MY FIRST BOOK SIGNING!!

Here I am the 2nd day of the SHINE Conference in front of the bookstore where they had a wonderful display of my book set up for me. I have to be honest, signing books and standing there was honestly a bit awkward for me. The entire staff was incredibly kind and helpful. I had a lovely time though! God is SO good!

Here I am the last night of the SHINE Conference in in front of the HUGE SHINE sign on the stage of Shoreline Christian Center in Austin, Texas!

I have really been excited about the last few days! That's me, with my books and poster inside the bookstore at Shoreline Christian Center! The above photo is the stage, and the name of the women's conference is SHINE. This was my very first place to do a book signing! My heart felt thanks to my friend Pastor Laura Koke who gave me the wonderful opportunity, and a special thanks to her entire staff who loved on me completely. Laura and her husband Rob pastor the church together. It's a large church with about 5000 in attendance. They had there SHINE conference for 3 days Wednesday - Friday.

I was blessed with the opportunity to meet and have lunch with Michelle McKinney-Hammond. (check out her website: http://www.michellehammond.com/) She was one of the speakers there, she was able to pour so much into me during the two hours at lunch! What a great gift from God to me. She has authored THIRTY books and is under contract for two more. She shared with me that before she ever became a published author that she sent out HUNDREDS of proposals to HUNDREDS of publishing houses and receive HUNDREDS of rejection letters before she became published. She asked me how many publishing houses did I send my proposals out to before I got picked up. I shared with her that I sent SIX proposals and and got a contract in the mail before I got ONE rejection letter. She looked at me and said "Girl! That never happens!" She told me to be sure and recognize the blessing in this, not to take it for granted. I know that this is most unusual to happen, and I honestly am ever thankful to our Lord. I am still in a bit of shock that I am now a published author... I SO enjoyed my visit with her, her wisdom, hilarious since of humor, grace and realness. She truly moved me in our talking. I pray the Lord continues to bless her ministry, as she has so much to offer! She truly loves the Lord, and wants everyone on the planet to "get it" so that they might live as we are intended to!

I also had the privilege of dining with Wendy Treat (check out her website: http://www.wendytreat.com/) who was another speaker there. She like me is also a pastor's wife. She was wonderful to visit with, very passionate and full of wisdom and confidence in her God-given abilities.

I am praising our Lord Jesus for every bit of this book, and all of the fun that comes along with it. I also met and visited with several pastor's wives who I know will be able to relate to it. Several pastor's wives purchased copies. We exchanged phone numbers and information, I believe that the Lord has connected us! I have newly found Sister's in Christ.

I also had a younger gal come up to me explaining that she had her baby in last November, she was still in high school. I believe that the Lord will speak to her through the reading of it as well. She felt like because I had a teenage pregnancy (19 and delivered at 20) that she would find hope and healing and a place of relating. I pray that she will seek after the Lord always as she raises her child. I give thanks that her own mother was there with her and was very supportive of her. I pray that the Lord would use this for a ministry for her later on... oh the wonderful hope and security we have in Him!

This is a FIVE book series entitled "Confessions of a Pastor's Wife" and the first book that is "HE Speaks, Can You Hear Him" Go to my website at http://www.kathrynbonner.com/ to purchase it NOW before it goes out on the market in December 18th.

Forever Praising Him,
Kathryn

Our Daughter Kellie Ann Is Married!

It has been a while since I have posted on my blog! Not because I haven't wanted to, but because I have been so busy with work, church, my book, and ALL of the MANY details of our daughter Kellie Ann's wedding. Above is a picture of where she was married. You may find this rather comical, but the people in the photo are not my daughter and son-in-law! However, the photo is where she was married. At this point I do not have any photo's of them yet. The photographer won't have photo's to us for several weeks. I am ready for them NOW :) There fore I simply went to the website where they were married and borrowed a photo :) When I have actual photos I will upload them and share them.

It was a beautiful wedding, and we truly do love our son-in-law. What a blessing that is for us. We know that Chase will take such great care of Kellie Ann, that gives parents such peace. Chase and Kellie Ann have committed their marriage to Christ and that is HUGE! It's the best way to begin the biggest commitment of your life. We are proud of both of them, in so many ways. I give thanks unto our Lord God for uniting them in Holy Matrimony!

