JOY

By now you might have noticed that I have the weekly Advent themes totally out of order.  Or not depending on which church you go to.  At the end of the day aren't they all important?  And, really, despite the day, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow" Hebrews 13:8.  Let's move on...

JOY!  It's my favorite Christmas word.  Joy, joy, joy!  I think of how many times the temptation to complain overcomes me.  To criticize, to judge myself and others.  It sneaks up on me at line in the check out when the cashier is moving too slow, at a restaurant when someone's child is misbehaving (like I've never been there before!!), when the repairman doesn't show up on time, when my hair doesn't look right.  But it's not what God wants for me. 

"Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

In church yesterday our pastor reminded us that we "are the only Jesus most people are going to see today."  How right he is!  Peace, hope, love and joy....all of these gifts of the season, gifts of the Savior...what good are they if we don't use them?  They are contagious you know!  Believe me, I know how hard that can be many days.  My weekend started with a near full blown fit and a text message to my sister in law that said, "I think I hate Christmas".  Holiday parties at school, 175 trips to Target, Kevin delayed out of town, a dog at the vet, children that can't behave to save their lives.  Blarg!  I found myself pleading with God that everyone would leave me alone.  You know, so I could enjoy all the peace, love, hope and joy of the season without distraction.  But God replied, that's not the point.  He didn't send His son that we might live in a magical utopian bubble, immune to all the evil around us.  He sent His son that we might live in spite of all the evil around us.  To submit to anything else....well, again.  That's not what God wants for me. 

Our God is a God of great joy!  We can't wait for the people and circumstances in our life to allow us to live happily.  Christ came that we might have life, eternal life, and know the joy of His salvation.  Let no one or no thing rob you of that.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
XOXO....Kelly

LOVE

God bless mothers.  We put up with so much in the name of raising children.  Here is a sample of some of the Christmas presents my mother put up with from me whilst I was learning to be more thoughtful.... 

1.  Two cans of cashews.  She really likes cashews.

2.  A musical Christmas mug.  When you lifted it up it played Christmas music.  Every time our dog would bump the package underneath the tree it would go off.  I was so afraid she would hear it and it would ruin the surprise.  As if knowing about the musical Christmas mug ahead of time would have lessened the enjoyment of a gift like that...

3.  A drawing of a cat drinking a saucer of milk.  I commissioned the artwork from Steve Strauss, the resident 3rd grade art prodigy of Lowery Elementary and also the biggest crush of my grade school life.  I paid him 15 cents to draw it.  My mom wanted to know why I didn't just draw her a picture myself.  Um, hello.  It was Steve Strauss.

Here's the deal with Christmas.  It's not about giving.  Not at all.  It's really only about one gift, the gift of God's son, and that we receive it.  We can't earn it, can't upgrade it.  It's simply there to be accepted.  I guess if you want to get technical we're then supposed to pass that gift on to others, which would be giving, but we can't do that until we've received it ourselves.  So anyway, there you go.  Getting, not giving.

The boys' school, like many organizations, adopts families at Christmastime.  I love to take them shopping to help meet the needs and wants of these families.  It's a very good and tangible way for them to learn to spread Christ's love.  The letter that came home this year detailing the requested donations explained how apparent need is at this time of year, what with all the extra expenses and celebrations, etc.  The biggest tragedy to me in all this is not that people don't have money to put presents under the tree, but that they think there's something lacking that they don't have money to put presents under the tree! 

Christmas is not about giving.  Don't get me wrong.  My home is covered in lights and full of decorations.  There are presents under the tree and stockings on the mantle.  These are the secular joys of the season and there is nothing inherently wrong with them.  But spiritually, it might as well be September.  Or February or May.  If we aren't discipling ourselves and our families everyday to the message of Christ's love for us, the gift of God's son, one church service singing Silent Night probably isn't going to make or break the holiday for us.  Christmas is the day we remember what all the other days of the year are for, to remember where it all started for us in God's love.  No, Christmas is not about giving.  It's about getting.  And trust me, friends, when the getting is God's, the getting is good.

Merry Christmas.  XOXO....Kelly

          

PEACE

"Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.  He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John."  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God."  Luke 1:62-64

Every year I relate a little differently to the nativity story.  Isn't that one of the wonders of God's gift to us, that it unfolds in a new way every time we visit it?  Some years it's Mary (years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2012 in fact).  Some years it's the donkey (the ass, if you will).  This year it's Zechariah. 

Zechariah has been silenced since Gabriel brought him the news of Elizabeth's pregnancy because he doubted the angel.  Let's be honest for a moment, though.  A man silenced throughout his wife's pregnancy?  That really has more to do with mercy than punishment, I think.  But I digress.  Zechariah has been silent, as in no words, and then John is born and named.  It isn't until Zechariah acknowledges the baby's name that he is given back his voice and then he can do nothing but praise God. 

How many times have I fallen into Zechariah's trap?  Doubt, doubt, doubt until I am forced to do nothing but keep my mouth shut and see how it's all going to turn out.  And when it does--for with God it always does--that, my friends, is PEACE.  To turn all of your turmoil and inner struggle over to the Father and rest in His deliverance, when everything around you seems out of control, but to have faith that God is not.  Peace. 

Luke goes on to describe Zechariah's prophesy for his son.  "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." 

May God guide your footsteps today, friends. May you rest in His peace.

XOXO....Kelly


 

HOPE

Happy Christmas everyone!!  I don't know about you, but this year I am needing Christmas in my heart more than ever.  Sunday brought about the season of Advent and the lighting of the hope candle and suddenly I felt my heart lifting a little bit, my thoughts pointing toward the promise of the manger.

This year we created another inspiring yard display in order to capture the wonder of the season.  It's sure to delight all of our neighbors, especially the guy next door who still has papers taped to his front door declaring his constitutional right to deny the installation of a smart meter.  I think we might have a little tradition going here.  The first weekend after Thanksgiving I drag the Christmas lights out of the garage.  Kevin, knowing I will undoubtedly mess up all the cords, comes out to help me.  About two hours in, after he's cursed at the fourth string of lights that have gone out on him, he turns to notice what I'm doing in the yard.

 

 

 



It's no coincidence we put out the lights on "Hope" Sunday.  As in, Kevin hopes he remembers to lose the flamingos before next Christmas.  Have I mentioned this December 27 marks our 10 year wedding anniversary?  Nothing but bliss folks!  Nothing but bliss...  :)

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned....For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."  Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

With what long and lingering hope the people of God must have waited to see what the prophets foretold.  How blessed are we to no longer wait for the truth, but to be able to walk in it everyday!  To be sure of God's promises and live in His hope.  With hope we are moved from not just celebrating a season of Christmas, but experiencing its miracle everyday. 

