a great honor for a great man.

  Adam Hamilton is the pastor of the church Michael and I attended in Kansas.   We were fortunate enough to have him baptize J.

ignore my weird face...it was NERVE WRECKING standing in front of thousands of people.

 Pastor Adam is kind, compassionate, caring, brilliant,  and just a very neat guy.
...and let's be real,  the man knows how to preach (and lead a church)!   It's not surprising that he was asked to give the sermon at the National Prayer Service for the POTUS and FLOTUS  (along with several other members of the cabinet and congress).   If you haven't already, watch his sermon. It's 17 minutes well spent. I promise! It doesn't matter your race, your gender, your political beliefs, any of that. It's all about living out the word of God. It was definitely a wake up call for me!     "There's a lot of darkness in our world.  Lead us to be a compassionate people.  To be concerned for the marginalized.  Help us rediscover a vision for America that is so compelling that it unites us and calls us to realize the full potential of this country to be a shining city upon a hill...and when you feel your lowest...don't give up.  Wait upon the Lord.  He will renew your strength, that you might lead us as a nation to knock holes in the darkness. Amen."

  Pin It Now!

lull.

  so, I've officially welcomed my first blogger lull, and I think I'm ok with it(!...?)   I've spent the last several days virtually computer free, and it has been wonderful and much needed.   lately, i've found myself reading the incredible blogs that I read on a regular basis, and comparing myself to those writers.     My thoughts go a little something like this...   "Kristin, you're not stylish enough to be blogging."   "Kristin, what you have to say isn't nearly as great as what other bloggers have to say."   "Kristin, your photo skills are so elementary compared to some of these incredible bloggers."   "Kristin, you're...not...good...enough...to be a part of this blogging world."     I realized today, I've become all too consumed with what others in the blogosphere think of me.   sometimes it feels like a giant popularity contest, and I'll never be a part of the cool club.   so, with that said, I plan on taking the next several days to continue enjoying time with family. I also plan on taking some time, refocusing on what's important, and really thinking about this blog and which direction I'd like to take it.   I'm so thankful for my loyal readers (thanks mom and Marsha!) but also the community of bloggers I've met thus far. I've formed some wonderful friendships because of this little space I have on the world wide web.   I'll be back on January 1st...starting 2013 off with a bang!  

    Pin It Now!

pray for peace, people everywhere.

I've tried sitting down to blog, but I just don't have the words right now...

my heart breaks every minute of the day for all of those families whose lives are forever changed.

I have, however, loved seeing all of the wonderful tributes to the lives that were lost on Friday.

This one was especially touching.

  I may not be able to change the world, but I can be a source of light in a very dark place.   Pray for peace, people everywhere...  

  Pin It Now!

there are no words...

"Jesus Wept." -John 11:35
It was originally the plan to post my  Friday Letters on the blog today.
...and then I got word of the horrific events unfolding in Connecticut.
I'm left stunned. I'm left speechless. I'm feeling sick to my stomach, confused, scared, and most of all, heartbroken  for the families and people in that community.
Having taught in an elementary school, I can't begin to comprehend.
This just isn't fair.
Life is so fragile. We aren't guaranteed the next day, the next hour,  or even the next minute. Don't wait to tell someone you love them. Live each day as if it's your last. 
Lord, may your arms embrace those affected by today's darkness.  

  Pin It Now!

case of the "gimmies".

Among the long list of things God has managed to teach me during this tight financial time for my family (with owning 2 houses for almost half a year), the one that is resonating with me most during this season is the feeling of contentment.

source

With the holidays approaching at warp speed, this lesson has become especially valuable.

There are ads galore nowadays.
Ads on TV,
ads on the radio,
ads on the internet,
ads in the newspaper...

you can't get through the day without seeing/hearing about the latest "must haves" this holiday season.
 
"You have the iPhone 4S? That's not good enough, my friends. Sorry that you just purchased it less than 3 months ago because you NEED the iPhone 5 right. now. This phone has a bigger screen, a sleeker body, can hold more memory, weighs SO much less, can pretty much do anything you'd ever need it to, like prepare your meals for you, and bathe your children. You need this phone in order to live and be successful in life."

These messages start to get to me.

They begin to let them define who I am.

I don't even own an iPhone, let alone the newest, greatest version.

That begins to make me feel "less than".

...and I know I'm not the only one who feels this.

These ads that are taking over our lives begin to make us all feel discontent with what we've already been blessed with.  

