Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Kit speaking Sunday both services

I will be speaking at both services this Sunday about 'The Season of Loss'. Like all the seasons of the weather our lives go through seasons as well. Some season of life are warm like summer, some seasons are full of brilliant colors and change like fall, some seasons of life are full of hope and newness like spring, and some seasons of life are cold and bitter like a harsh winter. The season of loss is a tough season to get through for most of us. It often times shakes our faith and causes us to question everything including God. But, even though God allows a season of loss in our lives He doesn't want those losses to crush us. He wants to strengthen us and encourage us during the toughest times of our lives. God wants to teach us and guide us through seasons of loss in order that He can continue to use our lives and testimonies to help others to make it through to Him as well. The Apostle Paul made a statement to the effect that his losses meant nothing compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Christ...that somehow his [Paul's] personal suffering brought him closer to the suffering of Christ. The Father knows loss...after all He gave His only Son for each one of us to have true life. In the midst of our greatest losses is the Lord Himself telling us it's ok...it will be alright...for all the losses we experience in this life, as painful as they are, cannot compare to what He has in store for those of us who trust and believe in Him. May God encourage you in your time of loss, to know that this loss is only for a moment and then He [God] will make all things right...He has sealed this promise with the life blood of His only Son...for He is God and He cannot lie...so hold onto His promise my dear one!


This message, 'The Season of Loss', will be available on mp3 at hopechapelmaui.com mid-week of November 3rd


Please continue to pray for WBC's and RBC's to go up to normal range. Also pray for my planned to trip November 14th -28th to watch my son wrestle in Oregon (pray for protection from illness on the plane and throughout the trip). God is doing a great miracle in me!

With much gratitude for you persistent love,
kit

Thursday, October 23, 2008

giving it away!

I know a lot of family and friends visit the blog to get an update on how I am doing and that kind of care and concern is never taken for granted. I just want you to know that your love and prayers are keeping me free from sickness and even causing my blood counts to go up. My WBC went up this last week, which is a miracle and so did my Red blood cell count. I need both whites and reds to improve even more, especially the whites (the ones that fight disease), so please keep up the prayers. But, as much as I like your prayers and feel your love I really don't want this blog to just be about me. I want it to be about you and your walk with the Lord. I want my life to be about serving you, otherwise it becomes a self centered, lonely place. I believe we were created to give ourselves away to one another. After all, Jesus did say in order to really gain life we must lose it for His sake and if we try to hold onto our life in this world we lose real life. (Matt. 16:24) How true that is! I think we feel the best about our lives when we are giving ourselves away to others. When we lay down our life for our husbands and wives, our families, our children our friends, even for the stranger in need...life, true life fills our hearts and we get a real sense of accomplishing something valuable, something truly worthwhile. It isn't so much the number of years God gives us, but what we do with those years that really counts. When you take the time to pray for your friends and family and others you are doing something that is captured by God for all eternity. When you give to others from your resources, your time, your concern, your love...you are storing up treasures Jesus says. Someday there will be no more pain and suffering and loss and hurt, but in this world we do and will have troubles and problems, troubles and problems that threaten to take away our joy and our peace. The greatest antidote to these troubles and problems is love...the love of God available to us unlimitedly and it is activated by being other centered....by getting our eyes off ourselves and onto those around us. God provides the needs of others as an opportunity to express His love through each of us as we respond in unselfish love and concern and compassion. Yes, these times are tough with economic uncertainty and all kinds of problems in our lives...I should know... but I also know that God loved us so much He gave...and that is what we are to do...give...give of ourselves just as you have given to me. I want to be able to give to you...so I want you to know I pray for you...I keep giving messages, I keep teaching, I keep this blog going not only to keep you informed on what God is doing in my life but so that you would be encouraged in your life. There is no problem too big, no valley too dark and deep that God can not reach us and turn our broken and scared and hurt heart around for His glory. Life is found in giving our life away to others, for this is true life, life everlasting...all that is done in and through His love remains forever. We know this because God has placed this truth within our hearts... and that is why when we give ourselves away we gain more real life. So don't be timid or afraid the Lord says, but be courageous for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go! (Joshua 1:9)

May the Lord empower your life today to do what is right and good in His sight!
In His love
kit

Saturday, October 18, 2008

You keep me going!

