The Adventure of a Lifetime

C’est la vie!

soulinanearthsuit — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:50:18 +0000

Busy days turn into busy weeks in the blink of an eye. My family has recently sold our house and lately, all that has consumed our lives is cleaning, organizing, and more cleaning! I can’t tell you how many bags and bags of junk we’ve been getting rid of! It’s nice to go through things and remember them, but after doing this for hours, it gets old fast. But hopefully, in the end, it’ll be well worth it. And what would life be like without things to do? Well, it would be quite boring. So, business is just a fact of life… or the more common term- C ‘ est la vie! That’s Life!

Please pray for my family in the following weeks as we sign papers, clean out, pack up, and move in. Pray that God will continue to give us time to do other things, too, and that we can complete all of the things we need to do. Thank you!

-Kim

Blessed

soulinanearthsuit — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:34:43 +0000

Lately, I have felt overwhelmingly blessed. After thinking about it, I’ve decided that when I COMPLETELY trust in God’s power, life seems to work out in my favor. Sometimes life gets really difficult and emotions can take over, but in the end, God makes everything alright.

When I was worried about money, I told myself that God would provide. He did.
When I was feeling lonely in the world, God sent a friend.
When I became stressed out about a serious test that I had, God helped me “ace” it.
When I couldn’t find a gas station and my car was warning “Low Fuel! Low Fuel”, I found one right around the corner.
When I couldn’t afford a present for my friend’s birthday, God invited my work to donate just what I needed.
When I became upset about my relationship with my cousin, God reminded me that He was in control.
When I was sad and full of grief, God showed me Psalms “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

And, as I realize all of my blessings, God smiles and says, “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future”.

-Kim

Loneliness

soulinanearthsuit — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:00:58 +0000

A friend is one who walks in when others walk out

-Walter Winchell

It’s amazing. A simple “Hi!” can really brighten your day. This evening, I attended my school’s crazy basketball game. I arrived with my friend, Natalie, who I had hung out with before hand and we found our seats next to a few others. They had started chatting away and for a while, I felt left out. Now, don’t get me wrong- these people who started chatting are very nice people and are pretty close friends of mine. However, tonight I seemed farther than ever from them. As I sat there, for about five minutes, all I could do was watch the game and try and think of a way to “enter” into their conversation. But the way they were sitting seemed so exclusive. Just when I was about to start going through my purse (for something to do) my friend, Katie came over and sat next to me. She left all of the other girls on the far side of the gym that she was sitting by, and came to sit by me. It was one of the kindest things! We ended up talking and laughing the entire time until the game ended and I learned a lot about her! I’m so awestruck that she was so sweet, and I have to say, I think I’ve found a new friend!

-Kim

Pride and Prejudice

soulinanearthsuit — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:29:20 +0000

In school, we have begun reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I must say, that book is the best! I’ve listened to it every night so far on audio via youtube. This british woman named Mrs. Leonard (I think?) is narrating and I think that it adds so much to the story when its in the correct dialect.

“This is not fair. You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of anybody. I only want to think you perfect, and you set yourself against it. Do not be afraid of my running into any excess, of my encroaching on your privilege of universal good-will. You need not. There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” (Ch. 24)

Something that has fascinating me so far, (I’m only on page 50) is that these people had exquisite manners. This thought lead me to another thought. How come we aren’t like that anymore? I must admit that there were some EXTREME manners, however, most were quite admirable! The fact that men had a great deal of respect for women, even tough women were “property” to men, was astounding. My generation has certainly lost quite a bit of its class. I wish men still respected women. In fact, I wish women respected women. I mean to say that these days, women suck themselves into the material world where being skinny, “beautiful” (fake), and sexy is the way to go. It’s a shame we’ve gotten to this point.

Actually, the more I think about it, women respect themselves slightly less today than they did a hundred years ago. Back then, it was all about the way you walked, talked, and looked. Today it’s all about how you talk and look. And all of these standards are based on a “common” or “normal” opinion that everyone supposedly agrees on.

Men have lost their “charm”, however. Instead of asking permission to date a girl, men just “pick one” and they begin to date. Instead of dressing appropriately, (pardon the American Idol song, but “pants on the ground” comes to mind.. look it up on youtube if you haven’t seen this!) men dress in ripped jeans and shirts with logos. What happened?! Where are those handsome and mysterious men who work hard? Where have they gone?

