Author: The Kedge Anchor

The Kedge Anchor - Anchored in Hope “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul…” Hebrews 6:19 The Kedge Anchor - About Welcome to the Kedge Anchor. This blog started from a time in my life where I no longer liked changes. Changes, like the waves in the ocean can turn us upside down sometimes and the currents of this life can take us to places we really didn’t intend to go. But changes are a part of life and the older I get the less I like them. Maybe you can relate. Sometimes storms form over the ocean and totally churn up our lives like the ocean floor. And when all is finally over, we feel depleted, drained, exhausted. Turning to God’s word first is always a good place to start and gain footing again. And sometimes God leads us to other sources for encouragement, family, friends, church family, and oddly enough, for me, back to the still calm waters (of the ocean). Kedging is a nautical term “to draw (a vessel) along by hauling in on the cable of a light anchor that has been dropped at some distance from it, or (of a vessel) to be drawn in this fashion “ https://www.thefreedictionary.com/kedging Kedging is done in calm waters when one needs the boat to move forward or in the case when one is going against the wind. The sailor casts the kedge anchor out in the waters and pulls the boat towards the anchor. In a season of wait, when we feel like we are at a stand still and perhaps we aren’t hearing God’s voice or when we are in the middle of the storm, we can draw to Him. (James 4:8) We can cast our anchor (of hope) out and take a step in faith toward God, read the Bible, recall a favorite verse, and cling to HIs words. He is our anchor for our soul (Heb. 6:19). When the storms and currents of life are changing our course and we find ourselves going against the wind, we can remain steadfast in His Word and love. Be encouraged. You are not alone. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you…” James 4:8
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God Doesn’t Want Us Happy?

The Kedge Anchor
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Recently, I have heard the statement in some form, that God doesn’t want us happy. If so, then what does He want us, sad? The word sullen comes to my mind when I hear this. I find it hard to believe that being happy is not in God’s plan for us. Perhaps what is being said needs a little more, there has to be more to this statement. I do believe God wants more than us to just be happy.

What is happiness? Happiness is an emotion. We need to be in control of our emotions, James 1:19-20 “slow to anger,” Ephesians 4:26-27 – “be angry and sin not.” Happiness is a choice, like love, we can choose who to love, how to love, when to love. We feel the affects of love when someone does something nice for us or is speaking our love language. Much like being offended, when we are offended by something or what someone says, we can feel offended and that’s on us. No one can make us feel a certain way without our permission. I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said that. So happiness is an emotion that we can control and is a choice.

There is happiness in obedience and I believe they go hand in hand. Like the song says,”Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.” “When happiness is commanded, happiness is obedience.”

  • The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord” – Psalm 37:4.
  • The Bible says, “Be glad in the Lord” – Psalm 32:11.
  • The Bible says, “Rejoice in the Lord” – Philippians 3:1.
  • The Bible says, “Rejoice always” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
  • The Bible says to do your “acts of mercy with cheerfulness” – Romans 12:8.
  • The Bible says, “Serve the Lord with gladness” – Psalm 100:2. (John Piper)

God wants us happy. It’s our choice to be happy about what He asks of us. We can choose to serve with gladness or not.

Coloring Page

October 24, 2022 – Acts 2:21

The Kedge Anchor
October-24-2022

prayer, Uncategorized

“Please Be with Me”

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How many times have we all prayed a prayer, “Father, please be with…” I started to think, why do we ask that? We already know that God is omnipresent. Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Jeremiah 23:24 – “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.”

Think back to the Garden when God came looking for Adam. He was there. Nothing goes unseen by God. So why do we feel the need to ask? Habit perhaps?

So maybe there’s a better way to pray. I realize I don’t need to ask but to recognize whether I feel His presence or not, He is with me. I know this because the Bible says so, so many time throughout scripture. I thank God for His being with me, for His omnipresence, that He will never leave me or forsake me and I acknowledge that He said so in His Word. I thank Him for being with whomever is needing prayer at the moment, because I know He is. He promised to never leave us or forsake us.

If God says this in the Old Testament and repeats it again in the New Testament, then He not only means it but it pertains to us still today. Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

We have a big God. Thank Him for being ever so present.

Coloring Page, Uncategorized

October 17, 2022- Psalm 103:3

The Kedge Anchor
October-17-2022Download

Let ALL that I am praise the Lord!

Stress

Dirty Dishes

The Kedge Anchor
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Happy Friday! I used to get my undies in a bunch over messes, dirty dishes, and my home not ready for Better Homes and Gardens to come in a take amazing pictures of my home. But who lives like that? I have wasted too much energy on trying to have my home perfect and always looking like a magazine. What I learned, it’s ok that my house isn’t perfect, it’s ok that I have piles of books and papers on the kitchen counter. It’s ok I have baskets of dirty laundry and clean laundry. It’ ok the bed went unmade. And it’s really ok the sink has dirty dishes, it means we ate. Some folks don’t have that luxury. The fact that I have a mess and dirty dishes in the sink means I have been out living life, doing things, living the life God gave me. Those messes will get taken care of when someone has the time to clean them.

Ok so my house isn’t a pig sty. I do clean. But I stopped to evaluate what was most important, people or a messy home. My home may have a mess here and there, but it’s a clean mess. I try not to take for granted that I am healthy enough to make a mess and clean it. So I wrote a little poem to help remind me. Enjoy. (ok it’s a little off, but so is my house)

The Lord Blesses as We Messes

I am thankful for the dirty dishes

 in my sink,

for I am healthy enough to dirty them,

 eat and drink.

I am thankful for the dirty clothes in the basket, 

for I’m healthy enough to dirty them,

   and nothing but washing will mask it.

I am thankful for the messes that lie about, 

   un-made beds, a pile of clothes , papers strewn –  a thought without,

for I am healthy enough to make those messes.

Now I pray for the energy to clean,

 as the Lord continues to blesses. 

©thekedganchor.com2022

Coloring Page, Uncategorized

October 10, 2022 – John 4:24

The Kedge Anchor

Worship in Spirit and Truth

October-10-2022Download
Coloring Page

October 3, 2022 – Psalm 150:6

The Kedge Anchor

Happy Fall! Fall is here! Enjoy coloring and relaxing today with a hot cuppa something as you memorize scripture.

October-3-20222Download

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New Facebook Page Coming Soon

The Kedge Anchor

Happy Friday!

First, I just want to ask all you out there to continue to keep Florida in your prayer as they recover from the devastation Ian has left behind. God sees all that has happened He was, He is and He always will be in the midst of any storm we face. Thank you for your prayers

Thank you to all of you who have either subscribed or just liked any of the posts here on The Kedge Anchor. If anyone here follows The Kedge Anchor on social media such as Facebook please note there will be a new Facebook page coming soon. Facebook has made some changes to pages and inadvertently somehow it was set up wrong when scrolling through the changes and Facebook doesn’t make it easy to undo changes so it’s a new page.

The only thing changing really is the link and hopefully more engagement. Instagram for now will remain the same.

Thank you to all who follow The Kedge Anchor.

Anchor in Hope!

Coloring Page

September 26, 2022 – James 14:17

The Kedge Anchor

Happy Monday. We all could use a little peace in our hearts these days. Jesus has that covered.

Sept-26-2022Download

Obedience

Be Prompt to Be Quiet

The Kedge Anchor
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Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

James 1:19 NLT

It’s hard to be a good listener. Someone says something that triggers us. We want to stop someone in their train of thought, in their tracks to either correct them, express our disdain or just force our opinion on them. When that’s not what the Bible is telling us. Not letting someone speak and interrupting is just, well, it’s rude. Sometimes we do it because we don’t want to forget what we want to say. Well, if you happen to forget, maybe it’s for a reason. Has that happened to you then later, it comes back to you. That can be a good thing, now you have the chance to evaluate what was said and your response. Now maybe if it is something critical and ground breaking you have the opportunity to sort it out for yourself before you go spewing out words that you either regret or at this point irrelevant.

You’ve heard it before, “God gave us two ears and one mouth” for a reason. He wants us to listen more, to Him and others. “Quick to listen.” The word quick in the original Greek, ταχύς tachus takh-oos’ means; of uncertain affinity; fleet, i.e. (figuratively) prompt or ready:–swift. The word prompt stuck out to me. Prompt – being on time, punctual (Wordnik). So once again I began to think. When we are listening and the other person says something that triggers us to interrupt that should be a prompt. Just as the definition says “on time”, like an actor has a cue to deliver a line or an action, we need to be prompt in delivering silence.

This gives us the opportunity for the next part, to be slow to speak and slow to anger. What’s more important to have your opinion expressed or to just let the other person have their say regardless if it triggers something in you? When the other person is talking you then have the opportunity to ask questions. Try asking a question about that trigger. Ask why they feel that way, what lead to that conclusion, maybe the other person has a valid point, maybe they can give you more information to form your own opinion. If the other person is a good listener he or she will give you the opportunity to respond.

If the trigger is something that really rubs you the wrong way, pray about it. Ask God how you should respond. Pray for the other person. This can be a hard thing to do but it’s what God asks us to do, James 1:19. He also tells us to Pray about everything, Philippians 4:6 -“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” And as hard as it can be to keep our mouths shut and our ears open, Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” And this can be applied to James 1:19 because it’s what God is asking us to do.