Karmen Smith

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A Podcast chat @My Light Still Shines

by Karmen |

The Lord sent sweet Retha my way back in November while in Nashville at the Business Boutique.  Her unforgettable testimony is no doubt proof of God’s amazing grace.  I invite you to get to know my new-found friend by visiting her website rethanichole dot com or better yet by subscribing to her podcast @My Light Still Shines where we are chatting today about the verse that changed the way I live.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

After you’ve listened let Retha and I know in comments what you are praying BIG about in this season of your life.

Much love,

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Filed Under: Fabulous Friends, faith, PODCAST, prayer, Uncategorized Tagged With: Acts 4:13, Bible talk, God's Word, let's talk scripture, Retha Nichole

5 NEW YEAR Questions for You to Share with Friends

by Karmen |

We barricaded the living room entry with a recliner.  Determined to have some post-holiday, HAPPY NEW YEAR-adult conversation with our friends.  They have four children, and currently, we have four children who bring us to a ROARING 8 when we are together which is anything but calm but oh-so-necessary.

Surely we aren’t the only parents who have considered a barricade?  Now before any of you, helicopter moms get in a tizz..we could see over the recliner into the dining room where the girls were dressed as princesses (at least I think that’s what they were shooting for)  while they played baby in between dance-party breakouts and playing kitchen with lots and lots of Play-Doh.  That is, when they weren’t running for cover and SCREAMING because of sudden Nerf attacks, hovering drones or RC gadgets running amuck.

After pizza and wings, and redirecting a couple of monkeys who attempted to climb over the recliner barricade we were alas able to share some quality conversation with our dear friends.  (Side note->because of my brain..but if you haven’t read Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist, I HIGHLY recommend it.  The title was enough for me.  For too long, too many of us have worried whether or not our houses or outdoor spaces were acceptable, polished or Pinterest-y enough to share with friends. I broke up with that way of thinking.  Thanks, Shauna)  Meanwhile, back on the ranch my Rainbow vacuum broke way back in October, a new one hasn’t been in the budget; it’s firewood time which means lots and lots of wood debris, dust and lest we forget we live on a farm, so there is NEVER an absence of various manure tracks throughout the house.  Deep breath.  And another deep breath because it’s OKAY!  Real friends hungry for authentic connection couldn’t care less about the condition of our floors or mantle, which is why we’re friends.

Thankful for friends and my dear, dear husband for entertaining my request to have such reflective heavy-at-times-just-a-wee-bit awkward and hilarious conversation.  We chatted through various topics such as their vacation to Disney, to public restroom etiquette and finally,  some thought-provoking questions that I found on the internet (thanks, Holley Gerth dot com).

The list of questions was longer than we have time for but I wanted to share five of my favorites as well as my two cents which as it turns out is exactly what it’s worth.  I hope you will share the questions with your friends because you should.  It’s fun and funny.  They are great conversation starters. We have since discussed them with our small group, and I went through them with another friend whom I consider a gem as well as my mom and sisters too!  So, without further adieu’:

What went well for you this year?

We saw a slight upswing in 2016 at our little mom and pop feed & garden, so we shouted HALLELUYAH! Thank YOU, Fort Payne and surrounding areas for shopping local and for loving our family so well.  (If you’re not local and you want to know more about what we do visit our website –> www.fpfeed.com )

#PrayBig the journal and the movement has done exceedingly and abundantly more than I would have ever dreamed. THANK YOU, JESUS.  I’ve loved meeting ALL OF YOU, hearing your hearts and it is my honor to pray with and for you!  I am looking forward to another great year!

http://www.thebeancounter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/iStock_000065269525_Double-630x315.jpg

(photo from Google image)

What did not go well?

When our first foster placement was taken and placed in another home.  He left us forever changed, and he will never be forgotten.

When did you feel the most exhausted or drained?

Numbers.  Anything with numbers makes me tired and cranky.  Numbers and anything remotely akin to numbers makes me lethargic and puffy.  I think I’m allergic.  No amount of milk chocolate helps.  Just no.  There will be no numbers or accounting or QuickBooks in heaven.  Amen.

 

When did I feel most in my “sweet spot?”

