Living in the Present

This was one of my devotions this morning... I love Brennan Manning... Jesus help me grasp this... I so want to live in the present moment... I know this is only possible by the power of your Holy Spirit... so come Lord Jesus... help us all be like little children!

The Geography of Nowhere

To live "nowhere"- composed of two words now and here- is to live in the temple of the present moment. Paying attention to the gift that arrives right now, right here, is one of the premier skills of spiritual life.

To live in the present means to trust deeply that what is most important in life is the here and now! We are constantly distracted by things that might have happened in the past or that might happen in the future. It is not easy to dwell in the temple of nowhere, to remain focused on the present. Our mind is hard to master and keeps pulling us away from engagement with the present.

When Jesus tells us to become like little children, he is inviting us to forget what lies behind and to forgo concern about the future. It is only now that we are in the presence of God!

I just love that... "It is only Now that we are in the presence of God!" : )

Life by the Spirit

Sometimes I can tune out things if my heart isn't there... I grew up in the church and sometimes you hear things so much you (or I guess I) tend to think I already know that one... Lets take for example, "The Fruit of the Spirit" When I hear that I immediately go into this mode in my head... yeah, yeah, yeah...I know all about the "Fruit of the Spirit"... "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control"... I even sing Steve Green's version in my head from all my years of hearing the, Hide "em in Your Heart, series with my kids... Anyway... I had a friend call me today she was going to teach on "The Fruit of the Spirit" tonight and she said, "Emmy, listen to it out of the Message"... she went on to read it to me. Now, I don't know why sometimes I need things shaken up a little to break the familiarity (too much church baggage, I guess)... but I was like, WOW! God used it to really speak to my heart! It was so powerful!! After I got off the phone I immediately looked it up and reread it, meditated on it, prayed through it... Oh Lord How I Long to Live by your Spirit!

Life by the Spirit (The Message)

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Galatians 5:16-26 (The Message)

AMEN... that is all I have to say!

Siesta Fiesta 2008 San Antonio

SiestaFiesta 2008 San Antonio from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Recap of LPL San Antonio! (well an attempt!) : )

Oh goodness... let me see if I can hit some points from this weekend! It was ALL amazing! Here are a few...

From Genesis to Revelation the theme of Inheritance is Consistent!
It always involves...
1. Presence... Ge 26:23 Jos 1:9
2. People... Ge 12:3 Ge 22:17-18 Dt 4:20 Ps 16:3 Rev 7:9
3. Property... Nu 26:52-56 Mt 25:34

I AM AN HEIR of GOD...

1. LIFE IS NOT LEFT TO CHANCE...
-Providence- the fact that God works as powerfully in the Natural as the
Miraculous! (I love that!)
-Fate has no power over me! (Thank Goodness!)

2. I AM INHERITING A KINGDOM... Mt 25:34

3. HE IS MY PORTION AND I AM HIS... : )
-Dt 10:8-9 La 3:24 Ps 119:57 Ps 73:25-26 Dt 32:9 Dt 4:20
-Pray that our value will go through the roof when we know this!
-We are a gift to a lost and dark world! Lord help us be!
-We are Holy to the Lord! We bear a mark! Rev 22:4
-He works out EVERYTHING (not a few) Eph 1:11
-Even if we are faithless... He can't not remain Faithful! (His Nature) : )
-If we realized what life would be like OUR perspective would change!
-We were rescued from darkness transferred into Kingdom of God!
-What a difference it would make to KNOW that we are Heirs!
-Spirit of Christ lives in you!

4. THE DOWN PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE... (this is where my notes mess up so some of this may be out of order)
-It is for Freedom that you are to be Set Free!
-Do you want to be whole? Jesus wants us to be whole!
-Quit identifying yourself with past pain... quit living like a victim
-No longer use your past as an excuse
-Don't sit back in passivity while others are praying... ACTIVELY seek it!
-Demolishing strongholds is hard! Dump the stuff!
-Jesus changes lives and hearts! We are transformed!
-Be transformed... don't just learn how to behave
-Quit trying to be someone else- Just be filled with the Holy Spirit

5. MY BOUNDARY LINES FORM A PLEASING PLACE...
-Ps 16:5-6 1 Pe 1:4
-INTIMACY WITH GOD
-Height will go as high as our relationship with Christ
-PAST
-Lot was in His hand... if anything was painful God knew... He allowed it
-Ro 8:18 "I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the Glory that will be revealed in us"
-To think "Oh what you have been chosen for! He knows you can do it!"
-Confidence can make my past ok...it is part of what God used to make me who I am!
-Dirt can become good soil for seed!
-Worship out of the reality of you present!
-LIFE EXPERIENCES
-These make you the person God has called you to be!
-You were given life experiences on purpose- forms one of our boundary lines
-Even our failures are part of who we are... Minister out of your failure!
-Come overtake every single bit of this Jesus! He can NOT do wrong!
-Praise out of doubt and pain!
-Risen Son of God! Praise Him with every broken piece!
-What can this life do to us? NOTHING!
-GIFTING
-1 Co 12:7
-What God has called you to... you can't do without Him
-He has equipped us
-FAITH
-Eph 4:27
-Reflect on your own intimacy with God
-Any place God is not occupying- Devil is on it
-Is Satan standing on any of your land?
-Past/life experience... God knew it He allowed it!
-Is God invading ALL you have?
-Come take over every single bit!

