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Author Archives: Grace Spilled Over
- Joy in the Middle Seat
  
  Posted at 11:46 am by Grace Spilled Over, on July 6, 2022
  Image by JUNO KWON from Pixabay
  
  I have once again begun to travel around the world to minister to women; training and encouraging them as they carry the gospel to those who haven’t heard. In July I am flying to Southeast Asia and I realized last night around midnight that my seats for all my flights to Singapore had not been chosen. To give you a picture of what this means, I will fly from Atlanta to Seoul, Korea (I usually fly from Detroit which is about 13 and a half hours but the Atlanta flight will be 15 and a half hours!) and then I have another eight-hour flight from Seoul to Singapore.
  
  As I gazed at my computer, it slowly began to dawn on me that the only seats available were the MIDDLE ONES!!!
  
  My heart sank and I literally felt sick to my stomach. How can I endure these LONG FLIGHTS IN A MIDDLE SEAT and in Economy, no less???!!!
  
  I seriously fumed about it all night. Woke up early in the morning to go on and see if I possibly missed something and NO I DID NOT! UGH!!
  
  As I was making my coffee this morning, I sensed the whisper of my Savior saying, “Kristi, didn’t you say, just last night say that you wanted to learn about what it means to have joy in suffering?” (I’ve been thinking a lot about it – but honestly thinking about it and doing it are two very different things!) And then God reminded me of what Paul suffered to carry the gospel to those who hadn’t heard – shipwrecks, beatings, misunderstanding – and I thought well then what is a middle seat anyway- such a little thing in comparison!
  
  Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay
  
  Since I was a little, I have been afraid of suffering for my faith in Jesus. I saw a movie when I was a teenager on persecution, and it scared the pants off me. And so, this girl has chased comfort with a single-minded focus. I have skipped over and literally run from passages that talk about suffering for Jesus because they strike fear into this heart of mine, and I wonder if I would step up to plate when the time comes for me to take a stand for Jesus.
  
  But this summer, I’m reading a book, Evidence Not Seen by Ruth Diebler Rose who was a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. She and her husband were missionaries – they had already suffered much attempting to take the gospel to places where it wasn’t known. Her husband almost died when he trekked into Papua New Guinea and came out with foot rot. (It’s just as horrible as it sounds.) And then they were separated by the Japanese, and she never saw him again. All of their wedding presents she had brought with them were rifled by the Japanese and she had nothing left but her precious memories. I’m humbled and amazed at her fortitude and strength, and at the willingness that so many missionaries have had, to leave and go to the ends of the earth because they believed the gospel is truth; a hope worth sharing. And I wonder . . . do I love Jesus like that?
  
  As I started reading this book, I sensed that God was calling me to dive deep into this area of suffering – to not skip over and avoid because I’m afraid but to be willing to let Him do His work in me. That I needed to press pause for a season and give time and space for Him to illuminate and change my heart regarding suffering and persecution. (Not necessarily a pleasant subject to meditate on I have to say!) But I’ve run long enough and it’s time to learn from my Savior.
  
  As I’ve thought about suffering and wondered at how Paul and the other apostles could rejoice in their suffering and count it a privilege (Acts 5:40-41), I’ve come to realize they had a depth of love for God that I have not tasted and experienced. In sharp contrast to their deep love for God, is my heart that loves God when it’s comfortable and when it won’t cost me much.
  
  But I want their kind of love for God!
  
  And I know this kind of love only comes from being in the fire where it is purified and refined. Where we taste and see that the Lord is good not in our comfort but in our suffering.
  
  Was Paul happy in his suffering – no but he embraced it, knowing God was doing His refining work. I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1.6 after he had begged God to take away his thorn in the flesh: Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
  
  So if it is the middle seat of suffering where my love for God will be refined than I choose joy in the middle seat and who knows maybe God will have two lost souls on either side who need the treasure I carry.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  Kristi
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  Posted in joy, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged grace, joy, suffering, uncomfortable
- Unexpected Turns
  
  Posted at 2:06 am by Grace Spilled Over, on February 24, 2021
  You would think by now, I’d be used to unexpected turns after the year we’ve had. But no, it still smacks me in the face and rattles my cage of fear. Discouragement knocks at the door demanding to be let in. But it’s also in these unexpected turns where we see ourselves and God in a new light. When we pause and encounter His presence in ways we’ve never experienced before.
  
  Image by kalhh from Pixabay
  
  Who knew having your equilibrium thrown off could make you bed ridden, dreading any type of movement. That tiny crystals (calcium deposits) in your inner ear can wreak havoc on your life and waylay everything. A tiny word, VERTIGO and everything comes to a stand still. This word and I became acquainted on Wednesday morning this past week when I tried to get out of bed. An unexpected turn. All my travel plans had to be cancelled and I’ve been grounded pretty much ever since.
  
  But it has been in this space where I have felt the whispers of God drawing me deeper. Deeper into a trust-relationship with Him. Choosing to believe His plans are better than mine. Deeper into the heart of God. Re-examining, looking deep into the old patterns and destructive habits of my life and allowing Him to speak His truth into me. Beautifully broken and redeemed.
  
  Unexpected turns are just that UNEXPECTED but they are not to our Heavenly Father. And we can know for sure this turn is in His design and plan. We can trust and walk without seeing the path ahead because our Savior walks with us.
  
  Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11.1
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- One Boot at a Time
  
  Posted at 8:17 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on April 13, 2020
  As the weeks drag on and the social distancing gets old, it’s so easy to just endure or allow the fear to paralyze us into doing nothing. Honestly, it’s beginning to feel like Mount Everest. Will we ever get on the other side of this?
  
  As I stand at the base of this mountain and gaze upward, its feels overwhelming. This monstrosity is standing in my way of traveling and doing ministry overseas, and it feels endless. It was okay, the first few weeks but now that it continues to stretch on and on . . . it’s so easy to get discouraged and let the fear run rampant in my mind.
  
  When my nephew was in Army Basic training he was faced with incredibly challenging circumstances. His mountain was HIGH. Here’s his perspective of climbing his own Mount Everest.
  
  “Most people are just hanging on until this is over. But I’m not looking at it that way. I ask myself, can I just get through this one hour? If I can’t get through this one hour than can I just get through this one minute and if I can’t get through this one minute, can I get through this one boot?”
  
  How do you climb a mountain?
  
                                                          Time.
  
                                           A.
  
  At.
  
                Boot.
  
  One.
  
  So, simple, yet so profound.
  
  We can climb this COVID -19 Shelter-in-Place mountain! We not only can climb it, we can thrive in the climbing. God is calling each of us not to just endure this time but embrace it. To give voice to our disappointments. To grieve our losses. To see the good. And to climb just one boot at a time.
  
  Jesus said, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” (Luke 12.25-28)
  
  In this journey of mountain climbing He is forging in us strong hearts of faith. We are learning to lean into Him. To fix our eyes on Him. To discover He is our only HOPE and Confidence.
  
  So let us throw open wide the doors to this journey of faith and not just tolerate it but grow stronger with each step as we climb this mountain together – One boot at a time.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged COVID19, impossible, mountain, overwhelmed
- COVID-19 Detour, Billboards and a Man Named Paul
  
  Posted at 4:33 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on April 4, 2020
  Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
  
  In Michigan, we jokingly say, there are two seasons – winter and road construction! And with road construction come detours and lots of them. Can I just say . . . I hate detours! They’re inconvenient, unplanned and usually make me late! (Mainly because of poor planning on my part but it’s great to have something else to blame.)
  
  I don’t like detours in my life anymore than I like them on the roadways. Detours have a way of making me feel like my life is spinning out of control.
  
  Image by Miroslava Chrienova from Pixabay
  
  Currently the whole world is in the middle of the biggest detour any of us have ever known. COVID-19 has brought life as we know it, to a standstill. Fear and panic are raging all around us. The UNKNOWN threatens our peace and security. And our natural inclination to curl up in the fetal position and wish it all away, leaves us incapacitated and self-focused. Hoarding toilet paper and fixating on our fear.
  
  In my reading of the book of Acts, I was challenged by Paul’s reactions to the detours in his life (can I just say, he had a lot of them).
  
  Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians when he faced his first detour and met Jesus. Paul had his plans but God had other plans. Paul readily accepted the journey change and his life was never the same again. He embraced wholeheartedly the path that God had for him.
  
  From then on we see a Paul that holds his own agenda lightly and willingly accepts each detour that is sent his way.
  
  Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
  
  He was thrown in jail and forgotten for two years but that didn’t hinder him from preaching the gospel to every person that God brought across his path. He was shipwrecked and instead of twiddling his thumbs and waiting around for God to get him off the Island, he shared the Good News with those who lived there. At one point, the Holy Spirit steps in and tells him to go to a different place than what he had planned. It’s as if, each detour in Paul’s life was a “billboard” from God clearly showing him where he should go and what he should do.
  
  Image by Merio from Pixabay
  
  I’ve often wished that God would be so clear and direct with me. There have been many times where I’ve exclaimed, “God would you just make it clear what you want me to do and I’ll do it! Could you send me a postcard or write on a billboard so that I’ll know?” But taking a fresh look at Paul’s life has made me understand that just as detours were God’s “billboard” in Paul’s life, so they are in mine. If only, I would see the detours as clear direction from God about where He wants me to be and what He wants me to do. Think how much more productive and effective my life would be!
  
  Instead of wishing our detour of COVID-19 away, let’s embrace it and just like Paul, rise up, fearless and fierce. Daring to be different. Daring to be bold and courageous. Daring to look for ways to serve others and show them the way to Jesus.
  
  What if this detour is God’s way of telling us that we’ve controlled things long enough and now it’s time to pry our hands off the wheel? What if it is His “billboard” to us? Are we resisting His direction in our lives and wasting precious time, living in fear and wanting things to change or are we accepting this divine detour and rising up to follow?
  
  “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged covid-19, detour, Paul
- A Parable for Our Perilous Times
  
  Posted at 8:29 am by Grace Spilled Over, on March 23, 2020
  The trees were happy. They were content; they had beautiful green leaves for most of the year and fruit in the fall. They loved to praise one another for their splendor. Birds built nests and children climbed high up into their branches to pick the fruit. The trees loved to hear their laughter as it echoed throughout the forest. It was a peaceful and serene place and the trees stood tall and proud in their beauty.
  
  Although they didn’t know it, disaster was just around the corner.
  
  It started small. Just a few weeks without any rainfall. The trees told one another that it couldn’t last but a few weeks turned into months and months turned into years. The birds stopped building nests and children no longer came to climb in their branches.
  
  They became only shadows of their previous selves. Their leaves turned brown and died and they couldn’t even remember when the last time was they had produced, even one tiny piece of fruit. Their branches began to shrivel, and they knew all it would take to topple them, would be a tiny gust of wind.
  
  Soon whispers began to spread among the trees.
  
  Word was, there was a beautiful tree in the forest who had green leaves and continued to produce fruit, not just in the fall but all year round. How could this be? The trees wondered. How could this tree be so different from them, after all it was experiencing the same drought as they were? It felt the blazing heat just as much as they did. What secret did it possess? The trees reasoned that if this tree could flourish in the middle of the hardest drought they had ever known, than maybe they could too. So the trees in the forest began to pressure the surrounding trees to discover the flourishing tree’s amazing secret.
  
  One of the trees close by, finally got up the courage to ask the thriving tree what his secret was. Why were his leaves so green? How could he produce fruit ALL THE TIME?
  
  The tree replied, “It isn’t a secret. My roots just run down deep into the water. The hidden water which you can’t see but runs deep below the forest floor. This water runs pure and clean even in drought and it satisfies my thirst and produces continual fruit in me.”
  
  “But let me just tell you,” the tree continued. “If you want this too, it won’t be easy, letting your roots run down deep, takes perseverance, focus and plain hard work. It’s so much easier to settle for the easy rainwater on the surface.”
  
  “But I’ve discovered something; the hard work of letting my roots run deep into the living water, is where I’ve found life and hope and peace. And when the drought comes and the long months of heat linger on, I have nothing to fear.”
  
  This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. Jeremiah 17.5-8
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged peace, thriving
- Peace in the Middle of the Pandemic
  
  Posted at 3:24 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on March 16, 2020
  I woke to a phone ringing in my ear. Why was my phone ringing, I wondered? It’s the middle of the night here in Albania. No one should be calling me now – unless it’s an emergency!
  
  As I hit the button to accept the call, I heard my husband on the line. “Honey, I’m so sorry to wake you but President Trump just announced that all flights from Europe will be closed on Friday.” (And this was Thursday morning).
  
  I had spent a week of ministry in Budapest and then had just had a fruitful week of ministry in Durres (Albania). I had arrived in Berat on Sunday, to have a number of meetings with women here. When I had left the states, the Coronavirus had just started in Italy. By the end of the first week, there was talk Budapest would shut down schools and businesses. During the week in Durres they had no positive cases of Coronavirus. I have no doubt that it was God who allowed this week of ministry to happen.
  
  When I arrived in Berat, there were still no cases until the following morning. As soon as they discovered the virus, the government began to close everything. Kids were sent home from school. Universities were shut their doors. Soup kitchens, restaurants, coffee bars and any other large or small gatherings were prohibited. I wondered if they were going to kick me out of my hotel.
  
  By Wednesday, I had begun to think the airport might shut down so I had already begun to consider changing my ticket so I could “get-out-of-dodge.” (I had changed my flights once already so I wouldn’t have to fly through Rome, but I wasn’t leaving Albania until Saturday.) The government was not giving us any information. They were just shutting things down at will, no notice whatsoever.
  
  As I sat in my hotel room that early morning, God brought to mind, the Scripture I had just read earlier in the evening . . .
  
  The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14.14
  
  The Israelites were on the run from the Egyptians. Their backs were up against the Red Sea and they could see the dust of thousand chariots racing toward them. This is what Moses told the Children of Israel and it was what God was telling me that early morning in Albania. “I will fight for you Kristi, be calm.” (And He did! I’m writing this blog from my office in Michigan. To Him be all the glory and praise!)
  
  God is still on the throne! He has overcome the world!
  
  Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16.33
  
  The last day I spoke in Durres it was to over sixty women, many of them unbelievers. I shared with them the Confident Hope (Ephesians 1.18) we have in Jesus. I had a long red rope, and two inches of the end of the rope wrapped in yellow duct tape. I took the yellow end and held it up – “this represents our life here on this earth, just two inches.” Scripture says we are just a breath (Psalm 39.5). The red part of this rope is eternity! This yellow part is filled with earthquakes, sickness, sorrow and death. But eternity stretches on forever . . . will you chose eternal LIFE with Jesus or eternal DEATH? Jesus died to set you free. He died so you might spend eternity with Him!
  
  We had no idea what was right around the corner for these women. We have no idea what is right around the corner for us, either. Fear and panic are all around us but as followers of Jesus there is no need to walk in fear. We have a CONFIDENT HOPE, not wishful thinking but a sure thing!
  
  And we fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12.2), place our trust in Him, (not the government, not in amassing great amounts of toilet paper, food, etc.). AND HE BECOMES OUR PEACE in the middle of whatever situation we might be facing today, tomorrow or in the future.
  
  John 14.27
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- In Search of a Savior
  
  Posted at 5:42 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on February 9, 2020
  Since time began, all humanity has longed for a rescuer. A Savior who would set everything right. It’s buried deep in our DNA, this longing for a liberator. It’s reflected in stories the bards told in banquet halls and campfires long ago and it is even reflected in the fictional stories we tell today . . .
  
  The Lord of the Rings trilogy: it’s a small insignificant hobbit, named Frodo Baggins, who saves Middle Earth and dares to do what no one else is able to do.
  
  Harry Potter: A forgotten boy, with a broken childhood who becomes an unlikely deliverer.
  
  King Arthur: able to pull the sword from the stone, when no one else can, because he is the chosen one.
  
  Who is able to save us?
  
  Chris Tomlin, in his new song, Is He Worthy?, writes of this longing . . .
  
  Do you feel the world is broken?
  Do you feel the shadows deepen? . . .
  Is all creation groaning?
  Is a new creation coming? . . .
  Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
  Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? . . .
  
  “Is there anyone worthy? Is there anyone who will rescue us?” This is the cry of all humanity whether we realize it or not. Deep down, we know we need someone to rescue us. Oh we fool ourselves into thinking we can be our own savior but just look around . . . the world is full of failed saviors.
  
  The apostle John writes of this in the book of Revelation, “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”
  
  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.” (Revelation 5.2-4)
  
  Thankfully the story doesn’t end there!
  
  John continues to write . . Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. ” (Revelation 5.2-3,5)
  
  Praise God! there is ONE who is Worthy and Able to Rescue us, and He did!! What we’ve been waiting for, is here. What our hearts have been crying out for has come, in the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the true King able to break the seal and open the scroll. He is the Perfect One who took our place and paid the ransom for our souls.
  
  For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (1 Peter 1.18-19)
  
  And now He invites us be part of His family! How amazing is that. HE IS . . . “THE CHAMPION who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12.2
  
  Have you ever opened your heart to Him? He stands ready to save you. It’s already been done. The debt we owed was paid by the precious blood of Jesus. What He asks of you . . . to believe in Him and receive the gift He offers. “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10.9) This is His promise to all who believe.
  
  You can say to God something like this; Lord, I am in need of a rescuer and I believe you sent your Son Jesus to pay the price for my sins and I welcome you into my life to be my Savior and my King. Thank you for the incredible price you paid for me. Amen.
  
  If you prayed this prayer today, tell someone! I would love to know . . . email me at khuseby111@gmail.com.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- Peace. In. Me.
  
  Posted at 5:17 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on December 30, 2019
  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16.33
  
  As I read this familiar verse this morning, these three words pierced my soul. PEACE IN ME . . . Not peace in family, peace in circumstances, peace in finances, peace in physical health, peace in marital stability, peace in military might BUT . . .
  
  PEACE. IN. ME.
  
  Jesus never promised us a bed of roses when we chose to follow Him. He never promised us the right to be happy. But He did promise us PEACE when we remain in Him . . . JOY in the middle of our sorrow (John 16.22) . . . and a LOVE that will not let us go (Romans 8.38-39).
  
  As we look at this New Year stretching out before us, this new decade dawning, Jesus tells us we will have trials and sorrows – it’s a given. The real question is . . . will we find our Peace in Him or hunt for it in the temporary things that promise peace but never really deliver?
  
  None of us knows what is up ahead but we do KNOW the ONE who holds our future. He is OUR OVERCOMER and in Him we find our PEACE.
  
  May you experience true PEACE that is only found in Jesus in this . . .
  
  {2020} New Year!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- The Language of Love
  
  Posted at 11:37 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on December 1, 2019
  Construction workers arm themselves with a tool belt on the worksite.
  
  Women arm themselves with a purse for their “worksite” (also known as SHOPPING!).
  
  When ministering to women all over the world, I carry a bag as well. It’s an invisible bag full of ministry tools. Over the past two years, I’ve been working hard to fill this bag with “instruments” I can use in the different environments and cultures I step into. I’ve taken different trainings, read books and listened, all with purpose of filling this ministry bag I carry, so I might better serve the women God brings across my path.
  
  All of these tools are valuable, but I’ve discovered in this past season of travel, that it’s not the trainings or the books that are my greatest tool.
  
  The greatest thing I carry is Love . Real. Genuine. Present. Love .
  
  Stepping into different cultures, is often a lot like walking blindfolded in your home when the furniture has been moved. You’re constantly bumping into things and having to adjust your perspective. You never quite know, if what you’re going to say or do, will be offensive to those around you.
  
  But LOVE covers a multitude of sins . . . I have found that if you genuinely love the people you are with, if you are present and attentive than the offensive things you might do or say are easily overlooked because they know you sincerely love them.
  
  Because LOVE does what nothing else can do . . . it transcends cultures and crosses the barrier of languages!
  
  Paul speaks of this kind of love in 1 Corinthians 13 . . . If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
  
  I have watched contemporary counterparts attempting to learn about other people’s cultures but in their effort to understand they have forgotten to love. Without love, we become clanging cymbals. It jars the ears of listeners and pushes away those, we have come to serve.
  
  Love is more than just trying to understand another’s culture. Love says, “I value you. I want to know you. I respect your differences and I want to understand who you are. You are important.”
  
  After reflecting on the kind of love Paul is speaking about, I wrote what this looks like in my own context . . .
  
  If I could speak the language of each country I visited and yet didn’t love them, I would just be another loud obnoxious American. If I could discern the feelings of others and was able to explain God’s Word for all to understand and if I had a faith that could do the impossible but didn’t love others, I would accomplish nothing. If I traveled to the ends of the earth, sacrificed time with family and my own comfort but didn’t have love for others, it would all be for nothing.
  
  Even though I only speak one earthly language, English. I speak another more important language . . . the language of love. A language everyone, everywhere understands. It requires no special translator, no detailed explanation, no unique skill, just a heart that genuinely loves without expecting anything in return.
  
  And what God can do when we love like He loves us – well the possibilities are endless!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- The Audacious Plan
  
  Posted at 12:52 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on November 28, 2019
  As we reflect on God’s amazing blessings in our lives and give Him THANKS. Let’s not forget the BIGGEST, MOST INCREDIBLE gift we were given . . .
  
  The Three gathered in the grand hall for one final time. It was a closed door meeting.   Just three. Three who would change the course of time. Three who would determine the path of destiny. Three who devised a plan to triumph over all other plans.
  
  Tension snapped in the air like a downed wire, as they gathered around the table. This was a plan for the ages!
  
  It had all the makings of a good movie; a reckless rescue mission, drama, death, abandonment, resurrection, life. But this wasn’t a movie, this WAS life. Eternal Life.
  
  Each one turned to the other . . .
  
  “You will watch Your only Son live in a broken world, die a horrible death on a cross. You will have to turn Your back on Him. Are you okay with this? Are you sure you want to do this for a people who hate you?”
  
  “You will be a vulnerable baby in a broken world, you will be misunderstood, hated, bruised and afflicted and hung on a cross to die a brutal death? Are you willing to do this?”
  
  “You will be called to power this venture, to expend yourself for a people who are unworthy of such love. Do you want to do this?”
  
  There is no hesitancy, no doubt, no faltering. A resounding “Yes” echoes down the ages of time. The pain, sorrow and the difficulty of the plan would make the ENDING even that much more intoxicating.
  
  They could hardly contain their joy. Unbridled pleasure rippled in the room like waves rushing to shore. A roar of laughter burst from the room like a rushing torrent of water and made its way throughout the heavens, pouring into every nook and cranny. The angels paused in their activities as the merriment washed over them. They found themselves giggling uncontrollably! What was happening? What were they be planning that would cause such contagious beautiful joy?
  
  The time was finally here! Could they even wait a moment more to see their elaborate audacious plan carried out?
  
  All of this . . . this adoption, redemption plan . . . was for their CHILD. The one they LOVED! Their masterpiece. Their creation. The one they have been waiting for, all this time!
  
  This grand design of theirs would be at great personal cost to each one of them. But it was of little consequence. They were ready.   Let it begin . . .
  
  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1324306
  
  . . . In the beginning God . . . (Genesis 1:1)
  
  Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure. Ephesians 1.4-5
  
  Father, You adopted me and made me Your child. Jesus, You found me in the depravity of my own making and bought me with Your precious blood. Spirit, You marked me as, Forever Yours. There are no words. No language that can ever express the depth of my gratitude. May my life demonstrate in ways my words cannot, the thankfulness and the depth of my appreciation for what You have done for me! Amen.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
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- When Things Don’t Go as Planned
  
  Posted at 2:37 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on November 2, 2019
  Have you ever felt clearly called by God to go to a certain place to do a certain thing, only to discover when you got there it wasn’t anything like what you had planned? You couldn’t do what you thought God had led you to do.
  
  This was my recent trip to Southeast Asia.
  
  I’m still not clear as to why God called me to go but I believe He did and just because things didn’t go as I expected them, I’m choosing to trust God had a better plan. An unknown purpose, I can’t see.
  
  After four airplane flights, totalling almost 24 hours in the air (not counting layovers), I finally arrived in Southeast Asia.
  
  We had a beautiful day with church planters’ wives; encouraging them in the battle, listening to their struggles, sharing a meal and loving on them. Each one of these beautiful ladies, is making sacrifices beyond our Western imagination, so that they might carry the gospel to the unreached of Southeast Asia. What a privilege to sit in their midst and hear their hearts. Soul-sisters united by love for our Savior.
  
  Monday morning, we awoke at the crack of dawn to begin our travel to a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, where we were preparing to minister to students at a training center.
  
  I traveled with two other co-workers. Our day included: A two-hour traffic-jammed journey to the airport, a two-hour wait at the airport, a forty minute flight to our Island, lunch at a way-side restaurant near the ocean, a two-hour car ride on very narrow, curvy, up and down, mud-filled primitive roads that seemed to last a life-time.
  A hotel room with no sink or shower just a faucet, bucket and toilet and three single beds crammed into our tiny room (one mattress was on the floor).
  
  Dinner at the training center and games with the students and then back to our hotel room where we all fell into bed.
  
  Tuesday through Thursday, I was to be doing Community Health Education training with the students but after the first lesson, we realized these students weren’t ready for this type of training.
  
  The oldest student was twenty-three with the majority of the seventy students being around twenty. So basically, I pitched most everything I had planned on teaching and leaned into the Holy Spirit to guide and direct. I’m trusting He did. I felt His presence and clear direction as I spoke. But I have to say, this was one of the most challenging, enemy-fighting, faith-building, Holy Spirit-seeking training times I’ve ever had.
  
  The western area of this Island is a primitive place. Poverty is rampant. Education is minimal. Electricity comes and goes. WiFi is patchy and life is hard.
  Because it is mainly Christian on this part of the Island the government takes no notice of their difficulties and offers very little help. Nominal Christianity is the order of the day. Practicing a religion rather than developing a relationship with God defines most Christians in this place. My heart was saddened and I came away burdened with how Satan is deceiving the nations, because this isn’t just true of this tiny island in Southeast Asia . . .
  
  I wish I could tell you it was a fantastic trip, where we saw God work in profound ways but honestly, I can’t. I believe God was at work but I’m not sure how much the students’ hearts were open to receive it.
  
  I don’t know what God was doing behind the scenes and in hearts but I take hope in the words of Hebrews 4.12-13 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
  
  There is no power in my words, BUT God’s Word is active, alive and powerful and His truth can penetrate the darkest of places and the dirtiest of hearts!
  
  It is evident that Satan is hard at work . . . the potential, in seventy students whose hearts have been transformed by God and are sent out all throughout Southeast Asia to share the gospel, is HUGE! This is what Satan fears, so he is pulling out all the stops and throwing everything he’s got to destroy this ministry in whatever way possible. Please pray!!!
  
  This battle is not just in Southeast Asia, it is here. We have an enemy prowling around seeking out the vulnerable, the confused, those life-shattered souls who have lost their way and he is hard at work waging war using confusion and disillusionment as his weapons of choice.
  
  BUT God is greater. He is our LIVING HOPE! In Him we find refuge from the storm.
  
  God desires a relationship with you. It’s what Jesus died for – to restore what man once experienced long ago in the Garden of Eden – friendship with God! It’s nothing we DO, it’s all been DONE for us, we just need to receive this free gift He offers.
  
  Will you take a moment today and accept this free gift? Jesus did all the work for you when He gave His own life on the cross for you. No amount of good works you can do will accomplish what Jesus did for you on the cross. He made it possible for you to have eternal life and be with God forever! And He did it because He loves you! He wants you with Him.
  
  You might want to say something like this: Jesus I believe you died for me. You paid the penalty for my sins when you died on the cross and I invite you to come into my life and be the Master of my soul. Thank you for forgiving me, loving me and welcoming me into relationship with You!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  -kristi
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- When Truth Trumps Culture
  
  Posted at 1:58 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on September 27, 2019
  In my preparation for a global ministry, I have had lots of training on cultural sensitivity. Our culture is our culture and because of it we are often unaware of how it influences how we see the world around us; how we live life and the choices we make. It’s easy to go into a new culture with a judgmental heart because they do things so differently and through our lens it seems weird, foreign and sometimes just wrong.
  
  Being culturally sensitive when stepping into new cultures is a vital part of my ministry. Entering with a heart of love and not judgement is vital. Bringing a learning spirit, rather than a know-it-all spirit or my world-is-so-much-better-than-yours spirit opens the doors to understanding and seeing the good in the different culture I’m in.
  I have worked really hard at setting aside my need to be right and to have my ideas and ways of doing things validated. It’s harder than you might think! Pride always likes to raise it’s ugly head.
  
  Stepping into a new culture in a culturally sensitive way is the way Jesus lived. Think about it, He came from the splendor of heaven to this broken and messed up planet. He chose to enter as a baby, not as a righteous King ready to bring justice down on the heads of those He had created. Instead of wrath and justice, He brought humility and sacrifice. He lived in the culture and became one of us, while still remaining God!
  
  But Jesus didn’t let the “norms” of the day dictate how He would live and love the Father. He went against culture when it was wrong. He went out of his way to meet and sit with a Samaritan woman. He stopped where He was going to acknowledge the faith of the bleeding woman (someone in the eyes of the culture who would’ve made Jesus unclean). As a Rabbi, He washed His disciples’ feet. He was humble, when humble wasn’t even a word in their dictionary. He reached out to Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector and brought hope to his life. He threw over the tables of the men conducting business in the Synagogue. Jesus often went against the cultural norms when those norms clashed with what was right and He calls all those who follow Him to do the same.
  
  Our culture must not be our authority. It is God’s Word and it alone that should guide our lives and behaviors. And when culture and God’s Word clash, God’s Word should always win!
  
  In recent months, I have seen this clashing so clearly.
  
  Southeast Asia: Church planters adamantly declaring they couldn’t look their wives in the eye and say they were sorry. That just wasn’t acceptable in their culture.
  
  Kenya: Ethiopian pastors saying they beat their wives and their wives beat them and that is just how their culture is.
  
  But when does God’s Word trump culture? When do we let go of allowing the culture to define our behaviors and life?
  
  When it runs head long into God’s Word.
  
  So if culture is culture and hard for us to see how it influences us, how are we ever to get out from underneath it? How are we ever to stop it from having power over us?
  
  What is your measuring stick?
  
  Is it God’s Word or the opinions of people around you? Or your own performance? Or what is culturally acceptable?
  
  It’s not just Southeast Asia church planters and Ethiopian pastors who struggle with allowing the culture to dictate their lives, we too, have the same problem.
  
  We let the fear of what others might think over-ride our true authority, God’s Word.
  
  Jesus always went against culture when culture went against the Truth and we must do the same!
  
  It’s how we show the world we’re different. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5.14-15)
  
  And this difference draws others to THE LIGHT!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- The Least of These
  
  Posted at 10:44 am by Grace Spilled Over, on July 25, 2019
  I have been reading through the gospels this summer and asking one question . . .
  
  What does this passage teach me about Jesus?
  
  It’s been an eye opening and thought-provoking study. Once again, I’m reminded of how active and alive God’s Word is; because of the new things I’m learning and seeing through very old and familiar passages of Scripture.
  
