Islands and Mountaintops

"Islands and Mountaintops"

When people feel like they are all alone, they often say that they feel as if they are on an island. The truth maybe that you have simply come to a place in your walk that your companions are unable to ascend to. The reality is that you are not on an island at all, but standing on top of a mountain surrounded by water.

Let me explain. Life is lived on levels. Everyone will not be able to obtain certain levels in life because they lack the ability to handle what awaits them at the next level, or they may simply refuse to make the necessary changes to go to the next level.

For those that God has called to do a special work in life, isolation and loneliness are inevitable. You must realize that you cannot take everyone with you. They cannot handle the altitude that you are being called to. You will begin to notice, as you continue to ascend in the will of God, that the number of people who have the ability to share your perspective of life are few and far between.

Therefore, your feeling of separation and isolation are not indications that something is wrong. It simply means that you have risen above the sea of mediocrity and ascended to a place that few others are able to witness.

Your perspective is everything. Change your perspective of your situation and don't allow the enemy to cause you to despise what God is doing in your life. You are not stranded on an island, but standing on the top of a mountain!

Pastor J.C. Matthews

Islands and Mountaintops

"Islands and Mountaintops"

When people feel like they are all alone, they often say that they feel as if they are on an island. The truth maybe that you have simply come to a place in your walk that your companions are unable to ascend to. The reality is that you are not on an island at all, but standing on top of a mountain surrounded by water.

Let me explain. Life is lived on levels. Everyone will not be able to obtain certain levels in life because they lack the ability to handle what awaits them at the next level, or they may simply refuse to make the necessary changes to go to the next level.

For those that God has called to do a special work in life, isolation and loneliness are inevitable. You must realize that you cannot take everyone with you. They cannot handle the altitude that you are being called to. You will begin to notice, as you continue to ascend in the will of God, that the number of people who have the ability to share your perspective of life are few and far between.

Therefore, your feeling of separation and isolation are not indications that something is wrong. It simply means that you have risen above the sea of mediocrity and ascended to a place that few others are able to witness.

Your perspective is everything. Change your perspective of your situation and don't allow the enemy to cause you to despise what God is doing in your life. You are not stranded on an island, but standing on the top of a mountain!

Pastor J.C. Matthews

Quiz...

ABC's of ME
You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.( Speak for yourself, I want to know in a creepy stalker kind of way! )

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your ABC's of Me, tag 26 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

A - Age: 2o
B - Bed size: Twin
C - Chore you hate: Bathrooms.
D - Dog's name: Not a dog person
E - Essential start your day item: phone. first thing I look at.
F - Favorite color: orange and pink
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5' 4
I - Instruments you play(ed): flute; keyboard; piano; guitar
J - Job title: Sales Associate
K - Kid(s): none
L - Living arrangements: me and Stacey
M - Mom's name: Judy
N - Nicknames: Kris; KRam; Kristy
O - Overnight hospital stay: Not ever besides being born.
P - Pet Peeve: people who want everything without an obligation!
Q - Quote from a movie: "I would rather fight with you than make love with anyone else."
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings:Melissa, Lisa, Amy, Wendy, Kim
T - Time you wake up: varies!
U- Underwear: ummm.
V - Vegetable you dislike: asparagus
W - Ways you run late: I'm an expert. I don't need a way.
X - X-rays you've had: way too may
Y - Yummy food you make: I don't cook much. But love me some spagetti!
Z - Zoo favorite animal: Elephants!

Enjoy it!

What is the Vision?

The Vision
So this guy comes up to me and says "what's the vision? What's the big idea?" I open my mouth and words come out like this…
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-5 little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport.. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers
choose to loose
that they might one day win
the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs. Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them?
And the generation prays
like a dying man
with groans beyond talking,
with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and
with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mold them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.
On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row -guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centres.
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.
And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon.
How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.

Without Words.

I don't have words to explain what is going on. Life is extremely busy. Its blowing by!
I graduate in less than a month!
I'm definately excited!
But I'm almost done my undergrad!

Countdown.

