Kelsey-Land
3.30.2005
I had the greatest birthday! One of the highlights was during Club 56. One of the leaders came early and gave me a vase and then each kid brought in a flower or two to add. It was such a neat surprise! It was a birthday that made me thankful for all of my friends, family and life!
¶ 10:05 AM 3 comments 
3.27.2005
Happy Easter
What a beautiful day to have Easter. I love it when everything comes together and works out! The service at Ocean Hills went well. There were a few things that could have been done differently, but all in all, it was wonderful. It was so neat to be outside overlooking the ocean, harbor & city. After Easter service (and all the cleaning up) I had brunch at a friend's house with some people who didn't have families in town. Today I ate a lot of chocolate and sweets. I feel somewhat sick, but the candy sure tasted good! A wonderful day! By the way, for those of you who wanted to know, my birthday is March 29th - on Tuesday!
¶ 10:34 PM 1 comments
3.21.2005
Like something from a movie
Sunday afternoon, breeze blowing the long grass, green rollings hills, river at the bottom of the valley, birds flying above, and a pickup truck stage framed by two oak trees. The best part was the live music, acoustic guitars, songs about life sung from the heart. Sitting next to one of my favorite friends, great conversation, commenting on how unreal and beautiful it all was - the view, the air, the music, the people. What a wonderful afternoon. Today I went back to work - do you ever leave a staff meeting and just feel burdened and frustrated? I want to live with my spirit like Sunday afternoon even when it's a Monday morning.
¶ 9:11 PM 1 comments
3.13.2005
My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
Jesus said this to his diciples during his encounter with the woman at the well. Jesus didn't say that his food was to read the scripture. He didn't say that his food was to pray. Instead, his spiritual nourishment came from doing God's will. Lately I've been trying to feed myself. I keep eating from the gutter. God has a spiritual feast for me that I keep ignoring because of my pride. I've been so hungry lately and keep eating the wrong foods, the foods that taste good but don't satisfy me. Nothing satisfies me more than God, and I keep ignoring this truth. Sometimes I can be so plumped up on lust - and so spiritually anorexic.
¶ 9:53 PM 1 comments
3.10.2005
I just want some candy
I gave up sweets for Lent. There are cupcakes sitting on the counter at work and there's chocolate stored under my desk. There are little treats in my drawer by my bed at home, and there are fudge sticks in the freezer. Last night I just wanted a cookie - one cookie. And right now I really want a cupcake, with frosting and sprinkles. Or a brownie. Or a chocolate chip cookie. But I'm not going to eat any of it. Easter morning I'm going to wake up and have a feast of sweets, then I'll probably get sick. But it will taste good.
¶ 6:09 PM 0 comments
3.08.2005
Bebo
Saw Bebo Norman in concert tonight. So fun. Took the 5th and 6th graders - I think they liked it! The last time I saw him in concert was before he got married, and now that he's married his stories are different. I still think he's great!
¶ 11:20 PM 1 comments
3.07.2005
Jesus really values and loves women
Today I got this overwhelming reassurance of God's love for women. We're studying the story of the woman at the well and how Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah to her. There were three reasons that it is so shocking that Jesus talked to her - she was a Samaritan (hated half-breeds), she was promiscuous (she had 5 husbands - think Desperate Housewives style) and she was a woman. Did you know that one of the Jewish prayers was "Thank you God for not making me a woman" - and also that it was shameful to talk to a woman for an extended period of time. Some pious men would close their eyes if they saw a woman in public to avoid talking to them. It was absolutely tremendous that Jesus even talked to the Promiscuous Samaritan Woman much less revealed himself as the Messiah! The severity of this hit me today, and it was confirmed in my spirit that Jesus loves, affirms, embraces, and respects women. So many Gospel stories include Jesus and women - widows, poor, outcasts. I think this was such a beautiful realization to me because often I feel the injustices toward women, and sometimes feel devalued as a woman. To be honest, much of the resistance comes from Christians, specifically in the area of Women in Ministry. The Bible is so often used to "put women in their place." I'm speaking of the verses in 1 Timothy and Corinthians. I am embittered by some Christians who have been so hostile toward women in leadership. Today God confirmed in my heart how much Jesus loves women and included them in salvation. I felt valued, embraced, confirmed, and deeply loved. It was beautiful.
¶ 9:08 PM 0 comments
3.03.2005
I'm feeling frazzled
Times of transistion are some of the most difficult for me. Right now there is major transition going on in our offices at work. Basically, we had two seperate offices (half of us working at one, half of us working at the other) and now we're joining together. However, the new office isn't finished yet, so we're operating out of boxes. Not only is all the office stuff piled around, everyone is there all the time. I'm used to working alone, and now 6 other people are around! Definitely going to take some getting used to. It's so hard for my heart and spirit when I'm feel unsettled in my environment. I get this incredible urge to organize and clean - but can't because it's not in my hands. What can I gain from this? I think I'm learning patience, hope, tolerance and acceptance. What I need to do is depend on God for peace.
¶ 10:01 PM 1 comments
3.01.2005
Thought Life
Lately I've been trying to get my thought life in check. When it comes to trying to live out a life where I'm following Jesus, I'm fairly good at conforming my actions & words - but my thoughts are another matter. It's so much easier to have dark thoughts because no one can see what you're thinking. If my actions and words are out of line, there's a much greater chance of someone finding out. With my thoughts, they are only known by me and God. Because my thoughts are hidden from public scrutiny, they are at greater risk for being extremely out of line. I brought this up with my small group and asked them seriously how to deal with lustful/angry/judgemental thoughts. I think we all agreed that our thought life as a Christian is difficult to get in line. I think about the sermon on the mount when Jesus says that to have anger on our hearts/minds is the same sin a murder, and to have lust on our hearts/minds is the same sin as adultery. If anything, realizing this makes me so much more dependent on God's grace and the need for Jesus. How do you keep your thoughts in check?
¶ 10:12 PM 0 comments
