Not So Tenderhearted Moments

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 23•13

 

This comes after a night of very little sleep for both me and the little mister.  So, its just one of those days.  But, even on one of those days, I must take every thought captive to the Risen Christ.
I have so many dreams.  I won’t share them with you on here.  Some of you know some, some are tucked very tightly in my brain and heart that not even my husband knows about them, I feel like sometimes if i tell them then none of it will happen and I’ll just look silly.  Or unfulfilled.  Or discontent.
As the Mister came home for lunch today , I had had a morning of an irritable crying 4 month old.  For those who know the little mister, that is not typical, but when it happens I often don’t know what to do.  I said to him in my I’m a great Mommy voice – Today is the day I don’t want to be a mommy.
Now before all of you Moms hate me or quit reading my blog or give me all this advice, know it was a moment of weakness and I was venting and crying to my husband, who completely understands that I wouldn’t trade the cute little mister for anything, but it was just a moment.
I told him that I was just trying to post a blog and he was fussy – though he was warm, fed, and clean.  I finally got the blog published much later – as he finally went down for an afternoon nap.
As I was driving around Central Florida listening to Z88 (love the station) they read a verse – that we need to be “tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ Jesus forgave us.”  I prayed right then that God would give me grace to be tenderhearted toward our sweet little boy.  Tenderhearted because even when I throw temper tantrums at God He is tenderhearted toward me.
And then the song by Francesca Battistelli  came on – Its Your Life – and these lyrics stood out to me: “Every day the choices you make, say what you are and who your heart beats for, its an open door, its your life.”
I know that I would never trade all the dreams in the world for one second of time with my little mister.  So I pray that God would change my heart in a million ways to either fulfill those dreams in new ways, the same ways, or completely give me other dreams.
What do you do with your dreams?
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Writing and Reading Go Hand in Hand

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 22•13

How do you write?

January is a hopeful month!  With a new calendar, a new month, (for me, a new year of life), I always wonder what the new year will hold.
For me, I like to write, so I wanted some writing challenges this year.  Besides continuing to write on the James Bible study I am working on (in between feedings and cuddling sessions with my 4 mo), I wanted to get back to writing on the blog, which definitely fell by the way side during the months of October-December.
One of the ways I propel my thoughts for writing is by reading.  I pick up magazines in doctors’ offices to see if there are any articles I can respond to, even if it is just a sentence.  Sometimes I will rip out the article or just jot down the quote in my phone.  I may read a passage of a book, or a passage of Scripture and I’ll get a whole blog from those thoughts.
So, here are some ideas to attack reading and writing together:
1.  Pick great books to read – because you’ll get more fill for your money and it will teach you how to write better.
2.  Occasionally read a book that isn’t good – just to see what is bad about it (content or style) and then write a reaction, or just jot down some ideas as to why you don’t want to write that way.
3.  Always have something to write down your thoughts on while you are reading.  I usually read with a pen or pencil in hand. I underline and highlight and jot notes in the margins of my books.  It is harder for me (and not near as much fun) with my e-reader.
4.  After reading for a while, start forming sentences with the thoughts that you jotted down.  If you quoted something the author said, make sure you cite your source.  Ecclesiates says there is nothing new under the sun.  We don’t have original thoughts this late in the game…we all got our ideas sparked by something or someone, but if you do quote someone please do not count it as yours.
Reading before, during, and after you write will greatly strengthen your writing habits!  Do you want some more ideas about how to start writing?  Check out my friend’s site at http://www.devotionaldiva.com/2013/01/start-writing-now-synchroblog

 

 

 

 

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Playing Games

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 21•13

Comparison

But yours is better…
During my childhood, my family and I spent countless weeks up on the Suwannee River (whistling the tune now aren’t you?) in North Florida.  When we weren’t spending time on the river, down by the lake with our cane poles, or cleaning fish, we played card games.  I loved playing rummy.  It was about the only activity we could do at night without getting eaten up by mosquitos.
Those card games were fun, and still are.  But, the evil game of comparison is not so much fun, for my mind or my heart.
The game of comparison happens in every part of life.  Here are some examples that I am experiencing right now:
1.  This first one is really how this blog post started.  I was introduced to a woman who has taught the Word for decades and faithfully gives up her time each week to rise early, make meetings, and teach others the Word.  Instead of being grateful for her knowledge of the Word and thanking God that here was His daughter, soaking in His Truth day after day, year after year.  I played the comparison game, and it led me down a road of despair.  I didn’t do that.  I didn’t get up at 5am on Fridays or wake up that early to spend time with Him.  I felt accused by the evil one to jump into the I’ll never be that good so why do anything” pit.  She offered no condemnation (Romans 8.1) and didn’t even brag about it, but simply states the exceeding joys that were hers because of the faithfulness of God rewarding her obedience.
2.  How about in clothes?  My husband and I often walk the mall during the cold months.  Instead of being thankful for the clothes and accessories that are hanging in my closet, I think to myself how I would love that one.
3.  How about in  your physical body?  Do you often desire to have someone else’s butt, thighs, chest, arms, abs, hair, eyes, etc?  Do you wish you could wake up and look like those models on tv who wake up with their hair in perfect place and their makeup fresh and clean?  My husband took a picture of me and baby sleeping one morning.  I thought it was a cute picture but wondered why the actresses on television never woke up with chapped lips, I could see mine were.  I didn’t’ immediately thank God for the little boy sleeping next to me, I instead complained and compared and was discontent.
4.  This happens to me in blog world.  I love to blog because it gives me an outlet to write about anything I want without anyone giving me a deadline or dictate what I write about.  I have so many friends who have a similar blog to me but their blogs are read by thousands of more people than mine is and they have greater influence than me.  Why can’t I be satisfied with the sphere of influence He has given me, and not compare myself to others.  Blah.
Colossians 3:15-17, “and be thankful…with thanksgiving, giving thanks to God the Father through JESUS!”
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Keeping Purity

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 18•13

This year I am working my way through Psalm 119.  Thankful the Holy Spirit works in new ways every time you read the Word.  This time reading through this long psalm I have a son, a little boy with a curious mind.  I read Psalm 119.9 in a whole new light.

“How can a young man keep his way pure, but keeping it according to Your Word.”

These are some thoughts about parenting about that verse:

1.  You, as parents of young boys, have direct influence over what they see and therefore engage with their minds.  This world has so much to bombard our minds with – beginning at such an early age.  Most children in the world these days have access to kindles, ipads, iphones, etc.  Televisions blare many hours a day in the majority of homes with small children.  What influences your child?  The Bible says we are Christian parents have a duty to actively participate and be in charge of the parenting and shaping of their minds – every minute of it.  Deuteronomy 6:4-14 commands to always DO parenting.

2.  Fill their minds with Scripture.  As I am driving around with my 4 month infant, I am usually playing Andrew Peterson’s Slugs and Bugs CD.  Those songs are stuck in my head all day.  What do I want to be stuck in his head all day as he grows and matures?  I want the Word.  When his dad and I correct him or discipline him, I want Scripture to motivate our disciplining and help shape his little mind and heart.  We pray and claim the promises of God that if his mind is filled with Scripture, he will keep his way pure.  God’s promises are true.

3.  We pray.  As we parent, we don’t do it on our own.  I’ve tried.  I’ve tried going days without praying and filling my mind with the Word.  It doesn’t work.  I’m more anxious, fearful, and irritable (with both my son and my husband).  We can’t parent without praying without ceasing and just resting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And after all these things, we accept and live in grace.  We will fail.  Our kids, no matter how cute, cuddly, and irrististably snuggly, but their sinners – just like their parents.  Every one of us.  We all stand and parent and live and love in need of grace.

Thankful.

 

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Living Intentionally

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 10•13

 

Each January that rolls around brings filled treadmills and new calendars.  It brings motivation to change but soon, as the February calendar gets seen, most of these are right out the window.  How can we be women who intentional desire change and make that change happen?
Intentional change must take moment by moment living – every minute thinking of those changes and making conscious choices to make those happen.
I am on a flight right now to spend a Word-filled weekend with my mentor in St. Simons Island, GA.  She has made a habit over the last 35+ years (or so) to pray for her family and read her Bible early in the morning.  Even when her husband had to get up early to go to work, how easy would it have been for her to go back to bed – or just stay in bed?  Years of faithfulness wouldn’t have happened if she had pushed the snooze button.
So, as I was thinking of ways to implement this in my life I came up with a hugely long list.  Maybe you can relate to some of them:
1.  If I want to wake up early, when the alarm goes off…get up.  Don’t press snooze.  I attended a conference about 10 years ago where Elisabeth Elliot was speaking.  One of the attendees asked her how she had a QT every morning and did everything, how’d she get up?  Her answer: put your feet on the floor and get up!  Simple enough.
2.  Do you want to read the Bible more?  Make a minute by minute decision to read the Bible before you read google feeds, or look at pictures on Instagram, or check people’s statuses on facebook.  They can wait.  The Bible is life-giving.
3.  Do you want to lose weight?  Make the minute by minute decision to not eat so much, make healthy choices, get up and move.  That simple.
4.  Do you want to learn how to take better photographs with your “big” camera on manual?  Do it.  Don’t keep it in the bag and when you take it out – set it on manual and make mistakes and take beautiful shots of every day life.
5.  Do you want to be a better friend…think through ways that you can be a friend to someone and follow through on it.
6.  Do you want to pray more?…pray without ceasing.  Pray as you change a diaper, as you are trying to figure out what to do with a fussy infant as he is fighting nap time.
7.  Do you want to encourage your husband more?…find ways that he  needs encouragement and do it.  Don’t put it off.
8.  Do you want to exercise more?…then get off the comfy red couch and take the stroller and go walk around your new neighborhood for 20 minutes.
All of life (daily grind) is about choices.  Life is made of a bazillion moments and choices.  Make right ones.

 

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Being Teachable

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 08•13

You never know what to expect when entering into something new, do you?  You set your hopes up and they are crushed.  You expect little, and sometimes you are surprised and overwhelmed.

I signed up for a Bible study class offered at my church on the book of Colossians. I don’t usually like attending Bible studies because I would rather be the one teaching.  But, for some reason, God has me in a non-teaching (in a program way) season.

The first ten minutes of the class the Spirit had already convicted me about my hard heart of not wanting to be teachable.  Blah.  I hate that.  But, it is something I need.  Then I got to think.  That is one area my husband has noticed in me – my inability to readily accept teaching.  It is primarily a pride issue.  I think I should already know all things (God) so I don’t want to lower my attitude and allow someone else to teach me.  Unless of course I see them as someone who I want to be taught by.

God commands us to be teachable.  Especially as women we need to be willing to be taught of the Spirit and those The Lord puts in our path as wiser women and pastors and our husbands (if we are married) who can teach us practical things but also wisdom of the Word of God.  (Col 1.9-14)

In the Psalms alone (ESV) there are 26 times that the word TEACH is used.  It is the psalmist’s humble cry to The Lord to teach him the truths that he needs to know in order to please The Lord.

What comes in the way of us being teachable?  As women in the church we are commanded to teach the younger women.  Well, we can’t teach if we’ve never been taught.  Did you instinctivly know how to bake cookies or a cheesecake or how to do laundry or make a bed or writer a letter?  No.  You more than likely had someone to teach you.  Our pride is the main obstacle in our heart attitude toward being teachable.  We think we don’t need to be taught or already know everything there is to know on a certain subject.  That is not a Christ-like attitude to have.

AS you teach your children or teach younger women or as you teach anyone that God gives you the opportunity to teach, do a heart check. Check your own ways and see if you are being teachable?  Ask the Spirit to carve away, chisel away, at the hardness of your heart so that you may find yourself teachable.  Not by your own doing, but by the doing of The Lord.

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On the Eve of 36

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 03•13

I love having a birthday so close to the new year’s beginning.  It means my New Years health resolutions don’t really start – but more importantly…I have a new birth year starting around the same time as a calendar year begins.

As I look back at 35 – the 3rd biggest important thing in my life happened:

1.  God chose to make my life new!

2.  I got married

3.  THIS YEAR – I became a mother.  Honestly, I became a mother when I was 34 – because we conceived him before I turned 35, but actually holding this precious little boy (who rolled over today) in my arms happened in my 35th year of life.

My second biggest prayer answered was something else entirely.  Some of my dearest friends know the specifics of that prayer, but let’s just say that I began a prayer when we returned from our honeymoon – and even more specifically prayed Eph 3.20 for it the entire month of May.  And in that month I saw the beginnings of that prayer being answer.  God does indeed do far more than we can ever think or plan or imagine.

This year, I am praying more personally some things that I see in my character or heart that I want the Spirit to change.  I want to see bondages gone: Psalm 119:32 is my verse for this year.  Here is my KCV (Kim Campbell version): I will RUN in your truth because you have made me FREE!

I look  forward to seeing how God will answer this prayer for His glory as I live my 36th year!

Thanks for reading and being part of my life in my 35th year!

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Sneak Peak at 2013

Written By: Kimberly - Jan• 01•13

Life is a Bowl of Crayons

I don’t know why we bother with New Years resolutions, but I wanted to put in a little plug for goals and areas of my life.  I hope you have had a wonderful 2012 and sorry for the lack of posts in Nov and Dec.  We’ve been sick, busy, moving, tired, etc.  I’ve wanted to do mindless things, so we’ve watched a lot of NCIS and played Candy Crush!

My word of the year: HOME.  I’ll be taking pictures of our new home, I want to help Little Rock and BCLR be home for us, and I want to always focus on this world is not my home.

Family:

1.  Continue family devotions which consist of reading one story out of the Jesus Storybook Bible on Sunday nights.

2.  We move!  January 5 is moving day.  Only .7 miles away this time!

3.  Some are asking if we want more children.  Of course we do!  We will see if that is in the Lord’s plans for 2013.  Until then, we enjoy a bright-eyed curious little boy named Elijah!

Photography/Writing

1.  I am attending my first photography workshop hosted in Ft. Worth, TX by some sweet friends called The Little Things.  I look forward to this time of learning and fun.  And thankful for my husband for sending me/keeping e and my mom for the Vday gift in sending me!

2.  I am hoping kd316 will have an Etsy page soon so that I can sell my notecards/photography.

3.  I will continue to be a contributor to the Our Single Purpose blog.  We are tackling several series this year, so head on over and check it out.

4.  I will continue to write my James Bible study.  I started writing it then got sick. Didn’t mean to not return, so I need to get back on it!

Health

1.  Everyone takes this time to make healthy resolutions.  Mine this year is tri-fold:

a.  Lose the baby weight.  There is a lot to lose and I need it gone!

b.  To cut out some of the sugar and sodas I’ve been digesting.  Not entirely, just lessening how many I partake of!

c.  Eat more fruits and vegetables and get little guy into them too!

2.  Exercise more.  Now that I have a carrier it will be easy to have little guy on me.  Also, enjoy the walks with E three times a week.  I may do a 5k this year, but my knees haven’t been the same since pregnancy.  Get back into yoga/pilates.  I need to strengthen that core again and I can do a plank but not some of the deeper lunges.

Spiritual

1.  Doing the Made to Crave reading plan on YouVersion for three weeks.  Then I will be transitioning into studying Psalm 119 in 2013.  I look forward to seeing how that psalm transforms my heart.

2.  I will be doing a Colossians inductive study with some ladies at my church.  I look forward to knowing this book better and getting to know the ladies at our church better too.

3.  Going to The Gospel Coalition in April in Orlando.  E and I are looking forward to with our pastoral staff at BCLR.  My folks are keeping the little guy so we will have 2.5 days of being baby free!  We look forward to worshipping together and listening to sermons together.  My husband is a worship pastor so I seldom get to sing next to him.

Happy 2013 everyone! How will you COLOR your 2013?

 

 

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The Day Before Jesus Was Born

Written By: Kimberly - Dec• 24•12

IMG_6013e

 

Sojourn’s Joy to the World

Merry Christmas.  Do yourself and me a favor: go listen to the video above.  You’ll be blessed.

This Christmas will be unlike any other I’ve ever experienced: Elijah’s first Christmas.  He won’t remember much of this one but we will.  We look forward to celebrating with new friends here in Little Rock.  It will be a joyous day.

As I think about Christmas Eve, and knowing full well that Jesus wasn’t born on Dec 25 2000+ years ago, but go with me.  Now that I know what it was like to be the day before my child was born, I can think a little about Mary.

I was in pain…so was Mary.

I had a nice hospital room and pain killers…Mary didn’t.

I had a camera and friends surrounding me…Mary had animals and her fiance’.

I had overhead lighting…Mary had the twinkling lights of heaven (and her baby had created them – John 1)

I had a striped blanket hospital-issued to wrap him in…Mary had swaddling clothes.

So many differences, so many similarities!  But, one thing is the same.  We both had baby boys.

My baby boy, no matter how cute he is, needs her baby boy, the perfect Son of God, creator and upholder of the entire world!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

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Secret Santa Blogging

Written By: Kimberly - Dec• 22•12

photo

Almost every year I find a blogging santa swap to participate in.  It is fun and sort of a modern day penpal.  This year I participate in one partly hosted by Syndal @ www.synfullydelicious.blogspot.com  I had fun putting together a cute little Christmas package for a blog friend.

I got my package a few days ago, but since we’ve been sick, this is the first day I’ve felt like doing anything.  I have worn my present though (see scarf above, ok, sorry for the no makeup, I just had to run to Target to get formula), and I will be writing a quick thank you note on some pink stationery (that I had taken a picture of at Target and sent to my husband – saying that I really liked it for a potential stocking stuffer) – and lo and behold she got it for me!  Abbey at Finding My Forever thank you for everything – including my little ornaments – love them!

 

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