author – KARLA LEES

His writeful place

May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 Karla Lees

I had a dream I had kept hidden for several decades. And a few months ago at a special prophetic night, someone publicly read the mail in my heart and spoke it over me.

I am to write a book….at least one.

I have had a few ideas of late, but the timing for my first project isn’t right yet. I hope to coauthor the second, a bible study, over this summer. 🙂 I now contribute devotionals weekly to a Christian women’s community on Fridays. 🙂 I join blog linkups and learn from other writers. 🙂 My first piece 🙂 will be published in a well known US Christian woman’s magazine this summer, so I know that His Word is being birthed in me. I am in preparation mode for the dream to come to be.

I have been patiently waiting for direction on how to move forward in pursuit of this dream, and for now, I am to keep writing every day, and do what I am already doing. I am a writer, and my main Reader is cheering me on to continue.

Yesterday, I got a deeper revelation, which knocked my concept of writing on its head.

God whispered into my soul, my spirit, “Even if you were never to write another word, I am still writing your story. You are my living Book to show the world who I am, and what Love can do.”

Oh my, God.

I am a living Book, being constantly written in the hands of the Author of us all.

The Author whose Word has touched countless generations in this world, as His stories were told out loud, and then recorded for all to be able to know, and see. He desires all people to know His Words.

My story is His story, history being lived right here and now.

My life is His book coming to life.

I am His living book.

And He is using me to spread that life through my writing.

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. -Mother Theresa

I dig deeper, to know more of who He is, how He wants me to live, life to the fullest as He leads, and listen to what He wants me to say, sing, write. I soak in His Words, and pray He allows them to take root & grow fruit as He waters & brings them to life.

He corrects my typos, and rewrites chapters and scenes I once believed set in stone, with a living hand writing in blood, as His tears of joy stream down His loving face.

My life is truly becoming a live one as He rewrites & writes my story.

If you too have a background you are ashamed, not proud of, broken by or horrified at revisiting even in thought, He wants to erase the pain of your back story. He longs to reveal His strength & love to you, so you can store that memory safely in His safekeeping, and leave it there.

Your history before God? A prequel to the real story now taking place, with the intended Author now taking His rightful, writeful place!

#lifelessonscontinue

PS. I just love this song about not holding back, and giving Him our all, but also way the script seeka to be being written by His hand. 🙂

May it reveal to you how much He longs to write your story with you.

(Lord I’m Ready Now- Plumb)

lectio divina giveaway

March 12, 2015March 17, 2015 Karla Lees

Prelude:
This post is about the Message version of the Bible. If you don’t prefer this version of the Word, I bless you as you study your favorite version.

However, God has used this version to help me find my voice as a writer, and hear His voice more clearly. Which is one of the reasons I love using it, as one of the versions of the Scriptures I study from. I believe God can and will use any version of the Bible in any translation or language it comes in, because of who it’s Author is. The One who wants all men and women to find Him.

If you don’t prefer this version, I get it. But I would prefer not to have negative comments posted about my choice to enjoy it as one of my favorite books to read.

Thanks for showing respect as you honor my request, just as I honor yours to disagree with me.

Lectio Divinia: the classical method of reading, thinking, praying and living Scripture with the intention of inviting an infinite, omniscient God into your life, as it is, no gloss, no veneer. Lectio divina is more Bible basking than Bible study, as it teaches you to absorb & meditate on Scripture. converse with God openly. and live out what has become a part of you; His Word.

-Eugene Peterson

When the Message bible was released, it rocked my world. As a Christian university student, I had studied the bible in several different ways, but found in doing so that it was becoming a text book, and less God’s personal Word to me.

The way this Bible, and in particular their devotional format is designed? To bring the reader into wholeness in His Presence.

There are four key parts to Lectio Divina:

READ– taking the time to read His love story, the Bible. And not just reading it, but savoring it, enjoying it like a perfectly cooked steak or your favorite dessert. Read it closely, taking note of its nuances, key words.

THINK– every word is meant to be read as God speaking to you through it. Meditate on what a phrase or passage is saying, and ask God to make His voice known to you as you seek His knowledge, guidance & wisdom. Read what it actually says, not what you think it should say.

