March 18, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

NOTE: KingdomReign.net HAS NOT ONLY UNDERGONE A SLIGHT NAME CHANGE; IT’S ALSO PURCHASED A NEW WEB DOMAIN. THIS WILL BE THE LAST POST AT THIS ADDRESS. . .

YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS LINK TO OUR NEW INTERNET ADDRESS: www.HisKingdomReign.com

****************************************************************************************************************************

Over the past year, God has been challenging me to embrace a new name for this ministry and to occupy a new domain here on the internet.

He’s also challenged me to examine my personal life and honestly answer some rather tough questions in light of the choices I make every day.

When I make decisions on my own without consulting Him I hear the question “Who’s kingdom is it anyway?”.

When I stubbornly refuse to do the uncomfortable and resist His challenge to believe in extra-ordinary possibilities, He quietly whispers “Who’s sitting on the throne now?”

Time and again I have had to repent and confess that it’s HIS kingdom and that HE is the one who rules and reigns over me.

I am the one who should be at HIS beck and call, not the other way around.

That’s why a change in name and domain is so significant for this ministry.

It’s not about me, IT’S ABOUT HIM.

It’s not about Him coming alongside my life; it’s about my life coming alongside His plans and purposes.

YOU’RE WELCOME TO JOIN US AS WE EMBRACE THIS NEW LIFESTYLE THAT CHANGES OUR FOCUS AND MOVES US INTO A NEW DOMAIN THAT HE’S RESERVED FOR US!

IT’S ONLY A CLICK AWAY AT www.HisKingdomReign.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

March 17, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

I’ve shared with all of you about Paradise ‘08.

This morning I found out about another thing God’s got on His agenda for this spring.

It’s called Reign Down USA.

It’s scheduled to take place on Saturday April 26, 2008

Click on “The Vision” tab at the top of the page.  When you get there and be inspired by the story of a kingdom person who’s living a kingdom lifestyle that is accomplishing kingdom purposes!

(They’ll even keep you posted on the most recent developments if you give them your email address).

Check it out at reigndownusa.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

February 23, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

I can remember a time in my late 30’s when I would look in a mirror and wonder who that was staring back at me. It was one of those seasons in my life where God was re-arranging so many things on so many levels, and at such a fast pace. . .

It all started with a dream:

I was seated at a table with a white cloth. Before me was spread an elaborate place setting for a very formal dinner.

The most surprising thing of all was that none of the dishes were in their proper place. A beautiful crystal goblet was laying on its side. . . the plate was upside down. . .the silverware was scattered about.

In my mind I began to criticize the person who had so carelessly set the table. In an instant I sensed the Lord leaning over my right shoulder, and I knew immediately that I was the one who was responsible for setting the table.

My face blushed in shame and tears welled up in my eyes as I hurriedly attempted to straighten out the mess I had made. Suddenly I realized that I had no idea how this table should look. My mind was a total blank and I began to weep uncontrollably.

The Lord began to comfort and reassure me with the tender love of a father and the gentle patience of a teacher.

I watched as His strong right arm silently swept all of the silverware, delicate crystal and china off to one side without chipping anything. As He did this, I sensed that He was sweeping His arm across my life and clearing away all of my projects, activities, desires, concerns and responsibilities. (I also knew that He would be the one to “re-set” my table; and that I was to keep my hands folded in my lap, listen and learn!)

He began to replace each piece while patiently explaining why the plate and the goblet must be placed upright, and why I should resist that urge to grab the napkin from the pile. “No, not yet. . .you won’t be needing that until the food arrives. It’s not ready yet.”

Later I came across this scripture - “Normally the master sits at the table and is served by his servants. But not here, for I am your servant.” (Luke 22:27 NLT)

I’m finding myself in a similar situation as of late. So much of what has been familiar, comfortable, stable and predictable in my life has been swept away recently.

I’ve found myself grieving for what used to be but no longer is . And yet in those dark moments (thankfully they’ve only been moments) I force myself to lift my head above the wave that threatens to sweep over me and declare that my King is still on His throne.

Then in the flash of a moment, my King is there. He draws me onto His lap, wraps me in His warm embrace and begins to whisper all of His promises in my ear once again. . .

