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.

Crazy Dreams

Have you ever had one of those dreams where it seems
to rip your heart in two and then you wake up screaming?
Well that was my night, that was my moment and it shows you
that sometimes dreams can tell you a lot about your fears. Fears have this crazy way of trying to tell you or dictate to you what you can and can't do subconsciously. You start to realize that maybe your own fear of rejection etc. just might dictate some of your life choices and behaviours. Those very struggles are the kinds of weeds that can strangle the potential for amazing blessings in Christ Jesus. God calls His children to step into the garden of our fears, hopes and dreams and pull out the weeds of despair, anxiety, loneliness, discouragement and pursue what God has planned for our lives. What He designs is far better than what we come up with and how we deal with our troubles and trials in life. He is the perfect farmer, knowing just when to plant the right seeds at the right time and when to cultivate and harvest.

Hills And The Valleys

Hills And The Valleys

The Character Of A Healthy Person

Is One Who Rejoices With Others In Their Triumphs

And Encourages In Their Valley's Without Fail,

Sometimes It May Be A Little Late In Coming

But They Are Always Faithful And Thoughtful And Genuinely Filled

With A Sincere Love In Your Daily Comings And Goings.

They See You With The Eyes Of Grace,

Mercy And Love That Christ First Gave Them

Without Merit.

                                      By Ernie Kasper

         

                             

~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...

Grace

Grace...

The beauty of grace is far deeper than we can imagine, it's a lifelong journey of seeing and enduring through life's choices, trials, the valleys and the mountain tops. We See things in the moment, maybe even when we reflect on the past but it's always foggy through the eyes of humanity.
God speaks to us profoundly and with depth of love when He tells us to walk in our weakness, endure in our suffering, because in our suffering God is glorified and we are humbled. Pride is buried quickly in our struggles and that lense of cloudy muddy perception quickly fades and we begin to look more fervently at the light when it breaks through the clouds; like a lighthouse we become far more dependant on where God wants us to go and less on where we want to be.
When we see the light with joy and with reliance we begin to celebrate the destination, the journey, God's wisdom is always far better than our own. In the end our weakness is His testimony to a loving Father, an amazingly gracious giver of hope and victory. The light always breaks through the darkest storms...

From This Moment

   There I was, standing before a simple pathway. I had often walked and jogged that same route with ease and not a care in the world, now I was standing there with one leg shaking and quivering and one arm doing who knows what and words and thoughts had melted like wax; I felt a war was going on inside my head. Yes this was the hill that suddenly became my mountain, just after the stroke everything seemed almost impossible to overcome; miles and miles away.

   I quickly looked down at my feet, the very feet that brought me everywhere without any complications, there I was fighting for every step, every moment, every dream and trying to silence every single nightmare. I took the reigns of my worries and doubts and laid them before God and said "I'm here in this dilemma and you are a God of miracles, so make your miracles happen in every fear I face!" I held to those very thoughts and pushed and pushed my way through. Whatever we face, the beautiful thing is this, God is always bigger than our biggest fears, our biggest trials, adversities and our tears. He always has a plan, sometimes it's among a haze, a fog of war but God is the lighthouse and He is ever faithful.

We can have comfort in knowing that whatever was meant for evil, God can make it for His good. Now I'm doing public speaking, demonstrations in martial arts as well as creating art, poetry, photography and much much more. Never let go of God's promises, He is faithful and true...

I Will Remember

~Lord Have Your Way~

I woke up this morning and realized how precious God truly is, sometimes the storms we face are but a turbulent storm that passes in the night and the light quickly comes and warms our faces and we are hardly fazed by our momentary trials. Then there are those moments that seem like an endless storm, as though we are right in the eye of it's deadly anger and we wonder will we survive, will we triumph. Our flesh becomes weak with fear and our minds are shaken by the darkened tide of endless tossing. For such a journey, such heartbreaking adversity does one find strength in God and quickly the weakness of mankind. It is God alone who can sustain us, bring us a lighthouse of hope that no one can put asunder! No torrential heartache, no mind numbing disappointments in our common soothing comforts that once stood by our sides so faithful. When the deepest cut of our trials bleeds us, it is Christ who is faithful, who is understanding, who is devoted in love, faithfulness in compassion. Remember that the storm you face will end someday, some time and in that trial of the heart, mind and soul; remember you are loved and God always has a plan!

Your Life, His Glory!

The crayons are the life that God has given you (symbolic) and the blowdryer is the hardships and difficulties you will face but God knew this and designed your life to be a beautiful work of art, a joyful praise to His love and mercy and above all else His victory in your life.

That Moment

There I was, feeling the immense pain, the throbbing, the mind numbing pain that almost took my breath away; it swept in like a flood and pounded like a jackhammer. Sometimes it would go to an ankle, then to an arm or a thigh and then back down to a knee. It was like someone cutting my body literally apart but no actual damage.
   This felt like a virtual game that I just couldn't shut off whenever I wanted, this game was playing in reality and I had no choice but to endure it, push through it, rise above it. The first few times it happened after my stroke I thought "okay, it's just a few times it will go away" but now it's nine years later and I'm still dealing with it on a regular basis but now I roll with the punches! It challenges me to see pain as only a guidepost, a marker, a banner that tells me to press forward, upward and onward. God has taught me a valuable lesson in all this suffering, learning to read, write, walk and talk again and what He has taught me is so deep and profound and it makes me smile, my faith is deeper than before, my courage is stronger, my persistence is tenacious and my trust in God's plan has only grown like a strong tree with roots that are deep. God sustains me and in my weakness He is strong and the glory goes to Him, my suffering is but a short while and when it's time for me to go home I will have a new body and my soul will praise Him for all the victories along the way!!!

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

                                          Isaiah 40:31

Why Me

     Those dreaded days when we go through the worst of times, the times where we feel like we are being pressed from all sides. We look for friends who can comfort us in our long journey but instead we find sour words and false judgement. The amazing thing through all of life's disappointments is God's hand of love. 

Under A Thousand Tears

   Sometimes we bear the weight of our deepest fears in silence. We put on a brave face and all the while we cry on the inside, we break into pieces, thinking, pondering, wondering if anyone knows our pain and do they really care. The bible says this in Psalms

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
                              Psalm 34:17-19
     The comfort we receive is in this very thing, that God is ever attentive, He is ever prepared to easily overcome anything we are enduring. He promises that He will deliver us out of all our afflictions. The great joy we receive is in knowing that God stands by His word, even to the cross! His mercy is ever enduring, ever compassionate and full of love and joy. We have hope because God does exactly as He promises and has never failed, His record is 100 percent perfect and He knows exactly everything there is to know about you and how to make all things new in His perfect grace. So take hope in this very thing, you are loved and that love that is so profound that it causes us to soar above the impossible, to do the very things we thought would leave us in the dust of weakness. God delivers! God Heals! God Restores! God Renews!

 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
                               Isaiah 40:31

Take The Step

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

#TeamJesus #suffering #courage The real character of anyone is truly seen when they're at their weakest, their worst of hours; watch them in the seasons of despair and if something shines in those darkest hours you know the truest of characters, the rawest of integrity, the grit and if they pray, praise, rejoice and trust in that season you have met a hero of faith. 
By Ernie Kasper



Silence has words

The joy on my face was evident but suddenly the words fell to the floor, once again the stroke has reminded me that I am weak and that words are precious. Words are too beautiful for spending them on hate, wasting them on pride, planting fields of discouragement. I reached into the depths of my heart and tried several times only to fail miserably with "blub blub blub blabbablub" Tears crawled down my face, my heart was weary, my soul was crying out for courage and my words were broken. All of a sudden a song came to my heart and it just showered me with such joy, such hope, such love! I began to sing the song out loud, the words quickly fell into place and everything was clear and precious. I raised my eyes to God and sang "How great is our God, how great is our God, sing with me" The words danced from my lips and that one place where the mind wasn't damaged, I could sing, I could sing with hope. As I lifted my trials to God I felt His peace and I knew that He was and is with me in my weakness and for that I praise Him. Greatness isn't about all the things you can do so easily, in fact it's all about what God can do in every failing moment, every circumstance that stands itself between you and Gods promises. Never give up hope in what God can do, it's never about your abilities but rather what God is willing to do in your inabilities, this way only God is given glory and the roots of your faith can only become more precious. You may be pressed from all sides but that will never silence the will of our saviour. God is able, He is able to do much more than we could ever imagine and for this we praise Him, even in the darkest corners of our trials. 

In The Tomb Of Your Weakest Hour

God is ever ready to hear our prayers, it isn't in the caverns of distance that whispers are heard but in the depths of Gods heart, His soul, that is the place where prayer is heard. To God it is nothing short of a symphony of faith, hope and love. The passion is in the waiting, knowing that whatever is done it is done at the epicenter of wisdom. God rolls the stone away from each and every circumstance, what He does with it is the Fathers will and that matters most. The sweet joy is knowing that whatever it is it will be covered by the hands of love, the same hands that where pinned to the cross, the same back that was marked because of our transgressions but praise God for the love that rose jesus from the grave. Whatever you are facing, remember this, God is never finished with you and even when you feel like your in the grave of sorrows last song, you are in Gods hands and He can always roll the stone away. By Ernie Kasper

It's never easy but then again....

When life hits you with a curve ball it can really catch you off guard but then again that's life. The amazing thing is whether you can learn from it, can you adapt to the trials, the heartaches, the broken dreams and pick yourself up and keep swinging until you hit that ball. When I suffered my stroke 7 years ago it became very clear that this was a curve ball and that I had to not only pick myself up but learn to read, write, walk and talk and then swing that bat! There were many, many tears, lots of frustration, people misunderstanding me and sadly enough some would value me as less than who I was. I was still me, inside the shell there was the same person who is and was Ernie. I still loved to laugh though at many times it was silent, I still loved to smile though it was crooked, I still loved to hug though it was often done with little or no strength at all; the real me was still alive and thriving. My life was being blown by the wind and it didn't help that most of me had become ashes. There is this deep part of me that says "God is there, it may seem distant but He's right there" and I took that whisper and I made it echo through the valley of my tears. I wasn't going to let this break me and crush who I was. I was going to pick up the pieces and with Gods help I was going to be a mosaic picture of faith, hope and love. Suffering has this unique way of stripping you of all your weight and putting a mirror in front of you and saying "Is this who you are?!" Well this was and is who I am, someone who refuses to quit, to give up, to simply end my story with failure and by Gods grace it will be so much more than I could have ever imagined.

By Ernie Kasper