  One of these truths, that has jumped out at me in this study is the value Jesus places on “the least of these”. Time and time again, I see his love and passion for the marginalized, the destitute, the simple, the outcasts in society, and the ones with no status or position. It was women and children and those who were handicapped. It was greedy tax-collectors, exhausted fishermen, shame-filled prostitutes, and lowly shepherds . . .
  
  Just this morning I read this passage that again speaks regarding “the least of these”.
  
  Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. (Luke 10.21)
  
  As I travel around the world, I’m constantly bumping into “the least of these” and I’m incredibly humbled by their UNWAVERING faith, by their willingness to turn down status and position to obey the call, by their daily sacrifices of which my brain struggles to even comprehend and makes make passing up a Starbucks seem puny and insignificant.
  By American standards, these people have nothing and are nothing. It’s easy to discount and overlook them. But in God’s Kingdom, the reality is I am walking among GREATNESS.
  
  This rubbing shoulders with greatness has changed me. It compels me to love Jesus more completely, sacrifice more fully, and follow unreservedly!
  
  “The Least of These” aren’t just overseas, they’re also right here in our backyards, our neighborhoods, our communities. How will we love them? How will we “wash their feet”? How will we learn from them?
  
  Will we let the busyness of life or our own pursuit of happiness keep us from these precious souls who have so much to teach us? Will we continue to see them through our American eyes, or will we step out of our comfort zones and love like Jesus loved?
  
  Because when you rub shoulders with “the least of these”, it will change you!
  
  This is God’s crazy UPSIDE down Kingdom; the last will be first and the first last, the childlike are really the wise and those who are wise in the world’s eyes are foolish. It’s the Island of misfit toys; where unlikely fisherman are transformed into preachers, where prostitutes pour perfume on the feet of the Savior they love, and where each unlikely follower discovers they have finally found a place to BELONG.
  
  May we ALL grow-up to be “the least of these.”
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
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- Inside Out
  
  Posted at 9:45 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on March 27, 2019
  We were in a large city in Southeast Asia and it was a beautiful Air B & B! White tiled floors, granite counter tops, a fun swing out on the balcony, two large tiled bathrooms. It was to be our home away from home for a few days and we were excited. What a fun place to be . . .
  
  Our home away from home . . . or so we thought.
  
  But what we didn’t know was that this beautiful pristine apartment had a dirty little secret.
  
  I went in to use the shower and a HUGUNDOUS cockroach was resting in the corner of the shower. I know these bugs are pretty common where it’s warm and humid but this baby was BIG! Because there was no one else around to kill the thing, it fell to me. I’m learning as I travel, that I’ve got to suck it up and just do some things I never thought I would ever have to do. This was one of those times. I grabbed my Chaco sandal, thankfully it’s nice and heavy and able to kill a VERY LARGE cockroach in a single whack! But the first time I went to kill the thing I was pretty tentative and it began to scurry all over the shower floor. There might have been some dancing and screaming going on as I attempted to keep it from running over my feet while still trying to kill it. After that first attempt, I got pretty good at killing them with one good blow. Because there wasn’t just one big cockroach, the place was infested with them. We woke up the next morning to find droppings all over the counter. At first, we thought it might be mice, because the droppings were pretty big BUT NO, it was just the CR’s.
  
  Needless to say, the beautiful Air B & B wasn’t so beautiful any more. I resorted to putting a towel under my door to make sure they wouldn’t get into my room while I slept.
  
  As I sat out on our balcony the next morning, in the fun swing, spending time with my Abba Father, I couldn’t help but think . . . It’s not just Air B & B’s that can have a false front; a beautiful outside exterior and a dirty little secret hiding inside. We, who are followers of Jesus, have the potential to be this way as well.
  
  It’s so easy to look like we’re truly following Jesus when we do all the right things, have the right lingo, follow a list of rules and yet our inner life looks anything BUT a follower. It might be a pornography issue, a root of bitterness that has buried itself deep inside, a dishonest heart, or a desperation that causes us to compromise all that we have stood for.
  
  We might be faithful churchgoers, committed Bible study leaders, sacrificial volunteers at church or in the community, donating to some wonderful causes and yet harboring a darkness in our soul that holds us in bondage and keeps us far from our Savior.
  
  Jesus described the hearts of the Pharisees in much the same way in Matthew 23.27, “For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.” And in Matthew 15.8 Jesus quoted from a passage of scripture in Isaiah when describing the them, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
  
  It’s so easy to fall into this trap, of thinking we’re okay because we look good on the outside, when we’re really rotting on the inside. It’s easy to think we’re a follower of Jesus because we’re checking the boxes and doing all the right things, but we’ve never acknowledged that our hearts are desperately wicked and in need of rescue. We’ve never invited Him in to wash us clean. We’ve never fully given up control.
  
  This can happen to any of us. It happened to the leading religious men of the day!
  
  We can be tracking with God, engaged, in relationship with Him and it only takes a second for our hearts to flip. It’s the little things that pull us away. The tiny compromises, the little “white-lies”, the small indiscretions, the subtle doubts and before we know it, we’re harboring a darkness deep in our souls.
  
  The beautiful thing about our Savior is that when we turn to Him in all our mess and filth, He doesn’t run away, instead He washes us clean with His blood and calls us His own! How amazing is that?
  
  Lord, I want to be an authentic follower of You. One who is right with You on the inside and the out. Make this to be true in my heart today and every day, as I seek after You.
  
  “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” John 4.23-24 (Message)
  
  Spilling His Grace, kristi
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- Sacred Space
  
  Posted at 2:46 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on January 30, 2019
  When I was a teenager, I read about Adoniram Judson and his missionary exploits in faraway Burma but never in a million years did I ever think I would be there ministering to the same precious people!
  This trip wasn’t without its challenges; a lost and then found I-phone (a story all its own in which I continue to Praise God for!!), eleven different plane flights, sleepless nights and jet-lag, the unknown, a fall in the river (while trying to get a good picture 😊), power outages (the norm), wondering if what we had prepared was what the women needed to hear, working with new partners, a team member who had to drop out at the last minute because she contracted shingles.
  But these challenges were nothing compared to what we saw God do!
  There are moments in our lives when we know, without a shadow of doubt, we’re exactly in the right place at just the right time. This trip was one of those moments for me. God confirmed again in my heart the calling He gave me three years ago while on my first trip to Southeast Asia. I remembered so clearly how I felt after leading that first women’s retreat. I told God that day . . . “I know this is what you made me for and I love it! There isn’t anything I’d rather be doing in all the world than this. I will go anywhere, do anything, put up with anything to be able to do this for the rest of my life!!!!” God again renewed that desire in my life as I watched these women grab hold of the teaching from God’s word.
  Even as I was preparing for these messages, I clearly felt God’s direction and illumination. I have used a train to illustrate what we put our faith in here in the states with many women but as I have begun to travel, I’ve realized this illustration doesn’t translate well in other cultures. Since February last year I’ve been praying that God would provide a new way to explain this truth and He not only gave me the illustration but it’s something that is easily transferrable around the world! I am in awe!! And it’s things like this where God is continuing to deepen my faith and trust in Him.
  This past week, as these women learned, I was challenged as well:
  - Faith isn’t just something we say, we must live it! Our actions show whether we truly believe or not. They show what we are putting our faith in. If I say, “I trust God.” But then turn around and worry, worry, worry. I’m not trusting.
  - We all carry around invisible burdens, like fear, shame, finding our identity in other things/people instead of claiming who God says we are. These burdens weigh us down and trip us up, mire us in the mess and keep us from running the race God has set for us.
  - Shame can be one of our biggest unseen burden. It causes us to cover-up, to wear masks, and keep us walled in from God and those around us.
  These simple ordinary women have the power to change their worlds for Christ. Many of them live with daily hardships we can barely begin to imagine. And yet God sees them, knows them and loves them dearly. What sacred space it was to come alongside them and walk with them for a short time. I will treasure these moments and hold them close to my heart even as I pray for more opportunities to walk alongside God’s precious women.
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- Unsettled
  
  Posted at 2:24 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on December 28, 2018
  It’s been a wild, wonderful and amazing year! I’ve traveled to ten countries, took just about every mode of transportation known to man – a motorcycle, a boat, tuc tucs, trains, planes, subways, cars, vans, and taxis. I gazed upon the Adriatic Sea, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific.
  The breathtaking beauty of God’s creation is awe-inspiring but even more than this is the real true beauty I have seen in the people I have met along the way. People who have recklessly abandoned their own comfort and said YES to God. People who are following with their whole hearts. Men and women totally sold-out to Jesus Christ. And I have been wrecked and humbled by their obedience, their willingness to sacrifice ALL for the gospel.
  As I step into this New Year, I want to be ALL-IN. I’ve increasingly discovered over this past year that my battle to be ALL-IN lies within my all-consuming desire for comfort. And so this year, I have chosen as my Word-for-the-Year: Unsettled. I feel much the same way I did when I chose the word DARE in 2016. Sheer terror. But I’m pushing past the fear because I know this is where God will do His purifying work in my heart. This is where He wants me to be.
  Jesus told His followers in Luke 9. 23-24, “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will embark on a discovery of more and more of true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep.” (The Passion Translation)
  And in verse fifty-eight of that same chapter Jesus again talks about the cost of following Him when He says, “remember this: even animals in the field have holes in the ground to sleep in and birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place here to lay down his head.” And in verse 62, “Why do you keep looking backward to your past and have second thoughts about following me? When you turn back you are useless to God’s kingdom realm.”
  Our love of comfort makes it easier to trust ourselves rather than God. Our need for comfort keeps us safe and mediocre. Our desire for comfort above-all-else pushes us to settle for less than what God intends.
  I refuse to let comfort be my God.
  So with more than a little trepidation, I reach out my hand and take the Hand of my Father knowing He loves me as far as the East is from the West, and I embrace the UNSETTLED place because this is where LIFE is found!
  Spilling His Grace,
  kristi
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- Where’s Jesus?
  
  Posted at 3:46 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on December 24, 2018
  www.amazon.com
  
  Are you familiar with the books entitled, Where’s Waldo? These books have no words just pictures. What makes them unique is that this no-word-book-with-only-pictures is designed for big kids and even adults! Each page has a quirky little guy wearing a red and white striped hat but the tricky part is finding him. There are so many things jammed onto each page that it’s difficult to see him and there begins the hunt . . . finding Waldo on pages that are crammed full of stuff.
  
  As I was thinking of Christmas this year and remembering years past . . . the constant hustle and bustle, gifts to purchase, goodies to make, cards to send, traditions to uphold, decorating, partying, planning, caroling and on and on the list goes. I couldn’t help but wonder, does my life look a lot like a Where’s Waldo book, only it’s not Waldo I’m looking for, it’s JESUS!
  
  Is my world is so crammed, jammed and packed with stuff, there’s no room for Him?
  
  How ironic it is. The ONE who is at the center of our celebration is so pushed into the background that we struggle to find Him anywhere.
  
  We leave no space for Him.
  
  So often even the “good things” we do cause Him to fade into the background.
  
  You know how I can tell this? By what’s on my to-do list. I have on my list, serving at Church, making gifts for my neighbors, caroling to a nursing home, preparing great meals for my returning kids . . . but nowhere on my list is spending time only with Jesus, being still and knowing Him.
  
  I rush, rush, rush, everywhere doing good things for Him but never spending time WITH Him.
  
  What would it look like for us to take everything off the page . . . all the traditions, present-wrapping, card-writing, meal-cooking . . . EVERYTHING and sit down with God and ask Him what He wants us to do?
  
  What if we re-evaluated why we’re doing all the things we do? Is it to impress? Because it’s expected? Because we’re worried what people will think?
  
  What would we look like, if putting Christ in the CENTER became what was most important in our lives?
  
  John’s final words in his book of 1John are so poignant . . . Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. (1 John 5.21 NLT)
  
  Are you willing to do the hard work of stripping away the busyness, the superficial and the expected to ensure that nothingtakes His place in your heart?
  
  Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
  
  Look full in His wonderful face,
  
  And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim,
  
  In the light of His glory and grace.
  
  -Helen Lemmel
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- Lesson from the Lions
  
  Posted at 12:10 am by Grace Spilled Over, on November 19, 2018
  We had just cleared the gate in our safari vehicle and had gotten our first glimpse of the huge savannah stretching out before us, when the radio beeped. Someone had spotted the lions! We jolted and bumped our way down the narrow dirt road in our quest to see these illusive beasts.
  
  As we pulled up and joined a caravan of safari vans, jeeps and cars, I saw one lion head off to our right, and then I looked to my left and another lion slunk right past me.
  
  The lions were hunting!
  
  A pack of zebras were contentedly grazing just a measly hundred yards away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Would we see a lion take down a zebra today, I wondered? Part of me was excited about witnessing this real-life drama and the other half wondered if I would be traumatized for the rest of my life, from the experience.
  
  I continued to watch this lean and muscular mama lion as she patiently watched the zebras and waited for her hunting partner to come around the other side. She was just yards from where I stood in our open-aired van. She would crouch down and crawl on her belly trying to get a better view of the zebras. The color of her fur was a perfect match to the savannah grass and I could easily see how camouflaged she was. The zebras continued to eat undisturbed just yards away while DEATH watched and waited!
  
  As I stood in the van that morning, watching this drama play out, I clearly saw the parallels to my own spiritual life.
  
  I am like the zebra . . . Contented. Comfortable. Complacent. Focused on my own satisfaction. Completely oblivious to the danger.
  
  Death waiting for me to get separated from the pack. Death watching for any signs of weakness or vulnerability.
  
  When life overwhelms us, it’s easy to pretend the danger isn’t really there. When all we can see is our need for comfort, it’s so easy to forget! When we’re distracted by busyness, it’s easy to let ourselves become isolated and alone.
  
  And there we are, a prime target for his attack!
  
  It’s why the apostle Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5.8:
  
  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
  
  We have an enemy who hungers for our souls.
  
  And he is patient . . .
  
  Just like the lion, he is watching and waiting for just the right time to attack.
  
  And he is patient . . .
  
  He prowls around the edges of our lives, waiting for the time when we allow ourselves to become vulnerable and weak.
  
  And he is patient . . .
  
  Never have I seen more clearly how susceptible I am and how patient the enemy is.
  
  How do we fight this enemy? By being on guard. By staying alert. By banding together; warning of the danger, encouraging the discouraged and standing in the gap for each other. This is what the body of Christ is for. This is what it means to be in community. This is how we keep the enemy from winning!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- Unwrapped
  
  Posted at 2:59 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on October 13, 2018
  Jesus said to the people standing around Lazarus after He had commanded him to come out of the grave, “Unwrap him and let him go.” John 11.44 (NLT)
  
  Isn’t this what Jesus says to us when we invite Him into our lives and He raises us to new life in Him. “I have unwrapped your chains, now be free!”
  
  But how many of us continue to be wrapped up in our chains?
  
  Chains of fear. Chains of shame. Chains of caring more what other people think than what God thinks. Chains of pride. Chains of guilt. Chains of bitterness. Chains of anger. Chains of disappointment. Chains of disillusionment. Chains of worry. Chains of control. Chains of unforgiveness.
  
  And we wonder why we’re stuck. Why we continue to fail. Why we feel trapped in our old life when Christ promised us NEW life.
  
  In my own struggle, I’ve realized something. Something I hate to admit . . .
  
  I like my chains. They’re my security blanket, where I feel safe and comfortable. Without them, I feel naked and vulnerable. I know it sounds oxymoronic but it’s true.
  
