Music Monday - Hope Returns

Happy Monday Friends! I know for a lot of us we woke up feeling all sorts of things and most likely it wasn’t happy. Maybe it was fear, worry, or dread. Maybe you woke up with anxiety or on the verge of a panic attack. It’s a weird time in the world. We have not seen something like COVID-19 and to be honest we have no idea how to respond to it at all.

Most of us have never had to face this kind of uncertainty. Any time there is a change in the status quo it’s unsettling and can be totally overwhelming. I am no different than many of you - there are moments of overwhelming fear and moments of being calm in the middle of this storm.

For this week’s Music Monday song I felt, “Hope Returns” by Matthew West was something I needed to hear, maybe something we all needed to hear. Give it a listen.

That chorus…

When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground
When your heart is asking, "What do I do now?"
Just when you think it can't get worse
Hold on, that's when hope returns
Like a new sun breaking through the darkest night
Like a whisper saying, "It'll be alright"
I know you're tired, I know it hurts
But hold on, that's when hope returns
And that's when hope returns

~ Matthew West

We don’t know when this all will pass. We don’t know how serious this will impact the USA. And maybe COVID-19 isn’t something that worries you, maybe you’re facing other battles; chronic illnesses, finances, failing marriages, hurt children, or a long list of other things. It doesn’t matter what is causing your world to crash, the truth is still the same.

God is with us. We know that our hope found in Him cannot be taken away. No matter how scary all of this is, no matter how much we fear - He is always there. Right by our side, walking with us as we face whatever lies ahead.

So friends may you walk forward with your eyes fixed on Jesus, filled with His peace, and with the knowledge that hope returns. I’ll be praying for you all.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Telling Your Story

Today would have been my mom’s 64th birthday.

But it’s been almost 7 1/2 years - 2,735 days - 65,647 hours since my mom took her last breath. That’s a long time and yet it feels like yesterday.

When her birthday comes around each year, I’m always faced with a choice. Will I spend the day in sorrow or in joy? While it’s true all that time has passed without her in my life, there were so many more moments that she was apart of.

Those are what I would like to share with you all. I’d like to share a little of my story, but mostly my amazing mother’s story and the beauty that I choose to see instead of the sorrow.

I know many of you would argue that you have the best mom, just like I would argue that I did. We can agree to disagree. My mother was full of love and life. She loved riding horses, dancing, crafting, and spending time with family. My mother, also however was diagnosed with MS when I was 8 years old. That disease limited her ability to do a lot of what “normal” moms could do. I won’t lie and say that I never wished that things were different or that she didn’t struggle with wanting to be well, but she did have a pretty amazing gift to give to me and my sister.

She had the gift of time.

My mother loved to be in the kitchen. My earliest memories of her and I are baking brownies. So much time was spent as a family baking and cooking. When she could no longer do they baking herself she took on the supervising role. My mother was a strict recipe follower, while I was a little more willing to experiment. As you can imagine more than a few heated words were exchanged over the years, but there was always love in the batter.

She took the time, while she was still able, to make Halloween costumes for me and my sister. We certainly didn’t appreciate the effort at the time it took to make them. But being grown, now I know how much she cared to spend days making a costume we would wear for only a few short hours.

She chose to spend so much of her time attending games, concerts, and plays. Always quietly supporting from the stands. She’d tell us how proud she was or how much she enjoyed the show.

And then there were the vacations, the time we spent together as a family. My mother loved the beach and sun. She loved it, her body didn’t, but that didn’t stop us from spending so many summer there. The road trips, the laughter and the yelling, the snacks - some of my best childhood memories.

My mother loved reading (her tastes were questionable - Nicholas Sparks were her favorites). But it was something that we shared. When he 7th and final Harry Potter book came out, I read all 759 pages aloud to her because she wanted to know the ending, but couldn’t do it herself. I think that may be what cemented the series as my favorite of all time.

She and my dad showed me what living your wedding vows really looks like. That the “In sickness and in health” and “ in good times and in bad” are serious statements, and are both hard and beautiful when lived out.

She gave her time freely to watch the Gilmore Girls with me, even though we had seen each episode numerous times. She was always ready to spend time shopping with us and more than happy to tell my father that he was footing the bill.

And there were the quiet times, just the two of us - when words were spoken, sometimes aloud.

My mother couldn’t “do” a lot of things, but she gave generously what she could - her time, her love.

I’ll leave you with one last little bit of hope and love that lived inside my mom. Most people don’t know when their time is ending. They don’t get the chance to say what they feel or impart any final words of wisdom, but my mom did. She was there for my first breath and it was an honor to be there for her last. Here final words were simple ones;

“I love you. Be Brave.”

Her love and her final words of wisdom are what I carry with me each day.

Thank you friends for listening to a little part of my mom’s story. May each of you use your time wisely, may you love freely, and always, always be brave.

Mom - Happy Birthday! One day we’ll all celebrate together again, until then - have an awesome time partying with Jesus.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - A Little More Jesus

Happy Monday Friends! I’m so glad it’s finally March. Sometimes I feel like winter will never end. That the long nights and cold days will never give way to sunshine and warmth. For years February has always felt like the longest month to me. I know it’s always the shortest, but historically it’s felt the longest and maybe one of the hardest for me.

This February was a little different, while it still felt long it wasn’t as hard. There were challenges for sure, and things that happened that threaten to push me into old habits and fears. But this time, instead of turning inward, trying to manage it on my own. I looked toward Jesus for His directions and provisions.

As I continue to study my word “new” for the year and seek his guidance over others, this song was a beautiful reminder of what He is doing by making me new one little bit at a time. Take a listen to this week’s song “A Little More Jesus” by Chris August.

“A little more Jesus, and little bit less of me” - that’s what we all need each and every day. A little bit more Jesus helps me face whatever stands in front of me, allows me to love deeply, and serve more wholeheartedly. My life can only be better for having more Jesus in it, only better.

Here’s to hoping this March is full of a little more Jesus and little bit less of me.

He must become greater; I must become less

John 3:30

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - Run to the Father

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week and we have a brand new opportunity to make the week into something amazing.

We’re always running - always. Toward friends, family, raises, praise, dreams. Or away - away from fears, losses, troubles, criticisms, failures. We’re always running.

For the last couple of months we have been singing this song in church. I didn’t know if I liked it at first or if I felt like I really got the message, but the more we sang it, the more I listened to the lyrics, the more I began to understand the truth it spoke.

Take a listen to “Run to the Father” by Cody Carnes.

This week is full of so many things. Some that will bring joy, others that bring hardships. Through it all we have a chance to choose both how we run and who we run to. The more time I spent with Jesus, the more I come to understand how much I need Him. How He is the one true need I have and the one need that is always met.

Run to the Father this week friends, in joy and sorrow, in confidence and confusion, filled with hope or despair. Run to Him again and again.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

James - Pray For Each Other

Happy Friday Friends!

We are almost at the end of our times in James, so naturally we’ll be taking a look at a verse almost at the very end. When I was studying James the other day, this verse hands down stood out to me. And I have some thoughts to share.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results

James 5:16

I don’t know about you but the thought of confessing my sins to another human is not on my top ten list. There is already shame associated with the sin and a good amount of guilt when I confess to God. But the thought of confessing those sins to someone else kinda makes me sick to the stomach. Confessing your sins to another persons makes you vulnerable, you feel exposed.

But it also makes you human and relatable to each other. Sharing who you are with your friends - who you really are - the good and the bad is something quite incredible. For sure it’s scary at first because all you can imagine is the judgement that is sure to come your way. How you’re sure that they will forever look at you differently if you share those sins you keep to yourself - even though you would never think of them differently if they shared the same thing with you.

Having someone that you can share with like that and having them be able to pray for you, to help hold you accountable, it’s amazing. God hears those prayers you pray for each other and the healing starts to take place immediately. It doesn’t mean your struggle has end, but you are no longer alone in the battle you’re fighting/fought. And that my friends, is already a victory.

I’m not suggesting that you confess your sins and struggles to just anyone. Find that other believer you can see yourself taking the risk of allowing them to see a clearer picture of the whole you and do the same for them. Listen and pray for each other and allow God to do a healing in both of you.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Word of the Year Wednesdays - New Peace

I’m finding that there is a certain peace that comes with accepting the new person you are becoming. There is a peace I find when I let go a little more of the past, when I loosen my hold on my dreams. There is a peace in knowing that a little more each day I’m becoming the person God always knew I was going to be.

I don’t think I could adequately describe how new and deep this peace is. I’ve always been a people pleaser, I’ve always wanted people to like me and I never wanted to disappoint anyone. And to some extend all of those things are still true about me, but in light of choosing to keep my eyes more focused on Jesus, to seek His approval over people of this world, and through gaining a greater understanding of how I’m always a work in progress - that slowly but surely He is making me new, well its been a game changer.

Peace was always an elusive fruit of the spirit for me. I could feel happy or peaceful in single moments, but I didn't really know what it was to rest in His peace. It’s a new favorite place to spend my time. A little more peace in the chaos of this world.

I don’t know if I’m doing a great job of explaining how this related to my journey with new, other than to say this is a new experience for me. I expected to be anxious and face trails when I picked new as my word. I was sure I was going to be placed well outside my comfort zone throughout the year. But I didn’t anticipate that part of the journey would include this new understanding and experience of peace.

It’s pretty awesome.

I wish I could share a magic equation or an easy two step guide to finding peace, but I can’t - it doesn’t exist. I can only say the more time you spend with Him, the more you follow His leading and choose His ways over yours, the closer you’ll be to experiencing true peace.

I pray that each and everyone of you have the joy of experiencing the true peace that can only be found in Him.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - I Will Fear No More

Happy Monday Friends!

This weeks song was one I had on repeat all last week. It’s fair to say that fear has been something that I’ve struggled with the last decade. Some of the fears were logical and some were not, but they were fears nonetheless. Fear is something I’ve gone toe to toe with satan on before. “Fear Not” was even my phrase for the year.

It’s funny how you can think you have made progress in an area and it only takes a moment for you to feel like your back to the beginning of your battle. There was a moment this past week that caught me off guard and in the moment I felt I was back to the beginning of my battle with fear - but I wasn’t.

I had tools, people, and God’s truth to fight the overwhelming fear that threatened to grip me. I wasn’t back at the beginning and while I wish it wasn’t something I needed to face again, I was so very thankful for the storms of the past, the experiences I’ve had, the lessons I’ve learned; they made navigating this one so much easier.

Take a listen to the song, I Will Fear No More by The Afters.

There are so many lyrics that speak to me when I listen to this song. But one that brings such peace is; “Even though I'm in the storm, the storm is not in me”. That is a remarkable truth friends. That the storm is not in us, God’s Spirits in us. While we may face storms they are not something we need to be fearful of.

“You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more”

And that chorus is like a balm to the soul. It’s a reminder of where our strength comes from. It’s a reminder of how great our God is and how we must lean into our faith and trust Him. He longs for us to trust Him and not be held captive by fear.

If you also happen to fighting the giant of fear this week remember whose you are and lean into God to get you through the storm.

To Everything There Is A Season…..

Kiley Ann

James - What We Ought To Do

We made it! It’s Friday! This week has felt exceptionally long and I’m every excited for the weekend. Have you ever had one of those weeks that you are sure has been going on longer than 5 days? It’s felt more like 50. That has been this week for me. So many things to get done, so many places to be.

As we are heading into the final chapter of James, there was a verse that really spoke to me this week. I’m sure it’s because of how busy my week was. It caused me to pause and think over my actions this week and is always a good reminder moving forward.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

James 4:17

When we think of sin we often think only of the “Big Bad Sins”. We think of the ones that are clear to us that God has said we must not do those things. Doesn’t mean we don’t do them, just that we know we shouldn’t. I think we often focus on those because when we committed those kinds of sins we have a strong feeling/response to them. But the sin described up above is something different.

The verse above causes us to look at sin through a different lens. It makes us look at the things we choose not to do, even though we know God is asking us to or it is aligned with His ways. Helping someone put that buggy back at the grocery store, calling a friend you haven’t heard from in awhile to check in, buying someone dinner, or giving money to someone who is begging for it; all are examples of things that I knew I should do but didn’t at some point in the past.

What we know we ought to do is going to look different for each of us in individual moments. God moves us all in different ways and we need to be listening for His leading.

I think it’s easy for us, for me, to forget that not doing what I know I should do is sin because it doesn’t usually have a “bad” feeling attached to it. It’s easy to move on from or simply to justify it as being a nonissue in the moment. However, on more than one occasion God has convicted me of not doing those things and I want so badly to have made a different choice.

I’m a flawed human being and I fail at this more times than I succeed, but I want to be more aware of what I ought to be doing. I want to remember, even when I’m busy, that when I know I should do something that I need to act on it. That I cannot allow myself to believe it’s okay to skip it, that it’s not a sin. God’s word is clear on this matter.

