Use music! Get out your praise music and jam away. Pick songs that focus on the goodness of God and His Sovereignty in our lives.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Phil. 4:8

Will You Walk With Me?

Kasey — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:32:57 +0000

I have attempted to conform myself into a real runner for years. I have tried every Couch to 5K program, Running for Dummies, and any other available running program I can get my hands on. I do well for a few months, get up to three miles and slowly quit. I am full throttle for a few months till I find myself skipping more and more of the needed runs and end up quitting all together. I have done this over and over for years and then I ask myself, why did I stop? Why would I quit running when I had such a great habit and could actually breathe through three miles?

I burn out. I go and go and then bust. I do this in life also. I get in godly habits of spending time with God and taking time to rest before him and get in a solid place with Him and then I begin to slowly neglect Him. I get on Twitter before I spend time in my Bible and I say to myself that it is just this one morning. One morning turns into two and so on. You see my pattern and just like running, I realize I have gone more than a few days without my needed time with God. I get going and going and realize I haven’t gone to the One who puts this whole life into perspective. That is when doubt and discouragement hit.

Our circumstances do not cause doubt and discouragement.

Doubt and discouragement stem from not taking our problems to Jesus.

Our problem isn’t with WHAT we encounter but WHO we approach with our problems.

I have discovered Jeff Galloway in these past few months of attempting to run again. He is a genius. His philosophy of running for 5k’s to marathons is to take walk breaks. It is simple and applicable at the same time.

We need walk breaks.

We need rest in this marathon of life.

We need stop running and rest in Him.

Genesis 6:9 Noah was a just man perfect in his generations, Noah walked with God.

I Quit

Kasey — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:48:11 +0000

My third grade son plays on a fifth grade basketball team. We attend a small classical school and we don’t quite have enough kids to fill the team. Therefore, my son is playing with a group of big kids and most nights he loves it. However, last night was a different story because we play a team that is especially aggressive and he did not want to play. He wallowed in the car on the way to game that he was nervous because the other team kept slapping and hitting without getting fouls called on them. We told him he needed to play and do his best and let the refs call the fouls but he wasn’t encouraged. Nevertheless, Jackson played the game but was knocked down quickly and I watched his whole demeanor change. Jackson was no longer running for ball and trying to play defense - Jackson was playing the game not to get hurt.

As I watched my son stop playing ball and frolic around the court trying to keep himself out of an intense game, I realized something about myself. I do this in ministry. I quit engaging and start protecting myself from getting hurt. Christine Hoover says, “There are two ways of quitting ministry: my husband leaving the position or me quitting in my heart.” We quit in our hearts when we begin to insulate ourselves from any person or situation that might hurt us. God tells us in Ezekiel 36:26 that He will “give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Life can be a constant battle for us to keep a tender, responsive heart. We get hurt and we shell up and hide our hearts and ourselves from others. We quit in our hearts. We hide, shield and stop engaging in others lives for it is easier to close the door on others than open wide the pain of this world.

A few weeks ago I received a text to pray for a friend of friend who was in a comma and I did pray. Briefly. Then I preceded to ignore all blogs, conversations, and requests regarding this person. I just couldn’t feel the hurt. I couldn’t imagine children waiting for their mom to wake up. I couldn’t feel the pain they must be experiencing because I knew some of that pain. I quit on her. When we quit in our hearts we stop living with others, living in their pain. We avoid the very thing God calls us to be - The Body.

The danger in this life is that we are surrounded by pain, ours and others. It is often easier to stop feeling, stop engaging, and stop ministering but to feel their pain is to minister. 2 Corinthians 1:2-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” God promises us He will comfort us, then we can go and comfort others. Allow God into your heart today to comfort you so that you can comfort those around you.

Stop Pretending

Kasey — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:55:53 +0000

God's Appointed TIme: How to handle life when God doesn't show up when we want

Kasey — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 07:40:31 +0000

I Lost the Credit Card

Kasey — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:34:29 +0000

The Ornament

Kasey — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:04:37 +0000

The ornament sits on my night stand. It has his name on it. Jake. It stands of a reminder of who he was and what I lost. I often want to pack that ornament up with the rest of the Christmas cheer. It is easier to forget than to remember. It feels better to pack up the feelings with the Christmas ornaments.

These last few months have come with some difficult situations and I have wanted to pack up the hurt like I pack away my wreaths. It is easier to close the door than open wide the pain of this world.

I received a text to pray for a friend of friend who was in a comma and I did pray. Briefly. Then I preceded to ignore all blogs, conversations, and requests regarding this person. I just couldn’t feel the hurt. I couldn’t imagine children waiting for their mom to wake up. I couldn’t feel the pain they must be experiencing because I knew some of that pain.

The problem with me lately is that I have stopped living with others. Living in their pain. I have avoided the very thing God calls us to be THE BODY.

The danger of ministry is we are surrounded by pain, ours and others. It is often easier to stop feeling, stop engaging, and stop ministering. The ornament on the nightstands is the reminder that to feel their pain is to minister. To engage in the day to day details of their heartache is to be the body.

To relieve my pain allows others to experience my hope.

To feel my hurts allows others to comprehend God’s comfort.

Easter This Christmas

Kasey — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 09:18:20 +0000

I just want to shut it out. Turn off the tv, radio, and hide in my house where there isn't talk of children dying.

I want to close the door on the feelings of grief that result from the death of a child because the mere mention of death brings tattered memories that ravage at my soul. It is easier to pretend emotions aren't boiling below the surface. It is more manageable to shut the windows of the pain piercing my heart. It is less troublesome not to feel, to shut out the trauma that enters our world.
But we are called to grieve. Mourn. Wail. Cry. Called to feel, not to fix.

When we grieve and mourn and wail before God, He comes to our rescue. He comes to comfort when we mourn. He comes. Christ's coming at Christmas carries a deeper meaning in light of recent events. Jesus comes to us, for us. The problem is we often hide and resist admitting the things that Jesus wants to heal us from. He wants our broken hearts. God wants to rescue us, will we allow Him the opportunity or will we shut the door of our heart to Him?

We can experience Easter this Christmas. We can allow our Risen Lord to resurrect the hidden and broken pieces of our heart.

The Recorder

Kasey — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:43:29 +0000

My youngest son Jackson is learning to play the recorder in music class at his classical school. He comes home excited each day to play for me a few more notes he is learning from Amazing Grace. He plays it in the car, the house, and often outside when I need a musical break from his practice. Jackson was very attached to his recorder so imagine my surprise when he comes into my room in the middle of the night to tell me he can’t find his recorder and he has music the next day. I send him back to bed and tell him we will look for it in the morning.

   Morning comes and we can’t find the recorder, we get to school and it is not anywhere. I teach at his school and so I look all around for it but it is just gone. I watch as little tears start to fill up his eyes knowing he will have to go to music class without his recorder and deep mothering instincts well up inside of me to get him a recorder by music class. I start running through scenarios in my head trying discover a plan to get my sweet angel a recorder by 10:55am.

   While trying to figure out how to leave my class to go buy a recorder, I hear a small voice inside telling me to stop, lay down my son’s burdens and allow him to pick them up. I didn’t immediately lay down his burden, I actually swirled reasons around in my head of why I should get him the recorder. He played “Amazing Grace” for goodness sake, that alone should make a mother miss work to go get her son a recorder. Ridiculous, I know.

