What the world needs now

I haven't blogged in a while.  It seems the world has gone mad.  First covid-19. Now the riots.  Economy on the brink. Chaos. Fear.  What is happening to people?

I heard a song on the radio the other day...

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

So true right?

What is love anyway? 

It's the commitment to the good of others.

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 of self pervades society.  There's too little real love out there. 

They will know we are Christians by our love.

Perfect love casts out all fear.

Praying for our world today.  They need the Lord so much. 

A Life of Joy

A week ago, my mother in law went to be with Jesus.  She was 80 years old.  Mother "in law" is a strange term.  Yes, she was "in the law".  But it was deeper than that.

She was the hub of the family.  She was diligent about calling not only her kids and grand kids, but her extended family as well.  She would call cousins, friends she'd known for years, even some ex-family members.  She truly cared about people.  When she called, it wasn't about what was going on in her life.  It was about what was happening in yours.  Then she would likely call others in the family and make sure they knew what was happening in your life too!  HA!  It held people together.  It connected us all.

Three words that completely described her.

Joy, Prayer, and Thanks.

Her first response in almost every situation was Joy!  No matter the news you told her - whether good or bad- she could find the joy in it somehow. "We are moving to Pittsburgh Grandma!" she would respond "I'm so happy for you!"  "Grandma, I just lost my job"  Her response-Well, I'm glad we will have time to visit!".  Her life took many turns and twists and I'm not sure how she survived a lot of it--but she was always joyful. 

Prayer consumed her.  She would pray about everything.  Automatically.  First thing.  I have to admit, I got a little cozy knowing I had a powerful warrior standing before the Throne!  I will miss all her powerful interventions on my behalf, on my kid's behalf.  I need to step it up and get busy praying!

Thankfulness was her mantra.  She exuded "In Everything Give Thanks!"  She literally did.  Everything.  Whereas my initial thought is usually negative. Hers was always positive.  She was thankful.  She could find a reason to be thankful.   She could pray and give thanks regardless.  I have much work to do in this area.

She was one of the quirkiest people I've ever known.  She was downright odd to most.  But those three little words - JOY, PRAYER, THANKS- were her trademark.  It's who she was inside and out.

I have much to work on in these categories.  I will strife to be the grandma that she was to my kids.

Colossians 3:14-17 "But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The 2017 Eclipse

We headed up to Nebraska on Saturday to see the Great American Eclipse of 2017.  I had never seen a total eclipse.  I've seen some partial ones.  I knew it would be cool but I really had no idea.

I expected there to be lots of traffic and lots of people.  There were..but not near the amount I thought there would be.  Maybe because it was boondocks Nebraska?  I don't know.  We even saw a school in session on Eclipse Day!  Why?  Best education ever is to see totality.

Anyway.  Eclipse day comes and we start watching the skies.  The morning looked good-not too many clouds.  So we played some Monopoly and waited for the countdown.

One hour until first contact- the clouds started rolling in.  No way were we going  to drive 10+ hours to miss this amazing event.  So we packed up all our camping stuff rather hurriedly and started chasing blue skies.  Thankfully, in Nebraska there are a lot of dirt roads and lots of places to pull over too.  So off we went.

We found a patch of blue sky and pulled over just in time to see first contact.  I had a cool app on my phone that we could check if we were in the totality range and then it announced when to look for certain events and what was coming next.  We set up our chairs and got out our snacks and watched as the moon started coming in front of the sun.  Such a weird sight to see the sun start to shrink.

Then the clouds started rolling in again.  So we threw everything in the truck and started chasing blue skies again.  As my phone announced "15 minutes until totality"  we prayed we would find blue skies before totality hit.  Up ahead the sky started to clear and we pulled over in the middle of a dirt road surrounded by corn fields and hay bales.

The anticipation for totality was mounting.  What were we about to see?

As it started to get darker and noticeably cooler,  I could tell something remarkable was about to happen.

Birds suddenly got quiet.

Shadows were extremely short for the middle of the day.

There was a hush that fell over everything.

Then totality.

Glasses came off and my eyes got to see the moon blocking the sun.

How to describe it is very difficult.  The only way I can think to describe it is that it felt like we stepped through a mirror into another dimension.  Darkness in the  middle of the day.  Looking at a huge hole in the sky with long streaks of corona shooting outward.  Frogs started croaking in the middle of the day.  Time seemed to slow down.  My mind could scarcely take in what I was experiencing.  2 minutes and 39 seconds.  And then it was gone.  Everything slowly started returning to normal.

