The Morning Of Grace

Well how do you begin a morning full of grace?!

That is a good question and often people ask me "why are you such a happy guy all the time?" Is it because i'm ignorant of current circumstances, trials, adversities or dilemmas? No in fact I'm very aware of many circumstances and trials but what makes me smile in the morning, what makes me really happy; it's the simple things in life. Counting your blessings and being actively aware of what God has done and in doing so, I see He always has good things ahead. Sometimes the road is rough, maybe even brutal, laced with blood, sweat and tears but eventually God always works it out for His good and for mine as well.

The joy is knowing God always has everything under control and He's not surprised by what we face or what we must endure. He is always perfect in His love, mercy, grace and His timing. He knows just how to turn the most impossible things from sour to sweet, from ashes and dust to a mountain of victory. That's the God I serve, the God of perfect grace and that makes me smile, makes me overjoyed in every circumstance. I'm not dumbfounded by adversity but rather I'm inspired by God's perfection and His faithfulness despite overwhelming odds.

When you feel discouraged, count your blessings and literally name them one by one. Suddenly things seem much brighter in the end.

~Letting Go~

I wrote this today, thinking about experiences I've had, people I've met, friends, family etc. and the tough reality of some choices made and how time shows how friends come into your life and how time can show others quickly fading. I look back and amazingly enough I have fond memories of good childhood friends who were unbelievably faithful and kind and without a shadow of a doubt they would remain consistent. Things change, life hands you new circumstances and the song begins anew.


Thankful for the beauty in ashes, the oil in mourning and the joy in mercy...

Purpose Of Hope

I'm Not A Random Act Of

Mathematical Improbabilities

But Rather A Precious

Created Human Being

That Has A Purpose And A Life Beyond The Flaws

Of Humanity And Understanding.

God Created Me With A Purpose

And With His Amazing Grace

And I'm Loved Beyond My Mistakes,

Beyond My Accolades

And Far Beyond

My Present Understandings.

Whatever This Life Holds,

It's Like Shifting Sands That Suddenly Fade

With The Winds Of Change.

The Beauty Is Knowing The Life You Have

Is A Tremendous Gift

And The Time To Invest In

The Joy Of That Very Blessing

Is Now.

                                                               By Ernie Kasper

Lions Den

When I faced my stroke,

there were many times I couldn't speak,

express my thoughts,

move or understand

but I knew one thing,

I was facing a circumstance for which I could only simply be still and let God do what He does best, turn hungry circumstances of potential great loss into a victory for which only God can be glorified. That is truly what He has done for me :) Just trust Him and keep on praying, keep on living the gospel message and let God do the impossible.

Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.

What I've Seen

We often struggle in our lives, the crux of our own shame

is when we start to believe that God just can't do

what He claims to do. We become distant and withdrawn or

we begin to believe God must be a cruel judge when in fact He shows us patience, love and above all else righteousness. We can easily be fooled by satan when he tells us "See you are worthless, useless and unworthy" Satan has only one job for any christian and that is to uproot whatever God has or is doing in their lives and he is fantastic at discouragement! Take heart and know that the most amazing thing about God is His desire to uphold you, restore you, help you to walk in love, mercy and in joy through Christ Jesus. We as christians are called to live a life that is abundant, not a life of what the world deems abundant but what God values as abundant and that is the beauty of God's love! He wants us to be humble and yet bold in His word, meek and yet courageous in truth. We are here for but a moment and then we are gone but how precious is that moment that we grow in the light of God's grace. We are all deeply loved in Christ Jesus and yes we are sinners but the power of the cross, the work that Christ has done redeems us and our testimony and life is in Him. So take heart and know you are His and His alone.

Heaven Bound

~Heaven Bound~ 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. John 10:10

I read this verse a while back and it shook me to the core, I realized that we
are all responsible for our actions, our choices and our inevitable destination.
Thankfully I chose life and if I had not, most likely I would have died in some
crazy violent way, I was a very lonely, angry human being. I was bullied
so badly as a teen that it made me hate myself deeply
and it carried on into my martial arts, pushing as hard
as I could until I was exhausted with anger. I eventually met up
with one of my bullies years later, after I became a christian as was shocked
at his appearance, he was nothing more than skin and bones with a hollow
look in his eyes. He had used drugs so frequently that it had aged him
and drew all the youth right out of him. He was just a shell of a human being
and all of a sudden I had nothing but compassion for him. God had
rescued me from a lot of pain and I am so grateful for His endless love.

Laugh With Joy

When I had to learn how to read, write, walk and talk again, there was something so deep and so profound that God could only provide and that was the joy that surpases sorrow, that overcomes misery, that triumphs over adversity and that was and is the joy of the Lord; knowing that even in the darkest times God always brings the sunshine of His promises, the joy that overcomes the deepest valley. When I was able to literally laugh again, it was and is a sweet simple joy that I shall use until it is no more ;)

By Ernie Kasper ~ Stroke Survivor

Laughter Within, Hatred Without

     One thing I know for sure I'm really good with, is laughter! I know that way back when I was a teenager you would almost never find me smiling or laughing. There was a time when I was so sad and heartbroken, I was bullied all the time for my looks and my cloths etc. Strange how things change, when we survive something so unbelievably painful and suddenly we either see things in a whole new light or we fade away in anger. I chose to fly above the hatred, the contempt and learn to love and pray for those who treated me so horribly unkind. Amazingly I found a lot of love for those who I first couldn't imagine ever loving. My laughter is deeper than ever, my freedom is lighter than before and my burdens are quickly cast aside. The bible speaks of loving your enemies and in doing so you become a much more profound person of grace, wisdom and mercy. Remember, love covers a multitude of sin... ;)

Morning View

     I woke up and looked at the drapes and thought what a dreary day and of course I was half asleep and feeling groggy. I went through my regular morning routine and prepared my coffee and came to the computer only to realize I hadn't even looked outside. I assumed it was dreary because I could only see dimly through a pair of drapes. I quickly pulled them open, only to see a beautiful sky of so many colours and a brilliant dance of light. How could I have almost missed the view!
    