This weekend, whatever it may be, let’s do what we know we ought be doing.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Word of the Year Wednesdays - New Adventures

Happy Wednesday Friends! I hope your week is going well so far and that you are enjoying the journey you’re on. I took a week break from blogging and it honestly was a little weird. I had things I wanted to write about, but I was worn out. So I took a short pause. While I wasn’t writing a lot has been happening and I have been making some exciting choices.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating, I don’t like change. I like staying well within my comfort zone and passing on anything that would require me to leave its boundaries. That being said, an opportunity presented itself to me last week. It was one that would take me out of my comfort zone quite a bit.

I wasn’t surprised how easy it was for me to talk myself out of taking the opportunity. There was the initial excitement of trying something new and then the voices of self doubt started appearing. The million reasons why I should just let it pass. I was tempted to quite a bit. I walked away for a couple of days, but I couldn’t shake it.

It was over the course of those days that my word “new”, kept coming to mind. I knew that when I selected my word of the year that there would be things that would test me and help me to grow. I also knew that I wasn’t a big fan of the growing process. However, if I am praying for a new dream to follow, I think it is going to require doing things I wouldn’t have normally done before.

So, I said yes. I’m about to go on a new adventure and yes, I’m a little anxious about the whole thing. But I’m also really excited. I’m excited to see how saying yes to this new will impact me. I’m excited to see it forms new dreams for the future.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes in a couple of weeks. But even if it turns out to be a disaster, I’m still proud of myself for trying something new. I’d covet your prayers for peace and determination to keep walking through the doors God is opening over the coming weeks.

Maybe He’s calling you to walk through a new door too - let’s go on this adventure together.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - If We're Honest

Happy Monday Friends!

It’s a new month full of new possibilities, new chances, and fresh starts. This week’s selection is a little more self reflective and mellow than ones in the past. It’s a beautiful song and it speaks truth that we often want to hind or deny.

Take a listen to “If We’re Honest” by Francesca Battistelli.

So bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine
'Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy's waiting on the other side
If we're honest
If we're honest

It would change our lives
It would set us free It's what we need to be

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard to remember we all have things we’d rather not share. That there are things we would prefer to stay in the dark and let no one know about - not even God if we could control that.

We don’t know everyones story. We don’t know all the battles they are fighting or the shame they carry with them. If we were honest with ourselves and with others maybe the journey wouldn’t be so lonely. Maybe the healing would come in ways we couldn’t even imagine. Maybe we would find love instead of the judgement we fear. If we were just honest…

Here’s to a month of being a little more honest and allowing the honesty to set us free.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

James - Actions

Happy Friday Friends! I hope your week has been a good one and that you’ve been able to see some of the blessings God has given you in your life.

Let’s turn our eyes to the book of James. Two verses stuck out to me this week. While these verses do not contain the word new in them they really spoke to me about my word of the year and how I move forward.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.

James 4: 7 - 8b

Humble, resist, come - all three action words. Words that tell me to do something. They call me to be active instead of inactive. They remind me that I have a part to play in the journey I am on. That I cannot simply sit by and expect things to change or happen, but instead I must do my part.

I must humble myself - I am not God and I am not in control, no matter the lies I tell myself. I must actively resist the devil for him to leave me alone. I cannot passively listen to his whispers, as he convinces me his way is the right way. I must choose to spent time with God. I must choose to go close to Him, as he comes close to me. That is the only way to hear Him, a way to show my love.

Action words. It’s one thing to recognize that actions need to take place, but something completely different to actually choose to do them. As the year continues to unfold I pray that I choose action.

Humble. Resist. Come.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Word of the Year Wednesdays - New Mercies

Happy Wednesday Friends!

I have found there is a struggle to be fought when you’re asking God to make all things new. That the things of the past - the old - don’t always want to go quietly. Instead, they are often loud, like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Sometimes you just want the noise to stop so you give in, just like giving the toddler the piece of candy they wanted. The noise stops, but in hindsight you are actually defeated.

You have to push through the noise to get to the other side, to the point where they stop yelling because they know they aren’t going to get what they want. When the old doesn’t get to win another battle. And that victory is a sweet one.