What a remarkable thing to experience!  It was surreal.

 It was spiritual.  Will this be even a glimpse of what it will be like to enter Heaven?  Will the Lord in all His Majesty and Beauty have to be eclipsed so that I can look upon Him?

It was unlike anything I've ever seen before and I can not wait to see another one.

A Kilgore is...

What it means to be a Kilgore

When our kids were little we decided to come up with a family creed.  What it really means to be a Kilgore.

We each contributed thoughts and ideas and the kids were the ones that encouraged us to find Bible verses to back up each of these.  We had this framed and it hung on the wall for years.  As we moved and the kids grew up and moved out..it had gotten lost somehow.  The file was on an old computer that we no longer could use and it sort of went by the wayside.  

Then I went to message an old friend about a random topic and lo and behold this creed was there from a previous conversation many many moons ago!  

I think I'll print it out and hang it on the fridge again.  It's a great creed for our family.  Have any of you all made a family motto or code? Would love to hear it!  Comment below!

A Kilgore is....

Fears, loves and worships the immortal, invisible, only wise God.

Deut. 6:4

Honors God, parents & elders.

John 5:23, Eph 6:2, Prov 16:31

Man lays down his life for his wife and loves her as Christ loves the church.

Eph 5:25-28, Col. 3:19

Woman submits to the authority of her husband and provides wise counsel.

Eph 5:22, Col 3:18

Child seeks opportunities to serve parents without being asked.

Gal. 5:13, I Corinthians 9:19

Protects and cares for orphans and widows.

James 1:27

Can do all things through Christ who strengthen us.

Phil 4:13

Hates the wicked and seeks to crush their schemes.

Ps 139:21

Meditates on infallible Word of God, the Bible.

Prov. 3:1, Ps 1:2

Communicates with God frequently and ask for wisdom.

Col 1:9, Phil 4:6

Is hated by the world, because we preach the truth without compromise.

Ps 34:21

Mourns and rejoices with others and provides comfort.

Rom 12:15, Isa 61:2-3,  I Cor 12:26

Practices unquestionable integrity, truth & loyalty.

Job 27:5, 1 Kings 8:61

Does not whine, yell, pout, or display discontent.

Phil 2:14, Phil 4:11

Provides freedom and justice to the oppressed.

Isa 61:1, Job 36:6, Ps 10:18

Eagerly accepts correction.

Prov 3:11

Gives generously of our time, talent and treasure.

Prov 3:9, 2 Corinthians 8:3,4

Has a thankful heart and hates covetousness.

Eph 5:20, Eph 5:3

Enthusiastically communicates Gods plan for an abundant life.

Matt 28:19

Is fun.

John 10:10

Times they are a changin'

This year has been a whirlwind year!  There's been so much happening!

First of all, I became a GRANDMA!!!  How fun and exciting is that! I'm really looking forward to this stage of life.  The empty nest is great and having my time with hubby is fabulous but grandkids!! That brings a whole other level of fun!

Secondly,  my son is getting married!  I will have 2 grown kids that are married!!  What?!  The Lord is so good to provide such wonderful spouses for my kids.  I'm so happy to experience my grown kids in this new stage of life!  My son will be a wonderful husband (and dad sometime!! AH!) and it's so exciting to see this newlywed couple and their new love!

Thirdly,  we are moving AGAIN!!!  Ok this is about the 14th time we have moved in our 27 years of marriage.  See this post here about that.    But this time is gonna be so cool!  It has always been a dream of mine to move to Europe.  To live in a high rise and be able to walk down the street for groceries, coffee, shops and restaurants.  I have always loved living near parks and water and especially looking at the greenery.  Although we aren't moving to Europe just yet.... (you never know what the future holds!)  my hubby has found me the next best thing here in Texas!  It's a condo in a high rise building overlooking a canal!  Pictures will be coming for sure!

I'm really looking forward to what this year will bring.  The Lord is gracious and loving.  Even though sometimes life is like a roller coaster, I can trust that the Lord is good and is faithful.

I never want to portray my life as only the good and only good things happen to me.  I have my ups and downs just like everyone else.   But this roller coaster ride of life is taking a fun turn this year!  I'm holding on tight, raising my hands and seeing what the Lord will do.

It's a New Year!

So it's a new year and everyone's making resolutions.  I'm not a big resolutions fan.  I'm super goal oriented and if I don't think I can make my goals then I don't want to resolve to do them.