 Life is like that at times, we assume something is nothing when nothing is actually something wonderful ;)

     We come so close to knowing the truth and yet we walk away because maybe it's easier to just assume but the problem in the end is that it's not the truth and it leaves you in the same place, no opportunity for change, a healthy change.
     God has so many things planned for our lives and yet we want our own way and we want it to be comfortable, routinely fixed and we just want to go through our day but the problem with that is that it's so short of what God truly has planned for us. There may be suffering and trials along the way but eventually there is a beautiful sunrise of change and a brilliant dance of colours filled with faith, hope and love.

     For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
                                                                              Jeremiah 29:11

The World Will Tell You

     The world will tell you "Don't Let Anyone Define You" but the actual fact is something always will. We are defined by our experiences, our circumstances, our thoughts, our goals etc. God says in the bible

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

                                2 Corinthians 5:17

     That in itself is truly beautiful and amazing to know! We are a new creation and if the old has passed away and we are new in Christ then of course we are defined by God our creator and the victory is in Jesus's victory at the cross. We no longer have goals that are our own but rather we are alive in him and our journey is in Christ. We live in His suffering and we also live in His victory! We are defined, we are something beautiful and precious in God's sight and how amazing is that joy. We live and breath as a new creation and everything we do is to the glory of God and by that we have our being. When Satan reminds you of your past, remind Him of your future ;)

Shattered Melody

Laughter Is Good Medicine

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:2

When I Am Weak

                      It has been my greatest inspiration for poetry, artwork, photography and everything else I do, my stroke broke me and God healed me in ways I thought would never happen. He brought me confidence when my flesh was weak, He brought me faithfulness when faithfulness in friends could not be found, He restored my courage when no courage could be seen. My faith is in His devoted love and His perfect plan.

New Ever Morning

The faithful love of the Lord never ends

    His mercies never cease

23 

Great is his faithfulness

    his mercies begin afresh each morning

                        Lamentations 3:22-23

                         Artwork By Ernie Kasper

By Design

Psalm 139:16

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

That is the beauty of knowing God, knowing that He knows everything, past, present and future and yet with all that information, all that knowledge of our rights and wrongs, He loves us deeply and with such devoted grace through Jesus Christ his son. Never forget that He has everything perfectly planned out and what He sets in place, no one can silence, smother, crush or destroy...

My strength is in you

There was this brilliant joy that feeds my heart, the love of family, the kindness of friendship and the hope I have in christ jesus. Those were the thoughts dancing around inside my mind and what a beautiful song it was. Suddenly as I began to speak the words just fell to the floor, all scrambled into jargon, almost like someone took all my speech and shook it around in a snow globe. I turned to my daughter to tell her how much I loved her and all that came out was "brineda da da da dub dub" Silence filled my mind but my mouth keep repeating the same thing. My emotions felt like a downpour of frustration and brokenness. My son turned to me and placed his hand on my cheek and said "dad, it's okay" and gave me a big hug. Like a babbling brook I continued to try but to no avail.
That's my stroke and that's my challenge, it comes and goes but what amazes me is God's comfort through it all, the love He exudes in those dark valleys. Sometimes we go through life's challenges and think "this is brutal, this is just the worse thing!" then when you look back you see clearer and you might even see the rainbow after the storm ;) It's been seven years since my stroke and every day is a challenge beyond reason but what has come out of this is something so precious, so amazing that I would never take it back. I found faith that is much deeper than superficial name it and claim behaviour. I found that having faith is all about knowing God's character, knowing that even in suffering He is able to do much more than I could ever dream. That's the God of the bible, the one I love so much! In all my trials God has lead me to this very place, this place where I am writing poetry, painting pictures, taking photography, sculpting, preaching the gospel without regret. So you see, this hardship is temporary, my testimony is in God's unfailing love and it is Him who sustains me and as I run seven miles in seventy cities, I know that God is able to do much more than I could ever imagine.

~I'm Alive~

He took the tears in my life and turned them into wine
God took my sorrows and brought me new tomorrows
His love is precious
His love is divine
He took my broken words
shook the dirt from my heart
taught me to fly
gave me a new start

I'm alive
I'm alive
nothing in this world could ever take away
wash away my love
your my precious child
and every step I take
I'll teach you to rise above
I'll hold your hurts and pains
give you courage during the mighty storms
the rushing rains

There can be a million broken dreams
hurts that tear you at the seems
but I'm the lifter of souls
I'm the light when others hate
sits like burning coals
I will calm the storms
I will be there even unto the end of time
I am yours and you are mine...

By Ernie Kasper