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Who Is Ready for Fall ~ Fireside

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A warm yellow glow against my wife’s face, and watching her snuggle into a blanket with a warm drink in her hand… that makes me smile inside and out. You’re listening to Living the Freedom Life Podcast. Today, we are wrapping up our series “Who Is Ready for Fall?” with Episode 65 and we are talking about being Fireside today.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve spent hours staring into the lapping flames of a fire. It doesn’t matter if it’s in our living room with a fireplace, an outside evening on the patio with the fire pit, or in the middle of a pasture with a twenty-foot bonfire. I think that during Fall and sitting fireside has a lot to teach us about Living the Freedom Life today.

There’s something about being fireside that soothes the soul and mesmerizes us into deep thought.

That may be a scary place for some, but God challenges us to go there because He wants to change that, and more importantly, He wants to heal that.

But it starts with an exercise of Stillness. And if I may be so bold, most people don’t have any idea of what that means outside of an intentional vacation. Stillness is something that is smothered with the busyness of life.

We need something to lure us away from all of our responsibility…and all of the work required for Fall that we talked about a few episodes ago, when we talked about Harvesting.

In Phil 4:8 The Bible says for us to meditate on “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”.

Let me ask you, HOW can we expect to meditate on these things when we don’t have time? When we don’t take the time, when we don’t fight for the time, or , to use a biblical term, how do we take dominion over our own time? And yes, if you’ve ever tried to do this, you know that it’s a fight to find time.

Let’s take some time to point out some benefits of sitting fireside. Let’s look at some ways to invite opportunities to “meditate on these things” as we find in Phillipians.

Sitting in front of a fire watching the flames dance and glow, hearing the little pockets of moisture in the wood burst, while they crack and pop while heat turns them into steam; that lures us into Peacefulness.

It seems as though God is providing a distraction and helps us say goodbye to the weight and the stresses of the day.

Another thing about being fireside is Curling up with a blanket. Or, if you’re like me, I like to sit pretty close to the fire. I know this may seem strange to you, but I like the feel the contrast of heat on one side of my body. We each have our own little ways, but being fireside offers a deeper invitation by providing Comfort.

Maybe not too often with an inside fire, but many times outside I’ve sacrificed many coathangers and transformed them into the perfect pitchfork for Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and just about anything else that flimsy wire would support over the fire. You may even do what my wife likes to do and curl up with a hot cup of her favorite tea. You see, there are a lot of Treats that can be found while sitting fireside and getting still. By meditating on the things as instructed in Phil 4, I guarantee that you will find things much more valuable than the treats I’ve mentioned.

One last thing I want to point out about sitting fireside before we go, Open Up during the meditation time.

You see, I also like to read while sitting near a fire. Reading a good book, gaining some new insight, discovering something new and sit to ponder, or meditate on it. That gives “new air” to breathe. What I mean by that is that you open yourself up to receive New vision, you have processing time on the things that affect your soul.

Remember, God wants to heal you, even if you are in the way of that happening.

Don’t be in the way.

Who Is Ready for Fall? Preparation

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Who is ready for fall? If you’re a regular listener, First off thank you. But our regular listeners know by now that fall is my favorite time of year. We’re nearing the end of our current series titled “Who is Ready for Fall”. And this week is Episode 64, we’re talkin about Preparation.

We’re not talking about Preparation H, Or buying a bunker in the mountains preparing for the end times. quite frankly, if things are going to get that bad, I don’t want to be here on Earth. I want to be with Jesus by that time.

This week we’re talking about Preparing during The Fall season. Now depending on where you live, we are in Central/North Texas, there’s not much preparation time that needs to go into our 6 days of chilly weather we have each year.

But when I was a kid in Tennessee, I remember several hunting seasons being open, cutting fire-wood, and preparing our livestock and Fields for a much colder and harsh environment.

We had a wood burning heater growing up. Every weekend during Fall we would load the tractor with chain saws and axes. and my dad would often quote Henry Ford when we were cutting fire-wood. “A man who cuts his own wood gets heated by twice.”

Which means it’s hard work cutting your own fire-wood. Not only would we manage the trees by doing this, but later during the year this also meant bonfires from the brush. That was an added bonus too. Let’s just say, we walked into winter with Sweat Equity. That’s preparing.

I also remember mom trading out our closets from “summer” clothes to “winter” clothes. It was like the Changing of the guard and quite the production. We always had more than one way to keep warm.