I suppose I like Pride and Prejudice because I can pretend that these charming young men in the story are real… if only for a moment. And, maybe one day, I’ll meet my prince charming! (I sure hope there are a few good ones left

Sorry for all those guys out there reading this- my post has been quite “girly”

-Kim

Gianna Jessen: “Born during Saline Abortion”

soulinanearthsuit — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:11:35 +0000

This woman, whose lectures I am about to show, is extremely inspiring. She tells about her life as an “abortion survivor” and how God has immensely “blessed her with cerebral palsy”. Clearly, this woman’s life story is not one you hear every day:

For more information on Gianna Jessen, you can check out her website at: www.giannajessen.com

-Kim

First Post of the Year! (Yes, it’s been a while…)

soulinanearthsuit — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:21:37 +0000

They say:

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest of souls; the most
massive characters are seamed with scars.” -Edwin Hubbel Chapin

To be honest, I don’t really think that suffering always makes a person stronger. I’ve heard this phrase my whole life and never believed it. That’s because I, personally, have gone through a lot of hardships and I don’t see any proof that I am stronger because of it. Maybe I should be taught what “stronger” means. Who knows? I could have some sort of strength that I don’t even know about! Or maybe, I know about it, but just didn’t relate it to being something I had “earned” when I suffered.

I think that instead of strength, people gain experience. I say this because experience gives you the “tools” to work through future problems and find them less difficult. It also assists you when others suffer.

You know, sometimes this blog is a place to realize my thoughts. I now think, after writing all of this, that experience is the strength one gains when they suffer. Well, there you have it folks!

I think I need some sleep…

-Kim

PS- I forgot how good it feels to blog!

Transformed by Jesus

soulinanearthsuit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:00:32 +0000

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

~Acts 4:13

(see also 1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

When women kindly ask me to sign their copies of my books, I sometimes write, “To Susan the beautiful!”

“Oh, no!” Susan (or Kathy or Linda) will protest, turning red, “I’m not beautiful.”

“Sure you are,” I insist, as I add my signature. “It says so right in the Bible.” As further proof I jot down “Psalm 149:4″ and encourage them to look it up. You see, it’s God’s gift of salvation that makes us truly beautiful, inside and out. Nothing transforms a woman’s appearance more than being covered from head to toe in the grace of God’s Son.

I know this beautifying process is legitimate because I’ve seen it happen again and again. When women come to know the Lord in a real and personal way, their frown lines begin to soften. A sparkle appears in their eyes, and a radiance falls over their countenance.

We have proven scientifically that such physical changes occur when we fall in love: glowing skin, sparkling eyes, increased heart rate. And for some of us, similar improvements take place when we’re expecting a child. Conventional wisdom says that “all brides are beautiful” and “pregnant women glow”. It’s chemical, hormonal, and very real.

Why not at the spiritual level too? When you allow the Lord to fill your heart with his boundless love, it shows on the outside. This beauty has nothing to do with cosmetics or plastic surgery. On the contrary, it’s an inside job: A heart full of love produces a face full of joy.

When I stepped into a church for the first time as an adult, I was amazed to see pew after pew of attractive women. Is this a requirement of membership? I wondered. Maybe they’re all Mary Kay consultants…

Soon I learned the happy truth: Such beauty is a gift from God. Unlike lipstick and blush, which seldom lasts longer than a few hours, spiritual beauty is timeless. It literally pours out of your pores and alters your appearance in a most appealing way. People will think you’ve had a face-lift, when in fact you’ve had a faith-lift.

~Liz Curtis Higgs

The Psalms

soulinanearthsuit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:41:23 +0000

Today, my humane letters teacher made a great observation about the Psalms. She said, “The Psalms ask the right questions to God and they teach us how to do the same.” I never really thought about this before, and so I decided to look into the Psalms myself and see if it was true. As Christians who are daily growing and learning about God, we don’t always know what question to ask God, or what prayer is appropriate. That’s where the Psalms come in. By reading them, we see how they (the psalmists) deal with all the same difficulties we deal with today: suffering, death, joy, thanksgiving, trials, wars, etc. So I thought it appropriate to share some examples:

Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say ” I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me<
they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.Psalm 42:5 (my favorite!)
Why are you downcast,
O my soul?
Why so distrubed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

This was written in my bible as the Introduction to the Psalms:
“We find in the psalms a mirror to our human existence. There are psalms that overflow with praise and adoration and others that are heavy with grief and sorrow. There are psalms expressing frustration that God is not helping or even listening, and there are psalms of wide-eyed wonder about who we are in relation to this omniscient, omnipotent God.
The psalms are songs and poems, but they are also prayers. In reading them we learn to pray from the heart, to lay ourselves open before a God who already knows the depths of what lurks within us, who gives us freedom to bring those depths to the light, and who loves us still.

