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Kayla's Only Heart

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Kayla's Only Heart

Tag Archives: bible

Book Review: The Most Important Women of the Bible

27 Monday Jan 2020

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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bible, book, book review, Christian, Christian living, God, redemption, struggle, women

I received a copy of The Most Important Women of the Bible: Remarkable Stories of God’s Love and Redemption by Aaron & Elaina Sharp from Bethany House in exchange for a review.

 

Through simple yet insightful vignettes about numerous women in the bible, each chapter portrays a realistic picture of the character. They include historical and cultural context to give a good understanding of what the woman experienced. This makes the biblical narrative more accessible and the characters easier to see as models. Just like you, me, and everyone else, they do not possess perfection. Some stand pretty far from it. Yet they find redemption and love through connection with God. The message that we too can have that remains clear. It makes a good reminder that all the various struggles we see today have plagued women throughout history. Just as they did, we too can overcome.

The Great American Reader: The Count of Monte Cristo – Lies

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, The Great American Reader, Uncategorized

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Alexandre Dumas, bible, Great American Read, lies, The Count of Monte Cristo

As the story continues in Chapters VIII-XII of The Count of Monte Cristo continues, the web of lies landing Dantes in prison grows. Villefort rushes to meet King Louis XVIII in Paris, where he describes the Bonapartist plot. He learns that the police hunt for his father, but keeps his family ties a secret. We already know from the first set of chapters that he has burned the evidence of his father’s identity and that he did that at the expense of putting Danters in prison.

Villefort lies to hide his own guilt, and it resembles the biblical account in Genesis 39 where Potiphar’s wife claims that Joseph attempted to seduce her rather than face the rejection of Joseph not responding to her advances. Joseph also ends up in jail due to false accusations. Unfortunately, these people care more about their comfort and status (both have high esteem in court) than how their wrongdoing might affect someone else. Both Villefort and Potiphar know their actions lead to imprisonment yet withhold the truth. This serves as a good reminder that the commandment to not lie exists for good reason. Many people convince themselves a white lie or lie of omission doesn’t hold the potential to harm or isn’t considered a lie, but that involves believing a lie. The language of lies still creates a world, in these cases one where the falsely accused get confined by the lies of others.

In Joseph’s biblical story, his imprisonment ultimately proves fruitful as he gets delivered from his cell and witnesses God’s hand in it. Perhaps Dantes ultimately find a similar twist to his fate where what others intend for bad turns out as good in the end. Maybe he will provide for those who harmed him like Joseph did for his brothers who left him and led to his enslavement in Egypt. However, a main theme in this story revolves around revenge. Perhaps Dantes doesn’t overcome his pride and hurt the way Joseph does.

 

 

A Rainbow Reminds Us of Promises Fulfilled

20 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Uncategorized

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bible, Christian living, devotion, God, hope, Noah, peace, promises

Genesis 9 picks up the story of Noah’s ark as the water finally recedes. Noah and his family get to set foot on dry land, leaving the giant boat at last. God speaks to Noah and makes a covenant with him; the rainbow would serve as a reminder that God keeps His promise.

I’ve read this part of the Bible on a rainy winter day. I too can use a reminder that God fulfills His promises. My days, heart and mind feel foggy and dark, but He maintains His presence with me and shares peace.

These days I read a scripture truth (index) card during each of my prayer and bible and Christian living book reading times. The cards focus on a biblically founded truth to counteract the opposing lie the sinful nature or the devil wants me to believe. Before and after I read Genesis 9 this afternoon, I read Deuteronomy 31:8: “the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” I may not see a rainbow today, but I can rest assured that God follows through on His promise to stay with me.

 

If you feel alone or lonely this Christmas season, hold close God’s promises. He stands in your presence, and I pray for you to experience peace.

Listen, Follow, Speak

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Uncategorized

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bible, Christian living, direction, hope, King George VI, leadership, Moses, movies, purpose, struggle, The King's Speech

When I watched The King’s Speech last Sunday while my nails dried, I couldn’t help but see a parallel between King George VI’s journey to king and Moses’s to leader of the Israelites. Then this weekend I read the story of God speaking to Moses through the burning bush during my prayer time. Again, the experience seemed familiar. Both these notable speakers knew they did not possess the greatest skill for their calling. Yet following the responsibility laid before them, they far exceeded anyone’s expectations, including their own. This reminded me of the doubt I regularly fight when it comes to following through on my purpose. Leaders and common folk alike struggle with insecurities.

Neither King George VI nor Moses started with the skills needed to fulfill their duty. Yet they willingly followed the instructions given them. Moses reluctantly followed God’s request to go to Pharaoh, and King George VI met with his speech therapist regularly to progressively overcome his stammer. Though neither one completely diminishes his weakness, they each use their developed skill to serve their people. They also both find success.

