Tag Humor

Feature Friday – Kathryn Howley

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I am so excited to share my friend Kathryn Howley with you all!

Kathy told me a few weeks ago that she wanted to type up some stories for her kiddos and grandkids and I simply suggested- How about you write a book?

And so I freed up my schedule a few days the last few weeks and did what I could do to help and other friends pitched in to help edit and of course God definitely had His hand of Favor all over this endeavor.

So, just like that her stories have now birthed 2 books!

These stories are fun for the whole family and will definitely encourage you.

You can purchase a copy of them here now On Amazon

We are bringing back the #FeatureFriday series and if you are an author or artist or have a Ministry, we want to feature you!

Email us your info if interested at contact@restoredministries.org

~ XXOO Michelle Bollom

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God Is Faithful, Hop On! 

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Have you ever thought you were at a pretty good place of having it all together. Things are going well in your family. People may even look to you at times for encouragement or direction. 

The Faith Factor is registering high and you can conquer anything. Or maybe it is at its lowest possible degree of belief. I found myself high in believing for great things one day and then low without a thought towards any good thing another day. 

This is what I have discovered on this roller coaster ride this past month. 

You DON’T really know how much faith you have until a circumstance or crisis knocks on your “faith” door. It is usually a NEW circumstance. One that you might not have ever faced before. 

Most of the times you don’t even recognize that you are operating in fear and not faith in the these new situations. 

You have a choice. 

A new circumstance comes a knocking….👊🏼👊🏼

Do I open my heart and allow faith to take control over the crisis or circumstance? 

Do I slam the “faith” door? Then take over and attempt to manage the crisis or circumstance in fear or worry. 

We can even gather up our closest troops to help us manage the situation in prayer or discussions that we think will lead us to an answer or a solution. 

I tried all these when my new circumstance came a knocking. At first it brought me temporary relief to go over and over my frustrations and concerns with listening ears. It helped to pray and calm myself down with friends. These things are helpful to a point. I think God was waiting and waiting for me to just ask Him about the situation and ask Him what His thoughts were in the matter. Why do we wait so long before we really ask God what’s up??

He woke me up during the most inconvenient time in the middle of a night to give me answers to the questions I was asking. Maybe because I was still and not complaining to Him did He finally respond back the me. 

I got up and wrote down some frustrations about the person I was worried about. He reminded me to look back at the scriptures where I had inserted this persons name. Some were from years ago and some were recent. 

He reminded me who God is, was and always will be. His Word does not return void and is sharper than any two edged sword. 
Faithful is His name 

I don’t have to put my trust in the person I was fretting over or anyone else surrounding that situation. 
I just needed to trust and put my trust in a Faithful God. 

He had proven to be Faithful. 

That was enough. 

Bottom line, He whispered into my spirit…

“Do you want to keep walking in fear or do you want to enter into my door of Faith?” 

My faith at that point had plummeted into fear and was turning into anger. 

I needed to do the exchange. 

Trade in my fear for faith and quit complaining about the situation. 

If only I had done this two weeks earlier, I would not have wasted so much sleep, time and energy. 

Many of us can quote all the scriptures on faith and how we are to cast all our cares upon Him. It is not until we BECOME what we say and read that the exchange happens. Fear for faith. It is just empty words on a page or meaningless words we utter until we BECOME the Word. 

I’m not talking about becoming God or Jesus. We become “Christ in us” the hope of glory. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Somehow it must move from our head to our hearts. The “faith” must start pumping through our blood which gives us life. I don’t have it all figured out yet!! I do know once I walked through that door of faith, I was no longer worried and I found rest. 
Do I have to keep doing this?? 

Yes, yes and yes!!!

I think in those weeks you could describe me as a bit of roller coaster ride. One day I was high with my hands in the air praising God. The next day I was headed down that same track holding on for dear life screaming get me off this ride. 

I did get off that ride and walked on to the next one. 

It is called…

God is Faithful, hop on!!
The seats are lined in scriptures and the lap bars are locked with Love. 

That’s a whole another part of the faith journey. God is faithful and God is love. 

Hold on tight, 

Kelley Allison

http://www.bowlofsplendor.com 

The Everyday Battle 

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While on my fast I have been passing time while I cook or clean by listening and catching up on some of my favorite sermon series. 

 I have been a fan of Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church in the Dallas Texas area for years. I really like his practical application on how he unpacks the verses and it just really helps me to get the message of what he is preaching on. I also think he is very funny. 

 Somehow today I had a few moments and was going to check out a sermon and this oldie popped up. It actually is just about 6 months old, and this was such a great message of what he calls “The Everyday Battle.”  

He has great practical points that he lists that are myths as well as points on what to do to overcome this battle.  

I used to struggle in this area but have been making this a habit now for almost 10 years. I no longer dread it out of obligation, I actually get excited to see what I will learn each day.  

I am especially looking forward to paying attention to the song I wake up with each day! 

Enjoy! – Share your tips with us on how you overcome this battle. ~ XXOO Michelle Bollom 

Closet Clutter Conquered

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I have this ongoing problem with my closet. I start off with it super clean and everything in its proper place. It stays that way for awhile. Then one day it happens. I walk in and I am in a hurry to be somewhere, so instead of taking off my jacket and shoes and taking five seconds or less to put the items exactly where they go, I rush in and throw everything on the floor and rush out of the closet. This repeats itself several times through out the day that leads to weeks and then into months. I am left with a mile high pile of clothes, shoes, unhung jackets and pants. I know I am in trouble when I have to step over the mountain of clothes to get to the back of the closet. There sits my patient overnight bags waiting to be unpacked from trips taken weeks ago 
I immediately want to walk out of my closet and shut the door. I don’t want to be reminded of the mountain of clutter I have created over time. 

Out of sight out of mind!!

Well, until I have to walk in the closet to get dressed each morning. 

Do you ever just feel like You have become overwhelmed with life’s circumstances? You keep looking for an exit door to escape the piles and piles of life’s closet clutter that have stacked up and become so high you don’t know where to begin to fold yourself back to some sort of peaceful order and structure. 

Everything in your life just starts to pile higher and higher that you can’t see past the mountain of chaos and confusion. 

Frustration enters in and brings their friends named Disappointment and Dissatisfaction. They might as well be Siamese twins because they always seem to be joined at the hip. Two talking heads that keep bantering in your ears that your life or your circumstances are too hard and you just might as well walk out and shut the door behind you. 

Sometimes these waves come in strong and other times they just bring in little splashes of whispers messing with your thinking and pushing you to lose hope and give up on whatever it is you are facing. 

It could also be compared to a constant headache that follows you throughout the day. You might forget about if for awhile but you become more aware of the pain again when you settle yourself down and the noise around you stops. You have to face the throbbing pain on your forehead. Do I take something for immediate relief to mask the pain or trudge through the annoyance of the pain? 
The deepest of solutions would be to figure out why the headache started and how can I prevent it from coming back again. Again that takes more time and more thought. 

What do you do at this point? Go with the flow of negative destructive thoughts or make a conscious decision to face the defeating THOUGHTS and put a stop to it? Do you take a directional detour in your thinking or just keep trudging though the pain of the ongoing annoying circumstances? Do you grab the shovel and start digging out the roots of the problem? What would motivate you to start picking up the pieces or pulling out the roots of disappointment and dissatisfaction? 

Well, the good news is I inspired myself to organize and clean out my closet. Truth be told, my real motivation behind that endeavor was Purple Heart showing up to collect donation items. It wasn’t fun. It took time and energy. I picked up one item at a time. Slowly, I put everything back in its proper place. Eventually the mountain disappeared and I could get to the back of my closet. When I walk in my closet now I am happy. I could pull up a chair and hang out there for a bit. I actually know what I have to wear and where it is located. I have a sense of accomplishment and I notice my friends Disappointment and Dissatisfaction weren’t hanging around anymore. In fact they disappeared. New friends, Delight and Accomplishment appeared each time I opened my closet door. 

It takes just ONE action of starting to move you into the right direction of conquering your mountain of closet clutter. 

Great News!!
As followers of Jesus we are not alone in our journey of closet clutter cleaning. In fact we are reminded that we are to COMPLETELY rely on Him to help us in every way to accomplish this feat. 

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Message

A Fight to the Finish

10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Clean on,

Kelley Allison

http://www.bowlofsplendor.com