Love

Love.... when you read that word you may think of several different things... a significant other; a song "L is for the way you look at me.."; perhaps a family member - a mother, father, sister, or brother; or... perhaps you thought of the negative side of love... the heart break when someone you love lets you down, runs out on you, decides not to return the love. Whatever it may be, we all know the pain of love. Is this why we can't fathom the unconditional, unfailing love of the Father? To us, love is a human emotion, an interaction and feeling between two people. But to the Lord, it's so much more. If our understanding of love shifted from human love to the perfect love of God, would we still see a side of love that includes pain?
As a human, we feel an attachment, it grows, and we put ourselves out there, sacrificing, giving, and in return we see nothing... and we think that the person all of our efforts have been pointed toward must not love us... because we expect something in return. Let me say that again.... human love expects something in return for sacrifice.
Now let's take a look at the love of the Father... Romans 5:7-8 states "very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Did you catch the implication? With NO EXPECTATION of us loving Him in return; Christ suffered a brutal death for us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in the amplified bible reads "4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]."
When we choose to view love in a biblical way, and allow it to be God's love in us, and that is the motivation for sacrifice, there is no expectation of receiving love in return. The satisfaction of knowing that the Lord unconditionally loves you is enough when the "pain" of love starts to creep in, you can recognize it for what it is... a LIE; a lie that the devil wants you to believe, because if he can get you to believe the lie that you are unloved and all alone, it becomes harder to see how loved you truly are.

Lord, teach me to love like you love. Keep my heart held safely in your hands. Help me to recognize when I am believing the lie that I am unloved or alone. Give me a new revelation of Your love. 
In Jesus Name,
Amen

The Beauty in the Storm

How many times do we as Christians think... I'm in a "stormy season," and we use this phrase to describe when things are hard... when life just can't seem to go right no matter how hard we try.
I was outside a few nights ago, watching one of Texas' famous "everything is bigger in Texas" size thunderstorms. Have you ever stopped to just watch and listen? As I was watching the Lord decided to reveal some things about Himself through His creation.
First, when I was younger I was VERY afraid of thunderstorms, now I enjoy watching them. So many people fear the Lord, in an unhealthy way, but when we finally stop to recognize Him and what is really happening, we find joy and pleasure in a Father who loves us unconditionally. We enjoy spending time with Him.
Take for example the thunder and lightning, while to some they are frighting, they reveal awe, power and wonder. Why does thunder exist... where does the noise come from? How beautiful are the strikes of lightning as they light up the sky, each with a unique pattern. This is not by accident, it is the Lord.
Another example... rain. WE so often think that it means we can't go outside, or "oh no my hair." Well, in Texas we recognize a couple of different things about rain. It brings LIFE and refreshing to the dry and thirsty ground, and it clears the humidity and cools the air, making what could be an unbearable day a lot more bearable.

Like the Lord lights the sky with lightning in a storm... listen to this song by The Afters, and allow Him to light up your life.

The Only Time Getting Lost is a good thing

Getting lost. Typically those words carry a negative connotation. You don't know where you are, or how to get where you're going. But in Dannah Gresh's book Get Lost, they are the words to describe the exact place you need to be. This book is an excellent guide to getting lost in God. Whether you are a young woman or an older woman looking for a resource to help mentor younger women... this is the book for you! The book is broken into sections, the first to help understand why we as women seek a relationship with a man the way we do, the second to take a break from men, and feast on God, and His love, and the third to evaluate, based on what you learned through the book, how to know if you are ready for a relationship. Dannah does a great job of encouraging throughout the book that you not go through the book just so you can say you are lost in God and assume that will bring about a man. If you are single and looking for any way to make getting a man faster.... this isn't going to be what you're looking for. But if you're looking to be content, get the most out of your time being single, and genuinely prepare yourself to be the best woman for the man God has designed for you, look no further than this book!
Here are some resources related to Dannah Gresh, her ministry, and the book itself. Enjoy!