It’s hard to walk toward the new when the old is clinging on for dear life. There are most definitely times when the fighting through doesn’t seem worth it and so I give in.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22 - 23

It’s in those moments. When I’ve regretted taking the easy way through, that I am so thankful that these verses exist. That God’s mercies never end and are new each morning. That God is faithful to stand with me as I try again. And try again I must. The old must go for the new to come.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - Counting Every Blessing

Happy Monday Friends!

I don’t know what this week will hold for any of us. It might be one of the best weeks of our lives, one of the worst, and anywhere in-between. No matter what kind of week lies ahead I pray that we choose to see the blessings, the millions of blessings that are present no matter the season we are in.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

This week’s Music Monday song is “Counting Every Blessing”, by Rend Collective. Take a moment to listen to the words

Seasons come and go. Times are good and times are bad. But through it all God is with us and we are blessed in so many ways. It isn’t always humanly easy to the blessings God has given us, but with some practice I’m betting we can get pretty good at it.

Let’s spend the week looking for the many blessings God has given us friends and then let’s thank Him for each and every one.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

James - True Wisdom

So, it’s Saturday - not Friday and this is an important detail. If you’ve been following along since the beginning you’ll know that this month my plan was to post on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. I am a goal oreinterinted person and if I say I’m going to do something I do it. So the fact that it’s Saturday and not Friday is a pretty big deal.

This week I was busy, but not especially so. I knew I had things later in the week and should write Friday’s blog early in the week when I had more time. Instead of using my time wisely I chose to binge a Netflix’s show (Cheer - if you were wondering). I totally enjoyed it and wasn’t overly concerned about making that Friday deadline. But as a the week worn on I was busier and more tired than I expected.

It was four o’clock yesterday and I was like; “Shoot. I have to go write a blog and all I want to do is sleep. I have no idea what to write, but I have to put it up. I have to make my deadline.” There are a whole lot of I’s in those statements and nothing about Jesus.

It’s funny in a way because, as soon as I realized that, I knew exactly what the post should be about. Exactly what God was trying to teach me in this week’s scripture.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

James 3: 13 - 16

I had read chapter three of James several times this week trying to see what the Lord was saying to me and I kept coming up empty. But when I realized my thought process about Friday’s blog, I realized it was about selfish ambition.

Self ambition in being able to say I did post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in January. A selfish kinda pride that had nothing to do with content and my hopes of its impact - but instead of a desire to feel accomplished in a measurable way.

I cannot tell you how tempting it was to write last night. Especially since I knew what to write and that there were still a few hours left in the day to meet my goal. It was really tempting. However, it was also a great gut check on my motives and desires. It is making me reassess and pause to listen to God’s leading, instead of rushing ahead.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3: 17 - 18

There is a lot to unpack in those two verses, but it does make discerning what to do in all situations easier. I want to make sure the wisdom I am choosing to listen to is coming from heaven and not the world. Will I do that in the future? Only time will tell.

What tough lesson is God trying to teach you this week, friends? How are you going to respond to it?

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Word of the Year Wednesdays - Old Made New

Happy Wednesday Friends! I hope your week is going well. I’m trucking along with my study of the word new. I’ll be sharing some scriptures soon that deal with my word and what I’m learning, but this week I have story to tell you.

You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed

Psalm 139:16

I know this verse well and have found comfort in it numerous times, but on the daily I don’t put much thought into that truth. That before a single day of my life came to pass God knew how it all would go. He knew all the big and small things and He weaves things together in a way only He could do. This week I was reminded of how awesome He is at doing this.

15 years ago I was a young girl, who followed a boy, to a town I had never been to before. While nothing come to pass with said boy, I did meet and develop a sweet relationship with a lady who could be described as your quintessential church mom. She was the absolute sweetest and welcomed me with open arms. I was only there for 10 months, so we only had a short season together, but it was pretty great. When I moved we fell out of touch like people do when they don’t see each other regularly.

I’m a big believer in people being in your life for certain seasons, some seasons are short and some last a life time. I cherished the memory of our time together, but I never thought I’d see another season with her. Yet, God is full of surprises.

Turns out that her and her family have just moved to my town. And I had the pleasure of spending the day reconnecting with her this past week. I cannot express what a blessing it is know we are starting a “new” season together. It’s quite amazing that God knew when we said goodbye 14 years ago we were really just saying, “See you in a little while”.

This week I learned that God can take something old - a past friendship, and make it new again. And that He has surprises for me when I least expected it and need it the most.

