Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

What are you willing to give up for your faith. Yesterday was the first time I have been to church in about a month…I have been out of town or not feeling well enough to step foot in church. With the scorching heat that feels like it is roughly 108 degrees we had service in the lounge (air conditioned part of the church which in the 50’s was the sanctuary) Any ways back on subject. I have been babysitting the last week, meaning I didn’t see my own bed until late Friday night. In my head I think all the stress I feel all the time with these kids has to be worth it. It is a good experience, good way to get to know them, a good way to experience something new like being a parent in a way. In my head I kept repeating the words “is this worth it” I needed a break come midweek ….just an hour or so away from kids that weren’t mine. I needed the break to keep my sanity and to keep my mood semi positive. As I thought I still kept asking myself is it worth the money I will be making on the side to suffer through this for one week. It is only 2 families here another one there…I can handle this. Well all of those thoughts are on the side….(I made it! The week and weekend of babysitting is over) I bet your asking how is this story related to the church talk I started with?? Well that is the line that was repeated during the sermon on Sunday…

“Is it worth it?”

Matthew 13:44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
47"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied.
52He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."




Wow what a parable, I love when I can sit in church and something can just hit me, reach out and touch what a week I have had, make me reflect on everything. This was the gospel lesson from yesterday’s service. Pastor O quoted a theologian that died under the hands of Hitler a man that said something like… “grace is free, but it is costly”…may not be the exact words but it is close to that (I should have written it down before now) How true are those words. A man that found the treasure and who wanted to keep it sold everything just to hold on to it. That is telling us that our grace is treasure, Christ is our treasure, God’s love is our treasure. In Matthew 4:18-20 Jesus is calling his first disciples. These men were fishermen they fished to survive in their time they did it for food/money it was a way of life. Jesus had spoken with them and told them to drop everything and follow Him, He would make them fishers of men. And they did, they dropped everything to follow Him. While grace is free because grace is a gift from God. At times it may cause us to take a hard path, a costly path, a path that we have to give up the things we love and sometimes even our lives. Does Christ’s love have as much value to us as the man that found the pearl in the parable above? A man who sold everything just so he could buy the fine pearl….Is it worth it. Is Christ love worth giving up everything…our earthly possessions, our lives? Is it worth it. Is your faith and convictions strong enough to give it all up? Would you lay down your life for him? Is it worth it? I think this is something easier said than done even those who knew Christ couldn’t do this John 13: 37Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
38Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
It is written in 1 John 3:16 (not to be confused with John 3:16) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (brothers meaning our neighbors, friends, enemies, people we don’t even know)
If you were in a burning building and you could save the man lying in the hallway but knew that in doing so you would be sacrificing your own life would you safe his life or would you leave him and save your own? It isn’t something you would say to yourself…hey I’m dying for Christ here if I did safe him, I’m laying down my life for a man….but that is the truth for it is written Matthew 25:40 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
So is asking the question… “Is it worth it?” even if it cost you everything you own the answer is yes, even if it cost you your reputation the answer is yes, even if you loose your life out of that love and grace it is worth it.
Knowing the love of God, know his Grace is worth everything…it is priceless.

"Knee High by the 4th of July"

4th of July

Our Independence Day was declared at the cross on Calvary.

2 Cor. 3:17"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom."

God Bless America

What type of Ice Cream are you?

Your Icecream Flavour is...Neopolitan!

You aren't satisfied with just one flavor. They say variety is the spice of life and this shines through in your Ice cream of choice! Just don't eat all the chocolate and leave the strawberry and vanilla behind!

What is your Icecream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

You Scream I Scream We All Scream 4 Ice ream

mmmmm....my favorite kind of ice cream is mint chocolate chip...what is yours?

Who am I...?

Who am I...? I should have put my head through the guy instead..ha ha I love going on field trips with my class. I never got to go to places like the Iowa Historical Society in DesMoines when I was growing up.

Wanna be like....Mike?

The girls had out the mat today and were dancing around the room when all the other little ones came in (like they do at the end of each day) Kakai is in the youngest room we have so he is the age of two. He doesn’t speak much English, but he can repeat almost anything. He started dancing on the mat with the other girls…when they laid down to kick up their feet so did he….it was the funniest sight. It made me want to dance around the room too…what made it even funnier is the little three-year-old that sat on the side in a chair laughing it up as loud as he could. Isn’t it funny how it is so easy to imitate those around us? (some times we don’t mean to..it just happens) Some days that isn’t a good thing that we imitate…to be like Christ would be the best imitation we could do. Who do you some times imitate in your life?

God Bless,
Kris

Salty Thoughts

As I wonder around the kitchen (that I should be packing up into boxes), I search for something to eat. I have food in my apartment, but it is something that would take time to bake, cook, or grill. Don’t get me wrong I like to cook, but I have to be in the right mood and I have to want to spend the time to do so. In my hunt for food I found a bag of popcorn…microwave it is….. I can hear it, I can smell it…mmm. Have you ever wondered why microwave popcorn and theatre popcorn doesn’t taste the same…why is that. I use to make 3 to 4 large batches of popcorn a night working in a small town theatre…the ingredients are the same…? Is it the idea that makes it different? Have you ever thought about it (or is it just me?)
All this talk is a way that I distract myself from what I’m really thinking about. I was at my sister’s mother-in-laws house this afternoon to take a peek at all the baby clothes and toys she got at such a good deal on for my sister’s baby soon to be. While sitting there she asked if we had heard about the boy that died in our home town….. I froze in my seat. I’m from a small town, so you know almost everyone. She said she couldn’t remember the name, that it was in the paper, an 18 year-old boy died in a car crash. I then went in search of the paper to find out who it was. I came across the name. A boy so young. A boy that I use to tutor since he entered kindergarten…A boy that worked hard for everything he had and didn’t care that his family didn’t have much to begin with. He was never the sharpest crayon in the box when it came to school, but he always had good intentions. I watched him grow in his faith in Sunday school, in conformation…He made it to graduation, which he never thought he could do. I called my dad to wish him a happy Father’s Day and to tell him to make sure my mom knew when she returns from Florida (she is his Sunday school teacher) My dad asked me if I knew how he died. He went on to tell me the whole story, the part that wasn’t in the paper. He fell asleep at the wheel and crossed over the center line flying over the bridge. There he hung upside down for over 5 hours trapped in his truck. A lady stopped and then went to go get help 911 was called, but by the time they had gotten there the truck was in flames…they couldn’t get him out…they said he cried out several times….by this point in the story I had to pass of the phone to my sister because I couldn’t listen any more…I didn’t want to know that he suffered so much. Even writing this I have a hard time holding back my tears. He is so young, he had so much a head of him. Not once did I question God’s plan in all of this…I know that he had to leave this earth for a reason. I know that all people go through mourning in different ways, I chose to think of the positives about someone’s lives and think of how they effected those around them. Have you ever thought about someday when you are gone if you are leaving behind something positive, something that makes people think about the life you lead? How will you be remembered?
It is like the popcorn in the microwave... it is ok, but the popcorn that you remember is that from the theatre...something that has a special flavor. What is your after taste...your salty buttery goodness that you leave behide for people to flavor and remember?

God Bless,
Kris

I was asked what is a favorite memory of my dad and this is the one that appeared in my head last night. My favorite times with my dad aren't on any vacation or opening fabulous gifts at Christmas, but it is the times we get to lay around and relax. This is me as a child 5/6?. My dad built a swing set for us in the backyard...not one from a box or a kit, but one he designed for my sister and me...after the work was all complete (well besides putting sand in the sand box....18 years later, I'm still waiting for that) we relaxed in a hamock. The good o'l days!