Down at the barn, of course bailing hay was an integral part of Fall. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago on our “Harvest” episode. But it was also time to clean out the loft to make room for all of that hay being baled and hauled and lifted, and oh, you get the point. It was a lot of work. But cleaning out the loft was fun. Or, at least we made it fun. Climbing the ladders, Racing up and down the ramp, jumping off the platform down into a pile of shavings for the stalls. It was fun.

Today, after our time together, I will probably go out and prepare the pool for winter. There may be school supplies that need to be purchased and uniforms and sports gear. Fall is a busy time of year.

But instead of going down memory lane, we need to ask ourselves “What can we learn from this?”

Change is coming. Now, for some of you that is well welcomed news. You’re ready for a change. The things that you’ve endured have been wearing on you and burnt you to a crisp. And, the change that’s ahead is a welcomed relief. You are ready for a season that doesn’t scorch the earth and everything in it.

For others, change is not so welcome. It’s hard to get excited about the things you see ahead. You’re not exactly looking forward to the bitter cold and you need to prepare for it. Warmth is your security blanket, so to speak.

Either way, Fall provides us a time to prepare ourselves and prepare our circle of influence for whatever winter plans to offer.

I know that not everyone is like me and I’m not trying to make you like me. I’m a planner. I am saying that some things will go better for us when we prepare for them, to look ahead, to be aware of the change that is in front of us.

Fear is saying “what if”.

Faith is saying “it shall”.

Fear is saying “what if”. What if something bad happens and I just don’t know what to do. This is walking in a path of not really knowing what God’s will is for your life.

Did you know that’s the number one question most people have? What is God’s will for my life?

Not all of the time, but mostly that is a fear-based question, to some degree. Now, I don’t mean to shame anyone by making that statement. I’ve asked God that very same question. Many times.

Why do you think it’s the number one question most people have? Because they haven’t prepared to ask the question.

We’re not just talking about watching a three minute YouTube video on how to do something and then you’re able to do it. Mastering a craft is something that is eroding away in our culture.

We cannot truly prepare out of fear.

Preparing is not playing out different scenarios in your head of what might happen. That’s still operating out of fear.

Preparing is not something you do in one action. It’s done over time and it’s more of a mindset. Preparing is done with confidence, it’s done with assertiveness, and most importantly, all of it is encompassed by faith.

Faith is saying “it shall”. Faith is saying that change is coming, God is Lord of all. We don’t know what is in store for us during this winter season that is coming, but now it is time to LISTEN. Now is the time to listen for that still small voice for instruction. Now is the time for Him to be that “light unto your path”. We ask God to guide us, we ask Him to direct us. How do we do that?

We will not listen to someone we don’t trust. We don’t trust someone we don’t know. And we will not know someone if we don’t spend time with them.

And the best way to get to know God,. . . is to read His Word. Reading God’s word, getting to know His truth and what He says about you is the most important thing we can do to prepare ourselves for anything,. . . anything that can come against us. No matter how bitter the cold of winter may be, we will be prepared for it because we have the truth set in our hearts.

So, I will say it again, I have this on a sticky note in front of me.

Preparing is not something you do in one action. It’s done over time and it’s more of a mindset. Preparing is done with confidence, it’s done with assertiveness, and most importantly, all of it is encompassed by faith.

Just like in this season of Fall. We are Cutting Fire-Wood, Prepping for cold and hard times, harsh weather/environments, Dressing warmly with protective coating, Things may not go as expected, We need to be prepared for that. But I think one of the lessons fall has to teach us is that we can be prepared for whatever life can throw at us.

When we get to know the One who gives us life, He gives us the answers we need in the exact time when we need them.

When we get to know the one who gives us life, then, we are prepared.

We have an answer to “what is His will for my life”. Because He is just waiting to spend time with us, so He can guide us into Living the Freedom Life.

That’s the original plan! It’s not some secret that He wants to keep from you.

He wants you to know His plan for you. But in order to find it out, we have to spend time with him.

Ep 63 Who Is Ready for Fall? Short Growing Season

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In Texas, there are two growing seasons that act as bookends to our extreme heat. Of course the Spring traditionally gives us the more obvious signs of growth, but The Fall, or Latter growing season, even though it’s short, With some careful planning and management, there’s still time for the soil to offer up a little more production for the year. Our job is to be aware and open to it.