   But we all do it, don’t we? We all see our children get themselves into messes and we move right in to fix it. A book I once read calls it “Helicopter Parenting,” meaning we hover around waiting for our children to need us and we swoop in to fix whatever situation they have found themselves in. I am guilty of this but I am asking God for the grace to not help in some areas of my boys life. We are raising little men, little men who will one day have jobs, wives, and kids who need them to carry their burdens and not vice versa. I want to raise a man who can carry the weight of his family and not a boy who needs his mother to fix his problems.

   Moms, it starts with little fixes but quickly turns into major character defects. Start with today, allow God to show you the areas that you are interrupting God’s ability to move in your child’s life. Step back and let the small consequences of a missing recorder be felt by your children. Let them feel the punishment in the small things to prevent the large boulders from breaking your child. Consequences and discipline are God’s great tools that keep sin from ruling us and our children. Don’t remove the very tool God uses to bring forth righteousness in our children.

Hebrews 12:6-7 “ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

I skipped church today.

Kasey — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:57:52 +0000

I skipped church this morning.

I didn’t skip church to sleep in, to attend an out of town football game, or to go to the grocery store, as tempting as that was for me. I skipped church because my heart needed consideration and it deserves serious attention. I don’t recommend skipping church often but present circumstances have elevated into a crises of my soul. I needed a heart check and Proverbs 4:23 states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

My well hasn’t been springing lately and I know I haven’t been handling life well.

I have allowed hurts and frustrations to escalate into anger and bitterness.

Doubt and disappointment have amplified into loss of hope.

Discouragement has beaten down the door of God’s promises.

I needed a quiet, lonely morning to repent, plead, and wallow in the goodness of God in the midst of my circumstances. Hebrews 12:15 warns us to, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

I know that roots of anger, disappointment, and frustration are growing inside and need to be dug out of my heart. I am not sure the exact day but some unchecked moment, I began to believe the lie that God couldn’t move in my present situation and I have allowed circumstances to cloud my view of God’s grace over anything I encounter. Instead of combating that lie with God’s truth, I allowed it to grow and fester into all kinds of nastiness.

This morning I am digging out my sin of unbelief and I am weeding out the negative emotional reactions that stem from my doubts and trusting God to move. I am grounding myself in what God says to be true from His word and blaring my praise music so my neighbors can hear of God’s goodness.

I am skipping corporate church this morning but I am having my own personal revival of the soul.

Psalm 143:11 “Revive me, O LORD, for your name's sake: for your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.

Sinful Women

Kasey — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:49:14 +0000

Dr. Deb and I are back teaching bible study. We are teaching through Luke with an emphasis on Jesus' encounters with women. I am teaching this week on the sinful woman and you can follow this link to the previous weeks.

Happy Heaven Day

Kasey — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 08:52:05 +0000

Yesterday, Brad and were sitting around talking, planning out our day and he said, “You know what tomorrow is, don’t you?” I started thinking and couldn’t immediately come up with anything significant. I am not a date person, Brad and I have been married for fifteen years and I still can’t remember if our anniversary is August 8 or 10. Brad looked at me incredulously and said, “Tomorrow is August 26.” Now, I know exactly what happened on August 26, I just didn’t realize that time had flown by so fast that the end of August was already upon us.

A number of emotions flooded over me, I couldn’t believe that our dreaded date was tomorrow and I wasn’t prepared mentally for it and I felt like an animal trapped by his prey. The anniversary snuck up on me so fast it scared me and left me feeling disoriented and a bit afraid.

Brad could tell I was taken aback by the realization and so he took me out for the day shopping and eating at our favorite places. My emotions were all over the place, I cried over my sweet potato fries in the middle of Smashburger, lashed out at the boys for the mess they had made in the living room and laughed uncontrollably at Brad throughout the day.

It was a day full of struggle as I wrestled with my feelings:

Brad and I pondered who Jake would be like

We joked that we would have two teenagers in the house

We imagined how much dirtier our house would be (Is that even possible for my house to be dirtier?)

We discussed what might have been

But, most of all, we enjoyed each other. We have been through hell and lived to tell. God has sustained us and molded us. He has taught us to cry out to Him and He will respond. He has proven His great love for us. He has revealed His grace to both of us.

He has been our Redeemer and He will be the same for you. Life is a struggle and many of our days we will have battles to fight. Be encouraged, in the midst of the greatest struggles, God will respond to you. He promises to redeem the afflictions we face. We can all say today, with alligator tears rolling down our faces, on August 26 that, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.” (Acts 2:25-26)

It's a Hundred and Hell Around Here

Kasey — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:07:08 +0000

I live in Louisiana and It is hot right now, like a hundred and hell. HOT. Each morning the radio tells me what the actual temperature is and then they tell me what the temperature FEELS like. For example, today at eight a.m. it is eighty degrees but it already feels like ninety and I already need another shower.

It hit me. This can be like our Christian life, we feel in the heat of the day that God isn't there and we become weary and discoured and forget that what it feels like isn't actually the true temperature. The reality is God is with us and for us and everything that we encounter will be for our good if we allow Him total access to our lives. However, it often feels like our lives are a hundred and hell. What do we do when the our life feels like hell? We have to begin to realign our hearts not to what it feels like but what God's word says to be true.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

The reality is we have to stop believing that what we see or feel is truth and believe the actual temperature of our lives. The actual temperature is that God is in complete control and not one thing that you encounter today will take Him by surprise. The reality is that He is working those events for your good and His glory.

Our job is to “trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Drowning?

Kasey — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:38:33 +0000

I texted Brad this afternoon to tell him that I would be attending a function that we had both earlier decided was best for me not to go.

His response: UR a sissy. The end.

Brad and I are both at a time in our lives, as is everyone we know, when life is just too busy. Life is busy with GOOD things and sometimes even great things but as I watch my schedule and events start to pile up, I start to feel like I am close to going under. You know they feeling, when your mouth is just on top of the water and any second you will gulp down a mouthful of water and silently slide under the water. That is how I am feeling right now.

This afternoon I realized that the problem is me. I don’t want to disappoint so I keep saying yes. I keep agreeing to things that I should not because I want others to think I can keep doing it all, that I can work, teach bible study, sit at my sons games and practices, and teach a few women's retreats on the weekend. Hello?! Can you say dysfunction?

Today, I realized I am a sissy.I keep adding and piling on stuff in fear of disappointing others or distorting my image.

One of my husbands best qualities is that he is unwilling to be something he is not. There is no pretending when it comes to Brad. I have wrongly wished he was a little less REAL because to be honest, we are all so busy pretending we are something we aren’t, that the real thing is uncomfortable.

“I can’t,” are hard words for me to say, yet those are the words God longs to hear from me.

When I say these words to Him, He responds with, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (I Cor. 12:9)

Instead of drowning today in the waves of life slamming you, take time to float in the grace God promises when we say the words, “I can’t, but You can.”

Sittin' The Bench

Kasey — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:45:28 +0000

My oldest son is a high school quarterback who sits the bench. His school has a great senior quarterback and so my sophomore child gets to practice his heart out but rarely plays under the Friday night lights. However, He is still required to attend all the practices (twice daily), show up for all the functions, and sell all the latest fundraisers but when game time comes; he watches from the sidelines.

Finish reading at Flourish

School Days Are Coming

Kasey — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:03:23 +0000

... or what activities he would be involved with. I often wonder about what kind of kid Jake would be. Then I ask myself who would I be if Jake were still here with us on earth? I am sure other trials and heartbreak would have led me to a closer walk with the Lord but I know for certain that I would not have seen God's saving light so brightly had it not been so dark. As the darkness lifted by His light, I began to respond like Job, claiming that "no purpose of His can be thwarted."

I can stop wondering why things happen and know that His purposes were achieved in my life.

To finish reading . . . head on over to Contagious Joy

Praying the XBOX Away

Kasey — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:16:20 +0000

Last summer I watched as my son struggled with a video game addiction. It began with harmless games as a kid that eventually led to more violent games. One small war game led to another and eventually my son had a headset on for hours and was yelling at players via online chatting. Then I started to notice a significant change in his behavior when he finished playing. He seemed tense, irritable, and easily angered but those traits have defined teenager in our house so I couldn’t immediately pinpoint the cause. It bothered me and I began talking to him about it. I expressed my disapproval for the amount of time in front of the television playing pretend warrior. We fought over how much time and the repercussions from the games I was seeing in his life.

I was so concerned that I began to pray about how to handle this situation and that very day my mom sent me a verse from Job 13:5. “Oh, that you would keep silent and it would be your wisdom.” (BTW this has become my life verse with Prov.10:19) I continued to seek the Lord on this and He affirmed my need for silence over and over again. That day, I began to pray that God would change his heart. I specifically prayed that Drew would no longer want to play those games. I fasted and choose scriptures to pray over Drew that his heart would change.

A few months ago Drew wanted to buy some Beats headphones and didn’t have enough money so I told him to start selling some stuff. Guess what? He asked to me to take him to Gamestop so HE COULD SELL HIS XBOX. He told me he just didn’t feel like playing anymore.

There are many ways I could have handled this situation and sometimes as parents we need to act and prevent our kids from certain activities. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the best thing that can come from our mouths is a big, fat no. But the ONLY way we are going to know the difference in how we are to parent is to seek the Lord for His wisdom. We want pat answers. God wants to show us how to parent our children and that will look differently for each situation.

I am so guilty of parenting the action I am seeing in my child instead of praying for God to change their hearts. He is the ONLY one who can change them from the inside out. Let’s all take some time this week to seek God and how we need to parent our children. Ask Him when it is time for you to be silent and when you must speak. Pick one thing you see in your child that you know God needs to change their hearts on and pray like crazy.

Ok, share with me what is your one thing.
Drew - sarcastic tone
Jackson - quick temper

The Vow

Kasey — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 11:25:21 +0000

The other night I was home alone. I quickly asked friends on Facebook for girl movie recommendations. I usually have a house full of boys so girly movies are out of the question. I headed to Redbox and picked up The Vow. It was a good movie and I was texting my girlfriend in Alabama throughout the movie (when you live far away from one of your best friends, you have many text conversations).

At the end of the movie I asked her, “You think our hubby’s would do the same for us if we lost our memory?” She responded, “IDK . . . I wondered the same thing. Movies stink because they aren’t everyday reality.” She nailed it. One major problem we have right now in books and movies is they are not everyday reality. Brad and I often joke when something goes wrong that you don’t see that in the movies.

Movies leave us full of wonder and discontentment.
They create fabulous love stories and steamy romance and we walk away wondering why we don’t have the same.
Romance is portrayed as sexy bodies coming together or “Magic Mike” stripping for women.
Books, even Christian romance novels, create characters so unrealistic women are left wondering why they don’t have that kind of man.

The problem is that the message is so subtle we don’t realize we are being sold discontentment for nine dollar movie ticket. We leave doubting if what we have is good enough, sexy enough, or romantic enough.

God’s ultimate picture of love is sacrifice and laying down your life for the other. Yet, we as women long for romance and a great story. We all long to be that woman your man goes crazy over and as long as we see that unrealistic picture of love, the longer we will be disappointed.

Choose today to focus on God’s version of Real Love.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. “ I Corinthians 13

Rubble

Kasey — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:45:16 +0000

I can’t take my eyes off the news. I have been up since four am watching the coverage online. I was just sent a picture of a home we previously owned and there is nothing left on our home or street. I remember in that yard Jackson learned to walk and on that street Drew busted on his bike. Us moms sat in lawn chairs in the front yard talking while the kids played. I remember BBQ’s and friendly banter. I picture all the neighborhood kids bundling up to sled down the hills and Brad and I sitting on the back patio talking after the kids were in bed.

I don’t remember the colors on the wall, though I remember Karen helping me paint them. I can’t recall the carpet, fixtures, or design; but I know we grew as a family and we had friends all over that house. The Gatlin’s loaded up their family of six and we fellowshipped on every floor of that house, we ate fondue and watched movies while the kids played with fake guns, pretending to be Jack Bauer. Good times still stand though the house is in shambles. I recall the special times as a family and not the furniture. It is the people, not the stuff. The relationships, not if my house was clean. As I reminisce on our time in that house, the smoke fades and I am left with what really matters.

The rubble will resurrect in the memories of who we became in that house.

The destruction will fade but the friends will forever be implanted in my mind.

Life can often feel like my old street, a total mess with destruction and rubble all around you.
Doubt, fear, and terror are tiny embers swirling around inside you waiting to explode.

Hope. "Do no fear, for He is with you; do not be dismayed, for He is your God. He will strengthen you and help you; He will uphold you with His righteous right hand." (IS. 41:10)

One day you will look back and instead of seeing rubble, you will see people who stood beside you in the midst of the storm.

You will find that God brought beauty from the ashes.

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

Struggling in Secret

Kasey — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:12:02 +0000

Newsflash: I am a closet perfectionist.

I want others to think more highly of me than I really am.
I want to appear like I have it all together.
I want to seem like I always trust and depend on God and never doubt His ways.
I want you to think my kids are spiritual champions and I never yell at my husband.

In reality, my kids have fought all summer long and the more I try to be the calm, encouraging spouse the more I lose my temper at Brad. The cleaner I try to keep my house, the messier the kids are. The day the house is cleaned is the night the boys decide to put mustard on each other while sleeping and cover my couches in yellow stains. It seems that the harder I try, the bigger the disappointments.

It hit me this week that the more we try to pretend like we are something we are not or feel something we don’t, the less room we leave God to work in our lives.

We are struggling in secret.
We are silently dying inside, yet walking around with a smile pasted on our faces.
We are trying to face this life alone.

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

It is time for us to be honest with each other, to sit across from one another in a Starbucks and say, “Help me, I am sinking over here.” I had to do this myself. I called up someone who I knew would understand and asked if we could meet and I left feeling better. No, my circumstances haven’t changed but God’s word tells us to share our struggles and sin and we will find healing. Share Away!

Load and Unload

Kasey — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:28:22 +0000

‎"A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a Holy God." - Oswald Chambers

I just returned from being out of town on and off for a few weeks. The refrigerator is empty and cabinets bare. The boys told me that if I ever left Dad, they would absolutely starve. Who says boys aren’t dramatic?

