Kara's Soft Words

My parents have never claimed to be the perfect couple (let alone, individuals), teachers, or even pastor and pastor's wife but they have been wonderful examples for me and my siblings. For their (37th) anniversary, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons that I've learned from them. --- Dear Mom and Dad: I hope you know that I truly love and appreciate you. And I hope that you don't disown me after reading this😅. I simply want to share lessons that my siblings and I have learned from you and maybe broaden people's perceptions of you as well. . .  Faith Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. - Matthew 5:16 (KJV) Beloved; let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. - 1 John 4:7 (KJV) I started with this because your love for God is the foundation of everything that you do.  Before my siblings & I ...

Anyone who actually knows me will tell you that I am a planner. While there are moments when I do  appreciate spontaneity. . . for the most part, I like knowing exactly what to expect like where I'm going, what I'm doing, and how I'm executing a task. So I know some people were (or will be) shocked to learn that on January 1, 2019 , I moved from Maryland to Texas without an elaborate plan. While I kept hearing, "Kara, you're so brave! This is amazing. . ." and similar things, I honestly was trying my best not to freak out😬. This installment of When You Give Unto the Lord is about releasing control and simply surrendering to His Will. . . even if it doesn't seem to make sense (to you or anyone else). A piece of the backstory: God actually began dealing with me about moving to Texas in July of 2017. At that moment, I wasn't sure about any of the details (like how and when it would happen). I wrestled within myself (for a few weeks) and o...

"When you give unto the Lord, He will give you more to give. . ." Congregational Song "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have show Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10 (NIV) "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV) A few weeks ago, I came across a video clip of Pastor Mike Todd . He was speaking about what worship actually should look like, in the everyday life of a Christian. I quickly reposted it because I totally agreed with the snippet of his message. Not only that but I was actually experiencing some of what he was describing. The video reminded me of Casey J's song "I'm Yours" as well. The chorus says, "You can have all of me. . . I'm Yours. I give you all of me. . . I...

When you truly have a desire to learn and grow, you seriously can find valuable lessons in the most random locations and experiences. . . Even while you're cleaning your room. The first lesson came about while I was straightening up my nightstand. I have a desk lamp that also has an organizer with multiple compartments. In one of the larger sections, I had a pile of cards (business and gift cards). My initial thought was to dump the entire pile in the trash - simply because of how long it had been sitting there. After a minute, I figured that I should at least check the balances on the remaining gift cards. While most of them were already used/ almost empty, a few had the full valu e!  I realized that sometimes we are quick to discard or throw away things (and people) . . .  Rather than rushing to do this, we need to take the time to make informed decisions . We need to evaluate the roles that these people or items have in our lives. Is this person a blessing o...

Last Friday night, I had the opportunity to speak to an amazing group of women about OBEDIENCE. Our conversation was transparent, enlightening and encouraging, so I thought I would type up my notes and share them with you. I sincerely hope that you are blessed by what you read. ------ Obey- to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of [someone or something] Definition #2: to submit, yield, or conform in action to (some guiding principle, impulse, one's conscience, etc.) As Christians, our guiding principle is the Word of God. God is the Word (John 1:1) so we should never discount its power or worth. Obedience will not always equal comfort or convenience but it is essential in our relationship/walk with God! (I'll talk about that later.) Scriptures About Obedience John 14:15 (KJV)- If you love me, keep my commandments. (MSG)- If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. → Just as we would obey our natural...

As much as I try to show compassion and concern for others. . . there are times when I feel that I have "selfish" moments. While I love to work behind-the-scenes, I often find myself wondering, "Is what I'm doing making an impact?" "Does anyone care?" "Am I making difference?" I feel like a lot of you may feel the same way. I'm praying that as you read this post, you will be encouraged to keep doing what you're doing- whether or not the acknowledgements or accolades come. I'm pretty sure that most of us have heard or used the term {underdog} before. Basically, it's the person who is less likely to be successful at achieving something. Maybe people think that this person doesn't possess enough strength, knowledge, or notoriety. For whatever reason, the idea is that they have set themselves up for failure by even/just deciding to go after a particular goal. Oftentimes, this title of "underdog" comes as a...

I feel like I need to include a disclaimer: In no way am I trying to brag🙈. I simply want to share my experiences as they relate to obeying God and allowing Him to reveal Himself. ------ "My life is so random!" Ask my friends and they'll tell you that they've heard me say that a million times (haha!). . . However, in the last few months, I've been reminded that there actually may not  be such things as coincidences. Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." More and more, I'm seeing this to be true. If you are questioning whether living for God/making yourself available to Him is "worth it," I want to assure you that there is nothing more fulfilling. I truly believe that by making the decision to allow God to get the glory out of my life, I've been blessed to make connections/establish friendships and experience things...