10 anonymous things you want to say to 10 different people:

1. I told you I wouldn't fall in love with you. And I'm not planning on it.

2. Its the little things that I see that mean the most. I'm starting to see that you are trying so hard. It makes me smile. A lot.

3. You are already driving me crazy.

4. You are my whole world, and I would give my life for you if I'd ever have to. Without a doubt.

5. 15 weeks.

6. I wish you would know that I existed and realized I was more than just a pain.

7. People like you make me want to live with purpose.

8. You make me smile when I want to cry.

9. I miss you.

10. you have been an example of exactly what I want to be when I grow up. You have no idea how much I appreciate the time you put into being a leader.


Nine things about myself:
1. I am from NC, my family lives in Maryland, but I live in Alabama. And I'm totally okay with that.

2. I try to be nice with people. People in the north that are rude drive me crazy.

3. I have a southern accent. And I'm okay with it.

4. I dislike shopping for clothes.

5. I still believe that chivalry isn't dead.

6. I cannot sing.

7. I’m in college and I don’t drink

8. I love falling asleep, and the feeling right before it.

9. I cannot spell. At all.





eight ways to win my heart:

1. Make me feel like I'm the only girl you'll ever love.

2. Do anything that makes me not so stressed.

3. Make me feel like I'm a part of your family.

4. Surprise me! Do something that I don't expect.

5. Be around when life gets tough for me.

6. Give me your opinion when we're talking.

7. Smile.

8. Become my best friend.


seven things that cross my mind a lot:
1. I wish Jesus would come back.

2. I'm done.

3. Stop talking in class.

4. There is no way it is time to wake up.

5. I wish you would learn how to drive.

6. I want to see you.

7. Will He ever come.




six things you wish you never did:
1. Car Wreck

2. Said No.

3. Told you what I thought.

4. stopped Running.

5. Missed it.

6. Told you what I was doing, instead of asking.



five turn offs:
1. Lack of work-ethic.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Missing Happiness!

4. Too agreeable.

5. a lack of ambition



four places I want to go:
1. Alabama

2. Hoover ;-)

3. Vacation

4. Australia



three smiley faces that describe me:
1.
:-)

2.
;-)

3.
:-/

two things I want to do before I die:

1. Fall in love.

2. Announce Jesus coming back!



One belief:
I'm standing here waiting on you to move.

Thoughts.

This idea could change my whole world: if I want to change my world, I am somehow going to have to risk myself and me being rejected. Somehow, I have to let people into the parts of me scare me to share, in order that they can see the real me, and to let them see the change that happens inside of me as Christ continues to transform my life.
I’ve always been the kind of person that will not do something if I won’t succeed. I am absolutely terrified of failure. More so than I let on to people around me, I am scared to fail. I’m scared to not do everything to the best of my ability. I’m a fairly competitive person. Or actually, I’m very competitive. If you spend any amount of time, you realize that I am competitive. I’m learning to not be so competitive, but it’s a tough thing for me to learn. Deep down, I like to be the best. It doesn’t matter what it is, but I want to be the best. Somehow, I think that I can be the best, and I want to be able to do that.
I’ve had to learn to put everyone else above me. I’ve had to learn to serve. Often, that means that I can’t be the best. That means that someone has to be better than me. In the last few years, that is how I’ve learned to not be the best and let someone else. I think I’ve grown with this.
But, I haven’t learned how to do something knowing that I am going to fail to the best of my ability. I am learning how to fail gracefully. I am learning what grace is, because often, it is God’s grace that does the work that I don’t finish. Its God’s grace that covers my failure and that can seem like a scary thing.
I am a work in progress. And honestly, this probably does not make a whole lot of sense. But I’m okay with that. God’s not finished with me yet. And I hope you can see me as a work in progress. I know that somehow, deep down, we are all a work in progress. God isn’t finished with us yet.

100 Truths

100 Truths! After you've filled this out, tag 15 people and have them do the same.

1. last beverage? water
2. last phone call? A sick friend
3. last text message? Twitter- Danelle
4. last song you listened to? You Found Me –The Fray
5. last time you cried? Its been a while.

