Blog — Kelly Needham

The Eternal Impact of Ordinary Obedience

We are too often overly impressed with the "big" ministries of "famous" Christians and give too little weight to the "average, small and unseen" ministry of faithful saints. So in the wake of Toni's death, I beg you to consider the humble faithfulness of one of your sisters in the faith. She did not set out the change the world, but rather to serve God with joy all the days of her life. If you have been impacted at all by what I've written, then you should know she is partly responsible. Toni Peeler saw in me a small spark of passion for God's Word, and she took the time to fan it into a flame.

Faith, MinistryKelly NeedhamApril 12, 2016faithfulness, Ministry, obedience, Pride & Humility, Death

A Posture of Repentance

Growing up as a church kid, repentance wasn't a good thing. It was like flu medication. If you got the flu, of course, it was commendable to take the medication. But even better than that was not getting sick. Avoiding sin was better than needing to repent. Goody-two-shoes that I was, this was great news. I was pretty good at obedience, at following the rule book. But sometime during those church-going years, I got a glimpse of God in His Word: His character, His beauty, His holiness. Rule-following was no longer appealing. Knowing Him was.

Knowing GodKelly NeedhamApril 5, 2016repentance, Knowing God, Self-Righteousness, Sin, Holiness

Exercising an Idle Mind

I see in myself the need to flee not just from idle hands, but also an idle mind. As is true of many women, unless I'm sleeping, my mind is quite active. And if I do not give my mind a steady intake of good fuel to burn, I will often be burning whatever fuel I can find. The result? Lots of thoughts about aimless things.

Faith, Knowing the Word, Knowing GodKelly NeedhamMarch 31, 2016Know the Word, Thought Life, Prayer

Wanted: Friends Desperate for God

Before the moving truck arrived at our house in Dallas, I had already been asking God to provide at least 1 friend who would want to study the Bible with me. I knew that thriving in a new city meant finding a community who would join me in exalting Jesus together in the Word.

Faith, Friendship, Knowing the Word, Knowing GodKelly NeedhamMarch 25, 2016Friendship, Know the Word, Community, Faith

Corrie Ten Boom: Extraordinary Faith in the Face of Danger

Living in German-occupied Holland in 1944, Corrie ten Boom was leading an underground network protecting hundreds of Jews all over the country. This work earned her a ticket to Ravensbruck, a despicable Nazi concentration camp, where unspeakable suffering became the backdrop to a new ministry of prayer meetings in flea-infested barracks and ministering the Word of God to anyone in need.

Faith, Ministry, Suffering, Knowing God, Recommended ReadingKelly NeedhamMarch 24, 2016Suffering, Faith

How to Handle the Grief of Miscarriage

Miscarriage is the membership card to a club you never asked to be in; a union of women sporting badges of infertility, stillbirth, miscarriage, and even abortion. Women who share your emotions, questions, crisis of faith, and isolation, women whose desire to be a parent has been abruptly interrupted by suffering. This post is an effort to encourage those who are grieving and to help friends and family members trying to help.

Faith, Knowing the Word, Parenting, Knowing God, Suffering, My LifeKelly NeedhamMarch 19, 2016comfort, grief, loss, marriage, miscarriage, Pregnancy, Infertility, Suffering, Loneliness, Faith

The Threat of Joy In Ministry

Jesus is a kill-joy. That's right, the "happy God" (1 Tim. 1:11 ) of our salvation, who gives life to the full, intends for you not to be happy. Not to be happy, that is, in anything less than the best things. Jesus is shocking in the way He exposes counterfeit happiness. In fact, His whole ministry turns our understanding of joy, satisfaction, and success upside down. The inaugural words of His first sermon are startling: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3, emphasis added).

Ministry, Knowing the Word, Knowing GodKelly NeedhamMarch 8, 2016Jesus, joy, Ministry, Productivity

How Caring for Children Changes the World

The beginning of the book of Exodus is hard not to enjoy. With the burning bush, the Nile turning to blood, the dramatic exit through the Red Sea, what's not to love? With so many big events, it's easy to miss the details. Details like the fact that most of the main characters in the first two chapters are women. Each one of them acts in the interest of children, even when their own safety is threatened. Without these five women, Israel's story of redemption doesn't happen. Without these five women, Moses doesn't survive the infanticide occurring in Egypt, and there is no leader to be God's instrument of deliverance.

Family, Knowing the Word, Parenting, Home Life, Culture, Value the OrdinaryKelly NeedhamFebruary 18, 2016Jesus, Moses, Pregnancy, Adoption, Children, all good things

The Sabbath: The Antidote for Achievement-Addicts

At the first snow of manna in Exodus 16, God introduces His people to a Sabbath day. Two-and-a-half months after leaving their former slave drivers, God's people hear an odd command from their new Master—rest. Though we might not be slaves, our present culture prizes productivity so highly that taking a day off also sounds absurd. "Maybe God meant take a rest from my normal work and do a different kind of work. I can't just waste time."

To be honest, this is exactly how I think. If making to-do lists was a viable hobby, it would be mine. I treat productivity like a sport, seeing if I can beat my previous record of tasks completed in one day. Sad but true.

Faith, Knowing the Word, Home Life, Culture, Knowing GodKelly NeedhamFebruary 4, 2016featured, Productivity, Rest, Spiritual Discipline, Sanctification

So you want to do something great for God...

I see my generation on the other side of their childhood dreams, entering their 30s somewhat disillusioned. For some working 9-to-5 jobs, the greatest success is keeping the bills paid and the boss happy. For many moms, the biggest accomplishment of the week is a clean kitchen and 15 minutes of Bible reading. Others did some "great" things for God right after college... 2 year mission trips, interning in a ministry, striving to hit it big as a [fill-in-the-blank-with-ministry-job], but seeing that work dwindle they are wondering what's next. So much for changing the world for Jesus. Spiritual gifts and noble desires sit on the shelf unused, itching to find an outlet to prove their effectiveness while whispers of what could have been hang in the air.

I want to pose a very important question. A question my soul needs answered every day. Does God want us to do something great for Him?

Ministry, Knowing the Word, Parenting, Home Life, Culture, Knowing God, Value the OrdinaryKelly NeedhamJanuary 21, 2016Culture, featured, Ministry, Moses, motherhood, obedience, the Kingdom of God, Know the Word, Pride & Humility, all good things

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