You are seated with me in heavenly places. (Ephesian 2:4-7 NIV)

I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 NIV)

In all things, I work for the good of those who love Me, who have been called according to My purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)

I am your Shepherd, you shall not want. (Psalm 23:1 NIV)

And some people wonder why I love Him so much. . .

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 28, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

One of the obvious priorities for me is my home life. Since the accident, I’ve been barely able to do damage control around the house.

My oldest son (age 13) sent me an email a few months ago. I was surprised to find it in my “in box” because he never sends me emails. He said he was sorry that I was hurting so badly and hoped that I’d get better soon. It was the last line that pierced my heart “I miss the old mom”.

I began wondering what he meant by “the old mom”. What did he remember that I wasn’t able to do anymore?

I remembered the days when I ran a registered daycare in my home. It was my home-based business, and I took it very seriously. In order to be reimbursed for the meals I served, I had to prepare nutritious menu plans and meals. The house was kept very clean to keep everyone (especially my own children) healthy. The rooms were picked up frequently so that little feet wouldn’t trip and fall over a lot of clutter. That’s what came to my mind when he mentioned “the old mom”.

Once I went to work away from home, my attention shifted. I had a new business to run and my home-keeping at times slipped into hobby status.

As I was pondering this, I began asking God what I should do.

“The Smidt Family Bed and Breakfast” is what came to mind.

At first I argued with Him. “I don’t want another job!!!” But over the course of several days My Heavenly Daddy began to remind me about all of the times that people have noticed my gift of hospitality. He also reminded me of the times that I had experienced the gift of hospitality in the homes of my friends and family.

I began to realize that I wasn’t supposed to run this “home based business” by myself. He wanted me to teach my entire family about the gift of hospitality and teach them some of the necessary skills (like meal planning, food prep, and clean-up). But I noticed there was an unexpected by product of this teaching time.

They began to enjoy the fellowship with me in the kitchen and take pride in the new skills they’re learning. My youngest son is becoming an expert at running the bread machine. We’ve enjoyed fresh hot bread at our meals, caramel rolls, homemade pizza and now we’re moving on to homemade buns.

We’ve also come to realize that my oldest son has a real talent when it comes to selecting seasonings to flavor up the food we’re cooking. Each of them have learned how to set a table properly and they even enjoy lighting candles as part of our evening meal preparations.

They’re beginning to enjoy their own gifts of hospitality. And I’m beginning to realize that “The Smidt Family B&B is actually more of a ministry than a business.

As my children grow up and move away, they’ll have the opportunity to open their own little franchises. And who knows; once their friends experience that gift of hospitality, perhaps they too will be inspired to open a franchise as well.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 24, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

Learning to HEAR God’s voice is one thing.

Learning to LISTEN to God is something totally different.

Have you ever asked someone to do something for you, only to have them give absolutely no response to your request?

Then, when you try to get their attention again, they give you this irritated response;

“I HEARD YOU!”.

I wonder how often we’ve done that to God.

We know what He wants us to do. . . we’ll get around to it eventually. . . it’s just not at the top of our priority list right now.

Perhaps part of our problem is that we picture our Heavenly Father sitting in a recliner in the living room of our lives.

Would our response to Him and our priorities be different if we really understood the reality of who He is?

In chapter 17 of the book of Matthew, three disciples were given the opportunity to see Jesus and His Father the way they really are:

2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.

4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials*-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said,”This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. (NLT)

In the blink of an eye their perspective had changed.

Once that bright cloud overshadowed them, they lost site of that bright idea that threatened to distract them.

In the swirling mist they were once again able to focus on that which was truly important. . . listening.

REALLY listening.

Our Heavenly Daddy loves us deeply and unconditionally. It’s really hard for human beings to understand the depth of His love for us, because most of us have never had an opportunity to experience anything that comes close to unconditional love.

Yet in the midst of this unconditional love is the ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY of the CREATOR, RULER and SUSTAINER of EVERYTHING.

SO LISTEN TO HIM !

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 10, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

OK, so you’ve recognized the fact that you need to make some ADJUSTMENTS in your life.

You’ve asked God to help you re-examine your PRIORITIES (be sure to take notes!)

