Return to the Place God Spoke

As you walk into Kay’s Cafe today, make sure to get your coffee to go, because we are hopping on a train and headed to Haifa, a city in the North of Israel!

As I sit on a bench near the Mediterranean Sea in Haifa and write this, I hear and see the beauty of the waves crashing in. The wind is blowing over the water and the sun is peering through the clouds. It’s simply a gorgeous day. But what makes this view and this place even more special, is the fact that this spot in Haifa was the very place that God spoke a powerful word to me.

It all began in 2017, when I met a very special guy named Ionatan. He was quiet and shy at first, but I was so drawn to him and knew there was something really special about him. We met at the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. I was a writer for their magazine and Ionatan was the videographer and editor. As the days and weeks went by, Ionatan and I began a friendship. As we were getting to know each other, I could tell Ionatan loved me and wanted to marry me…and this terrified me. Even though I was praying fervently for my husband and asking the Lord to bring me the man he has for me, it was as if I couldn’t see the treasured man that God had brought me… Ionatan.

As we continued spending time together, I quickly realized how many fears, un-trust, and unbelief I had in my heart towards God in this area of marriage. I was scared to make a forever earthly commitment, because it meant if I was making a mistake I would have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life on this earth. I felt the weight of covenant, and I wanted to be sure this was God’s choice and not just Kayla’s. So after about 6 months of getting to know Ionatan, I decided to take a trip to Haifa to hear from the Lord. I needed to be so sure that this was from God because I didn’t want to hurt Ionatan either.

So, I told my friend Lynzi, “I am going to Haifa to hear from God about Ionatan. Do you want to come with me and hear from the Lord together?” She was in! We hopped on a train and made it to the Christian guesthouse near the sea in Haifa, and immediately asked the Lord to speak to us throughout the whole weekend. God led me to the verse Jeremiah 3:14-15:

            “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you – one from a town and two from a clan – and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.”

As soon as I read this verse out loud, I knew God was saying to me, “Kayla, you need to trust me. I am your husband and I will give you an earthly husband who is a shepherd after my heart. You can trust me to bring you the best. And…Ionatan is my best for you!”

By the end of the weekend, I felt so much joy, peace, and excitement to see Ionatan again. Today, almost three years later, Ionatan and I are happily married with a sweet and smiley baby girl who is almost 1! And Ionatan still to this day says, “I remember when you came back from that Haifa trip, because you were so different. You were so sure of me.”

As I sit here writing with the Lord (and my sweet daughter who just so happened to take a nap so I could write!!) by the seaside in the place where God spoke to me over 3 years ago, I am in awe as I look at the precious gift of my husband Ionatan and my daughter Ava. I wouldn’t have the incredible honor of knowing them and growing in the depths of God’s love, if I didn’t give God all of my fears, worries, and doubts, and if I didn’t hear from God!

So thank you Lord for this place and everything you did in me here! Thank you for bringing me back to remind me of how far you have brought me, and yet still how much further you want to take me…and now not just me but also Ionatan and Ava!

I want to encourage YOU this summer to go on an adventure with Yeshua and some dear friends or family! Revisit those places where God spoke to you, and may God remind you of how far He has brought you, but also how much more He wants to do in and through you!

Jeremiah 29:10-13 – “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and everything else will be added to you as well.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

A Cup of Identity

Welcome to Kay’s Cafe! Today our special on the menu is a cup of “identity”! As we take sips of this cup, we will discover some powerful truths of who we are and how to root our confidence and identity in Jesus!

Discovering our identity actually has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Jesus! The more we look at ourselves to discover our identity, the more insecure and prideful we become. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will discover the greatest security.

When we look to God for everything, he will transform our insecurities into a beautiful combination of confidence and humility. The confidence the world has to offer is self-focused and prideful. But the confidence we find in God is selfless, pure, and humble.

Have you ever met someone who achieved great success, and yet they carried themselves in such a humble and approachable way?

This is just a glimpse of the character of our Savior. He achieved the greatest act of love by laying down his life for us and forgiving our sins, so that we could have a relationship with our Heavenly Father! God is the King above all Kings, who is holy, majestic, and mighty! And yet, he is so humble, loving, kind, patient, just, righteous, pure, gentle, good, and faithful.

If I want to be a better wife, I need to spend time with God who is the most intimate and loving husband!

Ionatan and I on our wedding day!

