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Karen Sipps Writes

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If we’re honest, I didn’t want to wake up at 4

If we’re honest, I didn’t want to wake up at 4:18 am. I didn’t want to exercise. I’d kinda like to still be in bed, ya know? But I was awake before the alarm and the early bird catches the worm... (and knocks out a little exercise, reads scripture, showers, cleans the litter box, and gets to work early so she can leave on time for her dentist appointment at noon.)

If only younger me could see me now, right? #partytime

I’ve decided that I want to read the entire New Testament chronologically before the end of the year, and I’m a couple days in.

This morning we are somewhere near the end of Luke 1, where the priest Zechariah is in the temple performing his usual priestly duties and the angel Gabriel comes to visit him. Gabriel tells Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would finally have a child in their old age.

It’s always interesting to me to think about where God’s people are when He comes to them.

Zechariah was at work as a temple priest when God sent Gabriel to him. Joseph (the earthly father of Jesus) was asleep when an angel came in a dream. He visits Hagar in the wilderness as she was running away and was with the Israelites in the desert by cloud and fire.

God is so creative, yet so often we see Him visiting his people in just normal everyday life.

God came to Zechariah while he was in the middle of “doing stuff”. They had waited so long to be parents and had just given up on the idea. But there was Zechariah, faithfully moving through life, and Gabriel came with life-changing news when Zechariah least expected it. It’s up to God to decide when and how to answer, and up to us to wait on Him. But our waiting doesn’t have to mean waiting—you still have life to live, you know?

You don’t have to stop doing life while you wait on an answer from God. Keep going. Get up and exercise. Do your chores. Go to work or school. Clean out the litter box. Apply for that job. Take the family to the zoo. Serve at church. Be the third wheel.

You have but one life. God will give you the answer at just the right time, but until He does, live your best today.

Cheering for you,
Karen

Today I want to talk to you about my tree. See,

Today I want to talk to you about my tree.

See, we bought our house about 3.5 years ago, and I LOVE it. It’s my favorite house.

It came with a decent-sized green tree in the front yard, but after the first winter season, it never sprouted leaves again in the spring, so we pulled it up. In its place we planted a really pretty plum tree with purple heart-shaped leaves.

Later that year, a storm came through and blew the tree over – snapped it right in half. I was really bummed.

We didn’t dig the stump up – just figured we would plant again in the fall. Well out of the stump sprouted a half and half tree – half green, half purple. I’m pretty sure I talked to more than one person about how this half-breed tree reminded me of when we don’t remove all of the sin in our lives, or we mix in just a little bit of sin with a dash of holiness.

Last weekend, I decided it would be a great time to call Miss Dig (811), to have them come make sure we had plenty of room to plant a new tree. Granted we didn’t do that with the purple tree, we just dropped it into the original hole. And I’m not gonna lie, calling Miss Dig was a very adult moment. I’ve planted at least 15 trees across our various houses and never have I called Miss Dig. But the replacement tree was going to be bigger, and I’d probably need to expand the hole just a little bit, so I called them to come mark the lines.

Our tree spot? Where both trees we planted had died already? The builder had planted the tree right on top of the gas line. The tree I had picked to put there would 100% have surely hit the gas line when digging. And if God had not allowed both trees to die, their roots would have run right into the line.

We often think that God sends us negative circumstances as punishment, but that’s not true. I believe both of these trees died because God was trying to protect us from something awful down the road. It makes you think, what “trees” in your own life does God keep trying to kill while you replant and replant and replant? Maybe it’s time to dig up that tree for good.

Cheering for you,
Karen

#hopewriter #Godisgood #protection #womenoftheword #Gaslines #devotional #uprooted

They’re building a new pier in Surfside Beach, S

They’re building a new pier in Surfside Beach, SC. The original pier was damaged by Hurricane Matthew and deemed no longer safe... beyond repair.

The construction view is kinda awful to look at and the hammering is anything but peaceful.

When it’s done? It will be beautiful, and useful, and able to stand strong in future storms.

In the meantime it’s under construction.

Much like us, you know? Sometimes we walk ourselves down paths that are unsafe (you notice I said “we walk ourselves”... mostly because we meandered down paths that weren’t meant for us) and God has to remove the harmful things in order to build something new. Sometimes He just wants to give you something BETTER.

When we’re in the midst of that reconstruction things can look pretty awful.

But when our trials are over, 1 Peter 5:10 promises us, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Just like the new pier, we’ll come out stronger, able to weather the storms.

Cheering for you,
Karen

#reconstruction #trialsandtribulation #hopewriters #womenoftheword #encouragementfortheday #oceanismyhappyplace #surfsidebeachsc #better

It’s believed that King David penned Psalm 118 a

It’s believed that King David penned Psalm 118 after he’d just come to the throne and possessed the kingdom that the prophet Samuel had anointed to him. David humbly gives thanks to God for his position of authority, and invites everyone to give thanks for God’s goodness.