Dear Lord, I thank you for the hope the gift of your Son brings me.  I thank you for the truth of Christmas and the opportunities you give me to share that truth, especially at this time of year.  Help me to keep my eyes focused on you this season, Lord, and to help keep hope alive in others by the power of your Spirit.  Amen.

XOXO....Kelly

    

Stupid cookie.

Rough days.  Sister moving, teacher leaving.  Stomach bug, dead fish, rainy weather.  Holiday parties, holiday travel, birthday plans for Zachary.  Busy, rough days.  As a treat to myself, the boys and I stopped at our favorite local Chinese food restaurant for dinner tonight.  No cooking, no cleaning.  Just one tired, difficult baby to round out the day.  You win some, you lose some, right?  I pay the check and crack open my fortune cookie and see that the message inside says, "Patience is the hardest virtue to master."  I now hate fortune cookies.  Maybe all cookies.  I am in a bad mood.

The boys and Kevin are in the next room watching Duck Tales together as I write this.  It was one of Kevin's favorite cartoons growing up.  He was so excited to order it on Netflix and share it with them.  They have a deal....no one watches any episodes without the others.  They take it VERY seriously.  I think about them all huddled on the couch together unknowingly bonding over Scrooge McDuck.  My bad mood is melting a little.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One thing about being thankful...it takes a lot of work some days.  Not because there aren't plenty of things to be grateful for, but because there's so much to distract us from them.  Paul's advice to the Thessalonians was a lot easier before, for example, Walmart.  But the key is not in Paul's command itself, but the necessity behind it.  For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

For this is God's gift for you in Christ's sacrifice. 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  John 10:10 

A call to daily gratitude isn't just a suggestion for living happier.  It is a must for accepting Christ's death on the cross and the gift of God's son.  It's what keeps our lives full no matter what is going on around us.  Seeing things for the good of God's will reminds us what Jesus' love for us is all about.   

I'll probably be over my hatred of cookies by tomorrow, but even if I'm not, Happy Thanksgiving all the same.

XOXO...Kelly



       

Perfect praise.

Psalm 8...O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. 2 You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies!

 

I'll never forget the day I learned people could hear me when I sing in the shower.  I was in high school and my cousins were in town Christmas.  I was into show tunes those days...Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, a collection of Andrew Lloyd Weber's greatest hits.  I had the first shower shift among my three sisters.  With everyone else still in bed it was like a sanctuary for me, the warm water, the solitude.  The acoustics were great in there.  It never occurred to me that the sound carried beyond the walls of the bathroom until my cousin, David, said, "Hey, nice concert this morning."  They could hear me???!!  At the time I was so embarrassed.  Now all I can think of is how many mornings my poor sisters must have awoken to my emotional rendering of "One Day More" at 5:45am.      

Loud, oblivious singing runs in our family.  Blake's probably the newest practitioner with his breakfast-time originals like "I Love My Cinnamon Roll" and his ability to hum Christmas carols in the middle of summer for 45+ minutes on a long road trip.  But the true master of the art is my father.  He has a penchant for cowboy music and often makes up his own words to familiar hymns and spirituals.  If you've never heard him sing "Up From the Bed the Poodle Rose" or "So Long Saddle Pals" at 8:30am on a Saturday morning you've never really lived. 

My father, and those that follow in his musical footsteps, has taught me much about perfect praise.  Not perfect pitch.  No...we used to fight about who had to sit next to him in church.  After years and years of work in our church choir I am pleased to say that he can now carry a tune, but still needs a pretty strong bucket.  But perfect praise nonetheless!  The kind that comes from deep inside your heart and doesn't care how late you were up the night before, what sort of issue is going on in your life, how much homework you have to do or how much your kids are whining about it....you're getting up and going to church!  Because GOD. IS. GOOD. and worthy of praise!!  It isn't really about the singing though I feel like I've always connected best with God through music.  It's about the whole-hearted, unembarrassed joy Christ brings to our life and the chance to turn that back around to Him. 

Perfect praise, friends.  Perfect praise.  It don't matter if it's 8:30 in the morning or 8:30 at night.  I will never tire of the sound of it.  May the sound never tire from me.

XOXO....Kelly

 

Fish are people, too.

Allow me to introduce the newest member of our household, a small black fish appropriately named Soldier II, as we bought him on Veterans Day. 

Soldier I, Michael's pet, passed away in the spring.  I decided we were ready to open our hearts and home to another fish this morning after Small Fred, a tiny lizard Zachary caught in the backyard, turned up dead.  The real tragedy is that when Zachary was removing his little dried body from the terrarium Oscar (our dachshund) ate it.  I quickly recovered with, "Hey, let's go bowling and then get a new fish!" 

I explained to the associate at Petsmart that we already had a small beta tank with a filter.  Would the little black molly that Zachary picked out fit in that?  She then explained that as long as we kept up with the water quality the molly, though restricted in his growth potential and probably life span, would still have a good life in the tank.  At best, we're probably looking at a respectable year or year and a half.  "So it will fit in the tank, right?" I replied.  I don't think the Petsmart associate and I were on the same page. 

Every time we get a pet I can't help but wonder if this is what God meant when he gave man dominion over nature.  Like dog sweaters, for example.  Do you think His command intended dog sweaters?  I have several, by the way.  I truly think pets serve a useful purpose.  They provide companionship, teach kids about responsibility, provide protection.  They remind us to be humane.  My grandfather always used to say that in his next life he'd like to come back as a dog in my parents' house.  It would be a pretty good gig.

At the end of the day I hope that's true.  I hope I please God in the way I treat His creation, all of it.  It's easy to remember the pricelessness of my children, friends and family. 

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered.  Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6 

But God forgets none of His creation.  His sovereignty lives in every creature, every flower, every tree.  How grateful I am that His spirit dwells in everything around me.  Even the fish that may or may not be with us this time next year.  I'll keep you posted.   

And speaking of God's blessed creatures, did you know there is such a thing as a micro pig?  It's true!  A pig that tops out at ten pounds.  They're tiny!  You could take it to the store with you!!  It could wear a sweater.  Kevin, I want one.



XOXO....Kelly

Cat pants.

"No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one or love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  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?"  Matthew 6:24-25

The last line of this passage would probably have been a lot different if Matthew had seen these cat pants.

 

 

In case you've not seen them at Target they feature a variety of household cats photo-shopped against an outer space background.  In one word, AMAZING.  It's hard to believe they sold out.  That's right....there are other actual people out in the world right now wearing these pants and maybe the matching sweatshirt that went with them.

