Call Me Kimmie Crocker!

Can I just brag about myself for one minute! I want you to know that I not only cooked dinner for myself last night (a grilled chicken salad pita with sauteed zucchini squash on the side), but I also prepared a sweet potato casserole and a banana nut cake for Thanksgiving (they are eagerly awaiting their divine appointment with the oven on Thursday morning). I must say I felt so domestic and wifely!! hahaha. If I had husband he surely would have praised me. And my children definitely would have risen up and called me blessed. =)

For a girl who once had to have her roommate come show her how to work the KitchenAid mixer, I say not to shabby! (Sidenote: I had no trouble working my old 1970s mixer.) You know, I realized last night that I don't do much baking from scratch. I, usually, pick up a little something something from Betty or Duncan that requires just a couple of additional ingredients and wah-lah --- I baked! Which makes me think of story that is kind of a tangent but it is too funny to not share. I had to make some breakfast foods for a wedding shower last year. I, of course, waited until late the night before to start making everything! (Seriously, my procrastination sometimes just sets me up for failure!). Well, I bought some muffin mix from the store and poured the mixture into the muffin pan. Only....when I went to pull them out I discovered they were cooked, but they didn't rise at all. What?!? I pulled the box back out of the trash. I forgot an ingredient. A friend called me in the midst of my discouragement. "I cannnnnn't cooooook! No guy will ever want to marry me. waaaah!" (Disclaimer: it was late, I was tired, stressed, and frustated....all breeding ground for the "I am never going to get married" pity party. hahaha). My friend, sweetly, encouraged me that anyone can overlook an ingredient and that she, too, has done it a time or two. "But...there was only 2 ingredients to add!" (Silence). She, then, offerred to give me cooking lessons before I got married. hahahah. Score!

Can I just be honest and say that I actually ENJOYED baking from scratch!!!  It really was alot of fun!  Not only did I feel a sense of joy, pride and accomplishment when I folded the finished product into the 9x13 casserole dish, but it also brought back fun memories of when I was a little girl.  I used to LOVE to watch mom bake cookies, pies, cakes, etc.  I would stand on a chair and watch with absolute fascination.  I loved watching the glass bowl spinning around, I loved seeing the mixture get sucked into the beater and come out smooth, I loved it when mom would turn up the speeds and it would get to the fastest speed.   But mostly, I loved licking the beater!  Not much has changed there!   I licked every bit of the banana nut cake off that beater!  Yuuuuummmyy!!  
 
I think I might just have to try this baking thing more!  I will definitely need to find a cute little apron to wear too....and some matching mitts!!  That way if the meal doesn't quite turn out, I still look cute!!!    
 

One night a few weeks ago, I had this overwhelming heaviness stirring in my soul. I stood in my room and I knew - I can either go before the Lord and wrestle this out with Him or I can sit back and let the enemy use this to consume me and bind me up. I laid on top of my bed with my face pressed into the mattress and I began to cry out to my Father in Heaven. And as I did, my heart began to pour out like water before Him. I wept as I released ALL my cares, my concerns, my worries, my desires, my fears, my sorrows, and my confessions of repentance before Him. “Raw Praying” (as Beth Moore once called it). As I spilled out my heart onto Him, I began to feel the quietness of the Holy Spirit overtake my soul. The tears stopped. My voice fell silent. I laid there and felt the presence of God consume me with stillness before Him. “Be Still and know that I am God” resonated over and over in my heart. I rested in it for a while. It was as though I was curled up on my Father’s lap as He stroked my head and held me close. There is such freedom in being with Him in the wide open, just being honest and raw before Him. Completely exposed and known. He already knows what lies in our hearts. He knows the thoughts we have before we even have them. He is fully aware of us – more so than we are even aware of us. He knows the weight of the burdens that we carry and He calls us to “come” and to cast them onto Him. He knows the depth of the needs of our soul and He calls us to “come” and be satisfied in Him. What a gracious invitation our God extends to us!