6. THE WILL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED...
-Someone has to die in order for will to be activated
-He gave His life to activate our will
-Hebrews 9:15-17
-Galatians 3:29-4:7
-We have only just begun to live our lives
-How differently would we live if we realized that the time will come
-We need a "Soulologist" - God Himself!

7.I CAN BE SECURE... I think the affirmation/ security thing was HUGE for me!
-When Beth said, "Our theology has not become our reality as long as we walk in insecurity" WHOA...
I needed to ask God to search my heart on this! Lord let me grasp this!
-We wouldn't crave affirmation or attention if we truly knew who we are in Him!
-False Christ's are so dangerous- No ONE has it together! We are all broken vessels who need to be filled with Christ
-Don't look to people to constantly affirm us... do not crave it or seek it out!
-No one draws people like a person who does not need people around her (loved this one...Lord help me with this!)
-Keep our stuff to ourselves... give it to Jesus
- How much has insecurity gotten us into trouble b/c of our craving affirmation?!?
-Teen Girls have bought into the lie that they are as valuable as they are sensual (looking for affirmation)
-Girls today act like sexual abuse victims because they have been mauled by the sexual abuse of our culture
-We can be SECURE! We are secure, mind, body and spirit
-Don't let people identify you!

8.I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL INHERITANCE
-Isaiah 61... Jesus is Isaiah 61... This has been fulfilled in your hearing! : )
-We are co-heirs with Jesus... we have received a double portion
-Every time we lower our shield of Faith Satan has you
-Win every time... it is a fight to keep believing and living
-We aren't just beautiful at the end of the race... We are His Glorious Inheritance!
-2 Timothy 4:6
-Hebrews 11:16-39 Instead they were longing for a better country
-Every bit of Old Covenant leads to the New Covenant
-Ephesians 3:6

**What if we believed all of this... That we are LOVED, ADORED, TREASURED... HIS INHERITANCE... that we are HEIRESSES...**

Jesus please, please, please, help us let our theology become our reality!

God Bless- Emmy : )

Siesta Fiesta!

Wendy, me, Joni and Mandy (I always forget I leave my sunglasses on my neck!)



Me, Wendy, Mandy, Joni, and Brittney! (You all have to hear Brittney's(Lopsided Halo) story! AMAZING!)

Travis! Boy how was that Alleluia song!!!!!

Yeah Wendy!



Yeah Shelly!


All you Heiresses!

Did you all see the Rainbow over the Alamodome Saturday Morning? There was a huge one after Deeper Still Too!
(sorry picture taken with cell phone)

Going to the PJ party! I wish you could have seen people looking at us! We had to cross street in downtown San Antonio!

We were laughing so hard it still makes me get tickled! : )

Living Proof Live - San Antonio from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

He IS and More Reflections of Deeper Still

He Is...
"In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!"


DeeperStill - Atlanta from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Wow! Is that worship or what! Reflecting on who He IS! I have a great friend in town and every time we pray together she will at some point call out some of the names of the Lord... it is such a reminder to me of who HE IS! It makes me tear up to think about it! So Powerful and TRUE! His Character!

Can you imagine the impact if we could memorize that! When you are having a hard day or a fear of some sort... just to say wait a minute... Lord you are the Breath of Life... Our Morning Song... our Everlasting Courage... the Power of Love... the Grace of God... Faithful Shepherd... Reigning Fire from Heaven...

Beautiful! Just Beautiful!

Why do we ever even fear or doubt or run to other idols? (well maybe you all don't)
Anyway... I just love that... don't you... I may challenge myself to memorize it... then I think... there is absolutley no way in the world I could ever do that...

But then again Proverbs- He is our Wisdom! : )

JH Ranch

My son doing a double back flip!!!!!!



My husband and son went to JH Ranch, a couple of weeks ago out in Northern California for a Father/Son week...both said it was amazing, life changing!!

JH Ranch is a Christian based camp that has all sorts of programs... or "Everlasting Adventures" as they call it!

Mother/Daughter, Mother/Son, Father/Daughter, Father/Son, Teen Challenges... If you have a teen it is so worth looking into! Check it out... www.jhranch.com... So Cool!