Shopping

I'm a pretty big fan of giving gift cards and online shopping. A) I'm not a good gift giver, so I'd rather know you're going to choose something you like. B) I don't love crowded places like shopping centers, so online shopping is easy and often included the option of having something delivered to your door. Love it! So, today, I found a new online place to shop that I think I'm going to enjoy frequenting. www.worldcraftsvillage.com is a WMU company that sells products made by artisans in impoverished countries around the world, helping support them as well as providing opportunities to share the Gospel of hope through Jesus Christ with them. Take a look!

When I Grow Up

Last week I went to lunch with five lifelong WMU (Women's Missionary Union) ladies. It was one of the most fun days of my life. These were senior adult women telling hilarious and facinating tales of their most recent adventures. I'm not talking about trips they took twenty years ago, I'm talking about the trip they went on last year, or the one they're planning for this year, or the one they want to take to South America next year! Oh, that I could be so cool!

The Discipline of Prayer

"When we go to prayer, the devil knows we go to fetch strength against him, therefore he opposes us all the more." ~ Richard Sibbs

As an avid reader for most of my life, the discipline of Bible study has come much more easily than the discipline of prayer, but both are necessary for fruitful life on the Vine, are they not? I've struggled with various prayer routines, but never felt truly disciplined in this very important matter.

Meeting with the girls on Thursday nights has helped that a lot. Exchanging notecards each week the specific desires of my sister's heart, helps me focus on praying consistently for her, but still, it seems there is a list a mile long of others in need. How do I pray fervently for each of them?

Recently, I discovered www.echoprayer.com , a place to help me keep track of the things for which I am praying. It's basically an online prayer journal. I go to the site, set up my prayer list, then choose specific days and times to be sent e-mail or text message reminders to pray for those things. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and I love it. It's a blessing to be reminded each time I go to my inbox that there are loved ones in need and I've been given the privilege of interceding for them.

So, if you're like me and struggle with the discipline of prayer, try out www.echoprayer.com!

What Do You Read?

Finishing graduate school has been an amazing boost for my love of reading. I've found that I can pick up something that interests me and read it without feeling guilty for all the other books I "should" be reading. I read a lot of fiction in the months right after graduation ... because I could. But, more recently, I've turned back to other reading, things that challenge or inspire. And, I've been asking my friends for suggestions. What do you read? What's subjects interest you most? Have you read any good biographies lately? Who's your favorite author? Please, share!

Jan's Gone Home

I just received word that Jan Moses went to be with the Lord late last night. While I ache for her family, I cannot find it in me to be sad for her. She was so ready to be with Jesus. According to her family, here's what she had to say when discussing the plans for her memorial service ...

"There will be people there who don’t understand… Why would God let ya’ll have cancer, let ya’ll suffer… I don’t think we could go through any of this without believing in and trusting in the sovereignty of God. We believe what God’s Word says about Him, that He is sovereign and He’s in control.

“And He’s got this big, worldwide, eternal focus that we, as finite human beings, don’t have. And He knows what He’s wanting to do, in the lives, not just in our family, but other people’s lives around the world. And if He can use any of this to bring one person into His kingdom, it’s worth it.

“I know where I’m going; I don’t mind dying… I have a place I’m going to… But it’s those people that don’t know Him, I don’t see how anyone gets thru something like this without knowing the Lord. And that’s what I would encourage people there at the service… to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. That’s the only thing worth living for in life, and that’s following Him.”

Might we all be so focused!

O Church, Arise

"O Church, Arise"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

O church, arise and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain;
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!"
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev'ry side,
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—
An inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict'ry march continues till the day
Ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride,
Give grace for ev'ry hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When, with Christ, we stand in glory.

Jan

A woman I have watched from across the aisle is living her final days on this earth. I am certain I have never grieved for one I knew so little personally the way that I am now. Jan has been such a testimony of God's faithfulness, and while I do not hope for my life's journey to lead through the physical pain she's suffered, I do pray I will be the testimony of grace that she has been no matter what the future holds. Read some of her words, previously recorded on video for her family.

“Let me tell you about the valedictorian of our High School class… This person was voted most likely to succeed. Best in science and math. …and had all these awards… 30 years later, that person doesn’t own a car, doesn’t own a house, no big salary, nobody probably knows much about this person. Is this person successful? Has this person accomplished anything? In the world’s eyes probably not. But that person is me.”