• Isaiah 54:5– “For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”

If I want to be a better mom, I need to spend time with God who is the most caring Father!

• 1 John 3:1 – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

If I want to be a better daughter, I need to spend time with Jesus who is the most obedient son to Father God!

Thank you Jesus that i was able to give my parents mothers day and fathers day presents in person this year!! It has been sooo special spending time with them here in Jerusalem!

• John 5:19 – “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

If I want to be a better friend, I need to spend time with God who is the most faithful friend.

My dear friends here in Jerusalem…and of course adorable Ava girl!

• John 15:12-15 – “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

If I want to be a better worker, I need to spend time with God who is the wisest and hardest worker!

Ionatan and I working at the Feast of Tabernacles with ICEJ in 2018

• Isaiah 28:29 – “All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.”
• James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

If I want to have a secure identity, then I need to spend time with God who is the firmest foundation and the most wonderful God in all the world!

Dancing with the Lord on the Southern Steps in Jerusalem (2017)

• Matthew 7:24-25 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
• ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭8:22-23‬– “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.”

I encourage you all, including myself, to choose to seek the face of Jesus daily! As we seek Him, we will find Him. And as we find Him, we find the true meaning of life!

John 17:3 – “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Fearless – Trusting in God’s Timing

Sailing the Red Sea in Eilat

It is one thing to be courageous for a moment, and its a whole other ball game to choose to be fearless in trusting God and not let fear overtake you as you wait and wait and wait upon God’s timing.

God has shown me over and over again in these last few years that His timing and ways are really not my way of doing things….and wow I am sure glad for that! Here are just a few examples of God’s very different ways and timing, but wow how blessed I was as I chose to wait upon God’s timing and not my own:

~ God knew that Ionatan was my perfect match, but it took several years of waiting, trusting, believing, praying, and saying no to other guys. But when Ionatan came into my life, I STILL couldn’t see that he was the one God chose for me! But oh my goodness I am sooooo glad I listened to God and trusted His timing and leadership, because I see more and more everyday how Ionatan and I are God’s perfect teammate, friend, and spouse for each other! As I chose to wait upon God’s timing and God’s best, I can honestly say Ionatan is the best husband I could have ever asked for!

~ I didn’t understand why my daughter Ava had to come 3 weeks early and in such a traumatic birthing/hospital experience, but I see now that God is the restorer and healer of my heart and body! And he saved Ava and I from dying!! I could have died from a seizure during birth (preclampsia) and Ava could have died if I died. So as I look back, I am extremely grateful for God’s sovereign timing of bringing Ava out early and allowing me to only suffer 11 days in the hospital, so that I could experience being a mom to Ava and living many more adventures with Ionatan!

~ I didn’t understand why my parents were denied several times to try to come to Israel when I was pregnant, and even after Ava was born. They attempted 4 times, and finally on the 4^th try through a wild amount of hoops to jump through, at last they set foot in Israel! As we see God’s timing now, He brought them just in time before Israel shut their airport again…but this time not because of corona, but because of rockets! If my parents’ flight would have been a week later, they would not be able to enter Israel! We have been enjoying our time together so much, and I am thankful that Ava is older so she can really interact with my parents!

Through some of these experiences God has shown me that I can trust Him in His timing. Even when it hurts to wait, even when there may be an intense amount of pain in the process, even when things don’t turn out the way we were expecting, in the end God is working all of this together for our good!

What are you waiting on God for? Has it been a long hard season of battling to wait upon Him?

Well, I just want to encourage you mighty and weary warrior to be fearless today and choose to put your hope again in Jesus!! He truly is sovereign and will bring about His great plans for your life in HIS perfect timing! Keep knocking, asking, and believing and He will answer dear one!

Psalm 27:13-14 – “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.“

Also, here is a fun video that Ionatan and I created together! This dance video tells a little bit of our story and how sometimes we have to wait a long time for God’s promise, but while we are waiting we can worship God, dance and enjoy the journey with Jesus!

Dancing for the Lord on the Streets of Jerusalem

Another 40 Days…But This Time of FEARLESS!

Welcome to Kay’s Café today! The special on the menu today is a cup of Fearless! This will be the special for 4o days, because God has invited me on another 40 day adventure… but this time focusing on what it means to be fearless in my faith and trust in God!

Half way through my journey of 40 days of enjoying God, I heard the Lord tell me… “The next 40 days will be 40 days of Fearless!” It was actually really sweet the Lord told me this, because it helped me rest more in my enjoying time, because I knew I would need to be rested for my 40 days of fearless.

So far the fearless adventure has been quite fun! I was expecting these 40 days to be so difficult with all of my fears coming to the surface and me having to choose with all my might to overcome them and fight hard battles. But to my amazement it has been quite enjoyable! I believe this is the fruit of my time of battling to enjoy God. Now that I have established that foundation again of enjoying my Savior, it makes it a bit easier to trust God and fearlessly obey Him!

Some fun adventures that we have had so far:

• Our friends and Ionatan and I organized a twin girl babies shower for our friends Jonathan and Krissy!

• And then the next weekend, we planned a baby boy shower for our sister and brother in law Stefi and Rami and celebrated our nephews birthday!

• Ionatan and I said yes to leading our community group together one night on the topic of God as a righteous judge. This was so powerful and special to do this together while passing Ava back and forth haha!
• Ionatan, Ava, & I had our own Seder meal for the first night of Passover as a little family and it was so special! Here is a fun photo of us dressing up like the Israelites back in the day haha!

Passover 2021 – Muchnik Family Fun!

• Ionatan and I are fearlessly obeying the Lord in being the kind of parents God created us to be and doing it together with the Holy Spirit leading us every step of the way. We like inviting Ava along for all of our adventures… Dad straps her on and takes photos and cooks, and I take her to all of my coffee times with friends and to the women’s prayer meetings. I encourage all momma’s and papa’s to be the kind of mom and dad that God created you to be with His help, because your kids need to be raised specifically by you the way God made you to be!

• I said yes to the Lord in reading the Parasha (Bible reading) at church on stage. I read three different passages, and the last one I also read in Hebrew!! I had a lot of help with my pronunciation from my amazing husband and my sweet niece Priel, and it was a small but great step of courage to trust the Lord to help me read Hebrew…not only by myself but on stage in front of a camera haha!

This is a photo from a video my friends took : )

• I bought a red dress. Yes, this took courage, because I hardly buy clothing and honestly I feel insecure about what people may think of me. But for some reason I was really wanting a red dress, and I felt like the Lord led me to the perfect one and the price was AMAZING too! (Only about $12!!) I tried it on and came out to look in the mirror, and I felt like all the women in the store were starring at me. So I quickly went back to the dressing room and tried a different one on, and a young Israeli girl said, “This one is nice, but the red one looked incredible on you! You should get the red one!” So I did, and then the next step of courage was to actually wear the dress haha! So I chose to wear it on resurrection Sunday, and it definitely took some courage. It is amazing ghow God can teach us so much through little things, like a dress! God was reminding me that I need to care more about what God thinks about me, instead of being so focused and consumed by what others think about me! This is a continual battle, but one I am slowly overcoming with the help of the Holy Spirit!
  
• We rose early on Resurrection Sunday and worshipped the Lord as the sun rose with other believers, and then had a lovely brunch together celebrating our resurrected King Jesus!

So as you read these little adventures they may not seem too fearless to you, but I am learning that to be fearless means to say YES to God in the small things, so that when we get to those big moments, our hearts will naturally respond, “Yes Lord! Not my will be done, but yours be done!”

All of these little YES’S to God build our faith and trust in HIM, and help us see how faithful He is each time we choose to obey, trust, and do what he is asking and inviting us to do with Him!

Let’s take a look at what the word of God says about being fearless!

1 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but give us power, love, and self-discipline.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Matthew 5:37 – “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Challenge: How can you say YES to God today?

40 Days of Enjoying God – Days 26-40

Photo credit: Laura Siegal

Well, I did pretty good about writing about my 40 days of enjoying God everyday…but only up to day 25 haha! After that, I just found no time or motivation to write. One good reason was because the restrictions lifted, so we were able to spend time with friends and family and travel around Israel! The other great reason was because I was very busy taking care of Ava : )

Here is a short summary of the other 15 days:

Ein Kerem family adventures!