  Unwrapping is often so much harder than we think it will be. It sounds so simple but it’s just way to easy to return to the known rather than to step into the unknown. It feels much safer to stay where we are, curled up in the “security” of our chains. Never choosing to face . . . Our “demons”. Our strongholds. Our chains. Instead we believe the lies Satan feeds us . . . “You deserve this. What kind of God would ask you to give this up – you need it. This is so much easier. You should stay where you’re comfortable.”
  
  This was never the life Jesus wanted for us. It isn’t the life He died for.
  
  What if Lazarus had chosen to remain in his graveclothes instead of letting someone unwrap him? What if he said, “If you unwrap me I’ll be naked. Let me live with them?”
  
  I can hear you saying, “That’s ridiculous no one would ever do that!”
  
  And yet that’s the way many of us are living . . .
  
  We are dead men walking. Weighed down by our chains. Existing but not really living.
  
  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8.36
  
  The truth is . . . Jesus died to set us free. Free from the shackles that have held us captive for far too long. Free to be all that He intended us to be. Free to say “Yes” to Jesus.
  
  Free to live a life unwrapped!
  
  So let’s live it!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- Full Circle
  
  Posted at 7:30 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on July 14, 2018
  Why did Adam and Eve get kicked out of the garden? You might be thinking, well duh, it’s because they sinned. But is that why they were thrown out of the garden? Look what it says in Genesis 3.
  
  Then the LORD God said, ‘Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!’ So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden . . . The LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And He placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3.22-24)
  
  So let me ask the question again, why were Adam and Eve thrown out of the Garden of Eden?
  
  Because they had become like God knowing both good and evil. They had sinned and if they ate of the tree of life they would live forever. I don’t understand all the implications of sinful people eating of the tree of life but I do know it was enough to banish all humanity from the Garden of Eden, so there would never be even a remote chance any of us would eat from the tree.
  
  But the beautiful thing about this banishment is that it isn’t forever! For those who are victorious, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will one day be able to eat the fruit of the tree of life! Check out Revelation 2.7, “To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”
  
  At the beginning of the Bible we see the banishment and at the end we see the final restoration. Full circle.
  
  God loves to bring things full circle. He loves to take what was broken and make it new. He loves to take what sin has made ugly and turn it into something beautiful! He loves turning ashes into beauty. He is a restoring kind of God.
  
  We see it all throughout Scripture in the lives of His people – Job, Joseph, Paul (just to name a few).
  
  And I’ve seen this in my own life (maybe you have too) . . . I was born to missionary parents in Alaska. I loved it there, it was my home, my safe place. When I was around nine years old we moved from Alaska to California and my world fell apart. All I wanted to do was to go back “home”. As a young girl, I decided the best way to go back would be to become a missionary. I grew up with that hope in my heart until God brought me face to face with my true motivation and called me to surrender to His will and His way. I let go of my dream and began to pursue Him. And now forty years later, I’m finally carrying the love of Jesus to women all over the world. God has brought this hope in my heart full-circle.
  
  Being in the middle of the circle is the hard part. Trusting God when things don’t make sense. When He calls us to wait in the uncertainty. When it doesn’t look like He will restore. When it seems He will never bring healing. When it feels impossible.
  
  But it’s in the middle where God does His most refining work.
  
  There’s a vast space of time between Genesis and Revelation and so it often is, in our circles.
  
  Don’t let go, don’t give up. God is at work, maybe you can’t see it but He is. Trust that He will bring your pain, your sorrow, your brokenness, into His full-circle restoration!
  We haven’t reached the promise. We haven’t tasted of the tree of life, but it is there waiting for us and one day . . . One day, for those who allow God to do His refining work and are victorious, we will eat of that tree and finally come full-circle!
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
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- Walking Among Giants
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on June 15, 2018
  Pictures a blurred to protect these women
  
  She almost fit under my arm, when standing side by side for a photograph. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but this tiny petite woman is a giant. She laughs and cries, struggles with insecurity and rejection, and worries about the safety of her family. But this simple ordinary woman has dared to say YES to God. She has said yes to living in a hostile environment, constantly on guard, so she can carry God’s light to Muslim women.
  She and her husband have sacrificed everything to follow the call. She lives in a poverty-stricken area, with little to no comfort. Dressing like those around her means she must cover her head and wear long sleeves in a very hot and humid climate.
  
  But her smallness didn’t keep me from looking up at her.
  
  And it wasn’t just one giant but many that I spent time with on this trip to Southeast Asia.
  It was an opportunity for these beautiful women to get away from the pressure cooker of life. To enjoy a little piece of heaven on earth. To set aside the cares and concerns of life, to uncover in more ways than one for a few short days. To experience a breath of fresh air.
  
  We laughed, we cried, we opened our hearts to one another and shared our struggles. They invited me into their circle, a stranger who just wanted to love on them, hold their hand and listen, pray with them and remind them of God’s passionate love for them.
  
  I walked among giants. Giants of the faith. Are they perfect – no! Do they struggle with sin? Yes! Does busyness tend to distract them? Always! But they are giants just the same. These spiritual giants have sacrificed ALL to walk in obedience with God. They carry the light into extreme darkness. Often, they are isolated and alone, in a community that rejects them and what they represent. They walk with care, never knowing if someone will report them. They worry for the safety of their children. And yet they continue on . . .
  
  They are real life Indiana Jones’ not looking for treasure but bringing THE TREASURE to broken and lost people.
  
  I felt humbled to be among them.
  
  Watching them so carefree; laughing, bantering with one another, dancing, worshipping God with their whole hearts – it was hard to imagine the oppression they live under day after day.
  
  My heart aches for them. And I can’t help but ask, “God, what am I willing to give for the cause of the gospel?”
  
  Radically following Jesus looks different for each of us. It doesn’t always mean we must sell everything, uproot our families and move to the other side of the world. But it does mean saying YES to God, whatever that might be.
  
  I learned this week you don’t have to be physically tall to be a giant! Because I walked among five-foot giants and it brought me to my knees.
  
  I want to love God like they love God. I want to worship Him like they worship Him. I want to be a giant.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  -kristi
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- The Treasure
  
  Posted at 2:20 am by Grace Spilled Over, on June 7, 2018
  I’ve recently been reading Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson. (By the way, I highly recommend the book.) In chapter five of the book, there is a paragraph that deeply resonated with me.
  
  The Bible was written over a span of fifteen hundred years by more than forty writers. God inspired kings and poets and prophets and shepherds. They wrote out of very different personalities in very different circumstances. Some wrote in the plush setting of a palace, while others etched their words during an island exile. Some wrote out of the agony of personal tragedy, while others wrote in the ecstasy of an epiphany. Written in three different languages on three different continents, there is no other book like the Bible. Despite the fact that it touches on thousands of complex subjects and controversial topics, it possesses a supernatural harmony from beginning to end. And it is omnirelevant to every person on the planet. -Mark Batterson
  
  As I’ve studied books and articles on cultural relevance and the importance of understanding cultural nuances and differences, it has deepened my Awe and Wonder at this amazing book God has given us.
  
  There is no other book ever written that can cross all cultures, all times and speaks so intimately to our human needs, like the Bible.
  
  This excites me and gives me the confidence that when I teach women how to study the Bible, it will speak to them in ways I never could. It will meet them where they are at and will speak as deeply to them as it has to me.
  
  A friend of mine, sent me this note: I feel like one of my best friends is the Christian, Indiana Jones! The amazing thing is that you are not searching for treasure, you are bringing the treasure.
  
  I don’t know about the Indiana Jones part, most of the time I don’t feel very brave or intrepid. It often seems like this mission is WAY-TO-BIG-FOR-ME and it is! But the beautiful part is I don’t carry my message but God’s. I don’t go alone, I go with Him. It’s His mission, His vision, His work! I just get to join with Him and carry this amazing treasure to the lost, the broken, the hurting.
  
  My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver. Seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2.1-5
  
  God has given each one of us this incredible treasure!
  