“Maybe in the world’s eyes I haven’t been successful. But, I thank God for the life we’ve had, because it’s been a good one. If we’re doing what God wants us to do, we don’t have to worry about being successful. We’re just being faithful. That’s what I want to hear when I go to heaven, is God saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” He doesn’t say, “My good and successful servant.” I may have not accomplished much in the world’s eyes, but the One I’m concerned about pleasing is Him, so that’s OK.”

To read more about her extraordinary story and family, go to www.caringbridge.org/texas.moses

In April, I will be speaking at a Women's Retreat for a church in Azle. Jan was their first choice, I'm just filling in since it seems she's got a greater appointment. Please pray for me that I would serve these women as unto the Lord with even half the grace and passion that Jan would have brought to them.

A First

I had my first near-death experience while driving home tonight. I'm not sure why I'm blogging about it except that it's late, and I should be in bed, but I haven't stopped shaking yet. I was headed headed home from a concert about 11:30 p.m. this evening, driving southbound on a mostly deserted Bryant Irvin Road, going about 40 mph when a truck to my right, coming out of a neighborhood, barrelled past a stop sign right in front of me and across my path. In shock, I hit my brakes hard and swerved to the left, thinking surely he'd stop before coming all the way across both lanes, but I don't think he ever even paused. I ended up headed south on the northbound side of the divided road, which was blessedly deserted. I was able to turn my car around, get back on the correct side of the road and proceed home without incident. I've had a few close calls as far as car wrecks, but never one that I am certain would have done major damage if not killed me had it not be avoided. For years, I've joked about funeral arrangements and even blogged about what you're to do in case of my passing, but tonight, I've had opportunity to truly think about life (and death) and all the implications of so narrowly avoiding disaster. Strangely enough, when I got home, my roommates were watching "An Unfinished Life." My thoughts are still a little cluttered, but a few things stick out to me. One) I realized that I wasn't afraid of dying. There is a natural instinct for self-preservation, and I am thankful to live another day and have another opportunity to glorify the Lord, but there was no fear of death or eternity in those uncertain moments. (There was, however, great fear of totaling a nearly paid for car, and catastrophic medical bills!) Two) My days are numbered by the "Star Breather" (to use a Louie Giglio phrase), and today was not my last. Lord willing, tomorrow I will rise and have a fresh set of mercies to carry me through another set of opportunities. Three) Nothing is certain. Tonight, I worshipped at an amazing concert, praised the Lord for his abundant goodness and infinite wisdom. I stopped off at a bowling alley to see some friends for about half an hour, then headed up, checking this day off my mental calendar and thinking about the next one. How strange it was to realize that all of my planning for tomorrow (and many days after that) may have been in vain. Four) There are things about my life that are "unfinished." There are people who still need to know that the Good News is for them, that they have a choice to make about Jesus. My laundry needs to be washed and put away. My sinks haven't been scrubbed this week. My journal is full of hopes for the future, but lacking in praises for today. And, there are a few people who might not know how much I love them. I'd better tell them one more time as soon as I can (though, it probably wouldn't feel like love if I called them at this hour!).
The psalmists words about life being but a vapor and passing so quickly have always facinated (and sometimes haunted) me. Even if you life a "full" seventy years, it's still short. I've still got a ways to go, I hope. I want to finish well.
I'll close this rambling with Psalm 4:8, "I both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, have caused me to dwell in safety."

In Case You Were Wondering

WAIT

Cody and I have joked for a long time that, in his vocabulary, "Time" is a four letter word. He hates to hear. Hates to be told, "It's gonna take some time," or "We'll have to look for God's time on this one." By the same token, I've discovered in the last few years that "Wait" has a similar effect on me. Scripture is full of admonitions to "Wait on the Lord," but that "wait" part starts to make me a little crazy after a while. Most recently, I've been looking at those verses and praying, "but Lord, what am I waiting for?" with more than a little whine in my voice. A new year has always been prime journaling/blogging season for me. It seems I always have something to say and never more so than when there's a blank page in front of me like the start of a new year. However, 2007 rolled into town without much pomp or circumstance in my little world. I didn't have anything to say. I didn't know what to say. I was waiting. And, I wasn't waiting "patiently" like the Psalmist in Psalm 40. I wasn't waiting with good cheer like the Psalmist in Psalm 27 either. Finally, in desperation, I cried out again, "But, God, what in the world, am I waiting for?!" That's when the picture became clear. You know, those picture's He puts in my head to help me understand my position from time to time? In the picture, I am treading water (waiting) and I'm looking to various shores all around me, and each one represented one of the things I thought might be the key to getting "unstuck" from this waiting position. Graduation. New Job. Right Relationship. And the list goes on. I was positively frantic sitting in that water looking from one shore to the other and realizing that none of those things was capable of rescuing me. That's when it became clear to me. The Biblical phrase isn't "Wait." The Biblical phrase is "Wait on the Lord." It's so simple. So clear. I don't know why I missed it for so long. I think I must have known it at some point before, but I'd forgotten it more recently. In the picture, God wasn't on the shore around me, He was above me, and as I turned my attention toward Him, the words of Isaiah 26:3 came back to me so clearly, "You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is fixed on You." So, in 2007, I'm learning what it truly means to wait on the Lord, to let Him come to my rescue and be my All-Sufficient One.

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We Never Know ...

From time to time, I've mentioned to you the value of a legacy of faith. Eugene Petersen uses a phrase originally written by Friedrich Nietzche to describe perseverance in discipleship. He calls it, "a long obedience in the same direction." I've written about my family on this blog quite a bit. I'm more than a little proud of who they are and what they've accomplished. This week, my paternal grandfather "Papa" will celebrate his 39th year as the pastor of the Rio Hondo Baptist Church. He has faithfully stood in that pulpit and preached the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ week after week, "going, growing, and glowing" for Jesus. Unfortunately, when something becomes very familiar to us, there is a tendancy to take it for granted. Sometimes we forget that lives are being touched and even changed for all eternity because someone cares enough to stay and keep doing the same thing, the right thing, week after week.

Papa has a "cyber-ministry." He maintains a truly gigantic e-mail distribution list and faithfully sends out prayer requests and e-mails to a congregation that stretches around the world thanks to the Internet. Last week, he started sending out pictures of the Rio Hondo Baptist Church auditorium, the way it looked 30 years ago, and the way it looks today. I confess, I wasn't necessarily appreciative of having an inbox filled with emails of old pictures, and I even joked with my roommates that maybe someone should take Papa's scanner away. Well, I learned my lesson this morning. I want to share with you an e-mail that he received in response to those old pictures. ...

Bro. Gene,

Thank you so much for sending pics of the church and the aerial views of Rio Hondo. They bring back memories of the place where I was saved as a 9 year old girl in 1980. (I still have the picture of me being baptized.) Now 36 and with a family of my own, I share these with my boys. I can show them the exact seat I was sitting in the day I got saved. It gives me the opportunity to share my salvation experience with them and reenforces that God can save and change the life of a child. I got to lead my now 11 year old to the Lord a few years ago, and my husband lead our now 8 year old to the Lord last year. It all started as a result of your preaching. Again thanks for the pics and continue to be faithful in preaching the Word. I am sending you a pic - I am the girl on the top row in a yellow dress. My brother Robert is next to me.

Melissa C
Missouri

Only In Texas ...

Does anyone else find it amusing that DFW has highways named after LBJ ... George Bush ... Ronald Reagan ... and ... Tom Landry! It just seems like one of these things is not like the other. :-) I mean, I really liked and respected Tom Landry, but I do find it amusing that we'd have highways named for three presidents and a football coach!

Off to a Great Start!

When you go into the garage to leave for work (extra early because you have an appointment on the other side of town), and you notice a pumpkin has rolled away from the trash cans and ended up behind your roommate's back tire, it's always a great idea to kick it with your foot in the direction of the nearest pile of stuff, away from the tire. Just be extra careful to be sure that it bumps into the garage door motion sensor as it rolls, and that the little red light atop the sensor goes out, so that the garage door refuses to go down unless someone is physically holding the button down inside the garage. That way, neither you nor your roommate can use the garage door remotes to lower the door, and you'll both have to back your cars out of the garage, go inside and stand by the door and hold the button down before exiting through the back door and walking out the gate to your car which is now parked on the driveway. :-) See why this is such a great way to start your day?

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.