Upgrades and restoration

Upgrades and restoration

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

copyright June 2018

I love God’s heart for us. He is always leading us to reach our fullest potential. The big question, is will we follow his lead or resist where He is taking us?

Sometimes, He leads us back to a place we might not want to go, but I have found, He takes us back, because He wants to give us an upgrade.

I have seen this in several areas of my life, and I have had to take a deep breath and follow. 

Years ago, I was working in a  west Texas town. One of my assignments was to do a fundraising event. Several of my coworkers in the city I was working in, were relatively new to the company we were working for and the company was in a lot of transition. This made the task difficult and some of my coworkers were hard to work with. There were many challenges along the way in order for me to accomplish my assignment and let’s just say, it took every bit of Jesus in me to pull the event together. The event went well but not without a lot of sweat and tears.

As I drove out of that community exhausted, I whispered a prayer, “God, thank you for your grace and kindness in helping me with this event, give me safe travels home, and God, I don’t really care to ever come back to this city.” 

I love that we can pour out our hearts to God and He meets us right where we are. I was being gut level honest, and I verbalized it to the God that loved me and helped me.

Several years passed and one day I was asked if I could quickly pack and head back to this town. I was needed to help pull off another event that was the next day! I love helping people, especially in crisis situations, and I said yes before I even had a chance to think.

I was about half way to my destination and I remembered what I had said the last time I left. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed and said, “What on earth am I doing?” It was too late, I was committed.

I began to pray and ask God for wisdom, strength and help. Then I  told the overwhelming feelings to go away. I knew they were not from God. 

I felt God say to me, “One woman walking with God can do great things.”

I also heard him say, “Kathleen, I’m taking you back at a much higher level, leading you to triumph and I am upgrading you.” Peace settled over my heart. I knew God was in this and I had to trust him.

I remembered 2 Corinthians 2:14, which tells us, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.” (AMP)

When we know Jesus, Christ is in us. We can tap into the power of Christ in us and God leads us. We have a choice to take his hand and follow and he always leads us to triumph, or to a better place. He is a God of relationship and loves for us to partner with him and help conform us to his image.

people attending event

I arrived in the afternoon and worked with the staff.  I hit the ground running and somehow had plenty of strength and made quick decisions There were new people there this time and they were very helpful and grateful I was there.  I gathered the staff together and prayed with them, modeling my dependency on God and I worked until late that night. 

Isaiah 58:12 says, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

God loves to restore things. It is part of who is is. He gives us new life, forgiveness and will lead us to better places. Our job is to run to him, follow him, and trust him. He is a God of restoration and redemption and he cares about every detail of our lives.

Walking with God on a daily basis is one of the best blessings I have discovered and I pray you too will discover more of His love, passion for you, desire to bless you. If there some area in your life that needs an upgrade, run to him.  He cares about your job, your family, your dreams and every detail of your life. And he loves you and loves to restore.

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog on www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

Exchanging the broken pieces of life

Exchanging the Broken Pieces of Life -Restoration

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

June 2018

Copyright

     One of the things I have discovered that God loves to do, is restore or redeem things in our lives. No matter what mess you have made, how bad things look, or how much you have lost, God is standing right beside you orchestrating redemption just for you.

     What is redemption or what does it mean to redeem something? The dictionary definition states, “to compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something, to save from evil or error, to gain or regain possession of something, to exchange something.” Our society does not use the word redeem much unless we are talking about coupons, but uses exchange or restore instead. 

     What is it that you need for God to exchange for you? Think about it for a moment. What matters to you, matters to God. We live in a fallen world where life interrupts; sometimes suddenly, occasionally tragically, often times unexpectedly. I think that is why God is in the business of redeeming things, just for us. Redemption is what he specializes in.

The deck

      What do we do when our plans and dreams are interrupted? I have found by experience that we simply hang on to God to take the next step. We wait for Him to work in our lives to redeem the situation. This often times rubs the impatient the wrong way. As Americans, we are not good at waiting in the line at the grocery store. But in those times of waiting, we get to experience the joy of holding His hand. 

Isaiah 41:13 states, “For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.” (NIV)

     One of my personal stories of redemption began nine years ago. I sat on our beautiful  deck with my late husband, The conversation began with, “Kathleen, sit down, we need to talk.” 

I knew we needed to discuss some things neither one of us wanted to talk about but we had to. I sat at the end of the table and took a deep breath.  Even in his physical weakness, due to a rare cancer, Joe was leading his family. 

“Things are not going the way we want them to. My life insurance policy is in the front desk in the file. When I am gone, call USAA and they will walk you through the whole process,” he said. “They will help you,” he continued.

 My mind and body exhausted from caregiving and fighting for his life, was swimming with questions. I suddenly felt like I was in very deep water and the waves were way over my head. I found it hard to even breathe as my eyes filled with tears.

  Then he continued, “You are not made to live alone.” His eyes filled with tears and his voice began to crack. “I love you and I know you better than anyone on earth. You are not made to live alone.” 

“I want you to know, you have my permission to go on with your life and find someone else,” he struggled to say. I had to turn my face away. I did not want to hear those words anymore than he wanted to say them. 

We had  been friends, lovers, parents, and partners for 30 years. I could not imagine life with out him. I knew out of his great love for me, he was saying the words he never thought he would have to say but he wanted what was best for me. Joe took his last breath a few days later.

     Three very long and lonely years rolled by as I struggled to discover life without him. “How do you live when half of you is gone and your heart is broken,” I often thought. I have discovered, you live one day at a time holding God’s hand in the journey. Sometimes holding his hand for comfort, other times when fear knocks on the door and many times holding tight trying to find the joy in living again.

     So what does this have to do with redemption? Several years later, I sat on the very same deck again, except with another man, Stephen. We were laughing and enjoying the beautiful weather and working on our wedding vows. As we finished writing, we shared with each other the promises we were going to make at our wedding. 

My lemon tree on the deck

All of a sudden, I remembered the day years ago I sat in the very same spot in tears feeling like my life was over. The very place that had been so painful, was now a place of restoration. I thought how kind God was to redeem the place that had been so painful was now my place of new beginnings. 

     The journey has been a long and difficult one but my heart has expanded, gotten stronger and actually thrived, holding God’s hand. God gave me a chance to experience His redemption. He has exchanged the thing I feared most, losing my husband, for something new, good and full of fun and adventure.

Stephen and me with our tow grandkids several years after we married

      Psalms 107:1 states, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Psalms 107:6-8 says, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.”  (NIV) I am not quoting this scripture. I have lived and experienced it and the experience has made me rich.

     Where are you right now in your life? Are you hanging on by a thread? Are you mad at God because of where this world has tossed you and you are blaming Him? Perhaps you just need your knees strengthened to stand and wait for Him to redeem. He will. He is faithful and good. 

Psalms 130 tells us to wait for him to exchange things for us and verse 7 states, “hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is FULL redemption.” (NIV)

     

      What do you need to ask God to redeem in your life? Ask Him now. Who do you need to encourage that God will redeem their tragedy? Ask God today. He is ready and waiting for you to take his hand, and let him walk you to your restoration.

     

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog on www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com 

94,500

The lost art of honor

Honor-a lost art

Honoring my husband

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

copyright May 2018

Years ago, I helped host an art reception with several other ladies to honor a local artist. This artist had graciously donated some of her work to the business I worked for. We decided to honor her contribution to our nonprofit and to our our community for her artistic talent. 

 After the reception, I was visiting with one of the other hostesses and she made the comment, that honor is a lost art in our society and culture. Somehow, our society has slowly drifted away from this character trait. I had to agree.

Honor is defined as giving high respect or esteem to someone or something; a person or thing that brings credit to something. Romans 12:10 instructs us by saying, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”(NIV) 

The word honor in this passage actually means “precious.” Do you look at those around you as something precious?

What are some ways we can honor those around us? 

First off, by speaking to them. I witnessed something the other day that was dishonoring. Two people were talking in a business conversation and a third person walked in and interrupted the conversation. He spoke to one lady and gave her a directive but totally ignored the other woman. One of the most disrespectful things you can do to someone, is to ignore them or give them the silent treatment. People who do this, only show their own insecurity and their own immaturity. 

 Another way to honor others is by how we speak to them. My dryer broke and I was dealing with the repair for 6 weeks. The wrong parts were ordered twice, the company had to cancel the appointment several times for internal issues, and then the second service man forgot to order the correct part he needed! 

Needless to say, I was not real happy with the situation. As I talked to Customer Solutions, I was challenged to speak kindly to the woman on the phone as I pleaded my case. I can’t say it was easy, as I really wanted to give her a piece of my mind. Honoring her as a person, who is trying to do a good job, got me further than giving her a piece of my mind and I know, honored God.

Showing honoring to others raises their value. It picks them up and elevates them. It is a deposit in their bank instead of a withdrawal. Honoring someone blesses them. 

Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (NIV) 

Imagine if we were constantly affirming one another for their contribution to our families, churches, organizations, etc. Honoring others above ourselves is a directive from scripture. The Bible is so good at showing us how to live well.

National Day of Prayer

One of my all time favorite scriptures is Psalms 8:4 and 5. It says, “What is man that your are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (NIV)

In this scripture, God esteems you and me. He honors us for simply being who we are. His honor is bestowed upon us. God almighty honors you! He has given you a crown of glory and validates you, as being important. He even gives you and me a crown. It is his way of saying, “Hey world- this is someone of value!” 

This passage transformed how I personally thought about myself years ago. My personal self esteem was pretty low at the time, and one morning in my quite time I read Psalms 8. I suddenly saw that God almighty saw me as a woman of value. I had the choice to throw away the way I felt about myself and trade my thoughts for God’s. What about you? Do you need to toss some of your thoughts about yourself and see yourself as a person of value.

To take that passage to another level, if God honors the person next to us, we should  honor them too? How do you treat those in your home? Let me challenge your thinking. How can you give something to someone if you don’t have it yourself? If you have trouble honoring others, perhaps it is because you don’t have a high regard for yourself. To lift them up, would only make you feel worse about yourself. Perhaps that is why some people struggle with honoring others.

 Honor is a character trait that people in royalty practice. I have no doubt that honor is everywhere in heaven. Why?  In scripture, God honored Jesus. Jesus honored his Father God and Jesus and God highly honored the work of the Holy Spirit. Each one valued the others function higher than their own. Do you honor others in your church, in your work place for the work they do? Do you tell them how much you appreciate them?

Lt. Commander Austin Maxwell

Honor looks for what a person does right, not wrong. I think often times, Christians are too judgmental of others. The truth is, if we were walking in their shoes, we might do the very same thing.

With this being Memorial Day Weekend, I would like to honor not only those that have given their lives for our country. Many thanks to those that sacrificed years of their life, so we can live in a country with many freedoms.

I also want to honor the spouses, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers of those that  went to war. They sacrificed for us too and I want to say thank you to them and honor them. And to all those that were left with their lives in pieces from a loss, I ask God to bless you in many ways and heal your hearts. 

Collins and her daddy

 I have discovered that I need to do better at honoring those around me. Honor may be a lost art but you and I can begin to change our society and community by honoring those around us. It has to start somewhere, why not with me and you? 

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie is a native of the Hill Country. She is passionate about helping others to discover their value and worth. You can contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

Encouragement for Mothers

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

May 2018 copyright

Mother’s Day Encouragement

My mom-Mary Belle Jones

My mother was a 5’2, blue-eyed lady that taught me many things. She taught me everything from “say please and thank you” and “don’t forget to wear your lipstick” to “ you better shape up or ship out”  and there was always, “get happy just like you got sad.” 

She loved to dress up and was frequently seen wearing high heels even though she was a stay at home mom. 

 Mary Belle loved people and would talk to anyone that would listen.  She was a genuine lady and tried her best to teach me how to be a lady…I’m still learning.

The best things my mom taught me were about walking with God. She loved the Lord and it was evident by the many times I would see her studying her Bible, listening to worship music and by the life she led. 

She was a woman that loved God with all her heart and she was a praying woman. I am forever grateful for all the prayers she prayed for me and all the wise counsel she gave me.

Austin - my oldest son and me Mother's Day

My mom had a passion to tell people about Jesus and was a children’s church leader at Grace Bible Chapel for years. She led countless kids to the Lord throughout her years of ministry. She taught me how to share the gospel and to reach out to share the love of Jesus with other. 

She left his earth five years ago but not before she was able to leave me a great legacy. 

Mary Belle was not a perfect mom and I did not always agree with her but she was a good mother.  

Perhaps you are reflecting on your own mother this weekend. Good memories, bad memories, funny ones - God word is very specific on how to treat our parents. 

Ephesians 6:2 says, “ Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth.” (NIV). 

I found eight times in scripture where God tells us to honor our father and mother, which indicates that it is pretty important to the heart of God. 

Deuteronomy 27:16 tells us, “Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother.” (NIV) We can actually bring difficulty upon ourselves when we dishonor our parents. 

So what does that mean to us today? You do not have to like everything your mom did or did not do, but you do have to honor the God given position she has in your life. If nothing else, you can be grateful your mom carried you in her womb and gave birth to you.

Price and Halie's wedding-my youngest son

 Ask God to show you things you can be thankful for concerning your mom, the things she did do right. Otherwise, as the scripture says, it will not go well with you in your life. Honoring our mother is not just a suggestion but a commandment with a promise. When we honor our mom, we receive a blessing!

My late husband did a great job of training our kids to honor me as their mother. Each Mother’s Day, he would take them shopping to buy something for me, had them make me a card - because cards mean a lot to me - and would get them up early to make me breakfast in bed. 

Fathers, I challenge you to teach your children to honor their mom. It is your responsibility.

Maybe your mom had some problems and hurt you in some ways emotionally or physically- or both.

  I have counseled many people that have bitterness and resentment towards their mother. Unfortunately, those thoughts and feelings hold the person, not the mother, in bondage. 

My three kids

If your mom has hurt you, let you down, not been there for you, made wrong choices, do yourself a favor and forgive her this Mother’s Day. Forgiveness truly is a gift you give to yourself as much as to her. You do not have to tell her you forgive her, rather, it can just be a conversation between you and God.

Perhaps your biological mom is not around any longer and there is another woman in your life that is like a mom. When my mom got Parkinson's Disease and dementia, there was another woman that became my “other mother” as I call her.  I am forever grateful for her guidance, love and presence in my life. 

Some of the girls I've been a spiritual mom to

There are many women that have never given birth that have found ways in which to serve as mothers to others.  Never underestimate the value of being a presence in someones life and do not forget to thank those that have been like a mom to you. They are God’s gift to you. 

I have many people that call me “Mom” that I did not give birth to,  but for whom I’ve tried to be there for them in their lives. I know God has put me in their lives to invest in them.

If you are a young mom, I want to encourage you to enjoy - find the joy - in every stage of mothering. I raised three children and sometimes the days seemed like they would never end. Someone always needed something from me and often times I struggled to balance work, each child’s needs, discipline, training and teaching them about how to walk with God. 

There were times I would  laugh and say to my friends, “where do I turn in my mother button?” My children are now 37, 33, and 28 and those long mothering days are over and it is such a joy to see the fruit of my labor in their lives today. 

Training your children to walk with God is  one of the most important things you can do for your child because you will not always be with them but God will.

 I challenge you to make teaching them scripture, teaching them to pray, and teaching them how to walk with God a priority. There is no grater joy than to see your grown kids walk with God and teach their own children - your grandchildren about Jesus.

Motherhood is not easy but it is worth it. One of the scriptures that kept me going and that I would pray over myself during the long days of mothering was Proverbs 31:25  It says, “She is clothed with strength and dignity and she can laugh at the days to come.”

 I pray this for each mother this Mother’s Day and pray this Mother’s Day will be a healing time for all. 

All my kids!

Happy Mother’s Day Month!

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie is a native of the Hill Country. She is passionate about helping others to discover their value and worth. You can contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

You are special, important and loved!

You are special, important and loved

April 2018 newspaper article

copyright 2018

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

My big sons! Love them so.

Working from my computer trying to finish a grant, Becca, a three year old, came and stood right beside me. I was working from home, due to the weather, and the bright eyed little girl came with her mom, who was working on a project at my house. 

As she stood there watching me, I stopped and hugged her and said, “Always remember Becca, you are special, you are important and you are loved. Can you say that?” I asked. 

She repeated with me as best she could but some of those words were hard to get out, “I am special, I am important and I am loved.” She beamed as she finished. 

I wanted to seize the moment with her and plant some seeds of truth in her life about how God feels about her. Actually, that is how he feels about each one of us.

 Deuteronomy 7:6 states, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (NIV) You are special, do not ever forget it! Each of us can choose to believe this but we need to take the next step and act like we are special to the Lord.

 Our belief system shapes our actions. Believing comes first, and then our actions will follow. When I began understanding this concept, I had to actually say to myself and God, “I choose as an act of my will to believe I am special and chosen by God.”

When we begin to act like we are special to the Lord, understand we are chosen and valuable, it shows that we really understand God’s love for us. Do you see yourself as special to the Lord?

Your life matters to others and the kingdom of God. Each of us has a responsibility to keep growing in our character and understanding of the important role God has called us to. Everyone matters and no one is discounted.

 I Corinthians 12: 18 tells us, “ But God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He has desired.” (NIV) 

Each of us has important talents. Do not try to be like someone else; be who God made you to be. You are shaped and designed by Him for important purposes. Do you see yourself as important and live your life like you are important? If not, ask God to open your eyes to how valuable you are.

When Becca began to say, “I am loved,” she stumbled over the words. They were hard to get out of her mouth. Becca is not alone. I struggled with feeling loved by God because I looked at my inadequacies and life circumstances instead of the truth of God’s word. 

 Believing God loves us is an act of faith. Galatians 5: 6 says, “The only thing that counts, is faith expressing itself through love.” (NIV). 

God has demonstrated His love for us in so many different ways. By faith, each of us must receive that love from Him. Once we choose to believe we are loved by Him, just the way we are, regardless of our faults, then we need to take the step of  truly living our lives as His much loved children.

Jeremiah 31:3 states, “I have loved you with an everlasting love and with loving kindness I have drawn you.” (NIV)  God’s love is built to last, will not give up on you and will continue to draw you. Ask Him to show you that love.

In John 15:9  Jesus shows us His love and challenges us. “ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”  We are commanded to remain  or sit and stay in His love. That means to me we are to constantly move throughout our day in an awareness of His love for us. Remaining in His love keeps us safe in the storms of life.

I challenge you to repeat these words to yourself this week. I am special, I am  important and I am loved. Ask God to open your eyes to your value and worth. And ask him to give you a greater understanding of His great love for you.

Kathleen Maxwell is a native of the Hill Country, a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping others discover the joy of walking with God and their value. You can contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com and on her blog www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com