SIX HAVE YOU EVERS:
6. dated someone twice? no
7. been cheated on? no
8. kissed someone & regretted it? no
9. lost someone special? yes
10. been depressed? yes
11. been drunk and threw up? no

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Pink
13. Purple
14. Orange

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends? Yes.
16. Fallen out of love? nope
17. Laughed until you cried? yes... often
18. Met someone who changed you? Yes
19. Found out who your true friends were? Yes
20. Found out someone was talking about you? Yep
21. Hugged anyone on your friend's list? Of Course.
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life? I'd say 95%
23. How many kids do you want to have? I don’t know if I want any.
24. Do you have any pets? no
25. Do you want to change your name? officially to Kristyn
27. What did you do for your last birthday? Had the Basement ☺
28. What time did you wake up today? 7:30a
29. What were you doing at midnight last night? sleeping
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for? One word. Hillsong.
31. Last time you saw your father? Christmas
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? There’s one thing.
33. What are you listening to right now? The Terminal
34. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? Yes
35. What's getting on your nerves right now? The fact that I can’t sleep.
36. Most visited webpage? Facebook, duh.
37. What's your real name? Kristin
38. Nicknames? Kristyn, Kristy, Kris, Sweetie, Boo, K Ramsey, Ramsey
39. Relationship Status? Single.
40. Zodiac sign? –Leo if I remember right
41. Male or female or transgendered? Female
42. Elementary? Mountain
43. Middle School? Mountain
44. High school? Grace
45. Hair color? Blonde
46. Long or short? Its pretty long
47. Height? 5'4''
48. Do you have a crush on someone? Define crush.
49. What do you like about yourself? I don't know... There is so much that needs work.
50. Piercings? 1
51. Tattoos? 0
52. Righty or lefty? Righty

FIRSTS:
53. First surgery? Tonsils and Adnoids
54. First piercing? Ears
55. First best friend? Jamie Findley
56. First sport you joined? Skating
57. First pet? Tracey
58. First vacation? Myrtle Beach
59. First concert? I don’t remember.
60. First crush? Phillip. Kindergarden.

RIGHT NOW:
61. Eating right now? Nada
62. Drinking? About to get some water
63. I'm about to? Fall asleep hopefully.
64. Listening to? The Terminal
65. Waiting for? a lot of things. :)

YOUR FUTURE:
66. Want kids? maybe
67. Get married? yes
68. Careers in mind? Ministry

WHICH IS BETTER:
69. Lips or eyes? eyes
70. Hugs or kisses? depends
71. Shorter or taller? taller
72. Older or Younger? older
73. Romantic or spontaneous? Spontaneous for sure. :) But that IS romantic!
74. Nice stomach or nice arms? arms. :)
75. Sensitive or loud? sensitive
76. Hook-up or relationship? relationship
77. Trouble maker or hesitant? troublemaker of course. lol hesitant people get on my nerves...

HAVE YOU EVER:
78. Kissed a stranger? no
79. Drank hard liquor? no
80. Lost glasses/contacts? yes
81. Sex on first date? no
82. Broken someone's heart? no
83. Had your own heart broken? yes
84. Been drunk? no
85. Been arrested? no
86. Turned someone down? yes
87. Cried when someone died? yes
88. Liked a friend that is a girl? no

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself? mostly
90. Miracles? yes
91. Love at first sight? I think so.
92. Heaven? yes
93. Santa Claus? I believe in the spirit of Christmas.
94. Karma? what goes around comes around.
95. Kiss on the first date? Depends.
96. Angels? yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? yes
98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? nope
99. Told someone you loved them when you didn't? no
100. Posting this as 100 truth? About to

Another Day of One Liners:

• Classes are back in full swing. I didn’t know how much I was enjoying break til we got back from break.
• I was/am working on a long blog post. I don’t know now if I’m going to post it. It definitely got more personal than I imagined.
• The Basement was awesome last night! Casey did an awesome job, and people worshiped for a long time after. God moved.
• I have to work this afternoon; it’s a love/hate thing right now. I love going to work, but I have lots to do today and wish I could do some of those things instead.
• I have lots of school work to do right now; I just need to sit down and get a lot of it done, but its been tough to get motivated. That’s what I’m working on this evening.
• I’ve been doing a lot of running/walking lately, often with Kelly. Its tough to get motivated, but I feel so much better after, and I am going to keep it up!
• I need to pick a passage for my Herm paper; any suggestions of a favorite Proverb?
• I made a new to do list file this week, based off of something that we had come in at work. I am liking how it works so far.
• I don’t know how it is that I’ve been going still; I haven’t been so tired as I am right now in a long time.
• God has brought me some new friends in this season of my life; God is so good.
• I’ve been taking time to clean out my life in the last week; I feel cleansed and refreshed.
• I’m pretty excited about this summer and what God is going to do this summer here in Birmingham. You should definitely check it out and take a road trip and come visit us here!
• You should check out some of our ministry team’s blogs. I’ve been enjoying them a lot lately!
• 
  
• Trina: http://fabulouslyfrugalicious.blogspot.com/
• David: http://threesidedlines.blogspot.com/
• Ami: http://amiknight.blogspot.com/
• Kelly: http://kellyann122.blogspot.com/
• Lauren: http://www.jesuslovindiva.blogspot.com/

• And team: if I don’t have your blog link, leave me a comment and I’ll put it in here for you! I’m about to do a post that has you, your picture, blog address, and blog content and I want you to be a part.

Just some thinking and processing....

In order to consider a marriage relationship, I have to be able say all of these things:

• There is no fear inside of me that I am going to ever lose you. Death is the only condition in which either one of us would consider divorce.
• Our marriage is a lifelong unconditional partnership, and no matter what I feel, I will be committed to you for the rest of my life here on earth.
• I won’t change my mind when I just don’t feel like loving you one particular day; I will always love you, and I have to know that I know that you will always do the same.
• For the rest of our lives, we will walk together, knowing that we were called together for an eternal purpose for us to live out here on the earth.
• There is no doubt in my mind that you are the one that I am to spend my life with; you are the partner that I have longed for a long time.
• You are the one I have prayed for; you are an answer to prayer for me. I will walk with you for the rest of life, no matter where that takes us, knowing that God is going to use us as a couple in a mighty way for his kingdom.
• I love you more than I can express, and I fall in love with you each and every day more and more.

That's what you see that I'm waiting for.

Another.

Another couple days has passed by without a whole lot of drama, or anything super special go on. The Basement last night went really well; God moved, and that is really what matters. We could talk about what went will for production team, or the drama team, or the care team, but the reality is that God showed up and did the thing that no team can do, even the best team in the world. The altar was so crowded (to the point that we waited to clean the stage because there were so many people at the altar), and people got their lives rocked. Like Laura and I were talking about last night, people met Jesus last night for the first time. Like the first time we found that love, people found what it means to be fully embraced by the Father. People realized that their beauty enthralls the King, and that has to be the most beautiful thing that one has the opportunity to see.

I smile to think about the people who woke up for the first time today knowing that they are loved by the King, no matter the things that they did yesterday. I smile to think that people are loved to the point that their friends don’t matter anymore. And I laugh out loud when I think about the people that God brought to me; I laugh with them (and often at them). They have taught me to laugh. They teach me what it means to love others. They let me know that I have people who pray for me, who will scare me in a dark hallway just to laugh, who make me smile when I don’t want to smile, and who make me want to follow Christ with everything inside of me. I would be lost without them, and probably way too serious.

This is the team:


You definitely need to check out the Basement when you are in Birmingham. If you have to come here just for the Basement, you still need to do it. The revolution is rising. A generation who is preparing themselves for the return of Christ is leading the very thing that could usher in the return of our Saviour.

And this is what we like to call history in the making:


What are you doing to make an impact in your own generation? Will you be an historical interruption or just another status quo Christian? Will today be another day that goes down as a day that just passed by without you making an impact on someone's life?

May we be a generation who prays as if it all depended on God and live as if it all depends on us!