To Dad: Happy Father's Day

Father’s day is just around the corner….I haven’t forgotten, I have just chosen not to get my father a gift…mailing him a card (yes..a very nice one that he will leave on the kitchen table for everyone to read…and it could take them a while to do so, cause it is that good) I can’t think of one thing that he needs…or doesn’t already have….so no gift is better than something he will never touch or look at again. (What do you get a man who has everything…? Any ideas?) I wish I had time to go home and go fishing with him….many memories have I of fishing with him (good times) I heard a song on a commercial tonight… “You are the Wind Beneath my Wings” this song has great meaning to me because when I was a little girl I use to sing that song on tape and send it to my father when he was serving in Desert Storm. That was a year that he wasn’t here for Father’s Day. I don’t remember all the gifts I have given him over the years..and he has trouble remembering yesterday so I doubt he does either. So a gift like a song is priceless! Make sure you make this Father’s Day memorable…you never know when it will be your last. What makes the day memorable the memories or the gift?

God Bless those who are our FATHERS blessed are those who our like our FATHERS!

This song always brings tears to my eyes...I will remember you...

Video code provided by Music Video Codes

In Loving Memory.....

In loving memory of Paul.

A man in his late 80's ready to enter into the kingdom of God.
A widow for over two decades.
A man that loved to chat.
A man with a smile no matter how he was feeling.
A man with hundreds of memories and stories.
Oh how he will be missed.
Oh how he was loved by family and friends.
He believed in Christ.
He believed that he was saved.

I will remember this man in my prayers.
I will remember this man in my heart.
I will remember this man in my future.
He believed that things happen for a reason.

Life goes on, this time should be a celebration.
For Paul is Home.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Bless this day in all it's glory Lord, for a friend is ready to come home with you Lord. I pray that he is with you in the place you went before us to prepare oh Christ. Lord help us to know that it is ok to cry and to know that he will be missed, but help us to celebrate his life on earth and his life with you in heaven. Amen


May God continue to bless all of you,
Kris

Me and Peter getting comfortable!

Just to clarify...everyone has to take their picture with Peter Pecker...it is a tradition.

The Bachelor

Patrica...is still going through some changes.
Isn't she beeeeautiful?

The Party! Wild & Crazy Folks!


I did blur the crown....just to make everythng ok

Bachelor Party....hmmmm?

So last night I threw a bachelor party for my co-worker/friend/fellow elementary ed. major. I know you are thinking...girl throwing party for male getting married...little backward huh...? It was a good time however even Peter Pecker got to join us. I'm sure you are thinking who is Peter Pecker? Well he is the manliest of men, he attends bacheloret parties, baby showers, wedding showers, and now without the proper sex change completed yet he even came to the bachelor party. Peter Pecker (aka Patrica). Life of the party no doubt, comedic relief when some special blue punch was added to the situation.
Well now you know about my entertaining evening or little bits of it anyways. Unfortunately when you get together with co-workers you are bound to talk about work. (Which is my normally conversations anyways...I'm addicted to my job, what can I say) Any ways while I was laying on the carpet listening to the conversations...trying not to participate and ruin the ideal bachelor party i over heard the line "once they leave our classrooms they grow they move on and they initial forget about everything that was done and us." so that wasn't an exact quote but it is initially what they said. And I laid on the floor (hoping not to get stepped on ) trying to stay focused on what they had said...thinking to myself that is very sad, but very true. Many of the children will leave my room and never mention my name again I will long be forgotten as they grow....just thinking of this made me very sad. I hope that it isn't true...I hope that I can impact at least one child in my classroom that when they leave they come back whether it be the next year or 20 years down the line. I would love to know if I made an impact on at least one child's memory.
So these are all of my random thoughts for this morning...a picture / two may be posted later....I will make sure to blur part of the images so it isn't inappropriate for the site. (however I don't have my camera because I'm a silly drunk girl and left it in my co-worker's car (and no I didn't leave it there on purpose...regardless of what he thinks...lol)

First time ever attempted by me...girl that loves to repell but hates to climb up. Who would have thought. ??? 

I have been in deep thought on what makes a good friend...what makes a good friend to you? I have known Leah (girl on far right) since we lived across the street as little girls. Regina and I have been friends since like sixth grade and Shannon and I danced togther at a young age and have been friends since like second grade or so....I think that these friendships are important because they last we have been close friends all through high school. We have now been out of school for over 4 years now and we are all still close. I want to thank those of you who I call friends because your friendship means the world to me and I hope they last a life time. 

What are you wearing

So I’m at home taking it easy. It has been a stressful few first days of summer…but I’m dealing. I was flipping through channels and found Spiderman and they have a good quote that stuck in my head…. “with great power comes great responsibility.” How true are those words in your life? I relate them to work for me….I’m a lead teacher by myself with several responsibilities some times it gets to me. Also when I heard this line I thought of how Christ had such great power and with that power came his responsibility on earth to fulfill the promise.
I have a bunch of random thoughts today. I was reading a devotional (Philippians 3:1-11) and it was talking about being well-dress. [I want to be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own…but that which is through faith in Christ.] With it being a gorgeous, sun-drenched, scorching 90 degrees…it got me thinking about righteousness and the true meaning of righteousness, what we are clothed with…what does it mean to you? Righteousness to me means FORGIVENESS. Just like on this scorching day you wouldn’t sit outside on the hill wearing a parka and long johns with a stocking hat for hours on end…not the ideal clothing selection for the day, but in the same manor God wraps us up even on the hottest of days in His love, he keeps us safe and protected. He has given us a robe of righteousness. “how well dressed are we?”

God Bless,
Kris

Forgive the typos…a little tired after working…that would be why everything is so random.. : -)

Beautiful Butterfly

On our fieldtrip today we went to Reiman Gardens it was a wonderful sight to see children following butterflies around...having them land on their fingers while children stared in awww. God Bless the little things in life.

Happy Birthday

It isn't my birthday today...tho I wish those who's it is a very happy one! I was sitting at church today and a child was baptized and I thought to myself as greatful as I am to celebrate my birthday that I should be willing to celebrate my spiritual birth through baptism as well. May 29, 1983 I was brought and baptized by water and the words. What a wonderful day that was and how I wish I could remember it in my mind. What does Baptism mean to you...is it important in your life?

God Bless

As I sit in my apartment, I think in my head I wish I was back home and it was sunny outside...oh how I wish it were sunny outside...cloudy days make me grumpy and kind of sad and mopey.

Sin

Back in Luther’s day good works were used to help your life in purgatory be much shorter. Purgatory is the place where it is told we would go if we aren’t a person like the Pope, Paul, or Mother Theresa. It is a place where we are to wait until we are good enough to get to Heaven…it is the in-between place of earth and heaven, a place where we could make things right with God. They believed that Christ died but that only took care of the Original (Alien) sin. So they did good works to counter act the Actual (Proper) sin, which they didn’t feel the average person was ever good enough in their life time to take care of their proper sin. The church then sold indulgeses for those who were in purgatory…a piece of paper that said they were forgiven for a sin. You could buy them for you or for some one that has gone before you. Looking at this it just doesn’t make any sense to me, if it were really up to us we would never be good enough for God.
I brought up the words Alien sin that is the sin that is passed down person-to-person…human nature, sin since conception…Proper sin is the sin that comes from us, we are the source of the sin.

If you were asked right now on the spot… “If you were to die today are you going to heaven?” What would you say?

Back in the day most people would have said “ I hope I am a good enough person. I hope so…”What would you say?

I think that Christ died not only for the Original sin but for the Proper sin, he died so that we may have everlasting life in Him, He died for the salvation of all people. He died so that all our sins no matter what kind they are taken away, so that we may become righteous.

What does righteousness mean to you?

Thought for the day…

God Bless,
Kris

Just listen...(don't watch)...Think of it as a spiritual uplift??!

sorry can only listen to one song at a time...had to take it off.

Hmmmm

I would love to know what you are thinking….
What do you say sin is…
What is Righteousness…..
Can we work our way to heaven….

Next blog posting thoughts!Please at least post a name if you don't have a blog site...i'm always curious who reads my blog.

