L. Kathleen Cline

  Today I found out that a lady I know has died. She was so very young. It takes my breath away; how fragile we are. That one minute you are here and the next second you are not. My mother had an unexpected death, which is an odd statement since there are no immortals on this earth. Anyway, at her funeral, it brought my family great joy that the pastor took the opportunity to witness about Jesus. As Christ-followers is that not our sole purpose is to tell others about the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, to honor my friend, I want to bring joy to her memory by proclaiming her Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 reminds us, “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” My prayers ar

To make myself laugh, I looked up the different words for crazy in the Thesaurus. How do you sum up this year? How about the word absurd? Today we tried a zoom orientation meeting. The internet in rural areas can make a virtual meeting get odd really fast. Every Friday, my prayer group meets via video, so I am getting used to two people trying to talk at the same time. It is kind of like that weird dance you do with someone that is trying to pass. Till finally, someone stands still and refuses to move. But there is no etiquette when you can't get an online connection. So today, while the speaker is trying to give a devotion on 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong," no one can hear her. You could see it on everyone's face. That look of “I can’t read your lips. What?” When this happens, you don't know to laugh, cry, curse, or just quit. Anxiety for many is happening because there is absolutely nothing you can do f

  “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard” Hebrews 4:2. Quoting verses will not change your life. Managing, directing, governing, and regulating your life with God’s word will not only improve your life but the world around you. Take the journey with God and discover you’re more.

  During 2020 it has been a struggle for many to keep your feelings in check. Maybe you have found yourself swinging emotionally from one extreme to another. Because many have become exhausted, they have begun to shut down. It is almost like that thought, if I don't make eye contact, they will leave me alone. So, to keep from being overwhelmed, many have stopped participating in life. Seriously, there are running memes out there with the joke, "Who called two hurricanes at the same time for 2020?" There is a better way to cope than withdrawing. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" Matthew 11:29-30. I know there is a tendency to focus on the rest for your soul phrase, but I would like to recommend you focus on the word "learn." Jesus is inviting you to gain knowledge from Him. When you go to God and ask Him how to do something, He

  I once had a young eighteen-year-old girl that told me she had been drinking every day of her life since she was twelve. Very early on in her life, her grandmother often proclaimed that she was going to hell for having a child out of wedlock. Salvation is not, or will it ever be about what you do but instead about what Jesus did. The only unforgivable sin is not accepting Jesus as your Savior, and that happens when you draw your last breath. (Matt. 12:30-32) If you have been verbally beaten down by a religious person, please go and ask God directly about how He feels about you. God created every person with a purpose in mind. (Jer. 29:11) You are so loved by God that He allowed His only Son to pay the cost for your sins. (1 Peter2:24) God’s word says Jesus went with joy set before Him; He endured the cross for us. (Heb. 12:2) If you are tired of trying to escape life, please, please, give God a try. Yes, some hateful people use religion to take control of other’s lives. I see the res

  Last Friday, during prayer, one of my friends quoted Proverbs 25:11. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” Immediately I had to look up the address and write the verse in my prayer journal. When my friend prayed these words, she was speaking them over the Church, so we would be bold in talking about our faith. I can say from experience that some of the most meaningful words have been words that challenged a choice I was making or an action I was implementing. At the time, I did not appreciate the confrontation, but once I was able to push past my wounded feelings, I recognized the benefit of listening. I will give you an example that makes me laugh my face off now. When I first started teaching, after the class, a lady walked up to me and said, “Don’t worry. Beth Moore was bad when she started too.” Although I think the comment was uncalled for, I will admit that was the beginning of the journey for God to teach me how to tell a story. I

  The water company called the other day to tell us that we had a leak somewhere in our home. It took hours for us to narrow down that the upstairs toilet was the culprit. Since we had to replace the commode, it was the perfect time to lay a new floor. This past Saturday was national relaxation day, which I informed my husband. Who then jokingly said, “Putting in a new floor and toilet is relaxing.” Yep, sometimes you just have to go with it, because it is necessary. I knew when we would remove the old toilet, that we would have to repaint. I absolutely had no desire to paint the whole bathroom. To solve that problem, I suggested adding wainscoting behind the toilet to cover up any marks. We had just enough left over from another project to make a feature wall. My husband wanted it painted blue. Instead of going to buy blue paint, I decided to mix colors and make my own. The problem was that I did not read the cans and just started mixing. I created the most beautiful blue color but wi

  Sunday, my pastor mentioned a phrase that I have not heard in quite a while; willful ignorance. As you watch the foundational destruction of our society, you may wonder how people could go along with it. I think when people are unable to do without comfort and convenience, they are willing to go along with a lie in hopes the “bully” will back off. Capitulation has become easy, especially if it does not directly affect you yet. This morning as I watched the news, it dawned on me our nations’ primary sin. We allowed the consumption of the vulnerable by false and corrupt promises. Now that those same leaders are coming for the rest of the nation, there is a crisis. Really? The comfortable slowly allowed evil to ravage vast sections of our country. We should be ashamed. We love to point at different groups of people or leaders and pretend that they are the issue. As Christ-followers, we should not only vote our faith; we should be sharing it with others. Here is my thought process when I

  “O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him,” Psalm 98:1. Many times in the Bible, you will see where ladies would sing a song of thanksgiving or a song concerning victory in a great battle. My favorite song is Hannah’s in 1 Samuel 2. Today though, I am going to shout out praise to God for friendships. I think it is wonderful when we sing about the victories God has accomplished for us. How about the time during the battles? I want to sing about those God fearing, praying friends that stood beside us while the chaos was so thick we could hardly breathe. Those precious souls that are busy in their own life, but took the time to cry out to God on our behalf. Those friends that we may not have spoken to for years, but when we do, it is as if we never were separated. I praise God for those companions that were perfectly timed for the battle at hand. God, you do keep the feet of your godly ones and bless

  These little guys are a learning tool for my ladies. When you shake these cute creatures, they light up and blink for about 30 seconds. The lesson I am trying to convey is that Christ-followers should shine best under pressure. Resourcefulness is something I had to learn being a military spouse. I am proud to tell you I once put my dining room table together with a butter knife. When you have no idea which box has the tools you learn to improvise. I can honestly say, now, I kind of enjoy using objects unconventionally. To me, it keeps life interesting. It also created in me an innovative spirit that does not take roadblocks easily. I have this inner voice that says, “I know there is a way. I just can’t see it.” Which then leads me to seek God intently. The dollar tree toy was God’s idea given to me while I was shopping. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much” Luke 16:10. Right n

One of my prayer partners shared with the group how she reads through the book of Psalms in a month. Yesterday was the 11th, so you would read chapter 11 and keep adding 30 till you have no chapters left. For the last few days, I have been using this method for my quiet time with God. I read chapters 11, 41, 71, 101, and 131 yesterday morning. In my prayer journal, I wrote down Psalm 11:3 to pray over our nation. “If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?” It appears that all logic or reason has left our country. Is that true? There is a reason that God teaches His children to keep our eyes looking directly ahead because the appearance of evil has a way of throwing us off balance. At my age, I understand the importance of balance. Just trying to put my foot into my pants without falling over can be tasking. Well, so can allowing evil to keep score. Evil wants you to think that it is winning so you will become discouraged, and God forbid sin. When we allow ourselves to

Until I started teaching, I never noticed how many clichés people use. Wow, do my ladies like to quote them to me often. One that always frustrates me is, “When God closes a door, He will open a window.” That may seem like a comforting group of words, but God does not have His children climbing into windows like thieves. God’s word reminds us in Rev. 3:8 and Isaiah 22:22 that when God opens a door, no man can shut it. Also, was the door determined to be closed because some resistance developed? I feel that when a little interference or hindrance is present that some may think that God is putting up the roadblock. If that was true, then why do we encourage each other with Deut. 31:6? “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Instead of saying pretty words to each other, I think we should seek God for each circumstance. For me, nothing in my life is “cut and dried.” How about t

Below is an excerpt from the fourth book in the I Am More series. I Am Loved is an honest conversation between Kevin, Rich, Will, Rock, and the girls about hate, bullying, and doubt. Kevin reveals that he is tired of feeling empty and ashamed. The children tackle some big questions like “Why am I allowing Satan to encourage me to doubt God’s love,” and “Why am I allowing shamers to speak into my life?” Discover as you read how the children encourage each other with stories of God’s love. “I get jealous and mad when I see anyone playing ball with their dad, and I hate that feeling,” confessed Kevin. “Then kids making fun of me for not having a dad makes me feel ashamed as if I did something wrong. Earlier, I thought God did not love me. You guys talking reminded me that my dad loved God so much that he spoke to me about Him all the time. My dad told me just like your grandma said to you, Deborah, God created us for a purpose. Why am I allowing Satan to encourage me to doubt God’s love?

As I was driving to the mission today, I had one very clear question for God. “Why don’t you give up on us?” Immediately I thought about all the pieces of furniture I have rescued to either refurbish or repurpose. When I look at something damaged, I pretty much know if I can do anything with it or not. I have walked away from items that I realized was way too much work or nearly impossible to repair. God does not give up on us because there is nothing that He can’t do. See, Satan uses people up and tosses them to the side and tells the world that there is no value left. Because when it comes to evil, it only consumes and discards life. For some strange reason, many surrender to the darkness, thinking if they do, they will finally find peace. If that is not bad enough, Satan spins a lie telling people to disregard said group of people because they are not worth the trouble. Please hear me. God does not walk away because He knows He can call into being that which does not exist. My God d

Have you ever read the story of Samson and wondered about his behavior? He was under a Nazarite vow, which had precise requirements and restrictions. The vow was a voluntary dedication to God. Both males and females could take this vow for a set period. The Bible documents only three men that had the vow from birth. Samson was one of those three. One restriction was that you could not go near a dead body, including a family member. Samson not only went by a carcass of a lion he killed earlier; he also ate honey from a beehive inside the body. If you go and read Samson’s story from Judges 14 thru chapter 16, you will see that Samson was a legendary warrior for Israel, for which he judged for 20 years. You will also notice Samson had a weakness for a harlot named Delilah. If you are like me, you might get taken aback by the fact that God just documents his behavior. Where is the information about how God felt? Let me show you. As I said, anyone could take a Nazarite vow for a set period.

8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:8–10). The women swept the house and searched carefully until she found the coin. We all know that sweeping means to clean an area by brushing away dirt and litter, and we all have had to look for something that we have misplaced. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23–24). When you look at Psalms 139, have you ever viewed the parable of the coin as God sifting through all the walls we put up and all the baggage we carry till He finally locates “you?” When

Today is national chocolate chip day. If you read the history of how the cookie came to be, you will find out it was an accident. What a lovely accident, may I say. There is nothing like a warm chocolate chip cookie. I wonder when she first pulled the cookies out and noticed the candy bars made chunks, did she get flustered? I have discovered in life that many of those so-called messes turn out to be a blessing in disguise. So today, as you enjoy a delicious chocolate chip cookie, remember to appreciate those hidden treasure. You may have thought it was in error, but God had other plans. “Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness.” Psalm 33:18

It may not feel like 2020 has given any of us choices, but I do believe God is asking all of us to declare our beliefs by the choices we make. Before our prayer zoom meeting Friday, I had an interesting conversation on church services. If I was completely honest, I enjoyed the month that it was required we stay home and worship. Being an introvert, I enjoyed the comfort of my home. During the conversation, I reiterated that if we want corporate worship, then we are going to have to struggle for it. That struggle for many of us will come in different forms. When I got to church Sunday, the temptation of self was a struggle I did not see coming. The impulse to be offended became so strong for me that I could not sing for a portion of praise and worship. Let’s just say that while I was struggling with God concerning the insult, I referred to it as being kicked in the teeth. I wish I could give insight into the incredible rudeness, but I feel it is important to stay focused on the importan