Are you a Trumpet? Trombone? Maybe a Flute?

God has given us each our own giftings and talents; our instruments.  Mine are different than those belonging to my husband.  Sorry folks, community property does not apply. 

God gives us these gifts to be used as instruments in His kingdom, to be played simultaneously with the sheet music that He gives, complimenting each other to make a beautiful sound unto the Lord.  If we are sitting idly by watching week by week pass without using them for His intended purposes, then we are not only doing God a disservice, but ourselves as well.  We must keep our instruments tuned and practice, practice, practice.

Our responsibility as members of the "orchestra of God" is to BAND together and allow each of us not only to grow, but to flourish. 

How does this apply to our daily lives?  We must commit (and condition) ourselves to the practices of our walk with God.  We must spend our time in true worship.  We must read our Word daily.  And we must gather together in corporate CELEBRATION of our daily walk with Him.  This is how deep roots develop within us that will not be ripped up by the slightest storm (or an F5 tornado).  If you've ever lived through a storm (real or figurative) you know how damaging they can be without a firm foundation.
We all know what it sounds like if you pick up an instrument you've not played in a while and attempt to amaze all with a solo....it is not a pretty sound.  We must keep our instruments in tune and stay practiced daily. 

Just like a finely tuned orchestra, when we all operate in the gifts that he's given us, the music of the kingdom makes a song that is far greater than anything that we can think or imagine.  It just takes the dedication and the daily practice of each and every instrument. 

So, come on and join me in the daily practice of living life for God and using our God-given instruments for His purpose! I'm sure the music that we make will be ever-pleasing to our Father!

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler

Coffee With Friends

Good morning to all of my friends.  On this, my first "official" blog, I thank you for reading.  I haven't started blogging prior to this as I'm convinced (and rightly so) that I do not have the "gifting" of an eloquent writer.  That would be my husband (go check out his blog....www.reecekepler.com) and even some of my God-given friends.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have my own giftings and I am proud to have them and operate in them whenever God allows.  It's just that eloquence is not one of them.  To all of you who know me at all, this comes as no shock to you, haha.  I am a very "to the point" kind of speaker and I write just as I speak.  So, please forgive me and I pray that this offends no one. 

As I was sitting out in my porch swing this morning having coffee with my husband, I began watching the sky go through the dark blue, purple and pink hues of a beautiful sunrise.  This is unusual because my eyes are normally glued to the binoculars watching the birds.  But this morning, my family of birds didn't come eat their breakfast at the normal time (6:45ish just in case you were wondering).  Instead, flocks of birds were flying across the sky.  My first thought was that they must be starting to fly South for the winter.  I know it's still August but if you've kept up with our current temps in Oklahoma for the past 6 weeks or so, you would agree that this cool (low 90's) weather feels almost like winter around here as the temps have dropped about 25 degrees in the past week. But then I noticed the birds were flying North not South.  However, the change in the birds' habits this morning is what brought my eyes up and into the sky to see God's creation in a "different than normal" way.  I began thanking God for just how beautiful his creation is, and at some point found myself pondering just what the Lord had for me to say.  See, he's burned some things in me that I just NEED to get out there.  This in itself is amazing as I'm usually not that "profound" of a person. 

I was reminded of a conversation I had just the other day as I was having coffee with a friend.  (Can you tell yet that I happen to like coffee?)  We began talking about "form and substance".  You see, I've been under the impression that to have a blog, you need the proper "form" of writing.  Well, that's not me and this morning, God reminded me that some have "form"; some have "form and substance" but some just have "substance".  This is what God has given me...."substance".  

So, if you're willing to hang in there with me while I stumble through this new venture in my life, I'd love to have you along for the ride.  I'm sure there will be some bumps and turns along the way.  But, if we just keep moving forward, (and keep gas in the vehicle which comes solely from God), we will eventually reach some beautiful destinations together.

I look forward to this journey with you all!

God bless you!
Stephie

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler