what's good in your life?

lately the Lord has really been talking to me about cultivating a thankful heart. It seems like sometimes we can take so much of what we are blessed with for granted. i know i can get like that very easily, but He has been showing me to be thankful for all the little things that i have been blessed with. if you really sit down to think about all the things that God has blessed you with, the list you end up with will be longer than you might think!

one of the things that Scott has really taught me about is being thankful for what i have, and being truly appreciative for them. i tend to have the "i want more, i need more" syndrome, where what i have is never enough and i need more to make me happy. i know that is so silly & selfish, and probably materialistic, but it can be truth for me sometimes [as embarrassing as that is to say out loud]. i tend to look at other people and what they have and then compare myself to it, instead of being grateful for all the good things that God has done for me. i have been SO BLESSED and you can rush by that when you are always searching for more and you miss appreciating what God has already done for you.

to be 21 and have all that i have in my life is truly a mark of who God is, and what He has done for me. i could have never achieved it on my own, but it was His favor that helped me to attain it. i never want my attitude to be a slap in the face to the Lord, or make it seem like what He has done isn't appreciated. i want to daily cultivate a heart filled with thankfulness, so that i never miss basking in the greatness of what God is doing, and has done for me. i have learned that as i have been more thankful for what i have, that the Lord has blessed me more and more with things that i have desired. i love that! i love that the Lord is never done with loving us, and that He is constantly wanting to make us happy!! it's good to be His child!

So i really want to challenge you to think about what is good in your life, what are the things that the Lord has blessed you with, and have you cultivated a grateful heart for those things?

my Rhema journey

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the two years I spent at Rhema, and just all the wonderful things that the Lord did in my life in the time I spent there. I started thinking about where that whole journey began for me. I remember in 7th grade when the Lord spoke to me about a calling in the ministry, the day that it happened we had a move of the Holy Spirit at school and I was praying with some people and the Lord moved on me in such a strong way and spoke to me about my calling. It was one of the very first times that I really felt the presence of God that strong, and I remember hearing His voice as if He was sitting in the room with me. What is so funny about that day is that I remember telling the Lord that I would go into ministry and follow His call on my life, but I wouldn’t go to Rhema, I basically said I would do anything but that! The reason in my head at that time was that I felt it was so predictable & patterned for someone who went to MCA who wanted to be in ministry to go to Rhema after high school and I didn’t want to be cliché. It’s funny when we think we know better that the Lord does!!

Now it wasn’t until 2 years later [9th grade] when my heart was changed about Rhema. Chris Damico had come to the Rock and was laying hands on people and he laid hands on me and I just fell to the floor under the anointing and the Lord spoke to me [and again it was as if He was sitting right next to me] and told me that it was in His will for me to go to Rhema. As I was laying there on the floor, I was debating back with Him saying that I would do anything but go to Rhema, [it's so funny how we can think we know better then He does!] and He gently kept working on my heart that I needed to go there. I remember finally consenting & telling the Lord that I would go to Rhema & follow His leading. Little did I know what He had in store for me!

Now again another 2 years down the road, my parents & I took a road trip down to Tulsa the summer before my senior year to visit the school and see what it was all about. I remember being so nervous but so very excited when we met with the recruiter to go tour the school. When I finally got to be on the Rhema campus it was such an amazing feeling. I remember when I set foot on the grounds that there was this overwhelming peace and excitement in my spirit because I KNEW that this was it, I knew that Rhema was the next step in my life and knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt did not come without it’s challenges. I still had a lot of times where I felt like what the heck was I thinking and when I finally moved down there, I felt like, what the heck am I doing??!!

When I left Minnesota to move to Oklahoma I remember that I felt like I was giving up so much to follow God’s call. I mean for a 18 year old to leave their family, friends, & my boyfriend to live in an entirely different state, in my own apartment, in a city where I knew only one person [my roommate], at that time I felt like I was abandoning all that I had. The greatest thing about following the Lord is that for everything you leave or “give up” for His sake, He will always restore that unto you & with so much more! My time at Rhema was the best time of my life, and if I was to sit here and write about it all, I would go on for DAYS!! The Lord blessed me with more then I could have ever imagined for following His plan. My tuition for both years was PAID IN FULL before I even started my first day at school, I was able to live in student housing [you have no idea what a challenge that is!!], I had a wonderful job that gave me an abundance in my finances, and more then anything else I was so truly blessed with some of the most AMAZING friends I have ever had the privilege to know and love. For everything that I had to “give up” I was so abundantly blessed & I still experience that blessing in my life today.

Everyday I miss my Rhema friends so much but I know that the Lord is doing such wonderful things in their lives. They are all such great assets to the body of Christ and I look forward to being able to spend some time with them having a little reunion in the near future! Following the call of God in your life isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but you will be so heavily rewarded to being obedient to Him!!! You just never know what is on the other side of that first big step that you have to take. If the Lord asked me to do something like Rhema again I would do it in a heartbeat because I know that on the other side of it is blessings for me!

it all started with one episode...

Last week Scott & I were having a conversation when I called him on my lunch break, and it went something like this:

Scott: “you are never going to believe what I just did”
Kimmy: “….what?”
Scott: “I just finished watching The Hills episode from last night on the DVR”
Kimmy: “Hahahaha…seriously?!”