“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

When I say, “just came to the throne,” what I mean is that David finally became ruler twenty YEARS after He was anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel.

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to waiting I start getting antsy if the waitress forgets to bring the refills she promised 30 minutes ago.

Twenty years, in contrast, is a long time to wait for a promise to come to pass. Yet David wasn’t bitter that it had taken so long, he was simply thankful that God had blessed him, and called on everyone to rejoice with him.

I know we have a lot going on today. Wars and rumors of wars. Weather. Sickness. But we’re all given today - a gift. This is the day the Lord gave to us. Let us rejoice, and be thankful for it. May we keep our eyes focused on the One who made the day, and less focused on the things that may happen within it.

Cheering for you,
Karen

#hopewriters #devotional #womenoftheword #leadership #humility #rejoiceintheLord

What one new thing did you learn in church this O

What one new thing did you learn in church this

Our class was studying Ecclesiastes, and the importance of continuin to carry your cross - not giving up until your time on earth is done. In the process, we read Exodus 19:3, and our teacher points out two little words. “To myself.”

“Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Now I know we’re not necessarily supposed to have a favorite book of the Bible, but Exodus is mine. I love how no matter how many times the Israelites complain, God mercilessly meets them in their wandering and provides exactly what they need. I’m a wanderer myself sometimes, yet He continues to pursue me.

Well in the back of my mind, there’s that though that God brought the Israelites to the promised land. But this verse tells us His intention was to bring them to HIM!

The promised land was just a bonus!

Just like our faith today, and the promise of heaven in life after death – the prize isn’t heaven. The PRIZE is the very presence of God!

Heaven, and all its riches, are just bonuses.

#hopewriter #churchlife #onenewthing #bible #bibleverse #wanderer #womenoftheword

Sometimes I get stuck in this mental block where “it is what it is.” You’ve probably heard that somewhere before. For me, it means things are set in stone, and we just have to work with what we’ve got. Trudge through. I forget sometimes that we have a God who can change things.

Yesterday I was reading about current events in Afghanistan and Haiti, in Canada, and in the US. It’s easy to get discouraged and think that current situations are set in stone, but they’re not.

When the Lord had come to visit Abram in a vision, He promised Abram, “Don’t be afraid... your reward will be very great.”

Abram told the One who created the heavens, the earth, and everything living on it, “What can YOU give me? You haven’t given me any offspring, so... (paraphrasing) what good is anything else you have to give me?” At this point, Abram was well into his 70’s. I’d say he was definitely in a “it is what it is” state of mind.

But God did give Abram a son, and in Genesis 22:17, promised, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”

Things changed on a dime for Abram just because God wanted them to. Abram had no idea of the plans God had in mind for him through his son Jacob, just like we don’t have any idea of the plans God has in store for us.

Things we see are never set in stone, unless GOD sets them there. We can trust that He DOES have a plan. Abram was rewarded because He walked with God before, during, and after his trials.

May we be found just as faithful, walking with God not just in the good times, but in the trials too.

Cheering for you,
Karen

I feel like y’all deserve to know the real me. H

I feel like y’all deserve to know the real me. Here’s a secret confession: I’m 5.2% airhead. 🤣🤣

This morning as I was driving in my car at the crack of dawn, I glance in the side mirror and think, “Wow, that car is REALLY CLOSE. I should move over so they can get ahead.”

And then I realized it was me. I’m the close car. IT’S MY SHADOW.

Oopsies.

Let me tell you about another oopsie. Eutychus was basically in “church”, sitting on a windowsill and listening to Paul preach to a packed house. Back then (in Bible times) you didn’t see your disciple/friend every Sunday because they were out spreading the gospel! When you finally got to see them, they would talk for hours or days, catching up and encouraging each other. That’s the case in this story. Paul had just gone through Macedonia and Greece, then back through Macedonia to stop in Troas for a week.

Acts 20 tells us, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”

That’s right, here it is MIDNIGHT, and Paul is still talking. Eutychus is tuckered out (because it’s MIDNIGHT) and he falls asleep and plummets off the windowsill to his DEATH three stories below.

Oopsies.

No biggee though, Paul goes downstairs, gives his lifeless body a hug, resurrects him, and then they all go back upstairs where Paul grabs a snack and keeps on preaching until daybreak. No lie.

😳

So, whatever oops moment happens in your life today, just brush it off and keep on going. There is life in you! You’ve got this.

Cheering for you,
Karen

{Acts 20:7-12}
#hopewriters #FridayFunny #Oopsies #womenoftheword #blondemoment

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