Pure Freedom
Dannah Gresh Podcast
Chapter 1 sneak peek
want to buy the book?

New Song up

It's been a long time since I've mentioned anything about my bandcamp site. You know, that place where I put the music that I'm writing. Yeah, it's pretty cool I guess. You should check it out http://kaylarichardson.bandcamp.com/ and if you know anything about music and would like to give me feedback on how to improve know that your feedback is more than welcome!

All that to say, I just put a new song up, so you should go check it out!

Relentless Pursuit

As many people who follow my blog know, I've been touring this year with Acquire The Fire. The theme of this year was Relentless Pursuit. When spring tour started we read a book by John Bevere (check out his Bio here John Bevere Bio ) While that one was required, I pursued further reading... and interestingly enough, John Bevere wrote a book called Relentless. It seemed all too fitting to read since it had the same title as our tour.

Relentless was a challenging book to read. It took me several months to read because I had to keep reading everything over to know that I truly understood what was being said. Not that the words were too big, or unclear, but if nothing else, one thing is for sure, Relentless will challenge the way you think and believe, and more importantly why you believe that way. John Bevere does an excellent job of backing up his statements with several scriptures. What each person gets out of this book is related to where they are at in life, but the beautiful thing is, no matter what stage of life you're in, there's something in this book for you.
If you're looking for a book that will give you a jump start to a deeper relationship with the Lord, this is it!
Check out the first chapter here. I think you'll be hooked.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Don't be a deadbeat Dad

Don't be a deadbeat Dad... why the title? Why does it sound so harsh? Let me explain.

For so long I heard people say... your view of the Lord is related to how you view your dad. For a long time I sort of thought 'whatever, maybe it's true for some people, but surly not everyone.' Recently though I have been seeing things in my dad, that for many reasons, before now I had missed. And as I notice those things in my own father, I can hear the Lord say... "Kayla, that's how I am too" My dad loves me, he takes care of me, and even goes above and beyond for my sake. How much more does my heavenly Father, who has all the resources He wants, go above and beyond for me? Daily He wants  to encounter us.

So children, mothers, wives, this isn't as much for you as it is for Dads. It's a pleading. Be the man that God wants you to be. Live a life that your children can look at you and see the positive qualities of the Lord. Live a life that draws your children to the Lord. Don't get me wrong, the Lord disciplines, so by no means am I saying to not discipline and to just spoil your children, but examine your life. Are you slow to anger? Do you love your children and show them that you love them even in the midst of discipline? Do they know that no matter what they do, you will always be waiting for them to come back to you? Do your daughters know that they can confide in you and that you are their protection until the right man comes into their lives?

Don't let the moments when they are young pass you by. It is much harder to repair a relationship than to start it off right. Am I saying it's impossible to repair? No, nothing is impossible with the Lord. What I am saying is starting off right is like starting at the top of the mountain, but repairing the relationship requires climbing the mountain first.

I leave you with this...

Ephesians 6:1-4 (amplified version)

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord [as His representatives], for this is just and right.

² Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother—this is the first commandment with a promise—

³ That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.

⁴ Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.

Righteous Anger

To be truthful, I'm not sure where this blog is going to lead. I'm not sure what the content will be, I just know I have something to say regarding the way society is and is headed. Fear not, this is NOT going to be a bash Obama or a redeem Romney blog. It's not about the presidential debates or the election. It's about PEOPLE. Humans who choose to live in a certain way. It's about the destruction I see happening around me every day while SO MANY PEOPLE choose to ignore it.

right·eous

 [rahy-chuh s] 

adjective

1.

characterized by uprightness or morality: a righteous observance of the law.

2.

morally right or justifiable: righteous indignation.

3.

acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous: a righteous and godly person.

an·ger

 

[ang-ger]

noun

1.

a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.

2.

Chiefly British Dialect . pain or smart, as of a sore.

3.

Obsolete . grief; trouble.

verb (used with object)

4.

to arouse anger or wrath in.

