Irish Blessing

Hannah and I did this project on our last photography outing for at least 9 months. It is so special to both of us, and the poem we used as inspiration means a lot to our personal lives. I hope you enjoy this video as much as we do.

I belong

 

My heart is breaking but…
“Not angels, nor demons, no power on earth or heaven
Not distance, nor danger, no trouble now or ever

Nothing can take me from your great love
Forever this truth remains

I belong, I belong to you

Not hardship, nor hunger, no pain or depth of sorrow
Not weakness, nor failure, no broken dream or promise”

 

He holds me in His hand.

(Photography copyright Hannah Kimbrough 2008)

Lemonade…

This song makes me so happy.

Lemonade by Chris Rice

So go ahead and ask her
For happy ever after
‘Cause nobody knows what’s coming
So why not take a chance on loving
Come on, pour the glass and tempt me
Either half-full or half-empty
‘Cause if it all comes down to flavor
The glass is tipping in my favor

Life gave me lemonade and I can’t imagine why
Born on a sunny day, beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I’m a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade!

Now take your time to answer me
For the beauty of romancing
Is to calm your trembling hand with mine
While begging love to fill your eyes
I can hardly breathe while waiting
To find out what your heart is saying
And as we’re swirling in this flavor
The world is tilting in our favor

Life gave me lemonade and I can’t imagine why
Born on a sunny day, beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I’m a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade!

I’ve got it made
Rest in the shade
And hold my love
While God above
Stirs wiith a spoon
We share the moon
Smile at the bees
More sugar please
He really loves us after all
We’re gonna need another straw!
We’re gonna need another straw!

Life gave me lemonade and I can’t imagine why
Born on a sunny day, beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I’m a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade!

Girltime Part 1

Because I knew in advance I would miss Allison’s birthday party, we were able to arrange a little one on one time this past week. We started out the evening going to a Mary Kay makeover party. While this was not my cup of tea, it turned out to be really fun, even if Alli and I were the only ones without wrinkles. We ended the evening at the party by learning the super-duper (not) Mary Kay rap. Basically, it just goes “Hey hey, I like Mary Kay” over and over. I have a feeling we will laugh about that one for years. After that we went home and watched the Olympics (go Michael Phelps!) and then talked into the wee hours of the morning. The next day we went swimming, and it was really fun! I absolutely love swimming and have missed the once or twice a week ritual since moving from Florida. We managed to laugh even while swimming, especially when Alli couldn’t figure out the “water hula” I tried to teach her. Here are some pictures from our makeovers…

 They used Allison for a model

That ponytail is not my fault. Our instructor decided to do that all of a sudden!

And yes, Allison was in the picture with me here, but she dislikes it greatly, so I was forced to crop her out.

Persecuted Christians in China

China has already showed some big mistakes by faking parts of their “perfect” opening Olympic ceremony. It just proves that the government can make anything appear favorable to them. They can make the “perfect” child appear to sing, or they can make their country appear to have freedom of religeon. The truth is they have persecuted Christians in the past, and continue to persecute Christians in China.

Olympics Begin, Persecution Continues

American Christians visiting Olympics have Bibles confiscated

Pastor Arrested Delivering Medicine

Persecuted Christian Prisoner Focus:

http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_183_profile.html?_nc=5258e938963b9d3996dd2ebbda96abd6

http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_177_profile.html?_nc=5258e938963b9d3996dd2ebbda96abd6

Rushing Life

A few days ago Kaysie’s post about Rushing the Seasons really got me to thinking. I rush the seaons so often. I never seem to be content with where God has me.

When new job opportunities show themselves on a very distant horizen, I am ready to quit immediately. I don’t want to sit around and wait to learn the lessons God has for me.

When I meet a godly man, our lives are planned together before the week is out. I am not content to fall in love with Christ first, with Him only, for a season.

When problems come, I rush the solution. But what I have learned most is that the solution sometimes is the waiting. God is constantly reminding me that the wisdom that is gained in the not-so-good situation is worth more than any plans I ever could dream of.

Psalms 90:12 has been on my mind so much lately. The majority of the lessons learned in my lifetime could be summed up in what this verse teaches. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

That little verse says so much about learning and waiting, even in the not-so-good times. First of all, it says “So teach us…” We have to be willing to change, to learn, and to acknowledge that we don’t know best. Pride is the biggest enemy of this very important lesson. So often my heart says “But God, I just don’t want to learn. I know what I should do with my life, and I don’t need You.” To learn to not “rush the seasons” we must be humble. Grace must be poured into our hearts constantly. “Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.” (Psalm 119:76-77)

Second, we must apply those lessons. So many times Christians get discouraged because they go through a time of waiting, and disappointment, and see no reward. Sometimes it is because we do not learn those lessons, but more often than not, we have not applied His lessons. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22) I have heard people talk so much about discouragement, and failure in their Christian lives. Unfortunately, they do not take the responsibility for this defeat. If you do not take the things God has showed and taught to you, and apply them to your life, it is your own fault if your trial means nothing at the end. The true jewel in the testing will come when your life is changed, your heart is stirred, and you live your daily life more like Christ.