I am sure many of you feel the same way I do about going to the grocery store. You walk around and load up your cart full of items, then you take those items to the checkout and unload them onto the checkout stand. Next, they bag said items and you load them back into your cart and you walk out to the car to unload them from the cart and into your car. Drive home. Then you unload them from your car into your house, and then you unload the bagged items into your cabinets.
Are you tired yet?
Next, you unload the dirty laundry baskets into the washer and wait to unload the washer into the dryer. Unload the dryer into the clean laundry basket and then unload the clean laundry basket into the closet, only to see that the dirty basket has been loaded with dirty laundry again so you begin this whole process again.
We could go on and on. The dishwasher, the backpacks, the lunches, the car . . . It's what we do. We load and unload ALL DAY LONG!
It is also what we do as Christians or what we should be doing; however, I am seeing a major problem in our Christian world.
We are unloading but not loading. We are called as Christians to serve and spend our lives on others but we are not called to do it out of our own strength. We are called to serve others out of HIS. We must fill (load) ourselves on God's word in order for us to be filled so we can pour (unload) ourselves on others.
Serving others without the first loading ourselves ends up becoming a job, a charity and in the end, you become bitter, tired, and worst case, you walk away completely. Serving others without first loading ourselves on HIM, we lose the power we were meant to have.
Feeling tired, worn out, bitter? Maybe you are unloading yourself for the sake of others without first loading yourself with the One who calls us to serve.
"God delights in giving us Himself. In His Spirit, we have all we need to enjoy His pleasures & accomplish His purposes."David Platt‎

A Hill on Which to Die

Kasey — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:18:37 +0000

I was raised in a long line of Southern Baptists. I was born right into the heritage the SBC. My granddaddy spent his entire life living in parsonages right next to a SB church. My dad and uncle were the first set of brothers to serve at the pastors convention. I grew up looking forward to the SBC convention each summer because it was typically our families main vacation of the year. It was a time of the year that I had other PK’s (pastor’s kids) I could relate to. We had a common bond that was formed around whatever hotel pool the convention was currently meeting in. The SBC was fundamental in my life. I devoured A Hill on Which to Die: One Southern Baptists Journey in college and vowed to help fight the battles that needed to be fought at SB’s. When I was an adult and couldn’t make convention each year, I would watch it online. Yes, I am a dork. I care deeply about our convention and the people involved in it. I even foolishly boycotted Disney because they said so. Hey, I am a very committed dork.

My deepest desire is for us to live out the Great Commission as a body of believers and yesterday I was devastated at a news flash I saw on Twitter. The Baptist Press released an article detailing that Lifeway would be pulling all copies of the movie The Blindside. This might have gone unnoticed to many but to a woman who has moved her entire family into a low income neighborhood to reach the least of these, I was angry. I prayed all night for a righteous anger, an anger that would illicit a right response on my part.

We live in a world where cussing, smoking, drugs, and many other things are a daily occurrence. It isn’t just a movie for many kids I encounter, IT IS THEIR LIFE. It is rough, violent and hard to watch because it is real. We have had pot brought into house, we have watched young men carried off to jail, girls taken to juvie, and we have unknowingly hidden a teenager from the police. We have had boys live with us who don’t have their own bed and sleep on a dirty couch or floor every night with a few siblings. We don’t condone their sin, my boys run till they want to puke when they utter a cuss word but then we hug them and hand them a gatorade. We can do that, make them run, because we have a relationship with them in the foxholes of their lives.

I have also seen kids radically saved in the two years we have lived there.

There is a hill on which to die and sharing Jesus Christ with the least of these is one that I will gladly fight. It is time to take off our suits and get dirty in the trenches. It is time to stop judging their lives from a distance and time to narrow the divide between our worlds. It is time to live amongst them, loving and caring for them and then we get the privilege of speaking into their lives.

Fear Needs No Words

Kasey — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 10:11:34 +0000

Last week in El Salvador we visited a hospital.

It was an open air hospital with wings for each type of patient. We had the privilege of going to see the kids. We walked into the kids wing and I didn't get past the first bed. I looked to my right and there lay a six month old baby boy with a full head of black, shiny hair. He was laying on his bed with little legs up kicking at his mom. I quickly walked over to see her and motioned for permission to get my hands on that baby. She nodded her okay and as she looked up at me, her dark eyes were clouded in fear and terror ruled her precious face. The communication barrier of two different languages was broken that moment, fear and doubt need no words, her face said it all.

She quickly showed me the sores all over her babies body. I held him tenderly, trying not to hurt his infection filled body. I swayed softly cradling him, as a whispering wind blew through the windows, I silently prayed over him, asking for his healing but feeling hopeless. Brad came up and prayed for her and said it was time to go. How can I just leave her here, alone and scared with her sick child? I held him a moment longer and hugged his momma and walked away.

Tears immediately filled my eyes.
I didn't want to leave her alone.

Then just as the wind whipped through halls, the Lord spoke to me, "I am with her. You left her with Me. She knows I love her because you came all the way over here to show her."

There are young moms, sick children, and desperate dads all over the world that need you to go so they will know that Jesus is there with them and loves them.

Will you go?

Smelly Feet and Changed Lives

Kasey — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:14:27 +0000

We have lived here in this house for over two years.
It has taken thousands of dollars in groceries.
We have opened our home and hearts to sweaty hugs and smelly feet.
Our family has participated in countless ball games and been the referee for many wars.
I have made these boys run laps, carry groceries, and wash out their cups. (no dishwasher here)
I’ve had the honor of them calling me “Mom.”
We welcomed them into our lives as if they were our own boys.
We simply offered up love to a group of teenage boys and tonight we finally saw some fruit.

It has been worth every minute because tonight, in the cab of Brad’s white truck a little after nine, one of our boys accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. It doesn’t end there, Brad began sharing with another boy what had happened and he said, “I want to repent too.” Amen.

I spent last week in El Salvador and shared Christ with the precious children and it was simple to share the gospel there. We had a message they wanted to hear and accept.

America, not so much. Our message is drowned out by the pace and excitement our first world country has to offer.

Reaching a generation in our neighborhood is hard work. It is messy and your investment doesn’t offer quick return or glorious numbers, but one (or two) changed lives gives me the grace to continue on. It spurs me on when I wake up with kids asleep all over my house. It reaffirms our choice to move here on the days when I want to live in a neighborhood with white picket fences and swimming pools.

Tonight, God gave me a glimpse of how His Hand is working in the midst of our little lives here in Meadowview.

Tonight, we rejoice because two more of our boys have begun a new life, a life full of Jesus Christ.

I Served Cotton Candy Today

Kasey — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:42:00 +0000

I served cotton candy today. I wanted those of you to know who we're worried about my salvation since serving beer that I don't serve beer everyday, just special occasions. :)

We are with a team in El Salvador and hosted a block party today and I was on cotton candy duty.

Pink sugar bathed me in the glowering sun, while wisps of cotton candy hair-sprayed my bangs off my forehead. Precious brown eyed children lined up, patiently waiting for a treat of sugary goodness. Eyes alive with glee as I handed them their first taste of cotton candy. It wasn't the kids who pulled at my heart today, though their excitement over cotton candy won't be forgotten, it was the young moms waiting in line for their very own taste of cotton candy that left my heart sizzling in the sun. A mom, much like me, waiting in line for 30 stinky, hot minutes with babies and toddlers hanging all over them, for a small cone of pink fluffy candy.

Because let's be honest, other than the fair, which I refuse to attend, when is the last time you wanted a treat so bad you stood in line for 30 minutes. I have personally left a cart full of groceries in the isle at Walmart because I didn't want to wait.

I have lost the ability to wait, to be patient for something. I want and then I get. Only to want some more. The cycle of cravings never ends.

Being still. Waiting. Longing. Wanting.

When is the last time we sat waiting on a treat from the Lord?

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Kasey — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:33:37 +0000

We have a great group of friends who all go out to eat after ball games and meet on weekends to hang out. It is a large and boisterous group and picking a place to eat could possibly start a small civil war, but we all want to be together so we barter back and forth until we have agreed on a place to eat. It can get ugly but good food is worth the battle. I think we have found a solution to our dining problem though, Coach Cory just tells us where to go.