My husband (Kellie Ann's dad) married them and said so many profound things during the ceremony as he spoke to them and to the congregation. One of the things that struck me that he said was that "He watched Chase from the window as he opened up the car door for her, and picked up the tree branches from the front yard (we'd had a heavy storm that broke some of the branches from the trees). He said that when I saw him do those two things, not knowing that Bruce was watching him from the upstairs window, that he knew Chase would be a good provider, and that he was a hard worker, and that he took pride in things.

All of that is very true of Chase. He also talked about the patience that he exhibited with Kellie Ann, and how he taught her more about finances, and how he had bought her a puppy for Christmas several years back. We are blessed!

We have turned a corner of sorts, now that both of our daughters are married to wonderful guys. We are now through "raising" them, and will be in prayer for them until the day of our death, and until then, we can now be "friends" together. There is something truly glorious about this! Something to celebrate! They made it, they are full fledged adults! Wow, it's truly amazing, truly wonderful!

I pray that the Lord blesses both of you with abundance, joy, laughter, love, grace, forgiveness!

Kathryn

Look for Me with your whole heart...

You will look for Me Kathryn, and will find Me, when you look for Me with your whole heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

I love to insert my name into the assurances, or promises of His Word, and I would ask you to place your name where my name is, and have this promise belong to you. In placing my name there, it allows me to experience His promise fully. I am able to soak it in, to realize it in MY life for today.

I was reading this passage this morning, somehow with new eyes. I have been reading it since Monday, and today is Wednesday. Today, it opened up a vein in me that seemed to pour out such depth, such depth that it brings tears to my eyes as I am writing. The tears come because I grieve. I grieve the truth, the not so pretty truth, that I am not always seeking Him with my whole heart.

As I began to ponder this further, I looked up the definition of the work WHOLE, and here is the definition in black, with my thoughts in blue…

1. Comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total without shrinking, with the entirety of me and my love for my Lord.
2. Containing all the elements properly belonging; complete: We have a whole set of antique china. Not leaving one bit of myself out of my time with Him, all of me.
3. Undivided; in one piece: Without thinking of a million other things
4. Mathematics. Integral, or not fractional. I look for Him in all the multifaceted parts of my life, not in just a few of the components of my life. AND in each of those facets, it is 100% there, not marginalized, or trivialized.
5. Not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact: I come to Him fully present, not cut off from Him, completely bowing unto Him, with my thoughts intact of His sovereignty, power and control and righteousness.
6. Uninjured or unharmed; sound: I come knowing of His safety and security, knowing He would never harm me, that His truth is sound, and healthy.
7. Pertaining to all aspects of human nature, esp. one's physical, intellectual, and spiritual development: What a great definition of whole… Lord I want wholeness from you in ever aspect of my life!

I am writing in the recognition of the fact that I fall short of looking for Him with my WHOLE heart each and every day. When I think about all the things we do, all the rushing, all the projects, all the daily goings on.

I think about how many times I have said, or the many times I have heard others say “Yes, they got the job done, but it really was a HALF hearted effort, it is very apparent that they didn’t put their WHOLE heart into it.” Wow! It’s always obvious to people and to ourselves when we are not giving 100% or more into whatever it is that we are doing.

I know that our lives with Christ must be in relationship with Him with our whole hearts. We is it that we seem to think that we are supposed to receive 100% from Him, when we might give Him a spare thought in our day? How much are we giving to Him? I myself stand here much convicted.

Oh Lord, my Lord, my God, my Everything, forgive me for my half hearted, and if we really want to be truthful quarter-hearted approach unto You. Lord let me seek You with my WHOLE heart, with fervor, with passion, with expectancy to experience Your full love for me. Let me always seek Your love and presence first thing in the morning and every single second thereafter in every single day. Let me love You the way You deserve to be loved. Let me glorify you in all that I do. Let me hear from You all that You want me to!

Let us say yes whole-heartedly to look for Him each day! We don’t want to have lament at the end of every day, we want to rejoice in and through each day knowing that we have sought Him, and found Him in every moment, in every human being that we encounter!

Looking for Him with my whole heart beating for Him….

In His love,
Kathryn

Rise and Shine!

This is an article that I wrote for the Christian niche of CTI (The Coaches Training Institute). I am on the Christian leadership team, and will continue to write articles from time to time when it is my turn in the rotation. I wrote this for last Monday's post and I thought it would be fun to share with you, giving you a glimpse into the life of coaches. The article that we write comes out each Monday and is appropriately titled "Monday Musings"...

"'Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever.” Daniel 12:3 The Message

It’s Monday! Time to rise and shine! I love this verse from Daniel. Seems perfect for a “coaching motto.” Take a moment and meditate on this passage. We as Christians and as Coaches could pray this passage over our coaching practices (ministries), and live into its principals. Let us shine light into many areas of those we coach. We have a privileged position to be brought into the depths of the lives of our clients where most are not invited. We are able to listen with level three ears, (what I like to call “our Holy Spirit ears”) to what our clients are aspiring to.

Many times as we are coaching a client we find ourselves in awe of some of the things that that they are up to. We discover areas that they have strengths in which they are not fully aware of and then begin to shine the light on this new discovery for them. They may have a song they want to write and record, a new business to open, a team to lead, a book that is dying to be birthed, a dance just wiggling to come out, a painting with such beauty you hear and see the colors radiating through their vocal cords, jewelry designs being strung while watching TV, mission trips to aid the needy. Many times these dreams are just as frightening as they are exhilarating and in many instances they are afraid to share their dreams with anybody for a number of reasons, one because they are extremely personal, secondly, it causes them to step out of their comfort zone, and thirdly, because they are absolutely terrified to attempt it! Yet they hire you because ultimately they are more terrified of not attempting their God-given dreams!

Oh what a holy thing to be a part of their individual and unique journeys! We have such wonderful opportunities this week with our remarkable clients!

Each of us as coaches we too have dreams within us, shine the light on what it is that the Lord God is calling you to this week. Close your eyes, look deep within, agree to live within the stars in your eyes this week. Write down your own dreams, give yourself the opportunity to do an “intake session on yourself”, much like the one you do with your clients. Are you called to forgive, to rejoice, to lead, to support, to write, to dance, to paint, to sing, to coach a new and different niche? Whatever-- Shine It, Write it, Sing it, Dance it, Shape it, Draw it, Record it, String it, Weave it, Dream it… just do it! Do it all for the glory of God!

It’s Monday people! Praise Him for the day; praise Him for your opportunity to be used in the life of your clients.

Make a date with the stars this week, lie under the night sky, experience the brilliance of the stars and of our Lord. When was the last time you actually went outside and laid down and looked heavenward? Probably too long…

Shine brighter, rise higher, radiate with the love of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Rise and Shine!

Kathryn

Struck by Lightning!

Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?
Job 37: 15-16

I am "struck" by this scripture passage above! Oh how God is so powerful, so amazing. He is truly in charge, I am not one who can question His power and authority, I simply need to know that He is the one in control of all things. There are things in this world that none of us can completely fathom. His wonders that are always above us, physically, mentally, spiritually, directionally.

The last several weeks have been a bit crazy for me. My computer got struck by lightning! Therefore, as you can see I have not written any posts. I have had to purchase a new computer, try to gather all of my previous items needed to function. This has been a very frustrating time for me. The new computer I have is a "Vista" and I hear mixed thoughts from people about Vista. Some really love it others really hate it. I am learning to adjust to it, and still have much to learn.

I am just now moving beyond the frustration of it all, and am now finally to a point where I am able to stand in awe of His abilities. Our God is always able to get our attention, one way or another. I believe that He was trying to get my attention. It was as if He was asking me the very questions in this Scripture. Posing it to me saying "Kathryn, Do you know how I, your God, control the clouds and make My lightning flash?" Pulling me in, asking me to recognize His amazing power, His creation. Causing me to have to break the routine of my days.

My husband Bruce and I have been watching the sky more lately. This summer we have had an unusual amount of rain and the sunsets have been grande! We have a wonderful bench on our front porch, and we sit out there in the mornings and evenings enjoying the peace. We have several dove families living all around us and enjoy another part of God's creation in listening to them every day, through out the day. Check out this link to hear the sound of the "Mourning Dove" http://www.learnbirdsongs.com/birdsong.php?id=7 . Many days they stand on the top of our chimney, and pipe their music into my house! Their beautiful sound will literally fill my home with their song!