The beginning of Fall is here, If you’re driving right now, look around. You may notice some people’s lawns may still look vibrantly green when everything else is brown from the summer heat. The reason may be that they’ve planted either some type of winter Rye grass or maybe even some oats, something with a little tolerance to cold and has the ability to germinate quickly. It looks amazing and to the trained eye, it’s a special kind of green.

Once you’ve harvested, like we talked about last week, we are able to see things from a new perspective b/c the fields that were once lush and full of growth are now flattened and barron. There’s nothing but stalks sticking up from the dirt.

Sometimes when you look at things from a different point of view, you see things differently. You are able to plan for the next year during this time = receiving revelation… if you’re open to it.

That means we are to keep our ears open, to keep a watchful eye, and to have an open mind.

So what do we have to learn from this season?

This “barron-ness” that happens during Fall, right before our eyes, gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate and to take an inventory on 3 things:

What is bringing us closer to God, And by the way we need to be embracing those things.
Who He has called us to be, And that may not be playing out like we want it to be. So it brings us to #3.
What is incrementally luring us away from that.

That means we may need to get rid of some things.

Some of those things we may be very fond of, they bring us comfort, and sometimes even a little happiness.

It also may mean we need to plant; what seems to be out of season, but it’s not.

It may mean that this season is offering you “that special kind of green” that you could experience when everyone else is in “hunker down” mode, preparing for something that isn’t here yet.

One of my favorite quotes from Steve Jobs is when he is talking about the very business that you and I know to be Apple. He said “In order for us to continue to be successful, we have to be willing to completely reinvent ourselves at all times.”

Once you’ve harvested, there is a sense of satisfaction and gratitude. We can easily embrace that, and then ask “what’s next?” indicating that we are never satisfied.

We have to continually ask “Lord, You orchestrate everything. What are you trying to say to me in this moment?”

As the “slate is wiped clean” sometimes our challenge is to see things as a new beginning.

There is a short growing season that is available to you, right in the middle of what looks to be a barron time of year. Just because the leaves are no longer green and they are turning color, that doesn’t mean that we are done growing for the year. It just means that growth doesn’t look the same as it did in the past season.

His mercies are new every day. Dare to see each day as a new beginning.

If we begin to see Fall as an opportunity for new and fresh revelation, a season for “a special kind of growth” then before you know it, you will be Living the Freedom Life. Our job is to be open to it.

Who is Ready for Fall? ~ Harvest Time

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In our second episode of the series Who is Ready for Fall? We are talking about the most labor-intensive activity of the entire growing season. In farming communities all across the globe and across time, they celebrate this time of year. And yes, if you eat, it affects you too. Today we are talking about Harvest Time. You’re listening to Living the Freedom Life Podcast, episode #62

During Fall, we begin to notice the days are getting shorter. In other words, there’s not as much sunlight as there once was in the summertime. But there’s much more work to be done. Seeing this dilemma, somebody has to do something, right? Follow me on this one.

Daylight saving time really doesn’t help. We are just simply moving numbers around on a clock. I’m talking about the time between sun up and sun down, not what time it is, who cares about that, I just need to see while I’m doing all of this work and the time is getting shorter to get it done. It can be a lot of pressure. I’m from a farming community, my Dad owned a feed store for years, I have some working knowledge about this subject.

With a heavier workload and less time to get it done, that seems like an annual repeat of several chapters in Exodus. You know, where the Hebrews are making bricks for the Egyptians.

Why would God put us in such a predicament? Every year?

Why would God provide such a reminder in our lives? Hmmmm.

Just as in many things in life, we can put a lot of work and effort into plowing, sowing, maintaining the care of the crop, but when it comes to Harvest time, a farmer leaves it up to the crop to yield and the mercy of the elements, in whether or not there is a fruitful harvest or not.

In the Bible, even Paul wrote “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the increase”. 1 Cor 3

So, it is safe to say there is more evidence and proof of the provision of God in the Harvest Time, than in any other.

There’s a lot to be said in the Bible about Harvest Time. Too much to mention here, we just don’t have time.

There is a process of Harvest Time. Your blackened chicken with rice pilaf served with a side salad just doesn’t happen overnight.

Yes, there is planning, plowing, planting.

But there is also Reaping, threshing, winnowing, and storing. I’d like to go over each of these so we can gain some understanding and how we can “reap” the benefits of each one.

The first one is Reaping. I know, it’s scary to think of the Grim Reaper here, but it comes from Harvest Time. Reaping means there is a cutting down. It must be done. It is only painful when we think about what is lost. When we think about what is gained, then it evolves into a necessity. Reaping has to be done in order for us to have the nourishment and sustenance intended.

Threshing means to beat or separate the stalks and stems from the grain. With hardship, comes an easy decision making process to find what is useful. If you had hardship in your life, you have an easier decision making process than someone who hasn’t. I believe that God provides that. How many of you have gained deep Insight in your life when going through some of your hardest times? That is what Threshing does and I challenge you today, review some opportunities you’ve had in the past, see what you’ve learned from them and share them, teach them.

Winnowing is a little different. Yes, the wind blows and it separates the grain from the hull and chaff. . .more of a fine sifting happens here. But how often do the winds of change blow and we try to hold onto things we shouldn’t? The old way of winnowing is to toss up the grain in a tray while the blowing wind carries off all that is not useful. It’s quite dramatic, and a beautiful picture that God would take such care in what we consider something to make our daily bread.

Because the next step of the process in Harvesting is Storing. We can’t just leave the good stuff out to rot and waste, for the birds to come along and take it away. We need to put it where we can use it, and use it later. Share it with our family, carry it to our neighbors, reach out to our community.

Out of all the different directions we could go with today’s topic, I want to share with you one last thought, well, it’s more of a memory than anything.

Whether we would be Harvesting or just bailing hay, I remember something the old-timers called Lowance time. I remember coming to the barn in between loads, and drinking that cold, well water. It was so refreshing. I also remember me and my friends dunking our heads into the watering trough. But Lowance time was really about refreshment during work. I remember making my mom laugh so hard she would almost drop the lemonade she brought us when we would dunk our heads in the water to cool off.

If today you feel like you have to keep your nose to the grindstone, there are opportunities for you to experience God’s peace and joy.These times are meant to sharpen you. To give you reason to push through. To encourage you so that you understand that you always have more gas in the tank than you think you do.

Lowance time = is a time of refreshment and strengthening.

Harvest Time is a Time for hard work, you get to See the evidence of production, you get to have great rest afterwards, with great satisfaction when it’s done.

Who is Ready for Fall? Leaves.

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We are starting a new series of Episodes for our Podcast named “Who is ready for Fall?”

Here in Texas, we’ve had what we would call a mild summer. The heat hasn’t been as bad as it could be. But still, I’m ready for Fall. I’m ready for change. I’m ready for the things that associate themselves with the season of Autumn. That’s a big deal and we are going to be talking about it in our series Who Is Ready for Fall? You’re listening to Living the Freedom Life, Episode #61 Today we are talking about Leaves.

In our series named Who Is Ready for Fall?, today we’re talking about Leaves.

There are different things that come to mind when people think about fall. Fall colors are usually the first thing most people think about. But did you know that in order to have those rich, full, bright and vibrant colors, previously there has to be wet, muddy, sloppy days of rain? Those trees have to have moisture in their leaves in order for them to turn red, yellow, and sage.

We normally don’t like rainy days, and here in Texas, we don’t get many, but rain does bring great things later.

Like Vibrant Colors. A lot of times we just need to stop and look at how beautiful those colors really are. This may be time for us to slow down, and, well, instead of smelling the roses, look at the colors. I remember as a kid in Tennessee, tourism would explode during this time of year for people coming just to see the colors of the trees in the Hills.

The next thing about Leaves is they make a mess of things. One of the only things I don’t like about having a pool this time of year, is all of the leaves that fall in the water. I have to pay attention to the phosphates they create and then all the science stuff related to that, it can give me hives.

Other people spend a lot of time raking leaves out of their yard. But even THAT has its benefits.

And I have learned to make the choice that Cleaning up leaves = mediation on change. That is what I am choosing that time to be. Whenever I’m cleaning up leaves, that means I am to meditate on change.

We don’t have to set an alarm for 3:30 in the morning to spend time with God. Spending time with God can look a lot like raking leaves or cleaning the pool. He wants to spend time with us, it’s us that doesn’t usually make time for Him. I see this as a great opportunity.

Another thing about leaves is when I see leaves falling and the bald limbs of the trees = saying goodbye to things. It gives me an opportunity to re-evaluate anything that may be considered as a baggage in my life. I need to let those things go, let them fall away because they no longer bring me nutrients, they no longer serve as a healthy source of life for me. They need to go. They need to be swept aside, bagged up, and put to the curb for rubbish.

