Kim Burney

⁹“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.¹¹And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  New English Standard Version, as found on Bible Gateway

I have a very important meeting today, a conference call.  I have created the senario over and over in my head about how it will go; what I will say, what the response will be.  My Bible Reading today (as quoted above) reminds me that I am far better off, not being concerned about what to say.  It is better to say a prayer and let the Holy Spirit take over.  In this case it is way past time for me to get out of the way and let Him speak.

I am going to post this, even before the call – admitting that God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in me is far more capable of speaking for me…

For many years I fought with trying to help and please everyone I came in contact with.  I have many skills: publisher, web designer, IT person, trainer, business owner, executive, graphic designer and so much more.  I have been blessed by God to be able to do so many things.  I am also an excellent clarifier, so I become invaluable when working with a client that does not know what they want.  I translate and become that person or business to give them exactly what they want without requiring their direct answers.

That gift of interpretation has gotten me into some not so good situations: I say YES to everything because I know I CAN do what they require and want.  This can lead to me doing countless hours of work for a person without getting paid, over-extending myself so that I can not get all my projects done and the frustration at the end of the day realizing that I am not taking care of my own personal life (time) and my finances (since I do not always charge for my expertise).  Not the best way to use my blessings…

Recently I decided to look at what I was doing and see what I could do to make a change in my life.  I admitted to myself what I do well: clarifier, web design, giving people what they want, graphic designer, quick at making changes, really good at IT stuff, writer, etc.  Then I looked at what I am not good at: billing, selling, asking people to pay me for my services, etc. So I said YES to working with my friend Maureen McBride who is a brilliant sales and marketing person, very good at seeing what someone needs for their business to get the message out, very clear on what the possibilities are, great at getting PAID. Here is the fun part for me – she is not so good at the details, OH and I am! Yippi!  So we decided to test out working together – she makes the sale, decides what to do and then I do the details – WOW!  This works for both of us.

The Results are great – I get to DO what I do best and she gets us paid, I LOVE it! The best part is that neither one of us has to feel the pressure of not getting what we said YES to done.  The cooperative match works.  It has also helped me to learn how to say NO to projects that do not fit what I do best. I don’t have to feel bad either – this way we both feel good.

Consider saying NO next time something does not fit who you are…

Have you ever just felt like – ‘that’s it, I’m done – I don’t know what else to do!’  Well that was how I was feeling yesterday when I left for church.

I was asking God things like, ‘what do you want from me?,’ what can I do?’ Then I was crying and feeling like nothing was working… I almost did not go to church, then I realized there would be a message there for me, my message… so I went.

You are probably wondering what my dilemma is all about and this is where it gets kind of interesting.  Do I tell all here and maybe it helps someone else or do I keep it to myself and just elude to things, you know – play it safe.  After all we wouldn’t want everyone to know too much about our privates lives, right?!?!  I will share, soon… for now my time is short and I want to write about the lesson.

We had a different speaker today, Rod – he is great and I really got a lot out of the lesson.  The title – What’s with the Thorns? – had to do with 2 Corinthians 12:7-10: (English Standard Version from BibleGateway.com)

So^(J) to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,^[a](K) a thorn was given me in the flesh,^(L) a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ^8(M) Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹But he said to me, ^(N) ”My grace is sufficient for you, for^(O) my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that^(P) the power of Christ may rest upon me. ^10(Q) For the sake of Christ, then,^(R) I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For^(S) when I am weak, then I am strong.

Rod asked, “how can we benefit by being broken?”  “When you are broken, you yield, and when you yield, you are empowered.”

Jesus said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2Corinthians 12:9

Okay, I admit that I start this every year – pretty much since I was 20 and while I have read every scripture in the Bible, I have never made it through the year with reading the Bible as planned. So this year I signed up to read the Bible daily with the BibleGateWay.com sending me the scriptures of the day in email. I read email daily so it should work for me.  Join me here if you want: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/

So today’s reading caught my attention – Genesis 7:15f  Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. ¹⁶ The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

I thought it was cool that the animals came to Noah – I never really got that in the past. Once again Our GOD is an AWESOME God! Now I can really see the movie Noah in action.

I have been on a spiritual path for quite a while now.  I started down this path by asking God to help me to get closer to Him. I know, kind of scary right?!?! Most of the time we think that will cause us some kind of pain in order to draw nearer to God. My thoughts exactly.

Here’s the thing… I can recall a time in my life where I was perfectly at peace and in alignment with God – no separation – no fear – complete PEACE and HARMONY.  I was young and I can see it clearly… standing on a fence post (you know the old wooden fences that you could climb up on and sit there) looking into the woods and having a conversation with God – like He was my best friend – like He was right there – listening to me – wrapping His loving arms around me – I was so happy and so free – no worries – no fear – only that moment.  I was confident and sure of the world around me, I didn’t look for more than what was right there and how I could please God the most with my service.

All that I could ever want or need was supplied to me. There was no desire for more – I had it all!  It was probably the closest to living in the garden of Eden that a person could come to. I was visiting my Granny and Grandpa in Louisiana - they lived near a swamp (yeah a real one, the kind with gators, snakes and slime) with flowing water (a river called Dugdemona) and they had a cow, a pony, chickens, ducks, flower garden (Grandpa loved flowers) and a BIG garden.

We had fresh purple hull peas (my favorite – I ate them as I shelled them until I got sick , squash, watermelon, tomatoes, greens and who knows what else.  There were fish fry’s with friends, playing in the hot sandy soil of the garden, walks on the trails, scouting for arrowheads (and there were plenty), building forts out of anything we could find. My God it was wonderful! My older sister and my younger brother were there too – we had such a great summer there. We all learned how to drive sitting on Grandpa’s lap, steering on the dirt roads (we could all drive by the age 12), laughing and swerving (after all who was it going to hurt, no one on that road for sure) – Grandpa was so patient and laughed right along with us!

Life was simple then. Life can be simple now. That is what I asked for – simplicity, love, peace and harmony. These can be found in every day – no matter where you are, what you do. I am there now…

Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.

UPDATE! February 28, 2011

I returned to Erie on Valentines Day.  I am grateful that I was able to play the game… ‘let’s go the the Super Bowl!’  You might say that I did not win the game (we were not able to pull everything together and make it happen) or maybe with all the hoopla surrounding the Dallas event, you might say that we did win. 

I have always jumped in with both feet to attempt what I think of as worthy endeavors – they may also be called ‘the game of life.’  In the game you may win or you may lose – it is just sooo much fun to play the game that it makes it worth while.

That being said… I lost this one (or did I?!?!)

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So I probably have some catching up to do…

I am anchored in Dallas, TX right now.  Missing the Erie winter (I know, so sad…) and really missing my David.

So why am I in Dallas you ask? I am “on the ground” getting ready for the Super Bowl.  During CEO Space 1210 in Las Vegas I connected with DaRayl Davis who is the Founder of Affluent for Life Academy.  AFL is holding the Affluent for Life Super Bowl Summit this year in Dallas. They are the official sponsor of the NFL Players Association Events for the SB.  I was headed to Dallas anyway to visit my family, so I offered to help.

The big plus for me is that I will get to “pitch” EverWarm Products to the NFL Players during the events!  So I get to help be a part of the Super Bowl experience and I get to work on my new business, how cool is that!

The other day the girls (Jasmine and Maaliyah) and I went for a walk on the trails near the Cowboys Stadium and had a wonderful time. It really is a neat place, so many trails, walkways, bridges, etc. A nice walk if you have to park far away from the stadium.

Dallas really has it together when it comes to entertainment; very close to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium is the Rangers Complex and even Six Flags over Texas! Looks like they would never run out of parking unless, football, baseball and roller coasters all happen at the same time.

There is so much happening that I will have to break up my stories I guess.  For now, just wanted you to know where I was. Dallas…

This is my own story of how I attracted my building and paid cash for it in 35 days.  I decided to copy this article I wrote a few years ago to this website to help others see how they can create their own miracles.  In the process I stumbled across this list on Joe Vitale’s Miracles Coaching website and realized that my miracles that I reported took these top 3 slots – wahoo!!  (I have inserted what I copied off his website for Miracles Coaching here:

Here are JUST A FEW of the results people reported (many more below)…

• Manifested $42,000 in just one month to pay cash for a building
• Stopped a plane on the runway
• Paid CASH for a brand new Mercedes Benz Car

WOW, this is me!

So here is my story:

Attracting Money

Tuning your Success vibration is all about understanding you are an energy being. Just like a tuning fork, you vibrate at a certain frequency, and all the energy around you RESONATES to your frequency. In this vibrational way, you create your reality by the way you feel. Judy Berg

If you think and feel, you will win – you will!

If you think and feel, you will get money – you will!

Quick history – lost my good paying job and most of my possessions; I have been bankrupt two times, and my husband died after a very long illness.

In July 2006 I attended Judy’s Attracting Success Seminar and saw The Secret. I GOT IT! I immediately purchased 20 copies of The Secret; started living in the law of attraction and told as many people as I could. I did not know for sure how it worked or what I really needed to do to, but I was convinced that it was real. I used the phrase “wouldn’t it be great if … “ and I would fill in the blank, first it was parking spaces, then checks in the mail, then I thought how about a building for my business?

I wanted to try a BIG test, so I clearly focused on having a building for my business. This is what I knew I wanted: building with at least 8 parking spaces; easy access on a well traveled street; peaceful, cheerful place with a good sized meeting room, overhead door for loading, and storage; and I had to pay for it with cash. I had no idea where that was going to come from. My daughter located a building for us on the 2^nd try and I asked the realtor what was next. I made an offer of $55,000 cash(the owner wanted $79,900). I had about 30 days until the closing to come up with $51,000 (I put $5,000 on deposit) – I only had about $13,000 in the bank. I just kept believing that the money would be there and picturing us being in the building and using it. To this day I am still not sure where all the money came from; I worked, I talked, I was excited and some how it showed up. On the morning of the closing I was still short $4,000 – still believing that it would show up. I cleared my mind and let it go. My favorite mind clearing thought is “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10. As soon as I cleared my mind I got an inspired thought and called a customer who was thinking about purchasing some software. I asked if they would like to go ahead and order and give me a check now – they said, yes. It was $4,000!

When Noah was looking for a sign of land he sent out a dove:

• the first time the dove came back with nothing
• the second time the dove came back with an olive leaf in it’s beak
• the third time it did not return

I have often looked for a sign that I am on the right path in life.  My quickest method to see this is to go to my favorite beach on Lake Erie (it is semi private and close to home).  There I ask God questions and seek signs that I am on the correct path.  For me these come as heart rocks.  This is what they look like…

I put these on my table to show you how many shapes and sizes they come in.  These are just some of my finds.  I always laugh at how many there are each time I go to the beach.  I even make up stories about each rock.

I like the red heart rock in this photo – it seems to be made out of a portion of a brick long ago tossed in the lake.  Great color, looks good, but there are those pits in it.  What does your life look like?  Do you look good on the surface, nice color, good shape, but the pits of life invade your life?  Maybe you are not quite so perfect and could use a good hug, maybe a nice comfortable conversation with a friend, no judgement, just for fun?!?

I encourage you to go and find your heart rock – create a story around it – then chose to keep it and just enjoy the moment or…. if you want throw it as far as you can out into the water and try on a new story – one that you create from the begining in a new and miraculous way.

Kim Burney

I have been on a journey of awakening and have discovered the truth for me.

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The following scripture is from the English Standard Version of the Bible:

The Truth Will Set You Free – John 8:31f

31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

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There are times in our lives when we are prisoners and don’t even realize it – we allow ourselves to be enslaved.  I have been in a prison of my own choosing for quite some time.  As I have been on this spiritual journey I could not see the truth and I was not free.

When I was growing up I would spend time talking with God – I clearly remember standing on a fence at my Grandparents farm looking in the woods and talking with God.  I may have been 10 or 12, I don’t recall.  I was very happy and peaceful, my life was magical in every way.  As I grew older I spent less and less time talking with God.  Most of the time I was just living in survival mode not seeing what was missing in my life.

Driving down the road recently I asked God to be more involved in my life (as if he had gone anywhere – LOL). “Dear Lord I am hoping that you might make this simple and I won’t have to go through something dreadful to be closer to you, please. Amen” It is humbling to realize that my creator is always in my life, everywhere, in every way, all the time…

I stopped thinking that I had all the answers and that I even needed to.  I started relying on God for answers and what showed up was this never-ending path of events and things that came my way before I even knew I needed it.  Anything that was required for me was given to me before I knew why.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned is this, the TRUTH will set you free.  Here is a great example of that: I have been working on a new project, it is rather large and has consumed my time almost exclusively for the last two months. To the point that I stopped looking for any new clients to build websites or do publishing or anything that I usually do to make money.  I really was not paying much attention to the fact that I didn’t have any money coming in (silly, right?).  My accounts receivable dried up, except for some large accounts that are not able to pay me yet due to the economy and I was left with an empty bank account and no quick way to put more in.  My car insurance was late and now due and no income to pay it, so I just kept on working on the new project knowing that eventually money would be there from the project. In the mean time my car insurance was canceled, ouch!

At first I panicked, this was bad. Then I took a deep breath (remembered my favorite light switch; “be still and know that I am God…” Psalms 46:10 – flipped the switch…) and ask God what I should do about that. The answer was immediate, it is not wrong not to be able to pay for something when you are doing the best you can, what actions you chose to take make it right or wrong.

Okay, so if I didn’t have insurance that meant I could not drive my cars… not a problem, I live in a town that has a great bus system – comes right to where my office is and near home.  I started walking more and taking the bus.  Strange thing is that I was having a great time; I could walk really fast, it was good exercise, I got lots of work done on the bus while riding to and from work, I met nice people and I lived on a better schedule.

Ellen (my daughter) and I were talking about how to live our lives in truth – she gave me an example that she uses with the girls (Jasmine 8 and Maaliyah 6); Jasmine loves everyone and she had a new friend that she met at school and an old friend who did not like to new one.  This disturbed Jasmine (after-all she loves them both) – Ellen told Jasmine to be herself (love and be kind to them both) and the rest would work out.

WOW – that is so profound, be who you are and the rest will take care of itself…  I AM WHO I AM… Exodus 3:14 ESV Jasmine played with both girls, treated them the same and eventually they all become friends.

What is the TRUTH for you? How is it easier to live in truth? Why does it make you free?

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PS Not to worry about my insurance… as with so many things these days, I asked God what I was supposed to do about that and my Dad called.  He was proud of what I was working on and sent me a check to help me cover expenses while I build the company.  Who would have thought of this?? Oh yeah, my God…

My granddaughters are still here from Texas and yesterday I taught them how to allow heart rocks to show up in their lives.  We took a walk on the beach and I told them how everytime I go there I stop, look down at my feet and feel the joy of seeing the heart shaped rock that God sends me. This has been happening for me for a few years now.

Jasmine is 7 and Maaliyah is 5 – at first they just did not see the heart rock before them.  Then I asked them to just walk with me and watch how it worked, with absolute confidence I took a few steps and looked down and sure enough there was a heart shaped rock at my feet.

The girls still had a bit of trouble, so I told them to just tell God to please show them a heart rock.  They started seeing them slowly at first and the rocks were not exactly perfect (not puffy rocks as Jasmine liked to say), then as they started understanding and getting clear about what they wanted the rocks started turning up more perfect.

I explained to the girls that the less perfect rocks were ones that were “signs of land,” leading them to what they really wanted.

They are teaching me to play everyday, to eat regular meals on time with fruit and vegetables, to read a story before going to bed, to pray before we eat, to smile and laugh…

I am so grateful.