family – Page 2

The Karios Time Zone

Here there BCU Family!

I typically record our content in an informal “podcast on the go” format. Many times, the Lord gives me subject matter as I am driving or waiting, so I record on the spot! You can access the podcast here, or click on the avatar below, as you refer to the show notes below for the highlights. We pray the content blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the podcast!

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | Karios time zone | Ep 333

Podcast highlights:

Last year, I wanted to podcast about a particular subject, but was having a challenge pulling the content together.
The Lord brought my attention to different content, and He prompted me to podcast God sees us.
By following His directions on what to post, one person “happened” to tune in and really needed that Word from God.
While we run on chronological or chronos time (by the clock and what we think is best timing-wise), it is important to live in karios time (listening for and operating in God’s opportune and divine moments that are just for that time).

KJV Scripture References

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Psalm 37:23

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way.

BCUFam, it never ceases to amaze me when God shows up in the lives of His people! He knows just what we need and when we need it, and He will use us to accomplish His will and way, if we listen and obey. We may not always see result of our obedience, but God sees it and will reward us accordingly. So, with His help, let’s acknowledge the Lord in all our ways so we are operating in the karios time zone, which is God’s perfect will for our lives. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for this word of encouragement today! Thank You for reminding us to take time to hear Your voice and to operate in the karios time zone. Help us to be mindful of the people around us, those may need encouragement, their hearts lifted, to be witnessed to, or prayed for—–whatever You would have us to do, Jesus, help us to hear and be obedient to what that is.

With Your grace, please help us to be willing vessels to do whatever it is You have called us to do—-not for recognition, acknowledgement or just tangible rewards, rather, we want to hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” Thank You for helping us to be sensitive to Your directions for us, and carrying out Your will and way, in Jesus name we pray and thank You, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

13 Feb 2024

BlenCouragesU6 Comments

Taking a dog by the ears

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

After a productive day, we stopped to get ice cream at one of the local parlors.
This evening, the long was pretty long and moving super slowly.
One of the staff members was free to assist the line, but was distracted, talkative and disrespectful.
The staff member’s comments led to a very loud and embarrassing verbal altercation with a patron.
The Lord used this experience to remind and teach me a couple of lessons.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | Taking a dog by the Ears | Ep 284

James 1:19-20

¹⁹Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 26:17

¹⁷He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

I Peter 4:15

¹⁵But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Psalm 19:14

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, as I thought about what happened, the manager was correct in waiting until she was unctioned to ask “Robin” to take a break. Manager quietly apologized for the wait and as we talked, we agreed Robin needed formal training on how to conduct themselves professionally with guests, and refraining for jumping into unrelated conversations.

I thank the Lord for helping me (unconsciously) to walk out Proverbs 26:17——I was not led to interfere and should not have anyway——-because it was NOT my strife. Unless the Lord tells us otherwise, when strife comes up, we should stay out of it and maintain a posture of prayer for the Lord to intervene. Now that’s where the Lord reminded me that I could have done better. I was so busy (now that I think about it, distracted is more like it) watching the events unfold, I did not have the presence of mind to pray. The distraction is likely a topic for another podcast, but, I will say this is why we need to have a consistent prayer life, so that God intervenes for us, even when we don’t think to pray in the moment. So, I received that correction and with His grace, will apply what He taught me. What a merciful God we serve! Let’s pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, as many of us are peacemakers, as we should be, thank you for reminding us that our responsibility is to pursue peace and resolution with the strife and conflict in our own lives. We ask you to help us successfully manage the strife that belongs to us, and unless otherwise prompted, help is to stay out of “other men’s matters”, and to remain prayerful for the parties involved. Thank you for hearing our plea and blessing us to follow Your directions accordingly. In Jesus name, we pray and thank you! Amen!

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

28 Feb 2023

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Despise not the chastening of the Lord

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

Recently, I had a conversation with my best friend, Kenya, who is a decorated nurse, and dedicated wife, mother, student, teacher, and minister of the gospel.
At work, an unintentional miscommunication came up between Kenya and a nursing student that initially strained the relationship.
The Lord used this circumstance as a teaching moment for Kenya, the student, the staff, and many others.
With permission, Kenya urged me to share the story and lesson with the BCUFam.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | The Chastening of the Lord | Ep 283

Hebrews 12:5-11

⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Romans 12:10

¹⁰Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

John 13:34-35

³⁴A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

³⁵By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Psalm 61:1-2

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

²From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 63:1

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Proverbs 16:3

³Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Psalm 19:14

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, this testimony was such a blessing on several levels. Many times, the people of God testify about the good things (money, cars, homes, et cetera), that God provides, and there is nothing wrong with that at all–He us a supplier of needs, will take care of His people and we NEED to hear that. What’s more valuable and less popular are these testimonies——-where we confess our faults to one another and share the lessons and correction without shame or concern about who will judge us.

Frankly, we should be more concerned with the Lord judging us. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 tells us, if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In other words, the Lord lets us know where we missed the mark, so we can correct ourselves NOW (with His help), so we don’t have to be condemned LATER. Kenya was tender to the Holy Spirit’s correction and obeyed what He said, so she’s all set. And she shared this story with us as a reminder for us to do the same thing. Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for our sister Kenya sharing her testimony and experience with us freely. Thank You for the correction and chastening that You give us here, Lord, so we can see You in peace when we leave this present world and hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Bless us to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish in all interactions with people, so that You are glorified, honored and praised every time. Help us to see when we are not honoring You in our communication and blessing us to correct our behavior going forward without justification, but rather in humility and gratefulness. Thank You for the mind to want to please You in all of our ways. We thank You for hearing our plea, for Your patience and unfailing love towards us. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

21 Feb 202317 Feb 2026

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What’s love got to do with anything? Everything.

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

We use the term “love” very generally, but the definitions are very specific.
There are more types of love to define, but our focus is on the four below.
Regardless of the love type or (lack of) love reciprocity, God expects us to exhibit love in all interactions.
Loving the hard-to-love can be a challenge, but God is able if we are willing.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | What's love got to do with anything? Everything. | Ep 282

BCU Fam, I admit it has been some time since I have looked at these love types in detail, so this was a good reminder for me to check my love-meter in all these areas so I am loving people the right way. This study also let us know how much God loves us!!! There is NOTHING like His agape, unconditional love that He has for us and I am SO grateful for that and I know you are as well.

Also, in honor of Valentine’s/Love Day/Week, with all of the hearts, flowers, chocolates, pictures posted and everything love-themed, this time of year can be difficult for people for many reasons—even in knowing that Jesus loves us. Is that you today? I definitely understand, and I know from experience that Jesus is a present help. Let’s pray about it.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for this day that You have made–Your Word tells us to rejoice and be glad in it. For someone today, it’s a struggle to rejoice and be glad. Jesus, we ask that Your love comes in and washes over all who are broken-hearted, broken in spirit, challenged with not forgiving, needing to be forgiven, or whatever the circumstance is. We thank You for being nigh to and healing those with a broken heart and saving those of a contrite spirit. Jesus, please wrap Your loving arms around someone today and bless them to feel Your presence as a Comforter and strengthen them in every area of need. Thank You for blessing someone today to know You, Jesus are always present and available when we need help, guidance, strength, tear-drying, love and above all—–salvation! We honor and praise You for answering our prayer today, in Jesus name, we thank You! Amen!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

14 Feb 2023

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Redeeming your time

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

As youngsters, we often “counted down” to important milestones in our lives—–birthdays, days off, driving, dating, college, etc.
In many cases, we lived for reaching whatever the date was, only to rush the count-down to the next one—– and complain about the in-between time.
As adults, that same “hurry-up and complain” mindset often resurfaces in our lives as we deal with our various responsibilities, assignments and tasks that we were assigned.
While there is nothing wrong with looking forward to enjoying the next “good” thing, our complaining about our assignments displeases God and wastes the precious time He gives us.
God can help us to be more intentional about using all the time He gives us wisely.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | Redeeming your time | Ep 281

Scripture references

Psalms 118:24

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Colossians 3:23-24

²³And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Psalm 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

James 5:16 (b)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Ecclesiastes 5:18

¹⁸Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Enjoy the present. Amen? Amen.

BCU Fam, I really have to be intentional about not rushing through my days and wishing my time away. Otherwise, we can miss how we can be a blessing to others and God blessing us, because we are ready to get to the next good thing. With the help of the Lord, let’s enjoy all the moments God gives us, rather than complaining.

Also, there are times when we are in extreme pain, grief, sadness, distress—and it’s a challenge to rejoice in the day the Lord has made. This is when we lean more into Jesus who will carry us through moment by moment. Let’s pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for this day and with your help we will rejoice and be glad in it. As we commit this day to you, please bless us to be aware and intentional in our thoughts, actions and interactions that we are serving and representing You, Jesus. Thank you for helping us through the assignments and tasks that we struggle with to complete them to your glory, honor and praise. Thank you, Jesus for the job, the family, the ministry, the chores, the bills, the mountains, the valleys, the lessons, correction and the blessings you’ve graciously bestowed on us—and with Your help, we will learn to be content until our change comes.

Please remember those of us are that are enduring hardness and experiencing heart-breaking situations, where it is a challenge to function as the Word tells us to. Speak, Jesus to hearts and minds today, letting someone who is in the struggle of pain, grief, sadness–whatever it is—to hear Your voice, feel Your presence and to be strengthened by You, Jesus. Thank you for Your comfort, Your guidance, and for blessing someone today to know that You love them and are a present help. Thank you for lifting someone’s head and their hands in praise, even now, Jesus! It is in Your Name, we thank you for the victory! Amen!