Don’t get me started on how long it takes Brad and I have to figure out what to share once we get there. Brad says, “What would you like to eat, honey?” He doesn't really call me honey but go with me here, okay. I reply, “I don’t care.” Brad excitedly replies, “Great, let’s eat ________” and I lip back, “Ugh, I don’t really feel like _______.” Yes, this happened tonight and the night before that.

Okay, I am already half way through my preferred blog word count and I don’t even have a point yet. It is 3 am, maybe I should just stop. No? Okay, since you kept me going . . . don’t get offended by my point. If you do, I am going to blame it on the cough medicine I took before bed.

If dinner plans can create such a fuss, can you imagine the real issues of life? I mean TaMolly’s versus Nicky’s (local Tex-Mex) is important but in the grand scheme of things . . . can't we all just get along?
No. No?
Lets face it, we aren't all going to agree with one another.
There a thousand things a day we could disagree on.

Serve beer? No beer?

Home school? Christian school? Public school?

Large Corporate Worship? Small Intimate Gatherings?

Exegetical? Comical? Topical? Some of you are already red in the face because you believe there isn't even an argument about this. I take that back, your still upset about the beer. :)

Missional? Relational?

I am sure you could name a few . . .

I believe God says that, “Iron sharpens iron” and I love a good ole debate as much as the next but when our razors are being used to cut others, it is time to lay them down for a time.

Yes, there is a war going on, it is waging for our hearts and minds. However, we are so tired and wounded from battling the wrong things(people) that we as a believers are losing the war. God's Word tells us that our, "Struggle isn't against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil." (Eph. 6:12)

The problem is we are so busy fighting each other we are missing the true battle. Standing up for our views and opinions is not what God has called us to do. Oswald Chambers says, "When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God - it is only believing our belief about Him."

God called us to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourself.” (Rom.12:10)

I think it is time for me to lay down my sword in a few areas. Are there any areas God is calling you to lay down your sword?

There will be battles for us to fight, let’s pray for grace and wisdom to know which ones are for us.

Believe When We Don't Feel Like It

Kasey — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:40:23 +0000

I can tell it has been another bad day by the way he walks in the door, his shoulders slightly slumped and the grin that used to welcome me is turned upside down. He pretends to smile for me and the kids but it never fully reaches his eyes. He unloads all his stuff onto the dresser but the weight of years of disappointments rest heavily on his shoulders.

I watch him, wondering how to help ease his irritation. I want to offer words of encouragement but they stick in my throat, not knowing how to dislodge his hurt. When I finally open my mouth, my suggestions sound canned and only increases the hurt. He gently responds to me, “I know the correct answers but I am just mad.” His wounds masks themselves as anger but deep into his green eyes you see the hurt.

Read More Here from my guest post on Flourish

How To Be a Christian Snob

Kasey — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:41:52 +0000

1.Use all gifts and blessings from the Lord on yourself and your immediate family.
2.Find a way to work into conversation that that you have completed all the Lifeway Bible Studies, even if you just watched the videos.
3.Care more about what you wear to church than what is being said at church.
4.Make sure all your friends go to your church and that you are reaching out to all the “cute” people.
5.Continually put down the other churches around town, because we all know they aren’t biblically sound and we are just protecting the integrity of the church.
6.Make sure you don’t drink, cuss, or smoke. Gossip is okay, it is only so we may know how better to pray for those around us.
7.Gauge your life by the behaviors that others see you performing and never tell your secret sins to accountability partners. Frequently remind yourself that those around you are idiots; therefore, you don’t need their input in your life. Evaluate your behavior on your actions and not on Christ’s work on the cross.
8.Surround yourself with people who look, talk, and act like you.
9.Don’t waste your time serving people of a different social class, but tell others when you give money to feed the homeless or you give to Lottie Moon.
10.Most importantly, spend your life increasing your kingdom: your house, cars, job, position and don’t spend your resources building His Kingdom.

Finally, don’t ever pray, “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours!”

You ask, "How does she know how to be a 'Christian Snob?'" I was and am one. I repent. Amen.

To Know You

Kasey — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:59:25 +0000

I was privileged to share our story this morning at a ladies brunch and I wrote a commissioning for the women to read over them before they left.

To Know You

Our desire is to know You,
in all we say and do.
Our prayer when we walk out,
is to live our life by Your cue.
That we would be women,
who take every situation we face,
and allow it to be metamorphosed by Your grace.
That in every trial and temptation our lust,
would be to encounter a place of trust.
That we won’t cocoon ourselves from the pain,
Knowing You is our true gain.
Give us strength to struggle well,
then all the world we will tell,
with Jesus, It is WELL.

Film

Kasey — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:32:30 +0000

Our oldest has started spring practice for football. For you non-football people, this means early morning and late night practices. Today, while driving him across town at 6:15 in the morning, I asked him what they could possible do for that many hours of practice. He went into a long list that I will not bore you with but one agenda item really stood out to me, watching film. This activity consists of the team sitting around with the coaches and watching the practice from the day before. I asked him if it bothered him to sit in a room with all his buddies while the coach picks apart how you played the day before? He simply said, “That's football, you have to get used to it; however, they don’t just tell you what you did wrong but they also encourage you in what you did right!”

We need friends like this. We need a time to get together and share the films of our lives. We need accountability for the good and the ugly. The beginning of James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” When we allow others to study our lives, to spur us on in the good and call us out on the sinful, we are making room for healing in our lives.

Who do you have around you that you allow to watch your life unfold?

How can you be more transparent with the people God has surrounded you with?

Last Week Beer, This Week: Humble Pie

Kasey — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:11:07 +0000

Last week I served some beer and this week God served me up some humble pie. It didn’t taste too good but it was something I needed to swallow.

Honestly, serving beer last week was much easier than serving my family right now. It is much easier to pop a top than to wash cups for the hundredth time. It is effortless to sit next to a grieving widow as opposed to cleaning up the same reoccurring mess. It is a no-brainer to quietly absorb my neighbors grief but a bit more difficult to silently listen while my husband shares his burdens (I like to fix things and I have a tendency to share my solutions). It is more gratifying to clean her house than mine.

The truth is, we need to learn to serve the ones closest to us with as much care and compassion as we do strangers. It is easy in ministry to go and shine His light to the world and come home and darken our family discouragement and deprecation.

I have a heart that breaks for the lost world around me. I get many kuddos when I am off serving in my neighborhood or in a foreign country and I receive blog comments and facebook messages telling me what a great job I am doing. Serving those in my house isn’t quite as sexy. Serving my family when I don’t feel like it doesn’t illicit a huge response.

God served me up some reality today in showing me that I need to serve them with the same love and intensity that I serve those outside my home. God spooned His Word into my heart, reminding me that EVERYTHING I do, I do for His glory whether that is serving beer or washing clothes.

I Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

I Served Beer Today

Kasey — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:36:11 +0000

Yesterday, I spent a few hours of my day serving beer to my neighbor. Now, that is a sentence I never thought I would open a blog post with but such is my life.

I came home from school to find our neighbors house flooded with cops, ambulances, and all manner of peeps. I am friendly with our next door neighbors but don’t know the intricacies of their lives but when trouble hits, I am there.

As soon as the last car pulled away, I quickly ran over to hug my neighbor. She cried out that she had just returned from burying her mother to find the love of her life had passed away on her living room couch. Two deaths in less than a week. Just like that, the people that she loved the most were both gone.

I grabbed her a chair and we sat in the shade under a tree in her front yard, just the two of us. There were moments of pure silence and there were eruptions of deep anguish. I listened as she groaned about the fear she faced and I allowed no reaction from me to surface when she screamed curse words.

I cried with her.
I sat beside her.
I served her beer. It was all she wanted and refused anything else. We just sat there in two red chairs and grieved. Two women who have both experienced devastating losses.

I waited for family to show. A cousin came and went. I waited for friends to show. One came and went. I watched the clock as church came and went as we sat under the tree in the Louisiana heat. Finally the cousin returned to take my neighbor to her friends house for the night. We hugged and I watched as this devastated figure climbed into the truck and drove into the night.

I have noticed a trend lately in Christian circles, we are more concerned about behavior than the person. We are offended by the curse words and care little of the heart condition. Some of you are mad I served a beer. Some of you haven’t been around anyone who even curses. Some of us have spent so much time inside the church building that we forgot we are to go out and BE THE CHURCH.

It is time to get in the trenches with people. It is time to sit next to our neighbor and quietly serve them. God will open their hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ and give you an opportunity to share.

Love God, Love People

Kasey — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:20:17 +0000

I stepped on my own toes teaching this one. Ouch.

Get Gorgeous?

Kasey — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:28:47 +0000

"He's A Big, Fat Idiot"

Kasey — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:53:31 +0000

It wasn’t too long ago that I overheard a kid yell this about his friend. I sat back and watched to see how the adult in charge would handle the situation. I am fairly certain that if I was the one dealing with this child, I would go into an explanation of how we aren’t supposed to call each other names and how we should be kind to our friends, which is true.

However, the man in charge at the moment got down right on eye level with the offender and simply said, “Yes, we are all big, fat idiots!” I was momentarily shocked at his answer and wondered if dealing with kids had finally usurped his reasoning abilities. Mr. then began to explain to the child that because we are all big fat idiots, we need Jesus. That, my friends, is one of the best explanations of the gospel I have heard in a long time.

I wonder if today is simply a typical Monday and fact that the Resurrection occurred changes nothing in your life the day after Easter.

I wonder if it already lost on us that we celebrated the fact that Jesus died on the cross because we are all big, fat sinners.

I wonder how many of us are so enamored with the “big, fat idiots” around us that we have forgotten that we are like Paul, and the worst of them all.

How To Subscribe to the New Blog

Kasey — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:42:04 +0000

Full and Fat

Kasey — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:34:54 +0000

I don’t need God. I have so insulated my life that at any given time, I am pretty self-reliant. I know in my head that I need Him, that life is not complete without Him, but there are days that I hardly give Him attention after my Bible readings are finished.

If I am hungry, I get something to eat.
If I am cold, I grab the nearest blanket or turn up my heated mattress warmer.
If I have a headache, I reach for the aspirin.
If I am thirsty, I grab a Diet Dr. Pepper.
If I am lonely, I text a friend.
If I am tired, I turn off all the lights and take a nap.
When I have a need, I find a way to fulfill it.

I have been in a place that I needed Him to make it through the next minute but I am not there right now. Honestly, most days I just plow through and don’t necessarily need Him.
Something radical must be done. I don’t like living this way. I know better.

Tomorrow, I am embarking on a journey. I am creating a need for Him in my life. I am choosing to do without some things so that I can force myself to need Him.

Let me explain, imagine I cooked Brad the most fabulous of dinners (I know, unbelievable, I told you to use your imagination for goodness sake) picture steak, steamed veggies, potatoes, and a wonderful dessert waiting on him when he walked in the door. It is a feast of pure deliciousness waiting for him, but he didn’t know I was cooking (he is used to this NOT happening) so he grabs some McDonald’s on the way home. He is very full from the yucky McDonald’s but sees the great meal I have made for him and pretends to enjoy. However, no matter how good my meal is(we are still pretending), Brad is just full and has little room for the goodness I have prepared.
This is me!! I am so full from the junk that even when I try to focus on God, I am too full.

This type of living is no longer acceptable to me, so I suckered a few friends into doing this with me. Starting tomorrow, we are following Jen Hatmaker’s example from her book 7 and eating seven foods for a month. I can’t even think about next month, it involves clothes, one of my favorite indulgences. You thought I was crabby last month? Just wait till 7 is in full swing.

I am tired of being so full of junk that I miss God. Are you?

Vacation

Kasey — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:48:00 +0000

Its vacation time for the Ewing’s. We packed up our car, grabbed Willis, and headed for Colorado. It was a long road trip but well worth the fifteen hour car ride. The glorious mountains welcomed us as we drove into Colorado. I didn’t realize how much I missed looking up to a daily reminder of the majesty of our God.

We have seen old friends and realized how much we have missed living here. Brad, Drew and I moved here less than a year after Jake died, and our church was a huge part of our healing. The people surrounded us with His love. The church feed us on His Word. Our friends prayed Jackson right into our lives. We will never be the same because of our time here in Colorado. God moved us to a different place but our time here stabilized us in ministry and grounded us in the Word of God. It is good to be back and remember all that the Lord has done.

Today, we reminisce of all good times and soon we will have to say our goodbyes. (I am already dreading that). But today, we soak up the friendships our Savior has given to us as gifts to make this life much more bearable. It is in the fellowship of friends that life seems a little less hard, drama is a little less dramatic, and life becomes more comical when surrounded by good friends.

Enjoy your friends today.

Marriage Moments

Kasey — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:22:00 +0000

It started out as a typical morning in the Ewing house, Brad and I both trying to convince each other why the other should be the one to take Drew to school at six am. Brad did, it was his turn. Brad gets Drew five minutes from school when Drew gets a text that his field trip has been called off due to weather. Sounds harmless, but Drew is dressed for a day in woods training K-9 dogs not in his school uniform. Home they go. Minor home irritations lead to some not so nice texts.

Then this afternoon a few weeks of hurts, frustration, and irritation mix together and boil for a moment, till I find myself erupting in tears. I call Brad and tell him I am coming home early. I walk in the door and he can tell I have been crying and he quickly responds.

It is dark and dreary outside, rain is steadily pounding on the roof. I have calmed down but hurts still swirl in my head. Brad begins to rub my shoulders as the tears gently roll down my face. His tenderness touches my heart and eases the frustrations.

Our morning began with unfriendly texts but our afternoon ended nurture for one another. It’s the ebb and flow of marriage. It is the “I’m sorry,” and the “I love you!” It is the fighting and forgiving. The giving and receiving.

There is deep theology to the meaning and purpose of marriage but there is also a practical reality. God created marriage to ease the pain of the world. God gave us a partner to rub away the rough world out there. Go take care of your mate.

Cynic

Kasey — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:48:51 +0000

Hi, my name is Kasey and I am a cynic, otherwise, known as dream-killer around my house. I am the mom that told my youngest when he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up (a zookeeper) that he shouldn't because it would be hard to provide for a family on that type of income. He was five. Parenting Fail.

You give me an idea and I will most likely give you a few reasons why it won't work. I am a pessimist but I like to refer to myself as logical. It just makes me feel better about my negativity. Because don't we all just want to feel better about our faults(sin).

I was beginning to feel a bit prideful about my ability to discern (discourage) those around me. I happen to believe that we often mistake discernment for discouragement. Not me, of course, I know the difference, I am just logical, not discouraging. Right?

However, I began reading this great (annoying) book called, The Circle Maker this afternoon. Mark Batterson said, "When imagination is sacrificed on the altar of logic, God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him. In fact, the death of a dream is often a subtle form of idolatry. We lost faith in the God who gave us the big dream and settle for the small dream that we can accomplish without His help." Big Gulp. This is after Mr. Get All In My Grill Batterson, had let me know that my dream-killing is flat out wrong.