Thanks~Kristy

Are you looking out for #1?

Yesterday I took a look at Martin Luther’s writings Heidelberg Disputation. I would paraphrase and summarize…but it is a little hard to do and Luther said it much better than I ever could.

21

A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross
calls the thing what it actually is.
This is clear: He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering. Therefore he prefers works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil. These are the people whom the apostle calls “enemies of the cross of Christ” [Phil. 3:18], for they hate the cross and suffering and love works and the glory of the works. Thus they call the good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good. God can be found only in suffering and the cross, as has already been said. Therefore the friends of the cross works are dethroned and the old Adam, who is especially edified by works, is crucified. It is
impossible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has
first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he
is worthless and that his works are not his but God’s.

Wow, I know you must be thinking….what does this mean to me?

We need to stop looking at the theology of glory and start focusing on the theology of Christ. Take a look at the line that states “good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good.” Do we do good deeds because it is going to get us in to heaven, make us look good, make us a better person, advance our own earthly lives….? Those are selfish reasons aka the theology of glory I was talking about. Don’t get me wrong I love to be “good” I love to help others…., but the key is I don’t do it to better myself, but because I know that Christ has saved me from my sins and that I don’t need to work for them. I do “good” things not because I have to but because I want to do them for Him and because of that Love of Christ and the love He has for us aka Theology of Christ.

When you look at success in your life do you see it? When you look at Peter’s or Paul’s life in the New Testament would you consider that a successful life? I’m taking a look at the line above that says “enemies of the cross.” What do you think that means…what is an enemy of the cross? To me that is saying that those are the people looking for earthly success. Those that say they are Christians but are because they think that God is going to give them “blessings”. When I was a child I was told I have several blessings in my life…and I would think to myself….(that is true)I have a car, a house to live in, a yard to play in and two legs to walk around on. Now that I’m older (not much wiser) I know that I do have all of my blessings…I have spiritual blessings. I don’t need to look at earthly things and consider them the blessings God promised. God promised to take care of us and to bless us. He has spiritually. These blessings are genuine, they challenge us to lead, they are sincere and real in our lives. That doesn’t mean that being a Christian is going to be easy, it means that even though I’m blessed I’m still going to be led down a bumpy path, but it means that I’m not walking it alone. When we look at earthly blessings we are looking out for number one in life (yourself) Instead we need to look at the blessings in our lives from a different perspective and pray for others who don’t see that God has blessed each of us by saving us from our sins and His death on the Cross.

Lord I pray that each of us take the time today and open our eyes to you, to see the spiritual blessings in our lives. Amen.

May you see God’s Blessing in your lives,

Kris

Sorry for the typos…I have had to post this ending like three time…you would have thought I would have saved it the first time…my blog site hasn’t wanted to work for me yesterday or today.

Ability

For the past couple of weeks I have really struggled, I was told that I was a “mean teacher” to me those are just crushing words. My goal in life is to be a wonderful teacher, wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law and someday an awesome grandmother. I know these are big goals…and so it just crushes me when a student says such words. I know that I shouldn’t let them get to me…I know that it is because I have rules and structure that they must follow, which is unlike any of the other teachers they have had. I have my good days where I’m all smiley and days that anything can set me off (I’m a woman….it is my purgative to be moody). I have had good conversations with parents and ones that upset me and make me just want to scream and shout.
So I let it go…I got past it…or so I keep telling myself….
Last night after one really long day at work I was to baby-sit for a family, when I pulled up she was waiting at the door…nose pressed against the glass, really brought a smile to my face. This was the first time I had gotten to watcher her, she is a first grader…a all round great kid! She is filled with daily hugs when she sees me…you know me, I LOVE hugs! We were walking through the park later that evening and she said… “do you know what?” what? “you are my favorite teacher!” with her arms rapped around me I just had to tell her she made my day.
Do you ever have days where you are having up and down feelings…there are moments I question my ability to be a professional teacher someday soon. I know that I shouldn’t fear this upcoming step in my life. I need to be willing to “take a risk, take a chance, and break away.” I know that being great at what I do will take work, determination, perseverance, love, endurance, and patience along with many other things…but is something that I can do…..but so often these questions of ability or lack there of, pop up in other aspects of my life.
I pray that Lord leads me down the path of life that I may keep my trust in him that I will do great in whatever he has chosen me to do. I ask that the Lord help me keep in mind that everything in my past helps give meaning to my future. May I learn from my past from my small town up brining all the way up to the several colleges I’ve been to, everybody I will never forget, and those that are at the back of my mind.
I hope that everyone else has had a great week!

God Bless,
Kris

I promised a photo of Grace...so here she is, sleeping!!! 

Great Flood

I know no flood really compares to the great flood back in Genesis, but I’m going to share my day with you. Yesterday I went to go unlock the door at work and as soon as I entered I could feel something wasn’t right, things didn’t look right nor did it sound right at all. I kept hearing water rushing from somewhere…..I looked down at the floor and found water slowing creeping its way up to my toes. I started to walk through it and it got deeper and the sounds got louder. As I looked through each room it covered the floors. My classroom looked like a swimming pool with an algae problem (dark green carpet) I finally found where the water was coming from and for the life of me couldn’t get it shut off. Under the kitchen sink water was pouring out like Niagara Falls. I made all the calls, tired to prepare for children to show up. While trying not to panic. I don’t think I have ever seen that much water in one building. Some pipe broke under neither the sink and had been running the hot water full pressure all night…..GREAT FLOOD 2005. So for the next week I will being dealing with a little wet mess, lots of messy stuff, and a whole lot of fans! I’m a little frantic right now because I don’t like having the children in this situation and having to turn parents away and not be with their children yesterday was really hard. Well there is my week for ya…just thought I would share!
God Bless,Kris

Pentecost

Yesterday we celebrated Pentecost (Birthday of the Church). Acts 2:1-21 Is the story of Pentecost when a great changed was noticed when change amazed and shocked many. Pastor kept repeating the words “my have you changed” he said that when people show up at graduations, class reunions, family reunions…the common words are just those. We see physical, political, and even spiritual changes being made in people’s lives. Pentecost is about recognizing the change in the church…..seeing how each of us are touched by the spirit. Where would we be today if it weren’t for the changes that were seen in Saul. (Paul) Where would we be if Martin Luther didn’t nail the 95 Thesis to the door….which later led to the Reformation, if he hadn’t felt the spirit and made a change? On July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence was signed, but yet the King of Britain had written in his journal, “nothing important happened on this day.” Yet through those changes we have all been changed here in America. Change might not have been seen at that time, by the people around them, or the people on the other side of the globe. Changes were made, lives altered….It was ten days after the ascension of Christ that lives where noticeably different for His disciples that then through that transformation were others changed as well. When the Holy Spirit came down to them and leaders were then teachers, that those that were reluctant were peaceful at heart, those that were disciples were now apostles. They made there way to thousands speaking in the people’s native tongues, worshiping and sharing the message of God’s love to others. What an awesome change.

Think about how many people you are connected to, how many lives to you have a chance to change, mold, and influence? On facebook it says that I’m connected to 4526 through my friends…and that is a big number. How can I not want to share my faith with at least one of those who don’t know about His almighty and awesome love?

Lord I pray that you may help to bring changes in our lives, be good or bad, help us to grow in your love, help us to share that love with others. May we all have a chance to grow and change not only physically (we are all getting old) but spiritually.

As we think of Pentecost think of change….think of how we can invite the Holy Spirit to Come.

God Bless,
Kris

Forgive the typos…I was a little scatter brained when this was written!

Also if you want to read another interesting blog check out…. http://www.innerthoughtsofkeith.blogspot.com/

"To Move the World, We Must First Move Ourselves."

quote by Socrates

Bridge Closed A Head...like 2 feet..

Road Blocks

I just got done holding one of the most precious things in life….a little child. Grace is truly a gift.... a little side track when I make it home I will post a picture of us!


