friendships Archives - VALLEY OF GRACE

January 18, 2021May 2, 2021

Episode 86: Begin to Declutter Your Relationships

Healing Our Brokenness Podcast Series

Episode 86: Begin to Declutter Your Relationships

00:00 / 00:19:15

Today, we are continuing on with our Begin to Declutter Series. We have already begun to declutter our minds, our hearts, our souls, and our bodies. Today, we will begin to declutter your relationships. If you missed the other podcasts in the series, please click on the word links above.

Podcast Outline

Boundaries
Indicators
Inner Circle or Not
Working Together?
Loyalty

Bible Verses for Reflection

The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.” 16So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.…

2 Samuel 11

You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.

2 Samuel 19:6

Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

³⁷And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

³⁸But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

³⁹And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

⁴⁰And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

⁴¹And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Acts 15

January 17, 2020April 29, 2021

Integration

There are a lot of things involved in integration. The main thing required is taking the bits and pieces of our lives and allowing the pieces of our quilts from our story to be sown together. The poem, “Integration” is my own reflection of the pieces of the quilt that I loss when I either changed churches or loss contact with friends along the way.

Integration

Flashes of the past.

Friendships gone.

New ones last.

Recreating community.

Origination-the trinity

Bonding with sisters and brothers.

Loving strong and caring for others.

June 5, 2019April 28, 2021

Episode 36: Sharing in Need

Healing Our Brokenness Podcast Series

Episode 36: Sharing in Need

00:00 / 00:10:49

Sharing in Need Podcast Outline

Hunger
Value of Food
Christian Call
Transcript

Sharing in Need

sharing, food, clothes, katina horton, podcast, podcaster, podcasting, food, simple, world hunger, waste, emotional health, sharing, physical health, mental health, psychology — Photo by Sarah Pflug

Good evening! Welcome to Healing Our Brokenness Episode 36. Last week’s episode, Value of Prayer, can be found here.

Transcript:

There is hunger and lack of clean water in several countries all over the world. The problem of hunger is so bad that people have lost hope for themselves and their children. It has been said that the amount of food that we throw away as waste is enough food to stop world hunger. The thing about being good stewards, when it comes to God, is that stewardship is not just about money, it is for everything that God owns: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalms 24:1, NLT) This means our time, talents, our bodies, everything!

When I grew up as a child, we placed value on food, and how we used it. It wasn’t just because we were poor, but it was also because we realized just how many people were going without food, and in such a desperate need. In this day and age, we think nothing of having our kids throw whole plates of food in the garbage without blinking an eye.

As Christians, sometimes we get so cozy in our homes, and the immediate needs of our families, that we forget about our responsibility to take care of the poor: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27, ESV) It makes some of us uncomfortable to think about giving away some of what we have. A lot of times, when it comes to clothing, we have the same few pieces of clothing that we like to wear over and over again anyway. Having a closet full of clothes gives the illusion of false self-worth.

After the day of Pentecost, the Christians were on such a spiritual high from the workings of the Holy Spirit, that no one was in need: “All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers,and no poverty—for all who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.” (Acts 4:32-37, TLB)

What would be required in order for us to have this kind of situation going on now? It would require a change of heart and a change of mind. Then our behavior will follow: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV) God blesses repentance and good stewardship.

Dear God,

Thank you for what we have. We pray that you would move in our hearts to do more to help others in need. We know that we cannot outdo you when it comes to giving. Please help us to be mindful and sensitive to others who are in dire circumstances, and that if we don’t have anything to give, our hearts will be stirred to pray for those individuals.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Thank you for listening to Healing Our Brokenness. If the show is making a difference in your life, please refer a friend.

God bless!!!

January 31, 2019April 27, 2021

Inner Circle

The last poem that I wrote was entitled Strength, and it can be found here. Tonight’s poem deals with the conflict that arises between selecting who should and shouldn’t be included in our inner circles.

Inner Circle

The inner circle of life.

Let in someone with wisdom, growth, and discernment?

Or, let in someone with strife.

Who will you let in?

Let in the workers of iniquity?

Or, let in the faithful friend?

Hey inner circle!

Open the door and let me in.

Can we trust you with our trials?

Or our failures and our sin?

The inner circle of life.

Let in someone with wisdom, growth, and discernment?

Or, let in someone with strife.

Have a blessed night in the Lord!

Katina

Bible Verses to Meditate On:

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James,and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
Matthew 17: 1-2, Berean Study Bible