A day to celebrate!

I just wanted to share a couple of things this morning as I sit here praising God and celebrating my one month anniversary of not smoking! That is right no cigarettes for a full month! God is so awesome! I know and have known since the beginning of this amazing journey that I could not do this. It is only by the grace of God and Him intervening in my life in such amazing ways that this would ever be possible. The truth is this journey did not start a month ago but many years ago. God is still in the business of transforming lives. (some of us just need lots more work than other and take a lot longer!) As most of you know about 2 1/2 years ago God turned up the speed on that process in my life and things have pretty much been on a much accelerated program since then. Well for those of you who I have not spoken to or shared with in a while things are pretty much moving at warp speed (or so it seems to me) right now. God is just so amazing and is so faithful to complete His work in us. I praise Him for being the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. That no matter how much we want to change we do not have it within us to do so. It is only though the power of Jesus Christ that we can truly be transformed. Praise God with me today. Send up a word of thanks and praise to Him today for what He is still doing in the lives of those who love Him! God does have a plan and a purpose for each of us and He is faithful to bring us to the place we can and will be able to complete it.

I also wanted to share with you one of the things that I believe is truly making a difference in this part of my journey right now. There is an amazing website that has kept me in the word of God, that has kept me accountable during this process and has encouraged me and established a mentor in my life to walk along side of me. The web site address is

www.settingcaptivesfree.com

this website has many online classes available these classes deal with just about every kind of addictive problem out there. From Drug and alcohol abuse to sexual immorality, pornography, gambling, smoking, and gluttony. They even offer some of the courses in other languages. I just felt that God wanted me to share that with others. It may be that you or someone you know that is in need of this very ministry. They also may feel that they are living in a state of captivity and truly desire a way out. Please share this with others as well.

blessings to each of you!

God's Plans vs Our Plans

I just love it when you can see God's hand at work in peoples lives. I was having a conversation last night where we were discussing how awesome it is when we have confirmation in our lives and the lives of others that our God is Alive, and Actively involved in the lives of His people. I work in a global company and have opportunity to interact with many people from around the world who have different beliefs and even worship other gods. What to me is so sad is that they cannot make the same statement about their god. Only the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. the God who created the heavens and the earth, the one who sent his son Jesus to earth to become a perfect sacrifice for our sins, allowing us to have an intimate relationship with the Living Loving God is active and alive in the lives of His people.

Well to make a long story not so long... I just finished a conversation with someone that God has recently brought into my life. I always get excited when god brings new people into my life becasue I know He is up to something. I know that there are no mistakes, this person is in my life for a reason. Well during this conversation I got the strongest impression that this person is going to play a big part in my future. I asked a few leading questions to see if what I was thinking was something that might fit in with what God was leading in this other persons life. Was I surprised when that was confirmed? No of course not! I committed to be in prayer about her future plans and that God would guide and direct and at the same time committed to myself to be in prayer about all that God was doing in my life right now. It may just be that God is up to something big here. So my point is two fold. I am so overwhelmed by my God that He would look to me and see something of value to Himself and His plans for us His creation is just mind boggling. Then to know He takes that further by wanting to spend time with me to share His plans and to ask me to be a part of them. To serve as His ambassador to my circle of influance, to know that He is expanding that circle of influance... I am so humbled and amazed.

Oh, that the whole world would know My God and discover the wonder of His love!

unexpected appointments

I just love it when God blesses me with an unexpected appointment. Especially if it is with a friend.

Yesterday was just such a day. I had to make an unexpected trip to Tampa. It was a trip over, stay 20 minutes to deliver something and then back. When I found out I would need to make this trip. That very morning... I was sitting at a table full of women from my church at our monthly Ladies Prayer Breakfast. I leaned over to the one on my left and wrote a quick note asking her if I needed to make the trip over would she be able to go with me to keep me company and more importantly keep me accountable as this would be my first road trip without my faithful companion of cigarettes. And well, quite frankly, I had been having a very challenging day the day before. I had not given into temptation. However, I felt this might be my undoing. so.... Thankfully she did not hesitate she immediately said yes,

Well God has a way of helping us sort things out in our minds by being able to share with a friend and provides just the right friend at the right time when we need to get completely honest and just spill our guts. Well... that is what happened on the ride over. I was able to share with this precious friend not only the events that have been happening in my life but also my fears and my discoveries and my challenges. It was an amazing hour and a half that flew by as she listened and questioned me and caused me to dig deep into my heart to find some of the answers. I just love it when my heavenly Father knows just what we need even when we don't.

So what are the things making you restless, and frustrated and unsure of your next steps in your journey of faith? cry out to God and ask Him to show you the best person and the best time to share these things with that person. And do not be surprised when He provides it in the most unusual person, place and time!

update and a spiritual principal

First a quick update... I am still cigarette free! God is so good! The past week has been for many reasons one of the most stressful weeks I have had in years. Yet though even that God has been faithful to uphold me and keep me from even experiencing major craving. So I am praising Him for His faithfulness and stand in awe of the truth "when the Lord sets you free you are free indeed"!

Now for my thoughts on a spiritual principal or truth that I had not understood before and to be honest never even gave thought to... for the past several days there has been, like I mentioned above, a lot of additional stress in my life due to a specific incident that transpired last week. the other day when driving home from work and praying about this and in the course of my conversation with God I was mulling this all over I realized something that was quit shocking. Now several days later I realize it should not be shocking to me but it was. I realized that what was happening was part of a larger spiritual battle that was taking place and in one fell swoop it had transformed from just the spiritual to a physical manifestation of a real life incident where "my enemies" were all clearly tipping their hands in a huge way. Now let me clarify here that these are individuals none of whom are Christians and who I have always seen more as a thorn in my side. you know the kind who just always seems to be on the other side of almost every issue and just tend to rub you the wrong way. But nevertheless I had never put the label of "enemy" on them. Until now. Now, through this, I truly see them for what they are according to scripture. I also see God's hand of protection through this situation. So my question was in that moment of enlightenment, is there some principle of God's love and protection at work in my life? Does God really do that? you know the vanquishing the foe thing? isn't that what He does when they stand before Him in the day of judgement? Is not the promises of vengeance reserved for after the great battle in revelations? I was more than a little "in fear of the Lord" that evening as I tried to come to grips with this. I even made a few calls to "Godly men of Wisdom" asking them about this spiritual principal theory. It was interesting though that as I tried to explain to them what I was seeing or thought I was seeing that it was almost like they had blinders on and did not hear or see what I was talking about. I love these men and hold them in high regard and value their council yet I hung up from the calls and surrendered to God and said OK, this is between us isn't it... you are not allowing me to articulate to them so they have understanding of this are you? I realized there was more than one principal of my faith playing out before me now. God has me in a very real spiritual training program that is the most amazing thing. I could not have even imagined such a thing before... I want to shout from the roof tops and write it all down so I never forget. yet every time I try to put it to words it just comes out garbled and not making sense... So I would ask that you keep me in prayer. That I be open to and willing to listen and learn. to keep my eyes and ears wide open so I don't miss anything God is tryin to teach me.

Psalm 34:4-7 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

hummmmm well I don't know about you, but this pretty much answered my question... God is so awesome! It truly is better than any princess fairy tale of the knight in shinning armor come to rescue his princess from the evil forces. Do you ever wonder where those stories got started? LOL.

A New Day and a New Way

Where do I start... Well lets just say that although I have not been posting much lately. It is not because things are not happening. Just the opposite is true. God has been very busy in my life. The biggest news is that I am no longer a smoker. I knew that God has been pushing me here for a long time. Yet Gods timing is always perfect. God has always known my heart in regards to this. I have been a smoker since I was 11 years old. I knew there was no way I could stop on my own. I still know that I know that each day, each hour, each minute I am not smoking is all because of God. I have learned that He is sufficiant to meet ALL my needs. I have taken alot of things I knew in my head and have finally been able to allow God to move them to my heart. Kind of like what He did for me in February of "06". The best way i can describe it is He took me from being someone who knows to someone who believes. OK so huge news huh,! I cannot begin to tell you how greatful to God I am for what He is doing in my life. I am just humbled that He would even consider me... but instead He tells me that He delights in me! Honest.... I just this morning have started using a new 4 part Journal I have developed for Ready Set Bloom and when I got to the part in the Spiritual section about listening to God... well you all know how difficult I find it to listen instead of talking... anyway I opened my bible up determined to listen to Him. The pages fell open to Isaiah 42: 1-9. You have to read them all but here are a few of the things that jumped out at me.

1Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4He will not grow faint or be discouraged[a]
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them

Now please understand that I know "in context" this is not talking about me. Yet God has used the words of the scripture to share with me some truths, Truths I needed to be reminded of.

Things like He will uphold me, He has chosen me, He delights in me, He has put His Spirit upon me, I will not grow faint or be discouraged, He will take me by the hand and keep me, He has given me a message to share with others, my past is no more it is over and He has declared new things for me!