We also have seen lots of wonderful "Lightning shows" in the night sky as we have sat out on our wonderful bench. His creation is so vast! His wonders, His creative intelligence, and knowledge put me in my respective place. I am so awed by His gloriousness. Oh my Lord, I am taken aback at how the clouds hang in the sky! How You pour out Your rain, cleansing us, cleansing the earth, providing us and Your earth with Your living water!

Yes, You are full of majestic wonders, and perfect in knowledge! Thank you for constantly revealing Yourself to me in the clouds, the lightning strikes, the thunder!

Let me always experience Your creative splendor even in the midst of my frustration.

Faces In Your Family Tree

THE FACES IN YOUR FAMILY TREE

There was a piece of paper lying around at the church, just in a pile of other papers. I picked it up because of the quote that caught my eye, it reads:

By the age of forty everyone has the face they deserve.
~ Oscar Wilde, author (1854-1900)

It is saying that our faces take on the outward expression of what we have lived and our attitude toward life. It shows up on our face in many ways.

The name of the lesson was Renovating The Heart - 'Facing' the Facts...

It went on to say that over time, our faces take on the outward expression of what is inside our hearts. Saying that if we continually wear a scowl, which is an indicator of how we feel inside, or if we have smile lines around our eyes, that is also the indicator of how we feel inside. Saying if we had lines of stress stamped on our foreheads, it might indicate that we have chosen to allow ourselves to be angry and stressed about life. What shape our mouths take on, if curve upward, it may mean we have chosen to face life with a positive attitude. All of which reflect our trust in the Lord or our lack of trust in the Lord.

It was good about citing things about genetics also, saying that genetic structure of our faces should be partially considered.

Next time you are at a family reunion, at July 4th celebration, at the mall, or any gather of folks, without being judgemental or mean spirited look at the faces of those over 40 and consider what thier facial structures tell you.

In the quote above Oscar Wilde is saying that our faces reflect the choices we have made over the years. That the choices come from our hearts.

Let's ask the Lord to be the "owner" of our hearts and minds allowing Him to be the reflection on our faces. Let us look in the mirror at our own faces. This is the face that the Lord God has given us. Let us allow Him to guide us in our choices, our views, our judgements, our thoughts, our perspectives, and how we function in the world around us.

Investigate my life, O god,

find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me,

get a clear picture of what I'm about.

Psalm 139:23

Listen....

"Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.

Blessed is the man who listens to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at my doorway."

Proverbs 8:33-34 NIV

My first book "Confessions of a pastors wife: He speaks can you hear Him?" (which I am thrilled to say is due out in October!) was given to me by the Lord. I had no intention of writing a book before the day that the Lord "spoke it into me." Many times we are hearing the Lord speak something directly into our Spirit. We really need to learn that we have a Spirit that is divinely connected to Christ Jesus, who is divinely connected to our God. When Jesus left His humanness behind He promised to leave us with the Holy Spirit. He did this in order for each of us to be able to "connect" with Him.

When I began the writing of this book the above Scripture was given to me by the Lord immediately so that I would be sure to listen to Him and not ignore Him. He knows our tendency to ignore Him when He has given us a huge task to do. He knows that we don't feel capable on our own to do what He has asked of us. He's telling us it would be wise of us to listen, and that we will be blessed for doing so. I think that a large part of society wonders why they have an emptiness in their lives, wondering what their purpose is and why they don't experience the blessing of fulfillment. I would venture to say that it's because they are not listening to the voice of the Lord. Therefore, missing out on working in tandem with Him, missing out on the blessings that would be given if they would.

The last part of the passage says "watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." Oooh, I love this! He has doors of opportunity just waiting to swing wide open for you if only you were there daily watching with expectancy and faith in what our awesome God is going to do with you!

Listen to Him, He still speaks today, to you, and to me! Be wise and don't ignore it! Experience the full blessing of what He wants you to have!

I will leave you with this final Scripture passage and I ask you to meditate on both of them, hear what He has to say to you...

"This is My Son, My Chosen;

Listen to Him!

Luke 9:35