Hopefully this encourages you to pick up your bible and start reading!

God Bless,
~Kim

Letting Go of the Unfamiliar

soulinanearthsuit — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:56:00 +0000

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
~Genesis 19:26

Letting go of the unfamiliar is tough. Changing careers or colleges or moving to a new city can take an emotional toll on us. It’s even more difficult to leave behind old habits, attitudes, and behaviors.

But Lot’s wife wasn’t able to let go of her home in Sodom, even though God sent angels to warn her family to run for their lives because judgement was coming. In fact, the angels’ warnings included such grave commands as “Don’t look back” and “Don’t stop”. Why in the world did this woman choose to stop and look back? Could it be that she loved the life she was leaving too much? Though Sodom was full to overflowing with sin and vice, apparently the dark and oppressive city was comfortably familiar to Lot’s wife.

It IS difficult to leave the familiar behind. That fact is as true today as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction-even when God himself is saying, “It’s time to move on.” If you’ve ever struggled with a destructive habit, you’ve felt the pull of the familiar- even as you’ve sensed God’s nudge, “Move on now.” You’ve experienced the temptation to turn back just one more time, for one last look, one last taste, one last “fix”- even as God has whispered, “Don’t look back.” Maybe you’ve agonized over a loved one’s downward spiral, desperately attempting to rescue them time and time again-until finally God impressed upon, “Stop, let go.”

Unlike Lot’s wife, none of us has ever become a pillar of salt by turning back for one last peek. Yet we all struggle with the difficulties of letting go of the old in order to grasp the new. Take heart, God understands that letting go of the familiar is hard. Yet he has called us to move on to new life in Jesus Christ by letting go of our old worldply lives, our old habits, our old dreams- to boldly move forward without looking back. When you feel God’s call to move, allow him to guide you. He will give you the grace to do whatever he has asked.

-Women’s Devotional Bible

Conversion vs. Transformation

soulinanearthsuit — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:21:25 +0000

I am reading yet another book (I read many books at one time.. that’s why it takes me so long to finish one!) called “Blessed are the Bored in Spirit” which I am borrowing from my stepsister. I’ve only read the first chapter, but you’d be amazed what this man- Mark Hart can put into 10 pages! I’ve read it over at LEAST 2-3 times now and I thought you’d enjoy hearing an interesting bit of information he shares. The goal of this book is “A young Catholic’s search for meaning” <— i love the way he words that! Anyways, here’s the excerpt:

“People talk freely about their conversion. You can hear them on Christian radio stations. You can see them on the Christian cable channels. Have you ever noticed that most conversion stories have the horrible-sinner-to-amazing-saint twist, a change so vast that even that of Jekyll and Hyde pales in comparison? Have you ever felt that your own story lacked that kind of dramatic intensity, and then questioned the sincerity of your conversion?

But the goal of the Christian life is far more than ceasing destructive or sinful behaviors. The goal is surrender to God. In that surrender, we receive the grace to abandon a life of selfishness and embrace a life of selflessness. To my thinking, that’s the difference between conversion to Christ, which often primarily involves the mind, and transformation in Christ, which involves action- a change in environment, speech, conduct, and motivation.

Conversions are wonderful in that they lead sinful people to become good people or at least better people. But the harsh truth is that Jesus isn’t calling you to be a good person. Jesus Christ is calling you to be a new person, a new creation (Galations 2:20) and not just converted in mind but transformed in body and spirit. That means admitting that the life you currently lead might not be the life you’re called to lead. It means acknowledging that there are areas of your life in which you won’t let the Lord be the Lord.

Many people have conversion experiences but never putin the effort that allows true change to take root. The goal is thus- transformation.”

~Kim