As I laid there before Him, I felt the heaviness lift and my soul no longer weighed down. But I knew I wasn’t finished. If I were to walk away now after feeling the releasing of my burdens off of me I would miss out on the blessing of RECEIVING His fullness and power and truth being poured back into me. I thought of David who so often begins his psalms with a cry of overwelming desperation, and fear, and urgency before the Lord. “O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.” (Ps 3:1). “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?”(Ps 13:1). As you read through his psalms, you will find David doesn’t stop there. David doesn’t just pour out the depths of his heart and soul before the Lord and then walk away. No, David had a radical resolve to press in FURTHER into the presence of God and to grab hold of Him with his everything. And, I love it, because you can read through David’s psalms and see the exact moment where he just latches onto his God for dear life. “But, YOU, O Lord, ARE a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.” (Ps 3:3). “But YOU, O Lord, ARE a God merciful and gracious…” (Ps 86:15). “YOU ARE my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” (Ps 142:5). And one of my favorites - “THIS I KNOW, that God is for me.” (Ps 56:9). And as David grabbed hold of the presence of God, a transformation took place. Where there was fear, there was now faith. Where there was doubt, there was a confident praise in His God. Where there was darkness, there was now an enlightenment of his eyes. Where there was wilderness, there was now worship!

Determined to press into His presence further, I arose on my feet and began to declare out loud the truth of who my God is. In faith, I grabbed hold of Him. God, You are able! All things are below your feet! Nothing is too hard for You! You are perfect in knowledge! Your plans cannot be thwarted! As I called upon my God, the power came! The Spirit within me began to rise up, He began to warrior inside me and intercede on my behalf. He IS the Spirit of Truth – and as truth was being spoken out He bore witness within me “This is truth! This is truth! My mind, and my will, and my emotions began to line up and submit under the authority of God’s Truth. He pulled me deep into His presence - and He took a girl who only moments before was broken before Him and He restored her to a spacious place where she had room to pace back and forth with her finger pointed up towards the heavens declaring who God is, declaring who she is in Christ, and declaring the victorious power that she has as her portion in Christ over the evil one. THAT is the transforming work of God when we grab hold of Him! He fills us with Himself. =)As I was pacing back in forth in my room, I prayed that God would show me truth after truth after truth that I could put my foot on to walk. While everything else around me may be shakey ground, I wanted a firm place for my feet to step on. As I prayed that, I felt in my Spirit that the Lord was saying to me go outside and get a rock. “Ummmm, ok, yes sir!” Now it was late at night by now so it was pitch black outside. I wasn’t sure where I was even going to find a rock, but I slipped on my shoes and hurried downstairs. I squatted down by some bushes and started feeling around and sure enough I found a little rock. I hurried back upstairs and ran into my room. I pleaded with the Lord to please speak to me what He wanted me to write on the rock (My bible study teacher this past semester had shared in class that God had called her to carry a rock with the word "redeemed" on it for a season). I knew I could have chosen for myself a word of truth or scripture to write on it – but I did not want it to be my words but HIS!! I prayed something similar to “I beg you, Lord, to show me – to speak to me what truth you want me to write on this rock. I am desperate for a word from YOU that I can stand on!” When I spoke the word “stand”, I can’t explain it….but I just knew. I wept in His presence. Kim, you STAND on My promises! You STAND on My truth! You STAND in My power and you STAND your ground against the evil one. After you have done everything else, you STAND. I pulled out a sharpie and wrote “stand” on the rock.

The next morning, I put my “stand rock” in my pocket to carry with me to remind me of the word the Lord had spoken. Any opposition from the enemy that I might face, any lie that contradicted the Word of God, any fear or worry that would attempt to rob me of my freedom in Christ, I would remember to STAND. I was in my car and I had the music on, but to be honest I was completely lost in my thoughts so I wasn’t listening to the song that was playing. All of a sudden I had this quick impulse (It was totally the Spirit!) to check my pocket to make sure I hadn’t left my rock. I pulled it out of my pocket and just as I was about to read it - the word "stand" was spoken out loud on the song that was playing in my car. uuuhhhhh....WHAT?? I turned the volume up. The song was near the end, and the chorus was continuing to repeat over and over again.

I began to tremble as I listened to the words:

"So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
So I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours"

Five times it repeated. WOW!!! I couldn’t even sing along, I just breathed it in and received it! It was a holy moment! =) When the song was over, I looked down at the screen to see what the name of the song was – it is called “The Stand" by Hillsong. I screamed out loud when the song was over, “LORD, YOU ARE FREAKING ME OUT!” hahaha. I just rested in that moment of wonderment for a bit and marveled at how amazing my God is. There is soooo much more to share of all that He is continuing to show me through the words of that song and through other things as well – but I will just have to post that at a later time. He is still working it in me. Hopefully soon...

Santa Barbara I Miss You!!

I went and visited my friend, Christianne, in Santa Barbara this weekend! It was phenomenal! I am in love with this city! The beach, the mountains, the weather (70 and breezy), the people....I could get used to this!! =) Christianne and I hung out on State St a few times. It is kind of like the strand in Galveston but WAY BETTER! We ate lunch, people watched, and walked around. What is so fun about this street is that it has everything! Restaurants, movie theaters, shops (antique stores, well known clothing stores like Gap, Macys, Banana Republic, etc, and also little unique clothing stores.) Just about everyone has a dog, and the stores even encourage you to bring your dog into the stores by having dog bowls outside their stores and bins with doggie treats in them. There were so many people biking too. There was a bike lane on just about every street. With the perfect weather Santa Barbara has, who wouldn't want to commute by bike/walk!! We went hiking up in the mountains at this little spot Christianne knew. It was sooo much fun that we went back the next day too! I could so get used to this!!!

Uhhhh, why do I live in Houston again?!?!

Christianne and I on State St.

Hiking in Montecito.

Kim with Zuri (Christianne's Husky)

At one of the waterfalls

There was a snake in one of the waterfalls (shiver!)

I can't believe I actually slid down the waterfall into the water where the snake had been! I was totally peer-pressured into doing it! hahaha. Some locals where cheering me on "Come on, Texas!! Do it!!" As you can see I was in/out of that water in a blink!! haha!

"If You're Happy and You Know it...."

Look at what my sweet little niece, Ava, learned at daycare. My sister, Lisa, didn't even know Ava knew the motions until she randomly started singing it and saw Ava do the clapping. Soooo cute!
I love how proud Ava is of herself at the end!


Video: If you're happy and you know it

It was an itty, bitty, teeny, weeny Houston Project fitted tee....

We had our first Houston Project meeting this past Sunday at the church. I got to see my Becky Parker lead us in announcements and opening prayer. I had a "moment" in the back of the room when I realized that this was the first time in my 5 years of knowing Becky that I have seen her speaking up on stage. I was filled with pride - that's my Becky! Malcolm Marshall did a great job preaching the do's and dont's of urban ministry! We, then, got to break up into the different inner city church sites for some prayer and planning time. I am back at Farrington Baptist Church for my 4th year now. I absolutely love this site and our site leaders Cas and Gina Webster!! I signed up for evangelism this year! I'm sooo excited and feel stretched! =) It is definitely the one area of service that I don't think I could "wing it" so to speak. It is so far beyond me and my personality and my ability. So, I am excited about seeing the strength of God exalted in my weakness!

One funny thing that happened (or almost happened) was that we were issued our Houston Project t-shirt for this year (which are really cool by the way!) We are suppose to wear our t-shirt to church next Sunday and than all week at our site the following week. I picked up my size small t-shirt and, you know, it kind of looked small...like really, really small. But I just rationalized that it was the style - the trendy fitted tee look. I even thought as I held it up to me that I might have to wear a cami or long tank underneath just in case I was to raise my hands in worship so not to show skin. All I can say is THANK THE LORD that a storm came through and that left me stuck up at the church for a while before I could head home!! While I was walking around waiting, I ran into some friends in the hallway who were coming out of their Houston Project meeting carrying their t-shirts. I, thankfully, made mention to them that the Houston Project t-shirts were running small this year. I held up my shirt and my friend informed me that I had a CHILD t-shirt. I, quicky, checked the tag...yep, youth small!! Oh my gosh! I had tears welling up I was laughing so hard! I was going to wear that shirt next Sunday to church!!! to church!!! This cropped, fitted, super tight tee! I would have been walking around the church halls wondering why everyone else's t-shirt looked normal and mine looked like a tube top! I, mean, I know HFBC desires to be culturally relevant but this might be going a bit to far with the fitted tee! hahaha. After I told Laurie Johnson the story, she informed me hers was actually a halter top. haha...funny. When I went to exchange my child small for the adult small, Becky informed me that the child whose shirt I took came into the office just 5 minutes before I did wearing my shirt and it looked like a dress on them. haha. poor thing! What a pair we would have looked like next Sunday.

this is what I pictured the

Youth S looking like - haha

maybe a little shorter though - yikes!

An Unexpected Blessing!!

The Lord is good!! And He does, indeed, go before us! (Even before us to Home Depot!!!)
Let me set the story!

The background:
For those of you who do not know, I am about to venture out again in the remodeling world with my guest bathroom. Yes, I have apparently suppressed all memory of the kitchen remodeling nightmare of 2007 and have willingly signed up for another round. It all began a few months back when the air conditioner (which is in the ceiling in the guest bathroom) began leaking. The water leak completely ruined the ceiling causing it to peel and fall apart. We had to rip the whole ceiling out (there still isn't a ceiling to this day!) and replace the AC. Not fun. On top of that, the bathtub in the guest bathroom is falling apart too - it is peeling and rusting....and it just completely ruins the whole "bath" experience (you girls know what I mean). After much dragging of my feet, I decided it was past time to remodel the bathroom. But I must tell you all that just the thought of hiring a contractor, planning out what I want done, picking out the tub, tile, paint color, etc makes me want to curl up in a ball and hide in a closet. hahaha!

OK...now to catch you up-to-date:

I, finally, got motivated this past Saturday to go shopping to look at tile, vanity sinks, and bathtubs. To be honest, I was kind-of stressed about it. ...I don't know what to look for, what not to look for, what looks good together, etc. I don't have a "eye" for this kind of thing at all!

I did find this real pretty "antique looking" vanity sink that I liked ALOT at this one store....it was EXACTLY what I wanted! BUT...after some thought in the store - it was just too costly! blast! I drove home feeling defeated and discouraged. When I got home, I got on homedepot.com and looked through their vanities. I found 3 or so that seemed to look nice and the price was about half the price of the other vanity I had my eye on. I hopped in the car and drove a few exits down to Home Depot. I walked up and down the aisle looking at the pictures on the outside of all the boxes, but I didn't see any of the ones I liked on the website. Errr. I was just about to give up and I saw one of them sitting on a cart - it wasn't boxed, but saran- wrapped. Hmmmm....is it coming or going? Somebody beat me to it, I bet. What bad timing I thought! I asked a saleswoman - she informed me that it was bought back in January but that the buyer never came and picked it up so it was going back on the shelf. Oooooh. This could be promising!! This other lady that she was helping turned and looked at the vanity when she said that and commented on how nice it was. BACK OFF! It's mine! (Ok, I didn't say it, but I thought it!! hahaha!) The saleswoman told me to roll the cart up to the front and ask a manager to price it for me (it didn't have a sku #). The manager told the customer service employee to try to look up the customer's name and the delivery number written on the delivery tag to get the price that was paid for it.....but nothing came up. The customer service employee called the manager to let him know. When he got off the phone with the manager, he told me "ma'am it is your lucky day..............$50" WHAT?!?!?!? SOLD!!! ( I jumped up and down and squealed!) I think I said a few "Amens!" somewhere in there too! He had to find an item nearby that was around $50 so he could ring it up so he could charge me for the vanity....he ended up finding something that was $41 so with tax it rang up like $45.

Isn't that awesome!?!?! I was giddy and praising the Lord the WHOLE way home!! I know that unexpected blessing was from Him! I thanked Him over and over in delight and amazement! He does care about the big AND LITTLE things in our life and He honors when we cast our cares, worries, concerns, and fears on Him!

Thank you Lord for the sink vanity!

Project: Outdoors!

Kim's Outdoor Adventure Check List

The Lord has definitely given me an adventurous spirit! I love the outdoors! I, especially, am wild about mountains and water! Someday, I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (did I mention love?) to live where I can have them both! =) Any kind of outdoor play I am ALL about! There are times I'm confused as to why God would have placed such a thrill for the outdoors in the heart of a red-headed, fair-skinned body. hahaha. But praise Him for hats, sunglasses, and SPF 50 (seriously...the stuff is not even lotion...it is like paste!)


I had started making a list of all the adventures I've been on and all the adventures I still want to conqueror!



Adventures completed:

• Snow Skiing / Tubing
  

• Waterskiing

• Skydiving (Houston '00)

• White Water Rafting (Costa Rica, '01)
  
  
  

• Zip Line Canopy Tour (Costa Rica Rain Forest '01)

• Snorkeling (Costa Rica '01)

I can't find any pictures! =(

Guess I have to do it again! =)

• Rock Rappelling (Austin, '03)

• Horseback Riding (Costa Rica Beach '01, Yukon '05)
  
  

• Dogsledding (Alaska '05)

• Sea Kayaking (Alaska '05, Cabo San Lucas '07)

Adventures still awaiting to be had:
and YOU (yes YOU!!) still have time to join in on the fun!! Sign-ups begin NOW!

• Surfing (Santa Barbara, July '08)




• Indoor Skydiving




• Hiking




• Scuba Diving




• Windsurfing




• Sailing

• Fishing (haven't been since I was a little girl!)

• Parasailing (came so close to in Cabo....ran out of time. sniff sniff)

The list, by far, is not complete! But that gives me, at least, a start!

I was Tagged!

My 7 Things!

Well...I have been blogging for all of one week now - and I already got my first Tag! Thanks Tammie (I think?)

Here are the rules:
Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


My 7 Things:

1. I hate swallowing pills!

I, seriously, think I am going to get it logged in my throat and choke everytime. I'm weird, I know! If the pill is medium size or larger, I will start breaking out in a sweat just at the sight of it. It usually takes me more than one try. I will start to swallow and chicken out at the last minute with the water going down, but the pill (now soggy) still sitting in my mouth. Yuck! I try to stick with the liquid or chewable forms of medicine/vitamins. hahah...I have issues I know!

update: Recently, I have started to find freedom when my friend (a Respiratory Therapist) informed me that I would, in fact, not choke. I have to remind myself of her words everytime! haha. Thanks for freeing a sistah up Jules!

2. I am very fidgety!

I have the hardest time sitting still. Some body part will always be moving...either my bottom in the chair, my leg, my foot...something! haha. I have done this since I was a young'en. In face, when I was in elementary school, I used to wear out the seat of my jeans from wiggling so much in my chair. The bottom of the jeans would be "white"!!


The good side of this is that studies have shown that fidgeting can burn an additional 350 calories a day!


3. I thought my middle name was "Berly" when I was little.

The story goes that the mom of one of my friends had asked me one day when I was over at her home what my middle name was and I told her "Berly" very confidently! haha. My parents had to sit me down and explain to me that my FIRST name is "Kimberly" or "Kim" for short and that my middle name is "Ann". Poor thing! I was 5 years old and already having an identity crisis!


4. My lips will swell up if I eat raw carrots.

Not cooked carrots. But just raw carrots. So weird! No need to buy a lip plumper - just carry a few raw carrots around with me.


5. I am obsessed with "googling" things.

If someone asks me a question and I don't know the answer, I HAVE to google it before I go to bed that night. My co-workers call me "google queen". I can pull up google, google the desired answer, and have it printing to our department computer before they finish asking the question. I love having information right there at your fingertips! It's so fun!


6. I LOVE ice tea!!

What can I say, I am a Southern girl! I will pick my restaurants sometimes based on who has good ice tea! And I NEVER leave without my to-go cup of tea! Oh...Cafe Express, by the way, has the BEST black currant ice tea!
quick story: I was a little late meeting up with some friends for lunch one Sunday after church, and when I sat down at the table, one of the girls had my ice tea waiting with 3 Sweet-N-Lows next to it. I was delighted! Sometimes it is so refreshing to be known by someone!


7. I have 1 kidney.

Yep, the summer before my 8th grade year I had to have my right one removed. It was discovered after a month or so of doctor visits and testing that it wasn't working. They aren't sure if I was either born with it not working or somewhere along the way it just stopped...i got a pretty cool scar from it though.


Now I tag:

1. Jen Lewis

2. Melissa Wallace

3. Amber Slater

4. Cristina Martin

5. Corrie Cline

6. Dee Howell

"Risk"

Yes, that is the word that has been spoken to me by FOUR different people on FOUR completely seperate occasions in the last 2 weeks!

-The first time, I took it into thought...but definitely didn't seek it out any further.

- The second time, I thought "hmmmm, okay, what is this?" (allowing myself to become more open to the thought.)

- The third time, I was at FULL ATTENTION....yes, okay, this is a word for me! I get it!

- And than today in Sunday School class, when the 4th person spoke "risk" to me, I just had to laugh in amazement. Just in case I didn't quite get it the first 3x, the Lord saw fittin' to put it out there one more time for good measure! haha.

Well, I FINALLY brought the "R" word to the Lord TODAY during my time with Him (what can I say...I'm hard-headed!) I sat out by "the waters" (our condo pool), and responded to Him by journaling my uncertainty of what exactly He was asking of me. Risk what? Risk where? Risk with who? I found myself hesitant to ask Him to reveal it to me! I wasn't sure if I wanted to know! Why? Because, risk means stepping out in uncomfortable waters, risk means forsaking what might be logical with your mind and choosing to walk in faith, risk means putting yourself in a place where you are vulnerable. What it boils down to is that "risk" = UNCERTAINTY! The door began to open to fear and I had to IMMEDIATELY confess it to the Lord to give the enemy NO GROUND on my land! A friend spoke a word of truth over me right at that very moment (thank you Lord!) as I was feeling the oppressive hand of the enemy - to say "but Kim if God is speaking it to you so intensely. Its gonna be so good...SOOO good".

Yes! YES! I receive it! Lord, your Word says you have GOOD plans for me - to prosper me, to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Let me not be afraid of your will and the plans and the purpose you have for my life! Lord, I beg you, let me be afraid of NOT doing your will and missing out on YOU and the plans and purpose your have for me on this earth! Help me to let go of uncertainty, fear, disbelief, and comfort...and grab onto You with both my hands and GO where you are leading me!

Lord - THIS I KNOW:

ANYTHING you ask me to give up for Your namesake, God, YOU WILL replace it with something far more amazing and wonderful and good (whether on this earth, or when I am in heaven).

ANYPLACE you call me to go or ANYTHING you call me to do - YOU WILL be with me! And YOU are faithful!

You led Moses and the Israelites to the edge of the red sea - to a place of absolute surrender! IN FAITH (help me have that kind of faith, Lord!) they stepped into the waters, and YOU MOVED!! They passed through the Red Sea on DRY ground. They saw YOU and experienced YOUR power. They witnessed a MIRACLE right before their eyes as you intervened for your children. I believe you will do the same for me Lord! I believe that anytime you ask me to "take a risk" and step out in complete faith and trust YOU that YOU WILL meet me there! You will show Yourself to me in a greater way than I know now! You will allow me to experience a greater depth of Your power than I know now! You will allow me to witness a miracle in my own life by your intervention on my behalf! I want it Lord! I do!

Holy Spirit, give me courage, give me boldness, give me strength, give me faith to do the will of the Father!!! I know that it is GOD who empowers me with His incomparably great power (Ephesians 1:19). He not only calls, He equips, He empowers, and best of all.....He goes with me!! Thank you Lord!!

I was thinking back over the fears I mentioned above that I had of "risking" and the Lord showed me His TRUTH in regards to those fears:

(1) Stepping out in uncomfortable waters

"DO NOT FEAR, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! "When you pass THROUGH the waters, I will be with you; And THROUGH the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk THROUGH the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you." ~ Isaiah 43:1-2

*Thank you Lord for your promise to bring me THROUGH any trial...that you will NOT leave me or forsake me in the middle. Thank you Lord for your promise to be WITH ME. For though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I fear NO evil...why? because YOU ARE WITH ME! It is YOUR rod and YOUR staff that comfort me!

(2) Forsaking what might be logical with MY mind

"However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" ~ 1 Cor 2:9

*Lord, let not my mind and its limited understanding hinder me from experiencing you and your plans for me in its fullness!

(3) Putting myself in a place of vulnerability

"Be strong and courageous, DO NOT BE AFRAID or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you....The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. DO NOT BE AFRAID; do not be discouraged."" ~ Deut 31:6, 8

"For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard." ~ Is 52:12b

*Thank you Lord that You go BEFORE me, that You go WITH me, that You go BEHIND me. Even when you call me to a place of vulnerability - I am not alone! Though people or things of this world may fail me, You promise that YOU will not fail me or forsake me. I cling to that promise!

I, still, am not any closer to knowing WHAT God is calling me to risk in...but I trust He will reveal it to me in His time. I am thankful He is preparing me, that He is faithful to speak this Word over me, that He is fighting FOR me, and that He is imparting His truth into me to strengthen my faith to press on towards the prize!

Bottom line: No matter what He calls me to risk - IT WILL BE WORTH IT!

Zambia Mission Support Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with a FULL heart that I write to share some joyous news with you! For more than 8 years now, I have had a PASSIONATE desire to go on a mission trip to Africa. I cannot even begin to describe with adequate words the depth of the longing inside I have had for this country. It is with absolute praise and exultation that I tell you that God in His sweet grace and perfect providence has opened the door for me to go to Zambia for 2 weeks this June!! And I can honestly say that God’s answer to my prayer is MORE THAN ENOUGH for me, but God in His love and amazing wonder continues to pour out His blessings upon me. For you see, God not only faithfully went before me and prepared a place for me in Africa, but He has also brought to fulfillment another desire of my heart that He has birthed in me to serve, love on, and expend myself on orphaned children. My soul echoes back to Him shouts of “Yes, Lord, Yes!” The timing of this trip cannot be any sweeter too - as I will be celebrating my 32nd birthday in Zambia surrounded by my sweet children’s faces that the Lord has entrusted to me for a short season. It truly feels like He is giving me the best birthday present I could ever imagine! My eyes well up with tears now as I am reflecting on His goodness. I am absolutely overwhelmed by Him!

I would love to share with you more information about the ministry that I will be partnering with as well as give you a visual picture of how we will be serving Him in Zambia in Jesus’ name:

Zambia is a landlocked country located in the south central Africa. Zambia has a little over 11 million people in it, but a full 1 million of these people, are in fact, children who have been orphaned due to the ravages of AIDS and other poverty-related diseases. The U.N. says that Zambia has the highest per capita orphan rate in the world, and although Zambia is some 10,000 miles aware and seemingly forgotten, these children are ever before the heart of God. And as such, God has now laid that burden on my heart.

I will be going to minister the first 2 weeks of June in the orphanages of Zambia through an organization called Family Legacy Missions International based in Dallas, Texas. Family Legacy Missions International (FLMI) is a federally qualified, tax-exempt public charity whose mission is to alleviate the suffering of children on the other side of the world in Africa, while bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God to them. We will be working directly with the orphans each day: playing games, teaching Bible lessons, singing songs, and just plain hugging and loving the kids (I can’t wait!!!). Everyday, we will bus all the orphan children into a giant recreation facility and give them an incredible day of sports, food, fun, and love – all in the name of Jesus!

Yes, I am writing you today to ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with me on this incredible investment for eternity. First and foremost, I VALUE your prayers for our team and those whose lives will be touched by God through us. Without inquiring of the Lord and seeking Him diligently, we will fail in our efforts to impact Zambia for His name sake. I FIRMLY believe that God answers prayers, and I am asking you to pray for the logistics of this trip: safety, smooth travel, good health, financial support; pray for me: that I would become more and more sensitive to the Spirit, that my heart would become His, that His Word would fall fresh on me during my times before His throne; and most of all pray for each and every one of those precious children that will step foot on the camp ground. May that ground be declared HOLY for God Himself is dwells there! May they see Him through eyes of faith and know Him as God their Savior!

Beyond your prayers, if you are led to join me by financially supporting this mission, I would be incredibly thankful. The total cost for this trip is $4,100 and I need to raise it in its entirety by April 15th or I will not be able to go. I know that does not give me much time, but God is not bound by time! Amen! I am trusting in, leaning on, and confidently hoping in the Lord to meet all my needs according to His glorious riches! This cost not only includes covering my expenses, but a portion also provides for t-shirts, food, and supplies to over 10,000 orphans so they can attend camp this summer, as well as transportation, food, and salary expenses for 150 Zambia workers (our drivers, translators, etc). Please know that any expenses that occur “off the mission field” so to speak (sightseeing, shopping, etc) is covered completely by me and is not included in the money needed to be raised.

Thank you so much for your consideration to partner with me prayerfully and financially as I journey to Zambia, Africa in Jesus’ name to declare the Good News of Jesus Christ. I look forward to seeing God move in a mighty, powerful way in my life and in the lives of my team and in the lives of our sweet orphaned children. To God be ALL THE GLORY forever and ever!

Blessings!

Kim Smith =)

www.legacymissions.org

The Easter Dress Dilemma!

Every year since I was a little girl, my mom would buy my sister and I an Easter dress to wear to church. Well...a few weeks before Easter, my mom came and picked me up and took me to the Galleria to shop. After 3 hours of shopping, I had no Easter dress. Mission failed! Oh well...I thought. I will just wear something I already have.

Now, fast forward to the Saturday before Easter. I was laying on the couch (I had been sick with the worst sore throat and headache for the past few days).....and I decided I would run up to Memorial City Mall real quick and see I could find a dress for Easter. I went by White House Black Market (one of my absolute favs!) and sure enough the Lord had gone before me as I found the perfect dress! Glory! I was feeling too yucky to go crusing up and down the mall trying on dresses. I bought it, and headed back home to the couch.

When I walked in the door, my roommate was back from her shopping excursion with her sister. Her sister needed a graduation dress, and Danielle decided she needed an Easter dress. After hearing about her sister's dress from Anthropologie, I asked Danielle where she got her Easter dress. "White House Black Market". My stomach dropped. "Uhhh...me too!", "Is it white, tank sleeves, with black pattern?" Her sister started to giggle. Danielle got up and headed toward her room, she came back out with MY EASTER DRESS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! hahaha. Of all the dresses, in all the stores, in all the mall....she had to walk into my store and get my dress. hahaha. What can I say, she has good taste! =) I decided that I would attend the early service, and she can go to the later service as she had planned to. Whew. Problem solved.

Well...I ended up sleeping in on Sunday (because of the medicine I was taking at night) so I HAD to go to the later service. Uh oh! Danielle didn't care if we both wore the same dress, but since we were walking over to church together, sitting together, and going to lunch together. I vetoed that idea. I dug into my closet and found another cute dress (from White and Black of course!). I had thought it was a strapless dress and didn't feel comfortable wearing that to church, but quickly discovered it had detachable straps! YES! The Lord is good!

Danielle and I ended up looking so cute in our Easter dresses. We had to take a picture - it now sits framed in the living room! =)

Next year, we will have to communicate better beforehand! hahaha.

Baby Steps to the Blog World

The title makes me think of Bill Murray in "What about Bob?" - "Baby steps to get on the elevator....baby steps to get on the elevator...Ah, I'm on the elevator. [Doors close] AHHHHH!" hahaha. That movie is so funny. "I'm saaailing. I'm saaailing." OK, I'll stop. =)

Well...after YEARS of refusing to join in on the blogging world (other than being the occasional lurker - ok, ok, a regular lurker) - I have officially become a blog owner. Now, usually, when you become an owner there is much JOY and CELEBRATION - like when I became an owner of my first car, my condo, my sweet yorkie (that ownership was quickly transferred to my mom - long story short she brainwashed my dog), my Seven jeans (it was a glorious day! haha). But owning this blog - mmmmmm not so much joy and excitement! Yet. BUT, I'm believing God for it. =)

Let me explain my hesistation to owning a blog, and my reasons for refusal for so long. Here is my rationale:

Reason #1 - I am NOT a writer!!

I am SO NOT that person that can just sit down at a computer or open up a page of my journal and watch the words just jump onto the screen/page. Nope. Not even close to me. Me? Me is, staring at the computer screen. Staring some more. Type a sentence out. Stare at sentence. Ummm...nope not exactly what I want to say. Backspace, backspace, backspace. REPEAT. About 30 minutes later, I may have a few sentences completed. haha. It just doesn't flow fluidly for me on paper/screen.

I am a TALKER! I am so much more of a "let's grab dinner and talk" kind of gal! I love to "meet" with people and ENGAGE in conversation. I love sharing life, laughing, being silly, talking about our weeks, what we are learning from God, what we are struggling with. I want to be able to see your face, read your expressions, hear your voice, observe your body language - all those help me to really know someone. It allows me to get a baseline of what a person's "fine" is and helps me discern when something is off and not "fine". It's quite a fun gift - although my friends might tell you otherwise! (on a side note, it does come in handy when playing mafia). So, I have hard time, just sitting down and writing out my thoughts/feelings when I would MUCH rather do it sitting down with you all over coffee or dinner. Any takers? =)

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU! I promise I will try and sit down with Mr. Computer and share my thoughts, feelings, observations....BUT....only if all 2 or my readers promise to respond with comments so we can actually engage in conversation! Deal? (this the part where you say "deal!"). Sweet! Ya'll rock!

Reason #2 - I need to be able to be animated and expressive when I share! My vocabulary is WAY too limited to share EVERYTHING I would want to say to you with just words alone.

Because of my elementary vocabulary skills - I tend to be ALOT more animated when I share or tell a story. I jump up and down, squeal, pump fists, clap, make faces, use props, hand gestures (just this last week I had an "accidental boob graze" (from The Holiday in case you were wondering) at church of all places because I was flapping my hands around while I was telling a story! sooo embarrasing.

Sooo, I tell you all this ahead of time, because in my time of blog lurking I have come across some...how can I say it..."gifted and talented" blogs. You know the ones - where each and every blog post is so perfectly and eloquently written. Each word chosen with such precision and excellence by the author to paint a picture of absolute beauty on their blog page. Ummmmmm.....yeah....that kind of stuff WILL NOT go on here! haha. Seriously!!

SO BE WARNED! You will find that on this blog I write exactly like I would talk. You will see LOTS of exclamation points when I am excited or fired up about something, words drawn out for dramatic effect soooooooo get used to it, words in caps or bolded when I really want to stress something, and "...." when I am pausing (again maybe for dramatic effect - haha, what does that say about me?).

Reason # 3: Keeping up with a blog can become so time-consuming!!

I am going to be up-front with you from the beginning - I will NOT be updating this blog daily! There are some people I know who do, and I love you for it! But not me! Weekly updates? Maybe. But I make no promises! I will share with you all as I am able. I plan to be very cautious to not let this blog become consuming! If it even so much as hints at interfering with my relationship with the Lord - I will shut this puppy down right here! =)

Well....look at me! I have just about finished my FIRST blog entry ever....and it didn't kill me! wheeew! It was touch-and-go there for a bit! haha. Thank you to all 2 of you that are reading my blog - bless your hearts that you have to put up with my crazy, scattered thoughts! =) I look forward to blog journeying with you all!

Peace out!