One Liners

• I have quite a bit to do today; resting is on the list.
• Now if only Hartley would let us out of Romans early. Can’t say that that it going to be the case though. I have yet to get out of Romans early.
• I’m ADDing really bad today, especially in class. Just don’t want to be in school today.
• Updating my blog is often hard, especially as of late. God is moving in life, but it stuff that I’m not ready to talk to blog world about yet.
• Production last night went amazingly well. Now to figure out what it is that causes the nights that go really well to go well, and get it to be every week.
• It’s been cool to see our production team work well together and grow together. Not always easy, but we are growing.
• I’m definitely hungry for lunch. Don’t really know what I’m going to do for lunch, but I definitely need to get some food in my body SOON!
• I think Trina twittering all the time about food makes me more hungry than before ;-)
• Lilly is growing cuter by the day; there is a new picture up on my facebook!
• I don’t have a whole lot more to say; really, I’m just in one of those moods that I don’t have a lot to say today.

Much love,
Kristyn

Darkness

“When everything comes down to love,
Than just what am I afraid of?
When I call out your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I’m yours”
-Addison Road “Hope Now”

I’ve loved this song for a while now. Its one I keep regularly in my playlists and cds in the car. It’s a song that I continue to go back to, a song I find myself regularly worshipping to, simply because I often forget what I was created for, and who I was created by. That I am created to worship the King and serve HIM for the rest of my life. This is the only thing I was created for; I will spend eternity doing those things.

Love is a scary thing. I think that we are scared to “fall in love” with someone else. I know for a fact that I am scared. The idea that someone wants to love me and know everything about me absolutely makes me want to run away. When I was in high school and walked through the things I did, I always was able to hide parts of myself. Even today, there are parts of myself that I can hide from the world. To let another human know me fully, still, on some levels, scares me.

But my God knows me fully. He realizes my deepest darknesses and still loves me like I am. He knows me and still loves me. I think I realize my deepest darknesses and don’t really know why God wants to love me. And I think that we all think that way in some respects. Why would the only one who knows my deepest darkness love me the most? Because He is LOVE. He desires to see the real you; He wants you to run to him when darkness seems to overcome everything. I know what when I run to him I find rest in the shadow of his wings. At times, I go to bed fighting with something inside of me, and rest well because I let Him fight for me. Sometimes I wake up knowing that He went to war for me while I slept. Like Pastor Pat says often, I can’t wait to watch the Holy Spirit Blockbuster to see when I went to sleep, the battles that were fought for me.

I am not alone when I fight for anything. I am not alone even when my life seems to be that I am. It’s a battle that I’ve fought a lot lately. My God loves me; I forget that he does because of the world that feeds me that lie so many times. I get convinced that I am not enough and will never be enough. That is a scary lie to believe, no matter who we are.

Darkness in life is just that: Dark. It’s hard to see the light when the darkness seems to overcome everything around us. But we have the light. Don’t forget that friends!

another quiz

* * * * * * * * * * FOODOLOGY* * * * * * * * * * * * *

What is your salad dressing of choice?
Usually Ranch.

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
My Favorite? Probably Texas Road House

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Chicken

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
I love just plain cheese. I’m boring!

What do you like to put on your toast?
Peanut Butter.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla

* * * * * * * * * * * TECHNOLOGY * * * * * * * * * * * *

How many televisions are in your house?
None at the moment… should be one soon!

What color cell phone do you have?
Black

Do you have a laptop?
Currently typing on it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIOLOGY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Tonsils and Adenoids

What is the heaviest item you lifted?
Probably a speaker at the Basement.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Yes

* * * * * * * * * * * * BULLCRAPOLOGY* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
I would, so I’d be able to say goodbye.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Really, I wouldn’t. I’m Kristyn. Couldn’t imagine myself as something else.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
$1000 would pay a lot of bills. So yes!

* * * * * * * * * * * * DUMBOLOGY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
Probably about 25… need a couple new pairs for summer though!

Last person you talked to?
The lady at Wal-Mart. Curious conversation!

Last person you hugged?
Linda Oliver from hope for the nation!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * FAVORITOLOGY * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Season?
Summer.

Holiday?
I like Christmas in a warm state!

Day of the week?
I don’t have a standing favorite. Changes every week!

Month?
I like summer!

* * * * * * * * * * * CURRENTOLOGY** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Missing someone?
Kind of

Mood?
Chill

What are you listening to?
The typing… refreshing time of the day for me!