One weekend we rented a car and made day trips throughout Israel, which was sooo much fun! Day one we went to Ein Kerem (Here is my husbands video of this beautiful green and nature filled place:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4iHP1rV7M&t=5s )

The next day we travelled to the Dead Sea (Ionatan’s video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH6lliUnfHw) , and found out we couldn’t enter into our favorite spot because they were only allowing people who were vaccinated to enter!! (Crazy times we are living in.) But we didn’t let this stop us from having a good time, so we parked the car at a gas station and walked to the Dead Sea via a different route and still had a really wonderful time.

And on Sunday, we drove to IKEA and just had a great time walking around the store looking at all of the items. Ava loved it too! It was just sooo refreshing to be able to go somewhere after being in our third lockdown for over 2 months!

The next weekend, we travelled to Eilat to celebrate Stefi’s birthday (my sister in law) and we had such a lovely time together. We were even able to enjoy some time at the beach, and Ava did really great on the 5 hour car ride there and back!

In these 40 days of enjoying God, I must say that it was more difficult than expected, but I learned a lot.

Here are a few takeaways that I learned as I focused on enjoying Jesus:

1. We are called to enjoy God, especially when times are hard, challenging, chaotic, and even when we don’t feel like it or feel like we are able. This was a powerful lesson the Lord showed me because I found myself getting so frustrated with Him that things were so hard, instead of choosing to rejoice in my trials and fix my eyes on the prince of peace! This world is just going to get crazier, harder, and darker, therefore it is sooo important for the body of Christ to learn how to enjoy God no matter what situation or circumstance they find themselves in. If we don’t choose to enjoy him then we will be tempted to get mad, become bitter or hard-hearted towards God.

Here are some verses that helped me choose to praise God when things were difficult:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

2. When we choose to enjoy God no matter what, our perspective begins to change. During these 40 days, I realized again how selfish I am. Yet, whenever I would choose to enjoy God whether in peaceful moments or challenging ones, I saw that God would give me his perspective on the situation or people around me. This helped me respond in love, joy, humility, selflessness, and peace.

Enjoying the Lord on the sidewalk next to the Dead Sea. Not letting a barrier keep us from having a great time together!

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

3. Enjoying God is our choice to make, but we need God’s help to know how to enjoy him. What does God enjoy? What does God truly desire from us? Here are a few scriptures with answers to these questions:

Mark 12: 29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

1 Samuel 15:22 – “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 – “¹² And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

We both needed snuggles because we were both sick.

4. And unfortunately, the last 7 days of enjoying God, Ava and I got really sick. Thankfully, we didn’t get corona, but I lost my voice for 2 days and Ava and I were not feeling well. But God showed up and blessed us with moments of rest, and Ionatan came home early a couple times so that I could rest while he took care of Ava!

What I learned this last week was to completely rely on Jesus for strength, energy, joy, and healing. I clung to these verses:

Psalm 118:13-15 – “I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous; ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things.’”

Psalm 121:2 – “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.”

Psalm 125:1 – “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-11 – “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Thank you God for these 40 days of re-laying the foundation of the gospel and enjoying my Lord everyday!

Photo Credit: Laura Siegal

God, I ask that you would continue to move in my heart and the person reading this, so that we will choose to rejoice in you, stand firm in you, trust you, love you, and ENJOY you a little more each day! Amen.

40 Days of Enjoying God – Day 16-25

It SNOWED in Jerusalem!! The last snow was about 8 years ago!!

And the 40 days of enjoying God continue… : )

February 16^th – I had a great day enjoying the sunshine with Ava before the cold and stormy weather came. I felt victorious today as I chose to praise God, dance with Ava, and enjoy the difficult and good moments. I also meditated on this scripture below that God’s love is better than my life. And really its his love that makes my life sweet : )
Psalm 63:3 – “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

February 17^th – It was a rough night…Ava woke up 6 times throughout the night. But to my amazement, I woke up refreshed and not exhausted! The weather turned cold, so Ava and I made the most of it and enjoyed indoors with movies, popcorn for me and sweet potatoes and banana for her, snuggles, giggles, dancing, and cooking. I baked dark chocolate chip cookie bars and cooked up a tasty sweet potato soup with foccacia for dinner.

And it SNOWED in Jerusalem, which is a very rare thing (the last snow was about 8 years ago!!)…and it was sooooo BEAUTIFUL to watch it fall from the sky and blanket the city! : )

Ava experiencing her first snow angel haha!

Psalm 67:1 – “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.”

This verse was on my heart today as well, and I was really pondering…”What does it mean to have God’s face shine on us?” One of my ideas is that this means that we are asking God to come sooo near that we can see his face and feel his presence! What are your thoughts about this verse?

