Healing.

March 20, 2012 2 Comments

There’s a lot of junk rambling around in my head right now.  But I would rather use this space, this outlet, for a petition for prayer tonight.

I need healing.  I know friends who need healing.  I know friends and family members of friends need healing.  Would you pray for healing?

 

I sometimes get tongue-tied when praying.  I can easily thank God for all He’s done for me.  I can pray for the needs of my friends and family.  But when it comes for asking God for something specific, I lock up.  Especially healing.  I struggle so much with God’s will.  I really, really, really want to know the outcome of this roller coaster I’ve been on recently, but instead I have to trust God that His will is better than anything I can offer in the realm of “plans.”

 

So when I know someone needs healing, especially physically, sometimes it’s hard to say, “Please God, heal _________.”  Instead, I find myself praying, “Dear Lord, please use this experience of pain to teach us to rely on you.  Please be with ________________ as they, and their family, go through this time of hurting.”

 

I don’t think I’m praying WRONG, but, I think when I’m praying for my friends who need healing, it wouldn’t hurt to say, “Please, God, heal my friend.”

 

Anyway.  I don’t want my point to get lost.  Will you please pray for healing?  I don’t want to divulge details that aren’t mine to share, but if you could please specifically pray for healing for two women who are in great need?  Vague as it may be, it can’t hurt, right?

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Lent

February 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Much like new years resolutions, I’ve never really been one to give something up for Lent. Call it lazy. Call it lackadaisical (dude, I had to look this up..been spelling it wrong for like 10 years). I’m sure it has some kind of connection with me fearing challenge and surrendering control, but for whatever reason, I’m just not much of Lent-er (one who Lents. Yes, I just made that up).

And you may be in a conundrum. “But Slick,” you might find yourself asking, “you’re not even Catholic!”

I know, silly goose. But as someone who does love Jesus, the Ultimate Sacrifice, I can’t think that the practice of sacrifice would be a bad thing. So I Lent. Well, sometimes.

The last three years, I’ve been unsuccessful. 3 years ago I gave up secular music.

That lasted 3 days.

 

Then, the following year I gave up Diet Coke.

That lasted roughly a week.

 

Then, last year I gave up alcohol.

This was my best showing at Lent yet, only slipping once that I can remember. (This was such a copout thing to choose. I am not a big drinker. Hence my success…)

 

So this year I wasn’t even going to entertain the idea of giving something up for Lent, even something easy like cauliflower or white wine or Nickleback (all things I hate, therefore it would be easy to give up).

But God has been working in me. I’ve been abiding, and being pruned, then abided some more, then pruned some more. I would hate to not continue this process of growth. So I’m Lent-ing. Except, this time, I am adding something to my life.

 

“But SLICK!” you may protest, “Lent is about sacrifice!”

 

Well, my dear reader, I knoooow. But adding this something to my life, I am thereby sacrificing the hottest commodity of my life; time.

 

So I’ve decided to add reading to my day. Not reading the newspaper, or the Twitter or my awesome book club selection of the month, but reading that will edify me and add to my relationship with Jesus and those I share in community with around Jesus. This could mean books I’m reading for my small group, other books I’ve bought and never read (lots of Frances Chan sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be cracked open) or chapters in a book of the Bible. The idea is to read a chapter a day and journal what I’ve read. I didn’t want to set a time limit to this because I know myself too well…if I said 30 minutes, I wouldn’t get out as much as I think I can.

 

In hope of doing this for 40 days, I do hope I can make this routine and continue this long after Lent has come and gone.

 

Feel free to pester me and hold me accountable. I have a feeling I’ll be tweeting my progress. :-)

 

Are you a Lent-er? What do you plan on giving up for Lent?

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I Surrender…Some

February 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Anyone that knows me knows I lead a pretty charmed life.  Sure, I’ve had challenges–lifelong fat girl, fired from a job, et cetera–but generally I’ve run a race with few hurdles.  But I suppose the easy run has to come to an end eventually, right?

My recent hurdle is still pretty…doable.  Perhaps I even created a mountain out of a molehill.  To speak vague again (sorry), recent weeks have resulted in me crying at the drop of a hate.  Sobbing, even.  At my desk at work.  In my car.  When I wake up in the morning.  I don’t say this to campaign for pity.  I say this to give an idea of how much of a challenge this has been for me.  This “let go, let God” thing has truly been the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in my adult life.

So when we sang the hymn “I Surrender All” at church on Sunday evening, it hit me.  I have to surrender all.  Not some.  All.  This is my ultimate hurdle.

I don’t want to, but I’ve already started.  My heart is changing and after one week, I cry less.  I’m thankful for great friends and family to support me and remind me that my worth is in Jesus and not the woes of this world.

So here it goes.  Surrendering all.  Lent starts tomorrow…I plan on using Lent to incorporate something into my life to aid this journey.  The more community I am in, the more chance I will have surrendering all.

“…the art of losing myself in bringing You praise…”

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Be My Valentine

February 14, 2012 1 Comment

I am a pretty luck girl this Valentine’s Day.  I’m unconditionally loved.

I’m single.  Sometimes I think painfully so, but I’m happy.  But there’s this guy.  He listens when I talk.  He is there when I cry my eyes out.  I’m constantly learning from him.  He understands me.  I want to surround myself with his company 24/7.  I love him.

 

And he loves me unconditionally.  I’m so thankful Jesus is my valentine.

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Who am I?

January 10, 2012 Leave a comment

Who am I?

 Image

What a question to ask yourself, huh?

Don’t worry.  I am not going to wax on philosophically about who I am.  However, I will present a few questions and…thoughts…to you. 

Last Sunday my pastor said something that hit me like a ton of bricks.

“Being a Christian is about loving others.  You can’t love others until you love yourself.  You can’t love yourself until you know yourself.”

Like, whoa. 

Honestly, over the past few months, as I struggle with my work, my friends and the opposite sex, that question has come up in a variety of ways.  I get really down about myself sometimes.  I could be nicer, more giving, more honest (with others and myself), a tad bit less loud, thinner, more content.  The list just goes on and on.  But no matter the laundry list of improvements, I generally circle back to being pretty dang happy with who I am. 

And then the cycle starts over again and I feel guilty for liking, even loving, myself. 

But I think I’ve finally come to a conclusion.  There are definite improvements I need to make and things I need to be better at, but at the end of the day, I was made in the image of God, so I am pretty freakin’ awesome, ya know?  (And just so you know, so were you, therefore making you just as awesome as me.  We should start a club…)

 

Like I said, no deep philosophical rants.  Just trying to remind myself I was “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and that “He who created me will carry it on unto completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philipians 1:6).

 

 

So I guess I kind of already know the answer to the question.  I am Kelly.  I am loud, I like colorful things, big words, silly romantic comedies that brainwash me about love.  I enjoy laughing at silly videos, trying new restaurants, lying in the grass on a sunny day reading a book.  I love helping people, teaching people, loving people.  Sometimes I say things I shouldn’t; sometimes I spend way more money than I should.  I love Jesus and want to bear His image and seek His will.  I can be found lying in bed killing time on Pinterest at 4 in the morning or out with friends karaoking in the evening.  Not too shabby, eh?

Well, I know me.  And I’m working on loving me.

 

So I guess the only thing left is loving others.  Join me?

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