Kathy Weckwerth

Everyday Encouragement

Kathy A. Weckwerth

3 Things That Irritated Christ

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So often in life we have things that bug us.  Things that make us irritable and mad.   Things that make us wonder why people act the way they do. When those moments in time come around, I try to look at Christ’s example and reflect on how He dealt with the things that ticked Him off.

You might ask, “Huh!?  He was perfect, remember?”

Of course He was, but He was also a sinless man.  He went through the same circumstances and situations that you and I go through every single day.

In scripture, I picked out 3 specific instances where I believe Jesus dealt with things that irritated Him.

  1. Hypocritical People: The Scribes and the Pharisees- Matthew 23:1-12~ Jesus was not happy with people who were hypocritical.  Lately, we’ve seen a lot of this within our world of social media.  During this time of election, I was surprised at how many times I saw brother against brother, or someone who stood strongly proclaiming their faith, and then quickly turned against one leader or another because of believing gossip.

I also was shocked to see people professing to follow Christ, and then following leaders who promoted things against God’s Word.  Here’s a picture of the moment where Christ is talking to the people:

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”  Matthew 21:1-4

  1. Selfish Gain: Jesus and the disciples were headed to the temple in Jerusalem, but once they arrived they discovered that the temple had been overtaken with people selling their wares.  Some were even selling doves that had been taken from the poor.  Christ would not tolerate that a holy place would be overtaken by those who were selfish and abusing others to acquire gain.

 “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” 

  1. Friends who weren’t supportive: While Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before His crucifixion, He asked His friends to stay with Him, to stay awake and pray.  He knew the hour for His death was rapidly approaching.  But they did not.  I believe He was dismayed and frustrated at His friends’ lack of concern over His request.

“Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.”  Matthew 26:40 

Maybe you’re like me and you’ve had struggles with being disappointed in others.  For me, my 3 top things that make me irritated are 1)People who don’t respond 2)People who don’t follow through when they have an important task to accomplish 3)People who don’t take me seriously.

When I get to the place where I feel like Jesus, disappointed, angry, and betrayed, I just remember that even Jesus had these emotions.
Here are His steps for you and me:

  1. Stand your ground
  2. Speak the truth
  3. Show others that you have expectations

It’s okay to be frustrated.  It’s okay to not quite know how to respond to people.  But Jesus was very clear, He stood His ground, He spoke the truth, and He let people know His expectations.

Is there someone in your life today that you need to call?  Are there changes you need to make?  Are there friends who maybe should be cut free?  Are there people in your life right now who are anxiously hoping they can be a friend, but you haven’t had room?

Today, start by remembering how Christ dealt with His irritants. Then, let’s look and see where you and I can implement His lessons in our own personal journey.

What’s Holding You Back

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This past week I enjoyed a day watching my granddaughter, Cordelia.  Cordie’s hair is light blonde with natural curl, and from the back, she looks like my middle daughter, Chandra did when she was two and a half.  In certain moments, I find myself back in time … remembering.

But on this sleepy, dark afternoon, I felt the warmth of the kitchen calling to me.  As I slipped Cordie’s tennis shoes on, the ones with blinky princess appliques, I grabbed her little hand and said, “We need ingredients for ginger snaps.  Let’s walk to the store.”

I lifted Cordelia into the stroller and we made our way to the sidewalk.  But something strange happened.  It took every ounce of strength I had to push the stroller.  I thought to myself … this is bizarre!  What was going on, I questioned.

The more I pushed, the harder it became to get anywhere.  I began to feel every muscle in my arms and even my back exerting energy, yet still, I got a few feet from when I pushed the stroller in the moments before.

I stopped and prayed.  I asked God what I was doing wrong.  Should I bother my son-in-law at work?  It seems to me that today’s strollers, car seats, and baby paraphernalia are all created for brilliant scientists, not for the everyday 50+ year old grandma.

I looked at the brake release on each of the back tires.  Nothing.  They were loose.  And yet, I could not get anywhere easily.

As I peered over Cordie’s bright tennis shoes, I spotted my problem.  Not only did they have a brake on the back tires, but also on the front tire.  That brake was engaged!  No wonder I couldn’t move easily.  I was holding us back by not releasing the brake.