Other than the obvious of being with my tribe at the beach of course with my low-rider beach chair in the sand where the surf meets the shore my “sweet spot” would be when I’m encouraging you.  Whether that is at the local coffee shop, the jail, your living room, fellowship hall or a stage.  I never tire of speaking of the faithfulness of God and exhorting you to #PrayBig because with my whole heart I believe when you #PrayBig things happen!

 

What did God teach me that I want to live out this year?

It’s easy for me to tell others to believe in the faithfulness of God, not to worry or fear because He cares and is Lord over all, but I often struggle to believe my words.  I somehow believe it for you, and I REALLY DO but then, when I get in my car, or I find a quiet place at home, or I’m upstairs at the store, I doubt.  I doubt and end up dancing with fear and worry when it comes to my personal stuff.  And I hate it!  In 2017 I am determined to be done with doubt.  Jesus and I have already been talking through these things over the last several days, and I’ve told Satan to take the train. I’ll keep you posted.

There were other questions like what did you say “no” to and wish you had said “yes” and vice versa? What do you want to do differently or the same?  But too many of those questions got a little too close to the subject of exercise which is something I’m not ready to talk about yet. I am thinking about thinking about it because I know my Barbie friend, Tammy wants me to think about it and I will turn 40 this year.  In no way is turning forty a big deal except that it is, and I’m going to try not be a selfish brat and talk too much about my birthday in June because that would be silly because grown women shouldn’t get all wacky about a birthday except that I am but we can talk more about that later.  Because it’s only 156 days until my birthday according to Google.  Not that anyone is counting.

Oh happy day,

 

 

P.S.  But just in case…and this P.S. note is mostly for my family or close friends to remind my husband and children.  #winkwink

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: #PrayBig Journal, Fabulous Friends, faith, foster care, Inspire, Life ~in our neck of the woods, Uncategorized Tagged With: connection, conversation starters, frienship, happy new year, questions

Too passionate….what does that mean?

by Karmen |

The dam broke & my mind raced back to the night of that heated exchange.

 

I was standing at the foot of their bedroom steps in the midst of a teenage tantrum. The summer air was suffocating in more ways than one. His words spoken through gritted teeth, ringing in my ear,

 

“You’re just too passionate.”

 

Who knew words could be so heavy? Just four little words, and yet two of them left a fermented taste in my mouth for more than two decades.

 

 

Too passionate.

 

What does that mean?

 

For years, I wondered and wrestled with that question.

 

Then, while in Indiana, attending a conference, I heard the word that was dead to me.

 

“What is it you could do all day long & lose track of time? What is it that causes your heart to turn a flip? That thing is your passion!” –Lara Casey

 

The pendulum shifted.

 

The weight of those fermented words that I had carried for so long lifted !! At last!!! A new sense of freedom and excitement rekindled a part of my soul I had let die. With tears spilling down my face and all of a sudden, passion was a good thing. Better than good, it was GREAT!

 

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John Piper, the author of,  Don’t Waste Your Life,  pierced me this week as I read,

 

“But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it.”

 

These words.  Words like these, ‘find your way to say it and live for it and die for it,’ make my heart turn flips! They leave me short of breath.

 

Friends, can we be done with living life on medium?

 

 

For those of you who have heard me speak over the last few months have undoubtedly heard these words. I feel very passionately about placing a sense of urgency.  Lysa TerKeurst says, we’ve “set our souls to the rhythm of rush.” Many of us have.  And for what?  Or for whom?  How are we spending our hours? Our days? My desire is to inspire you to give it some thought.

 

What do you dream about when you go to sleep??

 

We took the kids to the zoo last week and made wishes in one of the fountains.

 

What wishes have you made lately?

 

What’s on your bucket list? Do you have a bucket list?

 

Dearest friends, this isn’t dressed rehearsal. We don’t get “do-over.”

 

To echo John Piper, don’t waste your life!

 

I don’t know what your passion is or if you prefer the plural, passions are, but you do. And if you don’t, I beg you to carve out some alone time to search for it!

 

How long has it been since your heart turned a flip?  And I’m not talking about a flippant “oh that was fun’ but a deep, fulfilling satisfaction that comes when you know that you know you’re right where you’re supposed to be doing exactly what you are meant to be doing!

