Coach Kinsey: 2015

When Good Enough is Good Enough: Doing Less without Being Less

My daughter's family is coming home for Christmas; they're still grieving the loss of their baby boy,William. To honor the memory of William, I’ve crafted baby bird ornaments for the Christmas tree. We call it the "William Tree."

Before settling on the project, I explored a variety of bird patterns and ideas online which made my brain bulge with ideas. Ohhhh, those fabric birds were sooooo cute.  But weighing my time and energy against my lofty ambitions, I resigned myself to do the basics.  Armed with paper, scissors, glue, and glitter, I made baby birds. They look like something my granddaughters might make at school.
But, I didn’t have to drag out a sewing machine, pick out fabric, or deal with an unruly bobbin (ain't nobody got time for that!).  Yes, the birds could be cuter and more ornate.  But what is the desired outcome? To honor Amy and Matt by remembering William. The William Tree will memorialize our loss and remind us that life is not what we dream, but it's also not the end of the story. William is with Jesus now, and we will join him one day.  Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

                                     


My house is under renovation.  I'm dealing with health issues and I don’t have excess time or energy.  I'm forced to evaluate my options and ask "What do I want the outcome to be? What is essential to making that happen?" That’s what gets accomplished - just the basics, the have-to's.  It's not always elegant, but it is enough.  Let me say that again. It is enough.

No need apologize or lament that others are more creative, resourceful, or have more time. Just do the basics and keep the outcome in focus.  Everything else is frosting.
Sometimes good enough is good enough
The same love, blessings, and meaning inhabit the basics. Doing less does not mean a lesser outcome or a lesser me.

My soul needed reminding of that today.  What about you?

What would good enough look like for you this Christmas?
Or in the coming New Year?  I would love to hear your comments.


If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the approaching holidays and are worried that you might miss the real reason for the season – there’s a surprisingly simple solution.    In less than 5 minutes a day you can be entertained, spellbound, and refreshed. It’s soooooo good, you’ll be begging for more.

It’s a little Christmas secret called The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Beautifully illustrated and masterfully crafted to engage every person from ages 0-99.  This book is not just for kids!It's a compelling storybook brimming with playful and poignant interpretations of the familiar bible stories you’ve grown to love.

 
Every delightful story points to the larger story – the story of Jesus – our Emmanuel who is at the center of it all.  Every story whispers His name.
 
The Jesus Storybook Bible will you connect you to the heart of Christmas like no other book ever has, or ever will. Just sit back with your cider and savor the Savior in a fresh new way.

Read it with your spouse, your friends, your children, your grandchildren, or your animals.  Read it to your pet rocks – because they want to cry out with praises too!


Here’s the plan:


On December 1 start at the very beginning of TJSB.  Each day read the next story.  In 25 days you will journey from Creation to the Incarnation. The perfect way to welcome
the new King.  Who knew?

The hardest part of this reading plan is not reading
ahead
. But don't get your tinsel in a tangle, slow down
and read one story a day.  You’ll fall in love with
Jesus all over again.



Get started now!  

Order now and start reading on December 1.

Let me know how God speaks to you through this magical little book.
Leave a comment, or reply to this email.  Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

 
Links provided below for your convenience.*
 
                     *Sale of these products does not benefit me in any way.  

What Beth Moore said to me . . .

Watch me imitate Beth Moore!

In usual fashion, I awoke around 4 a.m., and felt a familiar nudge to spend time with Abba.

Leaving the warmth of my marvelous down comforter and memory-foam-topped bed, (you've really got to love God to do that, right?), I shuffled down the hallway into the living room.  There my bible and journal lay open on the sofa.

I picked up the journal, ready to write.  Nothing came.  Hmmm, perhaps God wants to speak through the word.  I flipped through numerous books and chapters, but could never settle on a particular passage.  I just wasn’t feeling it.  Everything seemed, well, meh.  After about an hour, I said, “Abba, I can’t seem to get the hang of it this morning, I’m going back to bed.”  And with that returned to the bedroom.

Before climbing back under my comforter (did I mention marvelous?) and sinking into the memory foam, I turned on the TV.  “Let me just check the stock market overseas,” I thought.  (Yeah, I did just say that!  The overseas stock market opens earlier, and usually indicates how the U.S. markets will open. I had some stock options in play at the time.)  Now the only reason I mention this, is that my TV was always on the stock channel.  Always.  But this morning when I clicked the remote, would you believe it, Beth Moore, yes, the Beth Moore was big-as-you-please on the screen? (Obviously, not the stock channel!)  I sat down on the foot of the bed to listen.

There was Beth with her big hair and southern twang saying, “Now, I just want you ladies to know (know-oh, two syllables) that God loves yooooooo this much!  I want to show you something that one of my cuuute little girls that sits by me in church wrote." Beth dramatically unfolds a note to read, ‘"Miss Beth loves me soooooooooooooooo much.'" Then she shows the note to the audience and the camera zoomed in.  “See here!” she exclaims, finger tapping the note, “look at all the o’s she put on this note.”  Sure enough, in grade school fashion the note was filled with o’s.