As I was driving home from seeing her I found myself making a u-turn….nope I didn’t forget anything….there was a sign that said bridge closed. There was no warning that the road was closed a head and in the country that means 3 or 4 mile turn around and 5 or 6 extra miles back tracking. Heaven forbid I wasn’t very happy. They didn’t give any warning of this before I got to it. As I continued driving I started thinking…wow how many times do I find myself faced with road blocks…my path in life isn’t going the way I want it to? How many times do I miss the warning signs or there aren’t any to look at and I just smack right into a dead end. Life can be directed by signs…can be ended by others. One thing is for sure God is the driver and we are the passengers along for the ride. I know I am a backseat (side seat driver) and get lost among the way, but I know that I need to put my faith in the pure fact that God is leading me so I don’t have to worry about the road signs…I have my personal navigator.
God Bless
Kris

'Creme-Puff" aka drop of FAITH

When God invites us to know Him, He draws us into His light. He encourages us to cease hiding, to end pretending, to stop all the lies and fabrications, to come as we are, like that song says, “Just as I am.” The light tells us, even before we believe, “Come. It’s safe. I won’t hurt you. See, it’s just a little doorway out of the darkness. I promise, you won’t be destroyed; in fact, it’ll be the greatest thing that will ever happen to you.” It’s true. When we come to God into His light, we need not fear being scorched or burned. He is gentle, kind, never accusing, never mocking He shows us the truth only as we are able to receive it. He leads in the way only as we become ready to walk in it. He light nudges us toward the truth with the lure of real food, (The way to most of our hearts is truly through our stomachs) real thirst-quenching spiritual water…life. When we finally partake, we are overwhelmed that the all-powerful, all-knowing, and infinitely holy God is a crème-puff who at the drop of faith is wiling to give us everything…His kingdom, His presence, His heart…and never look back.

“God has no problems, only plans.”~Corie ten Boom

Not My Will, But Yours Be Done

Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Psalm 22:9-11

One of the most difficult prayers to pray is that one which Jesus uttered in Gethsemane: “Not my will, but yours be done.” When we have some plan or hope which is very dear to us, it is extremely difficult for us to give it up. We may even feel resentful or bitter that God doesn’t see the matter our way.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, had prayed: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” The prospect of the agony and the pain he would have to endure was almost unendurable. But it could not be any other way! For it was written. Paying for the sins of the world was demanding the ultimate sacrifice of the Son of God.
Thank God, that in the midst of this desperate situation the Savior still clung to God in faith. As he considered his earthly life, he realized that He had a special position in God’s plans for men. From his birth on God had already marked him for special service. That God had led him to the cross had changed nothing. That, too, was part of the eternal plan to save sinners. Thus he trusted that, in spite of being forsaken, he was still an object of great concern to his Father. Even though rebuffed by God, he still sought to remain close to God and recognized him as his only Helper. When he gave up the spirit, it was with the confidence that God was still backing him. For he said, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Jesus was sure that God’s will was a good and gracious will. We have the same conviction as we ponder death of Christ. Although no life, no work, could have come to a more ignominious or disastrous end than that of our Savior, yet we know that it was not a disaster.
When the answer to our prayers is different than we expect, when the goal we pursue escapes our grasp, it’s not really the end of the world. We have the confidence that God has something in mind for us, which is wiser and more beneficial if we too are faithful to the end, as the Savior Jesus Christ was.
I know so many times I struggle in my life making sure that when I chat with God I’m thankful for what He has given me and that I need to put my whole trust in Him, I need a strong faith. I may not know where my life is headed but there is a path I just need some road signs and a few detours and some day I hope and pray I will join the Father in heaven.

I pray that God directs my life for me, I follow meek and lowly.

Graduation!!

This was the video clip of my graduation song..but it did not work.

I hope you Dance

With graduation coming up for so many very soon, it got me thinking about my past days of high school... I even pulled out some old yearbooks the other day just to help with the memories. (I’m forgetful…and it has been a while since I’ve been in high school) I have students graduating that I use to baby-sit for back in the day….a girl that was a freshman in high school when I started coaching her….where does the time go? I was looking through video clips and found my graduation song “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. It reminds me not to sit back and let life pass. Have a wonderful day….I hope you dance!

Peace of God be with You,
Kristy

question about you

How do you see yourself....and how do others see you? I was listening on the radio today and it asked those questions and really got me thinking and questioning how I present myself to others, and how others present themselves to me. So I ask you the same things......how do you see yourself...and how have others seen you, have you ever thought about it before, and is this something that is imporant to God?

There is true beauty in a rose....it is naturally beautiful, it has no worries....it grows...it dies...and then the cycle is repeated by one next to it.

dun dun dun dun done!

For all of you who aren't going to the same school as me or aren't a good'ol speder....we are done for the semester. By far this was the hardest semester ever and I am thankful it is done and over with. It was great to celebrate last night...took a load off my shoulders! Have a great day!

Happy Mother's Day

Mother’s day is just around the corner….as a young women in my mid twenties, I often wonder to myself as to whether or not I’m going to make a good mother. Will I be able to provide for my children to help them grow in a loving environment, shelter them from evil things, provide for their daily needs? I often time wonder if the ideal parents often struggle…how am I going to do it……?
I look towards the future and ask myself someday if and when I become a mother…..am I going be a good one? I don’t know if anyone else ever questions what kind of parent they will be, but as I struggle with children at work I often wonder if I will have enough patience for my own children. These are just a few thoughts running through my head. Don’t forget to wish your own mother a happy mother’s day and thank her for being apart of you life and bringing you into this world. If you don’t have a mother…who do you consider to be a motherly figure in your life, a female role model?

God Bless you and your mom,
Kris

Sinners

Are we born sinners??? Why yes I think we are. I think that we are born in to sin and die in our sins, but by the death and resurrection in Christ we have new life and are forgiven by those sins. Some people say that we as humans choose to be good or evil…well sure that is true…but that doesn’t take us any less of a sinner. To be doing something bad and to be a sin is the same thing, but doing something that we might think is good could also be a sin in the eyes of God and not our own. I feel that doing wrong and sin while connected doesn’t mean that those who are innately good in life aren’t any less of a sinner. We are born on this earth with our sins. We may look at a little child and say they are innocent, how can they know sin. It is hard to look at a small child on their deathbed and know they haven’t had the opportunity to know Christ and His love so they are not saved. (don’t take the wrong way…I’m not saying they aren’t) I think that even as a child from birth we are filled with the ability to be aware of His presence. It is not our place to judge who is to enter the kingdom of God….it is His call. We have a choice in our lives to serve Him who sent us, to try to lead good lives and be good just because you think you can earn your way to heaven, choice a path that is crooked and evil….we have choices no doubt, but regardless of our path we are all sinners, born into our lives to die in our sins without GRACE we are to look forward to eternal death…but with GRACE we look for eternal life in the place Jesus has prepared for us.

May God Bless You In Your Daily Walk With Him,
Kris
My prayers are with those who are finishing up finals and for those who are beginning to travel home.

Who Jesus is......to me!

Yesterday I posed the question who is Jesus? The reason I ask is because I wanted to know what Jesus means to others. When it comes to religion, to my faith….it means nothing without Jesus. So He is an important figure in my life. I know that I have had this conversation with a few of you lately and we ran out of time to finish our own ramblings….so I thought I would post my own opinion on the matter. I have been questioning my path in life and if where I am going is the right one. I know in my heart that I don’t have to question who Jesus is. Jesus is a man there is not doubt in that. He cried, he walked, he crawled, he felt human emotions, he was born and he died. He however was sinless…something we are not. Jesus knew he was the light of the world. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 I have no doubt that other religions believe that Jesus lived, some believe that he was a prophet, a great teacher. I agree to some extent….but I feel that he was much more than that. How can some say they believe in God and believe that Jesus was alive and not realize the connection between the two? “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30. I think it is easier to think that we can save ourselves, that we are the human race and have choices that either get us to heaven or hell all on our own. I don’t feel that is true…..I think that God gave us his son (John 3:16) because he loves us….he gave us the choice to believe and except Him or to live an earthly life lost to our own sins. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. Who took on a fleshy body as a human to help guide us, to teach us, to love us….to help us understand that God paid the ultimate sacrifice…that Jesus was sent to do something we could never do, we are not capable of doing anything with such greatness as the son of God. Jesus is man and God. Jesus is a friend, the good Shepard, the Messiah, Emmanuel, the Savior.

God Bless,
Kris

Who is Jesus?

Quote of the DAY!

I know this is like my 3rd blog of the day...i'm reading and not motivated to work on yet one more paper...

"It is the supreme art of the

teacher to awaken joy in

creating expression

and knowledge"

....who said this you may ask...it wasn't me...but Albert Einstein.

I was inspired what can I say! Fill your Monday with inspiration!

Who am I?

I was reading a book the other day in my free time (well, not really free time, but time I didn't want to write a paper so I'm going to call it free time.) I thought of nice quote to share with you written by Marva Collins

I am a teacher.
A teacher is someone who leads.
There is no magic here.
I do not walk on water,
I do not part the sea.
I just love children.

That just really said wow to me.

God Bless

MONDAY

well here it goes...I bet your asking yourself here goes what....?
well for me it is one of the last weeks of the semester (I'm not counting the finals i have next week...cause i'm not stressing out on those things) The end of the semester is here and I'm ready to take a deep breath and look futher into the summer for great things to come!
I hope all of you have a great Monday!

God Bless and lots of Prayers,
Kristy

What is a Friend? What qualities make a friend...a friend?

M*A*S*H

The question was asked today (? he knows who he is) where do I think I'll be when I'm 25 year-of-age. I have decided that I have no plans for my life...as a child (or at least from jr. high) I had a whole time line laid out....when I was to be married, where I was going to live, what I was going to be doing...(Remember MASH) Where are you going to be when you are 25 years old...or in like 3 years?

What's in a name?That which we call a rose..by any other name would smell sweet.

I was talking about this with a friend, thought I would share...what does your name mean?

Kristy = follower of Christ, Christ bearer

Please share with me your name and its meaning...what does it say about
you?

Who opened the can of worms?

Don’t get me wrong I like earth worms…(today is Earth Day!), but the smell….not so good. (you know what I’m talking about) So many people say they like the smell after a fresh rain…I’m not really sure what that means because I always smell worms. Some say I’m not your typical girl…some say it is weird that a girl like me would like to fish, play with bugs and worms.
Any ways it is raining… kind of gloomy, one of those days that it is nice to stay curled up inside for us and a good day for the worms to be sprawled out all over the ground. Can you just picture yourself as a worm….your underground suit flooded from drops of rain, mud flowing across your path and your only retreat being the sidewalk where others walk….smushing you, or where children can see you…pick you up and throw you around or pull you apart.
This is just a random thought for the day.

Walking One Step At A Time

Man do I enjoy my walk across campus first thing in the morning. With it being spring it is a spectacular sight, just breath in the fresh air and take one relaxing step after another and look at the beautiful buds on the trees and the yellow tulips that are out ready to soak up the sun. I love this time alone in the morning…I get off work and I head to class, it is my reflection time. As I walk I look at people….I know it isn’t polite to stare…(so I don’t) Most people I pass have this glazed over look their faces and a slow moving glide in their feet….if I didn’t know any better I would say that there had been a mass murder right before finals….and all the zombies are out roaming the campus. Oh as the semester comes to and end will those look dissipate.
Have you ever been walking a just tripped? Oh was there a hole or something I didn’t see…a crack in the sidewalk you say……..nope just my feet with the inability to walk. Laugh it up….do a little chuckle or giggle inside……I know you have all had those days…where you trip up and try to catch yourself….or just hit the pavement. Have you tripped over something that you didn’t see or something that wasn’t even there….with lots of people around you…(I know you have J…don’t deny it) Well if you didn’t guess… not only was the great scenery apart of my morning, but walking…not falling…but walking and almost losing my shoe while surrounded by people…I just smiled..and stated it was way too early in the morning…lol, I’m sure you are wondering where my semi-embarrassing story is leading towards…well it reminded me of a song from DCTalk song comes to mind…what if I stumble, what if I fall, what if I loose my step and I make fools of us all….would our walk continue, or will a walk become a crawl…what if I stumble, what if I fall.
How many times in our lives do we fall away (trip up) I lay awake at night sometimes thinking about how many times I find myself falling down…just a little stumble at a time…do you ever feel that way? James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”—I am surely not this perfect creation…and far from it am I. Christ the Lord was a perfect man and is someone to look to for forgiveness, it is who we crawl to.
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light.” The Lord should be our guide, our light in our life, so no matter how many times you may make that embarrassing fall…the Lord is there to lead a hand..to help us up.

Keep walking that path of rightousness.

~Kris

Ps. sorry for errors...and if you have read past blogs this week or last..i'm not even sure how you made sense of them...i read back through them half of them are all mixed up or a few sentence here and there didn't make sense....all i can say is sorry bad typing comes from typing too many papers...and being really scattered brained.

Grace is born

Today Melissa had a baby girl, her name is Grace. I'm not sure how long she is or how much she weighs...but she is health. Grace is a fabulous name for a little girl. The name means gift and she truely is a gift from God.
God Bless the children of the world.

~Kris

Love

Yesterday night instead of writing a paper I went to Bible study and watched Shrek…haven’t seen it you say…well you should go rent it. We focused on love, if you have read previous Blogs, then you know I talk about this a lot. In class we took a look at….you guessed in 1 Cor. 13. Did you know that in the Greek language our English word love has four different words…

Storge-love of family
Eros-sexual love/attraction
Philio-brotherly
love/friendship
Agape-God’s love

1Cor 13. is talking about that unconditional love (there is an equilibrium) this verse isn’t about our love, but God’s love (Agape)..how do we know this? In verse 5 it talks about the characteristic of “not self seeking” so with other loves there is always a give and take. So while this is a verse often used in marriage ceremonies….we should just be asking for agape to be apart of eros and philos.

Matt 5:43-48 you always can love, but how is that different than the pagans? These verses are talking about loving someone that maybe unlovable…(am I saying you have to like the person?…nope just love them) Look at the people around you…do you love them like you should…are you showing them philio?

Oh and a really good verse that tells us that it is ok to philio, that we aren’t capable of agape. John 21:15-19 Jesus questions Peter… “Peter do you agape?” “yes I philios”-Peter replied. “Peter do you agape?” “yes I philios”…then Jesus asked one last time… “Peter do you philos?” “Yes Lord I philos you.” It was at this time we see that it is ok that Jesus is excepting of the philos we have to offer him. Peter (us) can now see the weakness in our love….we can never agape, but we can love all. You may be thinking why did he ask the same question thee times in a row…well remember Peter earlier on denied Christ three times.

I talk about love a lot because I think it is essential in life. In John 4:7-16 Love=God. The only way to see love is through God. We can give nothing back to God that is why his is agape…no strings attached kind of love. Love comes from faith in Christ. (I’m not saying that people who are not Christians can’t love, but they might not understand agape..the meaning of love from God.)
Just a thought for the day…..our love is not perfect..., but God accepts us the way we are.

Love,
Kris

Sorry for the errors and the jumbledness..i’m in class!

Motivation

What drives you? What motivates you to get things done? What makes you want to be a better person? Maybe you don't ask yourselves these questions....but these things are running through my head as the end of the semester is near....(scary scary) this past Sunday Pastor Mark talked about motivation or being lead. How do we lead in our lives? These are some questions I throughout at you so please take the time and let me know your thoughts! God Bless you and for all of you who are go going through study issues, loads of papers, group projects I pray for motivation and diligence.