Watching?
Nada

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * RANDOMOLOGY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

First place you went this morning?
The kitchen probably

What's the last movie you saw?
I’m in the process of watching A Walk to Remember!

Do you smile often?
Most of the time!

Sleeping alone tonight?
Yes

Do you always answer your phone?
Most of the time…

It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
Facebook

If you could change your eye color what would it be?
I like my Blue!

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
I don’t add. Love me a strawberry or watermelon slush though, but only during happy hour ;-)

Do you own a digital camera?
Yes

Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes. College, you know?

Favorite Christmas song(s)?
It’s a joke that I get made fun of for at Christmas time, but I despise Christmas music.

Can you do push ups?
Yes.

Can you do a chin up?
Haven’t tried.

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
I just feel ALIVE!

Do you have any saved texts?
Yes ;-)

Ever been in a car wreck?
Yes. Changed my life.

Do you have an accent?
People tell me I do. Southern accent with northern mannerisms. Thanks dad!

What is the last song to make you cry?
Hope Now by Addison Road

Plans tonight?
Got home a bit ago from an awesome night; have plans with a paper for tomorrow night! (Yeah being a senior!)

Plans tomorrow?
Yes. Work, B, Paper, Grocery Store, Cleaning, Getting Ready for the week to come!

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
I have hit my rock bottom. It was rough!

Have you ever been given roses?
Just one for a couple of different events.

Current hate right now?
Papers, School ;-)

Met someone who changed your life?
His name is Jesus. And her name was Mercy.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
If I could know what I know now, yes.

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Nope

Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
Just my ears!

Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now?
God’s will is my life plan!

Does anyone love you?
I think so.

What songs do you sing in the shower?
Whatever is on my mind that day.

Ever had someone sing to you?
☺ Yes!

Do you like to cuddle?
Sometimes; have to be in the mood though.

Have you held hands with anyone today?
Nope

Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Lauren and me took one together on the way to Vestavia Tonight!

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
I didn’t really.

Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Mostly newish (about 2 ½ years)

Do you like pulpy orange juice?
Yes, seldomly. If I want OJ I want pulpy, but I don’t want OJ a lot!

What is something your friends make fun of you for?
Let’s not go there.

Have you ever ridden an elephant?
No

Do you like to play Scrabble?
No

When is the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly?
I make them lots! But I only eat them very seldomly

What were you doing at 1:00am last night?
I was in the bed!

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Awesome, I don’t have anything to do this morning!


I've got a meaningful blog in the works! Look for it tomorrow!

Questions...

Or Alternative Title.. I didn't come up with something cooler.

001. Real name → Kristyn Ramsey
002. Nickname(s) → Kristy, Kris, Ma'am, Sis, Aunt Kris
003. Status → Procrastination. Its an art.
004. Zodiac sign → Leo I think
005. Male or female → female
006. Elementary → Mountain Christian
007. Middle School → Mountain Christian
008. High School → Grace Academy
010. Hair color → Blonde
011. Long or short → Long.
012. Loud or Quiet → I'm pretty loud. :-)
013. Sweats or Jeans → Both.
014. Phone or Camera → Phone.
015. Health freak → Somewhat
016. Shorts or Pants → Shorts or a Skirt
017. Do you have a crush on someone? → I'm in love with Jesus.
018. Eat or Drink → Definitely Drink
019. Piercings → Just ears
020. Tattoos → I want one.
021. Water or Fire → Fire- You're talking to a pyro
022. Love of your life or 4 Billion Dollars → Love of my life

FIRSTS:
023. First fear → Acceptance. I was a pretty unscared kid.
024. First best friend → Jamie
025. First award → Skating
026. First crush → Couldn't tell you.
028. First big vacation → Dominican Republic
030. First big birthday → I haven't had a big birthday. Not really keen on them, and being the 5th kid, you don't get many.

