How Do I Respond When The Battle Seems Too Hard to Fight?

Morning Pages Week eleven

I shared last week that I am going through the 12-week workbook “The Artist's Way.” As a part of the course, I write three pages in a journal each day. I am sharing a section of my writing each week with you. I would love your feedback on this new approach to my weekly Dispatch.

What is God doing in the world today, and how am I supposed to respond to it? I look at our world today and realize that we are in a real mess. There’s so much anger. We seem to have gotten complacent to the things that really matter. It seems that some battles are just too hard to fight. 

In the midst of this, God is always at work. What is God doing? I see Him growing those who believe in Him. I see him growing many churches and raising up leaders. There is a spiritual war going on and He wants each of us to fight. It is not because He needs us to fight - He can handle everything on His own. He is God, you know. Rather, God chooses for us to fight with and for Him. There are things that He says are right and things that He says are wrong. Our culture has blurred the lines. 

So how do I respond? I see every day as an opportunity to serve Him. Every day I can be a light in the world. Every day, I can love others well. I want people to see Jesus in me and thus be drawn to Him. 

What if today one person commits their life to Him and then the next day that doubles? In 10 days that is 2,046 new believers. So my role today is to impact one person and to do the same the next day. Change really can begin with me. I just need to say “yes.” 

Questions For You To Think About:

  • What do you see God doing in the world today?

  • What does “we are in a spiritual war” mean to you?

  • What next step is God calling you to take?


2 Minute Drill

Today’s clip is from my talk at this year’s Awesome Marriage Online Retreat

Quick Hits:

This Week’s Quote: Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb was born in 1949 on the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers, he was part of The Bee Gees, who sold over 200 million records. Music historian Paul Gambaccini described Robin as "one of the major figures in the history of British music" and "one of the best white soul voices ever.” He died in 2012 from liver and kidney failure brought on by colorectal cancer.

  • How do you explain the bond between man and wife? Well, for one thing, it's private. What people do in their own marriage is their own business.

  • My idea of a good time is creating something and reading a good book.

This Week’s Trivia Question

Which U.S. state has a town called Santa Claus?

This Week’s Did You Know

Tom Hanks played six different roles in “The Polar Express.” In addition to voicing the conductor, Hanks also played Hero Boy, Father, Hobo, Scrooge, and Santa Claus.

Something To Talk About!

Would you rather: Be the Grinch or Cindy Lou Who?


Awesome Marriage This week

AM Podcast: 4 Steps to Break the Fight Cycle with Special Guest Anne Nelson | Ep. 535

Anne Nelson is a Christian counselor who specializes in marriage, family, grief recovery, post-traumatic growth, and resilience training. Anne says, “Good science reflects God's glory, and you get to see the fruits of this in your life,” and I was able to talk more about that with her in this week’s Awesome Marriage Podcast.

AM YouTube Channel: Formula for a Healthy Marriage

Is there a formula for a healthy marriage? Dr. Kim shares why the answer to that question is “yes!”

AM YouVersion Plan: Stop the FIghting: Breaking the Cycles of Unhealthy Conflict Part 1

Join me in this 4 day plan that will make a difference in your marriage when it comes to conflict.


This Week’s Trivia Answer:

  • Indiana


Kim KimberlingComment
So many choices, what will I choose?

Morning Pages Week Ten

I shared last week that I am going through the 12-week workbook “The Artist's Way.” As a part of the course, I write three pages in a journal each day. I am sharing a section of my writing each week with you. I would love your feedback on this new approach to my weekly Dispatch.

Malcomb Gladwell’s podcast Revisionist History always gets me thinking.  Recently he talked about the impact TV has or does not have on us.  If you can believe it, at one time we only had four choices - ABC. CBS, NBC, FOX and five if you count PBS. Popular shows had a widespread influence on our culture. If a show was popular, most people watched it and when you were talking about the show, everyone knew what you were talking about. A lot of change in societies view of sex was influenced by shows like Friends, Will and Grace, Sienfeld, and Frazier. Sex was open and porn was considered normal behavior. These shows were weekly watched by millions of people and “everyone” watched them. Now there are more channels than  I wanted to take time to count. So does TV have the same impact that it used to? I think it does but in different ways. For example, Netflix knows what we watch and then suggests similar programs to us. We like the personalization but it seems to limit our exposure to other shows.  This can be good or bad or both. I think my point is this.  I have choices in what I watch or not watch. For me, those choices need to be balanced by what I value and believe and what I want to expose myself to.  I don’t always make the best choice. Yet, if I stop and think, “would I watch this if Jesus was visiting or would He choose to watch this if He was choosing,” it helps me. I know everything I watch affects me in some way. So many choices, what will I choose?

Questions For You To Think About:

  • What is your favorite TV show today?

  • How do you decide what to watch or not watch?

  • Are your choices consistent with what you value and believe?

  • Is there anything you need to do differently?


2 Minute Drill

In this short clip, Nancy and I talk about our “love languages.”

Quick Hits:

This Week’s Quote: Billy Graham

As a child, I vividly remember watching Rev. Billy Graham on TV with my grandad. It was Billy Graham that played a big role in my faith and my call to ministry.  Twice Nancy and I were asked to go to Amsterdam with the Billy Graham Association to counsel itinerant evangelists from around the world.  It was an amazing experience both times.

  • God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.

  • I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right.

This Week’s Trivia Question

The biggest selling music single of all time is?

This Week’s Did You Know

The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500. Bon appetit!

Something To Talk About!

Would you rather never be able to go out during the day or never be able to go out at night?


Awesome Marriage This week

AM Podcast: Become the Spouse You're Made to Be With Special Guests Levi & Jennie Lusko | Ep. 534

Levi and Jenni are two of my most favorite people in the world.  This is a great interview that you will not want to miss!

AM YouTube Channel: Gas Lighting

What exactly is “gas lighting?” How do you know if it is happening to you? Join me for this week’s vlog!

AM YouVersion Plan: Stop the FIghting: Breaking the Cycles of Unhealthy Conflict Part 1

Join me in this 4 day plan that will make a difference in your marriage when it comes to conflict.


This Week’s Trivia Answer:

  • Candle in the Wind by Elton John released in 1997!


Kim KimberlingComment
What Does It Mean to Delight In the Lord?

Morning Pages Week Nine

I shared last week that I am going through the 12-week workbook “The Artist's Way.” As a part of the course, I write three pages in a journal each day. I am sharing a section of my writing each week with you. I would love your feedback on this new approach to my weekly Dispatch.

Last week in a talk I gave, I talked about “delighting in the Lord.” The online dictionary defines delight as pleasure or joy; as something that gives great pleasure or joy. I don’t think I have really done that. Maybe on occasion, but not consistently. Just to know that the God of the Universe, the one who created me and everyone and everything else, loves me, is amazing. 

He cares about everything that I care about. He loves me unconditionally. There is nothing I can do to make Him love me more or less. I want to just bask in that love and let it consume me. The security that it brings to know I am His. Jesus is my savior. I can rejoice. He has loved me forever. 

That is truly the point of this life. Loving God and fulfilling the role He has given me. It is amazing that He knew me from the beginning of time. He planned for exactly when I was born; planned for me to be born to my parents; and numbered all the days of my life. 

He is sovereign. There is nothing that happens by accident. His plan for my life is perfect for me. God is so very good.

Questions For You To Think About:

  • What does “delighting in the Lord” mean to you?

  • What does “He loves you unconditionally” mean to you?

  • What is your response to Him?


2 Minute Drill

Levi and Jenni Lusko have a new book, “The Marriage Devotional,” that is out this week. They joined me on the Awesome Marriage Podcast and in this clip they talk about what God showed them during this process.

Quick Hits:

This Week’s Quote: Mark Twain

Samuel Clements Moore - the man we know as Mark Twain - was born on November 30, 1835 in Missouri. The first time I read Tom Sawyer I fell in love with reading. I was completely absorbed with the story and characters and as a young boy, I imagined what it would be like to be Tom. The book was one of the first to be written on a typewriter. It was, at first, a commercial failure but went on to the best selling book by Mark Twain during his lifetime. 

  • It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.

  • There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.

This Week’s Trivia Question

How many eyes does a bee have?

This Week’s Did You Know

You actually lose a large percentage of your taste buds while on an airplane. (This probably explains why airplane food does not always meet our expectations or why many people crave salty foods while flying.)

New: Something To Talk About!

Would You Rather: Give up your favorite food for a year or give up candy forever?


Awesome Marriage This week

AM Podcast: Avoid These 3 Premarital Mistakes: #3 Unrealistic Expectations

As we continue this three part series, Lindsay and I talk about identifying unrealistic expectations and what to do with them. Although this is geared towards pre-marriage, every marriage needs to take a look at their expectations of each other and their marriage.

AM YouTube Channel: Secrets

This week’s vlog deals with keeping secrets in your marriage. Is it ever a good idea?

AM YouVersion Plan: Affair Prevention in Marriage

In this powerful five-day plan, Adam and Kristi share their story of betrayal and the power of God's healing. This is a plan I think every couple needs to read and watch together.


This Week’s Trivia Answer:

  • A bee has 5 eyes!

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Kim KimberlingComment