New Review: Life In Community

Community is a concept was hugely believed in and lived by in the early church. So much so, that it has survived through hundreds of years and is still written about to this day. I realize there is no shortage of writers that are writing on community or hospitality.
And therefore I find myself interested in reading this book to see what does Dustin Willis have to say on the topic that hasn't already been said or how does he present the material in a fresh way.

You can purchase the book on Amazon.

So after reading this book, which is split into three sections: forming community, the values for living in community, and next steps for a strong community. What I have found is that I do have a great appreciation for Dustin's message on returning to the idea of community as close to what it looked like in the Early Church as possible. I love the idea of holding each other accountable, of showing our true selves (the one our family sees), of forgiveness, and having real relationships. I think I expected more on the topic of hospitality. This book has exactly one chapter on hospitality, which is (in my opinion) a huge part of community, of being able to invite people into your life and to do life together.

I also appreciate the discussion questions at the end of each chapter as it encourages the reader to really engage with the book and self reflect on how we are apart of or encourage community around us. I personally noticed that I do not quite engage in the community around me like I want. And it gave me a nugget to chew on to engage in community and develop deeper relationships with those around me. My favorite quote from the book is "This was mot a Sunday activity that took place for an hour and ended with a prayer and a song. Community is more than a Sunday." I also enjoy the analogy of the after-church potluck meal to the need for everyone to bring their gifts to the body christ in community. No one is quite trying to make the same dish, just like each of our gifts our not quite the same or even used exactly the same. And we have to appreciate that both on an individual personal level and on a corporate level.

A great feature found in this book is the small group leader's guide. I really appreciate this because all too often, great books will have the study guide in a completely separate book that you have to buy and this one bundles it together for an easy way to do a book study and everyone is able to follow along.

All in all, I think this book is a solid read. It's great for those looking for the reasons why we should develop community and the values to base community on. It is also great for the book guide in the back, which breaks the book down into 6 weeks of reading that everyone in your newfound community can do together so everyone has the same understanding and appreciation for the community you are building. 

{As always I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Empowered

Rarely do I read books about the saints of the past. Yet here is a book that tells the story of 11 women who stood strong in their faith. 

Catherine Parks effortlessly weaves short stories about these women that leaves me ready to research their lives. And at the end of each chapter are questions and Scripture and encouragement that we can be just as effective as these women. These are women who faced persecution simply because they believed in Jesus Christ and they didn't back down. That's FAITH. To know torture, prison, starvation is coming yet to stand strong in the faith and not deny Jesus. We are called to this level of faith even now. Granted some of us may live in a country where Christianity is accepted, even as it is twisted to fit others agendas. So many more of us live in countries where Christianity is not accepted and to believe is to be persecuted. And we must stand strong and support those in those countries where their faith can mean torture and persecution.

Now mind you this is a book for preteens & teens, it is just as good for adults as well. That's how well written it is. I am enjoying learning about these women, and am looking forward to each of my kids learning about these women as well. (And don't worry there is one for boys as well. I'll review it soon.) 

{FYI: I received this book for FREE from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Seated with Christ

At first, I was a wee bit skeptical about this book as it is the first I've read by this author. However, I can say it will not be my last.  It is TOO raw and it gets beneath my skin in a way that requires me to self-examine.  This book is organized by section and feature Sit & Savor questions at the end of each chapter. The Sit &  Savor questions take it from being a regular book to one that intreats you to highlight, study, and glean what is shared on the pages. 

So I've learned a few things while reading this book:

• To be seated in Christ is to be secure in who Christ says you are. He says that we are loved, that He has prepared a place for us in the heavenlies, that we are heirs with Him in the kingdom of God.
• As one who is seated in Christ, I am not striving for affluence or appearance or attention. I am resting in the Father, knowing that Jesus must become greater and I lesser.
• Once I accept that I am seated in Christ, it frees me to serve others and share the gospel. It frees me to do what God has called me to do. 

I love that Heather addresses the rat race to be rich. She realizes that God didn't call us to be rich on this earth. He called us to HIMSELF. And if He chooses to bestow riches then so be it but money is NOT an indicator of being within the will of God or salvation. 

There's also a section of the book on living at 60%. To live at 60% means we prioritize what's important and learn to say no to quite a bit so that we are not overextending ourselves. A lot of times as moms we are exhausted and snappy and overwhelmed because we take on too much. We live at 99% so when something does not go according to plan we lose our minds and snap. Our kids feel it and so do our significant others. I think the same can even be said of our finances. (Chapter 9)

Heather also addresses discipleship (although not directly in this term). She started a fitness night and walk to school tradition in her neighborhood which has opened the door for her to be available and to share bible with those within a 1-mile radius of her. (Chapter 9) It's an inspiration for hospitality and creating community. Something that the early church did so well.

A list of questions to ask yourself before making decisions.

I found this list of questions to be quite useful as I often like to rush headlong into decisions without stopping to question if the decision is good. And there is always the ever-present difference between good and almost good. But moreover, these questions allow me to put Jesus at the forefront of everything I do and to reject those things that would not bring Him glory.

quick excerpt

another quick excerpt

This book gets ALL thumbs up! Excellent writing, excellent organization, excellent message. A necessary message. I definitely will continue to recommend (already have done so on social media).

{FYI: I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

The Better Mom Devotional

The is the devotional follow up to Ruth Schwenk's novel The Better Mom (my review on it here) named after her blog, The Better Mom. And I must say it is quickly becoming my favorite devotional! It literally speaks to my often overwhelmed, sometimes weary mom heart. That part of me that questions just how well am I doing at this job. 