  In this world of changing values and ideas, of brokenness and pain, of varying cultures and unsettling thoughts, the Bible remains strong and true. We can stand on its wisdom, rely on its truth and carry it with confidence into our changing times. It uplifts, challenges, corrects, meets us right where we’re at; whether we’re rich or poor, literate or illiterate, from Dubai or the slums of Nairobi and has the power to transform lives!
  
  What other book do you know that can do that?!
  
  It is an unending treasure to be explored and a road map to guide us in navigating this ever-changing world.
  
  Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Psalm 119.72
  
  May we never take for granted this treasure we hold. May we handle it with care and step confidently into this broken world as we carry His Truth!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
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- Just Passing Through . . .
  
  Posted at 7:51 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on May 3, 2018
  Her arm, shoulder and hand had tattoos. Her hair had this crazy bleached out streak in it, her style was definitely different than my own.
  
  And because of her differences, it was easy to assume she didn’t love Jesus like I loved Jesus.
  
  But that was just not so. Ashley loved Jesus with all her heart! And her love for Him spilled out onto those God brought across her path. The tattoos covering her body were Scripture she clung to. And in her short twenty-eight years she impacted the world for Christ in ways we probably will never know until we get to heaven.
  
  God called Ashley home just a few short weeks ago. Her absence leaves a gaping hole in our lives and we grieve because of our great loss. We grieve for the husband and daughter she left behind. We grieve for the experiences lost and the incredible way she served so many. How can we ever replace that? Our loss was heaven’s gain!
  
  But I refuse to call Ashley’s death a tragic accident. It’s easy to see it that way. One so young with so much living yet to do, suddenly gone. A family left behind. A daughter who will never have her mom pick out a prom dress with her. A husband with an empty space in his bed. Questions that seem to go unanswered.
  
  But it’s not tragic for Ashley! She is now living in the presence of the Savior she loved so dearly; more ALIVE than she has ever been. Dancing with Him, singing with Him and gazing on His face. She is HOME.
  
  But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. Philippians 3.20
  
  It’s so easy to live like this life is all there is. To grab and cling to the here and now and forget that we don’t really belong here. This is just a stopping ground, a place to camp out until we reach our real home.
  
  Ashley lived in the knowledge that eternity was coming! She knew her hope was not in this life, that slips through our fingers like sand, but in the life to come. She lived with a confident hope that her last breath here would be her first breath in heaven. And it was!!
  
  I want to live this way! Totally sold out to Jesus. Holding nothing back. Making every moment count. I want to live. I want to laugh. And I want love like she did. Like Jesus calls me too. I want to remember this world is not my home, I’m just passing through . . .
  
  Spilling His grace,
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- Burn Your Ships
  
  Posted at 8:16 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on April 9, 2018
  The story is told of a Spanish sailor named Cortez, who landed in the Americas. After landing, he ordered the ships to be burned. There was no going back. They were there to stay.
  
  How often do we make a decision to let go but still find ourselves clinging to the old way. Holding onto things “just in case” it doesn’t work out. Never fully committing. Never completely letting go.
  
  It’s the woman on a diet who holds onto her “fat pants” just in case.
  
  It’s the newly married man who keeps the number of an old girlfriend in his phone, just because.
  
  It’s the teenager who gets the answers to the test. She doesn’t intend to use it but just in case she hasn’t had time to study . . .
  
  It’s the betrayed friend who hangs onto the bitterness, justifying her right to hold onto it. It’s the father who refuses to forgive a wayward son because he’s done it one to many times before. . .
  
  Never really ALL IN.
  
  Recently I have found myself on this journey of letting go of a stronghold in my own life. And I’ve realized I can’t cling to the old if I truly want to move on. I’ve got to “Burn my Ships!”
  
  There’s no going back. No secret out. No straddling the fence. It has to be ALL or nothing.
  
  And then the fear sets in and the lies become louder than the truth. What if I fail? What if it really isn’t possible. If I “burn my ship” what will I have to fall back on if this doesn’t work?
  
  But in the fear, when we choose to trust, when we choose to listen to truth and let the lies fade into the background, we realize God is greater. God is bigger. God is enough.
  
  And He gives us the courage to “Burn our Ships” and live in the land of the free!
  
  Because this land of freedom is where you intend to STAY, what “ships” do you need to burn in your life today?
  
  Don’t wait. Burn your ship. Step out in faith. Make a clean break. God promises to meet you there.
  
  Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah 2.8-9
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
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- Living for the Applause of Nail-Scarred Hands
  
  Posted at 12:56 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on March 29, 2018
  As Easter approaches, my soul has never been more aware of the freedom I have in Christ because of His great sacrifice for me!
  
  For years I have had a stronghold in my life that has held me captive. I knew Jesus set me free, but I refused to step out of my chains and live free. I liked the security my chains gave me. I was comfortable with them. I was like a woman who refuses to leave her abusive husband because the unknown is just too scary. I know it sounds crazy. Oxymoronic even. Why would someone ever opt for chains when they could live a life of liberty?
  
  But that’s exactly what I have done for far too long.
  
  A few months ago, things came to a head and I knew I could no longer live the way I had been living. And so I began this journey of repentance and freedom. I didn’t know it would bring freedom at the time, I just knew I couldn’t live like I had been living. I was broken and undone.
  
  I was hesitant. I had been down this road before and it wasn’t pretty. I had failed. I was a failure at least that’s how I saw it. But God spoke deep into my heart and reminded me that I was made for more! He died to set me free from sin, not to wallow in it and remain in my mess. With Him ALL things are possible!
  
  One ordinary day, in this journey, I was challenged to come into God’s presence and sit with Him; with my fear, with my anger, with my frustration. Just to be. And while being, to picture Him sitting there next to me.
  
  The house was quiet. I sat at the end of my couch and pictured Christ sitting next to me. Sitting there I began to wonder what He looked like. Was He the Jesus of the Sunday School pictures I brought home each week as a kid? Did He have long hair? I realized I had no idea what He looked like but instead of staying there I began to think about what I would do if He were truly next to me.
  
  I knew immediately – I would hold His hand.
  
  So I held out my hand and pictured Jesus putting His hand in mine and when I did, I saw His nail-scarred hand! This visible reminder of His sacrifice for me! This sacrifice, at such great personal cost to Him, purchased my FREEDOM. And yet, I have continued to live in captivity. I have continued to dwell in my chains. I have continued to circle my mountain, instead of climbing to the heights!
  
  Once again I was broken and undone! How frivolous I have treated His lavish and costly gift. It was a sacred and holy moment as I felt God whisper gently into my brokenness.
  
  Jesus said in John 8.35, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” I heard it loud and clear that day, “You are free Kristi, so be free!!”
  
  I no longer want to cheapen the sacrifice Jesus made for me by choosing to live bound up in my chains. I am free! And I am choosing to live free!
  
  “I want to live for the applause of those precious nail-scarred hands.” (Mark Batterson – The Lion Chaser Manifesto) Because nothing else matters more than Him.
  
  Thank You, Jesus – Hillsong
  
  Grace that flows like a river, washing over me.
  
  Fount of Heaven, love of Christ, overflow in me.
  
  Thank you, Jesus! You set me FREE. Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  Take this life delivered, a vessel of Your love,
  
  Wholly now devoted, to see Your Kingdom come.
  
  Thank you, Jesus! You set me FREE. Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  You’ve given me life. You’ve opened my eyes.
  
  I love You, Lord. I love you, Lord. You’ve entered my heart.
  
  You’ve set me apart. I love You, Lord. I love you, Lord.
  
  Thank you, Jesus. You set me free! Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  Spilling His grace and LIVING for the applause of nail-scarred hands,
  
  kristi
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- I am a lover of Jesus first, a mom to four grown men and married to my best friend. A writer, speaker and amateur photographer armed with an i-phone, a travel geek, and a confessed tea snob. Crazy about finding kindred spirits in unlikely places and watching God transform a life. On staff with ReachGlobal and traveling the world empowering women with the gospel of Jesus.
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