Now I LOVE the TV show The Hills, just absolutely LOVE it! And since I have all 3 seasons on DVD and I DVR it every week, Scott has sat through a good amount of episodes and it finally got his interest peaked to the point where he actually LIKES the show as well!! Now this is really funny if you know Scott well because he is anything but the type of guy who would like something like this. He is everything opposite of that! So this got me thinking about how when you spend so much time with someone you can pick up their likes/dislikes, tendencies, and habits. Because Scott is married to me, lives with me, he gets 24/7 of what I like and how I am. The Hills isn’t the only habit that Scott has picked up from me since we have been married, so it has been an ongoing thing. We both have picked up new likes from each other since we have dated and been married, but I love that we are learning to understand each other & what we both enjoy, it’s fun to learn more about him everyday!!

So this got me thinking about our natural earthly relationships point towards how our relationship can be with our Heavenly Father. Just as in this case, the more time I spend with Scott the more I know him and can become like him in certain ways, which then parallels my relationship with God. If I am seeking more of the Lord, then the more that I seek to spend time with Him each day, and really immerse my life with Him the more that I will become like Him and know His heart. That is something that I really want more than anything else! I think sometimes in my mind, I can make my relationship with the Lord so much harder then it has to be. I think that it is something that is so much work to attain, and don’t get me wrong it is work, but if I just set aside time to spend with Him in His word and in His presence then it is something that will come naturally to me, because I will know Him better then anything or anyone else.

It has been really encouraging to me that as I learn more about my marriage and that relationship aspect in my life that the Lord is able to parallel that for me in the relationship He seeks to have with me. I just love that! I love that the Lord is always so real & practical when He speaks to us and teaches us about who He is! It is truly a blessing to be a child of the Lord!!!

give me the simple life

this weekend scott & i went to the apple orchard with andy, shaynah, & rowan and we had such a good time! i love the fall colors and all the fun things you can do in the autumn time! it ended up being a pretty nice day, and the orchard was packed full of people!! here are some pictures for you all to enjoy!






what i love most is that it was just a fun relaxing day with the family! the simple things in life are always the best & most rewarding to enjoy. in life you can get so caught up in things, and i really appreciate the days when i get to be me & have fun with those i love the most!

it isn't all about you anymore....

so lately i have been thinking about selfishness, and how in our lives we start off so selfish. i mean you look at a baby and all they know is self. they cry until they get what they want, because it is all about them, they don't know to consider anyone or anything else but what they want and need 24/7. as you grow up and progress in life, you loose the selfishness and become more aware of the needs of others in your life. each day should be a step away from selfishness, and a step toward selflessness.

i guess this was on my mind because one of the things i have learned [even more then ever before in my life] since i have been married is that it really truly isn't just about me anymore. when i married scott i committed myself to work at our life together. for me, it has been a good learning experience because i don't always realize when i am being selfish and putting what i want above everything else. when i was on my own in oklahoma, i could really do whatever i wanted because it was my apartment, my money, and my life. if i wanted something i could just go buy it and not think about anyone else because it was all me. i got accustomed to that lifestyle, and i definitely liked it because i never had to say no to something that i really wanted. being married is a completely different ballgame, not only do i have to consider my spouse, but i have to consider sticking to our monthly budget, and all the things that come along with working at a life together. it's a learning lesson of loosing the "me" and becoming a "we". it is something that takes a lot of work [as i am learning] but it is worth the reward that you receive. when i prefer scott in things, i see him choosing to prefer me and that blesses my heart. one act of selflessness produce another and it's really like a snowball effect.

it is always a painful process to say no to self, because really who likes to have to tell themselves no? but it is so worth it. i think about how marriage is only the beginning of a life of selflessness, because once you have kids and a family you really begin to say no to yourself even more then ever before, but it is something that i know also produces a great reward. i love that in Christ we have the greatest example of selflessness. He is always our ultimate role model! it is encouraging to know that if He can do it, that He has given us the ability to walk it out in our lives as well. each day is a new opportunity to challenge myself in my walk of preferring others, all the way down to the little things like driving in traffic, but i see that as i make a conscious effort to choose selflessness, it becomes easier to walk it out and really truly understand that it isn't always all about me.

6 random things about me

So, I was tagged by Sheena to write 6 random things about me, so here goes.

Here are the rules that he posted on his blog.
-Post these rules on your blog
-Write 6 random things about yourself.
-Tag 6 people at the end of your post
-If you were tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

1. One of my biggest fears is getting stuck in an elevator. I don't avoid riding them but I do get nervous if I hear a sound that doesn't seem normal to me when I am in them.

2. The only person I have ever kissed is my husband!

3. I am really particular about where things go in my house, or on my desk, really any space that is "mine". I have certain places and angles that things are placed and I can tell when someone moves it, even the slightest bit, and it drives me nuts and I have to fix it right away. I am not OCD although I have been accused of it by some friends who like to pick on this tendency!

4. I really want to do a lot of traveling and ministering all around the world. I would love to go all around Europe & Asia just ministering the word and building up the body of Christ!!

5. I have never broken any bone in my body, which is surprising since I can be such a klutz!!

6. I can't wait to be a Mom and raise a family with my husband! I think about it all the time, and can't wait to have my own little ones!

So I tag, Elizabeth, Casey, Paul, Christina, Karen, & Dean.
I know most of you don't blog, but I am going to make you read this post & leave it in my comments!! :)