John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

And that's the main theme of today.

peace, love, and humility.

kaeli

Monster, pt. 3

The buzzing of my fan ensues,

White noise to block you out;

My eyes glance around the room,

My heart is beating doubt.

A single lamp is flickering,

I clench a pillow to my chest;

My thoughts cannot stop bickering;

Will I ever find rest?

Footsteps resonate from down the hall

And my pulse is gaining speed.

The rhythms sync, then suddenly halt;

I've sunk down to my knees.

Under the door, a shadow lingers.

My hands clasp together,

Finger intertwined with finger,

And I begin to finally remember:

The door is locked and I hold the key;

Sorry, Monster, for you cannot enter.

Because of Him, I am now free.

Of my life, He is the center.

peace, love, and late-night poetry.

kaeli

Letters from the heart, pt. 2

Dear Beloved,

I know I can always count on you. You've known me for years and years and years, and no matter what I do or how much I irritate you, you love me all the same. There are often times when we get under each other's skin, but there is a love that runs deeper than that. A forgiving love. I remember when I was younger how we used to make blueberry muffins on Saturdays and I would lick the bowl. I remember you helping me with the many times I thought I couldn't do it. I remember falling asleep on your lap in "big church." Don't think you have played your role in my life incorrectly. I couldn't imagine you doing a better job than the one you've already done. You taught me to love music, which has become a big part of who I am, and you taught me to love who I am. You have your downfalls like everyone else, but you are a wonderful example. I love you, Beloved.

Love,

KGR

Dependence Day

It is important to remember that God will not give you or I anything we can't handle with His strength. This means that alone, we will most likely fail. But when we are relying on God and trusting Him with our lives, which includes our troubles and our joys, we will make it through. God has made a way.

1 Corinthians 10:13.

peace, love, and resonance.

k-a-e-l-i

Letters from the heart, pt. 1

Dear Beloved,

You are an amazing human being. Your face is never left without a smile upon it. You are so young, so innocent. I pray that God will one day become a major part of your life. I pray that nothing will hold you back from running to Him and trusting in Him. Child, you are so precious to me and my Father. I will always love you for who you are and who you are becoming. I pray that Darkness will never have a hold on you, that you will be protected from the Evil One. I know you will be great; you already are. I pray that God will use you in a mighty way and that everything in your life will glorify Him. As you move through this world, do not be afraid. Nothing can stop you when God is on your side. Life is difficult, but there is nothing you cannot handle with His strength. I love you, Beloved.

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

-1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV)

Love,

KGR

This present darkness

I feel like lately I've been noticing a lot more spiritual warfare in my life than I have in the past. It could be the cause of a number of things, really: My walk with God is solid and I'm positive that that displeases the Enemy; life is going well and Satan might think he needs to shake things up a bit; I have more knowledge on a certain subject than I did before which has caused me to analyze things a lot more.

God is faithful. I know that He will never give me anything I can't handle with His divine strength. Praise God. I trust in my Savior and I am learning new ways to do that every day. Praise God. He is revealing Himself to me more and more each day and I am continuing to learn and grow. Praise God.

I think I'm going to reread This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It's a christian fiction novel; I read it my freshman year of high school, and I think it's a really great idea of what spiritual warfare looks like. Might be interesting to read it again.

Yesterday was a good day. I started it off by sleeping in til 10:30am, and moved on to watching television for a bit. Then I got ready and went over to FSCC to practice for a fundraiser and few of us are playing at in January. Practice went really well and the songs are really coming together. After that, I was able to go home and chill out for a bit before going to pick up Chris for a guitar lesson at Panera while we waited for Josh to meet us there. Contrary to what he thinks (because he's too self-critical), Chris is really improving with his guitar skills. The three of us ventured over to Jes's to meet her and Aaron there and watch Ong Bak 2.

I probably should've gone to bed earlier last night, because I'm definitely feeling it now as I wait for my first final of the week to start. I'm nervous, which has caused my acid reflux to act up, which means my chest and throat are burning. It's not the most comfortable feeling in the world. I hope you all are having a wonderful December. I'm going to go read my bible now.

peace, love, and anxiety.

kaeli g. riccardi

Perfect darkness

A few years back, I went on a tour of a few caves somewhere up north. The guide brought us way far back into the cave, then started to tell us a story of two boys that got lost in that very cave and when their flashlights eventually died they experienced perfect darkness. Perfect darkness is a complete absence of light; they weren’t even able to see their owns hands if they were an inch from their faces. Because of being in perfect darkness for so long, they eventually went blind and were unable to find their way out of the cave. They died there. It was then that the guide turned off his lantern to let us experience perfect darkness, but only for a few short moments.

In perfect darkness, it is impossible to know whether or not you have gone blind because you can’t see anything anyway; unless light is shining, you will never know. So it is for the Lost. People might not even realize how blind they are unless we are the Light to help them see.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

-Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)

Be a light.

peace, love, and light.

kaeli