February 18^th –
Today was a breakthrough day!! I felt the power of the Holy Spirit moving through me, and it was sooo wonderful to feel that close to God again. I have had moments like this throughout my relationship with God, but I felt like it had been a while since I had felt his presence and power so strong.

Today my prayer is for my heart to be awakened again to the incredible news of the gospel.

Psalm 68:19-20 – “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”

Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

February 19^th – Friday – Today, it rained a lot so it was a perfect day for a movie. We rented a powerful movie called “I Believe”- (Here is the trailer if you want to see what it is about https://youtu.be/amVlQozDJkI) God used this simple film to inspire childlike faith again in my heart towards Him. I was also reminded that when God does a miracle through us, we get to give HIM all the glory.

February 20^th – Saturday – Today marks 20 days of my 40-day adventure of enjoying God. I have learned a lot, realized how far I have strayed from simply enjoying God each day, and am in awe that this truly is the adventure my heart needed in order to restore, revive, and ripen my relationship with Jesus again! I am excited to see what God will do in the next 20 days!

February 21^st – Today, the lockdown lifted and stores, malls and some restaurants (take out only) opened! I think this third lockdown was the hardest, because the lockdown kept being extended and the restrictions in Israel are quite harsh compared to the states (so I hear). In this last lockdown, lasting almost 2 months, all clothing stores, restaurants, malls, hotels, non-essentials like hair salons, etc were all closed. If you needed a new pair of shoes, forget about it, because no store was open. If you needed baby clothes…sorry, nothing open. And you can have no friend, family member or visitor in your house. Ava and I were both having such a hard time, but thankfully we did go outside for walks and sometimes with a friend. But even that they said you can only exercise with people that live in your house.

So, today we rejoiced with a little more freedom, especially over the fact that we can meet up to 10 people in someones house again!

February 22^nd – Today I had a dear friend over named Laura. She made a card for me with encouragement from the Lord and it was exactly what I needed to hear. It had the lyrics of this song… “Dance with me” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFfw6OSbUwE )
I have been dancing more with the Lord and Ava these last days, and it has been so sweet and refreshing to worship the Lord with my daughter in my arms!

February 23^rd  – I was able to talk with some friends through video and was inspired by their relationships with God. My friend Lise was adventuring with Jesus on her birthday, and encouraged me that God was using my book to inspire her to adventure more with Him! Just a humble reminder that God can use our small acts of obedience to lead others even closer to Him! I talked with my friend Miranda who I met in Italy, and I was inspired by her being a momma of two and her renewed love towards Jesus! And later I had my friend Shachar over to talk about the process of opening a business here in Jerusalem. (still in the praying process : ))

February 24^th – I hung out with my friend Bethany and then we brought some fun treats over to our friend who just had a baby. Then we had community group and it was so refreshing to meet together again after two months of isolation. My friend Laura led the evening and it was a very sweet and restful time of prayer, worship, and enjoying God’s presence together.

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

February 25^th – Today I went on a walk with another friend and we enjoyed the sunny weather, and Ava had a great time too! I got a free croissant and coffee from my punch card, took a nap with Ava, made her some pureed vegetables, and danced around the house together with her. Later, Ionatan and I enjoyed dinner together, and later a cup of tea while talking about our days, as Ava fell asleep in my arms. We were going to have friends over for a game night, but the Israeli government cracked down on the restrictions once again and enforced a night curfew lockdown during the Purim holiday. From Thursday to Saturday night, you can’t leave your house from 8:30pm-5am. So, we choose to be thankful for the little things today : )

Psalm 9:1 “I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.” (NLT)

40 Days of Enjoying God – Part 2

February 11th-15th, 2021

Ava Marie Muchnik looking adorable in Dad’s sunglasses! Great photo Ionatan! I can’t believe this girl is already 6 months old!

February 11^th  – We all go through different seasons in our relationships with God, but I have noticed that as we continue to press on through all of the challenges and blessings, our joy and passion can easily dwindle. Recently, I have noticed that my joy for Jesus has grown cold or it seems that I have to fight for it harder everyday! But I love this verse in Psalm 51:12 –  “Restore to me the JOY of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

I love this about our Lord…he is the great restorer, redeemer, refresher, and renewer of our JOY! Today, I pray that God will restore our Joy in being saved by Him and strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit!

February 12^th – Today I enjoyed God by thanking Him! Simple and sweet : )
Psalm 50:23 – “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

February 13^th – Today God and Ionatan blessed me with more sleep!! I slept almost 3 hours more in the morning with waking up for moments to feed Ava and then going back to sleep. But even though I got more sleep, I still noticed that I was battling to stay in the sweet place of joy in Jesus. Later, I went on a run while Ionatan walked Ava, and then we met up at a meeting point. While I was running I turned some Frank Sinatra music on, and I almost changed it to some “worship” music, but I felt the Lord tell me to just listen and enjoy. So, I enjoyed a couple songs from Frank, and totally felt the Lord filling me up with His love and joy.

As I just enjoyed the Lord and the exercise, I felt like the Lord told me once again, “I love you not because of what you do for me. I already love you, so just enjoy me.” I remember this lesson the Lord has already taught me many times, but it’s a good one! And I am pretty positive he will continue to teach me this the rest of my days on this earth : ) And from what I learned last time, I know it is actually from the place of enjoying and abiding in God that we can truly and freely love God and His people!

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT) – “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

1 John 4:9-11 – “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“

February 14^th – Love day : )
Today I woke up to a Valentine’s Day note and my favorite smelling lotions and spray from my thoughtful and loving husband! Ionatan also went to the Ministry of Interior (MOI) to wait in line, while Ava and I got ready for the day and for our appointment. (I am in a 5 year process of making citizenship in Israel.) Ava and I picked up some coffee and croissants, and met Ionatan still waiting in line and enjoyed a breakfast in the sunshine. Our appointment was smooth, praise God! Later we had a nice picnic in the park with gorgeous sun filled weather! Ava also took a nap while we were there, so we were able to play some cards! It was a sweet day full of sweet moments with the Lord, Ionatan, and Ava.

Psalm 57:11 – “For Great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

February 15^th – Today was filled with laundry, organizing, a sweet baby girl crying in pain, and a beautiful sunny day. I held on to these verses throughout the day…

Psalm 59:9 – “You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

Psalm 59:16 – “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

Psalm 59:17 – “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”
I am so thankful for God’s strength and the very fact that he is with me gives me comfort and peace!

Be encouraged today that God is your strength and He is with you. He is your protector and provider of all things, and He is the only one you can truly rely on. God we praise you for being our reliable rock on which we can lean on and stand on! : )

40 Days of Enjoying God

At the end of January, I finished working so that I could be a full-time mom and begin diving into the dreams God has put on my heart! As February was approaching, I felt the Lord inviting me on a 40 day “something” with him. I didn’t know exactly what I would be giving up or adding, but I knew God was inviting me on an adventure with Him.

February 1^st came and went, and I still didn’t know what God was inviting me to do with him. So I asked him one more time before falling asleep, “God what do you want me to do with you for 40 days?” And I felt the Lord say these words to me: “I want you to enjoy me.”

As soon as I felt the Lord speak these words, I instantly had tears in my eyes and was so moved by the fact that God just wanted me to enjoy him…not serve him, not fast for him, not strive for him, not to work for him, not to give up something for him, but just simply to ENJOY HIM!

Just in the first few days of “Enjoying” God, I discovered I don’t really know ‘how’ to enjoy Him. So I will take you on a day by day journey with God and me as He shows me how to ENJOY HIM! Here are the first 10 days…

February 1^st– God spoke: “I want you to enjoy me.”

February 2^nd – I enjoyed the Lord by soaking up the beautiful sunny weather in the middle of winter, went on a long walk with Ava, met up with a friend, and asked the Lord to show me how to enjoy him.

February 3^rd – I had a really hard day. Ava cried almost all day (constipated and teething), and I got so frustrated with God that he wasn’t healing her. I also said, “God how am I supposed to ‘enjoy’ you, when I can’t enjoy anything right now with a screaming and in pain baby girl?” Later that night, God brought Ionatan home early from work and we had a lovely evening. Ionatan mentioned, “Maybe enjoying God looks different than we think.” And he is so right! I was wanting to enjoy God in the perfect situations, instead of enjoying my Lord in any situation or circumstance that may arise.

Just like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

February 4^th – How do you enjoy a movie? You watch and listen. This is what the Lord invited me to do with him today: to watch Him and listen to Him. It was such a great day to do this because there was a thunderstorm! I sat in silence while holding Ava and just watched the rain pour down and the lightning shoot across the sky. All the while listening to the strong booms of thunder. It was a really special way to enjoy God today, and I heard his voice today whisper treasures to my heart : )

February 5^th – I started the day off with reading Psalm 36 and 37 and found some incredible verses about enjoying God.

Psalm 36:8 – “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.”

Psalm 37:4 – “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Throughout the day, I asked the Lord to help me delight in Him and drink from His rivers of delight!

February 6^th – Shabbat – A day of enjoying the rest of God. Today, I was able to take a two hour nap, thanks to my husband : )

Psalm 23:1-3 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

February 7^th – Today, Ionatan, Ava and I, took a spontaneous trip with some friends to the Jerusalem forest for a picnic. It was incredibly refreshing after being locked down for 40 days of only being able to go 1,000 meters (about ½ a mile) from our apartment!

Psalm 40: 1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

February 8^th – Today wasn’t easy, but I chose to worship and praise God anyway! I danced in my kitchen to worship music, and picked Ava up and danced with her for a while.

Psalm 43:3-5 – “Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

February 9^th – Today I am reminded of my first book that I wrote with the Lord with this verse in Psalm 45:1 – “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”

Lord, help me use this gift of writing you have given me for your glory!

February 10^th – Today was a difficult day with Ava, but the word of God was on my lips all day long. Mainly, this verse on repeat…Psalm 46:10 – “He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”

So far these have been difficult and beautiful lessons, but I am so grateful for each day to intentionally take time to enjoy my Lord no matter the circumstance! I encourage you to take time to enjoy God today!

Stay tuned for more of my day-by-day journey of enjoying God for 40 days! : )

A Cup of Selflessness

My beautiful friends! Choose to focus on God and His people, rather than ourselves today!

As you step into Kay’s Cafe today, you may notice some of my friends around the table. Today I want us to focus on the special people God has put in our lives, instead of just focusing on ourselves. Therefore, today the special on the menu is the cup of selflessness. As we take a few sips, we will savor the flavors of a selfless heart and the beauty of loving God and others above yourself!

Take a look at these verses in John 3:27- 30 – “To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

John understood that it really has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with Jesus! We do get the honor to partner with God in His marvelous works, but it is not for us to draw a crowd to ourselves. Instead, we get to draw people to Jesus. This is easier said than done for sure. We are naturally selfish people, and I constantly struggle with wanting people to love me, accept me, acknowledge my efforts, etc.

Yet, there is another way to live our lives on this earth! We can live our lives loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Here are some amazing scriptures to help us walk in the beauty of selflessness, just like Jesus did!

Philippians 2:1-5 – “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

Psalm 119:36 – “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.”

Romans 13:8 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

Adventure: Let’s ask God to help us focus more on Him and others, more than we focus on ourselves! What is a selfless way you can show the beautiful love of God to your neighbor, friend, co-worker, family member, or a stranger in need today? Don’t just stop at the nice thought, but choose to put your faith in action today! Ready…set…GO!

A Cup of God’s Beauty – Beauty in the Suffering

As you sit down in Kay’s café today, you will notice that the special of the day is “A Cup of Suffering.” Your immediate thought is probably not, “Oh, I can’t wait to drink that cup!” Yet, let me encourage you to take a sip, because it is actually a very important flavor in our relationship with God and in seeing more of His beauty.

Who would have thought that suffering had anything to do with beauty? I sure didn’t, until the Lord began showing me so much about this topic throughout the year of 2020.

One of the greatest times of suffering I have experienced in my life was last year when I gave birth to my daughter Ava. To start it off, I was nauseous everyday of my pregnancy until the day my daughter was in my arms! I also ended up getting pre-clampsia, and had to give birth at 37 weeks. I suffered through an excruciating 4-day process of trying to go into labor, and nothing worked. Finally on the 4^th day, after 4 failed induction processes, a failed epidural, and my blood pressure sky rocketing, I had to get an emergency c-section. They took the epidural out because it didn’t work, gave me a spinal shot, and 20 minutes later Ava finally entered this world!