Isn’t this a simple way to look at our lives?  How often do you and I put the brakes on something because we can’t understand it, or we don’t know how it works.  We stop ourselves or hold ourselves back from moving forward.  We want to blame anyone and everything else, but in reality, it’s us … we’re holding ourselves back.

This week I looked at my radio show.  I love everything about it.  I love the guests, I love the topics, I love how God is orchestrating every little detail.  And yet, I put the brakes on myself because I fear connecting with stations who might possibly say, “No, we don’t want your show.”  There it is … rejection.  The brakes of what might happen are holding me back to what could happen!

I am praying fervently today for some great doses of courage, for some guidance and discernment, and mostly, for GOD to release the brakes on my life.  I’m ready to move forward!  How about you?

How Do You Handle the Ugly

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As I look out my office window, I see the changing of the season.  No longer do the hummingbirds buzz and flit about on the deck, nor do the butterflies sway subtly in the breeze.  Instead, there is a crisp wind blowing through the front door here at the farm.

The beauty outside us is undeniable.  How can anyone think for a moment that there is no creator when there is so much intricate life in our world.  I say this as I watch a daddy long-legs scurry across the back patio, smell the freshly mowed grass that Farmer Dean is so diligently cutting, and look out at the bright orange pumpkin sitting on the step.  The one that made its way home with me from my quick trip into town.

But alongside good there is evil.  Alongside relief there is pressure.  Alongside peace there is violence.  Alongside God there is an enemy.

I recently encountered harsh words at an event where I spoke.
The words stung me.

I recently faced an unkind smirking woman who wanted to embarrass me.
Her attitude wounded me.

I recently listened to someone attacking a congregation.
His opinion alarmed me.

I recently waited for a response from a friend who no longer returns my calls or emails.
Her rejection crushed me.

Herein lies the ugly, the things that are not of God.  I face them every day and if truth were told, at times I am filled with that same ugliness.

In Matthew 23:16-17, Jesus deals with the ugly flat out.  He just calls it out plain and simple … this is ugly.  “You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn’t matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. 17 You blind fools! ”

In Matthew 10:14, Jesus once again faces the ugly, and gives wise counsel to all of us.  “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

And finally, when Jesus approaches the woman caught in adultery, a sinner whose ugliness was known all over town, He states this in John 8:10-11, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Christ faces the ugliness and advises to leave it.

Three different ways of dealing with the ugly:

  1. Call it out. Hold that person accountable.
  2. Walk away. Just let it go.
  3. Forgive them and advise them to stop living with the ugly.

Where are you at today?  Has someone blasted you, criticized what you believe, or ignored you?

Look at the example of Jesus and seek Him for your next steps.

Let’s not embrace or enable the ugly … let’s live in the lovely.

Phil. 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

A Thankful Verse a Day

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fall_leaves_pumpkins2A Thankful Verse-a-Day

One Week Before Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

☐ Thursday, November 19, 2015 – Psalm 69:30 (NAS)

“I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

 

☐ Friday, November 20, 2015 – Colossians 3:15 (NAS)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

 

☐ Saturday, November 21, 2015 – Psalms 107:1

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.”

 

☐ Sunday, November 22, 2015 – Psalms 106:1

“Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.”

 

☐ Monday, November 23, 2015 – Colossians 3:17

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

 

☐ Tuesday, November 24, 2015 – Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.”

 

☐ Wednesday, November 25, 2015 – I Thessalonians 5:18

“In everything we give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

☐ Thursday, November 26, 2015 – HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Share this list at your dinner table today.

Thanksgiving Dinner

 

by Mary Barnard

Thankfulness is an attribute,

A quality of life,

Which can make existence sweeter

And lighten every strife.

To appreciate is golden;

To say so is divine,

And thankfulness should come each day,

Not wait for special time

Thanksgiving day is every day;

November brings it near,

Remembering with grateful hearts

The blessings of all year.

PRAYER:

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for everything that You have given us this past year. For our families, our jobs, our homes, our cars, and your provisions. 

Thank you for this wonderful country that we live in.  Thank you for each and every person around this table. 

Today, we pray that You will be the focus of our gratitude.  We pray that You will be the center of our actions.  And we ask that You would be honored each and everyday in our homes. 