 

But this blog entry is not really about cat pants.  It's about my consumed soul and how I walked into church on Sunday and had one of those the-pastor-wrote-the-sermon-for-me kind of days.  The passage from Matthew was the theme of Sunday's stewardship sermon.  It astounds me how close I hold these words to my heart and, yet, how quick I am to stray from them.  No one can serve two masters.  Why is that so hard???  Did you know you can be obsessed with money no matter what your income?  Truly.  I used to think it was just the rich people Jesus was directing these words toward, but there are all kinds of ways to be obsessed with the world.  The enemy is everywhere just waiting to pull our focus.  When I'm not worrying about our outrageous middle-of-summer-in-Houston electricity bill it's something else.  For two solid months once I worked on my kitchen.  Never mind that I had a job at the time and three small children.  I could not let the state of our cabinets go.  Every spare moment I had was devoted to drawer pulls and white paint.  I'm fairly sure we ate every meal out of the house during that time and no laundry was done.  You know what that is?  Cat pants.  Ridiculous, crazy cat pants.  Target's way of distracting us from the milk and paper towels we should be buying and luring us in to something seemingly more fun.  Until you get home and realize you forgot the milk.  Cat pants.

 

Okay, maybe this blog entry is about cat pants. 

 

No one can serve two masters.  The enemy is everywhere.  Whether your worry is money or clothes or what your house looks like or your hair or your car or your cell phone, etc., etc., etc., there is no peace when we put God second.  Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.  God, let me put you first today, above anything else that might cross my path.  Hold me close to your side, fill me with your peace.  The enemy is everywhere, Lord, but let me see you first.  For what can the world possibly give me that you can not?  

 

Not even cat pants.

 

XOXO.....Kelly

 

 

 

 

Volunteer of the Month

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying of hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Those of you in the Lowery Elementary community might have noticed my most recent accomplishment as Volunteer of the Month.  In case you don't know, it's a pretty big deal.  I get my own parking spot at the school and probably something named after me.  Like a lunch table.  The Kelly D. Long Memorial Lunch Table.  No green beans allowed.  And if you chew with your mouth open while you're sitting at it, it will buck you off.  Or a wing of the library, but the wing with all the good books that everyone wants to read and the cool chairs you can sit in.  Not the biography section or science or math or encyclopedias.  Do they even have encyclopedias in libraries anymore?? 

I believe my official quote on volunteering in the PTO newsletter reads, "“I love to volunteer at Lowery because it allows me to meet other people and I feel it helps to build a stronger community."  This is 100% true.  Most experiences in life work better when we aren't merely spectators.  You get out what you put in, so put in something good.  It doesn't take much.  If you're at work sign up to bring something to a luncheon or write a card to a coworker on their birthday.  Help with a Sunday school class or food drive at church.  Write a thank you note to the office staff at your child's school.  Smile at someone for crying out loud!!  The point is to engage those around you, build ties, create a community.  It's boldness in the truest sense of the word and Christ calls us to it everyday. 

Even when you feel like you have no time, no influence, no talent, God has laid a spirit of power within you.  It doesn't take much to fan it into flame and let His love change the world around you.  And who knows....maybe you'll end up with your own parking space as a bonus.  :)

XOXO....Kelly      

   

Perspective.

Perspective.  Hardest.  Concept.  Ever.  And in every facet of life.  For example, if you've ever found yourself in the middle of an argument over breastfeeding...ARG!  Where is the perspective...that each child is different and each family is different.  All of my kids were breast and/or bottle fed for different periods of time and in different capacities.  When Blake comes home from school with his folder signed because he spent the afternoon in kindergarten falling out of his chair on purpose (God bless Mrs. Hall), it has never once entered my mind that maybe I should have given him less formula and more breast milk.  And when Parker throws himself on the ground and scrunches up his face because I will not let him hold the open container of pudding and walk around with it, I also never think, this is because I should have weaned him sooner.  While feeding your infant seems so consuming at the time, especially to first time moms, the fact is it passes so quickly and then you're on to the next challenge.  Like keeping your children from walking naked in front of open windows.

I recently read through Ecclesiastes, which is an interesting chapter.  It starts with these words, "Meaningless, meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"  Reason #257 why context is important particularly when quoting scripture.  :)  The overall theme of Ecclesiastes is that the things of earth have no permanent value.  We can acquire all sorts of wisdom, riches and experience, but we can't take them with us.  Even its most popular passage..."There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven" (no Pete Seeger didn't come up with that on his own)...speaks more about the cycle of toil in life than everything-in-its own-time message we like to attach to it. 

But there is hope for all of us in the cycle, when we line ourselves up with the right perspective.

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.  God does it so that men will revere him."  Ecc. 3:9-14

Life has the tendency to get a little mundane from time to time, so I guess we feel like we have to jazz it up a bit.  You know, making a bigger deal of where the coats should be hung up than probably needs to be made.  Or breastfeeding.  (Again, ARG.)  But when we keep the perspective of grace before us I think we are afforded the ability to see things in the beauty that God created them in.  Surely, we cannot take it all with us.  No earthly works--no toil, no wisdom, no riches--can give us what faith does.  There is nothing about my life that will endure without the grace of God.  And that, my friends, is perspective.

XOXO...Kelly      

   

Family

As you may know, my little sister recently had a baby, Miss Faye Elizabeth Thomas, born September 12.  Here is a picture of her.  She is simply PRECIOUS!!!

And here is a picture of two of Faye's biggest fans who also happen to be the best labor and delivery assistants ever.  EVER.

 

 

Truly we were remarkable, which is no small thing given that Terri was in labor for 26 hours and we all have very different personalities.  As I can recall, there were really only two times Terri gave us the death look....  Once when Christi tried to strike up a conversation about Jazzercise with one of the nurses who came in to help Terri push, and another time when I made up some funny labor-related lyrics to the hymn "Morning Has Broken".  In our defense both of these mishaps occurred around hour 25 and everyone was exhausted by then.

 

As I pray for Terri and Faye and the next phase in their lives, I think a lot about family, how these days the world makes and takes all kinds.  A friend of mine remarked a few weeks ago that my own immediate family was pretty conventional growing up.  My dad worked, my mom stayed home with us.  In December my parents will celebrate 39 years of marriage to each other.  But when I think about all the different family dynamics rolling around out there I'm not sure there is a "conventional" anymore.  Whether or not that's the way God intended it, it's like it says in Romans, all things work together for good.  Through God's grace the concept of family exists regardless of race, religion, gender or distance. 

 

My own family has been making a mass exodus from Houston for the last several years, not to mention several good friends along the way.  Each time someone moves I get a little more discontented with God.  I'm sure He's got lots ahead for our family in the next season of life, but I was quite comfortable in the old season, thank you very much.  What will I do if we end up with no family in the area?  Bother my neighbors I guess, though that's not such a bad thing.  Through the love and provision of Christ we create family with or without biology. 

 

To those friends and loved ones close by, you are a blessing.  You are a constant reminder of God's love for me, the greatest sort of gift.  To those far away, what God has put in our hearts is not simply undone, so that's where you stay, day in and day out, no matter the distance.  And if any time God should choose to move any of y'all back to the Houston area we will joyfully bother you, too!!  But bring your game face.  We play to win. 

 

   

 

 XOXO...Kelly

I am PERFECT. Really.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9

People often ask me how I do it with four small boys.  Well, Sunday I forgot to put on deodorant and today I realized at noon that I never brushed my teeth in the morning.  When Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth he had a lot of defending himself to do.  People did not trust him and his persecution was great.  But God still called Paul to go into the world and continued to do amazing things through him.  In Chapter 12 Paul tells the church,

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me.  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

 

Now there are some undeniable differences between Paul and I.  One, my discipleship is nowhere near what his was and as for persecution, well, our Chihuahua poops on the floor a lot.  Two, I do not delight in weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, or difficulties.  Who does?  But there is a great peace that comes along with remembering where our hope comes from.  One thing about weakness and hardship is that it reminds us how very human we are, and how very sovereign God is.

 

I used to pray for perfection frequently, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as an employee.  I always came up short.  It's not that I don't think God wants me to be good at things (or remember my deodorant).  He just didn't design us to have all of the answers.  Instead I pray for the grace to do all of things through Him.  We need the perfection of His power above our own.  He is God after all. 

 



XOXO...Kelly

It's fall y'all!

I have a subscription to Southern Living magazine, which I greatly enjoy.  Everything in it is so pretty and quaint and well done, which is a nice escape sometimes from the reality around here where everything is pretty, but covered in pee; quaint, but covered in pee; and well done, but covered in pee.  And dog hair.  More than once I've found myself feeling like a stranger looking in on the world of Southern Living.  For example, I don't iron my sheets.  I don't have time and also THAT'S CRAZY.  I don't really even iron my clothes.  (Shout out to my amazing husband, Kevin, who irons his own shirts!!!)  Also most of the recipes, though enticing, require more than 3 ingredients and almost never involve a can of cream of chicken soup or hot dogs.  But the folks at Southern Living and I could not be more on the same page this month!  We are on the same page about fall, specifically Halloween.

Here's my deal with Halloween.  It's ugly.  Our household Halloween decorations include the decoupaged word "Boo" on our front door, three plastic placemats and a hand towel with a spider on it.  Like the SL editor says, "All this month's glorification of death and dismemberment runs counter to the beauty of changing leaves, cooler temperatures and warm casseroles popping right out of the oven....There's enough angst in the world these days, and folks seem plenty on edge without editors like me having to come up with new ways to frighten their friends and neighbors."  Okay, so it's not cooler and there really is no changing leaf color in Houston, but his point is well taken.  Don't we have something better to celebrate?

Also, I'm a huge chicken.  I never could, and still can not, watch a scary movie.  I am 33 and the idea of zombies terrifies me.  Most people cross a line into adulthood and are able to laugh at the absurdly horrible, can celebrate Halloween as nothing more than a day to have some fun and mock death, even go so far as to celebrate that Christ overcame it.  I just can not.  It is too darn ugly.

All that being said, yes, I take my kids trick-or-treating.  In case they develop the ability to grow up like reasonable unafraid adults, I do not want to hinder that.  Also, boys generally don't think zombies are gross.  So I will continue to keep my issues as my own and consider the candy I steal from them as retribution for my silence.

But there are indeed better things to celebrate.  Fall reminds us that things change, and, with God's grace, do so beautifully (even in Houston).  We move into the season of Thanksgiving and are reminded how important counting our blessings really is.  We are given respite from the heat of summer and its long, crazy days.  Whether you have a huge, fake fuzzy spider in your yard with glowing eyes and skeletons hanging from your trees (arg....) or not, I hope you take some time today to welcome fall into your heart, and all that God has given us to celebrate in this season of life. 

XOXO....Kelly    

 

Never say never.

Much of our adolescence, when my sisters and I would play house, I would insist that Terri's "character" have four boys and drive a van.  I thought this was hilarious. 

And the Lord replied...

For months and months we have complained about our neighbors and their horrible, yappy dogs that get up at all hours of the night and bark relentlessly. 

And the Lord replied...

 

I believe that your children should eat what you tell them to eat, so if you want them to eat healthy food you should make them eat healthy food.  They are kids, not adults, and they don't call the shots.

 

And the Lord replied...



 

I'm counting my blessings today and understanding that God's plans for my life are clearly better than my own (except maybe the Chihuahua, though I'm sure there's a good lesson to be learned there, too).  "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends, even the wicked for a day of disaster....In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  Proverbs 16: 1-4, 9. 

 

I've got two options when it comes to following God...I can trust or I can doubt.  To trust doesn't always mean to understand or even to be happy about it (see aforementioned Chihuahua), but to know "that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him".  He took Christ from the manger to the cross, from earth to the sky all so that as we "share in his sufferings we may also share in His glory."  Can God then also handle my day full of laundry and dishes and emails and carpools?  And the Lord replied.....yeah, I got this.

 

XOXO...Kelly

   

 



My Karate Kid

Several months ago I showed the boys the original Karate Kid movie, the one with Daniel-son and Mr. Miyagi.  Ever since then it has been karate-this, karate-that around our house.  Michael, especially, has become quite berserk.  He practiced "the crane" off the diving board all summer long.  Whenever there's a disagreement between brothers he attempts to settle it by sweeping someone's legs out from underneath them or kicking them in the stomach.  He's teaching Zachary to meditate.  Despite my constant insistence that you can not become a black belt from watching Ninjago, Michael is convinced that he possesses some supernatural karate powers.  In case you're about to suggest that we should just sign him up for martial arts, NO.  I just don't have it in me.  Besides, Michael chose flag football as his activity of choice this fall.  He has been dying to play ever since last fall when Blake played and got an amazing, very realistic football jersey for the games.  I can't say I blame him.  I once signed up for dance because I thought we'd get white gloves for our recital costumes.  When my mom told me she wouldn't buy the outfit unless I actually danced in the recital I quit. 

Michael is nothing if not an intense young man.  He approaches every new skill like a cross between Yosemite Sam and the Tasmanian Devil (see aforementioned references to karate).  It takes extreme concentration for him to simply pull the flag during a game and not also mow the other player over entirely.  By the end of his game on Saturday he had knocked over two kids, both of them on his team.  On our way home, as we were rehashing all of the highlights from the game, I told Michael he needed to watch his roughness or the coach would make him sit out.  And here was his actual response...

"Mom, I just can't help it.  It's just that my karate makes me so powerful and I can't control my powers!"

Right. 

I remember when I started as the youth director and I was constantly in this dual position of being totally amazed and totally frustrated with the youth around me.  How bright and funny and wonderful they were!  What talent they possessed and charisma!  And yet, how obnoxious!!  One boy I knew had the most infectious personality.  If he was in a good mood we'd have a great day.  But if he was in a bad mood he would take everyone around him down with him.  I learned quickly that they key to any great gift is to harness its power for good.  The Spiderman Theory, I like to call it.  With great power comes great responsibility.  Michael's intensity is indeed a gift, when pointed in the right direction. 

"You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill can not be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16

Your talents are no accident.  They are your own unique opportunities to do good.  I'll never forget the woman at my church that stood up and talked about her love for animals during a stewardship campaign.  I had never considered that ministry operated so much outside the church that it could extend to animal shelters, but she was so right!!  Ministry is everywhere.  Use what you've got to make a difference.  Whether its your child, a volunteer at school, a coworker or a family member.  Maybe that someone who is driving you crazy is just another person with amazing potential that needs pointed in the right direction.

Lord, helpful me to be mindful of my own gifts, that I have them pointed in the right direction, so that others would see your glory through me.  And help me to point my own children in the right direction, to show them how to honor you through their gifts, that Your Light would shine through them.  Amen. 

I love you, Michael.....you big goober.  I love you.

 

 

XOXO...Kelly

For Carole...the Meat Story

My good and wonderful friend, Nick, lost his mom last week to cancer.  Carole Olivero, pictured above with my friend Nick and Michael (at age 4 months), had more compassion, intensity, expectation and character packed into her five foot body than of anyone I have ever known.  She was an amazing woman who made lifelong friendships and knew no strangers. 

 

Carole loved to feed people and when you visited her house you sat down to eat.  At the table and all at once.  None of this buffet business where you grab a piece of pizza and sit on the couch and you did not wear a hat.  I attended a family dinner at the Olivero house one night.  It was the first time I'd been at a family dinner with all four kids there and their boyfriends and girlfriends, so there were a lot of people around the table.  Being with the Olivero's is an experience in and of itself.  There is no small talk.  There are opinions, jokes and someone usually always quotes Seinfeld.  It's mostly wonderful, but a little intimidating.  And to top it off Carole set down the largest tray of flank steak I have ever seen in my life followed by the largest bowl of mashed potatoes I had ever seen in my life.  And that's saying a lot because my sisters and I used to make my parents take us to the Chuck-o-Rama Family Buffet in Utah when we were younger.  As I put a piece of steak on my plate, Carole looked down at me and said, "Is that all you're going to eat?  You're so small!"  See what I mean?  Expectation.  I panicked a little.  I remember sitting at the table thinking, I don't think I can eat more than one piece of meat!!  What am I going to do??  Carol was not just interested in feeding people.  She was interested in filling them up, and she did it in more ways than one.

 

I think of the things in my life that feed me and I am grateful for them.  Singing in the choir at church, a fun craft project, volunteering with the boys' schools, writing this blog even.  These things bring me lots of enjoyment and they are important parts of my life.  But, oh, they are nothing compared to the things that fill me up.  My husband, my children, my faith.  All of the 40% Hobby Lobby coupons in the world couldn't do for me what one evening of rocking Parker to sleep does. 

 

What fills you up?  Carole knew, and she offered it to everyone who came into her home.  It resonated from her.  My little sister, Terri, welcomed her own sweet daughter into the world this week.  (This is totally a shameless plug for bragging on my beautiful little Faye Beth.)  I am betting the first time she looked at that tiny face she discovered a whole new way of being full. 

 

Christ puts things deep within us and all around us.  His spirit gives us the courage to draw on these things and fill up our lives with them.  We know what it is to feel blessed.  And when we manage, like Carole, to take the peace and joy that comes with these gifts and pass them on to others, we know what it is to be a blessing to others.  "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which we are called in one body, and be thankful." Colossians 3:15.  Be full, friends.  Be full.

 

XOXO...Kelly

 

 

Wednesday

So I was gawked at today, and not in the good way people might gawk at you when you're wearing a new outfit and your hair is done and your tan is awesome.  I actually had food hanging out of my mouth.  We were eating lunch in the car between errands and I was enjoying the new Wendy's Asiago Chicken Flatbread Sandwich.  Nothing but the best for lunch via drive thru.  Anyway, I was shoveling said sandwich into my mouth when I noticed the person in the vehicle next to me staring at me.  I am sure they were appalled.  There was dressing on my face and a tomato hanging out of my mouth.  I know, I know.  What would the people at Glamour Shots say if they could see me now?  But it's Wednesday and it's 100 degrees outside, so I don't care.  I'd like to say it's with maturity that I have developed this carefree attitude.  Maybe that's part of it.  But I've been gawked at a lot in the last five or six years of my life and each time it happens all I can do is look the person, smile, and think to myself, "you don't know anything about me."  And it's true.  I don't mean it in a snarky way, but there are a lot of people in the city of Houston.  I am not going to see all of them on a good day.  Generally speaking, what many people see of me is only a teeny blip of my life as they know it.  Is it fair for anyone to judge me based on one tiny blip?  Absolutely not, and it would be wrong of me to do the same to anyone else.  "This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God " James 1:19-20.  Oh, it's so tempting to make a comment about the mother with out of control kids in Target until you are that mother.  In my own family we have good trips to the store and bad trips.  To the older lady I once overheard remarking that she would certainly do better in my shoes I say, go ahead!  I'll be at the Starbucks near the entrance enjoying a white chocolate mocha when you're done. 

If there's anything I deserve an award for it would be my ability to control my road rage in a city the size of Houston.  But I am actually remarkably good at it.  When someone cuts me off I just imagine they are heading to an emergency.  When someone slows down way too much to turn into a parking lot I just imagine they have a cake in their car, or a basket of puppies they don't want to knock over.  I have no idea if any of this is true (it probably isn't), but I don't care.  Slow to judgment, slow to anger.  I've also got a killer Lionel Richie CD that can't help but put you in a good mood.  'Cause I'm once, twice, three times a lady..... 

I'd like it if everyone thought the best of me or, better yet, if the best of me was always what I have to offer.  But it's Wednesday and it's 100 degrees outside.  So when you see me at the red light with food hanging out of my mouth just assume I'm doing the best I can that day and move on.  I promise to do the same for you.

XOXO...Kelly               

Little is much.

I saw a sign in a coffee house a while ago that read, "Little is much when God is in it."  The phrase has stuck with me ever since.  Remember the widow who gave all she had?

"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd put their money in the treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." Mark 12: 41-44

Little is much indeed.  Our savior came into the world as a baby born in a barn.  He rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey.  His word reminds us over and over what mountains can be moved with even the tiniest bit of faith. 