Nevermind the fact that we've only owned said item for just a few months.

These ads begin to let their lies creep in...

"If only you had THIS (insert hot new item here)...THEN you'd be happy.  Truly happy." 

Not having the money this year to purchase the latest and greatest has taught me so much.

I can hear God gently whispering to me,  

"Kristin, it's time you learn to be content with what you have." 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." 

1 Timothy 6:6-8  

This holiday season, I'm learning to be content with what I have.

I'm so grateful for my hard working husband.

I'm thankful that he works his tail off so I can have the privilege of staying home with my son.

NO dollar amount (or hot new item) can replace that. 

Will there be times this season when I think,
"Boy, I sure would love that cute new sweater."

Yes. I'm human.

...but I'm sure going to try my hardest to remind myself to be content with what I already have. 

After all,

I've been blessed with so much.  

-----------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of feeling blessed...

I feel so fortunate to have met and become fast friends with fellow blogger, Katie, from Standpipe & Sprinkles. She was one of the first to reach out to me as I began this blogging journey, and I love her dearly for that. 

She has a pretty fantastic love story, the most adorable little girl, Maile, aaaaand we both may or may not have a bad case of baby fever.  

Seriously, friends, go check out her blog. It will become a favorite of yours, too!

If you stop by, be sure to leave her a comment and tell her I sent you! 

Pin It Now!

HSP.

"I try hard to avoid making mistakes or forgetting things."

Yep.

"I find it unpleasant to have a lot going on at once."

Yep.

"Changes in my life shake me up."

Yep.

"I'm often labeled as very sensitive or shy."

Quite a lot, especially growing up.

HSP = Highly Sensitive Person.  

Little things, that may not seem like much to an average person, can shake me to the core.

Busyness stresses me out.

Change makes me cringe.

I rely on and need my alone time...every day.

I am a hardcore perfectionist and people pleaser.

I've dealt with this for as long as I can remember.

It is both a blessing and a curse.

The fact of the matter is this: a HSP experiences life more intensely.  
We are able to pick up on details and circumstances that others can't perceive.

When someone is going through something, good or bad, I literally feel as if I am in their shoes, experiencing their joy or pain right alongside them. 

Life can tricky...which is why I'm beyond thankful to have my people, my family, right by my side.

  They get me.

 The four of us, especially, can relate SO well with each other.  We understand.

 I give thanks for this wonderful family...

...and especially this man (along with our boy).

 

I couldn't do it without them.

Pin It Now!

in need of occupants.

I have so much on my heart right now.

It mostly has to do with...our dreaded housing situation.

Our house has now been on the market for almost 5 months. 
For those of you who are unaware, that's approximately 4 months longer than I was ever expecting.

Trying to sell a house in this market just. plain. bites.
If any of you are also going through this, I feel for you!

We've lowered the price once already and are now finding ourselves lowering it again.
Definitely not ideal.
 
Over the weekend, my wonderful sister-in-law lovingly buried a St. Joseph statue in our yard in hopes of delivering us some good news.

We've heard many a story about the good fortune he brings, so why not be next on the "sold" list thanks to St. Joe?

I will say this - God has been hard at work throughout this whole experience, and although it has been H-A-R-D, God has never left us high and dry.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most patient person.
Well guess what!  God is teaching me patience (for 4 months and counting, at this point...).
Some days are easier than others.

He's also revealing His love for me through the many people in our lives.
Michael and I feel so incredibly blessed to have the loving and supportive parents that we have. 
We're also extremely thankful for our friends and family who have been praying on our behalf as well.

For some reason, guilt overwhelms me when I ask for people to pray about this.

We don't have any pressing medical issues, we aren't homeless on the street, we have food on our table...let's be honest, in the grand scheme of things, we are beyond blessed.

...but it's still hard.

My Pastor said it best:

"NEVER apologize for asking for prayer!  Yes, other people are dealing with difficult things - perhaps more difficult than selling a house - perhaps not.  But your situation - for you - is extremely difficult.  I'm glad that there's no evidence that God considers "the size of the need" before answering the prayer!  We humans tend to compare things and then determine which should get the most attention.  One of the beautiful things about God is the fact that He's able to heal cancer AND send a buyer for the house all at the same time!"

Amen.

So my hope and trust will remain in the fact that God knows the bigger picture.
He knows what we need.
He will provide.

...and until then?  God will be hearing from me lots.

Pin It Now!