CURRENTLY:
049. Eating → chewing some gum
050. Drinking → nada
052. I'm about to → finish getting ready to do laundry
053. Listening to→ Something Stacey is playing... its good though
054. Plans for today → Laundry and Homework. Sounds exciting right?
055. Waiting for → a phone call

YOUR FUTURE:
058. Want kids?→ maybe.
059. Want to get married? yes
060. What careers do you have in mind?→ Full Time Ministry

WHICH IS BETTER WITH A GUY?
068. Lips or eyes → eyes
070. Shorter or taller? → taller is usually nice
072. Romantic or spontaneous → Sponaneous
73. Nice stomach or nice arms → Arms
074. Sensitive or loud -> Sensitive
075. Hook-up or relationship → relationship
077. Trouble maker or hesitant → idk

HAVE YOU EVER:
080. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes
081. Ran away from home? → Nope
082. Hold a gun/knife for self defense → No
083. Killed somebody → No
084. Heartbroken → Yes
085. Been arrested → No
087. Cried when someone died → yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → I believe in the Christ who lives inside of me.
090. Miracles → yes
091. Love at first sight → I think you can know you're going to spend your lives together.
092. Heaven → yes
093. Santa Claus → If I didn't, I wouldn't get presents from home. :-)
094. Sex on the first date? → no way
095. Kiss on the first date → Nope

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → yeah
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life → I am. I want to see where the Lord is going to talk me!
099. Do you believe in God → With every fiber of my being
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 10 people → this is not 100 truths. it is missing some numbers.

Praying hard today... its been a hard week!
<3 Kristyn

Others Can, You Cannot

If God has called you to be really like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion & humility & will put you in such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians…& in many ways He will appear to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians & ministers who seem very religious & useful may push themselves, pull wires & work schemes to carry out their plans but you cannot do it…& if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure & rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may brag on themselves, on their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, & if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself & all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, or having a legacy left to them or in having luxuries, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something better than gold, & that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

The Lord will let others be honored & put forward & keep you hidden away in obscurity because He wants to reproduce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can be produced only in the shade.

He will let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him & get the credit for it, but He will make you toil & work on without knowing how much you’re doing. And then to make your work even more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done, & thus will make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love & will rebuke you for little words & feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, & has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He will not explain to you reason in His dealings with you. He will take you at your word; & if you absolutely see yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love & let other people say & do many things that you cannot do or say.

Settle it forever that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit & that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not deal with others. And when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased & delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship & management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you have found the vestibule of Heaven.

You know at times it may seem unfair that others can do things that you cannot do, but just remember that God has a purpose & plan for your life that only you can fulfill. I know in my life that the Lord won’t allow me to say or even do some things that other Christians can say or do, but that’s not because the Lord is unfair, but I realized that my plan & purpose that the Lord has for me won’t allow it. But everything comes back to trust. Do you trust God with your life? Do you trust His timing? Just remember…others may; you cannot…


From a friend...

Good Morning Friends!

My prayer is that you are well today, rested and ready to face the challenges and the joys that you will find before your head finds the pillow to conclude another day.

Each day is hard in its own ways for each of us. At times, we don’t understand what it means to find ourselves out of the situation that we don’t want to be in. There are times that we don’t understand why we aren’t getting the things we think we deserve, when the reality is we don’t. Like Pastor Dave said last night, if I got what I deserved, I would be struck down dead. I don’t get what I deserve, and I praise God for that!

I never deserved to meet this girl who changed my world:


Or this one:

I didn’t deserve to meet my “brothers” (who we all have a love/hate relationship with each other):


I never deserved the opportunity to see God do this:


And I never dreamed that I would actually be a part of it:


And no doubt, I didn’t deserve a Saviour who went and did this to cover my sin:





I didn’t get what I deserved. I praise God I didn’t get what I deserved.
Are you thankful that you get what you didn’t deserve?

Another day.

Another day. Another moment to rise to the occasion.

It’s a glorious rainy day here in Birmingham. Classes are back in full force; I’m just not ready for this. May 15 cannot come soon enough.

God is moving. God continues to show up when we get ready for services. God is showing up in our daily lives. Church yesterday was good; worship was refreshing. Good to see God show up in people’s lives. Matt is speaking this week; I’m looking forward to it. If you live in Birmingham, you should definitely be there. Comment or email me for details. We are watching a revolution rise up in this city; we should be honored that we are a chosen generation. Being chosen isn’t always easy; looking for the easy way out is not for us. But it would be easy to be that way.

