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So if my husband wanted to take me out on a special date and he planned it down to the littlest detail, then he told me about it weeks in advance my expectations would be really high.  My whole week would probably be planned around that event. I may buy a new outfit to wear and I would for sure spend time on my hair and make up and wear my special perfume and leave my house expecting a fabulous evening. I would dream of the place that he would take me.   I would wonder if he reserved a special table, and think of how many courses they would serve us.  I would probably clean the car out in case there was a valet. (I have a mom car)

Now we get to the restaurant and I see it is a greasy diner and no valet, no candles or ambiance, just the sound of the dishwasher smashing dishes in the sink and people talking really loud.  Instead of candles filling the air, it was a smell of stale cigarettes. Now even if it was the best, most exquisite food in town I think there would be an element of disappointment, I think there would be a missing element in the “date night.” That environment is not conducive to romance. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about diners and dives and I love trying new interesting places but this is not ”the night” I imagined. Honestly I do not want to sit in that atmosphere for hours having a romantic evening!

Atmosphere is everything!  It is the same thing when we set the spiritual climate in our homes. We can set an atmosphere full of peace, love and healing and full of the fragrance of heaven.   The way to create that atmosphere is with our worship. We go to so much time to decorate our home, buy all the perfect pictures; we get the perfect candles and perfect furniture, yet one thing, the most important thing that adds the finishing touch is something we often forget about. This is the one element that adds the most amount of peace to our homes.  It changes the atmosphere so much so that people can walk in your home from bad situations and maybe even feel unloved and hopeless they will instantly feel peace, security and the love of God. This is your “Calgon take me” away experience! 

The more of His presence you allow around you, the more of His presence will flow through you. We have the answer that unsaved people are looking for.   The unsaved will literally walk into your home and with just the right atmosphere their spirit will respond to the peace of the Holy Spirit. People will tell me “your house is so peaceful,” and it is because we make sure our atmosphere, our environment has been climatized by the Holy Spirit!

Why is right environment so critical? Keep in mind right things are birthed in the right climate-

Why do Apples grow in Yakima? Right Climate

Why do Oranges grow in Florida? Right Climate

Why do Polar Bears live in Alaska? Right Climate

The climate you allow determines the product you produce! When you allow a worship climate of the Holy Spirit around you, you produce him!

I encourage you to always keep worship music playing in your house, even when you’re not there. Climatize your car, your office and every place you go for periods of time and then when you walk in your office or even the grocery store you can fill that place with the fragrance of heaven that came from your worship experience and who knows what could happen!

Today we had our Sunday service at Franklin Park, it was a Hawaiian themed service with a BBQ following the service. It was an amazing wonderful day. OK It was pretty hot, however it was a fun day filled with much laughter and the opportunity to hang with some amazing people. Everyone was dressed up in their Hawaiian get up and looked so beautiful. I mean if we cant live in Hawaii we can at least pretend right!

As I looked out at the crowd today I reflected on the greatness of God and how much I love His people. As soon as Brian and I became Pastors of Breakthrough we prayed “God send us the people you want to serve by our sides.”  Every person He has sent to us is such an incredible blessing. This morning we had people there at the crack of dawn setting up the sound system, decorating, making trips back and forth, cooking, setting up tents, volleyball nets, and preparing enough paint to paint every face there. I did not hear one complaint just people running around joking, singing, talking with one another and sweating (Did I mention it was hot)

 I just love every person who said “Yes” to the call. Breakthrough is filled with people and families who are there to make a difference in lives and in a city that is hurting. I am the most blessed person on the face of the earth as far as I’m concerned. It feels amazing to be in the middle of the will of God and I get the honor to be in that place with the most encouraging, hardest working people, with the best attitudes of any place that I know of!  We get to do life together, that’s awesome!

One of my favorite points of the afternoon was when Denise drug a bunch of us girls (older girls) in the Buzz Lightyear “KIDS” jumper and we jumped, laughed and got so carried away we almost knocked the jumper over! OK note to self 4 moms should be the limit in a jumper at one time! haha! Gosh I love those girls!

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard this week to make today a wonderful afternoon!

Good Night  -

Pastor Kari

So I’m noticing blogging is extremely therapeutic!  

My thoughts today are just reflective on the people in my life. My life is filled with amazing, positive, life giving people that bless me on a daily basis! Life is too short and there too many people to love and too much territory to be taken, to have my life filled with people that are poisonous. You will never reach your potential if your best friends are “downer Debs” (sorry again Debbie, its just a saying)  If the people closest to you are basement thinkers and always tell you why you shouldn’t do something, or why it can’t be done or just speaking death and not life they are withdrawing something from you. you may want to take an evaluation and start replacing your circle with people who deposit life and love into your bank. (even if it is just cookies with a note on someones door step, thanks Jess)

I have asked God to help place people in my life that are life giving, that I can trust, that fill my life with the fruits of the spirit, and of course I would love to be able to laugh often with them (sense of humor), and God has been so faithful with my request and honestly I can say I am so blessed and my bank is so full and I’m so rich with friends and amazing people in my life! 

There are two people in life “basement thinkers” or “attic thinkers” One will always think of every reason it can’t be done, or  feel stupid for even dreaming it, these people always put you on their negative playground. These people are never satisfied or rarely truly happy, they always see the glass half empty, with no hope the glass will ever be filled and if it is filled it won’t be right or taste right (basement thinker)

The other  person always thinks of the possibilities and how things can be worked out and how things will get better and how the glass is half full (attic thinker) So…..Which one are you or which one represents those closest to you? If you are a basement thinker, it doesn’t mean your a “bad person” is just a bad habit or a pattern set, then get on the stairs and climb up to the attic! Its a matter of making the decision and then filling your life with attic people!  OK, Breaking it down… its a matter of asking God to fill you or your basement friends with his fruits (kindness, gentleness, meekness, joy, peace, love…etc) and literally putting a filter on the ‘ol trap!