So much love He showered on me this morning! GOD IS SO AWESOME!!!

Celebrate Him with me today!!!!!!! If you are interested in seeing or using the new journal God has given to me... just let me know. I will be happy to share.

I received this today from a dear friend and wanted to share... make sure you read to the bottom for a personal note from me. I promise you will be glad you did!

Isaiah 65:24 "Before they call, I will answer" This story was written by a doctor who worked in South AfricaOne night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle , it h ad burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways."All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother h ad diedDuring pr ayer t ime, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say,"Amen". I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I liv ed on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend Then, as I put m y hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I gr asped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!"Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon.""Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24)

I do not know if the story above is true or not. I do know that God's promises in scripture are! I also have seen this happen in my own life. I had made a decision recently to step out in faith about something. I did not have all that I needed to make that happen so I sent an e-mail to several friends asking them to say a prayer for me that God would provide for the need. 10 minutes later I received an e-mail from one of the men who told me he was laughing because his wife had told him several days before that she had a dream that she was providing me this same something so I could go do something God needed me to do. He told me to move forward in confidence that they would provide as God had instructed them to through her dream.

This is one of those breathtaking moments when I realized God had answered even before I prayed or asked others to pray. God is sooooooooo AWESOME!!!!

A new Website and e-mail address

I am very excited to let you know that I have registered my domain of readysetbloom.com and as of today I have what I am calling my temproary site up and running. This is not what the finished site will look like however it allowed me to get something up right away using a pre-made template the hosting company had available.

you can check out my site at www.readysetbloom.com and my new e-mail address to go along with that is kathy@readysetbloom.com

Both are big steps forward to getting this all wrapped up and ready to go!

Please keep praying. I still have a few legal things to take care of and then I hope to be open for business by the end of the month.

Wow... when I think of all that has happened since the beginning of April... Well I feel my head spinning!

Keep living each day on purpose... knowing that you will never be able to go back and capture that time. Make sure you keep making choices, and realize that to not make a decision to change is to make the decision to stay the same.

Love ya!

A Logo!

Take a look at the new Logo just below and to the right. 

Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Thanks!

I want to take this time to thank all that prayed for the Ladies Retreat last weekend. What a blessing it was to me and to the Ladies that went. God honored your prayers and we had a wonderful weekend! God was present and with us from the moment we left. All of the Ladies that went told me what a wonderful time they had and how much it meant to them to take the time to spend with God in drawing closer to Him and leaving behind all that was troubling them, and distracting them from worshiping Him. 

OK so the chocolate was amazing as well. LOL  

I also want to thank all that stepped up to help lead this event. From those who spoke, led worship, helped with an activity or was a table leader. All of you did a phenomenal job and made this event what it was! Without you I never could have pulled it off. You all were AMAZING!

Thanks again!

A Retreat

Be Still and Know that I am God...

This verse is one that has made a huge impact on my life over the past 8 years. It is one that at first seemed to haunt me. I continuously would hear it in my mind. Yes, I think God was trying to tell me something and I still do. this is a verse that we all seem to want, yet have no idea of how to accomplish it. How do we "be still" in this day and age where everything moves at the speed of light? How can we "be still" with so much to do? How can we "be still" when everyone needs something from us and, well, needs it NOW! 

And let's face it even if... and that is a big IF... we find some time to "be still" how does that help us Know that He is God? I mean really, let's get serious... can anyone know that He is God? isn't He God? Well, after much contemplation on this verse for the past 8 years, I think I may have a clue what this means. I have started to wake up early, and although I have always thought that getting up early must mean you have a serious problem, I am beginning to truly enjoy that time of day when the earth starts to wake up. when God gently nudges the sun over the horizon. I sit on the back porch when most sane people are still in bed dreaming and am learning how to "be Still" and what I have found is that in the stillness and quietness of the early morning, I am beginning to know that He is God. This time has become like a mini retreat. It is a time of refreshing, and sitting in the stillness and knowing that the day is new with no mistakes yet. I am new and have made no mistakes yet. 

Tomorrow morning I will not have much time to enjoy the stillness of the morning and I am already missing it. yet I will be spending that day and the next taking time to taste and see that the Lord is good at the FBCK annual Ladies Retreat. This year is going to be different, for many reasons. yet, I am looking forward to this retreat more than many others, I believe that it is there away from the day to day routines, when we set aside time to spend with Him that we can truly "be Still and Know that He is God"  Join me even if for an hour this week to take time, make time, to "be still and know that I am God"  

Say a prayer for us, ask God to prepare our hearts to receive Him and His blessings this weekend!