If you're feeling that what you have right now isn't enough--time, money, faith, patience--put God in it.  Out of our greatest poverty comes His greatest riches. 

You are loved, friends.  In plenty or in want.  You are loved.

XOXO...Kelly

And that's when I lost it.

I mentioned our summer New Braunfels vacation in my last post.  Vacations are great and this one, our annual family getaway with Kevin's parents, was wonderful.  But there is still a lot of stress that goes along with getting your family out the door and living away from home for a time with small children.  I started the weekend under the weather a bit.  When we got to our condo on Friday we couldn't get the key out of the lock box.  The mattresses were terrible, so no one slept well.  There were no condiments for the lunch meat sandwiches (that one didn't really bother me, I'm just throwing it in for my husband and father-in-law).  Burger King had no ice.  Etc., etc., etc.  Really nothing big and very little to complain about, but just small nagging things that built up until, after a long day in the sun at SeaWorld, I stepped in gum at a gas station on our way home.  I looked down at my shoe and the gum that someone else had been chewing now ground into the floor of the van--the second piece of gum I'd stepped on that day actually--and that's when I lost it.  I began to sob.  I think I also threw a chicken sandwich. 

I love it when you react super emotionally to something as an adult and people try to comfort you by reminding you that even Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers and wept at the death of a friend.  This was nothing like that.  I was throwing a great big, adult sized fit over gum and I have no good excuse except that I was simply too tired to do anything better. 

It's not that the vacation wasn't relaxing.  I actually sat by a pool and read two magazines cover to cover.  Two!!  But I guess I got caught up in all that relaxing and didn't spend much time with God during our trip.  If I had, surely I would have remembered to hand all those little annoyances over to Him. 

I like to picture that I have a spiritual bucket.  It gets full of all sorts of unpleasant things, big and little, and needs to be emptied often.  I do this by starting my day in prayer.  Before my feet hit the floor I ask God to prepare my spirit for the day, thank Him for the joys and hand over the burdens.  When I don't do this the bucket gets full until it has no choice but to overflow into a heaping, chewed gum, chicken sandwich throwing mess.  And I have I mentioned how heavy a full bucket is?  But God's peace is light and freeing.  "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31. 

Ain't no eagles flying around with a bunch of buckets 'round their necks. 

So my point is this.  Empty your bucket.  Even when things are great and the vacation is wonderful and the day is perfect.  God needs to be a part of your good days just as much as your bad ones.  Take care of your soul everyday.  Because there's a lot of gum out there and you never know when you're going to step in it.  XOXO...Kelly    

Now.

We just returned home last night for a long weekend in the New Braunfels area with Kevin's parents.  It's a tradition we started a few summers ago.  We take off for a few days to a beach or river somewhere and just hang out and it is wonderful!  There is a special kind of bonding that comes with squeezing your whole family into a condo or beach house somewhere that simply can not be beat.  Everyone is exhausted today, of course, so I plan to exercise some of my super parenting skills and allow the boys an extra hour on the Wii while I do laundry.  And then it's back to the grind!  The school year is almost upon us and I really can't believe how fast the summer flew.  Remember when I said several weeks ago that I fear the summer?  All the heat and wide open expanses of time needing to be filled.  But as it turns out I do not mind the heat that much (which either makes me crazy or some kind of adaptation super mutant) and the extra time with my kids was just what I needed.  So now I sit at the brink of another school year and temptation is pulling at me once again.  Part of me wants to be sad, mourn the loss of summer, wish my soon to be kindergartener and first grader could be toddlers again, angst over whether or not I cherished them enough while they were home.  The other part of me says, arg, this is hard, and longs for the days they can stay home by themselves and I don't have to drag four less than willing little boys to Target with me, and dreams of uninterrupted manicures and Jazzercise.  But the bottom line is I don't think God wants me in either of those places.  Oh, I love my babies.  I loved them when they were little and pudgy and cute and giggly and I am sure the time ahead of me when I can move with a little more freedom will be justly deserved.  But what I really love is the NOW of my life.  I love what God has given me to enjoy now.  Michael is smart as a whip.  Blake thinks he's a weapons specialist.  Zachary is working hard to improve his "arm-pit toots".  Parker yells at all of them in baby talk.  It's precious!  How could I possibly want to miss it?  How can I be a good parent, wife, friend, sister, disciple if I'm constantly looking back with longing and ahead with anxiety?  As Kevin and I were floating on the river the other evening, watching all the college kids make a ruckus, I said to him, "I remember that college was fun, but there's no part of me that wants to go back."  (To be fair, watching a group of ragged 20 year olds nearing the end of a long tube ride accompanied by their favorite alcoholic beverage isn't really a good post card for any university.)  Isn't that what God's peace is for all of us?  That no matter what lies ahead and what lies behind, His joy meets us right where we are.  Sometimes the now is rough,  but I believe God provides for every moment of our lives and His greatest desire that we would see Him in them.  Father, I praise you with highest gratitude for what you've given me, for a past and a future touched by You.  But I thank you especially for today and the joy that comes from all that is before me now.  Amen. 

XOXO....Kelly

I'm really, really ridiculously good looking--Part 2

While visiting my parents in Pittsburgh last week I unearthed these photos.  When I was 16, I wanted nothing more than what every 16 year old girl wants.....for someone to follow her around with a camera fashion model style and take beautiful pictures of her and only her.  (If you're female and you're thinking, "I never wanted that" then you are lying to yourself.  If you're male and you've suspected this of our gender all along, well, what can I say.  It's part of our charm.)  So my parents treated me to a Glamour Shot session for my birthday.  Look out world, here I come....

These first two series are really aimed at capturing my sophisticated side.  When you're trying to capture this sort of essence it's helpful to flare your nostrils a little bit.  I love how the fur collar matches the natural highlights in my hair and how my eyes twinkle like the studs on the silver vest.  I can picture myself driving away from the studio in my red Chrysler Sebring convertible with white leather seats.  Fancy!!

 

A little more luxury here.  I bet if you saw me on the street wearing that black and gold jacket you'd assume I was worth a million dollars.  But I'm really just like the rest of you.  And look at how they've played with my image a little on the last line of pictures.  The denim and black says I am tough, a force to be reckoned with, but the teddy bear reminds you that I have a softer side.  How about that last shot?  That's right...eat your heart out.   