PRAY– God want to have a conversation with you, face to face. He longs to hang out with you over a coffee, unrushed as you enjoy one another’s company. Tell Him what’s going on with you, then wait for Him to respond and share His heart with you, His now words for you. If you don’t get part of what you are reading, just say so. He gets it.

You can read, think, and pray all day, but unless you live in God’s words as well, you miss the point.

-Eugene Peterson

LIVE– We are meant to live out the Word with which we are interacting. To bring it deep within, and watch it take root and grow with a flourish when we water the Word. To speak it out over our life’s situations. To demonstrate it with our love, our words, our hands and actions to those around us. The Author is alive, and His Word is too.

When we live according to the Word we have read, pondered and prayed over, God lives through us!

So, it really doesn’t matter what version you prefer to read of the Bible, but how you interact with it! Which is why I love Lectio Divina, because it helps guide us through our Word walk as a starting place for interacting with the Word & its Author. 🙂

To celebrate over 500 blog posts now (!) and only being a few away from 200 followers here at Hope in His Presence, I am offering my first giveaway.

I have one brand new copy of The Message:Solo Women’s Devotional just waiting for one of my blog followers who live in Canada or the United States! Since 99% of my followers are from North America, this giveaway is for y’all 🙂

To enter the draw to win it, please do the following three steps before the deadline:

1. Follow my blog, either through Word Press or email, or follow me on Twitter @HopenHisPresenz coz like you I know sometimes we just don’t have time for all the news coming our way, so whichever way you prefer to connect is cool with me. 🙂

2. Visit my Connect page, and shoot me off a comment via my contact form. Share with me what you love most about His Word! Your first name and email are a must in order for me to contact you if you are the winner!

3. You can only enter once. As this is a small blog, this first giveaway is too!

This giveaway is only open until Sunday night, March 22nd, 2015 at 11:59pm Central Time.

It’s time to fall deeper in love with Him, through spending time in His Word, conversing with Him and seeking His face!

The winner will be announced (via first name only) on Monday/Tuesday here on the blog, after a confirmation email has been received from them 🙂

I can’t wait to hear how the Word stirs up in your hearts!

rewrite my story

August 20, 2014August 21, 2014 Karla Lees

How long can I stay
Lost without a way to rewrite
I wish I could rewrite this story
Change every word of every line
Write any story but mine
Someone tell me when
Can I start again
And rewrite this story?

‘Rewrite this Story’ chorus lyrics from Smash

There have been many days I too wish i could rewrite this story I am in.

Like most of us, I too have made terrible choices I would like to edit out of my story.
I have had things done to me that no one should have in their story, like too many others.

Faith does not allow me to totally rewrite and start my story over again from scratch, but it comes pretty close…
When i accepted Jesus, i was made clean and new in His sight.
Without blemish or stain.

God has helped me put my past behind me, healing my wounds, and is building something I still can’t yet fully grasp out of my brokenness…but have hope for.

I can look back and talk about the very painful events and traumas I have been through, confident I am not a victim any longer.
I have value because of who I am in Christ, not because anything I bring to the table on my own.

There are still days i wish I could rewrite out, erase a few hours or two, change a few or all the lyrics and words so the chapter would have played out differently.

But life only works forward. Time moves on, tick tock, every moment of our lives.
Following God reassures me that as I walk with Him, He will help me write the story I should be writing, word by word, page by page, chapter by chapter.

You see, He knows how my story ends.
Not just how I will be leaving earth, but the eternity waiting for me afterwards,
Ultimately, the story will have a new ending because of my decision to choose Christ.

He is now the author I hope is writing my story each day, as I try to step out of the way and into His purpose for me.

Each day, as I get up, I have option of starting over.
Not a do over, but a fresh start.
God offers fresh mercy and grace every morning to those who look back on the pages of our yesterdays, and ask Him to erase the blotches and blunders we added to the story.

Because of His great love for us, He does.
No one is too far gone from God’s reach.

The only way to truly rewrite your story?
Let God be the author, and us the pages He will write His story on.