Saying Good-bye

Blogging has been a wonderful experience for me. I've met new friends, communed with my Lord, and learned more about myself than I ever wanted to know.

But in all that blogging beauty, I must say good-bye and yet issue you an invitation. In 2009, I plan to take my blogging energies and pour them more fully into my two monthly newsletters: Live Life Fully and Career Success Tips!

If you have enjoyed this blog, I hope you will follow the link below and join a newsletter list.

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Either way, thank you for walking this part of life's journey with me. I pray all of God's greatest blessings through Christ Jesus into your life. Please drop me a note sometime and let me know how you are doing.

May your life be Christ-saturated and irresistably attractive always!

Kim

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas

I know, I know, “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas” is a common, idiomatic phrase, trivialized by pin-on buttons and constant repetition. And I wouldn’t use it, if it just weren’t so true. In all the hustle and bustle and materialism, I find that Jesus is strangely absent from this sacred celebration of His lifesaving incarnation. So this year, I really do want to do a better job of keeping Christ in Christmas.

The True Meaning of Christmas

What is Christmas? The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus at His birth was to be marked with this amazing name, ‘Immanuel.’ In Hebrew, ‘Im’ means ‘With’ and the ‘El’ means God. So literally Jesus is and was the ‘With-Us God.’ His presence in our hearts and lives truly is the best gift of all. He is now, ‘With Us.’

My Confession

Yet, I confess that I am easily distracted from my God by presents and parties, and by people and things. I cook and I clean. I buy and I wrap. I carol and I carpool, such that the sheer busyness of the season – even when I am busy doing wonderful things – strangely carries a weight and a dread. Where is Christ in my Christmas?

My Commitment

So, this year I am doing something different. No more gift exchanges, no more presents under the tree. There will be fewer parties and even fewer cookies. No wrappings, no tinsel, no trappings. This year, the Christmas clutter will be cleared away.

My Celebration

Instead, I have committed to enjoying the ‘With-ness’ of God by spending limitless time with God. I’ll savor the gospel stories and I’ll sing ancient hymns. I’ll pray, and cry, and laugh, and fall on my face in awe. I will worship. Above all else, I will seek Him.

My ‘prayer chair’ is ready. My Bible is open. My heart is hungry. I have invited Christ back into Christmas. Won’t you join me?

PS – I won’t be blogging until the New Year, when I hope to return refreshed, renewed, and revived having been with the ‘With-Us God.’ See you in January.

Why Suffering?

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Did you know that God has a goal for your life? That all those hard things and difficult people in your life, they are there for a reason? Your suffering is not random. Your pain is not without purpose. These obstacles really can serve as a divine opportunity. While there are many biblical answers to the questions of suffering, one of them is clearly this.

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” Romans 8:29. God’s plan is to use all things to shape us so that we look just like His beloved son, Jesus.

Look Like Jesus

A recent research study just came out and confirmed what we had suspected all along. Couples that live together for a long time begin to look like one another. The study was conducted this way, researchers handed test participants separate photos of husbands and wives and then asked each participant to match the correct husband with the correct wife. The results were astonishing. More than half of the time, the right husband was matched with the right wife. And more than that, the longer the couple had lived together, the more likely they were to be correctly paired. They truly looked like one another.

Researchers postulate that this ‘looking alike’ occurs as a result of shared life experiences and emotions that actually form the lines and expressions on our faces. We become like those we are with.

Become Like the One You Love

When you allow pain and suffering to drive you, not away from God, but deeper into His arms, you fulfill God’s perfect plan. Your response to your trials has eternal consequences. And when you choose to gaze on Jesus, fellowship with Jesus, draw life from Jesus, you will look more like Jesus. You will become like the one you love.

Determine today that all your circumstances, good and bad, will send you back to your very source of life, Jesus Christ.


Kim Avery, MA, Certified Life Coach
“Helping women live joyful and meaningful lives.”
http://www.lifecoachingforchristianwomen.com/

Masks

Trick or Treat?

When my daughter was younger, each year she eagerly anticipated that ritual we call ‘Trick or Treat.’ The pumpkins were scary, the house-to-house hunt was fun, and the candy spoils were abundant. But nothing measured up to the fun of dressing up. Whether she was a lion, a princess, or a ballerina, she loved donning a new costume and a new persona.

One particular Halloween, right after I dressed her up as ‘My Little Pony,’ she impishly snuck out the back door, ran around to the front door, and rang the bell. “Trick or Treat,” she cried out. In mock surprise I replied, “Well, look at that. A beautiful ‘My Little Pony’ is standing right here on my stoop.”

Concerned, she lifted her plastic mask and whispered, “Don’t worry, mommy, it’s really just me, Bethany.”

Masks We Wear

I smile as I recall those innocent times, realizing that no one is ever really fooled by a mask for long. No matter how sophisticated the mask, how intricate the costume, how deeply we bury our genuine self – it just doesn’t work But that doesn’t stop us from trying.

On Sunday mornings, we carefully dress up in our very best, paste on a plastic smile, sneak out the back door, and arrive at the church’s front door as if to say, “This is the real me, really.” But behind our mask, lies sorrow, grief, brokenness, and despair. Vainly, we try to push our pride, selfishness, perfectionism, and fear out of sight. Robed in our Christian costume, we play the game, and pretend that all is well. But it is more of a trick than a treat.

Be Yourself

In the midst of all that futility, Galatians 5:1 rescues us with these words, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Did you hear that? Jesus came to set you free. Free from pretending to be who you are not, free from the fear of rejection, free to leave behind the crippling past that daily haunts your present. You are free to be who He created you to be.

It’s time to take off the mask. God knows you. God loves you just as you are. Peel those layers away and be free!

Low Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem, hah? Why in the world would I ever esteem myself? Most days I barely even like myself. How many times have I started the day with the grandest intentions only to end it with broken confessions?

Don’t misunderstand. I want to feel good about myself. I want to feel strong and confident, secure and loved. But frankly, the better you know me the less you love me. And that’s probably a good decision on your part.

That’s why I was so excited this week to become reacquainted with this beautiful truth from John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Be Encouraged

"For God so loved…" – God's love is so vast, so deep, so all encompassing that it couldn't be contained and so it overflowed on you and me.

"loved" – God loves! I am so thankful for a God that is Love. What a comfort to be reminded today that His love doesn’t depend on our character, but instead flows from His.

"the world" – God loves sinful, rebellious people. How unexpected is that?

"that He gave His only begotten Son" – He gives His all. He gives His best. He gave His very life. That is a lot of love.

"that whoever believes in Him" – All He requires in return for eternal life is belief: simple, pure, unadulterated belief.

Be Loved

God loves me! God loves Kim Avery. God gave everything He had to rescue me. I am secure, accepted, and wholly loved and that fills me with joy and peace. As a child of the living God, I can now face the future and each day in-between with courage instead of fear.

My heart is singing today to think: "For God so loved Kim, that He gave His only begotten Son, that when she believes in Him she shall not perish, but have eternal life."

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the Your love, for the incredible gift of Your Son, and for eternal life with You. I don't know why you love me thus, but I am forever thankful that You do."