Miss Independent????

This has truly been a trying week, but thank God he saw me through! While this week had difficulties and challenges it taught me a valuable lesson. I realized this week that I had forgotten how to depend of God for his daily touch. I had forgotten what it was like to feel his real presence working as he wakes me up and starts me on my day. In the hustle of our daily activities it is easy to become focused primarily on the daily tasks we must complete. We begin our days with the worry often never once looking to God to ease our anxiety and steady our emotions required to accomplish tasks. In my efforts to become independent and handle things through my own strength, I had forgotten how to cast my cares on the Lord as he promises to sustain my every need. " Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall~ Psalm 55:22  I will never be truly independent, as I will always need his help and guidance. Even in moments of great joy and excitement I must remember that all gifts are from God and are products of his invisible hands. In the coming months I expect to spread my wings and leave the present nest. While it will appear that I am asserting more independence, truthfully this will be a time of great dependence as I will need God's daily touch more than ever to tackle unfamiliar territory. 

Be on Guard

I hope you all are having a blessed day. I am so thankful that I am able to share with you all today. It is a rainy day here in Huntsville. For some reason we have been conditioned to associate rain with gloom. I had to check my attitude this morning, because I almost fell trap to such flawed thinking. No matter rain or shine, all days are given to us from the Lord and we are to rejoice an be glad in it. Through the hardest circumstances, we must still ask God for the strength and spirit to praise him with hearts of thanksgiving. To be honest today I felt myself slipping into the dark side of negativity and self pity. Then something divine happened shortly after lunchtime. I began to have a conversation with a friend over gchat about Jesus and his awesome power in our lives. Truly all things are possible with God, and I am so excited with what he is doing in the lives of those around me.  Prior to this conversation, my mind had been in several other places primarily focused on worldly dreams and aspirations. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, this conversation shifted my focus back to ultimate aspiration and goal for my life which is to one day meet him face to face without fear of condemnation. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[free from the law of sin and death~ Romans 8: 1-3.  I was reminded today to be on guard. It was so easy for my thoughts to slip to that dark side. I was getting impatient and angry that some things have not yet come to pass. Our mind is our most precious asset and it's a constant battle to stay on the positive especially in the midst of uncomfortable circumstances. To be on guard, means I need to limit the amount of trash entering my ears. The music I listen to, and the shows I watch can feed my mind with either negative or positive thinking. I would like those thoughts that encourage and keep me centered on the purpose God has set for my life. I have to filter all those things that attempt to derail and undermine his will. I know it is hard to limit the trash especially when you are around others who harbor negative thoughts and feelings. The only way to kill this spirit, Jesus demands, is love and kindness. As I continue on this week, my goal is to limit the trash and guard my thoughts.  Each morning I wake up, my goal is to show God my ultimate appreciation by giving him my highest praise because he is worthy of it all.Thats it for today folks! Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of the week.

The Power of the Tongue

Goodness time has lapsed since my last posting! Much has happened over these last few days. The lack of civil discourse in this country over the last few years hit the final nail in the preverbal coffin Saturday, leaving six dead in Arizona. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, among those shot, is showing miraculous progress. This tragedy has has invariably sparked conversation about the often viral rhetoric filling the airways from both sides of the isle  The words we speak, while they are so easy to articulate can have damning consequences. In this particular season of my life, I am reminded of this and it challenges me to be a constant guardian of my tongue. Without doubt, at times I am tempted beyond measure not to show restraint and self control over the words I speak. With age, I am realizing it is absolutely necessary to this, because once words are said it is impossible to take them back. Of course once we realize the err of our ways we can apologize for those words, but the damage and hurt will linger. When I experience the temptation to unleash hurtful words, I look to the scriptures for some practical advice to apply. The book of Proverbs makes a powerful statement about words and their ability to define our actions and circumstances." Death and life are in the power of the tongue." ~ Proverbs 18:21. James goes further in the New Testament. He gives a powerful inditement to Christians when he says " Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein of their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless." ~ James 1:26 NIV.  I encourage anyone who like I struggles to guard the tongue, to read further into the book of James. I have found his words to be instructive and applicable to this current season. Bottom line : Our tongues have the ability to be a force for good or a force of destruction. Moving forward after the horrific events of Arizona, it is my hope that we take the time to reflect on the words we use. Instead of finger pointing and blaming others let us start with the person in the mirror. Change begins within ourselves.

Living in Expectation

It's officially 2011 and it seems the days are already flying! I woke up this morning ready to face my first work day in the new year. I began with my usual scripture reading. It was taken from the book of Isaiah: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"~Isaiah 40:31. Although at times I admit I get impatient, my scripture encouraged me to keep on hoping and expecting God to do great things.  While I aim to keep things positive and biblically based, the reality of the days ahead are difficult and challenging. There are some days I struggle to stay encouraged and positive. My hopes and dreams are solidified, but sometimes it seems that  I am moving at snails pace to see their actualization. I received some encouraging advice today from a friend. She suggested that I write a blog about living in expectation of what God is getting ready to do. Instead of focusing on the "when" she basically suggested that I focus on the "now". If I am truly expecting God to do great things then I must live in preparation. While I am waiting for things to unfold, I can certainly use the time to prepare. For example, one of my life goals is to raise godly children. God-willing I want them to be firmly rooted in the foundation and gospel of Jesus Christ so that they will also train their children in the way of the LORD. It might be far ways off, but I want to prepare myself to train my children in the right way. To do this I need to know the word and understand it's real life application. So while trust my child bearing days are a ways off ( gotta get married first hehehe), I can spend this time in the word so when the time does come I am fully prepared to see this goal come to fruition. Another one my goals is to expand my service in Christian Education. God has given me so much talent and knowledge I would like to give this back to him in service. There are present opportunities available now to see this goal realized. Bottom line: There are things we can do now as we await what God is getting ready to do.  Although it is very easy to become so concerned with the when its imperative that we use this waiting time to prepare for all his abundant provisions.  Live in expectation and know God is going to come through! Happy Monday and wishing you all a wonderful rest of this week.

Stepping into the New!

Hello all! I hope your Holidays have been pleasant and full of great times with family and friends. In a few short hours God-willing we will enter in a new year. By the grace of God, with a new year comes a blank slate and the opportunity to do things differently and produce more fruitful outcomes. How exciting it is to close one chapter and enter a new one with filled with infinite possibilities. Today I spent my day cleaning out the old to prepare for the new things already un-folding and awaiting in the new year. I was so thankful to have this time. My ipod was going with some of my favorites, and I began to think about the past year and God's perfect faithfulness.  As I cleaned and reflected, I also began to list on paper all the gifts God as given me in 2010. There were relationships that were mended and reconciled. I was encouraged when I felt like I could not proceed and finish programs and goals that I started.  Most importantly, what I realized today is that our steps are ordered.  All the events of this past year are not in vain, instead they are the stepping blocks to future accomplishments.  If you have few moments of quiet time consider reflecting on the gifts and blessings of 2010. As you step into the new year, remember that your steps have been ordered and ordained.  I wish you all health, happiness and love in 2011! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope"~ Jeremiah  29:11

On Forgiveness

As the new year is quickly approaching there are certainly grudges that I am hoping to bury in 2010.  First of all my experiences tell me that grudges and resentful feelings are not healthy. It's not Christ like, and as we get older this behavior seems increasingly childlike. As my years grow in number I realize that that in-fact this behavior is poisonous and deadly to my soul. I am not without sin, so I should not throw the first stone. Who am I to judge anyone because I myself am not perfect. I stumble, I fall, I make mistakes, and apologize like every other human creature on earth. There have been instances where I have hurt friends and loved ones with my words and actions. I am thankful for conviction, because even when these things happen something within me tells me to make amends and apologize to the person I have wronged. Apologizing and admitting your mistakes I have found to be the most therapeutic activity of them all. It is the greatest medicine to cure a prideful ( sinful) ego. Furthermore, it helps me to forgive others that have wronged me, and even those who don't or will never apologize. I just remember that I want be forgiven. This requires me to treat each others the way I want to be treated. It requires me to stop gossiping about others. Most importantly, it requires me to be like Christ and love even my enemies.The scripture plainly states Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."  On judgement day when we see Christ in is full glory I want us ALL to be forgiven. Here is my public apology to anyone I have wronged in 2010 or before. Please accept a sincere apology. If after reading this entry, you need further resolution please email me at kerinfallin@gmail.com. I  have made blunders to say the least, but I guess Michael Vick and his BREAKOUT season are living proof that anyone can make a comeback.  I also want to make the public confession that Godwilling I will not be taking any grudges and resentment into the new year. The power of life and death is in the tongue!  Thats it for today folks!

Whats in A Title

For those of you wondering about the title of my blog, I thought I would take some time to elaborate on the concept. I named the blog "Seasons of Faithfulness" after remembering the scripture in Ecclesiastes.


To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 My primary season of joy in 2010 came from understanding. Before this year I would read my bible not truly comprehending the words and concepts. By the grace of God and through the holy spirit the words and scriptures came to life, and I began to understand why they were written. They were written to encourage and help us during our seasons. Our seasons of joy and sorrow. They were written to give us a practical tool to lead abundant lives. Though we often stumble and fall through the seasons and motions of life, these scriptures  especially in the new testament give us the hope and promise of forgiveness through our lord and savior Jesus Christ. This year I began to see the promise of Christ in real life. I began to understand what it means to love and forgive and let go while God moves. Learning to forgive and to let go are still concepts that I struggle to apply everyday. I will not pretend that this all happened overnight. My pocket bible became the ultimate accessory, as I would travel and read at any available moment of idle time.  My blog is entitled "Seasons of Faithfulness" because throughout this season God was, and continues to be completely faithful. Sometimes I am not as faithful as I should be when it comes to the application of this knowledge and understanding, but yet and still God is forever faithful.  Every question I had he answered.  To anyone searching for understanding " Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you"~ Matthew 7:7