Have a fabulous day!
Kris

"In the long run you hit what you aim at, so aim high "
~Henry David Thoreau

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act,
but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."
~Anatole France

Children

There is no greater love than a love of a child. (Except God’s love…of coarse) As I sit rocking a small child to sleep at 11:30pm. (I was thinking wow, I’m glad I don’t have to do this every night) Really I was thinking how pure babies or young children are. They know how to sit up, how to eat, sleep, cry, and poop and possibly pee all over if you’re not careful. They also know love and a how to smile (a natural expression). For a child’s love is unconditional…you could be a drugged out father sitting in a rocking chair all day, but I’m sure your own child loves you….you could have given up your child for adoption and 19 years later found them and there is still love.
Someday I would love to have my own children (I will wait until I get out of college and get married) until then I will continue to thank God for the children in my life. They have a lot they still need to learn, but they make really good teachers. I pray that my relationship with God is as that as a child’s relationship with God. Pure, untouched by sin acts, meaning the greatest Sunday school answer (Jesus) is believed whole-heartedly. Children come to God and are accepting as we grow we tend to question and grow away from God…some of us are fortunate to find the path again but our view is distorted by sin as an adult. I pray that like the child whom sleeps in their crib tonight always keeps that child like faith. I pray that all of us can find that faith again.
God Bless,
Kris

"Its the end of the world as we know it.."

The end is coming, no I'm not talking about the end of the world...though that is coming too. The end of the semester is near, I'm counting down. (can't say I’ve done that since my senior year of high school) I'm ready to celebrate, celebrate the end of the hardest semester I think I have ever done. *I know some Sped people reading this are nodding right now....* As the semester comes to an end I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I sat with children at a young writers conference and in an introduction my partner and I were like "we are almost teachers" and it was like wow...almost a teacher....light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a senior with one more semester of classes and one semester of student teaching left...I'm not sure I'm ready to be done. I am, but I'm not. I have made some of the best connections at the University that I'm at and I don't know where those connections will go when we are all graduated. I have friends that are done in three weeks....and I'm like whoa, where are they going from here...friends getting married...that is a big whoa in my book because a lot of them are a lot younger than me....I think I have been laying around too long by myself tonight...I'm getting to deep in to thought and dwelling on way too much.
I know that things have to be in constant change and though the semester is almost done I know there are other things throughout the summer that are going to push my buttons or just push me right off a cliff. Things are going to change and challenge me and I just pray that I can be accepting of all of it. Right now I'm sitting in front of my computer...my day has been ok, nothing extra special I'm holding a lot of feelings inside right now dealing with personal issues with people being honest with me. I know that not everyone is going to like me....I'm ok with that (i guess), but I'm not for getting blown off and lied to...(who does that honestly) I want to thank those who I am friends with....if you don't know this already...friends mean the world to me....so now you know! Well I'm off to sleep, so that my day tomorrow can be spent diligently working on research papers!
dream sweet, God Bless
Kris

forgive typos..i'm tired

Flower Power

Today is just another day. I walked across campus for the second time today (I was forgetful so I had to make an extra trip) On the way back to class a random guy walked by and handed me a flower. I little white daisy that really made me think about my day. For some reason it was something so simple that it brought a smile to face. Then I walked into the courtyard and took a deep breath and the smell of magnolias filled my sense. I’m normally not a flower girl, but we all have our moments where we get all sensitive and stuff. Often times we go through life we let things pile up, things are on our minds constantly and distract us from what is important, even if it is something simple as looking at some of God’s greatest creations and we shouldn’t have to worry so much about everything else blocking our hearts…taking up space on our minds.
Take a step back and breath in life…this is what I’m working on (following my own advice)

God Bless,
Kris

Doubt

How many times do you doubt your own abilities or the abilities of others? How many times do you question yourself, your beliefs, your mind?
Jesus appeared to Thomas (Didymus). Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus had come previously. He had heard the rumors that Jesus lived and yet he still doubted. He walked with Jesus. He listened to His teachings and yet he had little faith that this wonderful thing could have happened, that Christ lives. Thomas wanted to see everything with his own eyes, to feel Jesus side with his own two hands. John 20:21 Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. How often we find ourselves thinking the same thing having doubt or asking God to prove His presence. Matthew 14 is when Peter decided to walk on the water. I’m sure if he would have thought about it clearly before he may have hesitated a little more. He had faith in His Lord and the mighty power and started walking across the waves. Like most men he got scared, he looked down and doubt over powered what faith He did have. “you of little faith, why do you doubt?” With the semester winding down I find myself looking at my future even more, praying for the days to come. Often times I find the feeling of doubt going through my head. Doubt is a strong feeling that often times gets mixed up with confusion, frustration, or just plain stupidity on the part of being of the human race. Mark 11:-22-25 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,” ‘Go throw yourself into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen; it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that you Father in heaven ay forgive you your sins.” Am I saying you can pray for a million dollars and receive it…nope that isn’t what I was thinking about when choosing this passage to share. God has the mighty power to do what He wills. I feel that even if we ask for it God chooses when the best time is for us to have answered prayers. We might not always see prayers answered in the way we want them…but God has a plan for that answer. James 1:2 –12 talks about the crown of life and the man who perseveres, it also says “but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord….” I pray that you may not doubt in the Lord God’s power over us. I pray that though the weeks get long and as many times over I ask myself what if, why, what am I going to do questions that I remember that I’m not really alone and that I should not forget to praise Him, that I should not doubt in myself and my own abilities. I should not doubt in the Lord.

God Bless, Kris

Prayer

Back in February (Feb. 21st to be exact: Unanswered Prayers) I had posted a blog on pray, but it is a daily thing so I’m going to write about it again. Prayer was the awesome topic for devotion tonight, which was lead by Aaron. It reminded me of how I need to take the time and pray daily not just once but several times. Does it matter how you pray or when you pray…the answer is no. (that means the old Sunday school thing of bowing your head, closing your eyes, and folding your hands…doesn’t really matter) Prayer is like that direct line to God. There is no charge for going over your minutes with Him because the call is free and we have unlimited minutes with Him. There is no call waiting or voice mails and calls won’t get lost or disconnected. We don’t have to go through anyone or thing to talk to Him we can go directly to Him. Prayer should be an important part of daily lives. The way I look at is…looking at old friends and over time you talk less and less until you are not talking at all and you don’t even really notice it is just something that happened, now there is a great distance between two people. The same thing happens with God. If we stop communicating with God (having daily chats) then we leave the door open for that connection to die off or not be as strong. Aaron read off what prayer meant to him today and I thought it was cool, I had never heard it before. How should we pray. We should focus on being able to:

Praise
Repent
Ask
Yield

I can remember when I was taught how to pray and the first prayer I learned to say was the one Jesus taught his disciples Luke 11:1-3 1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father,[a] hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.[b] 3Give us each day our daily bread.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
[ Thanksgiving and Prayer ] We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

I pray tonight that you may take a look at your own prayer life. Amen
Love Peace and Groovy
Kris

Christ is Risen!

Wow, so today was Easter. I greeted at church today...meaning I wore a nametag and repeated the words "good morning" or to change it up "Happy Easter" while shaking hands and smiling at those passing by. I realized that I didn't recognize a lot of the people coming through the door. I know that I don't know a lot of the names of people at church, but I recognize people week after week. Today was different. It looked like quite a few student, ones that had never gone before. I was one of the last ones to walk into the church, which happened to be packed, and always feel out of place when walking down an aisle while everyone looks oddly at ya. I wanted to know if they just woke up this morning and thought to themselves…oh it is Easter…I better go to church? I think it is the same when it comes to Christmas too. I thought to myself there is a lot of pressure on the pastor to make his sermon really meaningful and memorable cause this might be the only time to reach these people and remind them why it is so important to have a relationship with God. While the Easter message is extremely joyous if people make it to church at the same time every year just for that one sermon…maybe the church should mix it up a bit, celebrate Easter the week before and focus on the life Jesus lead and the importance of the message that lead up to Easter. (just a random thought)

What Easter means to me….

Easter is a wonderful day that we can take a look at the resurrection of Christ. It is a day to rejoice that our eternal death was defeated by His own death. If you don’t know the Easter story check out anyone of the Gospels.

In pastor’s sermon today he asked the question “Where do we go from here?” So where is that? Tomorrow Easter will be a word of the past until next year. Shouldn’t we really be celebrating daily? Using the Easter message to connect with other messages in the Bible…..cause it is all about the connections. The old testament lead or fore told the death and resurrection of Christ, Take a deep look at the beauty of the message.

God Bless You All,
Kris

I walk alone....

I was bored out of my mind tonight and decided everyone else is gone home for Easter weekend or has put me on the sidelines, which seems to be pretty normal. Right now I feel like a yo-yo. So I decided I would take a walk around campus by myself (it is safer than walking through the park by myself) I tried to walk around and clear my head, but ended up just putting everything in a blender...I have decided that no matter whatever I do I'm alone. This isn't a new development for me, but something I put in the back seat and only deal with when everything else is on my plate. I know God is with me, but sometimes I pray that I'm not walking the emty streets by myself. I'm still alive and kicking, counting down until the end of the semester...can it come faster?
God Bless,
Kris

I walk alone...the story of my life

Video code provided by MusicVideoCodes.com

I went there to make connections with the family and with the people that I went there with. I went to have a great time and to get messy! This trip was a BLESSING to me to say the least.

To recap what a group of us did....ripped out a floor and put a new one down and built a railing and painted...do I call it work? Sure, but I did it with a smile and loved almost every minute of it.

The wonderful snow in Kentucky, my first snowman of the year! This jolly fellow is sporting a magical hat made out of foam found in the yard, a pop bottle and a checker piece for the eyes, yellow beads for a bright smile and the socks she used as mittens durning our snowball fight are wrapped around the neck.

For those of you who aren't on facebook.com or on my msn here is one of my favorite pictures from Kentucky. Here I am with a Pepsi machine that is out in the middle of nowhere, on the side of the road, in the the mountains....who would have thought it would work and better yet it was cold and was only 50cents.

Who would have thought a simple bag of marbles would be so much fun and hours of enjoyment. For one small six-year-old with no toys she could make that bag go a long way.

Remembering what a good time I had on Spring break with my new friends. James, Pastor Mark, Brad, Dan, Erin, Me, and Kimberly. Some days I wish I was back there.

Dare You To Move...Dare You to Lift Yourself up off the Floor

There was a music video from switchfoot here....but it sounded a little funny with more than one song playing so i had to remove it.

Connection

I love taking songs, listening to the words and making a connection...I'm all about the "connections"...being a future educator, those are important words. "I dare you to move, I dare you to move..." What kind of connections can you make with the music you listen to? To me this song is saying don't just sit back and take a back seat, what you do in life can make difference in the life of someone else if you take the step to do it....to move. The time is now to figure out who you are and who we can become if we take the steps to get there.

May God Bless Your Life,

Kris

GRACE

Bottom line I’m a Christian….taking a look at my religion and taking a look at my faith are two very different things. Just a little background my family is part German and the other half Norwegian so the Lutheran way of life has always been in my family. I grew up going to a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church most of my life with both sides of my family (we make up ½ of the congregation when everyone is home…small town church) I went through 4 years of confirmation and was confirmed by the end of 8th grade. However, when I got into high school I really started to question my church, not my faith, but the foundation the church was giving to me. For over 2 years I think I checked out other churches in my town and some times I would drive 45min just to go to a church service. I wasn’t once questioning what I believed in, but I was having a hard time always staying focused on a proper path and wanted fellowship of others like me to keep me grounded. I was a very active youth in the church and was one that brought religion into the public school system. I looked at other denominations and other religions to help me find answers and still came back to my father of theology Martin Luther. What is a Lutheran you may ask…."A Lutheran is a person who believes, teaches and confesses the truths of God's Word as they are summarized and confessed in the Book of Concord."-The Book of Concord to check out more click on http://www.bookofconcord.org/whatisalutheran.html being a Lutheran is something I chose, it is just a title that helps me to relate to those of similar beliefs…I’m a Christian as my religion, but my faith is what I know when I look a scripture and aid by the doctorates of Martin Luther. I think the main word to look at when dealing with what I believe is the simple word GRACE. “Ephesians 2: 8For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9not by works, so that no one can boast.” Definition of GRACE to me is gift, something given to us that we can’t even imagine giving something back in return that would even compare to what was originally given. It is a gift we don’t deserve. Grace is so important to me because it is that gift God gave us when His son rose from the dead on the third day, it was his defeat of death for our eternal life. There is nothing we can do to ever match up to the death and resurrection of Christ. He was the ultimate gift, the ultimate sacrifice for us. We can’t work our way to heaven, there is nothing we can to earn the right to be there. Does that mean that we shouldn’t try to be a good person and to do honorable things….no that isn’t what I’m saying. I’m saying that by looking at GRACE and looking at the love Christ shows us we shouldn’t want to keep it to ourselves and our lives should reflect that love and that gift. In doing so we should want to do good deeds in honor of Him not wanting anything in return. We can’t earn our way to heaven it was already paid for. 2 Timothy 1: 8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and GRACE. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Those were my thoughts for today. As we look into the end of the Lenten season take a look at your own faith…what do you believe and why?
Sorry for the typos…please forgive. Have a wonderful day…if it is like mine it might be a little gloomy with the rain and the stress of class projects and things to come.
Peace and the GRACE of the Lord be with you,
Kris

Passion

Wow, I guess with everything I have going on and having class Wednesday instead of going to Lenten services really made Easter sneak up on me….I’m having a hard time taking in that it is coming up in like 5 days. Last night in Bible study we took a look at The Passion of the Christ (you know the big Mel Gibson movie that opened last Lent season, which if you haven’t seen it you should go rent it) It opens with the words from the old testament....Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression [a] and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. [b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life [d] and be satisfied [e] ;
by his knowledge [f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, [g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong, [h]
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.
-by the way there is a lot of symbolism in the movie, but that he a whole nother blog in itself-
When people think about Easter they think about spring and things like that….I think that Easter is a wonderful celebration of what makes us Christians. It starts at Good Friday, with the death of Christ just like what was predicted in the OT and then leads to the rebuilding of the temple in three days or the resurrection of the body of Christ on Easter, what more is there to celebrate. Easter is like the Fourth of July….celebration of our FREEDOM…freedom from eternal death.
I look at back at Christ’s life and recognize that he was a man (he cries, he feels, he hurts, he bleeds, he loves, he is yet a child, he falls, he was born and dies), but more so that he was given a purpose to live and walk on this earth…and that purpose was to die. Does it make a difference how he was murdered and how he suffered?
Moving on to other thoughts in my head. When thinking of what Good Friday you have to take a look at what Christ did before his death….He prayed His father on the Mount of Olives while His disciples kept watch….but what happened before this? The Passover meal where Jesus told them flat out what was going to be happening. Luke17:After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Look at Isaiah 53:12 how do they connect? Ok so from the Passover to prayer then to the betrayal by a kiss from one of Jesus’s friends and the betrayal by Peter…everything leads to what was written and what Christ told his followers what was to happen. How blinded they were though. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed at dawn and he did (how true is this in our own lives, denial that is,…how many times do we deny that we know Christ, either through our actions or our own words…?) Peter replied “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Matt 26:33 and then Jesus told Judas flat out that He would be the one to betray the son of man…they all start looking at each other I’m sure with the questionable look is it you?…is it me? Matt 26:23Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 25Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Is also written about in Zech. 13:7.
So what is important to me is the path that leads up to His death, the predictions made not only by Christ, but what was written in the OT. His death on the cross and the most wonderful resurrection ever recorded. I’m so excited to celebrate the upcoming holiday in remembrance of Him! Don’t forget that even in the busy schedules you may lead this week to take the time to reflect on Easter and what it means to you as a person. I look at betrayal, denial, guilt, life, death, and wonder how they all pertain to me and are thoughts in my daily life.
Sorry for the random thoughts…I’m not really feeling well and I think my medication is making me crazy.
God Bless,
Kris

Apple at Cha

I had every intention to write before I left for spring break. The movie from the last blog was Simon Birch. Great movie that looks into are place in life and why we are here, what is our purpose. Any ways I'm back from spring break. It was an awesome trip and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for someplace to go to have some fun and meet some really neat people. www.asphome.org. If I didn't tell ya where I was going....I went to Chavies in Kentucky for a week with 23 others from school and met there about 30 or more high schoolers from Rhode Island and one man named Jim from Wisconsin. We got there on Sunday and realized we already didn't like the one lane roads which was like every road in the county and they wrapped around the mountains, I personally didn't like the rumble lines on the inside line and on the ouside line of the road. We took 2, 15 passenger vans there. We all squeezed in nicely together. We were divided into small teams or work groups for the week. about 5 people in each one. We were then given a job for the week some were building retaining walls, others working in someone's bathroom, or putting on wooden siding. My group got to work on a floor and build a safer railing on a deck. Everyday we went to are job site about 30mins away from Chavies to work, then came back to the center for dinner and to shower (very important seeing as how we wore the same clothes for the most of the week.) we all had chores in the center to do whether it be dishes, cleaning bathrooms, or sweeping. Then we would play games or hang out. The last night we had a giant bonfire with the scraps that had built up for the week from our work sites. The week went by great just a few minor accidents, but nothing to stop us. I really got to know the people in my group and in the van, which was great. I loved being able to not only go into someone's home to help them, but to interact with them. I didn't have a lot of fun the first 2 days at our work site because the family wasn't really there. Wednesday when it snowed the little girl was home and we had so much fun together. We didn't accomplish very much work wise, but yet we accomplished why we were there and that was to give love, to share our gift of love, and receive love in return. this family or the 2 that we met had so much love to give.

1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a]
of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not
love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and
surrender my body
to the flames,[b]
but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient,
love
is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is
not rude,
it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. 7It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love
never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there
is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For
we know in part and we prophesy in
part, 10but when perfection comes, the
imperfect disappears. 11When I was a
child, I talked like a child, I thought
like a child, I reasoned like a
child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me. 12Now we see but
a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.

I know that what gifts or talents I had at that point where not the only thing that was important. What they could give to us was so great and was an eye opener to say the least. I know that I could have spent break in Florida or stayed home and done nothing but work. This was by far the best experience I have ever had and I'm glad I spent my break there. There are so many stories that go along with this trip. (inside joke but had to through it out there- "the trip was alligator" ) Oh and I always thought Pastor O was saying the name wrong for Appalachia, but now I know that he is right or for at least where we were it was called (apple at cha)

Well that is all I have for now. May God Bless you all and may we learn from and love one another.
sorry for the errors, it has been a week since I've touched a keyboard.
~Kris

still to come

note to self...when fully awake write about devotion. Great movie you need to see title will be posted later....it is a surprise! The movie relates to what is our path in Christ, why are we really here. I know what you are thinking...wow she writes about this a lot...i seem to get hit over the head with that question all the time
Peace love groovy
Kris

Unsuspected Doors

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ~Helen Keller

Today I was nothing but smiles! I can’t really say why, but for some reason everything seemed to fit together in my life. For once I feel like I have looked into the right window, walked into the right door. I just hope it stays open and I can keep walking down the hallway. Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. “ So many times I often walk the wrong path, walk by doors that are closed and I get frustrated when I don’t feel like the puzzle in my life is coming together.
5 days to go until spring break trip to Kentucky and I can’t wait. I hope this is a great open door for me to meet knew people and open their eyes to Christ. Life is all about the connections…..in a business sense and in a life journey sense. I pray that the connections I make there with the people I’m going with and the people I am going to be working with will be ones to be remembered. It is the simple things that I want to be able to treasure. For instance I remember going to Florida this summer or to Okoboji this winter and the thing I remember most is the connections with people not just the event. Last night we got our first rain storm….how beautiful it was to be able to sit out and listen to the thunder, watch the lightening strike across the sky, and see the rain hit the sidewalk. I watched them fall. It was a moment so simple, but is something that I will treasure.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:20-22 I want my heart to be in the right place all the time, I know that it isn’t always possible but I would like to think that being happy is something that is so full filling that no matter how simple something is or how strenuous something can get that I can find a positive way to look at life and smile. “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~author unknown I pray that all of you have a great spring break and really take in what should be important like a hug or a smile that makes a day brighter to someone else. Yep I said hug….for those of you who don’t really know me, a true way to my heart is a hug. I love hugs…some people are really good and hugs and others need to work on their other talents! I love hugs that make me feel safe and when they squeeze me tight that all of my worries and pressures just leave me….such a great experience that it is hard to explain. “Hugs are a great embrace into the heart.” ~my own quote. In the Bible it says that we should greet each other with a holy kiss…no lie it is written in four different verses in the Bible….1 Thessalonians 5:26, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 16:20, and Romans 16:16. Now of days we greet each other with handshakes…..you know where I would stand on this front! Well these are my thoughts for this evening. God Bless, Kris

little quotes to sleep on

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Chinese proverb

There will be many people who will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints behind. ~unknown

Integrity

What is it? Integrity looks at acceptance, accountability, behavior, citizenship, confidence, determination, ethics, friendliness, honesty, manner, morals, patience, reliability, respect, self-control, tolerance, trustworthiness, values…and on and on. When I think of integrity I think of what is right and what is wrong. In class tonight we talked about is it ok to bring our beliefs (not just religious beliefs) into the classroom. In my opinion my beliefs should show in how I live. I know that this isn’t always true (for example I showed ½ way decent behavior while being a little intoxicated this past weekend.) but for the most part I try to live a life that reflects my beliefs and shows my integrity. I always wonder how people see me, am I who I say I am? When I was in high school I ranked 2nd in the nation for one of the highest integrity awards given at that time. I look back then and this is something I didn’t deserve. Back in the day my life was a mess…I remember the suicidal thoughts, the cutting of skin, the lost thoughts and how hidden it was from everyone. I was in search of my faith, but knew that I had to put up this picture for everyone else to see that I had it all together otherwise I would have had to see disappointment in the people around me. (these are thoughts I have kept to myself for a long time…I am trying to be more open.) I look back and see what really got me through it I wish I could say it was family and friends (most never really seemed to know me) The only thing I can remember is that I would pray....sometimes sit in the church while it was pitch black with tears rolling down my face…I never let God go, I just struggled with Him, searched to understand Him. I look back and wonder if the choices I make in my life are right or wrong. Do I tend to take the easy way or the path not taken? What about your life seems to be a little muddy right now? Right now I feel like I tend to take a stand let my opinion be known. I look for what is right to do and what is the moral thing to do. I think integrity is a very important quality in a person and I hope that now I show it and am it unlike before when it was just a mask.
May God bless you in your daily walk,
Kris

forgive the typos it is early in the morning!

Top (spinning)

Where is my attention drifting? This very moment I’m sitting in class (I’m listening and getting things out of class…hard to believe…I know) Sitting in class I have so many things going through my head….what do I have to do tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year, and where am I going to live, work, and teach….my head is spinning. Lately I have been feeling stressed and worrying about what is to come. Don’t you ever wish you had a crystal ball that would tell you where your path is going…just so you wouldn’t have to worry?

Matthew
6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life
more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes?"

I know I have written a blog on this before, but I just like to remind myself and do a little light reading in the Bible about it. I know I need to put trust in Him is knows all….that my path is planned I just need to breath!