Trust without Borders

I wanted to share a song that has been on repeat here lately at Casa de Birkeland. 

It's called Oceans and it's by Hillsong, of course. 

Highly encourage you to youtube it and listen! 

Whoa. 

Here are the beautiful and challenging lyrics. 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders."

DANG! Yes, Lord!

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Happy Saturday... WAR EAGLE! :) 

KB

All things new.

Gosh, I'm finally getting this written on here! I've wanted to blog everyday, but I just couldn't get my thoughts together {in a good way}. The Lord is speaking all the time {through friends, random conversations, and my quiet time.} 

Of course, the sermon today was right on point. Part of it is exactly what's been going on in my heart. 

We sang a new song at Highlands written by the awesome John Larson.... & it's about making all things new. The song really touched my heart so deeply because that's what this summer has been all about for me. God has redeemed me and given me such joy.

Pastor Chris started a new series today.... can I just say that I look forward to hearing from him each Sunday? He's such a great teacher & he is living to further the kingdom. 

The message was about close encounters & Jacob's encounter with Jesus. 

{Watch tonight @ 6:00p.m. if ya can!}

Until you have an encounter with Jesus you can not fully understand His love for you. You must experience it. Not someone else, YOU. It's very difficult to love and trust Him if you've never encountered  His presence and love. 

I was in need of an encounter with Him this summer. I needed to meet with Him. I needed to know that He had not forgotten me. I needed to know that He had plan. BUT, I had to get there by taking control myself, so that He would be all that I had. It was said today, that either we must take the initiative, or God will allow events to happen that will bring us to our knees, so that He is all we have.

God did this. He allowed me to go through the events from February to April, through procedures and meds, knowing that none of them would get me the end results that I longed so desperately for. He knew. And even though I, so stubbornly & selfishly, made those decisions, He was ready, waiting to embrace me & forgive me for taking things into my own hands. {What a gracious and loving Father we have.} 

 I have encountered the Living God & He has made all things new. 

There were three points that PC made in part 2 of the message. They outlined perfectly what has taken place in my life because of this encounter with Jesus.  

1. A new strength. 

I am strengthened because I am not relying on my own power to get me through each day. It is the opposite of what we think. We think that if we try and try and try some more on our own, we will get more done. NOT TRUE! It's only when we rely on Him and are weak that we receive His perfect strength.

It says in Isaiah 40:29-31, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; BUT those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

2. A new identity. 

When you have an encounter with God, you are given a new name. He has given me a new name. I am a new creation, a new wife, a new daughter, a new friend. I'm able to be all of these things because I encountered His presence. 

It says in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. 

3. A new joy. 

When you have an encounter with the Lord, you are filled with a new joy. A joy that is overflowing & unexplainable. I can definitely say that He has given me this joy. It is so deep in my soul and I pray that it can be seen by others. This is the gospel. People will wonder what is causing this joy... They will wonder & you will be able to tell them... Jesus did this. 

In Psalm 16:11, the Bible says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 

Whoa.

Long post. 

Sorry about that. 

Props to you for reading all of it. 

The Lord is good.... So good.  

Hope each of you are having a blessed day... If you haven't spent some time with Jesus today, I encourage you to do it. You won't regret it. 

Much LOVE! 

I like adoption.

While I was reading stalking blogs, I came across the sweetest blog, One Happy Family. 

It's about a family's journey to adopt their son. 

The blogger posted this video she saw on facebook. 

Ya'll. 

I was crying my eyes out. 

Just the sweetest. 

Seriously, Jesus is all up in this. 

Watch it here. 

Much love :) 

expectant heart

Over the past few months {really much longer than that, but it's just now coming into focus} the Lord has been working on our hearts. He is bringing our dreams together, making them one. More on that later. 

I am just so in awe of how much love is around us and how blessed we are. I have said over and over again that I am focusing on the 99%. I am determined to not live my life based on the 1% of my life that "isn't what I dreamed it would be". That is not how the Lord wants us to live. He wants us to glorify Him in everything, in every situation. That is one of the thousands of things the Lord is teaching me on this journey.  

