Hiatus

Hello!
I have been taking a blogging break in the midst of packing up my dear family (my mother & father-in-law) as they have recently moved to Montana.  This post is very raw, and serves purely as a personal journal entry.  I need to remember milestones in my life, and this is definitely one of them.  


To date, they safely arrived after an arduous five-day trek of driving cross-country with little to no "bumps" along the way, aside from one flat tire & a three hour waiting period for said tire to be fixed. They have since unpacked most of what they took with them and have lots of help making their 600 sq. foot cabin their new home.  We miss them terribly.  So far, it really just feels like they are on vacation, as it has only been a week since they've moved.  But the empty, furniture-less and echoing house tells me otherwise.  


The first day was tough.  I had to say goodbye in the early morning only to go about my "normal" day as if nothing strange had occurred.  I got up extra early to read my bible, while awaiting the unhappy goodbye.  I remember sitting at the kitchen counter - reading, searching for encouragement from the Word.  Silently, I hoped they would never come down, that this was all just a big, strange, funny joke.  'We aren't moving away, we just bought a smaller house! We thought we'd play a joke!'  Too bad my mind's tricks can't sometimes come true.... As I read, I treasured the last moments of family still sleeping upstairs and prayed, "Lord, please hold back the tears.  Help me to be strong so they can leave happy, joyful, and ready for their new, exciting adventure." As I heard the charming creeks of the well worn staircase, I knew it was time.


We stood in the empty dining room, staring at the floor making small talk like awkward teenagers staring at their feet... trying to delay the ever present moment that was to come.  Seconds ticked away and I knew I had to leave for work.  The prayer didn't work - I was a mess and so were they.  But it was okay.  We cried and cried.  I joked to break the heavy emotion that filled the room, "You know I'm going to get pregnant tomorrow right?  I can make that happen you know."  It lightened the mood but only for a moment.  We hugged again and I said goodbye.  Although they had a long journey ahead of them, my day's routine had not changed which seemed so strange to me.   In the midst of so much change, I still had to do what was expected of me.  I couldn't stay home and say goodbye for two more hours before they left, I had to go.  As I exited the house, I kept my chin up and my smile on.  I honked the signature "two beep" goodbye as I drove away with my sunglasses on, hiding the streaming tears.  


I cried a lot that day.  I cried in the car, at work when my boss asked me if my allergies were bothering me, at bible study that night, and finally in my husband's arms as the day came to a close.  It was a hard day, but all the tears were good.  They were tears of healing, tears of joy, tears of transition.  I am SO proud of them, and so proud to call them family.   They are such an example of Godliness, their trust in the Lord far outweighs their earthly comforts.  Not many people their age (no offense) would just pick up and move, leave family and church friends behind, only to follow the upward call of Jesus Christ - but they have and they will continue to do so until they meet Jesus.  I have no doubt in my mind.  They are people of genuine faith that consider their faithfulness to God more important than their own desires or comfort.  I love them dearly, and am so blessed that they raised up their son, my husband, to be just like them.  He is an amazing man of faithfulness, servitude, and passion for the Lord.  I hope that we too, will be as faithful as they are and continue to be.  I will close with this passage from the book of Philippians.  Paul is writing from a jail cell to a church that he started in Philippi, to check on the people and the encourage them.  Coincidently (or God-incidently) I have been reading through this book for the past six months along with the other ladies in my church family, and it has been so comforting to me during this time in my life.  Here are a few verses from each chapter that I have found particularly encouraging:


Philippians 1:3-8
³ I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, ⁵ for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ⁷ just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. ⁸ For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. 


Philippians 2:12-18
¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. ¹⁷ Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.


Philippians 3:7-14
⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 


Philippians 4:10-13
¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.


---


All this to say, please pray for my dear family as they too are transitioning.  Thank you to those who have comforted us during this time, those who have helped in the labor of packing and lifting, and to those who continue to lift us up in prayer.  Love you Patti & Jim and thinking of you daily! Can't wait to visit.....after the snow melts down to 3 feet instead of 15 of course :) 


For more information on the ministry that they are now serving alongside of, visit this website: http://www.pottersfield.org/


*side note, Mom, I did not get pregnant the day after they left, you can stop holding your breath now - you must be blue.*

Oh Shoot!

Wordless Saturday

Finding A Balance

So lately I have been convicted of a certain things called vanity.  Not sure it's an actual "sin" but it's something that the Holy Spirit has been drawing to my attention.  Now, this is not meant to condone anyone, I just want to share my thoughts and what I have learned since living in a house that is not my own (i.e. my dearest in-laws).  When we do have a house of our own in the future, I want to be sure that it does one thing: glorifies the Lord.   My in-laws have such a strength in this area, their home is nothing short of hospitable, loving, and welcoming.  Of course it doesn't hurt that it looks nice too, but the heart of the home is in the right place, and that's something I am striving to reach towards.  That's not to say that the walls have to be white, picture-less, and uninteresting, but there should be a balance right?  If all I care about is how my home looks, how clean it is, and how I am perceived as the "home-maker" then I know that my heart isn't in the right place.  Of course this is pretty easy to say now because I am currently a "room-mate" and not a home-owner or renter for that matter.  But, I just want to be sure that when we begin "growing" into our next home that it's with the right heart.  I want it to be beautiful of course, but I want to make sure my focus is the heart and the intent first, and looks second.  Am I making any sense?  I think this applies to many areas of one's life, whether it be looking for a spouse, creating friendships, serving in your personal ministry, etc...  The heart is all that the Lord looks at and I want to be sure that I am making my heavenly Father smile and show my picture around heaven.  I think He probably does that sort of thing, don't you?

Now, if you know me at all, you know that I am ALL about design and decor so my house will mostly likely have painted walls with pictures hanging, throw pillows thrown, and windows shined, but I want to be sure that it's not taking the place of the true substance that sustains me: Jesus!

Again, since I am not in my own home, I have lots of time to peruse the world wide web for ideas and eye candy (decor style).  I have been copy and pastin' like crazy with any DIY idea that I find particularly interesting, cost-efficient, or "to-die-for."  Here are some photos that I think are absolutely adorable. Is it counterproductive to post these photos?  I don't know, but they sure are cute.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:12-14

A Valentine's Devotional

The Evidence 

WRITTEN BY SKIP HEIZTIG

A while back, a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to a schoolboy was sold to a collector for $60,000. Here's the story: When Lincoln was running for president in 1860, journalist James Patten interviewed him. Patten took his eight-year-old son George along. But later, when George told his classmates he had met Lincoln, they didn't believe him and they mocked him. The teacher finally wrote the president, and Lincoln responded: "Whom it may concern: I did see and talk with Master George Evans Patten, last May, at Springfield, Illinois. Respectfully, A. Lincoln." The boy had evidence he could show to anybody who doubted him, and that settled the matter.


In Exodus 3 and 4, Moses experienced a much bigger meeting, with God Himself. But Moses anticipated that the Hebrews might not believe him, and he said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you'" (4:1). So God gave Moses some miraculous signs to convince anyone who was doubtful.


Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior have also had a meeting with God. But what do we have as evidence that we can show the world? Jesus told His disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).


How else will people know that we're really disciples of Jesus Christ? By the bumper sticker on your truck? The Christian slogan on your t-shirt? The big Bible you carry? The cross necklace you wear? You know what? If you wear a cross without having love in their heart, you dishonor the cross!


You could say, "They'll know I'm a Christian because of my dizzying intellect, and my knowledge of theology and apologetics." But people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. They want to know that you love. That's the mark of being a Christian. Simply put, the more spiritual you are, the more loving you are.


So love is the dividing line. And it's not even love for the world that Jesus speaks of. He says if we can just love each other, that'll be enough for the world to understand. Isn't that amazing?
"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). People may hear that you are His disciple, but they will know it when you love.


Copyright © 2011 by Connection Communications. All rights reserved.

Blog Challenge

Like I said in my first challenge entry, I would quit the 30-days when I felt like the challenge was becoming a bit too "this girl" centered.  I kind of feel like this is happening so I am going to be stopping for a little while - at least.  I want this blog to be encouraging, uplifting, and inspiring.  Also, I want my life to be centered on Christ alone, I want Him to be my everything and my passion in life.  I have enjoyed creating every post and will continue to write, but I want to prioritize my passions.  Although I do enjoy lots of things that this earth provides (decorating, photography, traveling, blogging, writing, cooking, etc...) everything here is really rubbish in comparison to the treasure I have in heaven.  Amen?  


Philippians 3:7-16 
⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
 ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,^[b] let us be of the same mind.


Another point is that I am leary of posting too much personal information, (although I doubt many strangers read this blog) you just never know who reads what you write.  Most importantly know this: I thank you for reading, I will continue to write, and please continue to check back here and there.


Much Love,
Kendra

NEW NEW NEWS!

As you might have noticed, bloggie got a brand new outfit!  What do you think?  I'm in love, but I suppose I should be since I'm the one that spends the most time here - I think.  Just in case you haven't seen, I have a few new tabs & a new button you can steal!  The new tabs include: Home, About Me, House Tour, Polaroid of the Week, & DIY of the Week.  The other little changes include a new background, header, font, color story, music playlist, etc.....  I hope you enjoy perusing, I had lots of fun makin' her pretty!

Day 15: Favorite Bible Verse

This one is a little hard to pin down, because I love the whole book.  But I suppose one of my favorites would have to be II Corinthians 5:17-20.

II CORINTHIANS 5:17-20

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 
¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 
¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 
²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we imploreyou on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Verse 17 reminds me that I was once dead in my sins, but because I was born again, I am a new creation!  God no longer sees me as a sinner, but as a perfect work in Him - how amazing is that.  It also reminds me that others too are new creations, and that I need to view fellow christians as a finished work because we both were once dead in our trespasses.

Verse 18 reminds me that God came this world and reconciled His people back to Himself through the death on the cross and that because He did this for us, we need to tell others of such reconciliation and that it's not too late for them to believe in what Christ did for the church.

Verse 19 reminds me of God's love for us - not that he sent Christ to judge the earth, but that Jesus is committed to finding the lost sheep and reconciling the world.

Verse 20 is our commission!  We need to be fishers of men.  Because Jesus is no longer physically present in flesh, we need to be Christ for others!  We need to a be a light to this world and our ministry must be reconciling the lost people of this world on Christ's behalf!

These few verses remind me of my past (the pit that God brought me out of), how He saved me (through the crucifixion & resurrection), and how I need to live out my life for Christ (by telling others!).  They neatly tie up the free gift of salvation in just a few short verses! I love that the bible can be so concise, and yet deep with few words.  What's your favorite verse? Why?