Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
where are you?
there are basically three stages to following christ.
[1] believer
-in order to believe in jesus, you must first realize you need him, that you need a savior. you must know how broken you are and without him you would die (for the wages of sin is death romans 6:23). i remember feeling that something was missing in my life...and it was jesus. once you realize you need jesus, then you can accept what he did for you. he loved you so much that he died for you and paid the price...so that you could have eternal life.
[2] follower
-after you confess jesus is lord, and believe in your heart god raised him from the dead, then you are saved (romans 10:9)...and the next step is to get to know jesus. you do this by reading his word. god talks to us through his word, and we speak to him through prayer. get involved in a bible study...read the the whole bible...and fellowship with other christians so you can see what it looks like to follow jesus. the more i learn about jesus and how holy he is, the more i am convicted of my sin, and the more grateful i am that he came to save me. walking with jesus is a daily commitment...leaving your burdens at his feet and confessing your sins to him, and living with the confidence that you are saved and loved by the king of kings and the lord or lords.
[3] disciple
-once you are saved and know jesus, he wants us to be so full of his light that we can't help but share it with others. paul said that his life was worth nothing to him unless he was telling others about the gospel of god's grace (acts 20:24).
what's your purpose? why do you think you are here living? are you living for yourself? or are you living for god? where are you in these steps? the most important step is the first because it determines your salvation for eternity.
the bible tells us that this earth is not our home. we are foreigners...sometimes i don't feel like i fit in, but i guess that's a good thing. i can't wait for heaven sometimes. but as long as god still has me here, i hope to live for him. for that is where i find true joy. everything is meaningless...like chasing after the wind (ecclesiates 1:14)
[1] believer
-in order to believe in jesus, you must first realize you need him, that you need a savior. you must know how broken you are and without him you would die (for the wages of sin is death romans 6:23). i remember feeling that something was missing in my life...and it was jesus. once you realize you need jesus, then you can accept what he did for you. he loved you so much that he died for you and paid the price...so that you could have eternal life.
[2] follower
-after you confess jesus is lord, and believe in your heart god raised him from the dead, then you are saved (romans 10:9)...and the next step is to get to know jesus. you do this by reading his word. god talks to us through his word, and we speak to him through prayer. get involved in a bible study...read the the whole bible...and fellowship with other christians so you can see what it looks like to follow jesus. the more i learn about jesus and how holy he is, the more i am convicted of my sin, and the more grateful i am that he came to save me. walking with jesus is a daily commitment...leaving your burdens at his feet and confessing your sins to him, and living with the confidence that you are saved and loved by the king of kings and the lord or lords.
[3] disciple
-once you are saved and know jesus, he wants us to be so full of his light that we can't help but share it with others. paul said that his life was worth nothing to him unless he was telling others about the gospel of god's grace (acts 20:24).
what's your purpose? why do you think you are here living? are you living for yourself? or are you living for god? where are you in these steps? the most important step is the first because it determines your salvation for eternity.
the bible tells us that this earth is not our home. we are foreigners...sometimes i don't feel like i fit in, but i guess that's a good thing. i can't wait for heaven sometimes. but as long as god still has me here, i hope to live for him. for that is where i find true joy. everything is meaningless...like chasing after the wind (ecclesiates 1:14)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
we're closed!
i was at starbucks on saturday morning (i go every saturday for a couple of hours and have my soy no water tall chai with pumpkin loaf) and i do my bible study, read, journal, etc.
anyway, so this past saturday i went to my starbucks i always go to....
and i walk up to the counter to order...
and he says, 'sorry we have no water and no ability to make coffee today.'
and i pause...
what?! does this mean no tea either?
i'm still processing and repeat what he said. 'no coffee...or tea'
he says, 'nope, nothing that requires water pressure.'
this is terrible! my morning wasn't supposed to go like this.
i'm still in denial as i say, 'that's so sad.'
i ask a couple other questions, like 'is it going to be closed all day?' and 'are the two across the street also closed?' (i'm trying to figure out my day now).
so the ones across the street were open (yay!!...crazy that there are three starbucks in one corner...one is a barnes&noble) so i walk across the street to get my tea BUT they are out of pumpkin loaf.
so i walk back to the 'closed store' and buy my pumpkin loaf there. (you have to get to starbucks early on saturdays...they always sell out of their pumpkin loaf!)
and i sit down to do my bible study in the seeminly quiet empty starbucks.
but people keep coming in.
and they are told what i was told.
and they would say, 'ok' and just walk out.
no pausing. no questions. just pure acceptance!
after the 50th person, i realized that i have a problem. it took me 20 minutes to accept my change in plans. i think i went through those steps of grief...what are they?! ...denial, bargaining, etc...haha.
seriously though, i realized that i don't accept change very well. and i don't like it when my plans change. i kinda admired all the people that acted like this was no big deal.
maybe god is trying to show me something to work on...
anyway, so this past saturday i went to my starbucks i always go to....
and i walk up to the counter to order...
and he says, 'sorry we have no water and no ability to make coffee today.'
and i pause...
what?! does this mean no tea either?
i'm still processing and repeat what he said. 'no coffee...or tea'
he says, 'nope, nothing that requires water pressure.'
this is terrible! my morning wasn't supposed to go like this.
i'm still in denial as i say, 'that's so sad.'
i ask a couple other questions, like 'is it going to be closed all day?' and 'are the two across the street also closed?' (i'm trying to figure out my day now).
so the ones across the street were open (yay!!...crazy that there are three starbucks in one corner...one is a barnes&noble) so i walk across the street to get my tea BUT they are out of pumpkin loaf.
so i walk back to the 'closed store' and buy my pumpkin loaf there. (you have to get to starbucks early on saturdays...they always sell out of their pumpkin loaf!)
and i sit down to do my bible study in the seeminly quiet empty starbucks.
but people keep coming in.
and they are told what i was told.
and they would say, 'ok' and just walk out.
no pausing. no questions. just pure acceptance!
after the 50th person, i realized that i have a problem. it took me 20 minutes to accept my change in plans. i think i went through those steps of grief...what are they?! ...denial, bargaining, etc...haha.
seriously though, i realized that i don't accept change very well. and i don't like it when my plans change. i kinda admired all the people that acted like this was no big deal.
maybe god is trying to show me something to work on...
Friday, October 23, 2009
what kind of eggs do you like?
i love the movie 'runaway bride'...julia robert's character doesn't know herself completely and therefore just goes along with whatever activities (and food) the guy she is with likes.
i feel like i am figuring out what i like so that if a guy does come along one day i'll know what I want to do and i won't lose myself!
anyway so in the movie she doesn't know what kind of eggs she likes...i'm still trying to figure out if i like eggs because i'm lactose intolerant and most of the time people cook eggs with milk or cream. but my dad makes scrambled eggs with soy milk and i never get sick from them. they are yummy!!
well, i was talking to a friend of mine (she's in her late 30s) and she was asking me where her man was and then mentioned that she is still trying to learn what she likes, etc.
and i said, 'you need to figure out what kind of eggs you like before getting married.'
and she said... 'honey, my eggs are shriveling up!'
that made me laugh...
i feel like i am figuring out what i like so that if a guy does come along one day i'll know what I want to do and i won't lose myself!
anyway so in the movie she doesn't know what kind of eggs she likes...i'm still trying to figure out if i like eggs because i'm lactose intolerant and most of the time people cook eggs with milk or cream. but my dad makes scrambled eggs with soy milk and i never get sick from them. they are yummy!!
well, i was talking to a friend of mine (she's in her late 30s) and she was asking me where her man was and then mentioned that she is still trying to learn what she likes, etc.
and i said, 'you need to figure out what kind of eggs you like before getting married.'
and she said... 'honey, my eggs are shriveling up!'
that made me laugh...
Friday, October 16, 2009
faith like mary
i am studying john in my bible study and i read the story in john 2 about jesus' first miracle, turning the water into wine at the wedding at cana...
side note...the bible doesn't prohibit drinking alcohol (jesus drank wine and also never sinned) but the bible doesn't condone getting drunk. i choose not to drink because i don't like alcohol, but if i did, i can see how refraining from drinking it in front of others before you know where they are in their relationship with jesus could be considerate. and the bible DOES tell us to not cause someone to stumble. 1 cor 10:23
so anyway, mary, his mother, comes to him and tells him they have run out of wine. and jesus tells her it is not his time. but she says to the servants, 'do whatever he tells you.'
i was thinking about how she took her concern to jesus. and knew he could solve it. she wasn't complaining to him or wondering what could be done about it...she knew he had the power to fix it!
in contrast, when jesus fed the 4,000 people, the disciples did not show the same kind of faith. whey they realized how big the crowd was, they asked jesus how they were going to find enough food to feed them all. they brought their problem to jesus without really showing they knew and expected he would take care of it.
i hope to be more like mary.
when i bring a concern or a request to god,
i want to TRUST his plan.
and to KNOW how big he is.
and LISTEN to him.
and i want to 'do whatever he tells me!'
side note...the bible doesn't prohibit drinking alcohol (jesus drank wine and also never sinned) but the bible doesn't condone getting drunk. i choose not to drink because i don't like alcohol, but if i did, i can see how refraining from drinking it in front of others before you know where they are in their relationship with jesus could be considerate. and the bible DOES tell us to not cause someone to stumble. 1 cor 10:23
so anyway, mary, his mother, comes to him and tells him they have run out of wine. and jesus tells her it is not his time. but she says to the servants, 'do whatever he tells you.'
i was thinking about how she took her concern to jesus. and knew he could solve it. she wasn't complaining to him or wondering what could be done about it...she knew he had the power to fix it!
in contrast, when jesus fed the 4,000 people, the disciples did not show the same kind of faith. whey they realized how big the crowd was, they asked jesus how they were going to find enough food to feed them all. they brought their problem to jesus without really showing they knew and expected he would take care of it.
i hope to be more like mary.
when i bring a concern or a request to god,
i want to TRUST his plan.
and to KNOW how big he is.
and LISTEN to him.
and i want to 'do whatever he tells me!'
Sunday, October 4, 2009
wherever you are, be all there...
i forget who said this, but i like it. it's hard to do though. it means not obsessing over past mistakes, and not worrying about what is going to happen in the future. i recently saw this concept applied in my life.
i have started up playing tennis again and have been frustrated because i never win. seriously...i'll play someone who has less skills than i do... and still lose! and know it was partially in my mind.
i even listened to eye of the tiger last time before i played. i was trying to visualize the goal. but i still lost.
so i called my dad...and told him my saga. and he said 'kim, you are using the wrong sports psychology. tennis is a game of precision and focus. you have to play as if all previous and future points don't exist. and you have to not care. focus on the point you are playing and just focus on winning that point. if you lose the point, move on. don't think about it again. if you win the point...don't think about it again.'
well.....i tried it. and it worked!! i won! i couldn't believe it! it got harder to focus towards the end of the match, plus my exercise-induced asthma kicked in and that made me slower. but i still won!
as i was thanking god for this sweet victory, (that was less about 'winning' and more of a victory in my mind that i CAN win), he showed me that i need to use this concept in my daily walk. and we can do that by trusting him. we can't worry about the past or stress about the future...he's in control of that. just live today. one day at a time. live for him.
matthew 6:34 don't worry about tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own.
i have started up playing tennis again and have been frustrated because i never win. seriously...i'll play someone who has less skills than i do... and still lose! and know it was partially in my mind.
i even listened to eye of the tiger last time before i played. i was trying to visualize the goal. but i still lost.
so i called my dad...and told him my saga. and he said 'kim, you are using the wrong sports psychology. tennis is a game of precision and focus. you have to play as if all previous and future points don't exist. and you have to not care. focus on the point you are playing and just focus on winning that point. if you lose the point, move on. don't think about it again. if you win the point...don't think about it again.'
well.....i tried it. and it worked!! i won! i couldn't believe it! it got harder to focus towards the end of the match, plus my exercise-induced asthma kicked in and that made me slower. but i still won!
as i was thanking god for this sweet victory, (that was less about 'winning' and more of a victory in my mind that i CAN win), he showed me that i need to use this concept in my daily walk. and we can do that by trusting him. we can't worry about the past or stress about the future...he's in control of that. just live today. one day at a time. live for him.
matthew 6:34 don't worry about tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own.
Friday, October 2, 2009
kansas city memories
here are some things that still make me smile as i reflect on my fun trip to kansas city this past weekend to visit lauri and her two girls...
*playing with ella at the park
-ella encouraging me to do a back flip 'you can do it kim, you can' i think it really helped me!
-ella telling her 'friends about her halloween socks 'my socks have let-turs on them.' so cute!
-after climbing down from the large monkey gym, lauri saying to me, 'you know, it has never crossed my mind to climb that...never!'
*ella's potty training day
-since i'm from the outside, i think i can tell lauri an idea about how to help ella get potty trained. i think, so just put her in panties instead of the pull up, and that way eventually she'll start going the potty...right?!
-so i'm watching the girls saturday morning while lauri and rob are at work and on call, and i chose to put ella in her panties. we start off in her cute blue shorts. oops...forgot to remind her to go potty before going to the park.
-so worries, i find some cute jean shorts that actually go better with the outfit. so lauri comes home and then the girls go down for a nap. i actually napped too! so we wake up to ella at her door. i open it and she says, 'the peepee went on the floor.' hmmmm...it went on the floor because of the poopoo in the diaper had filled it up. so i clean her up (yes i love her very much!)
-so i then ella is wearing the khaki shorts, which look really cute too, by the way. but i looked at lauri and said, 'i think we should put her in a pull up this time. lauri just smiled. guess ella will do it when she's ready. and not a day sooner! (lauri even got her a toy and she walks by it and says, 'that's my toy...i get to open in when i put the poopoo in the potty')
*samantha...
-samantha is always giggling...and it makes you smile. she's such a happy baby
-she was crying and when we asked ella why (they were playing) ella told us 'i put pitas in time out.' ella shortened samantha's name to 'mantas' and then to 'pitas'...it's really cute but confuses other people when we call her pitas too.
-samantha said her first sentence while i was there...she had buckled herself and said clear as day, 'i did it!' made her seem a lot older.
guess i had better finish that cross-stitch soon...lauri is pregnant and due in april with her 3rd baby. i think she's going to have another girl. we will see soon enough!! i miss you girls already!!!
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