This week I’m featured on Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog   (http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/12/ashes-to-beauty-kim-zweygardt-free-book.html) and in the interview she asked about the quirkiest thing I’ve ever done. Fortunately, (or maybe unfortunately, I’m not so sure) I had many experiences to choose from. But since it is Christmas and since sometimes I’m way too serious on this blog, I thought I would share the funny story here that I shared with her readers.

Every family probably has them–stories that live in family infamy. The stories that you know will be told around the campfire, at the Thanksgiving table, at the drop of a hat. We have more than our share–we’re kind of a funny family–and often, they are about me! I’ve often said, I’m just fodder for the family sense of humor! So here it is. One of our family favorites….The Night Mom Killed Mary.

When the kids were small, we would go look at Christmas lights. We’d load up in the van with a thermos of hot chocolate and drive around the different areas of town and ooh and ahh at the gorgeous displays. We were in a very nice subdivision and drove by a house that had many beautiful lights including a lighted nativity scene, but something had gone terribly awry! Mary had fallen over and was lying on her side in the grass. (It gets windy in Kansas!) I yelled “Stop!” to Kary and hopped out to sneak across the grass to help Mary out of her distress. The first problem was that the house had a post and rail fence across the front which I hadn’t noticed. The only way into the front yard was from the front porch. Not to be deterred, I tiptoed up the driveway, across the porch and into the yard. I really did have second thoughts at this point since the people were obviously home, but I was on a mission of mercy! And my kids and husband were watching my good deed. I’d almost gotten to Mary when I tripped over an extension cord in the grass and every Christmas light on the house and in the yard went dark, including poor Mary! I turned and ran! I jumped the fence and grabbed the van door (which was already rolling) and climbed in yelling, “Go! Go!” (I really think they were going to leave me!) Kary had tears rolling down his face from laughing and the kids were sunk down in their seats trying to be invisible. It has been known forever since as the night Mom killed Mary!

There you have it. True story and even I have to admit it is funny! But I do want to add this….Kary has always said he is sure that we were touring Christmas lights on the night of judging for the best Christmas lights contest and that the poor family thought they were going to win that night, but instead their house stood dark for some unknown reason.

Now you know. If that’s you, please accept my sincerest apologies for your loss.

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone. Remember Immanuel–God With Us. The Miracle of Christmas is not lost among the lights and glitter. His light shines the brightest in dark times and in the hearts of those who are looking for Him this Christmas. (And if your “good deed” doesn’t turn out the way you meant it to, remember that He looks on our hearts and loves us anyway!)

Blessings,

Kim

Jesus came and turned the world topsy-turvy, preaching an upside-down Kingdom where the last are first and the meek inherit the Earth. Even during the time that Jesus’ sandals scuffed the sands of Samaria, it was counter-cultural. It may be even more so today.

We live in a me-first world.

Go for the gusto! Make it count! Get ahead! Be somebody! “Nice guys finish last,” we’re told which implies if we want to be first, we better not waste time on niceties.

Oh, we preach the words of  Jesus about serving instead of being served, but do we live it?

I’ve been thinking about the upside-down Kingdom lately and it seems it is something that God is wanting to teach me because I’m seeing it everywhere.

I’ve been reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts. If you haven’t read it, put it on your Christmas list! I’ve been reading it for months! No, see, you don’t understand. When I have time to read, I can easily read a book in a day, but this is a book to savor. This is a book to digest. You have to ponder it, chew on it, wrestle with the words and your beliefs. Whether you agree with Ann or disagree (read the Amazon.com reviews) with her, there is plenty of food for thought. She writes beautifully. Her sentence structure isn’t English teacher perfection. Instead she paints word pictures of her life and her quest to write down 1,000 gifts–to see life through a different lense.

Everything is grace. 

Everything?

Everything.

What appears to be the un-grace of God or others, is instead grace. Cancer? Yes. Loss of a job? Yes. Loss of a child? Yes.

If God is good and God gives good gifts and God gives all, all is grace.

My heart rails against it! I know He is good! I know He is all powerful, but there is an enemy of my soul who comes to steal and to destroy! Doesn’t this un-grace come from the Liar who asked, “Did God really say……?” in the Garden and ever after in a seductive whisper to steal us away from the God who gives all gifts and only asks obedience?

But if the tragedy causes me to run headlong into the arms of the Father, is that not grace?

I have heard many heated, passionate theological arguments about God testing us with trial vs the enemy plotting and planning and God allowing tragedy in our lives but answering that argument is not the purpose of this post.

Instead, I concentrate on Romans 8:28. My life verse. ”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” 

So if all things work together for good, and God is good, then whatever happens to me can be turned to good by a good God.

Ahhhh. Grace. Unmerited favor from a God who loves.

I believe it, but I still wrestle with giving thanks in all things–my humanity, my flesh rises up when things don’t go my way.

I love the Scripture that says (my paraphrase) that God gives us good gifts. Would a father whose son asks for bread, give him a stone? Not according to Scripture!

But I have a friend who used to say, “Sometimes God has given me gifts that are bread but the package they are wrapped in looks exactly like a stone!”

Yes! That’s it! Everything is grace! 

I just finished a book today called Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. I was interested in the story of a woman who experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) because I have a friend who also has TBI. Though fiction, the condition of Left Neglect is real.  After a car accident, the main character does not know that Left exists. Her brain takes over and fills in the blanks so that what she experiences on the right becomes all there is. She doesn’t know or see or feel anything Left including her own arm and leg. She goes from being a high-powered, life-in-the-fast-lane executive who prides herself on being smart and capable to being unable to dress herself.

And yet, she finds Grace though she doesn’t call it that. Given the chance to have her old life back, she creates a new one that includes love and family. Written through her eyes, we see the inner and outer struggle of a life out of control and Lisa brings us to the conclusion that life is so much more than grabbing the brass ring of what the world calls success.

My friend, Krysta is the same. Smart. Capable. Talented. Mangerial position when a freak accident left her with a traumatic brain injury that changed her life. And yet, because she has had to cling to faith, has had to cling to Jesus, she would not go back to her old life, given the chance.

Grace. An upside down Kingdom where even the worst can turn out to be the best because only He is God and He is only good.

Can you embrace His grace? It is my prayer that you would.

Blessings,

Kim

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I’ve been thinking a lot about fear vs faith. How do we move from one to the other? I’ve also been remembering the courage shown by so many that horrible day in 2001. What is it that makes someone run toward a disaster to help instead of run away? How do we live with courage in a time when there is so much to be afraid of?

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Jennifer Slattery on my blog with a guest post that helps to answer those timely questions using great Biblical truth.

Hope you enjoy Jennifer’s great thoughts and will turn from fear to faith today!

Now here’s Jen:

If I were to gather a group of believers to ask for their favorite Bible stories, I suspect a few would rise to the top: David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den…Abraham and Isaac. We love to hear stories of courageous men and women following God with unhindered obedience. If only we had the courage of David, who, armed with nothing more than a sling, took on a fierce, ginormous warrior. And what does it take to have the courage of Daniel? Or Abraham, a man who raised a knife, ready to sacrifice his long promised son?

And yet, I can’t help but wonder what happened in the “back story.” Was Daniel always courageous, or was this something he learned through experience? The Bible offers a bit of history on David. We know when he was a shepherd, he had to fight off wild animals on occasion. What we don’t know is what he felt during that very first encounter. Was he terrified, crying out to God for aid?

We like to think these Bible heroes are somehow more than human, but the truth is, they likely struggled with the same emotions as you and I: fear, sadness, anger, discontentment. What made them great was not their super-human spirituality, but instead, a superior God who continued to mold, guide, strengthen and transform their hearts.

I love the story of Abraham because it demonstrates a steady progression from fear to faith. I’m tempted to start and end on Mount Moriah, where God tested Abraham’s faith and Abraham came forth as gold, but if I skip over his times of struggle, I miss out on crucial growth steps.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised to bless Abraham (called Abram):
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have God Himself say, “I will bless you.”

And He says it again once Abraham arrives in Canaan.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:6-7)

This blessing is a bit more specific. Abraham’s offspring will inherit the land. But there’s one problem–Abraham and Sarah (called Sarai) don’t have any children. Which means, God’s going to have to grant them children in order to make good on His promise.

And yet, a few verses later, once Abraham gets to Egypt, he fears for his life. Faith would say, “God said He would bless me. God promised I would have offspring. Dead men don’t have children, therefore, God will protect Sarah and I in this foreign land.”

But Abraham didn’t say that. Fear took hold instead, and motivated him to take matters into his own hands. Sure, God had promised to bless him and make him into a great nation, but maybe He needed Abraham’s help. So Abraham came up with a plan to “help” God’s plan come to fruition.

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” (Genesis 12:11-12)

And what happens when we allow fear to control our actions and take matters into our own hands? We make a mess! Which is exactly what happened here. Because of Abraham’s sin and lack of faith, countless Egyptians suffered.

17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. (Genesis 12:17)
Abraham takes Sarah, and a large amount of riches from Egypt, and continues on. In Genesis 15, God promises to bless him again.

This time He’s even more specific.

1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.(Genesis 15:1-6)

So now, God has spoken to Abraham on three separate occasions, promising to bless him, protect him, and give him a son. And Abraham believes God…at least, during that moment when God speaks. But notice what happens in the very next chapter:

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. (Genesis 16:1-2)

God promised Abraham a son. Abraham’s married to Sarah. Sarah’s not having children, so Abraham decides he needs to help God out…again. He takes Hagar, Sarah’s handmaden, and sleeps with her. The result? Another mess. Tension fills the home, to the point that Abraham sends his own son and Hagar away.

Once again, Abraham’s sin hurts himself and others.

By the time we meet him on Mount Moriah, he and God have quite a history, don’t they? Time and time again, God’s promised to bless Abraham, yet when difficulties arise, fear takes hold and Abraham takes matters into his own hands. Yet each time, his actions create chaos and pain. I’m thinking by the time God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, he’s finally learned that God’s ways are indeed better.

So basically, Abraham’s faith grew through experience, by watching God show up again and again, by hearing God’s promises again and again.

The same is true for us. I believe our faith starts once we get to the end of ourselves, when we realize that we are incapable of going it alone. When we’re tired of creating messes.

It is hard to have unshakable faith straight out of the gate, but as we continue to walk with God, He shows us day after day and year after year that He is good, and strong, and wise. Then, when new difficulties arise, we can remember God’s faithfulness and derive courage from our past experiences.

Are you struggling with fear today? God wants to replace your fear with unshakable faith. Spend a moment in His presence, and remember times He’s proven Himself faithful in the past.

Jennifer Slattery writes for Christ to the World Ministries, the Christian Pulse, and Samie Sisters, and co-hosts (with five other ladies) the Facebook faith community, Living by Grace. She loves seeing people experience the life-changing love of Christ. She believes no sin is too sinful, no heart to dark, no wound too deep when placed in pierced hands of Christ and she prays daily that her writing will allow others to catch a glimmer of God’s all-consuming love. http://jenniferlsatterylivesoutloud.com. As a publicist, professional manuscript evaluator, and writing coach, she loves helping authors grow their God-given talents. Her critiques help authors strengthen their writing using strong verbs, image-evoking details, and page-turning action with conflict sprinkled on each page. To find out more about her industry-related services, visit http://wordsthatkeep.wordpress.com

American flag flies after the Greensburg, KS tornado

Well, no, nothing bad has happened to me, but isn’t that a question that the world wants answered?

Earthquakes, floods, tornados, drought, fire. All have taken a toll on our faith this long hot summer.

I go to a church www.sfccfamily.com where we share joys and concerns during a time of prayer. It bothers me a little that the list of joys is usually much shorter than the litany of concerns. The list of people in need of a touch from God for everything from a job to a miraculous healing is long, shared with the Body by someone who cares. We pray for those we know and we pray for those we don’t. The prayers are listed in the bulletin the next Sunday as a reminder, sent out on an email newsletter that week and many people write them on a slip of paper that is taken home and prayed over.

We take prayer seriously in our church and that’s good. We’ve seen miraculous healings and stories of redemption and restoration. God is faithful.

Why then, isn’t the list of joys longer?

I don’t want to indict the people of our church. I know and love them. They are grateful people over all, but they are like most of us. We forget just how blessed we are.

Why is that?

One answer is that life is hard. I read a quote recently attributed to Katherine Hepburn. “Life is hard. After all, it kills you.” It would be funny if it weren’t so true.

Jesus said a similar thing. ” In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Just before that He says that He has told us these things so that in Him, we may have peace.

And that, my friends,  is the Good News. Not that life isn’t hard. Not that sometimes we look around and wonder where God is in all this mess we call life, but that even in the muck and the mire, we can have peace in Jesus, resting assured that even though there is trouble in this world, Jesus overcomes.

Oh, it sounds kind of pie-in-the-sky, doesn’t it? We struggle through this life waiting for the next, this world is not our home and all that. I can hear the outcry already. “But what about now? Doesn’t God care now? I’m struggling now!”

To make sense of this life and the trouble it brings, we have to get the big picture.

It’s not about us. It’s about a God who created us and gave us free will. Humanity chose sin and we reap the consequences.

Where is God when bad things happen? He is there awaiting our cry for help.

If our chief purpose is to know and love God, could it be that He allows circumstances so that we know we need Him?

What about those times when we are wronged? When it is not our choice, but when someone sins against us? Where is God then?

He is there waiting to heal and restore.

The Bible says that Creation groans for its redemption (Romans 8:22). Is God allowing circumstances like flood, tornado and earthquakes to remind us of our need for redemption? Is He using these natural events to draw people to Himself? Are we paying attention?

II Corinthians 6:2 says that today is the day of salvation. If you don’t know Him, is God trying to get your attention?

People all over the world are raging at God over the bad things that are happening, asking how a good God could allow these things when the answer is that we have chosen to sin over and over again.

Just like our long list of needs that outweighs the list of our joys, we accuse God for what He hasn’t done when He has already done more for us than we deserve. He sent His only Son to die a death upon a cross that we might live if only we accept Him.

Where is God when bad things happen? Right beside us, walking us through it, overcoming this world.

Is that your experience or do you need to ask Jesus to come into your life?

Before I close, I want to thank the great ladies at the Wesleyan Church in Bird City for the great reception to my performance of the Woman at the Well last Saturday. Fabulous food, warm fellowship, laughter and even a few tears. I love it when Sister Chicks get together! Please check my schedule. Fall is filling up! If you are looking for a speaker for your ladies event, church event, seminar or retreat, please let me know.

May you be blessed on the journey!

Kim

Happy Fourth of July, Friends! I hope you have a day of fun and celebration planned. I am watching the 4th of July Kid’s Parade in the park across the street from my house. I love living in a small town! Kids, bicycles with red, white, and blue streamers, lots of flags, sirens, patriotic music, balloons! What’s not to like?

But do we remember why we celebrate the price that was paid for our freedom? Not to be a downer as you grill your brats and ready your stash of fireworks for the Big Boom, but I think it is good to remember.

I borrowed these facts from my friend Trish Pickard. (Thanks, Trish!)