 

If looking at these photos inspires you to do nothing more than this right now I will rest well tonight....think of that person that drove you nuts in high school or broke your heart or picked on you and let it go.  Because thank God for the mercy and grace that allows us to be better than we were at 16!  "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" Psalm 92:12.  But cedars and palm trees don't grow over night.  The process for some is slower than others, but make no mistake.  He who began a good work in you will keep on doing it, moving us from Glamour Shots to glory with the quiet strength of His hand.  That saying about people peaking in high school doesn't account for the chance that God gives each of us everyday to get better.  Maybe it's yourself that you need to forgive and accept that spiritual growth is something that never ends.  Yes, we end this life as imperfect as we begin in, but we do get better!!   "We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with EVER INCREASING glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" 2 Cor 3:18.  I know several people right now doing amazing things for themselves, allowing God to move in their spiritual lives, in their finances, in their health.  You are in my prayers everyday.  Know that His glory in you is becoming greater everyday, too.

 

But back to these photos.  Look...my hair makes a perfect triangle.  Awesome.   

XOXO....Kelly

     

Tippy and Toby

My sister, Terri, is an animal lover.  Well, except for pigs and cats.  They are taken on a case by case basis.  But basically she loves animals and she has an especially soft spot for dogs.  (I will pause here to point out that I tell this story with Terri's full permission.  You know, in case there are those out there afraid to be my friend or hang out with me because you think you'll end up in a blog some day.)  Terri would probably have 78 dogs by now if it wasn't for Tippy. 

(Serious work Tippy on the left....playful happy hour Tippy on the right)

Terri found Tippy limping along the side of the road in Tomball with no collar on a few years ago.  We have a strict rule against picking up dogs without collars and tags because it's hard to find their owners and that's just a good way to end up with extra animals.  Like this guy.

 

Anyone want a Chihuahua?  Let me know!!  :)  Anyhoo.....because the limping was so sad Terri broke the collar rule and brought Tippy home.  After a little rehab and vet care and some failed attempts to find Tippy a home, Tippy became a permanent member of the family.  She is very lovely, sweet and protective, but Tippy does not get along with other animals.  In fact, the only other animal she gets along with is this guy, Toby.

(There is no work/happy hour Toby.  He looks like this all the time.) 

Toby is Terri's other dog.  She adopted him when she was in college.  Toby is some sort of heeler shepherd mix, which pretty much means he can chase a ball for 23 hours straight.  During the one hour he is willing to rest, he will demand your pillow.  Don't try to move him.  He will growl at you.  He's got one brown eye and one crazy blue eye.  He refuses to walk on a leash.  But I guess that works for some gals because Tippy will not attack Toby and only Toby.  As such, Terri has had to stop at just two dogs.  I have had, for many years, a theory about all of this.  I think God saw Terri coming (of course He did!).  I think He knew her heart (of course He did!) and knew where it was headed.  And so He sent Tippy.  Otherwise, like I said, 78 dogs. 

When Moses was getting ready to hand things over to Joshua, Moses reassured Joshua, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" Deuteronomy 30:8.  God knows who we are and who we're meant to be.  His word assures us that as much as He stands beside us today, He also goes before us with plans for us to prosper, to give us a future and a hope; to make the rough places smooth; the crooked ways straight.  The Lord that moved before Joshua and Moses also comforted His disciples, "In my Father's house there are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you" John 14:2.  Our Father's house is one of many rooms indeed.  Enough for 78 or 79 dogs easily.  He knows the best and the worst of each of us and wants us in those rooms anyway.  We praise you, Lord, that as you have stood with us in the past and as stand with us today, you also move before us, in hope and in mercy, to prepare a way for us on earth and a home with you in heaven.  XOXO...Kelly

It's a Beaver.

If you're not from around these parts or even if you are and you've just never stopped at a Buc-ee's you are missing out.  For those not so familiar with the friendly beaver beacon of the highway, Buc-ee's is a chain of convenience stores owned by Arch "Beaver" Aplin III and Don Wasek.  The business partners opened their first store in Lake Jackson in 1982 and have since gone on to open 20 more in Texas (like we needed one more reason to be the most awesome state in the union).  As far as rest stops go they are amazing.  They are well-stocked, well-staffed and freakishly clean.  Their gift section is so amazing that my sister, Terri, plans to do all of her Christmas shopping at Buc-ee's this year.  But the best thing about Buc-ee's....okay, second best since clean bathrooms is a pretty big priority...are the Beaver Nuggets.  Beaver Nuggets are what would happen if a Cheetos puff mated with Crunch-n-Munch and the cheese part didn't make the DNA cut.  As far as snacks go they are amazing.  Every time I buy a bag I eat the whole thing.  Once my sister bought a bag and I ate hers, too.  They are delicious.  And I'm sure loaded with vitamins and fiber.  I don't know.  I'm afraid to read the label.  Anyhooo.....the thing about Beaver Nuggets is that I never mean to eat the whole bag.  I intend to ration it.  But as it sits on the kitchen counter I grab a handful on my way to the laundry room.  And then back to the living room.  And then to the pantry.  And the backyard and so on and so on until, in the matter of a day or two, I have consumed the whole bag.  Sin sort of works the same way.  No one wakes up looking to make a huge mistake, but one misstep here, another there.  One compromise leads to another and before we know it the bag is empty.  Each small handful of actions has turned into a huge collection of problems and God seems very much left out.  Any nutrition professional will tell you that the key to eating healthier is to pay attention to all the little extras that by the end of the day really start to add up.  The same concept applies to our spiritual health.  One explicit lyric here and there may not seem like much but an entire album of them?  An entire season of television shows full of affairs, murder and deceit?  How can we not be affected by all that?  It's a slippery slope to sin (or in this case a crunchy, buttery, sweet slope), but rest assured God will always be waiting at the bottom waiting to tip the decline back up in your favor.  He is the ultimate Alka Seltzer for your bag of Beaver Nuggets (I may have just taken this analogy too far).  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" Philippians 4:8.  Put your mind on all the very good and wonderful things Christ has put before us and work like a beaver on a dam to keep it there.  But should you start to waver (and we always do) know that there is no distance so far for you to travel that God will not and can not pull you back to His side.  It is the gift of grace and it is for each one of us.  XOXO...Kelly

P.S. Terri...I want some Beaver Nuggets for Christmas.    

It's July 4!! Puppies and diamonds for everyone!!!

I will admit I've never had strong feelings about July 4 before.  Well, with two exceptions.  One year we got to bring a puppy home from our annual 4th of July family celebration.  That was awesome!  Kevin also proposed to me on July 4.  That was really awesome!  If he'd given me a puppy along with the proposal that would have been really, really awesome.  But I digress....  Clearly neither of those two events--awesome as they were--had anything to do with the actual spirit behind July 4, which is, of course, to celebrate the independence of this great nation (and it is great!!) and all the blessings thereof.  Then yesterday morning happened.  It had been quite a week for the nation, I think.  Lots of emotions running high after Wednesday's news both in Texas and in DC.  No matter which side of the issues you sit on there is certainly lots to pray about.  So our anthem in church that morning, Heal Our Land, was more than fitting.  And following the anthem (and sermon, etc.) our church also recognized the various individuals and teams serving on mission trips this summer.  The crowd at the altar was overwhelming and, as we prayed over them, I could not help but start to cry.  As a youth director mission trips were part of my job.  I never considered myself particularly passionate about mission work, which is okay.  We all have different spiritual gifts.  But plan them, execute them and serve on them I did.  And I can say with full confidence that I have never, never, never done a mission project, whether a day or a week, that did not change my life in some way.  So while mission trips and July 4 don't seem to go much together either they have everything to do with each other!  What better way do we have to celebrate the freedom and independence of our citizenship than to reach out as God's hands and feet and put healing into action?  We are free to share our faith, to share our resources, to share our lives with one another.  Whatever the issues are, God sits with the people on both sides of them.  I don't know when I'll get the chance to serve on a mission trip again.  The kids are so young right now (and there are so many of them!), but I will get out there again some day.  And if you've never done it or even if it's just been a while find an opportunity and go for it.  We praise you, God, for the freedom from sin we find in you and the freedoms we enjoy in this nation.  Let us not waste the opportunity to exercise those freedoms and step out in faith to be Your Healing in this land.  Amen!  XOXO....Kelly

          

I'm really, really ridiculously goodlooking....

...but I can not sing ooooo's.  You know, where in a song there are no words, just a bunch of oooo's.  I'm like the Derek Zoolander of the music world.  He can't turn left.  I can't sing ooo's.  Ask anyone who has ever had to sit beside me before in a choir.  I can be clipping along, belting out a song with no problem, but as soon as you take the words away it's like I lose all musical balance and completely fall off the bike.  I don't even hum well.  I am nothing without the words.  But isn't this the same for all of us?  Where are any of us without the word of God?  "Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features doesn't mean that we still can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident."  Or need the word of God with us and behind and before us each day!  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" Psalm 119:105.  God's word is not just concerned with us here and now, as a personal talisman we can pull a verse from now and again when we want something cool for our letter jackets or a nice quote for our wall.  It is both concerned with who we are ("my feet") and where we are going ("my path").  God's word is our infallible authority, our guide for life, our deed for inheritance, our stability and our strength (from God's Promises, Word Publishing).  "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not" Mark 13:31.  God wants you in His word.  He wants you to spend time with the Bible, study it, ask questions about it, pray on it, lean on it.  He wants you to know the peace and joy that comes with knowing Him better.  And that's a good thing!!  Otherwise we're all just wandering around indiscriminately singing oooo's with all the wrong notes.  Or just mouthing "ooooo" while everyone else who can find the right notes sings around you.  That's pretty much what I do now.  SO READ YOUR BIBLE!!  And have a very good day.  :)  XOXO...Kelly

Dad

Father's Day always reminds me of the verse from Genesis, "so God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him."  Because that's pretty much where it starts for us as Christians....to be the image of Christ in this big, troublesome world.  I have a father very much in the image of God.  He might have driven the wrong way in the carpool drop-off lane (on purpose and EVERY DAY), run over our Barbie set-up's with his remote controlled army tank and made us watch movies like Lonesome Dove and Jeremiah Johnson, but there was never a question in my mind as to who my savior was and where my heart belonged.  My dad lives firmly convicted of right and wrong, good and evil, but full of mercy and compassion.  He is just, he is loving, he is funny, he is hard working.  I married a man just like him.  My heart is grateful daily that my sons will see the image of God before them just as I did growing up, just as Kevin did with his dad.  It's a hefty task to show Christ to the world, but oh so important!!  A few years ago I was leading a Bible study on God as our Abba Father and was shocked at how many youth in the room did not see God as a loving guardian.  What was missing from their image of God directly related to what was missing in their relationship with their own fathers.  Those with close, supportive parent relationships had no trouble seeing God as loving and caring while those with strained relationships had a harder time believing this about His character.  Is it any wonder we struggle so much as a human race?  God's image starts at home and has never been more important to the people around us than it is right now.  Whether you are a father or grandfather, mother or grandmother, uncle, aunt, sister, brother, friend, coworker, neighbor or the person listening to my exterminator talk about squirrel dumplings for dinner (that happen to anyone else this week?...no?...no one?...really??) make sure the people around you know who God is!!  Especially the little ones....do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.  I am grateful to be surrounded by so many strong and wonderful men of God and full of praise that He has entrusted Kevin and I with the blessing of raising up four more.  God has indeed created us in His image, friends, and all that is loving and just, merciful and forgiving, trustworthy and unfailing about it.  Happy Father's Day.  XOXO...Kelly

 

Don't give the devil a foothold.

So before you read this you have to promise not to stop being my friend just because I'm crazy.  I, like many people, get anxious.  One of the ways I attempt to cope with feelings of anxiety is to think through the worst case scenario of any given situation.  Like if Kevin is out of town traveling I make a mental plan of how to get all four boys out of our burning house in the middle of the night by myself, where we will live after and how I'd like the laundry room rebuilt should we have to renovate following the fire.  On some level I believe if I think all the way through a possible disaster it will somehow make the actual event, should it ever come to pass, more endurable.  One time I got so far through one of these worst case scenarios that I was actually planning a person's eulogy.  (Please don't stop being my friend!!)  The fact is that fear, anxiety and worry grips each of us at some time or another and the Bible has much to say about its uselessness.  I was driving last week to College Station to see my sister.  It was late in the evening and the sun had already set.  The stretch between Hempstead and Navasota has no lights and if there is no traffic--as there was not late on that weekday evening--it is dark, dark, dark on the road!  As I drove along and a familiar feeling of fear started to creep in--how will they find me if I crash the car out here by myself? will wolves eat my body?--
so also did part of this verse from Ephesians..."do not give the devil a foothold."  Paul is writing to the Ephesians here about anger, warning them that when we get carried away in anger we give Satan a chance to come in and move us in the wrong direction.  Fear works in the same way and it is NOT what God wants for us.  "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).  Fear is useless, unfruitful and distracts us from the confidence we need to spread God's joy in this world (and, frankly, drive a vehicle safely!).  And worst of all it allows the devil to creep in and place doubt where God intends trust to be!  If you're anxious about something, full of worry, full of fear shut it down!!  Hand that worry over to God and do not give Satan the chance to get his foot in the door.  Turn on the radio while you're driving in the dark (not too loud as to be distracting) and avoid the crazy place where you're planning funerals and escape routes because that's not where God needs you to be.  God needs you here, now, today where He can show you hope and give you joy.  You deserve that.  And, crazy or not, so do I.  XOXO....Kelly