So if you aren't making any New Year's resolutions this year, how about this:

Start:  think about starting one new thing this year. Maybe it's trying to knit? or start reading the Bible, or start walking at lunch?   You don't have to commit to a whole new lifestyle but maybe just a start will nudge you in the right direction.

Stop:  think about stopping one thing this year.  Just as easily as it is to start new habits, it's hard to stop.  But maybe we can just stop one thing?  maybe stop interrupting when someone is talking?  or stop buying those donuts?  or stop complaining?  stop checking your phone. There's always something I need to stop doing.  It's being mindful of those things that will help.

Continue:  Think about continuing one thing this year.  What did you do last year that was a good thing?  Continue it!  Continue walking, continue building friendships, continue praying, continue serving others.  There are lots of good habits that we can keep doing!

That's my resolve for this year.  Start one new thing, stop doing one thing and continue doing something good.

How about you?  Any resolutions?

2016 Year in Review

Just a few snapshots to sum up 2016!  

Lots of fun stuff including:

Trip to Okinawa, Japan to see my Marine son!

Cruise to the Caribbean with our friends

Found out I'm gonna be a Grandma!!!! (Ok this is definitely the highlight!!)

Trips to Austin, Virginia, Pittsburgh!

Friends from Pittsburgh came to visit and we gave them a Texas tour!

Lots of geocaching!

Lost some friends and family too :( 

Biking and Hiking!

So much laughing!

Lots of little weekend adventures too!

Fun and games with nieces, nephews and great nieces & nephews!

Continuing to work on memorizing Philippians

Got a (new to me) car! 

Praying you all are blessed and have a fabulous 2017!

 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:3-6

45 things you might not know about me

So my birthday is coming up!!! AGHHH!!!  I will be 45 years old!  I'm not sure how this happened..but here I am.  

So in celebration of this new year!  Here's 45 things you might not know about me!

1. I'm an introvert.
2. I love love love to travel!
3. I don't mind doing things by myself, in fact I rather enjoy it.
4. I'm working on memorizing Philippians.  I've got the first 2 chapters down!
5. I've never had an issue with weight until the last 5 years or so, but I'm working on losing it now!
6. I have opinions about stuff and it comes across sometimes as bossy, stubborn, mean.  I don't intend to be those things though.
7.  I love trivia and love to learn new things.
8.  I don't know much about pop culture though.
9. I love to listen to Christian music, hymns and new stuff, but I also like classical and 40s.
10.  I would love for 40s fashion to come back!  Hats! and Men in hats!
11. I only just recently started in the work force. (about the last 5 years) I was a stay at home mom for years and years (which I loved).
12.  Our biggest regret was not having more kids.
13. I've only worn skirts now for about 10 years.
14. I've been to a lot of places in Europe and would love to live there someday!
15. My favorite flower is the daisy.
16. My favorite day: sitting on the porch, watching a thunderstorm, reading a book and drinking coffee.
17. Or tea! I have a HUGE collection of tea!
18. I really hate wearing my heart on my sleeve.
19.  I can tend to be an Eeyore.
20. We've moved about 14 times in our 27 years of marriage and lived in 4 states!
21. I love to read!  and when I'm in the reading mood -read about a book a week.
22. Have been doing a High Fat/Low Carb diet for about 8 months now and I love it! No going back!
23.  We've been taking a cruise every year with a group of friends of ours going on about 3 years now!
24. It's hard for me to apologize because I think I'm usually right.  Working on that.
25. I'm married to my best friend and when he's gone I'm lonely.
26. I love our electric bicycles that we got!
27. Am so excited that we've downsized so much!  living in a 750 square foot apartment is one of the best things we've done.
28. I haven't been to the dentist or doctor in I can't remember how long ago.
29. I prefer to always wear flats..but occasionally I'll wear a wedge.
30. I absolutely love my relationship with my grown kids!  They are a joy!
31. I've worn glasses since I was about 18. I recently bought contacts but haven't worn them much because my glasses are my security blanket and I feel naked without them!
32. Never thought I'd switch to an e-reader for books but now it's all I read.
33. My medicine cabinet at home is mostly essential oils.
34. I've never been to Las Vegas.
35. If there's a tree that looks good to climb -you'll probably see me up in it!
36. I've read through the Bible every year for so many years now I can't remember how many!
37. Favorite color-pink! (It was my wedding color!)
38. Can read music and used to play the violin and can play some piano.
39. Clean everything in sight when I'm angry or upset.
40. Love to have the blinds closed and lights down low at home.
41. Hate cooking and grocery shopping.
42. Back before the internet, I used to cut articles out of magazines and I had a whole file cabinet with different files for different topics.
43. Never thought I'd homeschool, but ended up homeschooling for 15 years!
44. Have a hard time making friends.
45. Put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ when I was 13 years old at my grandma's church during a revival.

