rest Archives - Living For ONE

10 Ways Running Affected My Walking, Part 2

May 2, 2013 By kelliwommack 2 Comments

I just started running a few months ago. It hasn't been easy, but it has been good. My goal was to be healthier, but God had more than just my physical health in mind. He has used running as a great analogy for my walk with Him. (For more on this and for part 1 and the first 5 ways, read here.) So, here are another 5 ways that Running for God has affected my walking with God. 6. Stay hydrated. And not just on any liquids... WATER. WATER. WATER. And you can't' wait until you run to drink water. You need to be drinking the day before and then be sure you drink after. So it is with life and walking with God. The Living Water (Jesus) is the only hydration source to face the challenges that life brings. And we can't wait until the challenge comes! We need to be drinking in the Spirit daily so that we are ready when difficulties do come. And they will. 7.Don't forget to stretch. Though there is great controversy in the running world as to whether or not you should stretch before or after a run, the point is to keep those muscles soft and pliable. It's when our muscles our stiff that we run the most risk for injury. In our walk … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: relationship with God, rest, running, walk with God

Scheduling A Stop

January 9, 2013 By kelliwommack 2 Comments

Almost every Thursday at noon for the last 4 1/2 years, I have done the same thing. And no, it is not eating lunch. I stop. Literally. At 12:00 noon on Thursdays, our church staff ceases work and striving and phone calls and meetings and important ministry work to do the MOST important thing... stop to spend time with God. We call it CRAVE... and we spend an hour with some quiet music, a few verses and our journals and we just sit with the Lord. No agenda. No to-do list. Just a heart ready to hear. Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Matthew 11:28 - 29 MSG This time - just one hour a week - has proven to be one of the most critical parts of my week, my life, and my ministry. Sometimes I have a profound experience and get an answer on something that I have been waiting for. Sometimes I weep over a loved one, or a situation, or a bad day. And sometimes, I just REST. (I have even fallen asleep a couple of times. Must … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: KIP, listening, pause, rest, sabbath, stopping

I. Am. Exhausted.

September 6, 2012 By kelliwommack 11 Comments

I don't know about you, but I am tired... alot. I wake up at 5:40 am to have my quiet time (to plan, to study God's word, to pray), have a little breakfast, put my little guy on the bus at 6:35 am (yes, you read that right!) and then... I am ready for a nap. Only my day is just beginning. I still need to do a few chores, exercise ( I am trying), maybe blog, and assign school work to my teenager who home schools. Oh, and then there's the need for a shower (let's not forget that!) and I am off to work. I love my job -- I plan on writing about it soon, but let's just say I mobilize people for ministry. After a day of ministry (three days a week) and preparing supper and playing taxi driver to extra-curriculars, I. am. exhausted. I bet your day looks very similar. Maybe different to-do items. Maybe different circumstances. But one word that most people use these days when asked the automatic greeting question, "How are you?" is BUSY. I have talked about my full plate. I know how to simplify, prioritize, and balance. Problem is every time I empty that plate... it is full again a few months later. Mark 6: 30 - 45 recounts the story … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: exhaustion, rest, tired, trust

Balancing Life Series: Not Bound by Time

March 26, 2012 By kelliwommack 3 Comments

I look back at the last month and wonder how I did not go crazy. (All those who think I did, please do not correct me.) It is amazing to me how we managed to juggle everything. In the midst of normal family duties, taking care of my mom during chemo and the aftereffects, continuing ministry, I had a writing deadline for a magazine. I was so excited about the opportunity, but freaked out that I was not going to finish not one, but FOUR articles for this magazine. I sent in my first article on time. Done. I did my research for the other three that were not due for another couple of weeks. It's a good thing. Because right after that, life went full speed throttle. My deadline for the other three articles was quickly approaching. It was my mom's chemo week and I felt quite certain that while she was receiving chemotherapy, I could work on my articles on my laptop. Plan fail. She needed me. During her long day at the cancer center, I managed to open my laptop for 20 minutes max. My other attempts that week to finish the articles failed. I had to take my daughter to an out-of-town science fair. My laptop stayed in the car the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: God's faithfulness, God's love, God's plan, relationship with God, reliance on God, rest, time management

A View from the Chemo Room

March 15, 2012 By kelliwommack 7 Comments

I felt like a fly on a wall. I was an observer. I watched as all of these adults of all ages sat quietly and patiently as the medicine dripped from its pouch into their veins. I sat next to my sweet mother who is going through chemotherapy for the second time in ten years. As an observer, I experienced many different emotions and asked God many questions. I didn't watch television. I didn't read magazines. I didn't even blog or tweet or Facebook. I just watched. And listened. And prayed. As I did this, I noticed three major things: 1. All these people experiencing treatment are fighting for more life hours. In a room where life and death constantly battle, life is raising her sword and plunging forward. Life doesn't always win, but she fights hard. I pray for eternal life for all of these people because I know that is the only way life really wins. 2. There is a kindred spirit in this room. They may all suffer from various types of cancer, but they are all suffering. They smile at each other, share stories of their struggles and their victories, and promise to pray for each other. They understand things that we observers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cancer, chemotherapy, relationship with God, reliance on God, rest, slowing down

Yet I Will Rejoice!

March 13, 2012 By kelliwommack 2 Comments

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3: 17 - 18 I just shared with you last week about my life on a mine train. If you didn't get a chance to read it...click here. And if you did read it and you are wondering if it was a true story,yes it is! And if you are wondering why you have never heard it before...well, it is a memory I chose to forget! Nevertheless, I know and am living proof that life is hard. There are days we just want to stay in the bed. Or go and bury ourselves somewhere and hope no one finds us for a few days. Sometimes we want to give in or give up. Some days we find ourselves crying out in desperation. In the verses of scripture above, Habakkuk reminds us that there will be days (maybe even years) that life appears hopeless. But we can CHOOSE to REJOICE! He uses that little word, "yet." In the Habakkuk context, it means despite the fact that life is hard … [Read more...]

Filed Under: react, rejoice, relationship with God, rest Tagged With: react, rejoice, relationship with God, rest