The suffering didn’t stop there. As I came out of the surgery room, I couldn’t hold my daughter or see her for several hours, and I was in so much pain from the C-section surgery. The next 7 days were miserable, as I had IV’s in both of my arms that made it so painful and difficult to hold Ava. Also, the IV’s were put in wrong twice on the same arm, so one of my arms swelled up like a balloon and both arms had several bruises. I was producing very little milk so I had to breastfeed and use formula. My blood pressure was still so high that the doctors would not let me leave the hospital, and oh by the way we had to wear masks the entire time because the whole world is in the middle of a pandemic with the coronavirus. No family or friends were able to come to the hospital, and my parents weren’t allowed in the country because Israel has had their borders shut to all foreigners since March 2020.

With all of this, I felt abandoned, hurt, angry, and frustrated with God. Why would God allow me to suffer so horribly? I thought giving birth was supposed to be a beautiful experience…

After 11 days in the hospital, we finally made it home with Ava. Each day, week, and month that went by, I felt the Lord healing not only my body, but my heart and relationship with Him. I asked Him questions, told Him my honest feelings that I was mad at Him, hurt, and felt abandoned by Him in this time of suffering. He slowly began to show me powerful treasures throughout our time in the hospital. God began showing me that His power is made perfect in my weakness. My body and my spirit were utterly weak, yet God saved Ava’s life and mine! He didn’t abandon us or let either of us die. Yes, he allowed me to suffer, but he had my husband standing right by my side through the entire process to show me that God was right there with me. My husband was such a picture of Jesus. He helped me with anything and everything, and slept right by my side in a chair for 11 days in the hospital!

Something beautiful God showed me was that I was able to experience just a taste of what Jesus suffered on the cross. Jesus suffered, and yet he knew that after he suffered for a time, he would resurrect from the dead and make a way for people to come to the Father. I saw the great reward of my suffering was the precious gift of my daughter Ava Marie Muchnik. Her name actually means life, and I truly believe she will bring the resurrection life of Jesus Christ right here in Jerusalem and wherever she goes!

Another thing God showed me was that my husband suffered just as much as me: He had to watch me, the one he loves, suffer for 11 days straight and he couldn’t do anything about it, except hold my hand and pray. My husband got to see a glimpse into the Father heart of God. As God watched His perfect son, the one he loves, suffer for the sins of the world, He knew Jesus had to suffer so that God could be with His children! Similarly, Ionatan knew I had to endure the pain and suffering, so that our daughter could be born. God showed me so many more beautiful treasures through this time of suffering like, my body completely healing after all of the pain, my relationship completely restored with Jesus after the traumatic experience, and I now have a testimony to be able to encourage others, women especially!

Romans 5:3-4 – “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

God is showing me that he uses my suffering to make me more like Him and to become more dependent on him for everything. I am learning to see the beauty in my suffering. The beauty is I know I can be honest with God about how hurt or angry or whatever emotion I am feeling, and He can handle it and completely heal my heart. The beauty is seeing the greater Heavenly purpose behind the suffering, rather than just fixing my eyes on myself and my pain. The beauty in the suffering is that my husband and are growing stronger in the Lord and with each other as we endure the battles and joys that come every day.

We have all experienced suffering in our lives, but let’s fix our eyes on the greatest example of someone who suffered and is ultimate picture of beauty… JESUS CHRIST. He was known as a man of suffering, and yet His life was so beautiful to our Heavenly Father. Isaiah 53:3-5 says:

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Jesus’ suffering brought forth the most beautiful display of love on this earth. Jesus suffered the most excruciating death, yet He raised from the dead 3 days later! In the midst of the suffering, God is bringing His resurrection life!

Prayer: Father, I ask you to encourage the one drinking the cup of suffering right now. I ask that you would help them run to you with their pain, suffering, frustration, sadness, weariness, anger, numbness, confusion, and hardness of heart. Holy Spirit will you meet them in their suffering and lift their heads to fix their eyes on Jesus. Help them chose to have your perspective in their situation and bring your resurrection life to their hearts today!

Adventure: I encourage you to have the most honest conversation with God today. Trust me, He can handle anything you will tell Him. And He will listen and move in your life as you open your heart to Him. And after you are done pouring out your heart to God, take a moment to listen to what God wants to say to you. Our Heavenly Father loves you so much, and He is longing to show you how to be more like His Son Jesus Christ in this world. He will show you how to endure the times of suffering to experience the resurrection life of Jesus in this life.  

Scripture:
Isaiah 53:10-12
“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”