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Kay's Heart
by Kay Haire, Co-Founder
Seven Ways to love your mother
John 19-26-27
Jesus was on the cross bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world on His shoulders, yet He makes sure His mother is taken care of after He is gone. He is showing all of us today how important it is to take care of and love our mothers. If your mother is still alive, regardless of her age or your age, you can love her in these 7 ways: 1) Love Her Verbally: Men have the philosophy, "I don't have to say I Love You, you already know." While that may be true, a woman, especially a mother, needs to hear the words I LOVE YOU. 2) Love Her Physically: When is the last time you gave your mom a big hug or a kiss on the cheek? She is the first person who ever touched you. She changed your diapers, potty trained you, and wiped food from your face. She deserves your hugs and kisses. 3)Love Her Patiently: Mothers have an incredible job with no pay. No position in the business world compares to the physical, emotional, and spiritual commitment she has in motherhood. 4)Love Her Attentively: Mothers listen with their hearts. She has a sympathetic eye and always will be on your side. Sometimes, it is your turn to listen and be her. "It is payback time." 5) Love Her Generously: There is nothing too good for her. We could never repay her, but we ought to die trying before she does. Remember, she did not spend money on herself unless your needs were met first. 6) Love Her Gratefully: She needs a sincere "Thank You" and not just today, but from a genuinely thankful heart most of all when she least expects it. 7) Love Her Honorably: Exodus 20:12 "Honor thy Father and Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." There is a bond as long as your mom lives. If the husband is the head of the home, then the mother is the heart. Give your mom a great present, hug and tell her you love her!
SUDDENLY... As this Easter season unfolds I’ve found myself reflecting on how Jesus’ followers dealt with such a time in their lives. They had spent three years believing they were on a journey towards deliverance and that Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for. They sat at the feet of Jesus as He opened their eyes to a deeper relationship with God. They stood by His side ministering to others. They shared their hearts with Him as they broke bread together. Their future looked full of promise. Then suddenly… Suddenly their dreams shattered, and their joyful hearts flooded with fear. Hope seemed to slip through their hands as they watched their Messiah taken from them, only to be crucified and then buried in a tomb. Can you imagine their sense of loss, their pain, and their feelings of hopelessness? First there was silence, a strange phenomenon happening from noon to 3 pm., normally the brightest part of the day. Luke tells us that darkness fell over the whole land. It was like someone had turned out the lights. Then there came the rumbling of an earthquake, shaking the whole land. At that very moment, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Suddenly… Then suddenly... Jesus cried from the cross, “It Is Finished”! It was indeed finished. No longer was man separate from God. Gods promises were now fulfilled. We had a new way to God, through Jesus! He was alive! The disciples again had hope. He is alive and now we have that same hope. Resurrection Day is more than just a day. It is an entire season. A season of joyful celebrating. A season of renewed hope. Christ’ resurrection came only after the world itself exploded, exploding with the force of Jesus breaking through the earth and finally making the everlasting bridge to God the Father. Jesus tells each one of us, “I am the way, I am the only way to the Father”. I pray that you find the way this Easter.
Is it really true that the Irish are blessed with luck? Let’s look at a little Irish history. St. Patrick, a native of Britain, was taken by a group of Irish raiders at the very young age of sixteen. One day while he was herding sheep out on a hillside, he found God. St. Patrick gave his life to God and later became a Bishop. As a Bishop, St. Patrick had a burning desire to return to Ireland and bring faith to the Pagan who believed in the religion of magic. Pagans believed in the many Gods of nature. He received inspiration from God to use the 3-leaf clover to explain the trinity to the people. The 4-leaf clover symbolized Gods meeting their religion with the trinity of Christian’s beliefs. Irish soldiers in the British army began wearing the shamrock on their uniform labels. Because they had been blessed by St. Patrick and so blessed that they were on God’s side, and he protected them. Hundreds of years later, we as a nation share that common foundation of a blessed Christian heritage, one that is based upon the clear understanding that God is on our side. Psalms 124 1:2 We hold to a steadfast faith. Faith that is not based upon matters of sheer luck but rather is grounded in the truth that Gods sovereignty rules and reigns within a people who are called by His great name. The meaning of luck is defined as circumstances that lead to a favorable outcome. I like to say that we as Christian’s say it another way. We have God’s blessing with God. There are no circumstances that happen that he doesn’t know about. Deuteronomy 28 6:8 There are approximately 40 million Irish descendents who can trace their ancestry back to Ireland. But we as God’s children are more blessed to know that we are royal heirs to the heavenly throne. We are in line to receive every spiritual blessing from God, but only to those who are called sons and daughters of the King of King. We have seen the other side of the rainbow and found our pot of gold and his name is Jesus Christ; the maker of the rainbow, of all the gold, the shamrocks and most of all the blessings of the wealth of our heritage. Ephesians 1:3
Luck of the Irish
Valentines Day
Valentines Day has always been a special day for me. I can remember as a kid being the one to spend days on end taking paper dollies and turning them into valentines to give to people I loved. I couldn't afford "real" valentines so I made them. To me, valentines day is one of the most special days of the year. I would like to take a moment and tell you about a very special valentine. This valentine is the gift of love named Jesus. He was given to us all by God, our father. I guess in actuality, Jesus is our very first valentine. When I was 11 years old, I opened my valentine (my heart) to Him. I fell in love and have never fallen out of love with Him. Who could resist Him? He loves us unconditionally. He blesses us each day. He thinks that we are so valuable that he tells us over and over again of that love and how much in His word. In addition, He gives us a home in Heaven. Wow! What a valentine. Jesus is the lover of our soul and it can be easy to forget that He's our heavenly valentine. All of us have a valentine waiting for us. If you haven't accepted Jesus, your gift of His love is waiting. Just as we spend time with our families, we need to spend time with Jesus in prayer, studying His \Vord, in fellowship with Him and just plain ole "hanging out" with Him. Can we ever forget our first love? Jesus was the one who first loved us. Jesus is our valentine. God taught us, For God so loved the world that he gave the most awesome valentine of all ages. Lord I thank you for this special day. It is a reminder to me of how much you love me. No one has or could ever love me like you do. I would like to share this special prayer: Lord, I thank you for pursuing me and dying for me. You have my heart. I honor you today. I will spend time with you today and all my days. I want to always remember that you will forever be my first love.
Happy New Year
I would like to share with you my personal letter that I wrote to myself many years ago. I read this to myself the first of each year! THIS YEAR I WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE This year I will make a difference not only to the people around me but to myself. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is a product of his own thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion victory will be my hallmark. I will be grateful for this year God has given me. Each day holds twenty-four hours. This is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow my time to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I promise I will face each day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. When each day comes, I will embrace its wonder and use it for loving and giving. I will not let past failures haunt me even though my life is scarred with mistakes. I will refuse to rummage through my trash heaps of failures. I will admit them and correct them. I will ask for forgiveness and press on victoriously. No failure is Fatal!! It's okay to stumble. I will get up and rise again! I will spend time with those I love, my spouse, my children, and family. A person can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A person can own nothing yet be wealthy in relationships. This year I will spend time with the important people in my life and I will commit my heart to spend more time with God allowing Him to change me to be more like His son Jesus. I will spend quality time talking, hugging ,thanking, listening, and loving. It only takes one person to light a candle to scatter the darkness. With God's help, I will be that one! This year, I will make a difference.