You’re carefully PRUNING away activities and projects that don’t reflect these new priorities.

The next step is a challenging one :

To DISCIPLINE yourself by making each day’s decisions based on these new priorities.

Old habits die hard. Distractions will inevitably come along and tempt you to loose focus and fall back into the comfortable and the familiar.

Just remember that the height of insanity is to continue to do the same things you’ve always done and expect a different result.

Don’t expect to do it perfectly at first. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly until you can do it well. Don’t let your pride and fear of failure become stumbling blocks on this new stretch of road God is leading you down.

Humility is a good thing. It helps you realize just how weak and inadequate you truly are.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 8, 2008 by His Kingdom Herald.

It was my turn to lead the staff devotions.

This was to be the first one in 2008.

As we were waiting for the last few people to arrive, I asked if life had managed to get back to normal yet.

It seemed as if everyone had at least one unfinished project that they were focused on.

As they were sharing, this picture came to mind. . .

It was a like a clip from one of those Saturday morning cartoons I watched when I was little.

This poor little turtle was trying to creep across a VERY busy dirt road. After several failed attempts, he finally gathered up enough courage to dive in and take his chances. Once the dust cleared, there was nothing left but an empty shell spinning on its back in the middle of the road.

I found this picture extremely funny, because many of us were facing physical conditions this Christmas season that slowed down our speed.

Two of us had painful knees, one of us had a sore foot, one had a pain in the neck (and back) and we had two pregnancies and deliveries!!!

Our inside joke was that our battle cry this Christmas should be “TURTLE POWER !” and our motto, “slow and steady wins the race”.

As the dust begins to settle and the spinning begins to stop, we’re able to stick our necks out far enough to realize that. . .

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE SURVIVED!

(THANK YOU JESUS!)

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

December 23, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

I truly believe that the Holy Spirit can guide you around the internet just like he guides you through every other aspect of your life.

I don’t even remember how I ran across this website, but I want to make all of you aware of an ALTERNATIVE or a UNIQUE ADDITION to your New Year’s eve celebration.

The vision for Tiny Lights originated in the UK, but I know God would be even more pleased to look down from heaven and see “Tiny Lights” glowing in every time zone around the globe as people pray and celebrate the coming of a new year.

That’s why we’re going to be hosting a Tiny Lights prayer gathering for our contacts here in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

If you’d like to join us, check out the “Local Events” tab on the top right hand column of our website.

I’m hoping that the rest of you will prayerfully consider hosting one in your home for your family and friends; or perhaps even one in your church home for the members of your congregation.

Be sure to register your event. It’s free of charge, and you can then download a prayer guide and check out a video interview with Pastor Stephen Clark (the pastor who God is using to bring this idea not just to his own congregation but to his nation and the rest of the world).

HERE’S THE LINK: http://www.Tiny Lights.org/uk.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

December 3, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

A change in priorities may also mean you need to step away from some things you’ve been working on. This can be a very difficult thing to do if you’re a people pleaser.

That’s why it’s so important that you are firmly convinced that these new priorities come along side what God is doing and where He is leading.

We are to adjust to HIS plans and purposes, not the other way around.

Where is God already at work around you?

Join Him there. . .

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

November 29, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

When you find yourself faced with major (or even minor) adjustments to an already jam-packed schedule you will inevitably be forced to re-examine your PRIORITIES.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to find out what your REAL priorities are is to examine both your checkbook and your calendar. That is where you will find the evidence that reveals what your priorities really are.

It also brings you face to face with the difference between NEEDS and WANTS.

I WANT to be pain and drug free.

But the reality of my life right now is that I NEED to depend on pain relievers and muscle relaxants so that I can do my job and take care of my family.

I WANT to rest and relax when I get home at night.

But I NEED to set aside time to do all of the exercises my physical therapist has assigned to me if I want to regain my strength and flexibility.

But I’m a three part being. I have a mind and an eternal spirit that lives inside of this earth suit called a body.

I WANT to be able to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

But I NEED to devote substantial amounts of time to study if I want to make that a reality in my life.

And that brings us back to where we started - PRIORITIES.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see your priorities as they really are, and ask Him if there are any adjustments you need to make.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31 & 32 (NIV)

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »