Tag Archives: Amazing God

The Covenant of Love!

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“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54: 10

I absolutely adore these words and forever thank God for His unending love and amazing grace. In fact, the whole chapter 54 of the book of Isaiah is filled with God’s outstanding promises to His people. As some may think, God is not a burning fire or an angry dictator who records our wrongdoing that we have to work hard to gain his trust, mercy and approval!! In contrary, He is absolutely a tender Father, a matchless friend, Redeemer, Healer, Defender, Lord Almighty, the God of Love.

It’s no secret that I deeply love my three siblings that I call my children.  If you have visited this page more than once, I am sure you have met them through the pages of my articles. I often write about just their amazing lives that have changed mine forever, but today specifically I wanted to share what my little sister told me a while back when I shared with her yet another healing miracle in my life.

Sharing God's Wonders

Sharing about God’s Wonders to His people. June 2014

After being diagnosed with an illness that puzzled my doctors a while back, I surrendered my life to God and believed that everything happens for a reason. Because I was devastated beyond imagination, I shared this with only one friend who prayed unceasingly with me, and left it to God. Three years later, the final test results showed that doctors have been somehow wrong all along, that I have been misdiagnosed.

To say that I rejoiced to the news is simply an understatement! The rest of my life is not just long enough to live for and praise God Who has not only redeemed my heart and soul, but also cares about every detail of my body and well being.

After the test results, I could no longer keep it to myself. As I shared the best news ever with my little sister who knew nothing about this along with the rest of my siblings, she broke into tears and said to me:

“As I pray everyday, I call out to the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus and Alphonsine”.

Then it was my turn to weep, that someone, especially my little sister would look up to the God she has seen manifesting in my life, and put my name on an incredible list like this. THERE IS NO GREATER HONOR in this life! I often ponder on that ever since, especially when I feel down. She may have forgotten this, but it’s eternally knitted to my heart.

If you know me personally and don’t know that I have been obsessed with the song God I look to you for couple of years now, you still don’t know me well :).  If you see me with headsets listening to music, feel free to joke about it. Who listens to the same song over and over again for years??

So, as Jenn Johnson sings: “Hallelujah OUR God reigns, ….”, I tag along, ignoring my vocal cords that cannot simply put notes together even if my life depended on it and echo: “Hallelujah MY GOD (or Father or DAD) reigns, forever all my days Hallelujah”.

As I lift my hands up high in worship, I don’t care what people around me may think, if they do. I give the highest praises not just to the God in the Bible or a Pastor or someone else told me about. I humble myself and bow to the King of kings who calls me an oak of righteousness, a planting for His glory, He who bestows the crown of beauty for ashes, MY GOD and KING!

Re-posting one of my articles below:

Many many years apart. It looks like I haven't changed much!

1996 & 2013. Have I changed much?

I hope that you learn: to trust God on your own, enough to not doubt Him when someone who led you to Christ messes up or lets you down. To know God on your own that your happiness doesn’t revolve around what other people say or think about you. To completely depend on Him that when your church or fellow believers don’t turn out to be what they claim to be, you don’t become a victim. 
To trust God enough to know that when everything else falls apart, that His covenant of love and peace shall remain. To comprehend that there is a High Priest in Heaven whose name is love and has made an end to our shame, and that your name is engraved on his heart.
The song of every heart, the hope of every nation: God Who created the heavens and earth and everything in it, is My God, Father and Friend, all my days!

May you learn to trust Him on your own and be confident enough to call Him YOUR God and Father. Without further ado, head over to This Is Hope: God Is REAL. I hope and pray that you will be encouraged by the God who has simply captured my heart and won my attention, all my life!

A Story of Obedience and A Boy

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I am very honored to have met Kim at a conference in Chicago in June 2012. She is an amazing woman of God. I wanted to share an incredible story of her obedience and involvement in Haiti through Mission to Haiti. I am truly blessed that she is my friend, and I know that you will be encouraged by this post.

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Kim Harms

Kim Harms

“He lives right over there. Do you want me to go get him?”

My heart leapt to my throat as I thought, “Really Lord? Is this for real?”

As I watched the Mission to Haiti employee walk off the mission grounds to find Jean Jacques, I was overwhelmed by this God, who not only provided for me to stand again on Haitian soil, but who loved me so much he would allow me to meet my grown up sponsor child.

Corey and I were working with a team on a short-term mission trip in Haiti. He was putting a roof on a house. I was teaching sewing classes. This trip brought to fruition a long time desire of mine to return to the country, and it was the culmination of walking through a lot of doors God opened for us.

When I obeyed a little tug I felt to start sewing dresses for Haitians a few years ago, I began to see clearly that as I followed God in a little step of obedience, he showed me the next thing he had in store. And this weeklong trip to Haiti was one of those next things.

In his book The 10-Second Rule, Clare DeGraf says that character is shaped less by our big dramatic decisions than by the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of obedience. Those small acts shape our character and prepare our hearts to accept more bold assignments from God. They are building blocks for a life that God blesses.

This trip to Haiti was a bold assignment. And God chose to go over the top with blessings during that week.

As I stood in the shade of the mission office building waiting for Jean Jacques to walk through the gate, I thought of our first meeting many years ago.

It was 1997. He was an adorable timid face on a sponsor card, and I was a 21-year-old college student worlds away from home. I met little Jean Jacques and his family at his two-room block house with the tin roof and the flowing curtain in the door. From that moment I loved him, and for years I looked forward to the letters and photos I regularly received from him.

Kim and Jean Jacques in 1997

Kim and Jean Jacques, 1997

But now it was 2013. He was 20-something and I hadn’t heard a word about him in 3 years. I wasn’t sure this was really happening until I saw him walk through the gate.

Soon Corey and I were talking with a much-taller-than-me-grown-up Jean Jacques in the shade of the office building. Jean Jacques shared with Corey that everyone calls his father “Papa” and he often does construction work with the short-term Mission to Haiti teams when they visit.

Corey, Jean Jacques & Kim, 2013

Corey, Jean Jacques & Kim, 2013

“Papa?” Corey asked. “The Papa I’ve been working with this week?” I can’t even type those words without tears.

How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us.

Of all the men in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, one of the small handful Haitian guys Corey was working with was the father of the boy we have prayed for and supported since even before we were married.

All this because; one, my father in heaven adores me, and two, when I knew he was asking me to sew, even though my skills are mediocre and my passion for the craft is lacking, I chose to obey.

I don’t always want to do the “next thing” God wants me to do, and I certainly don’t always obey, but I never regret my obedience. Ever.

Maybe God is calling you to a step of obedience. Maybe the “next thing” is right in front of you. Maybe he’s asking you to let go of your fear and trust him. Go ahead. Do the next thing and build those blocks for a life that God blesses.

You won’t regret it. Ever.

If you are interested in more information about 500 Dresses, the ministry that started with sewing a few little sundresses and has blossomed into much more, head on over to our website  at 500 Dresses  or our Facebook page at  500 Dresses. (You don’t have to be a seamstress to be a part of our ministry. You don’t even have to like to sew.)

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Kim Harms runs 500 Dresses out of her home in Huxley, Iowa where she lives with her husband and three sons. She is also a freelance writer and her work has been published in numerous magazines and devotionals including Today’s Christian Woman, Fullfill Magazine and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She can be found online at 500dresses.org and kimharms.net