5.

Chiefly British Dialect . to cause to smart; inflame.

Bible Dictionary
Anger definition

the emotion of instant displeasure on account of something evil that presents itself to our view. In itself it is an original susceptibility of our nature, just as love is, and is not necessarily sinful. It may, however, become sinful when causeless, or excessive, or protracted (Matt. 5:22; Eph. 4:26; Col. 3:8). As ascribed to God, it merely denotes his displeasure with sin and with sinners (Ps. 7:11).

Why do I add those definitions you ask? Well, perhaps so I can evaluate myself, and if what I am feeling is in fact a combination of those two words "righteous anger" These words are used I think too frequently in the Christian circle. Used to excuse anger which is in fact, not a righteous anger. Why do I make such a bold statement? First let's examine righteous - uprightness or morality, morally right or justifiable, acting in an upright way. Can someone who is not living this definition in their lives - so, someone who is not living morally - be qualified to have righteous anger? Is the righteousness confined specifically to the area that is provoking the anger? Now, I'm not saying that I expect people to be perfect. That's impossible, because we are human, we will fail, we do sin. But, are you trying to live in a way that reflects righteousness, and Christ, or are you going to church on Sunday, claiming you're a Christian and living a totally different way throughout the week? On to anger - a strong feeling of displeasure (nothing wrong so far) and belligerence aroused by a wrong... lets quickly examine belligerence - Aggressive or warlike behavior. Now that might be a problem. But, is that just because this is the world's definition of anger? Well, that's why I included the bible definition of anger. (see above). So to combine righteous and anger - to me would seem to mean - a morally right and justifiable strong feeling of displeasure aroused by a wrong. 

All of that considered I shall continue with my post.
What brings me to think "righteous anger"? Well for starters, the exploration of facebook to find so many "friends" who use horrible language, live a wild lifestyle and choose to walk in sin, and occasionally, when everything is going "perfect" in their lives  be all like "Thank you Lord". Now don't get me wrong, it's great that they acknowledge the Lord, but it causes displeasure in me when there are so many people pursuing the Lord consistently, and trying to bring others to Christ through love and their Christ like lives, and people like mentioned above ruin it because non-Christians see that and think ALL Christians are FAKE LIARS.
Please, I know I've made my share of mistakes, I know I'm not perfect... but I am trying. I want the Lord to have the praise, honor, adoration, glory, and reverence He is due. I want to live a lifestyle that reflects who I am and what I claim to be - not by the world's definition, not by the church's definition, but by how the Bible commands me to live. How Christ guides me to live. 
I'm not always going to be able to say "thank you Lord" because things are going fantastic, I am going to face trials, I am going to be tempted, it IS going to be hard. That's why the Lord commands us to "take up their cross daily" (Luke 9:23) not "enjoy the rest of life it will be a breeze". Stop blaming God for putting you in the position of being pregnant out of wedlock and not knowing who the father is... YOU chose to sleep with that many guys. Stop blaming God for your divorce... did you invite Him into the marriage?  Stop blaming God that you're grounded or your parents are angry with you or don't trust you... YOU chose to go out and get drunk when you said you were going to go bowling. Am I making the point yet?
The God of the Bible, the one true God, He wants to work all things out for GOOD... but there is a requirement on our part... we have to trust Him and know that we are called according to HIS purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Now, I'm sure some people who read this will be less than pleased with what I have to say. It will cause some to be uncomfortable, or to feel conviction that they fall into this category. Some will criticize me for being so bold as to actually say something that counteracts our self-focused, self-indulging, whatever-makes-me-feel-good culture. But I dare say, there will be the few, the called, the true followers of Christ, who will rise with me, and make a change.
It's all worth it for the glory of the Lord.
Let us never loose focus to become angry out of our own gain. 



*Please know this is said out of a desire to see change and NOT to condemn. If I have said all this, and have not love for the people, I gain nothing. Please know it is love and compassion that calls for a change*