Meet Kare

NOTE: The intention of this website is to encourage women who desire to deny themselves and follow Jesus (Yeshua) at any cost. While everyone may not agree with what is presented here, Paul says in Scripture to …”avoid strivings about the Law, for they are unprofitable and vain.” I am not here to judge others who do not have the same mind, but I do have it in my heart to write what God, the Almighty Creator and Master of the Universe (YHVH) is revealing to me. If only we could speak face to face, you would see that I am not setting myself up as a judge over anyone (how could I, I know my own heart!), but speaking only from a heart of love, devotion and obedience to the Most High God – Elohim. My hope is that His Spirit will reveal to you the beauty of walking in His Way!

A Little Bit About Me:

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the simple things in life. In fact, since I was a little girl I always wanted to be Amish. But I also have another side of me that loves sparkles and glitter and elegance, so I don’t know how that would work.
I think what it all boils down to is that it’s ok to live simply and it’s ok to love beautiful things, but the main thing is to be content in whatever financial state that our Messiah has put us in.

Several years ago a friend of mine shared a story with me that I have never forgotten. While choosing a theme for this blog, I decided to look online and see if I could find a copy of this story because it encompasses so much of how I have come to feel.

I found it.

Enjoy.

~ KARE

A Little Story

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The businessman scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?” To which the businessman replied, “15-20 years.” “But what then, señor?” The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.” “Millions, señor? Then what?” The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?”

-Author Unknown

Oh, do I know how easy it is to get caught up in the success mentality and put our relationship with our Messiah, family, and life’s simple pleasures on hold. But who ever says they wished they would have spent more time on their business when they are breathing their last breath? This present life is short. Choose wisely.

My Testimony:

Although from the time I was a child I have continually felt my Father drawing me to Himself, there have been times throughout my life that I have strayed. We each have our own tapestry that He is weaving, yet I also think that we can try to weave our own pattern into His design, which can alter the whole picture. I am definitely a very strong-willed person and I know that He can use that in positive ways for His kingdom since I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe, but it can also work against me when I need to surrender my will. My prayer is that He will be able to use my will to further His Kingdom.

I was raised in a ministers home from the time I was 6 months old. Both of my grandfather’s were pastors and many of my cousins are in some kind of ministry. I went to Christian schools for most of my life and then Christian college as well as attending Christian camps nearly every summer. As you can imagine, I have had a lot of training regarding traditional Christianity. Also throughout my life, my parents have continually instilled in me a deep love and respect for Elohim and His Word.

At the tender age of 6, on the eve of my 7th birthday, I approached my mom and told her I wanted Yeshua to be my Savior. That night I confessed my sinfulness and asked Him to cleanse me and come into my life. A few years later I committed my life to Him and was baptized. I don’t remember much of my spiritual walk at that point.

When I was 10 we moved and initially I had a burden for my neighborhood friends and was personally leading 5-day clubs in my home for them. But soon I was enamored with the world around me. I generally walked the line as close to the edge as I could during this phase of my life. Though no one could see it, I had rebellion in my heart. Sometime in my sophomore or junior year, after we moved south again, Yeshua began to make Himself very real to me. I think it was a combination of things: we had again moved to a new area and the youth pastor was ON FIRE and His enthusiasm was contagious. I made a very dear friend in our youth group who had the same passion to live for YHVH as I did , and I read “Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman” by Anne Ortlund. (my 11 year old daughter, Artist is reading it now and it thrills my heart!) This was the beginning of my serious walk with my Father.

I attended a Christian College. I’m not sure why, it was just what everyone else was doing, so I went. All I really wanted to do was get married and have a family. I didn’t know what to major in or what direction I wanted to pursue, so I basically spent 2 1/2 years taking Bible and music courses and sporadically taking classes, trying to decide which direction to go. I can remember some very precious times I had there with my Messiah… singing praises to Him alone, pacing my dorm room and talking to Him. He gave me many opportunities to reach out to others who were attending school. That was my favorite part of being there. But I finally decided it would be wisest for me to move home and make money rather than spending it without a purpose.

The next summer my brother received a flyer in the mail for a one-year Bible School way out west. At first I didn’t want to go, but when the time came, I sold my car to pay for the tuition. That was a wonderful year of my life. There were about 50 students and we were secluded way back in the mountains in the middle of the wilderness. At that time in my life I felt that it was a little taste of heaven, to be in that breathtaking setting with so many who loved our Creator.

Following graduation from the one-year school, I moved back to the East and spent the next 4 years living there. It was during this time of my life that a young man asked me to marry him and I said yes.

We married and moved across the country. We knew we did not want to raise a family in the East. Those first few years were very stretching for both of us, mostly due to my strong will, I’m sure.

In the next years as the children began to arrive from our loving Father, we began to look at things differently from many of those around us. We decided to birth our children at home and then teach them at home. The next major influence in my life was a series of magazines that are no longer in print, but they impacted my thinking regarding modesty and women. This was also the beginning of many wonderful and beautiful changes in my life. I began to study the Scripture regarding some of the doctrines I grew up with and our family began to meet weekly in homes with other families.

In 2001 time I was being drawn to follow Him in obedience to keep the Sabbath, give up pagan holidays and more. I don’t remember how this began or many details, but I do remember others telling me that was not correct behavior and I took their word for it and swept it under the rug.

And then the week after Christmas, 2009, I had 3 different things happen that led me to a search about Christmas. One thing led to another and it ended up being months and now years of reading, studying, praying and seeking Truth about how to conduct myself as a follower of the Messiah. It has been both a beautiful and terrible journey. Beautiful because Scripture is being opened up to me in ways I never dreamed possible. Terrible because others do not always find it so beautiful when someone is different. Beautiful because that has forced me to put my trust in Him who will never let me down.I know many people wonder what I call myself at this point. According to Scripture, I am a Believer who is grafted in to the Commonwealth or Citizenship of Israel. I am a disciple of the Messiah and my desire is to follow the Way as lived out by Him and the apostles in the Scriptures. Like Abraham, I am a Gentile who has crossed over.

Thank you for reading my testimony. Feel free to ask any questions or make any comments below.