Heartache / Forgiveness

The other day I was talking with a group of ladies about their childhoods. I was astounded by the number of women who had frightfully scary and sad lives. I noticed the body language as they talked it was evident as to whom had a strong faith and who didn’t. When walking with the Lord we are able to take our hurts and exchange them for the love and comfort of Jesus. The women discussed their abuse: abandonment, unloved, neglected or worse. While the Christian women spoke of abuse or neglect their facial expressions were tranquil and their voices were soft and pleasant. The women who are struggling with their faith spoke with harshness and looked very angry. They are unable to move forward with joy or love. They are unable to forgive. My heart goes out to these women as they are truly struggling with life. God shows us how to live, how to forgive and to share the life He has given us. I pray we embrace each day to follow the commands of God and to reach out to Jesus for the strength, wisdom and grace that awaits us. Only through Jesus are we fully able to forgive and find the joy in the day. Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Let us go forward as the children of God and trust that He will heal our hurts and heartaches. Smiles & Blessing, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Salad Bar Faith

Tonight at our Ladies Bible Study and “salad bar” dinner I heard someone mention cutting back on her carbs (bread) and to stay away from the sweets. We agreed that we need to be conscience of our food intake and to stay fit and healthy. Since we are all past our forty’s and looking at the “senior” citizen age group we laugh when our conversations go to health issues and lifestyles. It boggles my mind that our wisdom finally shows up when our children our grown, grandchildren enter our lives and having a health problem or two is not uncommon. I feel our lives as Christians may have some health issues if we use a “salad bar” approach. We may get that wake up call that states your spiritual life has some serious "health" issues. Your faith is not growing, you are not in fellowship with like minded friends or you are making choices that are leading you away from God. As Christians we have the freedom to choose going to church, educate our children in God’s laws and Jesus’ love, while modeling a Christian way of life. How blessed are we? God continually gives us Grace by His forgiveness and guiding us on the right path. Our only challenge is to trust and to allow the Holy Spirit to fill our souls while we listen to His word. I pray we remain receptive to the Word of God in order to live a healthy faith growing life. Hebrews 5:14 Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Let us praise Jesus as we practice our faith. Smiles & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Sunday Joys

To me Sunday has an atmosphere all its own. It is special and unique. They are generally low key as we attend church, fix breakfast or lunch and then prepare for the up coming week. I love the warm feelings I have as I began my week singing, praying and sharing the Eucharist with family and friends. It brightens my soul and rejuvenates my spirit. God continues to bless our lives as we worship and pray. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we lived that celebration all week long? I pray we look into our hearts and rejoice in the Lord each day, each hour and each moment we are able. If living the life Jesus commands…We would love our neighbors, we would forgive easily and we would grow closer to Jesus. Let us begin this week with the love of Jesus in our hearts and show our Christian love by being kind to one another, going out of our way for someone or smiling while looking in their eyes to wish them a good day. 1 Samuel 26:23 The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. Life’s lessons are learned through the love of Jesus. Smile & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Soul Food

All through my life we have had food to celebrate our joys and food to comfort us in time of sorrow. Still to this day I feed the body when stressed or joyful. As a young girl my family and I would go to the drive in for ice cream to enjoy that special time with family. I grew up with simple desserts following dinner, however during the holidays we would serve several desserts so everyone could choose their favorite or on those special days we would over indulge and have more than one. We always said a short dinner prayer before enjoying our meals, but there never seemed to be a personal connection to God or Jesus. It was just something we did…Prayers before a meal. Up until a few years ago I was following in those same footsteps of my family and making sure we said a prayer before our meals, but I didn’t feel that personal connection to God or Jesus. Finally my eyes were opened…it is more than just a prayer before a meal. When praying we are given an opportunity to begin or continue our relationship with Jesus. We are thanking God for our needs being met as well as being thankful when we are given more than enough. We accomplish this through Bible studies, Christian fellowship and continued prayers. God’s tells us what he expects and how He wants us to live. I pray that when we are reaching for the desserts to complete a wonderful meal or celebration that we also reach for the food that will feed our souls. Jesus came to earth for us and we are able to feed our souls through the Great Eucharist.…We are blessed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Smiles & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Healing & Love

When I begin each day with “thank you Lord” I truly mean it…yet, at times like now words don’t seem to be enough. As we pray for new beginnings, new career paths or clean bill of health from an illness “thank you” seem like empty words. There was a time when I struggled with grief and loss. It was God to whom I turned and it was God who brought me out of the depths of grief. He would bring an Angel into my life just when I needed them. It would be a phone call, an invitation to lunch or a prayer sent my way. God is so amazing that in His time we are healed physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are shown through our faith God’s love and compassion. He expects trust and faithfulness from us as we go through the process of living… God then blesses us. I pray we continue to put our trust in the Lord. God will bless our continued faith as we rejoice in His Peace, Grace and Joy. James1:12Blessed is the man that perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Walk in love with God and Jesus knowing we have the wisdom and knowledge as the children of God. Smiles & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Bible Promises

Today the San Joaquin Valley was bathed in sunshine that was very comfortable with a slight breeze. Fall is on its way and after a hot summer we look forward to cooler weather. We don’t doubt for it minute that the summer blooms will fade and disappear and the leaves on the trees will turn gold and red. Before we know it the leaves will also disappear and winter will be upon us. However, this is not true of God. We need never worry as God will always be with us. The seasons will roll one into the other and yet, God will continually help us through the tough times as He comforts and consoles our spirits. Our trials may not be resolved immediately but we will be blessed by his radiance and His love will fill our souls. While we live our lives with faith, trust and patience God will continue to prepare our paths. As He says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” Let us go forth with continued faith that God is always with us and preparing for the future. He sent Jesus to us that we may be forgiven and blessed. As we thank Jesus for His love and Graciousness we have the opportunities to build a personal relationship with Him while enriching our lives with prayer, Christian fellowship and Bible studies that confirm God’s love. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I pray we rejoice in the season of life that God has given us. Smiles & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors

Live Life

I so enjoy living life… what I mean by that is I love sharing my life with my family, friends and the Lord. Knowing that what ever happens we can rely on the Lord for God’s wisdom, while getting support from friends & family. The other day I had a surprise phone call from a family member I had not visited with for several months…what a delight. It is totally comforting to know we can go months without any communication and then when we do talk we pick up right where we left off… We don’t have to be concerned that our family won’t want to hear from us or that we have to explain why it has been weeks since we last talked. We are always there for them and overjoyed to once again catch up with their lives. Our God is the same way. We may go weeks or longer without any communication with Him but when we do He will shower us with love, comfort and joy. We can feel his presence and the bliss of his peace. As we go forth each day I pray we spend time with our Lord and receive his grace and gifts of love and peace. Jesus is waiting for the door to open in order to be part of our lives. Sharing his love that is boundless allows us to reap the harvest of a personal relationship with Him. Jeremiah 29:12-13 “You will call upon Me and come to pray to Me, I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Enjoy the presence of our Lord as you open the door to your heart and let Jesus enter. Smiles & Blessings, Cynthia Collins Kaitfors