“Worry in weighs you down, but a good word makes it glad.” Proverbs 12:25

I’ll never forget a drama that was performed at my church, East Pickens Baptist, several years ago. The drama opened with a young girl standing on the stage alone with her backpack ready for school. Her parents entered the stage arguing and throwing their hands at each other causing the young girl’s demeanor to quickly change. As they left the room, they added a brick to her backpack. As a group of teenagers entered the stage whispering behind her back, she held her head low as they placed one more brick into her bag. One by one different people walked on stage adding bricks until she eventually fell to the ground in tears. The weight she was carrying was too much for her to hold alone. In a glorious moment, the Lord entered the stage with a bright light and lifted her up, took the bag off her shoulders, and threw it on His own back. What she could not carry alone, the Lord could.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest in your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Our hearts tell us we can carry our troubles alone. We are taught to be independent from the very first breath we take. We are shaped into beings that have a hard time letting go of the control we think we have. Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens.” (Matthew 11:28)

You are not meant to fight your battles alone. Let the Lord lift your worries, your burdens, and your brokenness from your worn out shoulders.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

-Kayla Rampey

Friday night, I turned off the lights on the cross that stood beside my door for Easter.

It was dark. It was silent. It was a reminder of the darkness that would have filled the night when Jesus breathed His last.

I walked away in tears reflecting on what it would’ve been like to look up to the Light of Jesus on the cross one last time.

“It is finished” would’ve echoed through the land.

Imagine walking away from the cross in a darkness you’ve never felt before.

As I was walking away from the cross to go to my comfy bed, in my nice warm home, with my family and all that I’ve been blessed with, I felt guilty. Jesus died because of my sins. How could I be worth that? 

Saturday came and I spent the day with my family complaining about being stuck  at home and not being able to go and do as I pleased. I was bored and had already forgotten that moment of silence I experienced the night before when the Light dimmed on the cross.

Sunday, I woke up and the same cross stood by my front door, lights still on. I accidentally left them on the night before but woke up to a dark cloudy day lit up by the cross. May His Light I’ll never fade.

As the storms rolled in Sunday night, I was reminded of that glorious day when the stone was rolled away and Jesus rose from the dead. 

Let the darkness remind you of the sin debt that Jesus paid for you. 

Let the wind remind you of His last breath.

Let the rumbling storms remind you of the stone rolling away.

Let the lightning remind you of His glorious Light.

Let the calm and the silence remind you of  His control over any storm.

Let His love be remembered every day!

Today and every day, Jesus is alive!

May God bless you and show you His grace every day! 

Better than good news – Great news! During this shut down my students have opened up more than they ever would have in class. They’ve participated in Bible discussions, sent me prayer requests and concerns, and kept in touch at least once a week or more. It’s been amazing to hear their stories and how much they care for their lost family and friends. I’ve even received a few apologies and requests for forgiveness for behavior (from teenagers). It’s been amazing! Yesterday morning, I had a student ask me how to share Christ with a nonbeliever. I gave him some encouragement and direction and by the end of the night he messaged me back so excited to tell me that he had led them to Christ through what he had learned in Released Time! There is no greater feeling to be there during that moment or to hear the excitement from others when they can be a part of that amazing life change! If a Middle Schooler can be bold enough to stand up for their beliefs, why can’t you? 

This is a tough week for us all, but think back to what Jesus was going through during this week. His life on earth was about to end and He knew it. He knew His time had come and He would soon face the cross. He knew He had to prepare those around Him for what was to come. Can you imagine the pressure, the concern, the desire to encourage and prepare His children of the importance of the next few days. 

If you knew this were your last week on earth, your last week to physically be with your family and share the hope of Christ with them, what would you do differently? Who would you talk to? Would you use your “quiet” time in chaos to seek God’s direction and be His hands and feet, or would you focus on your life here and what you would miss, build up your kingdom on earth, and ignore those around you?

What can you do to make a difference? Do you honestly realize that your next breath is not promised, your days are numbered, and your time is limited. Look at the statistics for this terrible virus, life on earth is not eternal, only God is eternal. You get to choose where your eternity will be. You get to make the choice to be silent or share His love with others. Who can you tell about Easter today? Or anything else about God’s amazing plans? 

Don’t wait! Text that friend you know is bitter against God. Call the one that doesn’t believe. Open your eyes to the ones you are unsure of. Be the hands of feet of Jesus…before it’s too late.

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Love and prayers! If you ever need someone to talk to, know that I’m here. Send me a message to KaylaRampey@yahoo.com and I would be glad to pray with you!

May God bless you and show you His grace every day! (As He always does)

Kayla Rampey

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As quarantine continues, many people have found themselves ‘storing up treasures on earth.’ Just look around, grocery store shelves are empty, toilet paper has magically disappeared, and people are rushing in and out of stores with carts full of random items they don’t even really need. When the government shut down non essential stores like furniture, clothing, and craft stores, people panicked even more. Last

Friday, I drove by Lowes and Walmart and the parking lots were crammed pack! People were everywhere despite the risk of spreading the virus. 

Amazon and online shopping sales have spiked in the last few weeks as well. Since people are stuck at home, they are spending more time online shopping and improving their earthly homes with more items they don’t really need. Based on where their ‘treasures’ are being stored up, what do they find most important? Eternity or this world? 

People are so worried about their lives on earth that they aren’t even concerned with their eternity. 

The Bible says, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I challenge you to think of a way you can “build up your treasure in heaven” instead of on earth. 

By focusing on eternity, you’ll start to see how little and insignificant our earthly struggles are. Our struggles on earth are temporary just like our time. We need to use our time wisely and use it to bring others closer to God.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:21

Where are you treasures? Do you desire to bring others closer to God?

Change your focus. Change lives!

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

Praying for you always!

Kayla Rampey 

When the quarantine started and schools were closed down, I really felt like I was being taken out of my mission field as the Released Time teacher at Pickens Middle. I felt lost, confused, and had no idea what to do next. I hated being away from my students. I knew that there was unfinished business they needed with the Lord, and I knew they needed God’s guidance through these hard times. 

God blessed me with an amazing Released Time team that came together to make a plan to connect with our students. After a few plans started, we were given access to Schoology so we could finally post lessons and encouragement for our students. 

It’s taken a few weeks to realize this but God’s not finished with me and this class yet. Being away from my students has allowed me to appreciate them even more and allowed them to reach out to me individually on a more personal level and ask for prayer when they are struggling. It’s been a time of worship and connection that I would’ve never had if we were always in a classroom setting. No one wants to open up when they are surrounded by their peers. I’ve loved getting emails from my students and being able to share God’s word with them. It’s been such a blessing to be in a different mission field. 

It’s been a time of growth, a time of learning, and a time for God to remind me (and hopefully others) that you are never taken out of your mission field, you are just introduced to another one.This world is your mission field. Wherever you are, whatever situation you are in, locked in your house, working from home, or just surrounded by neighbors that need encouragement, you can still serve the Lord.

Serve where you are. 

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

Praying for you all!
Kayla Rampey