The Horton Family

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I get to be with people I love. I get to enjoy some of my favorite foods. I get to reflect on the things that have blessed me this year. And, I get the joy of dressing in matching outfits and taking pictures with my family. ;-) So, here we are. The Hortons. I wish I had words to tell you how much I love these people, how fabulous each and every single one of them is, how much joy being with them brings me. They are incredible!

Book Suggestion

Since I had 13 hours in the car yesterday, I took the opportunity to read a book that was recently recommended to me. It's called "Same Kind of Different As Me" and it's the story of an international art dealer who befriends a homeless man from the Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth, Texas. I HIGHLY recommend you read this incredible story. I was so challenged, blessed, and inspired. Hurry! Go! Get your copy today! I'd lend you mine, but I've already asked my mom to read it!

Giving Thanks 2006

Starting a list like this is dangerous because I'm sure to leave out something or someone important, but I believe practicing Thanksgiving is important, and here are some of the things I'm blessed by this week!

A - Angie, the best friend who knows me a little too well sometimes!

(Very Honorable Mention: Amber and the Trashy Girls who are the highlight of my week!)

B - Becchi, 15 years and counting!

C - CCWJC, I finally found a way to get paid to do the things I love!

D - Danabeth and Dia and Dirty, who taught me how to be a Wonder Woman!

E - Emma's Mama and Daddy, two of my heroes!

F - Freeman, Bonnie ... one of my (s)heroes!

G - Gera Best and Jason, Glen and Holly, and the G.Lovers, friends who feel like family! I can hardly wait to meet B.Glo!

H - Hortons (mine and Danas!), a loving and supportive family

I - Inelle Barrett, a wise and talented woman who always thinks I'm funny!

J - Jesus.

K - kindness ... the warmth of knowing another's sincerity

L - Lynell, every Baptist woman needs a Jewish mama!

M - Misty, who faithfully teaches God's Word weekly!

N - newness ... jobs, ministries, friends - every opportunity to recognize God's faithfulness!

O - Overflow, wow!

P - Potters, people who patiently get on either side of me and hold me up lest I fall flat on my face!

Q - quiet places, something I struggle to find but appreciate immensely.

R - Robyn, someone who is leaving a legacy

S - Sarah, who taught me the word "interdigitation"!

T - Travis, a talented musician with a tender heart

U - unfailing love ... Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!

V - Victory, not just coping. I Corinthians 15:57

W - Wonder House 2.0 and the Essells, tangible evidence of God's provision

X - eXamples to follow

Y - Yam Yams, women I admire immensely

Z - Zeal, a contagious enthusiasm for the work of the Lord

Honorable Mention Also Goes To: The BAT/BKT House, Solana, Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, Starbuck's on Trail Lake, HUBs, Text Messaging, tiaras, Sweet Potato Pie, the McBoys, WE time, The Fray, an assortment of wild animals, amazon.com, and Wyoming's Purple Sunsets.

A Legacy of Discipleship

Any of you who have seen me teach for any length of time have probably seen me pick my Bible up and hold it in both hands, so that the pages fall open while I talk about my firm conviction that God's Word contains all that we need for life and godliness, that there is a principle within those pages for every question I will face. I learned that from a very special lady named Robyn. She was my 11th grade Sunday School teacher, and a hero in my life. Robyn didn't just show up on Sunday mornings with her effervescent personality to teach Sunday school, she played the piano on Sunday afternoons for Youth Choir, opened her home on Tuesdays at lunch time for us to gather around her kitchen table with whomever we happened to drag with us, and spent countless Friday or Saturday evenings laughing and watching videos with us. Robyn lived on my street, and we had a special signal. Every time I passed her house, I'd honk my horn twice. Two short beeps and Robyn promised that wherever she was, whatever she was doing, she'd stop and pray for me that day.

Over the years since high school, I've done my best to live by the things Robyn taught us, especially when it comes to standing firmly in the Truth of God's Word. I am thrilled anytime anyone comments on my love for Scripture because I get to tell them about Robyn. I've done my best to invest in the lives of women around me, especially younger women. And now, I have a job that involves investing in women of all ages, mostly women older than me. I was at a training conference for this new job last week and we spent a lot of time talking about mentors and mentoring. On Day One when they asked me to identify a mentor in my life, I briefly mentioned a high school Sunday School teacher. On Day Four, when we went around the room and affrimed each member of the class, I was delighted to hear someone mention my love for God's Word as it gave me an opening to tell them about Robyn. ;-)

Those days of training were difficult. I was blessed with joy over the task entrusted to me, but battled many doubts along the way. One particular day, I was being hounded by doubts about my ability to lead women older than me, and I was especially haunted by thoughts of a woman I'd been in a discipleship relationship with a few years ago. She was about 15 years older than me, and we met to study the Bible together weekly for several months but for a variety of reasons that relationship ended, and there was very little communication between us afterwards. I kept thinking, "If I couldn't make a difference in her life, how in the world am I going to make a difference in these women's lives?"

Would you believe I received a phone call from that very woman on that very evening while I was still at training? I was nervous when I realized it was her, wondering if whatever she had to say was going to be confirmation that I was in over my head and should run the other direction. But, what she said took my breath away. She explained to me that God has been doing great and mighty things in her life that she is so excited about, and she was calling to say "thank you" to me for the time that we spent together. Tears streamed down my face as I stood in the chilly night air and listened to the Lord remind me how BIG He is. I think His words to me sounded something like, "I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you. You will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." Yes, Lord. I can't do it. But, oh, what You can do!

The story gets better.

I came home from training and made an appointment to have coffee with my old friend and find out what exactly the Lord has been up to in her life and how she came to call me that night. We sat and chatted excitedly, picking up where we'd left off and moving forward quickly to the place where God began to reveal Himself in powerful ways. As she shared with me about the things she had been learning and experiencing and the women she was touching, she put her hands together in front of her as though holding out a book and pretended to let the pages fall open. She said, "Someone told me once that God's Word contains all the answers and principles I need to live a life that pleases Him." Tears came again. I couldn't help it. Watching her was like watching Robyn, and I realized the two had never met, might not ever meet, but their stories are inextricably linked. Robyn taught me. I taught this woman. She taught another.

When I got in my car to leave that encounter, I called my mom and asked her to look up Robyn's phone number for me. I'd tried to dial what I thought it was and gotten a disconnection notice. But, when Mom looked it up for me, I realized I'd been one number off. Considering it's been 10 years since I dialed that number on a regular basis, I felt pretty good about getting so close! Anyway. I called Robyn. Her husband answered the phone and said the garage door was just going up, signaling she'd arrived home. I heard him say "It's Kristen" as he handed her the phone, and the sound of her voice made me smile and tear up all at the same time. I quickly told her my story, told her I just had to share with her what was happening. She, of course, gave all credit to the Lord as is His due. She kept saying, "It's not me; it's Him." And, more than ever, I knew that was true because when I thought about my own role in the story, I could so clearly see that it was not anything of me but all of Him that impacted others near me.

Before we got off the phone, I told Robyn I just wanted her to know that something she'd said had stuck and was still making a difference. She sighed and told me she's got 12th grade girls in Sunday School this year and that she's really been wondering if she was getting through at all, but hearing from me encouraged her to keep trying.

I don't know that I have ever been a part of a more exciting story. My heart is so full heading into this week of thanksgiving.

Thank you, Lord, for godly men and women who keep speaking Truth. Thank you for your Word which is powerful and effective, living and active, which does not return void and contains all that we need for life and godliness. Thank you for using broken vessels.

Wonder House 2.0 Costume Party

I Know It's Been a While ...

This is just a quick post to let you know that I am still here. It's been a crazy month since my last post. The day after I wrote the blog about paintings and prayer, I interviewed with Cornerston Christian Women's Job Corps for their Site Coordinator's position. Many of you will remember, I interviewed with them back in August also, but the job did not work out at that time. In October, I refused to get my hopes up again, but just four days later, I was giving my two weeks notice to my beloved Meals on Wheels, and making plans to join the Cornerstone team. My first day in the office was Wednesday, November 1, and it's been a whirlwind week of learning! Thank you so much for your prayers and interest in all that God has been up to in my life. Cornerstone Christian Women's Job Corps (CCWJC) is a ministry of WMU which helps women who are unemployed or underemployed develop life skills to prepare themselves for the job market. It's an incredible organization that I am so excited to be a part of. If you know me at all, you will laugh when I tell you I've found a place where I get to spend half my time working with women in need and the other half doing marketing/public relations in the community raising support and awareness for this ministry. :-) In January, I prayed God would give me a job/ministry I would love and be passionate about once I graduated in May. It was nearly six months after graduation before I started here, but I can already tell you, He does all things VERY well. I look forward to sharing more with you along the journey.