by Kimberly | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
Greetings. I just returned from vacation. I usually don’t use this blog to talk about day to day stuff anymore, but please humor me. There is some good stuff in here (at least I think so). I used this vacation not really as a vacation – but as a hang out and see lots of people and puts tons of miles on my car and extra weight on my body time.
Here goes:
Wednesday I left early, fighting traffic in RTP (thanking God aloud that I don’t have to fight with 40 West bound am rush hour traffic everyday), and had as my destination Cleveland, TN. I made a short stop in Asheville for some Goodwill shopping (leaving with nothing) and a Wendy’s lunch break. Made it to my destination right on time, shortly after my friend arrived home from work. Tasya (a fellow cheerleader from LCS days and recently reconnected back on FB a few years ago) graciously opened her new-to-her home up to me for a few days. (Thank you Tasya). We spent Wednesday night up at Camp Cherokee by the Ocoee River at a bluegrass concert with some exceptional adults and their ministry at First Cleveland. The bluegrass was great and the Quiznos was delicious. Scenery was very pretty and I always enjoy any time to get on a lake and ride a pontoon boat. It gave me a chance to remember back to one of the first things I did after arriving at Providence back in April and that was to participate in Joy Prom – what a joy it was seeing so many smiles that night. Still, I understand how uncomfortable it is for me and how God has graced Tasya with a willing and happy spirit to work with adults with special needs. We went up to Chilhowee Falls for a scenic overlook at sunset – gorgeous. God is so gracious to us to give us the mountains at sunset in East Tennessee.
Thursday – I awoke early, yet tired. I had a busy traveling day ahead of me. I headed out to see my best friend from high school who lives in Murfreesboro (home of the Blue Raiders and a Publix) with her deputiy husband and their newborn son, Tanner. Such a cutie especially when wearing a Gator onesie. It was so good to hear that God has blessed them in the past 6 weeks with family in town helping Lisa and Matt adjust to having a newborn son. Then I headed to Brentwood to have lunch with a ministry friend. Thankful for other women in ministry that can offer wisdom and laughter and a listening ear – and know what you are talking about. We enjoyed Thai food and talked about curriculum and mission trips. She was able to offer many tips for the curriculum I am writing (I know, this is vacation right?) Then I headed to Tullahoma to briefly visit with a former co-worker at Southern. Lorrie and Stephen moved there for him to take a ministry position and shortly after moving gave birth to Elijah. Such a cutie! It was neat to see how ministry at Providence makes its way to East Tennessee. God is so faithful.
Driving over the Tennessee River, watching a great storm roll by, listening to the radio, I was just overwhelmed with loneliness and wanting to have someone to love so much. I had been around friends all day and was praying to God and reading the Bible, yet still had that deep down longing to experience life with a husband. God is my satisfaction. Soon after I heard Barlow Girls’ Enough and text my friend to pray. She is good to pray and I have a faithful God.
Had dinner in Chattanooga with 2 SEBTS friends (from different eras). It was very encouraging to hear of the work being done in Las Vegas and the desperate need for the gospel there and also the desperate need in women’s lives of the gospel in Chattanooga. That was necessary to hear that night to refocus my mind on the importance of the gospel and not my personal happiness – although I do I hope I get married so to be able to have a phenomenal married for and by the gospel. Maybe – still praying. Not worth settling and God is very good to me.
Friday – I went to Dayton to touch base with a high school teacher of mine who had such a great impact on me in 2 years of history classes that I wanted to become a teacher. And although I am not a teacher per se now, I know the result of his impact on my life has been far reaching. Thank you Mr. Morgan. Ate at a great little diner and just chilled around Cleveland the rest of the afternoon. Do you know how hard it is for me to do nothing when I am used to being so busy? Very.
Tasya and I spent Friday night taking pictures around downtown Cleveland, taking pictures of an old homestead of a friend, eating at a local Cracker-Barrel type place which was much better and cheaper. Then we got some Froyo and watched Definitely, Maybe (very good chikflic, though not many Christian morals in it), but better than most chikflics with limited Christian morals.
Saturday we conquered much in a short amount of time. We went to a mennonite farm where we got sorghum cookies, corn, tomatoes, and took pictures of sunflowers (lots of them). Drove then to a winery down the road and had a lovely conversation with the owners. Then on to an apple orchard and picked up some ginger gold apples to start the season off right! Then we went back downtown to eat at a diner and enjoyed a great falafel wrap. So yummy.
Then I headed back to NC – stopping in Asheville to have a birthday dinner with friends from SEBTS and their kids. I enjoy so much spending time with Christina and Marcus but it is never enough.
The point of this whole thing is this:
1. I love friends. Lisa has been a friend since I was in 2nd grade. Bekah is the newest friend and I’ve known her about 1.5 years. Friends are a wonderful gift from God.
2. I love food, movies, and enjoying new places. Food can be dangerous. I ate too many sweets.
3. Vacation – eh, I can sleep when I get back. Now, not every vacation is like this – but this one was tiring and good.
Thankful for a great job to come back to, a church I love, my own bed, and not hours of driving (even though I enjoy it), and the tomatoes I bought are yummy!
Next real vacation is in October to Colorado. Can’t wait.
by Kimberly | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
Downtown Cleveland is mostly old churches and legal offices…but there are a few nice cafes that are open on the weekends. There needs to be more. But, Gardner’s Market is a great little place, speciality grocery store, mostly sandwiches place that is inexpensive and fantastic.
1. The prices were great. I got a falafel wrap for 4.99 – apple juice and sugar cookie was extra, but well-worth it.
2. Made to order by guy #2 in the restaurant.
3. Friendly service.
4. Specialty grocery store – very helpful since Cleveland doesn’t have a Whole Foods.
5. They are also open for breakfast. May need to hit that my next time visiting Cleveland.
Needs work: they need a website.
by Kimberly | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
Can that really be true? Can a cookie have too many chocolate chips? I don’t think so. These cookies are a good indication that I might be right.
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 T white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 C (2 bags) chocolate chips. I used swirled white and milk chocolate and 1 bag dark. Perfect blend!
Cream butter and sugar, add in egg. Then vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips.
Bake on sprayed pans at 350 for 10 minutes (give or take depending on how big you make them). I liked them bigger because they stayed together better.
This recipe came from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook
Enjoy!
by Kimberly | Jul 26, 2010 | sin
Oh, everyone’s favorite topic – including mine unfortunately (as I ate way too much on vacation this past week). Relevant Magazine tackles it here
Thoughts:
1. “Most people don’t believe eating too much is a crime against anyone or anything.” This is so true. Most pastors don’t preach on it. Most people don’t like to talk about it in their accountability groups. Why is this? Debt is talked about (spending too much money). Alcoholism is talked about (drinking too much beer). But, why not gluttony. I don’t know why that is…it just is and needs to be addressed. Why don’t we think it is a sin? It is. There are plenty of Scriptures that talk about taking care of our body, moderation, idols, etc.
2. “Nearly all religions have sanctions against gluttony, still, data indicate that those who claim to observe organized religion are more likely to be overweight than other Americans.” I am a Southern Baptist, and unfortunately I think we are the worst. We live in the south (most) and we have 5th Sunday dinners, BBQs, Pig Pickins, donuts in SS classes, (we can’t meet without having food). We take our youth to camps that serve camp food (which equals unhealthy for the most part).
3. “If we are truly living a godly life, wouldn’t we be treating our body as a temple and avoiding the burden of body fat?” I am working on a book that will discuss this in further detail (give you something to look forward to). But, isn’t this true? We work on other aspects of our Christian life, but don’t necessarily want to work on this? So much enjoyment – so much hard work.
4. “Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas equated gluttons to children, since they are governed by pleasure from appetite and their behavior is ruled by it. Gluttony transcends eating and relates to material goods and other physical pleasures. “-Aholic” is the suffix attached to the glutton’s “meal” of choice.” Love this. This wknd, mine would have been dessertaholic. Blamed it on vacation – but when can I take a vacation from obedience?
5. “As our culture evolved, gluttony went from a sin to a badge of honor. Over-consuming meant we were better off (at least monetarily). We’ve become a society that rejoices in over-consumption, yet denounces those who put on weight, get a DUI or gamble away their life savings.” Wow. This was harsh – and true. And this effects how we look at the world and missions too.
Have you even thought about how your over-consumption of food is telling of how you think about the world? Hunger? Needs in impoverished societies? Wow. More to think about than just what is on your plate and in your stomach.
Thoughts?
by Kimberly | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri31YoutDp4]
KLove is a cross-country Christian radio station that I can pick up almost anywhere I travel. So, as I hit the seek button, I catch just little tidbits of conversations or songs. One I heard this past week led me to look up this girl’s ministry and has me thinking a lot about parenting. I know, I’m not a parent, may never be a parent, but…I do work with parents, write for children and youth, and can have an influence on the kids I do work with.
Kelly Chapman has an extensive ministry on this very idea. She has written two books about being a Prince and a Princess.
While I have not read these book, the Christian world has also bought into the idea that we need to raise our daughters as princesses and our sons as princes. Technically, we are. We are joint heirs with Christ, a son and daughter of the Most High King. The videos I have seen from Kelly’s ministry has purposed to show little girls (ages 4-8) what it means to reflect Christ and His attitudes and heart and passion. Unfortunately, most of the world thinks differently when they allow their little girls to wear princess shirts and have crowns. I think back to the Bachelor contestant who always wore crowns. This is more what our world models. But, while the mainstream Christian world does mention that, I think most miss the mark for what a real prince and princess should be like. I want to take a look at one passage and how it correlates to princesses/princes.
Philippians 2.1-11
1. Jesus, Prince of Princes, counted others better than Himself. He left Heaven and came to serve (The Son of Man came to serve, not to be served). I don’t know of any Princesses who serve. They are waited on hand and foot, have servants who are always at their beck and call. We instill this in our kids too. That others are there to serve them – not the other way around. How can you raise a son/daughter who has a heart of serving others and true humility? Get them in the action. Give them opportunities to serve their family members once a week. Have them help out at church functions as they get a little older. Help them to serve the older generation by baking cookies or raking leaves for folks in your neighborhood. Instill now. It doesn’t get easier.
2. Jesus died on a cross. We raise our children and youth today to think that suffering will never come to them. We have every comfort in America. Most of us want for nothing. That is how I was raised. But, how can we invest in our children by showing them that they will suffer in this world. They will have hardships. Is it by not caving to their every whim? I don’t know. But, I do know this. Christ suffered. Christ also said as Christians we would have hardship. Let your kids participate on mission trips (city, state, international) with people who are less fortunate than they are. They will see suffering. Let them take the gospel to orpahn kids in Uganda who live on the street. Let them see these kids living on the street, then have the luxury of going back to a hotel each night because its not safe or wise to sleep on the street with them. The Gospel of Jesus is bigger than this suffering.
3. God exalted Christ. Christ didn’t exalt himself. Christ lived a humble life – even the prophets declared that nothing was in Him that we would be attracted to Him. John says early in his gospel that he should decrease so that Christ may increase. We instill pride in our kids. We want them to be the best at everything they do, we want them to win the MVP awards and be brought up on stage to receive accolades. We want them to have many friends, we want them to be high achievers in all things. But, the Bible tells us that humility is the way we should seek and press in to. Humility is a foreign concept these days. Especially in many who parents. How do you instill humility in your kids? By teaching them the Word, the life of Christ, and implimenting #1-2 above.
What other ideas do you have of making your sons and daughters be more prince and princess like in their character?
