by Kimberly | Oct 7, 2014 | Bible, glory and grace, mothering
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times
Lamentations 3 – The Message
I know several friends, many of whom are new mommies, that struggle with the day to day like I sometimes do. Our kids are small, our husbands work long hours, sometimes other jobs are also on our agenda for today.
My one piece of advice that I was given that I also share the most with these friends is this:
You only need to get through today.
God gives grace enough for today – and tomorrow, you know what, HE is faithful to give more grace and show us his radically new mercies that enable us to fight the enemy:
Exhaustion
Impatience
Fatigue
Worry
Fear
Selfishness
His mercies are better.
by Kimberly | Oct 6, 2014 | 31days, hymns
My Mister and I are coming up on three years of marriage on Wednesday. YAY us!
I loved our wedding ceremony. From a personally arranged rendition of Fairest Lord Jesus for my bridal march to the songs sung during a special prayer time to the sermon that was preached – it was an amazing one hour of my life.
One of the hymns we sang as a congregation that day was Come Thou Fount. I love it. I think I fell in love with it when my friends Jill and Bobby added it to the Anastasia cd many years ago. It was full of Iriah licks. So good. But, I move on.
My mister loves pianos. Has played since high school and now works for Steinway. He loves everything about it and as a first task to marriage I watched the making of a Steinway. So much craftsmanship.
Every person who loves pianos knows that pianos need to be regularly tuned to sound their best. They are made with a quality that has to be adjusted every now and then because of the wear and tear that playing puts on them!
Tuning is stressful and it can be hard.
Same goes for us. The wear and tear of life (sin) has left us far from the state Adam and Eve were created in. They were created perfectly. High precision. Then sin destroyed that.
The Spirit works as our tuner. The Word serves as an instrument. Other believers help tune us. The longer we go in between tunings the harder it is to tune. Tune my heart – soul – mind – strength – to sing thy praise.
by Kimberly | Oct 6, 2014 | Bible, glory and grace
I remember one of the worship pastors I had recently just engaged us with this Psalm every chance he got. It was his heart and his soul.
I love how the Message puts it. And I think the change in language makes it even more difficult to do – therefore needing all the more grace to do it!
by Kimberly | Oct 6, 2014 | Bible
Do you ever ask a question of God and then get the answer the very next day? Yesterday, I was journaling through a Piper article at a local coffee shop (thanks to the Mister having a day off and graciously keeping the boys), and I wrote down a question that I wanted to talk to the Mister about – as he is very good about seeking the enjoyment of God in my life – as he should (Ephesians 5).
The question was this: how do I do blogging and social media for good – and not have it cause ungodly characteristics to take root in my life and heart? In social media and really in all things – I struggle with envy, contentment, craving to be better and known. These thoughts grip my heart instead of lettering the wonderment of God grip my heart and let that be enough.
I don’t want to give up blogging and photography and social media – and I don’t think the need is there – I just think that care and concern for my soul (and also yours) needs to be always at the forefront of my mind.
So, here’s the answer – or at least more of the equation that I will bring to the Mister as we talk about it on our anniversary trip this coming weekend.
So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. You’ve had a taste of God. Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.
1 Peter 2:1-5 The Message
I went through especially the first couple verses from my She Reads Truth reading for today:
Here’s the KCV (Kimberly Campbell Version):
Since you have been called to the amazingness of the Living Hope of Christ saving you and the Spirit living in you: don’t have anything to do with causing distress or pain on anyone else, don’t have anything to do with concealing or misrepresenting truth, don’t have anything to do with claiming and not being, don’t have anything to do with discontentment or wanting what other’s have, don’t have anything to do with communication that causes harm to another.
What of the above areas do you struggle with in blogging/social media? For me – its envy. Why do I write and photograph and cook – others do that and they have more followers, likes, giveaways, etc.
Do you struggle with putting down others in your blog? Maybe its the cute sarcasm of something that will be funny but you well know that it is really a slam against someone else?
Do you only put the good on IG and not real-life – that would be the claiming and not being part. Does it only show your home when it is show-worthy or your kids when they are all clean from a bath? Why not put the real life of them screaming their little heads off when you take away their milk cup?
God wants us to crave Him, crave the Word, work as unto the Lord (not so we gain more likes on facebook).
Who is set in the place of honor in your blogging and social media? Is your life on the computer or your iphone a sanctuary or dwelling place for God?
by Kimberly | Oct 6, 2014 | The Charming South Kitchen
Yay for celebration week! It is our 3 year anniversary. I love October (and the last 11 days of September). It is a great time of the year for our family!
A fall salad with roasted squash, pears, pecans, goat cheese, cranberries – and a maple mustard vinaigrette. I’ll post recipe later.
The Angus Barn chocolate chess pie
King’s Hawaiian Breakfast Casserole
Turkey Enchiladas
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pumpkin Ravioli (date night in)
The rest will be eaten out – and some of the above will be eaten with friends. I love sharing food with good friends.
by Kimberly | Oct 5, 2014 | 31days, history
This hymn that I feature today was such a pivotal one in my ability to worship back earlier this year – and I poured it into my husband as well. Thankful for our friend, David Ward, who brings this text to life!
All of the words of this hymn are pure gospel – so I didn’t know which ones to choose – but these waft over me with such purity and surety knowing that I don’t have to be perfect to gain an audience with my King and Savior.
by Kimberly | Oct 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words.
Titus 1
I love crime shows.
They all need evidence.
So does our Christian life.
Our life should reflect our calling.
I wear my wedding bands to show that I’m married to my Mister.
How do my actions reflect or not-reflect my Savior?
by Kimberly | Oct 5, 2014 | Sundays in the South
Enjoy the simple things of life today…
like breakfast
like babies
like books
like sunsets
like afternoon naps
like eyelashes
like coffee or wine or tea or whatever you drink
like the savoring of an entire day with family
Its Sunday after all.
by Kimberly | Oct 5, 2014 | mothering, photo shoot
A beautiful park and a beautiful Fall day and a beautiful Momma and her family – made this a wonderful first maternity photo shoot for me. Thanks Jennifer for not having baby Cook yet and for sharing your life and family with me. Will be looking forward to meeting you cute new son and bringing you macaroni and cheese – because we know that that meal makes all things better!
My prayers to our faithful God for knitting your baby beautifully and for protection over the next few days or weeks. And strength – can’t forget strength!
by Kimberly | Oct 5, 2014 | Link Love
We have had a busy but low-key weekend and here’s to a quiet afternoon editing photos, baking, and getting ready for a Fellowship meal with our church family.
Here are some things that might make you happy.
This plate of Pumpkin French Toast – and by the way, I love Tracy’s use of shadows in her photo. It makes you definitely feel like you are in the room, about to devour that bread encased in fried egg and sugar!
I adore the rustic-ness of this fall salad and her use of the pie plate as a salad plate.
On the quickly coming chilly mornings when none of us want to get out of bed and we all wish we could stay in our pajamas curled up watching movies or reading a thick novel that are coming…this pumpkin oatmeal will be made in The Charming South Kitchen.
