I'm Baaaaaack!

Poor blog! I have been away for far too long!

I promise it has been because of great reasons! As you know, the life situation has changed a little. I spent the majority of the summer working retail which was a totally new experience for me. There are a lot of things that you learn about people when you are working for them instead of with them. Wow! It is safe to say that I am now extra super-nice to all people in the service industry - waitresses, cashiers, grocery baggers, hotel clerks, gas station attendants. I know what it is like to be "the help."

Reason #2 - I started a full-time job! This is something that I just have to stop and praise the Lord about every day! When I worked full-time before moving South, I kinda took my job for granted. Now it is a totally different story. On top of praising the Lord for a full-time job, I am praising Him that it is in a Christian school. The classes I teach aren't what I want to teach forever, but they are certainly a foot in the door - and there have already been discussions about moving into my "field." This is a huge, huge praise!

Reason #3, Praise #2 - We moved to a suburban area and a different church. This move has changed my outlook on life! For real... My apartment is smaller (but more expensive). My grocery store is cheaper and has fresh produce! My church family is incredible. The city is nearby. I am totally loving this move. Today I actually finished decorating for fall. It is wonderful!

During this time of severe transition, there has barely been a moment to breathe. But it has been absolutely wonderful. Over the last ten months, I have learned so many unexpected lessons. You have heard about some of them. There truly is a shocking transition into ministry especially if it is a ministry that you aren't so familiar with. (If you have been there, you know.) So I have plenty to write about and plenty has been written. It is just a matter of posting.

So there is this big huge world of the internet and so many people have amazing, acclaimed, popular blogs. I paused in my writing overwhelmed with my life and overwhelmed with how so many better people than me can write a blog. Better voices spread to more readers. The fact is - if God puts something on my heart to write about, there must be one person out there who needs to read. If you are that one person, I hope my blog helps you in some way. I hope it helps me - to heal, to grow, to encourage. 

Becoming Abraham

Sometimes when you are reading the Bible, you come across these stories that seem to parallel your life. At least, that happens to me... a lot. Especially when I read about Abraham.

Lately life has seemed a lot like Abraham, as I have picked up my tent and moved more times than I care to in the last two years. As God has called my husband and I to follow Him. To where though? We have no idea! We just pick up and follow as He calls us to!

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God has pulled us away from the comfortable and content life near family and friends to a place that seemed like a foreign land with no comfort, no friends, and no spiritual encouragement.

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God has (up to this point) withheld certain things that we desire.

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God has blessed us even when we relied on our own abilities instead of relying on His strength.

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God has asked us to sacrifice many things that we hold dear.

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God has shown Himself so clearly to us in the desert moments of life.

Life is a lot like Abraham, as God abundantly rewards obedience (although I must say, He has not blessed us financially in the way that He blessed Abraham!!).

Needless to say, I feel a lot like Abraham these days, but it makes me all the more grateful for the Bible! God gave us the story of Abraham's life so plainly.

We see his faith, his failures, his triumphs,  his struggles. Over and over, we see God's hand, His blessings, His testing, His blessing, His forgiveness, His guidance.

I can learn from Abraham's life. My relationship with God can grow because I can see that God moves. Because Abraham had faith, I too can have faith.

Who in the Bible does your life parallel?

Is it Moses? A great leader possessing an obvious relationship with the Lord, but lacking support or encouragement from those close to you. Is it Hannah? A loving wife plagued by the mocking of women around here and empty arms. Is it David? A guy who had high highs and low lows. Daniel? Alone in your stand for Christ.

I don't know who your life parallels these days, but lately I think I am becoming Abraham.

Through the Fog

God never promised that life would be easy, did He?

He never promised financial wealth. He never promised health. He never promised peace and safety, as we would define it. He never promised us that people would like us - even our own friends and co-laborers in ministry. He never promised that things would go according to plan.

He promised joy found in Him. He promised to work things together for His good and for His glory. He promised safety in His will - even if things are chaos around us. He promised peace in Him.

He promised that He would be with us.

When we "sign-up" for ministry, the truth is we are entirely aware of the problems ahead. No guarantee of financial security. No guarantee that the community will like us as people. Certainty that people will be alienated or angered by the truth of God's Word. Perhaps He called you to an area that we would not consider particularly safe. We knew that times would be hard and we wouldn't always understand and all we could do was follow God.

You just hope that all of the "worst-case scenario" stuff never happens. You wait for God to show you the next step. You hope that things go according to the plan that you trust He has laid before you.

Then sometimes God does the unthinkable, and He asks you to take a leap of faith into the darkness. A mysterious, unknown, invisible future. It's foggy. You can't see what's ahead. You can barely see the future from day to day. Maybe you are packing up your home with no future home to speak of. The moving truck is in the driveway and you literally do not know where you are taking it. {Ding, ding, ding!}

God knows. He knew from the beginning. From the moment you took that first step, following Him, that lead you to take that scary leap. He knew. And He still knows. All He wants is a little faith. Enough trust to know that He is going to work things out according to His plan. To bring glory to Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, 

and to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

~Romans 8:28~

What I Did That I Said I Would Never Do

Yesterday I did something totally crazy... something that I had never done in my entire life... something that you would not expect someone like me to do.

I went to a movie theater!

Now before you <gasp> in horror or shock, hear me out.

I was raised in a conservative Christian home and attended a conservative private Christian school and went to a wonderful conservative Baptist church. Never once did I or my parents (or most of my friends and their parents) darken the door of a movie theater. Students in the school and leaders in the church were not permitted to go to the theater. And it wasn't a bad thing. It was the preference of those who were above us and we chose to be under those restrictions.

Well, here is the thing. My well-meaning teachers taught us that it was sin to go to the movie theaters. Looking back I would say that they taught it that way because it was sin for me to go to a theater because it was disobedience to my authority, but the way that it came across was that the sin was to darken the door of a theater.

So most of my friends and I grew up with the idea that movie theaters are bad. Even when I was no longer under the authority of my school or my parents, I chose not to go to the theater. Just because I figured if there was a reason I shouldn't go as a kid, the reason probably hadn't changed as an adult. But eventually my logic kicked in, and I couldn't come up with a Biblical reason that it would be sinful for me to go to a theater. So here were the reasons I didn't go:

1. Example - I am a leader in my church and I want to set a good example. Some people think it is sinful to go to the movies and I don't want to offend them. And for those who are ok with movies, what I do in moderation, those who follow me will do in excess. 
2. Obedience - On top of it, many of the churches that I would hang with or work for don't want their leadership going to the movies. 
3. Not the best use of my money - It is really expensive for even two people to go to the movies. For the price of 2 movie tickets, I could buy the Blu-ray in a few months and watch it as many times as I want. Or I could rent it for a dollar. Not to mention the added price of snacks and beverages. [I would say this is my #1 reason!]
4. Temptation - I could see the temptation to watch a movie in the theater that I would not watch at home. But I wouldn't spend the money. Also, I check all of my movies through the parental guides on websites like Plugged In and IMDB. 

Some things that I observed going to the theater:

1. It is much smaller than it looks in the movies. I went to a large, popular theater, and the room was smaller than I thought it would be. The screen was smaller than I thought it would be. 
2. It wasn't as crowded as it is in the movies. I went to an after-work hours showing of the movie and there were thirteen people in the theater. It felt more like sitting in someone's living room with surround sound than anything. I guess I thought it would be more like seeing a Broadway show.
3. I wasn't knocked to the ground for walking through the doors or suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. 
4. In fact, sitting in that theater sure was a lot like sitting in the theaters at museums watching educational films. (Hmmm....) Or sitting in a Broadway show, but smaller, less-crowded, cheaper, and filmed instead of live. 

What I liked:

1. It was a really fun date night for my husband & I. 
2. The surround sound!!
3. There were no distractions - like my phone ringing, someone knocking on the front door, the air conditioner kicking on so I can no longer hear the tv, feeling the need to multi-task, etc.
4. The popcorn - now I understand the hype about movie theater popcorn :)

What I didn't like:

1. The price, especially considering I can purchase or rent it cheaper. 
2. All the previews - I really like fast-forwarding or just skipping right over those, especially since I want to watch the movie, not the previews. 
3. The possibility for disruptive guests - I assume that can be circumvented by choosing a family-friendly time to attend
4. Being reclined on my couch in my pajamas with a blanket is more comfy than sitting in those only fairly comfortable seats. 

So overall, I don't think that it is a sin to attend a movie theater. If it is a sin to go, shouldn't it also be a sin to rent a movie at Redbox? go to Blockbuster (if you can find it!)? watch things on Netflix? have a television? God wants us to be careful of what we place before our eyes, and we do that at home and outside the home. 

I am not anymore godly or holy or "Christian" because I watched a movie on Blu-ray in September 2013, than I would be if I watched the movie a few months earlier. 

Going to a movie theater was actually pretty fun. I have no intention of making it a regular habit (I would go broke!), but maybe every once in a while for a date with my husband. But it is up to you. 

Obey the requirements of those in authority over you. Wisely choose what you place before your eyes. Remember that you are a representative of Christ wherever you go and whatever you do. 

And remember, this is the girl who would have never darkened the door of a movie theater a year ago. 

~Kay

Burden

Recently I have noticed a common theme in the Christian circles that I run in - at the ladies retreats, events, and Bible studies, on Facebook and Pinterest, in personal conversations, and far more blogs than I even knew were out there. So much of it revolves around being a housewife. Cooking organic meals from scratch, storing a months worth of food in the freezer, decorating to perfection, never spending more than [$20] on any purchase ever, getting married, having children, homeschooling, and doing everything just so. This whole idea is lauded and praised - and for good reason! To do all of these things successfully with the Lord's help is nothing short of an incredible accomplishment.

But I have been burdened by it, because it seems like I, as a Christian woman, have to fit into this mold or I am not fulling God's will for my life by being the Christian woman that He intended for me to be. That I am not fulfilling God's highest calling for my life. That's a lot of pressure!


It seems so trivial. Am I a better Christian than you because of gifts and talents that God gave me, but not you? Are you a better Christian because you have children and I don't? You know that doesn't make any sense.


When did my homemaking skills and child-birthing record determine my spirituality? I mean really - cooking organic meals from scratch - not everyone has time for that. It really doesn't fit into my schedule. I try to make healthy homemade meals as often as I can, but if I can save a few minutes by using a ready-made product, why not? Decorating my house: I try, I really do. I think my home looks better than average, but I only have so much of an eye for that kind of think. Truth: I like shopping. Spending money doesn't scare me (as long as it is in the bank account). God happened to bring a wonderful, godly, handsome man into my life when I was 19. One of my dearest friends is 25 and still waiting patiently for God to bring a man into her life. In the meantime, she is totally focused on God, growing spiritually, and blessing others. She is a strong person and I look up to her. God was completely of our lives. I am not more spiritual because I am married and my friend is not. I don't have children. I haven't been married long - long enough to have at least two children, but I don't. Does that mean that I am not spiritual? No! That means that God has chosen to lead my life in a different direction at this time, and I am totally ok with that.

So when did we forget that our "godliness" is determined by our personal, private relationships with our Savior? Our personal upward spiritual growth, our prayer life, our testimony to others, our efforts in bringing more people to Christ, and living overall according to the principles of the Bible.

To all of you women out there like me: Don't be discouraged if you can't live up to the seeming expectations of others. Don't be disappointed if you aren't married yet or don't have children. Enjoy this chapter of your life. You may never get to experience it again! Always remember that God is in control of everything, not you. You don't have to live up somebody else's ideas (if they don't come from the Bible!). Be the person that God intended you to be. He called you to be someone special. Be that person.

~Kay

Vacation

This week my husband decided to surprise me with a very impromptu mini-vacation! How glorious! Here is where I sat... a gloriously empty beach....

With a book in hand, staring at this...

Hardly a person in sight, sitting on the shore on a cool day for a few hours. It was amazing!

Somehow I managed to end up as burnt as a lobster. My sister reminded me to check the expiration date on my sunscreen next time (two years expired... oops!!!!). 

No matter how many ways you cut it, I have the best husband in the world. He is so sweet and thoughtful. I love my man!

Updates

Hi Everyone,

Over the next couple of days, I will be updating a few things throughout the blog. Specifically in the area of labels. A lot of other blogs that I read seem to have 200 tags or none at all. I wanted to have only four main tags that I used (to make things easy), but then I realized that is so not helpful. So I have expanded the tag categories that I am using. You can see more information about this and some hints to what is coming on the page "Tag Topics."

Also I will be going through and fixing those horrible typos. Don't forget - new blogger over here! I hate to proofread my own work. I am too close to it, I know what it is supposed to say, and I always miss something. Sorry!

May be adding some pictures to older posts... that kind of thing. When I first started the blog, my thought was that it would be something just for me. Then people started reading it. (Thank you! It is an encouragement to me, and it has added a new level of fun.) I guess it should look nice for all of you.

As always, thank you so much for reading! Hope you like the changes.

~Kay

Praying for Boston

My heart & prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those who were injured or killed during the Boston bombings yesterday. Please continue to pray that the officials will find those responsible and bring them justice.

Beginner

I just want to apologize for all of my beginner blogger issues. This past week or so I have been blogging from my tablet, which did not work out as well as I would have liked. Today is the first day back to the laptop...

So please forgive the errors, repeats, and blah. I learned my lesson. :)

A Computer Funny

This made me giggle...

My computer is so slow...when I click the "Send" button, a little door opens on the side of the monitor and a pigeon flies out.

(So thankful for a great computer that is working as well today as the day I bought it - almost three years ago. God was so good to allow me to purchase this computer!)