The last part of this verse is about applying your heart towards wisdom. Sometimes I walk away from a situation, and I wonder, ‘what was the end worth of that trial?’ The end reward of any situation that you learn from, and apply, will be wisdom. “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” (Proverbs 3:12,13) We should count ourselves blessed when we find ourselves waiting, and learn that the true blessing is gaining undescribable wisdom. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety”

- George Muller

“Anxiety is that which divides and distracst the soul, that which diverts us from present duty to weary calculations of how to meet conditions that may never arrive. It’s the habit of crossing bridges before we come to them.”

“Lord Jesus I offer You,
All that I am
All that I have
All that I do
All that I suffer
Now and Forever”

Much Too High a Price

I apologize for the lack of posting lately! My computer is currently infected with all sorts of ickyness (yes that is a word), and I haven’t been able to get to my documents. This week I’m off to have some much needed girltime. What’s in the works? Well, typical girl things of course. Swimming, pictures galore, make-overs ( oh boy, this could be interesting!), late nights, stargazing, laughing, tears, and more memories made than could ever be counted. Until next week, enjoy this song I stumbled across…the words are so haunting, and true.

“It’s crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls’ teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

If we are the body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

The Shack Part 1

Reviewing The Shack

by Stephen Stallard

The Shack. It’s a place of mystery and intrigue, the abode of both good and evil. It is the place where shadows and sunbeams collide, the point where tragedy intersects eternity. The Shack is all this, and more.

If you haven’t yet heard about The Shack, allow me to bring you up to speed. The Shack is a bestselling Christian novel that explores the relationship between sovereignty and suffering. It seeks to answer the timeless question “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The Shack comes with some high profile endorsements. The Shack has rocketed to bestseller status, and currently holds the top spot on Amazon.com in the Religion & Spirituality Fiction category. The author of The Shack, William P. Young, has already achieved celebrity status within Christendom, as his book has been wildly received.

However, since there have also been many critics, I recently read The Shack. It is my conclusion that The Shack, although a well intentioned story, is deceptive and dangerous to the Body of Christ. In the next page or so, I want to relate a “Cliff’s Notes” version of my thoughts about The Shack. I’m not going to tell you what to think; that’s between you and God. However, I would like to share with you my own deep reservations about The Shack.

An Overview

The first four chapters of the book masterfully set the stage for what is to come. These well written chapters explain why The Great Sadness hangs over the head of the main character, an average guy named Mack. According to the story, Mack’s young daughter Missy was kidnapped and brutalized by a serial murderer, one who terrorized the pacific northwest. Although her body was never found, her bloodstained dress was discovered in a remote shack, nestled away in the woods.

Overwhelmed by The Great Sadness, Mack retreats within himself, and his family suffers and struggles under the titanic weight of the pain. In the midst of an eventful snowstorm, Mack receives a note from God, asking him to join Him in the Shack. Here, he encounters the triune God, and he spends a life changing week in the Shack.

The rest of the book is a series of conversations between God and Mack. From a literary perspective, these chapters are a bit tedious and repetitive, with little break in the dialogue. The first four chapters were riveting, although probably too dark for younger readers.

As I read The Shack I realized that it contained three major errors and many minor errors. I don’t have time to list them all, but I will hit the highlights.

The Shack is Wrong About Revelation

The basic plot of the book is fatally flawed, from a biblical perspective. In the book, Mack struggles to accept the note, because his seminary training conditioned him to believe that “God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects” (pages 65-66). Once Mack sheds this thinking, he accepts the note from God.

The problem, however, is that God communicates to us through His Word, not in dreams, visions, or mysterious notes from heaven. The Apostle Peter described his encounter with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. But in his opinion, he had a better testimony, something that was a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1.16-21). Peter did not base his faith on his experiences, he based them on the unchanging Word of God. If Peter was wrong, and Mack is right, then we are faced with a problem. How are we to know what God really wants us to do?

We live in an age in which anyone can claim that God has revealed truth to them…and they will instantly develop a following on the internet. But the Word of God is the authority, and it is God’s method of communicating with mankind.

To be continued…

I am…

I am… ashamed when I realize how much more like Christ I could be.
I think… that those who expect life to be easy are fools.
I know… that I can make it with Christ’s help.
I want… to fufill my purpose in life by glorifying God in everything that I do.
I have… more than I deserve
I wish… that things were different.
I hate…hypocrisy, and naivaty.
I miss… my home, and the pieces of my heart I left behind.
I fear… so so much.
I feel… pukish.
I hear… Christ gently calling me closer to His side.
I smell… the rain on the pavement in the summer.
I search… for a place to call home.
I wonder… if I will ever find that place before Heaven.
I regret… Not saying goodbye.
I love… the sound of my best friend’s laughter.
I care… about life, love, … Christ.
I always…feel the fight for justice.
I am not… a patient person.
I believe… the greatest promise ever… “No more tears”
I dance… when no one’s looking
I sing… with a full heart
I don’t always…remember to stop and smell the roses.
I write… not as good as it sounds in my head.
I win… when I lose everything for His sake.
I lose…when I live for myself.
I never… thought I would lose so much, and feel so full.
I listen… for His calming voice in the darkest of nights.
I can usually be found… lost in my thoughts.
I’m scared of… living a life that changes nothing.
I read… and my world is transformed for as long as the words last.
I am happy about… His persistent love.