Beth continued, “This note makes me so happy, because this little girl (gur-al) knows, I mean she know-ohs that I love her!  She is secure in my love for her. And I want to tell you, precious ones that God wants you to be that secure in His love.  He wants you to know-oh that He loves yooooooo.  Everybody say that with me right now,‘God loves me soooooooooooooooooooooo much.’”
There I sat on the foot of my bed and repeated like a school girl, “God loves me soooooooooooooooooooo  much!”  Then I burst out laughing, pointed up to Abba and said, “You!  You’re too much!”  You let me sit on the sofa with no direction for an hour just so I would come back to the bedroom at precisely this moment to hear Beth Moore. And you even changed the channel on me.”

What a hoot!  Buried back under the amazing comforter, Abba and I both chuckled away at His little prank.  Yes, God did that just for me. His Kinsey girl.

That was over nine years ago. Since then Abba has shown his love to me in a countless surprising ways.  That’s one of my favorites.

Do you enjoy God like that?  I hope so.  I know He wants you to.

Leave a comment here, send me an email, or call me.  I’d love to hear what this stirs in you.

Want to say it?  Go ahead and give it a whirl, "God loves me sooooooooo much!"
He does!  Enjoy Him today.

© Kinsey Oglesby


The Worst Text Message Ever



 “We lost him,” said a text message from my son-in-law.

“Nooooooooooooooooo!”  I moaned as I ran downstairs to the Preacher.  He stood in his office dazed and confused, tears brimming – he was holding his phone with the same text message.   We fell into each others arms and sobbed.  Our grandson, our little William Charles, had prematurely entered the world – dead.   There were no warning signs, nothing to prepare us; in a matter of minutes our William was gone. Gone before we ever had a chance to know him.

That is not what we prayed for.

For many years my husband, the Preacher, has dealt with complications due to diabetes.  We’ve lost count of how many times paramedics have saved his life.  Throughout the years we have prayed,
“Lord please let the Preacher live to see his children graduate from High School.”

Then it became, “Lord please let the Preacher perform his children's weddings.”

And then, “Lord, please let the Preacher know his grandchildren.”

And God, in His goodness, said, “Yes” to each prayer.

But one thing we never dreamed of, and certainly didn’t ask for, is to bury a grandchild. Yet that’s just what the Preacher did a few days ago.  Here is a picture of him conducting a graveside service for our little William Charles, while big sister Anna sits on the bench. 




Anna parked herself on the bench without any promptings.  She looked up at Opa and asked, "Are we going to see William?"  "Not today Anna, " Opa answered tenderly.  "Why?"  Anna wanted to know.

And thus began a dialogue between Opa and Anna in front of the graveside crowd.  He lovingly explained to Anna about the resurrection of the dead. About our hope in Jesus.  She didn’t understand it all, but it was such a precious scene.  A grandfather explaining to his granddaughter, “We will get to see and play with William one day.”

And we will.  All because of what our Jesus has done for us, and will do for us.  He is the resurrection and the life.  He is our only hope, our comfort, our strength.  We love Him for that.  Yes we do.

No it wasn't what we dreamed of or prayed for, but then again, it is what we prayed for - that we could pass on our faith to our children's children.

We don't sorrow like those who have no hope.  1 Thess. 4:13









© Kinsey Oglesby, June 2015



Letting God Hold My Hurts


Yesterday I received a hostile email from a close family member.  It rocked the rest of my day. I have been weighed.  I have been measured.  I have been found wanting.  Oh me.

There has been undercurrent with this person for years.  Finally it bubbled to the top and spewed over toward me.  I had no idea.  I was stunned, shocked, and outraged.  I felt hurt, misunderstood, unappreciated, unloved, and unknown. 

Relational fractures are painful.  I want an immediate fix; let's deal with them face-to-face and right away.  Sadly, that's not always possible.  

Sometimes the other party only wants to throw stones – not make peace.  Go ahead and add powerless to my feelings list.  I really hate feeling powerless.  It’s like being bound and gagged.  I feel like I can’t breathe.

What to do.  What to do. What to do.

Here’s what I did:

I walked through each accusation, acknowledged the pain, and sincerely apologized for any part I played in it. I reminded myself that behind the angry words is a hurting person.  This is extremely hard to remember when I feel a knife in my own heart. Just sayin.

I also took my pain to Abba, not to the hostile family member.  “What do you think about me Abba?” “What do you think about this situation?”

His words to me (I’m paraphrasing because He said a lot!):

Embrace the feelings Kinsey girl.  Don’t rush past them like you normally do.  It feels yucky.  It is yucky.  It’s okay to hurt.  It will sting for a while, just like a cut or scrape, but the sting will go away in time.  Let me hold your hurt, let me comfort you.

This situation is much bigger than you.  You are powerless to affect change. You’ve done what you can, now leave it to me.  And just remember that I don’t see you the way that person does.  I cherish you.  You are “Fantastic, That’s You.”

Abba is the real comfort - no matter what others think, I’m cherished by Him.  He sees my flaws, knows my mistakes and sins, yet He loves me. 

It’s being anchored in His love that allows me to pick myself up and move forward, with an ache in my heart but a smile on my face.  It’s His love that enables me to respond with grace instead of retaliation.   

And it’s just like Abba to remind me of a Louis Armstrong song, “Fantastic, That’s You.”  It’s a love song He gave me just a few days ago.  How timely!  

 He knew the email was coming.  I played it over and over while I wrote out my response.  I’m playing it right now. 

I love how He loves me.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever.  John 14:16 KJB

Here's a link to the song: