Loving God can be fun.
Are you making it that way?
What is fun in your life?
Fun is not a thing.
It’s a thought and a feeling.
Some think too much fun is bad.
I used to.
Others think you have to work before you can have fun.
What are your views on fun?
God wants us to enjoy Him.
Enjoying involves Fun.
What fun thing can you do with God today to enjoy Him?
Remember He loves you the most!
I love you too.
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What are you keeping?
We keep all kinds of things in our home.
What if we focused on keeping Thanks like we keep clothes in our closet?
What if we collected thanks on purpose?
That’s what I’m doing.
This Spiritual practice helps me stay close to God.
It helps me enjoy Him more and more each day.
Thanks for reading my blog.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
God lets you be you.
You don’t have to change for Him.
He made you the way you are.
Quirks and all.
Passions and all.
Loves and all.
Why do you think you have to change to meet Him?
He wants you to come as you are.
If there’s any change to be done,
He’s going to do it.
We can’t change ourselves.
We can make choices to honor Him.
We can choose Him.
Yet the inside stuff we wish would change,
That’s up to Him.
Being in His Presence is where change happens.
Being with Him is when you get to know the true you.
Do you like the true you?
I do.
Think how God thinks about you.
He’s the One who made you.
You don’t have to change to enjoy Him.
You don’t have to get it together
Before you come to His Presence.
Just come.
He’s already there.
Waiting.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
What are you pursuing?
God is my essential pursuit.
He is what I need most.
He is what makes me happy.
Life does not.
Chasing after things does not.
Seeing so much pain around me makes my brain offer “let’s stay in bed.”
I thought that this morning.
I cried.
I’m feeling helpless.
Yet, I know I’m not.
That thought is not helping me in any way.
God is my helper.
He’s always with me.
I need Him the most.
I’m thankful He is always with me.
I asked Him last night,
What do you want me to do, I don’t know what to do.
I’m still waiting on the answer.
Waiting.
I want to wait well.
Not let my feelings of upset take over & keep me in bed.
I can’t control someone else’s pain & suffering.
I can only control my stories, what I make it mean & think about.
What makes me feel powerful?
Thinking about God.
Thinking His word.
Thinking His promises.
Holding onto His promises.
The song by Brandon Lake,
“Don’t you give up on me,”
I’m listening to it on repeat.
God has more plans, more dreams, more blessings for me & the person I love who is suffering.
My strength is in my hope in Christ & my faith.
That’s where I find it when my brain offers me feelings that forget God’s promises.
What’s essential for you today?
God or something else.
Put Him back to essential,
If He’s slipped out of that for you.
Pursuing God,
I can control that.
It feels a whole lot better than staying stuck in “I don’t know what to do.”
I love you.
Thanks for reading.
He loves you the most.
“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.” Psalm 40:4
Who are you trusting today?
What makes you trust someone?
God is always trustworthy.
Trust comes from knowing Him.
Knowing who He is.
Who do you trust most?
Why?
Look at your life,
Right now.
What is there?
How did you get there?
Who did you trust to make it happen?
Life is a choice.
How we live it.
How we fill it.
All determined by our small daily choices.
The end of the year is near.
What are you most proud of this year?
What do you need to invite God into going into the new year?
Trusting the Lord on each step in 2023 will result in more peace.
Thanking the Lord on each step in 2023 will result in more joy.
Enjoying the Lord on each step in 2023 will help you reach your goals faster.
Need some help getting there?
Coaching gives you the tools you need.
Let’s have virtual coffee and see.
Connect with me at katemckay@encouragementbydesign.com.
Put virtual coffee in the heading.
I love you.
God loves you the most.
Thoughts are a gift you give yourself.
They create your feelings.
What are you putting in the gift of you?
All thoughts are optional.
What thoughts fill you up?
Do they have God in them?
Is He invited into your thoughts?
Maybe you haven’t thought about your thoughts today.
They are running your story.
You can change them at any time.
With the Gift of Jesus soon to be celebrated,
The thought of gifts is all around.
What gifts have you bought yourself?
The gift of your thoughts is free.
Yet it will cost you something.
Time & energy to notice them.
I’m working on my thoughts daily.
Thinking about God & His word.
Using my thoughts to stay close to Him.
Using my thoughts to enjoy Him.
Enjoying God is my dream.
I’m living my dream.
What’s your dream?
Have you made time for it with your thoughts?
I love you.
He loves you the most.
I woke up writing to God like I do most days.
I always want to stay close to Him.
Writing helps me stay close.
I’m thankful today is Thanksgiving.
I’m thankful I get to be alive.
I’m thankful I get to spend it with my family.
I know some do not.
I’m thankful it’s sunny outside.
It makes me feel better.
I’m still in a season where there is suffering.
God is allowing some hard stuff.
But He is faithful.
He’s giving me the help I need.
He is building my hope and faith.
I love writing to Him.
It helps me so much.
I hope you’re doing something that helps you today.
Thanksgiving can be hard if you’re upset with God.
I’m thankful that even in my upset, I’m not upset with God.
He’s the only One who can really help me.
So I cling to Him and ask Him to help.
I got in His word this week in my weekly Bible Study.
What I learned helped me feel better about the suffering I see.
“God shows compassion to those who are suffering.”
I really needed this truth for me.
I’m thinking it on purpose today.
Over & Over.
When the tears were falling down my face this week,
this was the thought that helped me feel better.
“God shows compassion to those who are suffering.”
I love you.
If you’re suffering today, I’m sorry.
Please remember, God loves you the most.
God has been allowing some hard circumstances in my life.
It’s slowing me down.
I’m using this time to go deeper in my relationship with Him.
Sometimes we get ahead of God.
He’s always in control of the speed of our lives.
Even when we think we’re in control.
I’m thankful for all the good things in my life right now.
There is always something good to praise God for.
Always.
Sometimes my brain offers me otherwise.
It’s just not true.
God is always with us.
Always taking care of us,
Even when our circumstances feel hard. Psalm 37:5
What makes it hard for you to trust God when your circumstances are hard?
I love you.
He loves you the most.
Do you feel like you’re moving away from God?
You’re frustrated with yourself.
You’re frustrated with the world.
You don’t really want to go to church.
You think it’s never going to be the same again.
Covid messed everything up.
You’re crying because you love God.
Yet you’re mad at Him.
You think He needs to break your heart to get you back.
Yet maybe all you need to do is give Him your heart.
Your full heart.
Your heart is already broken.
This world breaks our hearts.
The true healing comes from Him.
His hands on our heart.
But we have to surrender our whole heart.
He is a gentleman.
He doesn’t barge into your heart.
It’s yours.
It’s hurting.
You’re hurting.
The solution,
Give Him your whole heart.
Hold no part back.
He will restore it. Hebrews 13:5
I love you.
He loves you the most.
What does enjoying God look like?
I’ve been using color to enjoy God.
It’s an easy starting point.
Look around you.
What’s in front of you, by color, that you can say thank You God?
For me, it’s the color of the beautiful trees this weekend in Maine.
It’s my first trip to Kennebunkport.
I came with my Mom & sisters to visit my cousin Scott.
This place is so beautiful.
I’m enjoying God by thanking Him for the colors I see in the trees here,
the beautiful water & the nice people.
Color is a beautiful gift from Him.
Enjoy Him today.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
God’s love is magic.
It erases fear. 1John 4:18
It brings a smile to your face.
It helps you when you feel sad.
It’s helping me today as I’m sad for Naples, Florida.
I love that place so much.
My Dad has a place there.
I have been visiting since 1988.
My sisters & I have a Sister Daddy trip every February.
We stay for a visit a little longer each year.
It makes me smile being in Naples.
It is one of my favorite places to enjoy God.
It’s in ruins today.
The hurricane destroyed so much of this lovely place.
I cried for Naples & the people there.
God sees my tears. Psalm 56:8
He sees your tears too.
What are you crying about?
It’s important to Him.
You are important to Him.
Always.
No matter what circumstance has brought you to ruins.
Feeling devastated,
God has got you.
He always has & always will.
It’s hard to understand why He allows such hard things to happen.
I focus on His Goodness.
The Goodness of who He is,
Unchanging Love.
The Bible says these hurricanes will happen, but when they do, it’s still hard to understand the loss.
God’s love for me is what carries me through loss. Jeremiah 31:3
I love you.
He loves you the most.
What’s at the bottom of your faith?
God or you?
Are you trying to hold it all together?
You, your problem & everyone involved?
Really?
Look at yourself.
Then, look at God.
See, It’s really Him holding everything.
Not You.
He always is.
Yet, you still think it’s you.
He’s the God of the universe.
Nothing is too hard for Him. Jeremiah 32:17
Not your problem.
Not anything.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
If you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with,
Who do you look like?
Is God first place in your equation?
Do you spend the most time with Him?
Who or what gets in the way?
Every part of you is some part of Him. Genesis 1:27
Are you living in fullness by staying in Him?
What does that look like?
Thinking about Him.
Writing to Him.
Making something with Him.
Walking with Him.
Talking to Him.
Pick 1 and enjoy Him on purpose.
He’s waiting for you.
Spend more time with Him and see who you look like.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
Are you suffering?
Have you lost yourself?
Do you feel like it's true?
You haven’t.
It’s a lie.
We can never lose ourselves.
Lose our joy.
Yes.
Lose our peace.
Yes.
But why?
Because we forget.
Or we don’t know.
It’s our thoughts causing our feelings.
That all thoughts are optional.
That we can choose our thoughts on purpose.
Even around the thing we are suffering with.
Don’t do it alone.
God is always available for you.
His joy is what you’re missing.
His peace is always inside you.
STOP.
Listen for His voice.
In your heart.
It’s there.
Your crying has gotten loud.
Your fears are keeping you stuck.
You only need 1 step.
1% of energy to seek Him for relief.
Move your mind to Him.
Move your thoughts to Him.
His love for you.
Overflowing.
Without end.
Beyond your understanding.
Always there.
Constant.
Waiting for you to give you relief.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
I’m feeling overwhelmed.
All the stuff going on in the world.
The flooding.
The fires.
The wars.
The loss of life tragically.
I’m crying out to God.
I feel helpless.
Yet, I am not.
God sees us down here.
His love is constant.
It’s hard to understand why all these hard things are happening.
Yet, I focus on Him.
That’s where my peace is.
The peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:7
The peace that is mine to have.
Given freely to me by Jesus.
Have you forgotten it’s available to you, today?
Amidst the storm.
Cling to Him.
The anchor holds inspite of the storm.
Jesus is our anchor.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
God’s Creativity.
We all have it.
He gave it to you when He created you.
All parts of you are some part of Him.
What do you want to create today?
Go to the source inside you.
What’s your dream goal?
What’s your criteria for happiness?
Have you forgotten?
Has the upset of this world made it seem not important?
Look inside your heart.
What are you excited about?
Have you invited the Lord into it?
Why not?
He’s the difference maker in your dreams.
He’s the One who makes the fruit possible. John 15:16
Invite Him into your dream.
Recommit to your dream.
Need help?
I love you.
God loves you the most.
When you can count on nothing else,
You can always count on God.
Are you sad?
Give it to God to carry.
Do you feel like it’s too hard to carry?
You’re stuck.
Weighted down with unhappiness.
There is a way out.
There is a light ahead.
It’s Him.
He’s your light.
And It’s always on.
Look inside you.
It’s always there.
Have you forgotten?
Get still.
Whisper to Him.
Help me.
He will.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
God is my everything.
I’m not at my best when I don’t spend time with Him.
I’m grouchy.
I feel off.
Not my best.
Then, I’m not very nice to my husband.
I’m defensive.
I’m short with him.
I don’t like this about me.
Yet, God.
He helps me.
I ask Him to.
I write to God & reflect.
Seek Him for help & answers.
My youngest son, Will, graduated Tuesday.
My focus was on him & his party.
I didn’t have my normal time with God.
For a couple of days.
It was obvious.
I wasn’t myself.
Now, I know even when I have an important event,
I need to keep my routine with God.
It’s how I thrive.
It’s how I’m me.
The best version.
Will, graduated from Handley HS.
I’m so proud of him.
He’s worked really hard.
Gone through High School with COVID,
Taking so much away.
Yet, God was faithful.
He helped Will get through.
Whatever is causing you to feel grouchy,
God wants to get you through.
I love you.
He loves you the most.
On this Memorial Day,
I’m remembering God’s goodness.
To me & my family.
I’m so thankful for all of my blessings.
The amazing family He put me in.
The amazing husband He made available for me to marry.
The amazing kids He picked me to be the Mom of.
Every day can be a Memorial Day to remembering the Goodness of God.
Because His goodness is without end.
His goodness is without limits.
Have you expected goodness from Him lately?
Why not?
Today’s a great day to start.
His word says He’s looking to be good to you. 2 Chronicles 16:9
But your heart has to be ready to receive it.
What if you prepared your heart every day to receive the goodness He wants to give you?
I love you.
He loves you the most.
I have the Lord!
He’s all I need.
He makes me complete.
He is my joy.
He fills me up.
When I am sad.
I’m sad today.
Such horror in the news.
So thankful I have the Lord.
I feel helpless.
Yet, I know He is good.
I know He meets us in our suffering.
If you’re suffering too, I’m sorry.
Remember you have the Lord.
He really is all you need.
Our brain offers us otherwise.
Yet, I know it’s not true.
Jesus really is all I need.
I love you.
He loves you the most.