Hey Siestas!!! I barely have words to express how much of an honor it is for me to share with y’all. I absolutely adore Mama Beth and the community that she has cultivated here on the interwebs!
My name is Karina Allen. I am 35 and from New Orleans, LA but have lived in Baton Rouge since 1998. Much of my time here is spent at the gym, babysitting or at my local church, Healing Place. I am involved in a myriad of ministries and outreaches. I am on the worship team, a leader for High School girls, active in our women’s ministry, nursery registration team volunteer, a part of young adult ministry, and a teacher for our kids’ dance ministry. I also help with our inner city outreaches and to bring awareness to human trafficking through Trafficking Hope Inc. I taught preschool for about 10 years but I knew that that wasn’t the call of God on my life. I am a freelance writer and editor. I’m a contributor for Incourage as well as a few other sites. I am working on my certification to be a Life Coach. I long to speak, hope, truth, life, encouragement and purpose into the souls of women. My dream is for each woman to fully walk out their identity in Christ in the specific calling that He has for each of their lives.
“…and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3 NIV
Really, the whole of Isaiah 61 is incredible! It is all about the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord and what His anointing empowers us to have and to be. I don’t know about you, but most days I don’t feel empowered. I feel a bit defeated by life, others and even myself. But that is not God’s will for my life or for yours. His desire is for His Spirit to come alive in us, to overflow and impact those around us.
Recently, I was at my friend Elizabeth’s house working on some writing projects. She has this gorgeous black and white photo hanging of an oak tree from New Orleans’ City Park. And verse 3 of Isaiah 61 was beautifully written underneath it. My gaze repeatedly returned to that photo and that verse much of the night. It’s as though the Lord was trying to get my attention. I knew that this needed to be a verse that I committed to memory and needed to become embedded within my very marrow.
1.) God wants to trade the pain we acquire from this world with His good and perfect gifts. Before sin entered the world, mourning and despair were never even a concern. The world has been bombarded with evil and suffering. People cause harm and bad things happen. But God wants us to know that even in the midst of tragedy, we can experience His peace, comfort and even joy.
2.) Through the trading process, God’s dream is for us to become oaks of righteousness. Now, this may not seem like something we would want to be described as, but it should be. Oak trees are remarkable! They are strong, tough and extremely resilient. They have roots that reach down deep into the earth. When we exchange our hurt with the Lord’s goodness, this is the outcome. We dig deep into His Word and discover His promises for us. We stand firm on that foundation and the storms of life are unable to shake us. We allow Him to be the lifter of our heads and fill us with His hope. We become confident that He will work all things together for good to those of us that love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
3.) As we grow to be oaks of righteousness, we turn into a display of the Lord’s splendor. On display for all to see…that is an intimidating thought. Don’t let it be. People watch us. They watch how we live and what we say if we profess Christ. They watch how we respond in both good and bad seasons. That’s okay. As we are conformed to the image of Christ, others take notice and eventually desire to know why our lives are different. That is often how the Father draws hearts to Himself.
My Sister…
Beauty, joy and praise await you.
Deep roots are calling out to you.
His splendor is ready to be displayed through you.
For His Name and His Renown,
Karina Allen
Claire in Boone, NC
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
â€â€Job‬ â€8:21‬ â€NIV‬‬
Jeri Cook of Missouri City, TX
Proverbs 10:28 (NIV)
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
Jeri Cook of Missouri City, TX
Proverbs 10:28 (NIV)
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.m
Carol Midland, Texas
The LORD is good to those who hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Lamentations 3:25
Conyers
Psalms 103:13-14 KJV “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”
Emily
Arlington, VA
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30 ESV)
Jen from Round Rock, TX
Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Kathy VanAmburg Norwalk IA
“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”
â€â€Galatians‬ â€6:9‬ â€HCSB‬‬
NIcole
Auburn, WA
Psalm 61:10 HEB
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of victory and priestly diadem, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
2Corinthians 4:7 NIV
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Nancy Morford from Ethel, MO
Psalm 62:5,6 NAS
My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
Rebecca from Lake Mary, Fl
I Corinthians 13: 4-5 ESV
Love is patient and kind; Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.
Rose Coulter. Orange, Texas
The Lord blesses His people with peace.
Psalm 29:11
Laura
Decatur IL
Psalm 19:11 NKJV
Moreover by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them is great reward.
Claudia, franklin, TN
“All wisdom comes from The Lord, and so do common sense and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 CEV
Julie Medway Port Macquarie NSW Australia
But, as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Psalm 73:28
Martha Salters
Natchez MS
The Lord replied,” My Presence will go with you,and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14
NIV
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
NIV
Barbara Q, West Point, Georgia
Philippians 4:4-5 NIV
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Jana Troy, KS
“The new command to love is loving like Jesus loved.”
I John 2:7-8
Karla
Broomfield, CO
Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Psalm 116:7 NASB
Kathryn, Oceanside, “You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:11 NLT
I John 1:9 NIV
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word Of God. Rev.19:13 (NRSV)
Amanda, Sherman, TX
Psalm 34:8 KJV
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Christy, Conifer, Colorado
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Philemon 1:6 NIV 1984
Isaiah 60:1-3 KJV
Arise, shine, for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you And his glory will appear upon you . Nations will come to your light, and Kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise shine for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you and his Glory will appear uoon you. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and theckings to the brightness of thy rising.
Deb Oakes Alliance, Ne nkjv
Psalm 145:20 “The Lord preserves all who love Him, but the wicked he will destroy”
Kathy, Las Cruces, NM:
“Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
–1 John 3:18 (NASB)
Kim R. Haines, Ashland, ME
Psalm 9:9-10
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. (NIV)
Kim R. Haines Ashland, ME
(For some reason I was not able to post my #19 verse so I decided to try it here please)
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward. It is the LORD you are serving. (NIV)
Margaret – Kingsport, TN
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
â€â€Colossians‬ â€3:14‬ â€NLT‬‬
Round Rock, TX
Phil 2:13 NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Round Rock, TX
Philippians 2:13 NLT
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Mary McKinley Scottsboro, AL
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 KJV
Cambridge, Mn
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a
Erin Beil, Sneads Ferry, NC
Hebrews 3:13 NIV But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness.
Steph
Ontario Canada
“You fathers – if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?
Of course not!”
Luke 11:11-12
Jamie Wichita, KS
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”
James 1:19-20 NIV
Robbyn Hanstad, Frisco, Texas
James 1:27 (NIV) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Kathy, Bryant AR:
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 ESV
“The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:4,5
Karen Sanders, Burleson, TX, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 NIV
Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Amy Storms
Joplin, MO
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:20-21
Allison from Fort Worth, TX:
I will praise you, Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:12 (NIV)
Cathy Morris. Sedona, AZ.
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21 NIV
Patti Knobbe From West Point, NE
“The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit; joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
Psalm 34:8
“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. ” NKJ