Seeing Beauty In What the World Deems Ugly.

Seeing Beauty in the little things. Seeing beauty in the things that really don’t make sense. Seeing it in the face that our lives aren’t perfect. Seeing that Jesus really is reigning in this city like no other. Seeing that Birmingham is waking up to revival. We packed out the BJCC on Saturday with Christian artists. They were turning people away at the door. They couldn’t get in. There were tons of people there. Different walks of life. Different ages. It’s been so cool to see that Jesus is really doing something in here. I saw people who shouldn’t be alive there, myself included. It drives me to share the gospel. It drives me to saw that people from many walks of life are searching for Jesus. It forces me out of my comfort zone. Justin Standridge said three nights ago that at any time God could use someone else to share the gospel. That God could decide to take us away from WhoSoEver Ministries. It hit me that this is an honor rather than an obligation. Not saying that there aren’t days or events that I feel like it s job; but when you realize what Jesus did, and why he came, that we can find joy in the fact that we GET to serve and be used by him. I can’t say without wondering that Jesus didn’t ever feel like he was doing his “job”. I think that he did; and I don’t feel like I’m sinning because of it.
I talked to a lady two nights ago at Winter Jam that asked me this: “What made you turn from your old way of life?” In joy I was able to tell her that Jesus is the reason that I was able to do that. And that he was the only way that I was able to do that. He saved me from the pit of hell. He brought me out of the pit of despair and back into his marvelous light. The beauty of being saved from my sin. The beauty of the fact that I have my mind made up that this life isn’t over. The grave doesn’t have a hold on me. I might be dead on the way home and die. The death rate is 100%. Everyone in all of history died, Jesus included. Dying is something is beautiful if you are looking for the beauty in it. Beauty is not something that isn’t there; we just fail to see it. Keep looking for beauty friends. You will see it if you look hard enough. Keep looking for it.

What is beautiful?
Death
Disease
People
Jesus
Grace
Love
Annoying Habits
Wildlife
Culture
Travelling
Seeing People Give Their Lives to Jesus
Church with all its faults
Family
Technology
Alive Things
Noise
Voices
Laughter
Children
Teenagers
Mountains
Parents
College Students

And the list goes on and on.
Just look for it.

More Rambles

I’m sitting in Starbucks in Mountain Brook Alabama, typing something to post on my blog on my new Mac Book; it seems like a ridiculously common picture. I’ve become more of the kind of person who would own a Mac over the last year. I’ve become more of a quiet observer than anything else. And to be perfectly honest, I think it’s a good thing. It might seem like it would be bad, but being perfectly honest, it’s something that has made me more aware of the people and things around me than I was in the past. I know now what it means to listen, and that has definitely helped in my listening to God. Having changed so much of who I am over the last year, so many of my habits have too.
I’ve become more of a leader in the last year than in the years past. At times, I wonder why I do it. I wonder why I even find myself in leadership. I don’t always like it; there are times that being a leader is the last place that I want to find myself. But I find it so often. Pretty much everywhere that I find myself, I am a “leader” which is what makes me guess that leadership finds me rather than me looking for it. This makes me venture to guess this: most of the leadership positions that I am in are because of God’s choice rather than one I chose on my own. It’s a beautiful thing most of the time, but at times I wonder what would happen if I weren’t a leader.
Being a leader is something that I was born to do. Being a middle child, it’s not really what most people would expect out of me. They don’t see that I was born to do this. I talk to people often about leadership, much like I talked to Jason Gunnells about last night after church, and realize that some people aren’t born to be leaders. It took me a long time to realize that most people really aren’t born to do this. But the people who are, we all tend to think in similar ways. We tend to act in similar ways, at times out of desperation. There is a great burden of leadership that I didn’t understand until I was the “head” leader, and helped lead a large ministry with about three other people. A burden of the fact that the words I say or don’t say often lead others; the burden of the fact that because I lead in ministry, I am at war for souls. What I do here, like the quote says, directly affects eternity. One comment could make someone turn away from Jesus all together, or turn back to him.
I think that is the burden of anyone who calls themselves “Christian”. It hits me hard because of the fact that my name means that. “Christian” I am called on a regular basis. What kind of calling does that have on my life? I think the name that someone carries has a lot of weight in who they are. There are definitely people that don’t live up to what their name means, but I wonder why so often people do, and again, why is my name Kristin? And why does my middle name mean strong? A high calling, no doubt.
So I think that I’ve rambled more than I needed to, and I’ve got to get out of Starbucks and get Burke from Bible Study. I pray that each of you is blessed immensely.


And teens/ college students: if your reading this: check out myfamilyisclueless.com Its a place that you can tell your family what you wanted to tell them without revealing who you are.

Be Blessed Friends and we will talk soon!

Cleaning, Laundry, and some of my OCD tendencies

Its what makes me Kristyn.

I’m one of those people who have a room that is almost always clean. It’s rare to see something not cleaned up and put away. Everything in my room has a place. I need that. I have to have that consistency. I really like being able to walk into my room and know exactly where whatever it is that I need. I vacuum and clean more often than most, especially most college students. Someone made the comment that my room is almost always “room check ready.” I need to cleanliness in order for my mind to be in order. I have laundry done almost daily, and people make fun of me for that, but I need it.
Chaos is not something that I function well with. I don’t mind a surprise irregularly, but most of the time I am totally aware of what is going to go on. I plan most days to know when I get up what I am going to face when the day happens. Sure, life happens and stuff that I would like to get done doesn’t, but I usually have plan for the day. Without a plan, I am a mind in chaos. Without a plan, from experience, nothing really productive will get done that day. I have a constant running task list, sometimes one hundred things on it, sometimes three; sometime little things (like vacuuming) or sometimes big things (like a 10 page paper). I tend to take things in smaller tasks. I like to focus on things in such a way that the tasks are manageable for my mind to wrap around. I like when I can work on a paper, do a paragraph, and know that I did what I wanted to do that day and what I needed to do to get it done on time. Not to say that I don’t drop the ball, because I do it often, but rather that I figured out that this is how I work. This is how I work.
This isn’t everybody, no doubt. There are people who plan months in advance. I can tell you that if you ask me about something more than about 36 hours from now, I don’t likely know what I am going to do. I plan about 36 hours in advance. And there are people that have no idea what the next hour is going to bring; the kind of people who never really have a plan. I have friends that are all three types: long term planners, short term planners, and non planners. They all exist. They all work. They are all just different. I just have to remember to appreciate that all people are different. At times, people who don’t plan drive my crazy. But I remember that they love me for being a bit OCD at times, and I need to love them for their quirks.

Beautifully Single

The title might seem like an oxymoron to some. We had this discussion last night at mens and women's ministry; it wasn't the focus of what we were talking about, but it was something that we addressed.
Kasey Graydon said this "I double dog dare you to submit yourself fully to God right now, when you aren't in another relationship. What God can do with you is something that he cannot due with a majority of the population."
I'm taking that dare. I'm saying right now, my focus (my thoughts and my actions) are on Him. I'm focusing on the fact that this time is beautiful. I am focusing on the fact that God could have me called to singleness, and honestly, I am completely okay with that. The accident really showed me that God does have a huge plan for my life, and right now I am at a point that he is telling me to be satisfied with him and with Him alone. To devote myself to the ministries the God has put in my life; I am saying to you that God wants all of me, and not the part that I have left over after I have a romantic relationship.
I am not saying that God is telling me to be single for the rest of my life. I am saying that I am going to take the rest of my time here at SEBC and focus on him. My mom always told me, "Kristyn the one who is worth it will wait for you." I know that I am meeting people right and left. I am meeting people that could be my future husband. But something that Ryan Kruise said "He won't give your one to someone else." Meaning that God won't take the man that he made for me (if he exists) and give him to someone else because I committed myself to him. When you read it that way, then its kind of bogus.
I am so excited to see what God is going to do in the next year; I am excited to say to you that I know that God will do something with me. Let's Roll!
Kristyn

What does the word Burn mean to you? And what does the word Shine mean to you? Do they affect your daily life?

I have to say that no much has had more of an effect on my life like Burn and Shine have in the last year. Burn and Shine respectivly are the Mens and Women's Ministry here at SEBC. I've been a part of them from the beginning of my time here, and they have become a deep part of who I was. We, as a ministry team, do a lot of dramas (Human Videos) and just spend time seeking the Lord together. We've been all over Alabama doing dramas, and spend countless hours together getting them ready.

What a blessing Burn and Shine has been to me over the last year. The people involved have influenced my life more than they will know, and our time together always a joyus occasion. We've spent more hours together than most drama teams get to, because we live "together". We can meet late at night or early in the day, and know that we will be there. It is rare that I am without a part of that group of people. I mean, very rare.

It was a former member of Burn that introduced me to something that is very much a part of my life right now. I don't know who I would be without that ministry, and I cannot tell you that I know who I would be without WhoSoEver Ministries. It is these people that opened doors in my life to see that God has a bigger plan for me than I ever had for myself.

Burn people were praying for me when I was in Africa. They were the ones that called when I got back into America. They were the ones that never tire of hearing the stories. They are the ones that I owe a whole lot more to than anyone I know. They are people that I would call family more than anyone I know. They are people that love. They are people that I would take a bullet for. They are people that when you hurt them you hurt me. They are people that I know for a fact would love you too.

Burn is something that is amazing. Burn is part of the revelution. I can see us staying together after graduation. Even if we don't, I can tell you that these people are going to do something great for the kingdom. I know these people well enough to say that this is real for them.

Our faith isn't a joke. We will love you. We will teach you. We will let you live with us. We will let you fail together. We will let you succeed together. We burn and shine. Do you want to burn and shine?

This is something Ike gave me a while ago. I like it and am trying to live it out.

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slowdown, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sightwalking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at thepool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,preach until all know, and work until He comes.And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

A Young Pastor in Africa

From Got 2 to Get 2

This is from Matt yesterday. It really encouraged me, and I hope that it encourages you too.
Its almost a changing of mindset. From "got to" to "get to". I don't got to go to class tomorrow. I get to go to class tomorrow. I don't have to talk with a friend; I get to talk with a friend.

My car wreck put a lot of things into perspective for me. I realized that my life was literally hanging on the line that afternoon. I realized that I SHOULD have died, but I didn't. God has a plan for me and my life. I'm realizing that. He wants to use me. He has a plan for my life that I cannot wrap my mind around. He wants to use someone as broken as me to do something to impact the kingdom.

So that's what I'm thinking about.
About how much God loves me.
About how much that I get to do everyday.
About how much I got to do today.
Today is my only promise.

Love

Not Just Another Day

I'm sitting here in Bible Overview, and I'd like to not be here, but I am so I thought I'd post this while I was listening to Joel.

Today was really good. Nicole and I went shopping for a dress for a wedding that she's in, so we had some good fun at the Galleria doing that. We found a good deal too, which is encouraging. It was good to be with a friend when those times are few and far between.

Life right now is really good. I had a sweet time with the Lord this morning too, so that is really good. The few quiet times I've done have been dry recently, and this one was really encouraging. I read in Matthew 16:24-25 "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I am really beginning to realize that faith requires so much more than I ever thought. Harder but better I think.

I have had a lot to do today, so its been a full day. My Mondays are usually the days that I am trying to remember that the day began the same day. I look forward to my bed on Monday nights. We're doing a Thankgiving dinner tonight with Women's Ministry, which is pretty exciting. I just got my apple pie out of the oven a bit ago, and I'll tell you that I am looking forward to eating with those girls. I don't always get time to do that, so it is refreshing.

School is good; I'm ready to get the month off for the semester. But Thanksgiving is coming; there is hope for the future. I am ready for this semester to be over. Its been a really long semester, which makes it hard to stay focused. I'm ready for new classes. I think I'm taking 4 classes next semester, which will be a nice break, but I am interning at Crosspoint. I'm ready to start that! I have Disciplines of the Christian Life, Theology 2, Intro to Church Ed, my Practium, and hopefully Comparative Philosophies of YM independantly. I am pretty pumped about a new semester, and just having new classes will be nice, and I won't be here a whole lot, so that is nice too.

WhoSoEver is going pretty good; its always busy, but life is well. Worth Dying For is going to be there tomorrow, so that is exciting too. Lives are being changed, and that is what matters.


I've got more to do before I go to bed, but its early yet. I'm pretty pumped about being done with Bible Overview for this week and getting to the homework for music that is looming over my head for another class tomorrow.

Much Love. Be Blessed.
Kristyn
Matt 16:24-25

And So We Begin

This is the first entry. I do have to put this disclaimer right here first, there are no promises to how often this gets updated. Its more of a when I have time kind of thing, but I'm hoping to make it so that you all can get a picture of who I am and what goes on in my daily life.

I'm just making this the first entry. I am in love with a man who's name is Jesus Christ. He is my Saviour and Redeemer, and I am nothing without him. It is him that makes me even anything. I have a relationship with him. I have nothing to do with Religion. Religion frustrates the daylights out of me, and its just not who I am. He is my best friend and best confidant. If you want more info on how to make him the Saviour and Lord of your life, email me. I could talk about him for days, and often due, but I just need to put out there Jesus Christ is an amazing best friend to have, and he wants to be your friend too. You'll likely find him intervined in a lot of what I write; you'll find that I talk of him often. I will refer to him like he is my friend just like my roommate is my friend.

Blessings and Grace!
Kristyn