Well, there you have it!  Just a few things about me! :)

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving comes every year and every year people are posting 30 days of Thankfulness.  It's good to reflect on thankfullness this time of year. It's just  too easy to slip into a rut and forget to be truly thankful.

I'm not talking about a thankfulness of "I'm glad I'm not like that poor soul over there." or a thankfulness like "I'm glad for these material possessions that most people in the world don't have." but a true attitude of gratitude.

Psalm 100:4 says "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

Philippians 1:3 " I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Ephesians 5: 19-21 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God."

All these verses speak of being thankful.  I see no mention of stuff.  Just a heart that is thankful. They all have to do with our relationships to people and our relationship with the Lord.

God put us here on the earth with people - annoying as they can be sometimes.  But we are to speak to and encourage one another.  Be thankful for each other.

God warns us what ungratefulness can do to us.

 Romans 1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This verse is speaking to the one who doesn't believe in God--they not only did not glorify Him but they weren't thankful -- and their hearts were darkened.

This Thanksgiving and this season...focus on Giving Thanks!  For He has given us so much for which to be thankful!

For Better or Worse

The traditional American Wedding Vows:

"I, ___, take thee, ___, to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith [or] pledge myself to you."

Seems simple enough.

But I don't think most people have a clue what they are committing to or the depth of these vows.

If there was anyway to make these vows "real life" to people at the altar...how could we put it into words?

"...to have and to hold from this day forward" -- Oh this sounds nice, the having and the holding...  but just wait....

"for better, for worse"  -- The "better" we love!  Yeah!  Gimme some more of those days where we eat ice cream, bike to the park together, watch a thunderstorm, snuggle up by a fire and enjoy the night.  The "worse". Yuck.  How worse?  What about when family members and friends push you aside? Or your kids are out of control? What about when every moment of the day is filled with unimaginable emotional pain from kids, or others, or each other, or life in general?

"for richer, for poorer"  --  Richer sounds good.  Poorer, not so much.  How poor?  What will we lose?  What will we suffer?

"in sickness and in health"  --Well, the other day my hubby was holding me up in the bathtub has I was losing my lunch at both ends.  TMI - I know.  But these are the days no one wants to talk about or think about enduring.  What about those moments of extreme sickness, cancer, Alzheimer's?  What about morning sickness?  What about when the kids are all throwing up on you?  It's disgusting, I know, but this stuff actually happens.  

"to love and to cherish" -- Ah, well this sounds nice anyway.  Cue the singing birds.  Oh wait,  my hubby's not very loveable at the moment..what?  still cherish?  You mean I'M not very lovable at the moment?  Oh dear, more work to do.

"till death do us part" --  Oh, sure. I can do that.  Wait, till death!  Isn't that a long time away??  I got married when I was 18!  If you mean DEATH..then it may be 60 or 70 years!  With the SAME person!  

So here's my proposed new wedding vows:

I will be committed to you till the day I day.  Forsaking all others, I will be only yours.  I promise to be there when it's fun and not so fun.  I will be by your side when we are happy and not so happy.  I will be your cheerer, encourager, helper, and more.  When you are sick and helpless, I will help you. When the bank account is running on empty, I will help to save and scrimp and eat beans and rice. When the kids are yelling and my head is about to burst, I will still be here.  I may not always be the happy, calm person that I need to be but with your help and the help of Jesus, I will strive to be that person.  Putting God at the center of our marriage is my top priority.  Without Him, we can not do this journey.  

I love you bunches, Larry. 

Memorizing

We memorize a lot of things....song lyrics, movie quotes, phone numbers etc.   But have you ever memorized the one eternal thing?  The one thing that will never fade away?  The one thing that can transform you from the inside out?

I'm talking about memorizing Scripture.

It's great to have some verses under your belt.

But have you ever memorized Chapters of the Bible?  or even a whole book of the Bible?

I've done a chapter before and it was amazing.  Now, I've started on a journey to memorize a Book.

Just 4 little chapters...

Philippians.

At first, it's really difficult.  But just moving your mind to do something new is extremely beneficial. Not only physically but more importantly spiritually.