Now, instead of quickly allowing the conviction fall all over me and repenting, I began to pick apart Mr. Batterson. This is one of my favorite weapons of a tried-and-true cynic, doubt. I began to doubt his theology, his literary style, his jeans (I personally judge all men based on their jeans) except I couldn’t find a picture of him in jeans. But there had to be something wrong with him because, naturally, it wouldn’t be me that was wrong. Then I decided he must be a name and claim it preacher and I didn’t need to listen to him. That worked for a second till I kept reading and realized he was spot on in his theology.

Then, Mr. You Must Wear Awful Jeans, went in for the jugular and said this, “Prayer circles often look like an exercise in foolishness. But that’s faith. Faith is the willingness to look foolish.” How dare he? He just called me out and told me that I am often a cynic because I don’t want to look foolish. I wonder how often we forsake doing what God is asking of us because we don’t want to look foolish?

The words of Jim Elliot resound in my head, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Ever Been A Brat?

info@kaseyewing.com — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:03:45 +0000

Have you ever been a brat? Probably not. However, I spent a few years of my life as a spoiled brat and I often fall back into my bratish ways if I am not careful. There are days when I wake up thinking the world owes me something and then I end up madly bitter by the end of the day. What is a girl to do?? Watch and see!

Storms of the Heart

info@kaseyewing.com — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Rain is pelting the house, thunder roars in the distance, and the lights are flickering.

Brad is off on a mini mission trip, Drew is already asleep, and Jackson is cuddled up next to me with Willis sleeping at my feet.

I am enjoying the quiet while God shows off His Majesty outside.

With each boom of thunder, God Speaks.

While the lightening fills the sky, God reveals His Stunning Power.

With every drop of rain, God nourishes my heart.

I lie here dry and weary, soaking up His splendor.

I wait for Him, orienting myself back to Him, breathing out my selfish desires and inhaling His Way.

I raise my hands to Him, elevating my list of concerns to Him and the weight becomes lighter as I heave my requests to the throne.

My eyes become heavy as I release my fears to the One who holds the world in place.

My breathing slows as peace saturates the storm of my heart.

My thoughts still as His grace flows over me.

I nod off to sleep like a baby lying on her mother’s chest.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalms 19:1)

"I Dropped the Ball"

info@kaseyewing.com — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Last year, about this time, I went to Academy and bought a large bucket of baseballs. I thought that if I purchased an enormous amount of baseballs, they would last me for years. I was totally wrong. Within a few weeks, all the baseballs were gone. It seems like the more we have of something the less we care about it or the harder it is to keep up with it. (I have the same thoughts on pens and pencils too!)

This year, I bought three baseballs. I put our initials on them and said, “Here are your three balls, this is all you get and you better keep up with these.” It has worked much better and we have only lost one baseball to the sewer.

The same can be true of life.

We are so busy, we can’t keep up. We have work, kids, sports, church activities, and the list goes on and on. In essence, we have all these different balls flying around us. We are trying to keep them all up in the air, and not crashing down around us. We are trying to hard to keep everything going that we aren’t doing any one thing well.

What do we do?

It might be time to remove some of the flying objects before someone gets hurt. :) My kids don’t need to play every sport. My family doesn’t have to attend every school event. I don’t need to attend every Bible study offered. I can’t make every “girls night out.” I can’t attend every wedding or party. I can’t be on many committees. I have to say no to a lot of good things for the betterment of my family.

I do need to put God first in my life and allow Him to reveal to me what I need to shower my attention upon. As a wife and mother, God is clear that my home and family are His number one priority for me. I must make decisions to keep those a priority and therefore, some balls are going to have to drop.

What “balls” do you need to let drop and refuse to pick up again?

Can You Say Crabby?

info@kaseyewing.com — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Honestly, I was crabby this week. So much so that Wednesday night, I texted my husband and said, "I just can't go anywhere else. Is it wrong to stay home and just sit on the couch?" His response,"It's not wrong but might be lazy!" He was kidding, of course.
I texted Deb and told her I couldn't make bible study, thankfully, I wasn't teaching :) I explained that I had reached my all time cranky level. Deb gave me the best gift in her response to me, "enjoy your cranky, all of us need some cranky time."

Deb gave me to freedom to say, "no, I can't do anything else." We often so fill our lives that we just get cranky. We have so many things going and fill pulled in so many different directions that we are just mad and moody.

I realized on Wednesday that something had to give. I can't be the wife and mom I need to be when I am doing so many other things. Tim McGraw has a song about being angry all the time. I have felt this way this past week and know it is time to remove things from my life.

I have been reading through First Thessalonians and chapter four, verse eleven says, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and to mind your own business." I wonder what I have picked up that isn't my business? I question what I am spending my energy on that isn't my responsibility? I doubt that God intended for me to be this busy when he commands a quiet life. He commands me to, "Be still, and know that He is God." How can I know His presence when I don't stop till I am asleep? How can I live a quiet life when I am scrambling around constantly going to the next event?

We have this illusion that busyness equals importance. The busier we are the more important we feel. This is the opposite of what God wants for us. Yes, He wants us to work hard for His glory. But, He also wants us to be still and live a quiet life.

It is in the calm, He teaches us He is Truth

In the darkness, He shows He is Light

In the stillness, He teaches me He is the One who moves mountains

In the silence, He speaks the loudest

Let's all say no to one good thing this weekend for the better thing.

Pay Check!

info@kaseyewing.com — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Every two weeks, Brad and I have a routine, he gets paid and goes to the bank and gets my cash out. He brings me home my cash for the two weeks in a white envelope and I divide it up into my pink coupon organizer. I have money for groceries, gas, out to eat, and some fun money. It is consistent and appears in our bank every two weeks. I like the feeling of security knowing that each two weeks I will be able to replenish my cash. We don’t live extravagantly but each two weeks I am able to go out to eat some and buy some Sonic drinks. We have a steady, dependable income.

Last night we took our boys and a group from the church and loaded up into the church bus and headed to Monroe for a XMA (Extreme Missionary Adventures) fundraiser. We had a blast buying raffle tickets, eating great food, and silently praying we would win the four-wheeler (we didn’t but Drew won a great prize). On the ride home, we began discussing what it would be like to depend on others for support and to trust the Lord enough to step out in faith and depend on Him for your paychecks. Brad even joked that he trusted the Lord but not people :)

I couldn’t get out of my mind that there is a large group of Christians who rely solely on our giving to live. We have missionaries all over who won’t eat because we don’t send money. We have friends right here who don’t get a paycheck every two weeks and need us to send them money to live. We are surrounded by team leaders ready to lead mission trips but can’t find the funds to support them.

My friends laugh at me because I won’t buy Starbucks without a giftcard. I can’t bring myself to spend that much money on coffee when there are starving kids all over this world. But, I have to ask myself, what do I selfishly spend money on that could be going to those who need it to live?

Blind Spots

info@kaseyewing.com — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:39:00 +0000

It is a typical morning. I am driving Drew to school before the sun rises, we are trying to wake ourselves up as we trek across town. He speaks to me in grunts before six a.m. but my coffee is beginning to take effect and I am ready to talk. I continue to ask him questions and he pacifies me with a few words in response. This is our routine. I begin to move into the next lane, quickly glancing into my rear view mirror. I don’t see anything and slowly move over and then something inside tells me to turn and check before moving all the way over. I look in my blind spot and there is a tiny sports car roaring past. Whew! Glad I didn’t just glance and change lanes.

