Little Red Book: Swell

Your heart is breaking 
as it should. 
It breaks perfectly. 






(notes from my little red book.) 

Little Red Book

I am exhausted. Taking care of five small kids at home and taking care of "broken arm" hubby, doing all the house work that it entails.... I'm exhausted. When I'm exhausted like this, I don't write much.

I have so much to say and almost nothing to write. Or no energy to write it. So... in order to keep up some pace with my blog, here's a Little Red Book entry:

I say, "I don't like myself today." My head hangs low. 

He bends down to whisper in my ear, "I still like you." 

Little Red Book: Subway Is Good and So Are Old People

I'm realizing now that I haven't done a Little Red Book in a looooong time. So here's a "passage" from my little red notebook that I carry everywhere.

"I'm sitting at Subway in the van with the kids, as my husband is inside getting our food. There's a car with an old woman in the passenger seat next to me. She sits lonely as she waits, just like me. Her head is down as she examines the wrinkles of her frail hands.

All of the sudden, she perks up to see something from afar. In curiosity, I look to see what she's looking at. A man was escorting, who appeared to be, his very elderly mother across the sidewalk, arm in arm, heading into the Subway. 

I looked back at the older woman, the one sitting next to me in the car, to witness her sweet wrinkly cheeks being pushed up from the smile that beamed on her face from such a site." 

Little Red Book: Painful Benefit

I keep hearing a message that people look at "Christianity" as something that may benefit them. (worldly speaking) This is probably true of some people, but for me, I have a hard time embracing that for myself. Not because I'm ashamed to admit it but because it just doesn't ring true for me. Simply said, being a christian has brought about so many trials that I've had to persevere that I am far from seeing the worldly benefit. I don't remember a time where I even thought of it as a benefit, other than.. "when I die, I go to heaven." I grew up kinda poor and knew it. I saw death at a young age, I've had to stand watching my father's body fail, I've survived cousins committing suicide, holding my own daughter's body, desperately trying to bring her back. So much pain that has continued in my life, I've had to learn to stand on crippled legs because of my faith. Being burned and betrayed by parts of the "church" itself. Working so hard, just to make ends meet.Sickness. Bitterness. Depressive people.  Do people still see it as an earthly benefit? 

Remembering all the trials I've gone through, knowing there's so many more ahead, God help me... What keeps me going then? 

I guess,.. I've found an intimacy in pain. He has my attention. He has given me a heart that desires bringing heaven to this hellish earth. I'm not just "going to heaven" when I die. (although God knows I can't wait for the day) But I've been given a power, I've held all along, to be able to be a part of bringing that piece of heaven, that piece of kingdom, that piece of God's love here and now. And that's the benefit. There's my sustaining hope. 

A power that is not my own light. It belongs to Him, it's a part of Him. He puts it in me, so I can use it, grow it, give it, and best of all... drink from it "with" others. 

Little Red Book: Parachute

I just heard an analogy that if you and another person were on an airplane and you put your parachute on, trying to convince the "other guy" to put his on, he'll think you're crazy. 

I disagree.... you're on an AIRPLANE! If someone starts putting a parachute on, of course, you're gonna think, "I should put mine on too!!"

But...

what if...

...you were standing on the ground and walked with a parachute on... THEN people would think you are crazy, as you try to convince them to put theirs on as well....

... but what they don't realize is... 

the ground 

will

fall.

Little Red Book: Created for Fellowship

Why were we created?

Were we originally created for fellowship? "Let Us make man in Our own image". They are 3. They are in complete fellowship. Is that the image He speaks of? 

And fellowship, in it's purest sense, is glorifying to God. It is pleasing to Him. It spreads His love as He intended it to. "Good, in and of itself", a good friend once said.

We honor Him by how we live... by how we fellowship.

Because of the fallen world we live in, that fellowship is under attack. 
Violence.
Betrayal. 
Abuse. 
Neglect. 
Pride. 
Bitterness.
All these things, selfish, attack fellowship to it's core. 

Jesus' most simple commandment that He wanted us to know, that was most important was/is, "To love God and love others."

So what is our purpose? 

Because we love God we are to bring people back into fellowship with one another and consequently, that love expresses God's love.


In so doing, you are glorifying God.

Little Red Book: Complete and Restored

You'll like these. Most of them are short and sweet because they are notes from my little red notebook, I keep in my purse. My little red notebook is always with me, wherever I go, ready for me to take advantage of it. It's like a little special friend because it wants me to write. Whatever I'm thinking, whatever I'm feeling, what I hear, what I see, it wants to know. It's wants to be written on. I've decided to share some of my notes with you, little by little, so when you see "Little Red Book" in the title of the post, you'll know it's kailan's random thoughts from her notebook. Enjoy.



Did you know the word perfection means "complete"? 

Carrying out God's will.... completely... being made complete... having complete love... 

The Greek word καταρτιζω (katartizo) "perfect" means: complete thoroughly, repair, fit, frame, mend, prepare, restore

The Greek word καταρτιομος (katartismos) "perfect" means: complete furnishing 

It's interesting to me that every time I see the word "perfect" or "perfection" around the world, we think of perfection like not too skinny or not too fat. We think of clothes that match. We think of desirable hair or skin...... or any feature really. So when we see the word "perfect" in scripture, by nature, we see a beautiful angel that has all those desirable features. Am I the only one that does that?

One day, my cousin was sitting next to me and told me that she heard that the word perfect sometimes means complete. My mind went far with this concept, within seconds. I researched it and sure enough, every time the word perfect or perfection is used, it means complete, repaired, mended, restored, etc.

Reframe our eyes...

Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect."

John 17:23 "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me."

I Corinthians 13:10 "... but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away."

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

Colossians 3:14 "And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." -:19 "We love, because He first loved us."