by Kimberly | Aug 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
I love new months! This one is definitely going to be exciting!
1. This weekend was fun in getting to celebrate my fiance’ who turned a year older (‘er, younger) on Friday! We had a blast with friends and food and a little road trip!
2. A friend and I went wedding shoe shopping yesterday: this is what we found. I am so STOKED!
3. This month I get to go to Louisville and hang out with friends and attend/participate in the Connecting Conference at SBTS. Looking forward to it!
4. Before I go to Louisville – I’ll be having a wedding invitiation addressing party with the best bridesmaids ever and having a personal shower thrown by some wonderful friends! Much wedding stuff to do this month – then I think we can take the month of September off!
5. Working on Q3 for the Treasuring Christ Curriculum. Exciting theme: the Extravagant Love of God through Christ!
Link Love:
1. Liked this article about youth and church attendence (plugged-in-ness).
2. Are you ever anxious – about anything?
3. I want this book when it comes out!
4. What a great post out of Resurgence.
5. If you are a woman: married or not – you need to rest in this post!
Have a great August everyone!
by Kimberly | Jul 25, 2011 | Uncategorized
Wow – July is rapidly drawing to a close – but we still have one more fun-filled weekend ahead of us!
1. Love it when late flights turn into early flights (arrival times) because of delays – but I’m equally grateful for people who are willing to sacrifice to still pick me up at 1:30 in the morning!
2. I finished reading this book on the plane: and its great. More on why I read it coming later in a blog review.
3. Wedding plans are coming together. So excited about – wish it could be here sooner!
4. Great time in TX this wknd. A blessing, hanging with friends, good food, and the only thing I didn’t care for about TX this time is the DOT – the roads are so bad. Oh, well. I now know there is a state worse than NC.
5. Another book I’m reading: What Did You Expect by Tripp. So good!
6. I’m greatly anticipating this week: meetings, writings, exercising, birthday celebrating, meeting new friends, shoe shopping!
Link Love:
1. Yum, and oh so rich!
2. Love this by a dear friend about time organization!
3. One of the friends I hung out with this wknd is a great photographer (and so is one of the others), but this is Kristin’s blog
4. Pray these for yourself – and I would encourage you to have others pray them for you as well.
5. Hmmmm….I may make this for a very important birthday dinner coming up
6. If you are a writer, or an aspiring writer, you need to read this post from my friend Courtney.
7. Great post on Katy Perry by Mary Kassian.
8. What a great gift idea!
by Kimberly | Jul 12, 2011 | Uncategorized
I was given a little booklet on different takes on modesty by my soon-t0-be-hubs. It was something he received in the mail that he thought I might like to read as I minister to women – not because he felt like I needed to change the way I dress. But, I always need to be encouraged in this area as well.
I’m going to jot down some thoughts on each of these little papers: this is one by Robert Spinney, who is a professor at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. Some of these quotes are taken from Dressed to Kill.
“The Christian’s wardrobe is no small matter.” What a profound introduction statement. We often get up in the morning, get dressed, and do so without thinking about what we are wearing. We need to think more about it. Not from a prideful or materialistic mind and heart, but in a “how can I honor Christ and my brothers” way.
This discussion is not about checklists and legalism. But, let’s continue to pursue modesty out of a necessity to glorify Christ more with our dress.
Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” How do we strive for holiness even in this area. I remember a few weeks ago having to go to the store to buy a bathing suit top. I had some cute shorts from last season and I just needed to find a modest top. Do you know how hard that is? Really – three stores. 26$. One bathing suit top. Still didn’t feel modest in it. But don’t hear me say that I think we should wear “bathing dresses” like they did in former days.
What do we do when we want to dress stylishly but not immodestly? There are things called t-shirts and tank tops that you can wear under low-cut shirts. But, I would (even for myself) have to question that. Because even when you wear a low cut top with something underneath it to make it not as low: I for one am often concerned about it (to know if the undershirt is staying put) and wear are guys eyes focusing? Is it better for me to be the most stylish person in the room, or the one who honors my brothers? Yes, you can do both – it is just hard.
As I was recently shopping for my wedding dress: I asked if it could be strapless. To some people, strapless and modest will never be able to co-exist. However, I did find one that is extremely flattering and simple and modest – and strapless. Another factor was the “bling”. Where are my others’ eyes drawn to on my wedding dress. Some dresses have low-cut backs or beading/brooches right on the chest – is that really the most honoring to our brothers?
Spinney brings up that modesty is mainly a male issue, not a female one. God’s directive to men (husbands, fathers) is to protect and lead. They can lead in this area as well. I’ve heard CJ Mahaney and his family say this on many occasions, so this is nothing new. Husbands: love your wives enough to not them go out of the house with revealing clothing on as to not let her be ogled over by the guys she’ll come in contact with that day. Wives: ask your husbands to go shopping with you (or to approve what you buy) so you know what will both please him and allow you to be modest at the same time. Dads: protect your daughters. Teach them how men’s minds think and how visual they are when it comes to skin and clothes and bodies of girls. Teach them to honor Christ in their clothing choices. I know a Dad that goes shopping with his two daughters partly for this reason. Kudos!
I loved this Virginia Woolf quote that Spinney uses: it says a lot to what clothes say about us:
“There is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mold of arm or breast, but they would mold our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking.”
“It is not only your reputation that is at stake when you wear improper clothing: God’s reputation is also at stake.”
by Kimberly | Jul 11, 2011 | Uncategorized
1. Less than three months to go.
2. Jesus is a better HOPE!
3. I love watching people worship who really look like they mean what they are singing. Do you look like you know and believe what you are singing (and actually believe what you are singing – not just putting on a show)?
4. I went to two weddings this weekend. I love weddings – because it helps me to think through what I want in mine. I loved the simplicity of one and the generosity of the other. Both completely different. Our wedding will be our own too.
5. Pinterest – are you pinning? Another social media site? Another feeder? Just wondering? This is fun and gives me ideas.
6. Books I’m reading right now: The Greener Grass Conspiracy, This Momentary Marriage, Mark of a Man, Power of a Praying Wife, What Did You Expect
Link Love:
1. Since I’ll be doing more menu planning come end of October – what do you use to meal plan?
2. I think I’ll make this for the upcoming weekend to celebrate – summer, I don’t know, celebrate something every day though. Makes life fun!
3. Maybe make this for the next day? These are great summer vegetarian finds – but all I have to do is grill up some chicken or steak for a nice rounded meal.
4. Do you have this view point of eating healthily? Hopefully not. Especially with summer there are so many healthy good fresh things out there.
by Kimberly | Jun 27, 2011 | Uncategorized
1. I had an amazing weekend. Tubing, water skiing, boating, eating amazing fresh food (that I didn’t cook), resting, talking with my soon to be husband, shopping with 2 of the greatest friends and funnest friends in the world, photog walking, watching Flight of the Navigator (one of my favorite 80s movies), loving on a sweet baby girl (see above picture), praying for missionaries, talking the gospel, eating at Madhatters. Weekends don’t get much better than this!
2. I love to hear what God is doing in other countries through the power of the Gospel!
3. This week is Impact Camp for our students here at pray dot org. Troy Temple is our camp speaker and this is Bryan Nelson’s first camp as our new youth pastor. Please pray for both of them!
4. Tonight I’m singing with the FBC Durham choir at the Durham Bulls game. We are presenting the National Anthem. Fun times! I love summer AAA baseball! Maybe drugs, egos, salary caps aren’t as prevelant! Just playing for the love of the game (No, I’m not naive enough to believe that).
5. New book picking up on Wednesday to read: What Did You Expect – Paul Tripp. Can’t wait!
6. Looking forward to an amazing 4 day weekend: wedding planning, friends, fireworks. LOVE.
Link Love
1. CJ talks on biblical manhood and womanhood.
2. I think I wanna try this pizza. Hmmmm….dinner sometime over the long weekend?
3. I’m actually seldom in MY kitchen now, but would love to apply these in my new kitchen (come October 8).
4. Oh my goodness – fabulous summer dessert! May need to make this for the weekend too!
by Kimberly | Jun 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
remember first being introduced to Randy Newman when I worked in the college ministry at the Summit Church. We read his book Questioning Evangelism together as a team. It was great. Very practical.
His new book, Bringing the Gospel Home, was similar in that it was practical and had conversations built in – so it didn’t just seem like another “how-to” evangelism plan. I’ve learned in life that evangelism plans are maybe helpful to know, but for me, personal relationships, sharing life with non-believers (like you would for family members who aren’t believers) is the best, and hardest, way to go.
This book is engaging with Newman’s stories and illustrations. It is helpful in just admitting the fact that living in a family with non-believers is hard. Two personal notes: my brother was not a believer until my senior year of high school (he graduated two years ahead of me). And through those teenage years I learned some things from him in how I lived out (or failed to live out) my Christian walk in front of him. Also, my grandfather is not a believer. Trying to share the gospel with someone who is not saved but who knows all your failures is tough. Should be easy – because you get to highlight the fact that salvation is nothing you can do – but only something Christ can do. Unfortunately, most don’t buy that. It is TOUGH. But, so worth it.
A great Newman sentence that brings concreteness to that last sentence: “Until our rebellion against our Creator is seen as horrific as it really is, God’s rescue out of that mess won’t seem all that great.. But, if we can find ways to drive home the audacity of our sin, the sheer gall of creatures telling their creator to buss ozz, or worse, w could set our listeners up to marvel that this same Creator chose to be our Redeemer as well.” – pg 65
