Pastor Kellie's Blog

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.  Today as we celebrate all that the Lord has been doing through the ministry of LWCC, we know that none of it would be possible if not for the partnership we all share with one another.  As Ecclesiastes says, working as part of a team is more satisfying than working alone and it also guarantees help when we need it.   

In the last section of Colossians, the Apostle Paul, who was, apart from Christ, the greatest figure of the New Testament, remembered those who partnered with him to accomplish the task the Lord gave him.   As he nears what in all likelihood would be the end of his life, he talks about some of the friends that he had made along the course of his life and what they meant to him personally and for his ministry. Each friend that he mentions stands out because of some special ability or characteristic that they possessed. His friends were more than acquaintances; they were partners in ministry.

God used Paul to accomplish tremendous spiritual victories throughout his life. But Paul did not accomplish these things as a soloist. He was the leader of a team of close friends who worked as a team under the leadership and empowerment of their heavenly Father. Together, they accomplished far more than Paul could have ever accomplished on his own.  He did not take the credit but gladly included his team in recognition for what had been able to be accomplished. Likewise, we honor each of you for partnering with us to advance God’s Kingdom!  We love you!

What does balance look like to you?  Is is something you strive for or is it something that you’ve come to believe is impossible to achieve?  ??Webster’s defines balance this way, “when ALL of the parts are in harmony.”  It seems that balance is something that most of us struggle with.  After all, there are so many demands on our lives -  family, work, church, friends, hobbies, and the list goes on & on!??You & I are made up of body, mind & spirit and in order for us to have balance, all of these must be in harmony.  Jesus, who is our example, knew what it meant to be busy!  He knew what it meant to be pulled in a lot of different directions, He was always in high demand, and always “on the job”! But we read in Luke 2:52 that He lived a balanced life.  You might be thinking, of course, He’s God!  But remember, His Spirit lives within us and we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us!  So let’s consider for a moment how He did it.  First we know that He regularly spent time in prayer and in the Lord’s house.  He knew that if we was going to be effective in what He was called to do He had to put “first things first”.  His relationship with His Father had to be at the center of all that He did.  Jesus wasn’t someone who was all about “work”, or all about friends or family, or certainly not all about Himself!  
If you are feeling out of balance today, take an honest look at your life. Say, "Where am I in balance? Where am I out of balance?"  Evaluate it. Do a self-examination. Have a spiritual, mental, emotional, social, physical check-up and evaluate your lifestyle. Proverbs says  it’s wise to analyze. Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  Don’t just prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities!  Matthew 6:33 promises us that “if we seek FIRST His Kingdom & His righteousness that ALL of these things will be added unto us as well”.  Now that’s a promise you can take to the bank!

Have you ever felt bullied?  Pushed around?  Tossed around?  Well I have and it's not what you think!  This week, actually more like the past few months, but especially this week I have just felt like I've been beaten up one side and down the other and I am fed up!  No, it's not a person but it is a "who" and this week I've decided to do something about it!  Stand up!  Take back what's been stolen!  Take authority over the situation!

My husband is in El Salvador with a team from our church so I had the privilege of bringing the Word and let me tell you, I was fired up!  I had a Word in me like the prophet of old who said it was like a "fire shut up in my bones", I could hardly contain myself!

A couple of years ago I did a ladies conference titled "Fight" and at the conference I showed a clip of Rocky when he was fighting Mr. T.  It was an epic battle and there is a scene in which Rocky appears to be getting pummeled by "Clubber Lang" (aka Mr. T) and his trainers are going crazy.  But, that may have appeared to be the case, but as Martha Tennison has said, "It ain't what's happening, it's what's really going on"!  With every punch Rocky took he got madder & madder and I love when he looks at Clubber and says "ain't so bad"! Rocky used the "attacks" from his enemy to stir him up!  It's time church that you & I get stirred up!

The enemy that's been pushing me in a corner recently, even had me on the ropes a few times, is no Clubber Lang and he's got me fighting mad!  As followers of Christ we know that we are in an unseen spiritual battle everyday and that the enemy, satan, is a formidable foe.  But, here's the good news, he IS a defeated foe!  IF you are in Christ, you have been given the authority, delegated power, to overcome EVERY attack of the enemy.  He IS, currently, not in the sweet by & by, but at this moment UNDER MY FEET!  Whew!  I'm still shouting hallelujah!  Church, we won't start doing what Jesus did unless we begin to walk in our spiritual authority as believers!

If you don't believe me, listen to Jesus own words:  Luke 10:19 NLT  “Look, I have given YOU authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you."

John 14:12 AMP  “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even GREATER things than these, because I go to the Father.”

Jesus has delegated His power & authority to His body, the Church.  Take your rightful place of authority over the kingdom of darkness, over ALL the power of the enemy & be Jesus' hands & feet to a hurting & lost world! 

Welcome to the "GiGi' blog!  "GiGi" is the name for the women's ministry of Living Word Christian Church and it stands for "Girlfriends in God, Inc.". 

A couple of years ago I had a team of women who were on the leadership team of the annual ladies conference that I do.  These women played an integral role in putting this conference together, not the least of which was being my "girlfriends".  So, I came up with the nickname for them, "GiGi's". 

I soon realized that I had many more GiGi's than those that were apart of this ministry team and so I began calling those girlfriends who were also followers of Christ my GiGi's and the name took off!  I soon realized that every woman, regardless of her age, liked being a girl, and especially liked being a GiGi so I decided to call our women's ministry GiGi. 

Now we've all had girlfriends throughout our lifetime but they haven't all been GiGi's!  This October 6-8, we are hosting our annual ladies conference and the theme is GiGi.  To see who just a few of my GiGi's are and to hear more about this amazing, life-changing conference, click on the video next to this post.  At the GiGi Conference, we will discover our definition of, the need for, and the blessing of having GiGi's in our life!  My life is certainly richer because of the GiGi's the Lord has blessed me with!  I hope you'll plan to join us!