I’ve learned there are a lot of things that leaves can teach us. We need to keep our eyes open for this season in our lives.

We need to learn to appreciate those vibrant colors. And when those leaves and make a mess, we’re allowed to clean up that mess, we need to learn how to use that as an opportunity to let God speak. Because He didn’t make us to carry around dead baggage. We need to learn to let some things in our life go. When we are able to do that, that’s when we Live Freedom Life.

I hope this helps you today. Get outside and experience what fall has to offer you today.

In the meantime, my pool needs cleaning. Until next time, Living the Freedom Life, this is Kyle.

Episode 60 The Problem

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Show notes:

In the classic novel The Odyssey, Homer writes “Men are so quick to blame the gods: they say that we devise their misery. But they themselves, in their depravity, design their grief greater than the griefs that fate assigns.”

One thing that I enjoy, is to do what I call Spiritual Spelunking. Now that comes in handy with our Biblical Life Coaching Clients. What I mean by Spiritual Spelunking is that when I’m scheduled with a client, there is usually a pattern that unfolds. You see, the model of Counseling, by the way, we are not psychotherapists. But it is from my experience from Counseling that you usually go talk to someone, open up about your problems, and you come to an understanding in dealing with those issues in a new and healthy way.

Here at Kyle McMurray Coaching, we don’t do that.

What I’ve learned is that The problem is usually not the problem. And to get to the problem, takes some Spiritual Spelunking. Because of the truth shared in Rom 8:26 Sometimes we don’t even know how to pray. That means we may not even know what the problem is!

This concept of Spiritual Spelunking is found in three verses that I would like to share with you.

Isaiah 43:2

Proverbs 20:5

Proverbs 16:22a

As I quoted Homer’s great novel “The Odyssey” in the opener, Whether consciously or subconsciously, we assign some things to our own lives that are obviously more self-destructive than God EVER intended for us. “Men are so quick to blame the gods: they say that we devise their misery. But they themselves, in their depravity, design their grief greater than the griefs that fate assigns.” ~ Homer, The Odyssey

We assign some things to our own lives that are obviously more self-destructive than God EVER intended for us.

That’s not Living the Freedom Life, but you may be surprised to find that most of us don’t really know what Living the Freedom Life means.

So when clients come to our practice and want to book sessions, the problem that they usually present is not the problem.

Most of us can’t see what’s underneath our own facade and underneath the surface, this protective shell we’ve created for ourselves. When there’s trauma involved, when there is abuse, whether self-inflicted or thrust upon you, that protective shell has served great purpose for a time. But once boundaries are established and safety is the priority, then we’re able to see differently. Then we are able to see the Life Jesus intended for us to live.

Helping people to discover what is under that facade and uncover what God originally intended for you, that is what we do here. We activate that in people’s lives.

You won’t find a lot of online reviews about our Biblical Life Coaching Practice. I know when I’m searching for something, the first thing I do is look for the reviews. You won’t find that here. We discourage it because of client privilege. We want your identity to be protected.

By State Definition, I am not a Counselor. But I am certified and Ordained to be a Biblical Life Coach. That means that I am also not bound by State Definition. If it’s appropriate, I intend to ask you about things bigger than you and I and where it all fits in the life you want to live.

I know two things:

I was a horrible person and someone that you wouldn’t want to be around. I have been in a deep pit many times, but I’ve been pulled out and I know the way out, and I am no longer that person.
I want to help others. I have received a lot of care, support, love, instruction, there have been people that have pulled me aside and God has used them in great ways.

I am submitting to you, to serve you in some of the same ways. To share with you some things that I couldn’t do for myself. I want to share with you some things that for some reason friends in today’s society, don’t usually share with people. Because if I don’t, I feel as if I am a hypocrite. To receive such things and not return them to others.

I’ve been given life. I want to help facilitate that for you.

That’s why we say, we give away what we have, let’s make sure we receive life.

Chasing Happiness 3

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Episode 59

KyleMcMurray.com

In our series Chasing Happiness we’ve asked the question “What does it mean to be Happy?” and we’ve talked about the age old “mind over matter” theory of Putting on a Happy face. Well, this week I wanted to discuss an aspect of Chasing Happiness that I’ve eluded to all along and I can sum it up in one statement. You’re Listening to Living the Freedom Life Podcast, and we are in the last installment of our series called Chasing Happiness, Episode 59.