It takes time and discipline but believe it or not it can be done!

I've been inspired by Susan Heck who wrote this book.  I've also been inspired by this ministry.  They list some great reasons to memorize long passages.

There are a great many apps and websites designed to help with big chunks of Scripture memory.  I'm using Scripture Typer.  Also Remember Me app is a great help.

These are great tips too!

If anyone is interested in memorizing along with me comment below!  I'd love to have some help and encouragement along the way!

It's time for us to do something

We spent the last week in New Orleans with the group Operation Save America doing pro-life ministry. What an encouraging, inspiring, challenging week it was!  We spent time at 2 abortion mills standing for the truth and proclaiming Christ, peacefully and prayerfully.  Young people, old people, people from every stage, age and walk of life came together to proclaim Christ. During the times at the mills you could find spontaneous worship, prayer, praise, pleading with women and men, holding of signs, and the truth being preached.  Thankfully the mills shut down for the week!

We also spent time at a proposed Planned Parenthood site.  Fortunately,  it hasn't had any work done on it for over a month.  We spent time there reading the Word of God out loud.  By the end of the week, the entire word of God and been read aloud over the site!  Men and women and kids spent many hours there in the pouring rain and in the heat of the sun reading God's Word.  How powerful!  God's Word will not return void.

Teams were also sent to Shreveport and Baton Rouge as well as the City Hall in New Orleans, Canal Street and other places throughout the city.

   

Abortion is the holocaust of our day.  59 million children have lost their lives.  Countless women have died. Many women and families are wounded emotionally.

To see how many babies have died Click here

This was only a week out of our lives.  We didn't do much.  I could do so much more.  Others sacrifice daily.

It's Time for us to Do something!

Being around men and women and teens that are serving God with their whole heart is inspiring.  It is also challenging.

What can I do on a daily basis to help others around me? We only have a small amount of time on this earth. I want to spend my time here doing something eternal.  Something that will have an effect on others.  It can be small or it can be big, but let's Honor the Lord in our lives. Let's be salt that is shaken out of our comfortable salt shaker. Let's be light to those in the darkness.  Serving others, praying for others, helping others. You never know how they will affect you, and how you might affect eternity.

What will you do this week to make a difference?

To find out more about the group we went with click here.

The toughest job

When you have kids, it often feels like your heart is walking around outside your body.  When they are happy, I am happy.  When they are sad, I am sad.  When they get good news, I feel the joy!  When they are hurt, I hurt too.

How do you handle your very heart outside of your body?  It's so vulnerable and helpless.  It could get squashed at any moment.  It's delicate and fragile.  Yet it's the strongest muscle in your body.

Even though my kids aren't "kids" at all anymore -- I can't believe they are all grown adults!  It still feels like my heart is split in three different directions.

It's weird.  When they are little, your heart is just out there from the get go.  You never knew you could love so much.  They  consume your every waking moment.  You teach and train, love and play.  Yet, they are there beside you.  Your heart is close to you.  

Then as they get older, they start doing their own thing.  I can feel the tug of my heart.  Leaving me. Growing. They are living their lives. They are making decisions and doing things.  Somethings I know.  Somethings I don't want to know.   But my heart!  It's still out there! I can't always "make it better now" with a kiss and a boo boo bear.

My heart has to learn to be ok with things.  My heart has to learn to trust in the One who entrusted them to me.

He has them.  He knows them.  He guides, directs.  I pray and worry and then pray some more.  He has control.  He can hold them, comfort them.

My heart is out there.  In three different places.  My heart is vulnerable.

But it's also multiplied!  I can feel joy 3 times over!  I'm so happy for my kids....ahem.....young adults.

They make my heart happy. Ultimately I trust in the Lord. He holds our hearts.  He keeps me in perfect peace.

Colossians 3:15 

" And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Amazed

Sometimes I just have to sit back and be amazed. I'm in awe of how big God is. He is big enough to create the entire universe! He created the Sun! He created the stars and the amazing amount of galaxies we have yet to even understand. Yet he cares about each of us individually. He cares enough about us to listen to our needs. Who am I that He should listen to my piddly concerns? Yet I have seen him answer so many of my prayers in the last few months! Sometimes we pray and pray and seek the Lord for years on certain things...and we don't get an answer. But in the past few months I have seen him answer time and time again! He cares about what I care about. I don't know why. But He does. That is so comforting to know that this big big God cares about little 'ol me!

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—that are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?" Psalm 8:3-4