 

In your quiet moments with God, I pray you will ask Him what it is he wants you to #PrayBig about and then, get after it!

 

A couple of summers ago I asked the ladies of a summer book study, “When you were a little girl, what did you dream of or hope to become?”

 

Some answered without hesitation. Others left baffled. It had been so long since they had given thought of anything other than mundane.

 

There’s another word, mundane. We’ll save that post for another day because there is glory in the mundane but today is about passion! My fervent prayer for you, my friends, is that you will:

 

~Live passionately in pursuit of all God has for you!

~Believe He has a plan and a purpose for your life!

~ #PrayBig because God is BIG!

~Ask Him to use us where we are with what we have!

 

These words in the old book, Apples of Gold, I found fitting in a way of wrapping the pondering for today:

 

You’re writing a gospel,

A chapter each day,

By deeds that you do,

By words that you say.

Men read what you write,

Whether faithless of true,

Say, what is the gospel according to you?

Much love,

KarmenSmith_signature

P.S.

Because apparently I love a P.S.

  • #PrayBig is six months old tomorrow!  Thank you for celebrating this message with us!
  • I am “passionately” pursuing a little project that’s been burning a hole in me.  We are talking about what brave looks like over on Facebook and Instagram.  Hop over and share your two cents.
  • Our baby turned eight yesterday.  I’m still processing how old eight sounds and mustering words to express how crazy I am about the little boy who wants to live with me forever.
  • I”m reading A Different Beautiful, written by the brave and precious, Courtney Westlake.  To say this book is inspiring, to say this book is applicable, to say this book is an ABSOLUTE must read would barely be the beginning.  GO NOW and PRE-ORDER this book to be released August 2016 because it is SURE to be a SELL OUT!!!!!!!!!
  • I need to hear about your summer!  How are you chillaxing and what does that look like?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: #iheart, Fabulous Friends, faith, Inspire, Uncategorized Tagged With: Courtney Westlake, don't waste your life, live on purpose, passion, what is your passion? Lara Casey

Lessons from: May, the flea market, and strangers

by Karmen |

It’s May.

 

Need I say more?

 

How ya holding up?  Have you and your crew wrapped school?  Are you attending graduation(s)? Recitals? End-of-the-year-this-end-of-the-year-that?  Gifting out the wah-zoo? And lest we forget decoration, for all the Southerners out there!  WHEW!!!!!

 

How about we press pause on May, take a deep breath and play a game of pretend.

 

Let’s act like we’re sitting on the porch with a glass of lemonade.  ( Sitting.  That’s a lovely idea.  Who sits in May?  Sleep, get up and go until it’s time to sleep again, right?)    The kids are playing quietly in the yard. (Remember, we are playing pretend.  There is no wrestling, screaming or refereeing in this game of pretend.  We are playing a game of calm.)   The chickens are scurrying about NOT EATING THE FRESHLY PLANTED TOMATOES IN THE GARDEN!!!!!!!

 

Ok, game over, or nevermind.  #fortheloveofsanity

 

Our calm game is going to have to take place on your porch because it’s too loud & whack here! (Insert Emoji with one-eye-open, one eye closed with tongue hanging out because that’s a better depiction of  May)

 

Speaking of whack!

boot table

This table had people stopping in their tracks.  I’m positive it was the table and not the denim hat that most assuredly would’ve doubled as an umbrella. This bizarre piece of furniture had many pointing, some laughing but most just gawking at this tackiest of home decor. One woman was kicking herself for not finding it the moment before we did.

 

Of course, I bought it.

 

I know, I didn’t go looking for the table, but the table found me!  And I’m so glad it did because it made for fun and sparked a most refreshing conversation between my friend and me on the way home from the flea market.

 

“Isn’t it just the best? How flea market finds, hold so many of life’s parallels. How so many things and stuff are discarded and considered to some as trash and to others a treasure? And how the hidden treasures are like individuals in the crowd or tucked away in a corner just waiting to be unveiled, chosen. ”

 

Speaking of hidden treasures…

 

My sister & niece invited me to tag along on a recent shopping trip. They were going in search of an outfit for Award’s Day. Excited because we hadn’t been together for a while, upon entering the interstate,  barely had gotten out of our mouths how we were looking forward to our day when we spotted her.

