Setting Out on a Coddiwomple Adventure

 Setting out on a Coddiwomple Adventure

The Great Adventure       

By Stephen Curtis Chapman

“Saddle up your horses

We’ve got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God’s Amazing Grace

Let’s follow our leader in the glorious unknown

This is the life like no other whoa

This is the Great Adventure”

     This song has been one of my all time favorites for years, and in fact it’s been the ring tone on my phone for over 10 years.  I’ve sung it, I’ve listened to it, but most of all I’ve lived it, and I am now off on another adventure.  But what is an adventure?  According to the dictionary an adventure is: An exciting or very unusual experience, a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.   I’m setting out in a Coddiwomple way; which means to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.  That’s what is happening in my life right now. I’m going to begin to travel with purpose but the destination is vague right now.

     Recently I made the decision to leave Kenmare and Alive Christian Fellowship as the pastor.  Now what to do?  I just feel it’s time to for me to do something different and take a new direction in ministry.  I’ve loved pastoring Alive Christian Fellowship and will miss the people very much.  I’ve been here in Kenmare at Alive CF almost seven years.  It’s been quite the ride.  There’s been some highs and some lows, but God has been with me through it all.

     At the time of this writing, my plan is to sell my house here, and then find a motorhome and travel wherever the Lord leads.  I’m available to come preach, sing, do my comedy act, or just help out wherever.  Just like Jesus told Mary at the resurrection, “go and tell…” (Matt 28:10)  I feel compelled to go and tell the good news.  And like Jesus said of himself in Luke 4:43 “I must preach the good news, the Gospel, of the kingdom of God to the other cities and towns also, for I was sent for this purpose…”  I know I’m not Jesus, but I am part of His body.  He declared the purpose of His body, and now I get to do my assignment to complete that purpose. 

  For a season my assignment was here in Kenmare, sharing the Gospel with those in this area.  I gave it my all and poured my heart into it with everything I had.  But now that assignment is over. It’s time to take the next step, no matter how shaky and uncertain it seems, I go out following my Shepherds voice.  Like all things, this traveling about will be just for a season, although I don’t know yet the length of this season.   I do want to eventually have a ‘home base’ and a home/house to live in again.  

    I’m also working on completing my first book, “He Walked with Me Through.”  The story of walking through trauma, grief, and loss.  The book is in rough draft, but I’m hoping to have it published by the end of this year. 

    I’ve updated my blog site.  The web address is still: www.kelleycamera.blogspot.com but the emphasis is more on Unfolding Grace Ministry now.  I will be trying to post updates on where I am and what I’m doing on the blog.  I’ve even attached a way you can partner up and come along side me in the way of giving.  It’s not just money, I covet your prayers as I step out in this adventure.  Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.

    I want to say a big thank you to all who supported me and came along side me in this past year.  It was a long hard road of recovery following surgery, but things are looking so much better.  My year checkup appointment with Mayo went well.  Although the little bit of the tumor that they could not remove is still there, it has not grown or changed.  The doctor called it ‘stable’, I call it, “It must go, in Jesus name!”   The last check up on my eyes was positive too.  They no longer feel I will loose my eye sight!  That is a big Praise the Lord!  

   Until next time, may God’s grace (His divine influence in your life) continue to guide you.  I’ll keep you posted occasionally on how His grace is influencing me.

In His Unfolding Grace

 Kelley Reuer

Glue or Gold

Image taken from Internet.

    I read an article recently about Kintsugi.  I had never heard of it before reading this article.  It is a Japanese form or art, where they take cracked and broken pottery or glass, and ‘fix it’ with gold.  Instead of trying to hide the crack caused by brokenness, they enhance it with beautiful gold and also increase its value.  The pictures I saw of these pieces of pottery were just beautiful.  Here in our western culture we try to hide the cracks, and try to make a repaired or restored piece look like it did before, or as good as new.  But it’s not.  It’s gone through a breaking, and needs a restoration.  It has a history, and a new story needs to be told of it new restored beauty, it actually can be better than before, and more valuable when restored with the gold.

   God can also take our broken cracked lives, and repair it with his gold.  I love how the Passion translation renders 1 Peter 5:10 ““And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up.”

  We all go through some kind of suffering in life, some caused by circumstance beyond our control, some by self infliction.  But no matter how it’s come, God’s grace (His divine influence in your life) can restore that suffering and brokenness and make it better than new.  Let His grace become the gold that puts you back together, a new piece with greater value, because you’ve let that which is broken become something of beauty.

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She Believed Retreat 2020

 

Here's our group shot from the She Believed Retreat in 2020

What a wonderful day it was.

Brandi Waples was our guest speaker

Do It Again

    Do it again!  Again!

How many of us have had a small child say that to us.  Read it again, play with me, again, push me on the swing again… Just do it again.

  We’ve done it before, we can do it again.  But often repetition becomes boredom.  What once was exciting, is now drool.  I’m doing this again?  What about those unpleasant things?  Again, and again they crop up in our lives.  Housework, dishes, laundry… do it again.  It’s not over, it’s never done. Do it again.  This is life.

   But what about the good things?  When love blossomed into romance, and you fell head over heels for your guy.  But now you look at this dirty socks on the bedroom floor, inches from the laundry basket but not inside it.  You begin to wonder what you ever saw in this messy man.  Do it again!  See what you first saw in him, do it again, love.

   The excitement when you first met the Lord.  You couldn’t wait to get to church or a Bible Study group.  It was all so uplifting, so life giving.  But somewhere along the line, it got boring.  The Word didn’t change, you did.  You quit seeing it for what it was, a life line, and began seeing it as a duty, a chore.  So now do it again!  Go back to your first love, and hang out with Jesus a little bit more.  Now it will be even sweeter, because now you’ve grown, and can love Him more maturely.

   Pray again!  Praise again!  Give again!  Love again!

  For all the agains in life… do it again!  It can be actually new and refreshing like the very first time.  Do it again!

James 5: 17-18

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.