I’ll be praying for you this week friends, that you might see a little glimpse of how God weaves all things together. And that maybe you’ll be surprised by something He does in your life this week too.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

A sweet friendship refreshed the soul.

Proverbs 27:9

Music Monday - Well Done

Happy Monday Friends! Starting this week off by throwing it back to 2012. This song was my jam and “well done” was my phrase of the year. I have always been a hard worker. I never was one to do things half way. In fact, I was all in and then some most of the time. You think that would be a good trait, but I learned that year that that wasn’t always the case. God wasn’t asking me to go all in on lots of things I was doing. He was however asking me to follow Him with all I had.

Take a listen to the song “Well Done” by Moriah Peters

When I listen to this song I have a silly grin on my face and I’m either tapping my feet or dancing around the room. It has an upbeat tempo and a positive message. Like I said before, I learned alot that year about what God was really asking me to do. I made a lot of changes and it wasn’t a picture perfect year by a long shot. However, I found that this verse became my prayer and something I tried to live out. It kinda became my measuring stick in certain ways.

“If people walk with me, talk with me, looking for truth
They're gonna find out soon
If they're following me then
They're gonna follow You”

~ Well Done by: Moriah Peters

I wanted that to be a true statement. That if people were following me, watching me, looking to me for advice that it would all point to Jesus. That how I lived my life would sometimes unknowingly lead people closer to Jesus. It made me reflect on how I lived out my walk and the impact it could have on others.

It’s true that at the end of it all I want to hear “Well Done” from the Father. But to hear it then I have to be living my life now the way He asks me to. It’s a constant assessment of my daily walk and the followthrough to make the changes that need to happen when it isn’t what it should be.

How’s your walk friends? Do your actions match up with your beliefs? Is the verse above true of you - that if people are talking with you that you are leading them to truth? Take some time to assess and make changes if necessary. Then walk forward following hard after Jesus.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

James - Faith and Good Deeds

Happy Friday Friends! I hope this week has been a good one. I’m going to jump right in with this weeks scripture from James. I going to guess that you’ve heard this one before.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.

James 2: 14- 18

Reading these verse this week was a good reminder. A reminder that the faith I profess to have needs to be backed with actions. That I simply cannot do lip service, but that I need to be the hands and feet.

I think the example that is given in scripture about seeing someone in need and doing nothing is such a relatable example even today. How often do we pass by or know of someone who could use help and do nothing. I for one, know that I can talk myself into justifying why I didn’t help. Things like; I don’t have any cash on me right now and by the time I go get some I’m sure they’ll be gone. Or maybe they are just going to buy drugs or alcohol with the money I give them. It’s surprisingly easy to talk oneself out of helping someone. I don’t know if I’d been told or watched too many movies that lead me to the think that way. I don’t if someone told me I’m being a sucker and getting taken advantage of, but I do know those thoughts run though my head.

I wish I could remember who told me what I’m about to share because I’d love to give them credit. They told me it wasn’t my worry what that person did the money I gave them. It was simply my job as a believer to help them the way God was asking. We both one day would have to give an account of this exchange and God will be the judge on the matter. We each would be responsible for our own actions.

This shifted my perspective immensely. And the truth of the matter is I am blessed. If I can afford to buy myself a fancy coffee or a new book anytime I want, it surely won’t hurt me to help someone I don’t know out in a small way.

There are millions of different good deeds that we could spend time talking about. But instead of talking about all the different good deeds we could do, let’s go out and do them. Let’s show how our faith and good deeds go hand in hand. Let’s go be the hands and feet of Jesus today friends.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Word of the Year Wednesdays - New Wine

I know it’s not Music Monday but this song speaks perfectly to the hope I have this year. What I want to believe can happen this year. This song speaks about God making me something new. It speaks about new wine being poured out of me. It talks about surrender. It talk of the freedom that comes with being made new.

The song is “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship. Give it a listen.

I started listening to this song a year ago when I thought new was going to be the word of the year in 2019. I thought it was amazing how this song landed in my lap and matched so beautifully with my word. The more I listened to it, the more I began to struggle with this verse. I couldn’t tell if I really meant it or not (spoiler - I didn’t).

“So make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me”

It was a beautiful verse, but I wasn’t honestly ready or willing to say make me into whatever you want me to be. I still had plenty of ideas on what my life should look like and I was still willing to fight and work for them. It didn’t sit right to say, “Okay God, whatever you want is fine by me.”. I mean I knew it should be that way and I literally could say those words, but I knew I wouldn’t mean them.

Honestly, I still have an image in my head today of what I would like my life to look like, but it’s an image that’s mostly blurry. It’s blurry because I want to be open to how God wants my life to look and I realize it might be different than I always imagined.

Being able to sing those words and mean them are key for me. I don’t want to sing/pray for something that I don’t actually believe. Once I could say that I wanted God to do those things with my life I got excited thinking of the next verse.

“'Cause where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
And the kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today”

So many new things are promised. There is so much hope when you lay it all down - when you give it all to God and choose to move forward with His fire leading the way. When you’re letting go of the old it’s an incredible comfort to know how amazing the new can be.

I’m hoping to discover that new power and freedom this year. Friends I hope that you too can lay down your own flames and carry new ones.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Music Monday - See A Victory

Happy Monday friends. I hope your weekend brought you rest and that you are ready to face this week head on. For this Music Monday I’m sharing a song I actually just head for the first time this weekend. After writing Friday’s blog about the temptations and battles we face this song just spoke to me. I love how God works everything together.

The song is called, “See A Victory” by Elevation Worship. It’s a little of a longer song so make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, and just listen.

There are so many lyrics that stick out to me. That speak and encourage me. One set is;

“There's power in the mighty name of Jesus
Every war He wages He will win
I'm not backing down from any giant
'Cause I know how this story ends
Yes, I know how this story ends”

It is so hard when I’m facing a giant to remember that I already know how the story ultimately ends. I know that God wins - very time. Yet, when I’m in the middle of it I waiver or question, when I should not be backing down. When I should be standing tall against my giant and calling on Jesus to help me defeat it. I say there is power in the name of Jesus, but it’s only when I’m standing in front of my giants that I can see if I mean it or not.

The second set of lyrics that spoke to me, broke my heart in the best way. They are;

“You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good
You take what the enemy meant for evil
And You turn it for good
You turn it for good”

This is so true. I am currently working on my testimony to share at church and looking back into my past is not always a happy thing to spend time doing. I, like I’m sure most of you have things you would rather never think of, or forget happened altogether. But it’s through the looking back that I can see how God literally took “what the enemy mean for evil”, what he meant to use to bring me down and keep me down, and turned it into something beautiful. I can say honestly say there are things in my past that are ugly, but I have watched God take that ugly and allow it to minster to another one of His children in incredible ways.

This song will be one that I know will be played over and over again when I’m in the middle of a battle - as a prayer, as a reminder, as a battle cry. I pray that whatever battle you’re currently fighting you can find hope and encouragement in this song. Know friends that you are going to see a victory at the end - you know how the story ends - and it’s good.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

James - Temptation

We are 10 days into the new year. For many, those New Year’s resolutions are going strong. For others, you’re like, “What did I say I was going to do?”. And for some, you are fighting the temptation, the appeal of just quitting and going back to how things have always been. Making any kind of change, big or small is no easy task. It’s usually when you’ve made some progress or hit a hard patch that the temptation to just give up or give in shows up.

I’m using the idea of resolutions a lot of us made as a common framework for us to work from for this week’s scripture.

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 

James 1: 13 - 14

I was less then thrilled to have these be the verses that spoke to me this week. I was like, “I have zero desire to write a “downer” blog.” - yet here we are. Fighting temptation is hard y’all - really hard. It doesn’t matter if it’s a surface level temptation, like stopping a New Year’s resolution or a deeper temptation to return to old sinful behaviors.

Our desires, our “in this moment I want _________” desires, cause us to be tempted to leave the path we are on. We find ways to justify what we want in that moment. We become satan’s strongest supporter as we convince ourselves - permit ourselves, to follow our own desires instead of God’s.

How do we combat the temptation?

• Spend time daily in God’s word.

• Build a strong relationship with Jesus.

• Call out for His help in times of temptation.

The temptations won’t necessarily go away, but our desires will be more like His. And we will have an easier time holding our ground when temptation comes our way.

The above scripture makes it clear that God is never the one doing the tempting, the one baiting us to stumble and fall. He also isn’t leaving us to fight the battle alone.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

1 Corinthians 10:13

He will show us a way out friends. How to not to fall, but we have to be seeking Him. When temptation comes - and it will, let’s turn our eyes to Jesus to show us the way out.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann