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
Liji Oommen
Columbus, OH
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10, NIV
Jen … Fort Worth, Texas
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
â€â€Acts‬ â€4:12‬ â€ESV‬‬
Tomi, Des Moines, Iowa. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. I Peter 2:25 NKJV
Proverbs 20:24 “A person’s steps are directed by The Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?” Kati B. Central AR
Lynn Hertzberg
Humble, Texas
Colossians 3:2 (ESV)
Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Michelle, Warner Robins, GA
But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NKJV
Naomi – Colorado Springs – “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” Ezekiel 36:27 NIV
Nancy- Yonges Island, SC
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
Jeremiah 32:27. NKJ
Amanda T, Genoa City, Wi
Psalm 65:11
“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance”
Hendersonville, TN 37075
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:5-6
(NIV)
Brigette Brock
Morehead,Ky
Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build!….
1 Chron. 22:19
ESV
I will praise you, Lord, my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever. Psalm 86:12 NIV
Riche from Irving, TX
He will call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalm 91:15 NIV
Anne Lewis, Simpsonville,SC “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 HCSB
Aryn Madsen, Beaverton, OR 97007
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
Nancy Terwilliger – Lebanon, Tn
Teach my Lord,the meaning of Your statutes, and I will always keep them. Help me understand Your instruction and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.
Psalms 119:33-34 HCSB
Wendy Davis
Oriental, NC
Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Ephesians 6:14 NASB
Sharon Andreasen, Fresno, CA
“But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
because He is good to me.”
Psalm 13:6 (NLT)
Only hold on to what you have until I come. REV.2:25 NIV
Karen: Souderton, PA
Psalm 139: 7 and 8 NIV
7. Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8. If I go up to the heavens, You are there
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
Mary Jane, Troy KS
“Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18 NCV
Cindy, Beaumont, TX. But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV
Cindy Gandy
Hazlehurst, MS
Psalm 23:4(ESV)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Patricia Gandy
Florence
Psalm 23:4 Amplified Bible
Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
Maria Cristina Bruschi
Orlando, Florida
If we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9, NIV
Dana Ashland, Ky
“In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in You.” Psalm 33:21-22 NIV
Patty Lincoln, Columbia, SC: “To comfort all who mourn, 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.” Is. 61:2b-3. NIV
Judy Heindl, Cottageville WV
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:
for thiers is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 KJV
Donna Banks from Franklin, TN
“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)
Kathy Wilson, Chandler, Arizona
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:20 NIV
(Sorry if I already posted this. I went on vacation on the 15th and can’t remember if I posted before I left.)
Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight.
Proverbs 12:22
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Psalm 23:1
Teresa, Chadron,NE
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
â€â€Psalm‬ â€25:4-5‬ â€
Nicole Blake, Severance, CO
“May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.” Ephesians 3:21 (NLT)
Isaiah 45:21 NIrV
I always do what is right.
Lisa Snyder in Montgomery, TX
Duvall, WA
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 NIV
Mary Ruth Franklin
Lanexa, VA
1 Chronicles 16:23-25 NASB
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
Pelican Rapids, MN
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.John 16:13 ESV
Kathy
Madison, CT
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.
Beverly – Jackson, TN
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become
in every respect the mature body of Him Who is the Head, that
is, Christ.”
-Eph. 4:15 NIV
Sherri Highlands Ranch, CO Ephesians 6:17(NASB)
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Mary Gray, Fieldale, VA, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
Plano, TX
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves-it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
Debbie/Sherwood, OR/ Here are both of my October verses. . . it’s never too late:
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious spirit lead me forward
on firm footing. (Psalm 143:10)
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. (John 20:29)
And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free John 8:32 KJV
Tammy Price, Myrtle Beach, SC “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Phil2:13
Mindy Habelt, Williamson, Georgia
Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Heather, Colorado Springs,CO Bless the Lord, O you angels, you mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of his word! Psalm 103:20 ESV
Kelly, CA
“…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
Imelda, Toledo, OH
Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord,
but he offers his friendship to the godly.
Proverbs 3:32 (NLT)