Thank you for Your abundant grace, love, and blessings. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

PRINTABLE VERSION:

A Thankful Verse-a-Day

Dreaming and Believing

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724Do you ever wonder about dreams? Do you ever ask yourself if you truly believe a dream in your heart can come true? Or maybe you question God and ask Him if He will ever answer that dream. About ten years ago, Pastor Greg invited Dean and me to go to the high school play, South Pacific, showing in Elk River. For years I tried to make myself watch the movie, but I never seemed to get through it. But on that night, with Dean and our friends, I sat through the entire story and embraced a deep love for it. Like many things in life, I put aside the memories of a sweet story and filed it within the filing cabinet of my mind for quieter days of reflection that just never came. Last week when middle daughter, Chandra, came for a visit, she brought a gift for me … the South Pacific album from an antique store. Miraculously, it became a key to unlock the filing cabinet and release a pre-existing love for the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The day she gave me the album was cool and the air felt damp as I watched the drizzling rain from my living room. I poured a cup of hot tea from Grandpa’s old, green teapot and settled in for a few moments of music from the cherished album. As the song, “Happy Talk” began, I listened to the words as they aligned themselves to my own life’s journey. The lyrics of the song danced through the air and I was thrown into my own childhood memories. “You’ve got to have a dream, if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true,” the music danced through the air. I remembered at ten years old, holding up Johnson’s Baby Shampoo bottles while singing the commercial, and holding the hairbrush as I belted out the Burger King commercial. I remembered being fourteen and loving the Folgers’ coffee commercial. I also remembered my twenty-something self walking up on a stage. I remembered the commitment to myself in the mirror declaring a dream I had for myself… someday, I would be on the radio. Day after day I memorized the tunes and the words for numerous commercials and continued to carry the dream within my spirit, until one day the dream began to unfold. As I sipped the comforting Darjeeling tea and watched the drizzling rain, the music continued and the words mesmerized me. I heard, “You’ve got to have a dream, if you don’t have a dream …” and it made me smile as I vividly remembered one special day. One fall day, the church where I served as worship director held an outdoor service. Hundreds of people, with their blankets sprawled out across the lawn, filled the hillside. I was on stage announcing some upcoming events when I heard the shouting jeer of someone saying, “Kathy, sing the Folgers commercial.” I smiled. It was nothing new. For whatever reason, my staff thought my dream was funny. Several others clamored for the jingle and I belted it out. The crowd cheered me on with clapping and laughter. Deep inside my soul … I held the dream. Someday, somehow, somewhere, I would be on the radio. I tried to shrug off the teasing and made my way off the stage, when a man approached me, pushing his way through the crowd, holding out a business card, and said “Hi, I’m here visiting my brother. I’m a jingle producer. You were great. Call me tomorrow.” I did just that and began a seven-year career of singing commercials and doing voice-over work for the radio. Years have passed since I married and moved to Benson, but the dream stayed alive, like a little cinder in the furnace of my soul. One day, several months ago, I told my friends at Bible study that I loved to write for our town newspaper and appreciated the opportunity to share my stories. I also told them that I would relish an opportunity to serve our community through a radio show. Something inside me expected teasing and fits of laughter, but instead, I was met with enthusiasm and encouragement. I made my way downtown Benson and entered the radio station KSCR for a meeting with John Jennings and Andrew DeVall. For one brief moment, I felt afraid. Not of Radio-Land, but of the same old rejection that shuts down hopes and tells people that having dreams for your life is only for little ten-year-olds who sing into mirrors. But once again, I was met with enthusiasm and encouragement, and I began my journey, once more, into the place where dreams meet reality. On Sunday, June 7, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., I will launch a radio show on KSCR 93.5 FM, called YOUR BEST with Kathy Weckwerth. My Best Life Ministries team and a few good friends will join me and bring encouragement, inspiration, motivation, and creativity to the local airwaves. The show will consist of one half hour of Christian contemporary and Gospel music, while the second half hour is talk radio.The program will also be a podcast to enable people to listen who don’t receive the station. In the encouraging words of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein,”You’ve got to have a dream, if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true.” From a ten-year-old girls dream from back then … to the spark of an ember that still burns right now … here’s to all of us in dreaming and believing.