 

A stranger was walking along the side of the road.

 

I had known it before I knew it as we slowed and began to pull off.  I knew we were about to have an unexpected guest.  My sister has always been brave & kind and is notorious for picking up people on the side of the road.  I remember as a little girl after seeing a man with a sign that read, “Help” her going home, emptying her piggy bank and then, begging momma to take her back so she could give it to him.  Giving comes naturally to her, so I wasn’t the least bit addled when she hollered out the window,

 

“Need a ride?”

 

Her nod and slumbered posture made evident she’d been walking for a while.  I crawled through to the back to sit with my niece as our new-found friend climbed in the front with only a small bag.

 

“Where you headed?”

 

“Arkansas.”

 

Sister looked baffled as I chimed in from the back,

 

“Well honey, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”

 

The sweat from her brow and frustrated expression made it more than clear this was not good news.

 

My sister, who has the gift of mercy assured her we would get her “somewhere” as I began to Google the nearest bus stop.

 

After a quick call and much to our delight, we discovered there was a bus stop in the city to which we were going and a bus headed to Arkansas scheduled to leave after four that afternoon.

 

Tell me we don’t serve a God who is into details??

 

Questions about her journey and her need for a ‘break from life’ filled most of our minutes together.  She shared stories of grief, depression and hardship as we counter offered hope, faith and the purposes of God. Before heading to the bus stop we zipped through McDonald’s for some nourishment, doubling up for our new-found friend to be sure she’d have supper on her ride back home.

 

Upon arriving at the bus stop, it felt very much like we had just walked on the set of Thelma & Louise.  The tiny box-like office reeked of old ash and trapped smoke.

 

“Heellllo?”

 

“In here.”  was her raspy reply.  For a second, I was confused and thought we had switched sets because the voice sounded just like Estelle, Joey’s agent from Friends.

 

As we exchanged pleasantries with ‘Betty’ sister made note of the handwritten sign taped to the credit card machine.

 

CASH ONLY

 

“Oh, you’re only taking cash today?”

 

“Yeah, you’ll have to go across the street to the ATM” barked Betty.

 

Sister said, “I’ll go.  You stay here with Betty and our friend.  I will be right back.”

 

Although I couldn’t and maybe should’ve been a bit addled, I wasn’t because our precious mother had prepared us for this having told us, “Life is stranger than fiction.”

 

Our friend shared her personal info per Betty’s request, and we all got to know each other a little better thanks to Betty’s s-l-o-w-p-r-o-c-e-s-s-i-n-g computer.

 

As it turns out, Betty knew some of our people, and we knew some of hers.

 

It’s a small world after all.

 

Sister quickly returned with cash in hand.  A handshake, and special thanks to Betty, another new-found-friend, we settled the fee in exchange for a ticket to Arkansas.

 

Leaving our new friend with:

  • her ticket
  • 25$ cash
  • a double cheeseburger for supper
  • a New Testament Bible
  • a scrap sheet of paper with a few scripture references and our names

 

…we were back on the road again in search of an outfit for Awards Day.

 

Ann Lamott once said, ” I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world-present and in awe.”

 

As we loaded the car, smiling & laughing with tears spilling over our cheeks, we stood in awe of how God had worked out the details of our afternoon.  How he had strategically placed a hidden treasure on the side of the road to see if we would stop.  How he had another gem tucked away at the bus stop, and to think, we thought we were just going in search of an outfit for Awards Day.

 

Much love,

KarmenSmith_signature

 

In other things:

  • If you love summer as much as Olaf and me, H-O-L-L-E-R!!!! 
  • My baby will turn 8 on June 6th.  I will need therapy because my baby and the words “eight years” have me feeling troubled and my womb aching.
  • The journal will be six months old on June 8th.  We are planning some fun things! Stay tuned!! and share this space with your friends 🙂
  • What do y’all think about Facebook Live? Have you tried it?  I’m wondering if that is something I should give a whirl this summer??  please leave your thoughts in comments
  • I will be speaking at Ponderosa Bible Camp the week of June 19- 24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: #iheart, adventures, be brave, Fabulous Friends, faith, Life ~in our neck of the woods, Uncategorized Tagged With: adventurers, new friends

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