Doubt creeps into all our minds at some point and with varying strengths. Between my negative thoughts and my obsession with approval, I find myself not even trying to use, let alone continue developing, some of my skills and gifts. However, no matter how they compare to the greatest in that particular field, I still can contribute encouragement to the world no matter how small. I simply must follow my direction faithfully. It poses more challenge than it seems, but the possibility exists with a continual renewing of the mind and focus on truthful, good and noble thoughts and deeds.

People still remember King George VI as a great speaker who used his speeches to restore hope in England’s monarchy and country during a time of conflict. Moses has mistakes on his record (he even died before entering the Promised Land as a result), but he still reigns as one of the greatest biblical leaders. We can hold hope that we need not reach perfection in our efforts. We can follow our path faithfully, including making efforts to develop our skills so we can serve as best we can.

Fill Your Cup, Share the Fruit

06 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Uncategorized

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bible, Christian, Christian living, community, devotion, hope, Joseph, Old Testament, prayer, purpose

This morning I read Genesis 40 during my prayer time, and I remembered not only that I read it during another morning’s devotion about a week ago but that Joseph’s story in Egypt offered examples beyond his character we can apply to our lives now.

I have read Genesis 40 during my prayer time twice in the last two weeks. This story of the cupbearer and baker in prison with Joseph, who finds himself imprisoned innocently due to Pharoah’s wife not succeeding with her sexual interest in Joseph, reminds me that not only does Joseph’s character serve as a model for our lives today but so do the people he meets. The cupbearer and baker each share their dreams with Joseph, and Joseph interprets them through God. Joseph tells the cupbearer of the fortune that will soon come to him and implores him to remember Joseph.

The cupbearer’s fortune comes to fruition during Pharoah’s birthday celebration, but he forgets Joseph. It seems that because he has no worry anymore he need not remember the support he needs. He forgets to use his good situation to restore the person who helped him get there. All too often we forget the same details. We finally find ourselves meeting a goal, and we neglect the fact we did not arrive at success alone.

God plants a purpose in us when He makes us. We owe it to Him to follow His will; we cannot succeed without taking those steps of our own volition. However, He still marks the path and gives us success for His glory. This happens in community as we “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). This encouragement helps us build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11) to stay on the path for with more than one together, they will have someone to pick them up when they fall (Ecclesiastes 4:10). We want to remain steadfast on our path, not forgetting the community of believers God gave us or forgetting to remain on His vine so He may prune and develop us.

On our own, we don’t get anywhere. Let’s not forget that in the good times or the bad. Remain close and trust like Joseph. He continues to follow God’s Law and later finds himself working with Pharaoh to find success for himself, Pharaoh and the whole Egyptian community. We too can fulfill the role God gives us, share that hope with those around us and see fruit available for our community.

Book Review: The Whole Bible Story

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, bible, book review, books, Christian living

I received The Whole Bible Story, Illustrated Edition by Dr. William H. Marty from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept of this book. The writing upheld an accessible, plain language that made the bible story easy to understand. Complex stories had a new simplicity to them. They even had accompanying pictures of the real sites mentioned to provide a more realistic picture. I particularly enjoyed getting that extra context and accuracy. However, I sometimes found myself wanting to cross check with my bibles to see if they included some of the situations found here. I wondered how accurately the Word transferred to this particular edition. Overall, it made a nice starting point for making the stories and information easier to understand, but I cautioned myself against using this as an ultimate true source.

Proverbs 12:25: Kind Words

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Essay, Journal

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anxiety, anxious, bible, catharsis, cheer, companionship, depression, fulfillment, heart, kind words, letters, love language, notes, positive, Proverbs, scripture, story, tears, words of affirmation

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

Proverbs 12:25


Anxiety literally weighs on the heart and body. As my mind races and my chest feels tight and fiery, my body feels crippled sometimes. I may break down and cry, or I may distract myself with a book. Still, the added worry of taking time from my schedule to do such an activity weighs further on my anxiety.

The catharsis of the tears and the story fulfillment and companionship in the book ease some of the nerves. I can get back on track after a time. Yet what brings me up is a kind word. I fortunately am blessed to have friends who speak my love language of words of affirmation and send me texts, cards, emails and phone calls to remind me of my strengths and worth. Even a simple well wish reminds me I am loved and am not alone in my journey. That quiets the unrest in my heart.

It’s easy to forget to remind people in my life how much they matter. Yet knowing I can have the same positive effect on my friends and family’s lives reminds me to let them know I’m thinking about them and care. Just last week a friend sent me a text to let me know how much my letters encouraged her, which in turn cheered me up. We are here to live life together.

Is there someone in your life who might benefit from a kind reminder of their worth today? Can you possibly even offer to help an anxious and/or depressed friend accomplish a task to share some of the physical burden? 

Proverb 4: Wisdom’s Light of Hope

28 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Journal

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bible, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, heart, hope, light, Proverbs, rejection, scripture, shame, therapy, wisdom

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” 

Proverb 4:23

Reading this in the midst of intensive therapy calls attention to the fact that I must guard my heart from darkness already dwelling there. To put it vaguely, I have shadows cast from past rejection, abuse and shame. These weights keep me from pouring out love as well as prevent me from accepting any. The time has come to shine more light upon them so the sun gets to full noon, making it impossible for the shadows to exist. Then those experiences can develop further wisdom and understanding. I pray I can spill that lovingly so that other people can see the light and feel the warmth of that hope as well. 

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, 

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

Proverb 4:18

Gray Skies Proclaim Deliverance

10 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Essay, Journal

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answered prayer, bible, change, Christian, Christian living, clouds, darkness, deliverance, glory, God, hope, Jesus, light, open door, opportunity, prayer, progress, Psalms, sky, stress, transition, work

My morning commutes to work give me time to admire the beauty of the sunrise God paints every morning as He reminds me He has gifted me with another day. Especially this week, I have witnessed the sky’s proclamation of God’s glory. This week maintains such a mix of gray clouds and light reflective of confusion and spiritual warfare in life. My week and weekend has included aspects of both, making the morning skies even more reflective of God’s ever-presence. The gray masses of positive stress adapting to my new job, spiritual warfare experienced by myself and co-workers as we band together to spread the Gospel, and confusion about pursuing new writing goals hover over my head much like the morning’s clouds. Yet light always bursts forth. As Psalm 19:1-2 sings,

The heavens declare the glory of God;

The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

Night after night they display knowledge.

This emphasizes my personal connection to God’s glory, reflection on it, and my writing aspirations.

This week we have some weather reprieve from some rainfall; this provides more change in the sky as the clouds develop and move. My week has had its share of stress as well, notably from emotional buildup and schedule adjustments. A few times, I have gotten in my car and shared with God that He knew how I felt and painted the sky for me, maybe further pushing me to write about it later. I always note the light coming through the center of a dark cloud or a bright silver lining around a raincloud and am thankful that God is light and that darkness will never overcome that light. Even when the gray clouds merge into one, God will make sense of it all. My biggest example of this comes from the end of the week where the sky was simply gray when I left for work. Just a ways down the road, I noticed the blue above me. I could let go of my confusion because God has already answered my prayers.

At work and in my personal life, God clearly has answered several of my prayers that have been weighing on my heart lately. It seems like as soon as I was more open to letting Him use me and me placing my brokenness and desires in His hands, the more He enlightened me and the more He opened doors for me. These revelations most notably came through encouraging interactions with friends and co-workers.

To give an idea of my heart lately, I have been contemplating several writing projects, healing from heartbreak, settling into my new job, and joyously adapting to my regular working hours routine. Again, this all creates positive stress, but it involves a lot of transition at one time. God has spoken to me through His portraits in the sky (an artistic fitting way for a reflective writer like me) and the conversations I have. A friend of mine has casually told me that I should write the novel I’ve had growing in my mind, just the little push of courage I need to get past my first line I’ve had for a while; my boss has found ways to utilize my writing and editing skills and noted me for a volunteer position with our organization that would get me the media exposure and experience I need; I have been reminded of the continual purpose of certain relationships with people; a couple people I recently met have reached out to me in what might be an answer to my prayer for a mentors relationship. God has reminded me that my heart for Him and how I share His love is a testament to Him and can touch other people; I have even met another person at my work who is helping me find outlets to publish my work. Doors are opening, and God is showing His glory.

What stands out to me most throughout all this is how much God honors our efforts to be open to His plan. One of my co-workers pointed out that we should all know good things are ahead when because some of us were going through some spiritual warfare. She is so spot-on. Just look at how God has delivered me again this week and shown me opportunities to glorify Him. As I open myself to Him and His plan for me, He honors my efforts to share His love, especially as I do that through the support of His body and the power of prayer. Now I pray that God will continue to give me courage and strength to pursue the use of my gifts and that they ultimately point to Him. I lift up the end of Psalm 19, verse 14:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

to remind us that God holds us firmly and delivers us that we may serve Him. May the skies and the efforts of our gifts proclaim His glory forever.

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You can't make advances if you don't take chances. These posts share my perspectives of my journey as I step forward, walking in the Light.

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