Blind spots. We all have them. I consider a blind spot something in us that we don’t notice at first glance. If I quickly take inventory of myself, I might not notice the sin or bitterness that is beginning to take root in my heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says “our heart is deceitful above all things.” A quick glance at my heart can be foolish.

Is it possible for my heart to deceive me? The answer is "yes." We can convince our heads that our hearts are pure when we are far from it.

How do we prevent being blinded by our own hearts. God’s word. Hebrews 4:12 states that, “The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God’s word is the ultimate authority on us.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition . . .” Fail
“Love one another as I have loved you . . .” Fail
“Do everything without grumbling . . .” Fail

When we align ourselves up against the word of God we fail every time. As we begin to measure our hearts upon the Word of God we see our desperate need for Him.
We see that we need forgiveness,
we see that we need a new heart,
we see that we need Jesus.

Our blind spots become a glaring reality of how much we truly need Jesus to save us from our sins (The Gospel). When we begin to see ourselves in light of the Word, it changes us.

The Gospel shows us our deep depravity and gives us thankful hearts to God for making a way to save us.
The Gospel opens up compassion for those around us and we aren’t as hard on others when we see how rotten we are.
The Gospel impassions us to share the good news with others so that they too can be saved from themselves.

The Gospel changes everything.

Job

info@kaseyewing.com — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:23:00 +0000

The Bible is full of books that at particular times in our lives speak to the very depths of our souls. Job has been a lifeline to me for many years. Job has given me a voice to my sorrow and an answer to my questions. Job was the ultimate grief book for me. I had the priviledge last night to teach out of Job for our Gorgeous Bible Study last night.

I pray that the book of Job speaks to you the way it spoke directly into my parched heart.

Click the video above to view the teaching.

Better Than A Hallelujah

info@kaseyewing.com — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000

I sat on the edge of my couch, nervously waiting for the ten o’clock news to air. I had never really cared much about watching the news, it usually depresses me. However, this night was different because the news was telling a piece of our story. A big part of my heart was about to be on display for audiences to view. I held my breath as I watched picture after picture of Jake appear on the screen. Then came the video, thirty seconds of Jake playing in the pool and I silently watched that particular video for the second time ever. My uncle had just found the small video of Jake and we just watched it for the first time last week. Not even writing my book prepared me for my reaction to seeing him move again. I have only seen pictures since he died and watching him splash in the pool was painful.

Telling our story has brought back so many memories that I had shut up tight and I woke with a burdensome heart this morning.

Memories blinded my vision and left me breathless.

I felt the weight of grief pushing me back in time; a time when Jake was alive and splashing in a kiddie pool.

I lived in the past for a few minutes and then crawled out of bed and to my coffee. I started my day, silently thankful for new mercies each morning.

After I dropped my oldest off at school, I drove back home as the sun began to rise. As I watched the sun rise, hope arose within in. The God who created the sun holds me. The God who spoke that very sun into existence knows my name and collects my tears in His bottle. As I focused on the Majestic God I serve and sang Amy Grant’s “Better Than a Hallelujah,” a different reaction occurred inside me. My song was no longer “a mother’s cry in the dead of night” but a whispered, broken hallelujah with the rising sun.

Immediately I knew there was something “better than a hallelujah.”

A broken hallelujah.

God Story

info@kaseyewing.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:09:00 +0000

God continues to remind me of how important stories are in the life of believers. We were privileged to have our local news reporter tell our “God story.” I thought you might like to see it.

Click the image above to watch.

I Get You!

info@kaseyewing.com — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:16:00 +0000

I was at a party tonight and most of the girls sat around sharing stories. Stories about things our kids had or had not done. We shared accounts of crazy things our husbands have said in response to said children. We got to know each other better by sharing pieces of our days with each other. We instantly became closer by revealing the narratives of our everyday lives.

Since I have written my book, I often have friends walk up to me and say, “I get you now. I totally get you.” I didn’t realize I was hard to figure out, so I have been pondering this for a few days.

What has changed? They know my story.

Stories have power.

Stories change the way people view one another.

Stories reveal the evidence of the conflicts in each others lives.

Stories open up our understanding of each other.

Stories create compassion by allowing others a glimpse into the innermost parts of our being.

Stories illustrate to those around us that we are fallen and in need of a Saviour just like everyone else.

Stories make room for grace.

We could all use more grace. Grace given and recieved.

Maybe, before we get frustrated at the single mom with her unruly kids or the teenager with no parental support, we took the time to learn their story. I am pretty sure our views of them would change? Maybe, before we rail on our kids as they walk in the door, we took an extra moment to find out how their day was. Maybe, before we jump to the conclusion that an acquaintance ignored us at the store, we considered what is going on in their lives. Maybe, if we thought about how life is hurting others before we made rash judgements, we could show love to the unloving.

Jesus, in Matthew 9:12 said, “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Maybe, if we remembered we are called to share Jesus with the spiritually sick, our view of others would be radically different.

Then maybe just maybe, we sit down with that person and share our story . . . our story just might help their story.

What's Love?

info@kaseyewing.com — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:38:00 +0000

I was silently disgusted on Super Bowl Sunday at one particular ad. This certain ad was a floral company cunningly implying that if the men of the world would send their woman flowers, they would get “lucky.” It was repulsive. It sort of made my skin crawl as I was sitting next to my fifteen year old son and wondering what impression that was making on him.

Send flowers = get lucky.

Seriously?

I have been contemplating love all day. It is Valentines Day in here in the good ole’ US of A.

1 Corinthians defines love so differently. Love is patient, kind, it doesn’t envy, boast, dishonour, or is proud. Love isn’t self-seeking, isn’t easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love delights in truth; it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

Wow, love doesn’t really have much to do with flowers. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against flowers but they don’t define if you are loved or not.

Tonight, while sitting in a semi-crowded mall eating Chick-fil-a with my favorite men (Brad, Drew and Jackson) I realized that love was staring me in the face.

Love is sitting around a table talking, laughing, and reminiscing about our day.

Love is more than getting lucky . . .

Love is taking turns getting up at the crack of dawn to drive your son across town for football practice.

Love is holding your tongue when you are frustrated.

Love is spilling out words of encouragement.

Love is the reassuring glance from across a room that you are the only one.

Love is a quick text during the day showing you are thinking of each other.

Love, in marriage, is getting lucky. Sorry, Mom

Love is picking up the clothes next to the hamper, silently.

Love is doing the dishes without a dishwasher.

Love tucks your kiddos in at night.

Love holds you close in the darkest of nights.

Love gives. And it gives some more.

And then gives some more.

How?

“We love because he first loved us”

When we realize how lavishly we have been loved, we can liberally love those around us.

I Declare!

info@kaseyewing.com — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:59:00 +0000

This Sunday morning, sitting on the front row while worship music pounded through my heart I glanced at my pastor’s wife. She was sitting next to me. She was jotting down notes in her journal. She let me peek at her list she was creating. The top of the list simply said, “I Declare.” Line after line, page after page, she had added attributes of our God. It was beautiful. Of course I quickly got out my own journal and began compiling my own list.
As I wrote trait after trait, name after name, I felt something change in me.

The realization of the God we are allowed to call Father, was enlightening. As I focused on all He is, my own life seemed to fall into a more appropriate prospective.

Declaring who He is, changes how I see things!

Try it today and see how it changes your day!