Back from Youniversity...

Camp was so stinkin awesome! It was an unbelievable week of worship, fellowship, sun and of course rec. fun! Thanks Rec staffers! I got to see some amazing students that I hadn't seen in awhile. Also got to make some new friendships. Overall...God showed up in a huge way. I am just again amazed by His love and devotion for me. Unbelievable :)

Engage

I am very excited about a wonderful opportunity that has been placed in my lap. Awhile back I was lucky enough to hear about a wonderful organization called Children's Cup. Children's Cup is an organization that is committed to meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of children whose homes have been devastated or destroyed by war, natural disasters or widespread disease.

After much prayer, I really felt the burden to use my resources to help in any way that I could. Enter...Engage. Engage is a way for those of us who feel the burden of doing more for Christs cause for the children in Africa. It is a way to get connected with others who are willing to pray, give and go.

I want to encourage any of you who feel that this is something you would like to get involved with to please email me or contact me here on my blog. I will be forming a team that is committed to getting involved with various ministry projects. (More to come on that). I would be happy to give you any more information about Engage and Children's Cup.

Thanks for your prayerful consideration. I am excited to see how God is going to move.

-Kelli

Obedience and Surrender

I am in a blogging mood this morning.

I've been thinking about surrender and blessings lately. Maybe it's from experiences that I am going through, my friends experiences or just what God has been laying on my heart.

Not too long ago a great friend of mine was sharing his heart with several of us. He had just ended a relationship with a girl and God had asked him to do something that would take him completely out of his comfort zone. He had been asked to go back to the ex and apologize. If she had accepted his apology he was supposed to ask the ex to become his wife. wow. This was so hard for my friend not something he wanted to do. However, he had a choice. He could obey or ignore. He obeyed. To make a long story short he is not an engaged man. The girl did not accept the heart-felt apology and my friend went on his way (very relieved I will say). But it got me thinking about obedience. God had asked him to be faithful and obey. Abraham comes to mind when I think of obedience. He was willing to sacrifice his own son for God. Have I always been obedient to God...certainly not. There were and still are times when I want to control every situation and just tell God "I got this one" "I'll handle it." This makes me sad because I think that I have missed out on the blessings that follow this obedience.

In Genesis, because Abraham believed, God said that He would make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars. This is encouraging folks! When we, God's children, simply obey and surrender those things that we hold most dear (relationships, insecurities, dreams, etc) He is waiting to "send the wealth." I once read the "the moment of your greatest sacrifice will also be the precise moment of your greatest and most miraculous blessing." The greatest gift we could have ever received is Jesus Himself. I can't fully wrap my head around that sacrifice that my heavenly Father made. But I do know that I want to live a life of sacrifice and obedience. Those times in my life when I've brought my own desires for my life to the cross...God has blessed beyond measure.

My good friend was a wonderful example of obedience and surrender. He is now blessed with a wonderful lady who is encouraging his ministry and him as a believer. Wow!!

"Indeed, there is nothing God will not do for those who will dare to step out in faith onto what appears to be only a mist. As they take their first step, they will find a rock beneath their feet." F.B. Meyer

Austin, Tx

Just got home from an amazing trip to Austin, Tx with my two bestest buds, Robin and Ruthie. We had an amazing time. From the trip down in the car blasting Debbie Gibson (always fun times), the stores we visited that were entirely out of our price range, the awesome live music www.myspace.com/alpharev , to the fun-filled day at Schlitterbaun...it truly was an amazing trip.

I am overwhelmed at how much God has blessed me with. I was reminded of that on this trip. God has truly blessed me with these two women who speak encouragement and love into my life. I know that these are the experiences that make life worthwhile. I am blessed indeed.

Inked...

Okay...


So I know some of you know about my obsession with tattoos. (yes, I have one...though not big enough to be credible). So I have an obsession with tats. Don't know when my fascination started. I have this fantasy that I am this really cool chick who can walk into a tattoo parlor say "whats up" to my homies like we are part of some ultra cool family. I know...crazy.

So, now you have a better understanding as to how unbelievably happy I was to find out that our theme for youth camp is "Inked." Yes, people...we are being branded like God. Who the stink came up with that idea? I need to know immediately so that I can kiss them and give them a high-five. :) My friend JoEllen affectionately joked that I can now proudly show off my tat...at youth camp. So excited. :)

To top it all off..........dum dum dum....
We get to wear fake tattoos all week. YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!! I love how God knows what makes me happy.

P.S. - Will keep you updated on the potential parental outcry that will probably proceed camp. ;)

What I got...

So went online to register for PinkImpact tonight. (so excited) One really cool thing on the website was an online survey to see which woman of the bible you are most like. Welp...took the quiz and this is what I got...

You are most like Deborah. You can see ahead to what will be needed, and then direct those around you to meet those needs. You’re someone who is greatly concerned about the well-being of those around you. Your God-given discernment and wisdom allows you to resolve conflicts and settle arguments that are brought to you. You persistently fulfill the direction God has given you. You’re a natural and trusted leader, a worshipper, an encourager. To learn more about Deborah’s character traits, read Judges 4–5.

:)

My date...

So I have been kinda giddy all day for my date tonight. This guy is so incredible. He always makes me smile with his funny sense of humor. He is definitely a younger guy...kinda short. But he has amazing blue eyes. :)

That's right...I am a lucky girl indeed to spend the evening with this handsome dude...little Lake Davidson. We had so much fun! We played baseball. He is very interested in the latest technology (ie. my camera).

Hope he wants to hang again!! :)

Youniversity 2007

I woke up this morning thinking about my upcoming Youniversity trip to Florida. I am going to be a team leader at a youth camp with my church from home. (First West) I have been very excited about this all summer and thought it would never come. Here it is just two weeks away. :)

I've been thinking about all of the students who will be going. I'm thinking about what they are going through in their daily lives with friends and family. Are they expecting awesome things from camp? I pray that God will use me to be a positive impact on those students. I pray that these students experience God in a tangible way. I pray they come to know Him and are challenged to be the salt that pushes others to live a life set apart.

Though I haven't met most of these students. I love them. I do. I can't wait to have a blast and enjoy an awesome time with these guys. As a leader, we always go into these experiences hoping to impact the students...but I must confess that I know that I will be the one who will truly be changed.

kelli

Father - May I always know your voice...

what's inside me you put it there
with grace and purpose you took the fear
that for all the times ive tried and wasted
and the times ive failed to see
that what's inside you knew would make
me wonderfully me.

I had a conversation with a friend tonight about servitude and how it is the desire of my heart. I came home and was pleasantly surprised to find this great read. I AM IN AWE...

by Reagan Pugh
Reagan shares thoughts while he studies abroad at Universitas Castillae in Valladolid, Spain. He is currently the student body President at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He likes Tootsie Rolls, sushi, and the little green chocolately mints you get at some Mexican food restaurants. You can also check it his personal blog at www.goodpancreas.com

I’m sitting here at ¨La Banque - Croissanterie,¨among the old, middle aged and wealthy twenty-somethings. Here, in the beauty of my time abroad it is so very difficult to imagine simplicity and doing without. For- I have just now finished my coffee and croissant, served to me by the same waiter I’ve had every time I’ve been here, no matter what day. Today is Sunday, he has no Sabbath. Not only him, but there is an older lady who, shawl on head, normally meanders by the tables of folks sipping Sangria and asks for change. She had a cut on her nose last week and had to use a peeled off barcode sticker to stop the bleeding. She was laughed at.
What is so interesting is that as I sit here and try to gauge my actions accordingly, I recall my parents always telling me, ¨Don´t give to the beggars, they´ll always want more and never be satisfied¨ even more astounding than that is I am told that when on MISSION TRIPS! Where does that fit in with Christ´s commands? How could I possibly call myself a Christian when I hold a job where I make more than my waiter who is at least half my age and tip sparingly because he wasn’t pleasant and keep my change and kindness from a woman who deserves my respect and love?
And how do Christians, ones whom I admire for that matter, justify such actions in the name of ¨safety¨ or ¨conservation¨ and completely ignore Christ´s commandments? I´ve heard too many times: ¨We can´t give all of our money away¨ or ¨I have to take care of my family as well¨ - but aren’t Christ’s commands about loving the least of these quite explicit? And if his commands fall short, isn’t the way he lived, which is the example we are supposed to follow a good enough guide? I think Shane Claiborne is onto something when he says, ¨Jesus wrecked my life¨ because the way Christ wants us to live is anything but practical and we Christians have forgotten that. For, Christ explicitly says:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.Bill McKibben, in his essay, The Christian Paradox says this about the two greatest commandments, the second in particular:
“Love your neighbor as yourself: although its rhetorical power has been dimmed by repetition, that is a radical notion, perhaps the most radical notion possible. Especially since Jesus, in all his teachings, made it very clear who the neighbor you were supposed to love was: the poor person, the sick person, the naked person, the hungry person.”
He also says:
“The Bible is a long book, and even the Gospels have plenty in them, some of it seemingly contradictory and hard to puzzle out. But love your neighbor as yourself—not do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but love your neighbor as yourself—will suffice as a gloss.”
McKibben goes onto say that if the second greatest commandment is to care for the downtrodden, how is our current Christian culture so centrally focused on ourselves? Sure- there has to be a point where you and your family doesn’t starve…but when does that turn into selfishness? The seemingly unselfish task of providing for your own could be considered as selfishness when provision is too excessive. When does provision become an excuse to overly provide? Christ said to the rich young ruler who approached him, concerned about his eternal life. The ruler says that he has followed all of the commandments of the law and the prophets and Christ then says:
If you want to be perfect, go and sell al you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow me.
Most think that it is too radical to consider. I don´t think everyone can live a life of utmost poverty so that the ¨least of these¨ are literally served. I understand families with 3 year olds and grandparents can’t go chill with the Bloods, love on the prostitutes and sleep on the streets. Honestly, I don´t know if everyone is even called to serve in that way. But, couldn’t we at lest keep Christ’s example in the back of our minds? And if we err, could we try to err on the side of grace, servitude and good stewardship?
If this is something we are struggling with (which we are) so terribly, it must be something worth working towards. As stated above, we all can’t drop everything and literally sell everything we own…there need to be people that make money to give that money away. I think it comes down not to the actions, but the consciousness (which will, inevitably fuel action). I believe that we are called to live constantly in a state of potential servitude. We should, at every moment be watching the world around us and looking for areas in which we can step in, show the love of Christ and love our neighbors as ourselves.
The lady is making her way back to my table to ask for change again…

Lazy Sunday....

So today has been a pretty lazy Sunday. (Love it!) Earlier this afternoon, Allie and I meet my friend Taryn for a hike. I was so excited to get out and I think Allie was too. She couldn't stop smiling. :) We had a pretty strenuous hike. It was, after all, one o'clock in this HOT Texas weather. So as we are walking along enjoying the great weather...I hear this moan. I look over and Allie is laid out in the shade like "there is no way I am going any further." I felt so awful like I was the worst "mom" in the world to have pushed her to the point that she was so exhausted and was foaming at the mouth. Taryn and I quietly began coaxing her to push on. When she emerged from the bush...she had what seemed like 10,000 burs embedded in her hair. They were on her face, belly, EVERYWHERE. I felt so bad for her. So, I have spent the last 45 minutes cutting burs out of her hair. Now she is embarrassed and hiding. I will probably spend the next 45 minutes building up her self esteem. :)

I've been contemplating writing this for awhile now. I must admit...this kinda thing makes me nervous. This is not my comfort zone, people. To be real, honest and open. To not have a care as to what people might think or how they might judge. A few of you know that for the last week or so I have not slept very much. It's almost as though I have this weird sort of insomnia. I knew (know) better. The Holy Spirit has been wrestling with me for some time.

Let me explain:

I've asked some close family and friends to begin praying for me. I am embarking on a new journey. This journey is not going to be easy. God is calling me to step out of my comforts and live a life of discipline. This is something He is asking me to do in all areas of my life (spiritually, emotionally physically...). You see I am expectantly waiting for new doors to be opened in my life. I know that God is preparing me to be ready for His service. I am in constant awe of my loving and gracious God. I finally think that I am learning to accept His offering of love and grace. I have a long way to go.

I am so excited for this new journey. If you feel led...please keep me in your prayers.

So to all my friends on myspace...it's been fun. I'm not leaving for good. Just need a break. Leave me a note. Feel free to share!

Much love and blessings!
kelli

Rain Rain Go Away...

I can't believe it...I looked out my window this morning expecting to see the same dreary scenario as I have each day before. BUT to my surprise I saw the most glorious, amazing thing...SUNSHINE!!

Say it with me peps...YESSSSSSSS!!!

Cabin fever no more. Im hitting the pool. :)

"our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. we ask ourselves who i am to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? actually who are you not to be? you are a child of God. your playing small doesn't serve the world. there's nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you. we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. it's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. as we're liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~Marianne Williamson

Ani Le’Dodi Ve’Dodi Li

"I am my Beloved's and He is mine."

He just wants to captivate me....