Another something that has blown me away is my sweet husband. He is legit, y'all. He amazes me everyday and is such a blessing to me. I am so thankful that he is mine. We are continuing to pray and seek right now for what is next for our family. I will update the blog world when the time comes, but please join us in prayer for wisdom and guidance. The Holy Spirit will guide you on how to pray, yeah, that's awesome. I serve an amazing God. 

Happy Sunday to each of you! 

I pray the Lord brings peace to your hearts today. 

Rest in Him. 

Love, 

KB 

exodus 23:26

A sweet & amazing woman of God at my church prayed this verse over me at a meeting one night. I haven't forgotten it and I continue to pray it over myself. 

Those of you who are struggling with infertility & Jesus is you Savior, please find rest and hope in this verse! 

He is ALL we need. 

Happy Thursday!! 

KB

being thankful in everything

Today, once again, Jesus Calling was right on. It's kinda crazy how every day I read this and it just slaps me in the face. Today was no exception. 

June 22: Jesus Calling

THANK ME for the very things that are troubling you. You are on the brink of rebellion, precariously close to shaking your fist in My Face. You are tempted to indulge in just a little complaining about My treatment of you. But once you step over that line, torrents of rage and self-pity can sweep you away. The best protection again this indulgence is thanksgiving. It is impossible to thank Me and curse Me at the same time.

Thanking Me for trials will feel awkward and contrived at first. But if you persist, your thankful words, prayed in faith, will eventually make a difference in your heart. Thankfulness awakens you to My Presence, which overshadows all your problems.

Philippians 4:4-6 (The Message) 

^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

^6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Psalm 116:17 (NKJV)

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.

*********************************************************************************

Awesome, huh?

And did I mention that signs of George approaching are here... which puts me in the throws of self-pity and anger. The Lord knew how much I need to hear this from Him and exactly how to speak to me. 

I think it's safe to say that the "thing that is troubling me" is the fact the Dru and I do not have a baby and have been trying for a long time. I was extremely challenged when I read this devo this morning, because I realized that if I didn't start thanking the Lord now that I would definitely sink down into the depths of the craziness that is self-pity. And that means that I would be missing out on the life that I'm living right now because I would be so concerned about what I don't have in my life. It got me thinking about the things that I am grateful for... here's my list. I'm sure it could go on for pages and pages. I'm blessed beyond comprehension. 

So, today, I am thankful...

I am thankful that the Lord is allowing us to walk through this trial together. 

I am thankful that He is continuing to write our story, no one else's. 

I am thankful for my family and friends that care so deeply for us. 

I am thankful for the opportunities that I have had to talk about how faithful the Lord is and how He is sustaining us. 

I am thankful that the Lord continues to show His faithfulness through our finances, our marriage, and our friends & family. 

It's really hard to think about what you don't have when you thank Him for what you do have. You should totally try it, dare ya :) 

I hope this encourages you and speaks to you as strongly as it did me. No matter what trial you are currently walking through, the Lord is there. He is within reach. Thank Him today for what He has done. 

Happy Saturday night!

KB

Five for Friday

Five for Friday! 

One day, I'll post on Friday. 

1. So grateful for Saturday rest. Oh and I love the show, Giuliana and Bill. I love how they shared with the world their struggle to get pregnant and then their triumph over infertility! 

2. This is a verse I read while checking out One Year Bible this week. 

God's way is PERFECT! 

3. Technically, I know today is "next week", but I couldn't help but post about our FIRST Sunday in our new building! What an amazing thing the Lord is doing at and thru our church. Ah! Love it! I'm going back tonight.... can't wait! 

4. Here's the front entrance! 

5. This was from my devotional this week... Jesus Calling. It's amazing, just like everyone said! 

Your perspective will change if you look at a trail as an opportunity to trust Him more. Oh, so true! 

Have an awesome Sunday! :)

KB