“The Declaration of Independence was approved JULY 4, 1776. John Hancock signed first, saying “the price on my head has just doubled.” Benjamin Franklin said “We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately.” Of the 56 signers: 17 served in the army; 11 had homes destroyed; 5 were hunted down by the British and captured; Abraham Clark’s two sons were imprisoned on the British starving ship Jersey; John Witherspoon’s son was killed in battle; Francis Lewis’ wife was imprisoned and died from harsh treatment; many, like Thomas Nelson & Carter Braxton lost their fortunes; and 9 died during the War.”

Since that time, many others have given their lives to preserve the freedom that was first declared on July 4, 1776. Let us never forget those who gave their lives, their time, their fame and fortune. Those who gave that we might live free and prosper. And let us not forget those who continue to give that we might celebrate today.

As you enjoy your 4th of July celebration, take a moment to give thanks to Almighty God who endowed those brave men and their families with the courage and grace to pay the price of freedom. Take a moment to give thanks for all the soldiers and sailors and marines who serve now, preserving freedom that we might celebrate this day without worry of being hunted, arrested, starved or imprisoned. No matter how we feel about our country’s decisions to go to war around the world, the soldiers go as ordered. They go with pride in doing a job they feel called to do. They leave family and friends behind to serve. They deserve our honor and our thanks today and everyday. And they deserve our prayers for their safety and protection. It’s the least we can do.

Want to do a little something else for our soldiers to celebrate the 4th? How about A Cup of Joe for a Joe? You can send a real, honest to goodness, American cup of coffee to a soldier via this link.   http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/index.php 

And finally, never forget the ultimate one who died to see us free: Jesus. Galations 5:1 says, “It was for freedom, Christ set us free. Do not let yourself again be burdened with a yoke of slavery.”

Can I pray with you today?

“ Thank you, Lord, for dying for me. Thank you, Father God, that You sent Your Son to die in our place as a sacrifice for all. Lord, we thank you that You love freedom. We thank You that we live in a free country because of the courage and strength You gave to those who signed the Declaration of Independence. Lord, we live in a day where these sacrifices are taken for granted. We want the freedom without paying the price and we have forgotten that freedom comes with a price. You paid it for us. Martyrs blood has stained the ground since then. Let us not forget. Help us to remember those who continue to serve so that we may live free. May we honor their sacrifice as we remember on this day. Our country is far away from the morals, the faith, and ideals of those brave men who signed that document. May we return to You, Dear Lord. As a country and as a people. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Now go fire off something! And may God bless America!

.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard the news. A large Christian ministry predicted that the world would end.

Today.

At 6 pm.

Beginning with mayhem in New Zealand and sweeping across the world as each time zone hits 6 PM.

I live in the Central Time Zone so the end hasn’t gotten here, but no reports of the End [...]

My son, Britt, is a college junior studying broadcasting. He works at a radio station in his college town. Whenever we’re near his town and we know he’s working, we tune in, anxiously awaiting the station breaks to hear his voice. We are always amazed. “Is that silver-tongued, smooth, grown-up radio voice really my son reading the [...]

The stone cairn at Culloden

Do you ever pretend? Most of us do, whether we mean to or not.

We pretend to be someone else. We wear masks. We hide behind behaviors not our own, slipping in and out of a persona like trying on new outfits at the Mall.

For whatever reason, we believe (consciously or subconsciously) [...]

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

It’s the sentiment on a pewter paperweight in a pretty paged catalogue I received last week. Tis the season, you know.

I’m a sucker for cool quotations (and shiny catalogues). I guess that is the wordsmith in me, but it caught my eye and sprouted wings [...]

Had a great time hanging out with Sister Chicks at Prairie View Camp last weekend. They planned a fabulous retreat in a beautiful setting and I was privileged to perform and speak twice. And that is something I love–hanging out with forty plus of my new best friends!

What a fun, funny, gracious group of ladies!  And such [...]