Proverbs 27:19
A mirror reflects a man’s face but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.

Show me your friends; I can show you your future. Your five closest friends will shape you more than anything else.

Check the people you are with. Are they seeking the Lord? Are they teaching you? What do you do when you are together? Is the Lord a part of what you do on a regular basis?

I’m watching a revolution rise because people got with people who call them to be better. People who call them to rise to the occasion of our lives. People who want us to be the generation we are called to be rather than the generation that people expected us to be. People who desire God to show up in our world. People who want others to see what is means to really glorify Christ with our lives.

Some of the team

(By the way, check out Basement Mission Media every Tuesday Night at 6:30p central time, 7:30p eastern time, 5:30p mountain time, and 4:30p pacific time to see The Basement on live feed. The Basement comes to your home computer.)

The Revolution


Will you rise up to the occasion of your life? Will you make it count for something in light of eternity? Or will you continue to be the status quo like every generation before you?

We're changing Birmingham; what are you changing?

Love each of you! Leave me a comment!
Kris

25 Things...

So, the truth is I don't really have anything cool to blog about tonight, and its taken it out of my today just to survive, so I thought this would be interesting.

RULE: Once you've been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you it's because I want to know more about you...

Here are my 25 facts:

1. One of the worst things for me is getting up. The whole idea of "Smile, its a new day!" doesn't hit me for a great while after I am awake. I love to sleep.
2. I am rediculously stubborn, even to myself sometimes. Some ideas I just can't "get over."
3. I am a horrible procrastinator. I suffer for it. I'm late just about everywhere, mostly because of the procrastination.
4. I love media. I don't go many places without a computer. I rarely handwrite anything now a days because I can just type it.
5. I want to do full time large scale youth ministry for a job.
6. Lillian is most of my world. And she's cute too!
7. I love my guys. More than they know. And, my girls are AMAZING. My whole world would be messed up without them in my life.
8. I am so DONE with school. Just want that piece of paper that says GRADUATED.
9. I do want to get married at some point. But it won't be for a while. I'm focused on the Lord, graduating, and ministry right now.
10. I am an observer by nature. I will more often watch than participate. Unless its something I'm good at and need to step up and lead, I'll normally just watch.
11. Work is getting old quick. I've never kept the same job both semesters since I have been in college. Ask me about that sometime.
12. I've had the same cell phone number more than half of my life. & that says a lot cause I'm only 20.
13. I can sleep just about anywhere if I am tired enough. And I love to sleep on airplanes. Its not very often I don't fall asleep.
14. I have far too many clothes. More than any one person should own.
15. I carry my backpack just about everywhere. Its like my grown up security blanket. If I have it, I feel safe.
16. I tend to do things in order. But in order means how I think they should be, and don't always make a ton of sense to everyone else.
17. This is taking forever.
18. I'm not sure that I really want kids. My sisters can have me just a bunch of nieces and nephews to spoil.
19. I'm not spontaneous pretty much at all. Seriously.
20. I love to have sweet tea. I could drink it just about everyday. But I try not to.
21. You need a twitter. Facebook status updates on steroids. Pretty cool.
22. I dream of getting married. I want to get married, but I know right now that I need to be focused on the Lord and his purposes.
23. I'm praying for my future husband. I can't wait to meet you babe!
    
24. The Basement is a huge part of my life. That's like its own 25 random things post.
25. And finally to the end, I love Jesus. I was set free from a life of suicide and depression and he has taken me places I dream of!

Love ya'll. Keep Jesus FIRST today! Be blessed!

Verse of the day...

So picture of the day failed horribly in my life, but I wanted to let you read a verse that rocked my world.

"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' " 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

We are nobody's who God has chosen to use to be a part of changing the world, and scripture is clear that He's chooses the no body's so that HE gets the glory. God is moving in this city. God is using us to change our city. And God is about to do more in this city than you can imagine.

Check out our website or our myspace to see what the Basement is all about and see what God is doing in Birmingham!