Thank you for all your prayers and support...please keep it up. I was able to teach two Friday Nights in a row and that was a wonderful privilege for me. My energy levels are pretty good. My white blood cell counts are still low (keep praying them up) which keeps me from being around a lot of people, especially if they are sick or have been exposed to anyone sick. I wear a doctor's mask (after all I am a Doctor of Philosophy...hee hee..) before and after services and whenever I go into places where there are lots of people. You should see the reaction I get at the bank when I walk in with my mask on (do you want it all in large bills?...just kidding)...also people see me with that mask and walk several feet around me hoping they don't catch anything (I find that interesting). But, overall, the Lord has been very gracious to me. I haven't had to have a blood transfusion since I got out of the hospital and my overall health has been good. Every once and a while I get my eyes off the Lord and start thinking my life is going to be required of me here real soon and then I weep a bit, but the Lord helps me to not feel sorry for myself (it is really just the thought of leaving my loved ones that makes me sad) and God reminds me that we all have only so many days here on planet earth anyway and that my eternal destiny in Him is secure and my job is to just live out each moment He gives me to the fullest and leave the rest to Him. So that is what I am doing... and your love and support and prayers help keep me going. Please pray that all my blood counts would go to the normal range, that God would heal me miraculously and that He will keep me healthy enough to teach Sunday November 5th and then be able to go see my son, Mikey (in Oregon), wrestle November 14th through the 28th enjoying thanksgiving with him and his new wife Shae and the relatives. My prayer for you today is that God would give you a real peace regardless of what you are going through, knowing that as you rest in Him, He guards and protects your heart and mind. He is forever faithful to all who love Him and in His right hand is life eternal, a gift of love that no one can take from you because you believe in His one and only Son.

I love you dearly and I thank God everyday for your prayers and support!
kit

Monday, October 13, 2008

A wonderful gift!

I got a wonderful gift this weekend! Friday, as I was finishing getting ready for that night's message I had a call from my son Mikey, who is in his last year at Southern Oregon University. I always enjoy it when my son calls and as I settled down to an uninterrupted conversation with this young man I love so dearly, someone started knocking at the gate entrance to our property. The strange thing was that I could hear the knocking on my cell phone...I thought...wow...that's weird...and as I opened the gate to tell the person(s) knocking that I was on the on the phone with my son...low and behold, it was my son! What a shock! Mikey's wife (Shae's) uncle Danny (who is mainly responsible for Shae and Mikey getting together) had flown himself and Mikey to Maui for the weekend. It was one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received. Shelly, Maisha and I enjoyed Danny and Mikey's company all weekend long and then put them back on the plane Sunday afternoon to Oregon. Needless to say, I squeezed every moment of life I could out of this last weekend! I live everyday pretty much like that, squeezing the life out of life...trying to get all I kind out of the life God has given me. The interesting thing is that since being diagnosed with terminal cancer I find that the thing I am looking for in life is just being close to the people I love, just sharing the moment with them. All that is important when your life may be terminated is having the people you love around you and feeling the love of God in and through them. I am constantly close to the Lord, so the things that are important to Him are the important things to me. I don't think I have ever lived any fuller than I am right now...just savoring every minute of life while at the same time...having a real peace about it all because I truly believe that in Jesus, I have eternal life as well. It is an awesome way to live your life. To really live and move and have your being in God...trusting that no matter what, you will never really be separated from the one's you love who love God as well brings me great peace and a deep joy. I pray you have that peace and deep joy in God today. That in Christ Jesus you have found God's love and eternal promise for you and your loved ones. I pray that you are living beyond the circumstances of your life today regardless of the difficulties and what things look like...I pray that you are still squeezing all the life out of life you can ...soaking in the moment God gives you...concentrating on the things that are truly important, good, and valuable. I pray for you today...that you will love your family, friends and children, your work and class mates, even your bosses and employees. Love God...enjoy His gifts of goodness to you...His gifts are those we love and those that love us...that is life! I hope to teach again this Friday Night...I need your prayers to stay strong....your gifts to me, your love and encouragement sustain my life and enrich it more than I could ever have imagined. I thank you with all I have to give thanks with!

In His love forever and with deep gratitude for yours,
kit

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Journey

Kit, I thought if you when I heard this song. Jesus is your bright shining star, He is guiding you each and every day...



with love from Liza :)

Monday, October 6, 2008

kit teaching this friday night

Lord willing, I will be teaching this coming Friday night at 'The Gathering' at Hope Chapel. I have been so encouraged by every one's love, prayers, cards, notes, e-mails and blog comments. I can't tell you how much my heart just soaks up your care and compassion for me and my family. I am feeling very good right now. I haven't gone for my weekly blood tests for two weeks now, but I can tell you I am feeling good and gaining energy daily (it is your prayers for me!). Wouldn't it be great if God has just out-right done the miraculous and healed me?...wow... that would indeed be doing what seems impossible. But according to the Lord, that which is impossible for man is possible with God (Luke 18:27). I gave the message out of 1 Tim. 3 at both services this Sunday and I believe it went well. It was a good lesson on leadership and reaching our full potential in the Lord. I have had to play catch up the last 20 years, since the first 40 were pretty much dedicated to my own potential rather than God's potential for me. Once we get a hold of God's potential for our lives and put our wills to that...wow...things begin to fall into place and great stuff happens! So, it would be my encouragement to each of us to seek our full potential in Christ. Some of us may be asking, "what is my full potential in Christ?" Well...for that you have got to ask Him and He will let you know:) My sincere love and appreciation for all you do. Never grow weary of doing good...just get up and do it again. May God richly bless you!

In His love
Kit