And on top of that, it is insanely beautiful. It comes as a hardback which means...longer lasting quality. HUGE plus. And the pages are of great quality, they're heavy enough to be read and turned many times without worrying about them ripping so easily. 

Each day starts with a bible verse/passage and ends with a prayer prompt and questions for pondering that I use as daily journal prompts. There are exactly 100 devotions, so that's just over 3 months of devotions.

Below are a few shareable images: 

THIS is one of the main themes of this devotional.

This is an often prayer of mine, that we are acceptable representatives of Christ in all we do & say. That people want to join His family when they interact with mine and feel God's love in action.

This one is such a HUGE truth that we have to remember daily as moms and wives. We are supposed to be a gift to each other AND an example to the WORLD of Christ's relationship with His bride, the church

The Lifegiving Parent

There are some authors I instinctively turn to for parenting advice. Sally Clarkson is one of them. She has a remarkable way of showing parents, especially mothers how our motherhood is ministry work even if we never actually serve in a ministry at church. And here we come to the finale of a trilogy of books (the review for book 1 will come after this one). 

The Lifegiving series is one that seeks to transform the way in which we live, in how hospitable we are, and how we parent our children. It's not pushy as you must do these things but is more of showing different ways that she and her husband are doing it and have been doing it for decades. 

The Lifegiving Parent is a joint effort between Sally and her husband, Clay. Prior to reading, I thought it would be equal writing between them as I absolutely enjoy Sally's writing style. However, after reading, I realize that this is really Clay's book. Sally contributes at the end of each chapter little tidbits of momoirs of her take on what Clay has discussed in the chapter.

I'll be honest, it is a fairly good book when it comes advice on parenting. It has 8 touchpoints of ways we as parents shape and give life to our children. Each one is equally important to the parenting of our children and each one plays a huge part in who they will eventually become. And as parents, especially as Christ-following parents who want to be intentional about raising our children to have a strong foundation and faith in Christ, this book is a good point in the right direction for accomplishing that goal.

My only drawback is that I expected more of Sally's writing. Much of the promotion on this book is that it is a Sally Clarkson book, only to realize once you start reading that it is really a Clay Clarkson book and it banks on Sally's name to draw the audience. Clay is a good writer, however, for me, he doesn't have the charm and drawing in the reader quality like Sally does. Sally's words do more than tell a story and convey a message they illustrate the imagery she wants you to see and helps you to imagine the sights and smells that she's telling you about. Clay's writing does not quite have that effect and that's OK because it's what distinguishes him from Sally. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Mornings with Tozer

A.W. Tozer was an American Christian pastor, preacher, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. He died in 1963. And as a prolific preacher of the Word. 

Many books have come out bearing his name. One such book is: Mornings with Tozer.

It is a compilation of daily devotional readings.

According to the publisher's (Moody Publishers) website: 

Many of these 365 devotional readings come from sermons Tozer preached close to his death in 1963, marking them with a deep concern for spiritual intimacy and true worship. He urges you to pursue God, confess sin, pray fervently, and seek the Spirit. Let this book be a garnish in your feast of God’s Word.

I'll be honest, I was a wee bit skeptical because it is a compilation of readings from his sermons, probably his sermon notes. However, it is similar to the many other devotional I have come across, starts with a bible verse, dives into a devotional calling us to relationship not religion, and ends with a prayer starter. There is not much that sets this devotional apart from the many others available other than having A.W. Tozer's name attached to it. 

{FYI: I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my HONEST opinion.} 

An Unexplainable Life

So I received a new bible study in the mail. An Unexplainable Life by Erica Wiggenhorn. 

The author describes the purpose of the study as: 

"The purpose of this study isn’t simply to reiterate a message. (You can find many studies on Acts.) Our purpose is to reignite a movement of the power of the Holy Spirit in each of us individually and in our churches collectively." 

My impression of the study is that it is fairly in depth. It only covers the first 12 chapters of Acts, which is about 28 chapters long. Yet the study is 10 weeks long. There is quite a bit of author commentary in this bible study, including short stories from the author's life and background pieces relating to the reading. Each day's worth of the study is about 4 pages long. 

I haven't had the chance to finish the entire study. I won't be done until about mid-October however I did want to comply with getting the review of the study done. 

From what I have done, I believe this study has the ability to spark a move of the Holy Spirit. However I think that depends on the engagement of the person doing the study and prayer prior to sitting down with the study each week.

I personally notice that I feel that spark of the Holy Spirit when I spend time just praising Him for who He is and pray asking the Holy Spirit to show up in my study time. I also think that bible study is a necessary in life, it helps us to understand who God is and learn His character.

Front of the book.

This is the table of contents, so you can get an idea of the topic for each week of the study.

Who God Is defines Who I am

We learn who we truly are in the context of who God is.

I have learned who Kristin is because I have learned who God is and what He has said about me.

God has said that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

He has said that I am to love God and love others. And He said that in a specific order. God first, others second. How can I love others if I have not the love of God in me?

I encourage you to learn who God is and in turn learn who you truly are.

Read His Word and Read what He says about you. In that you come to learn who God is. You learn that He is loving and patient. He is gracious and merciful. He is a faithful and selfless Father. Who sent His selfless and faithful Son to die for our sins. 

And when you understand that, truly accept it, live your life based on that. 

Then you understand your worth and how valuable and loved you are.

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)

What is YOUR Anything?

Jennie Allen asks us, what is our Anything?

The prayer that sets us apart for Jesus. 

What are you willing to do, to give up, in order to do what God has called you to do?

That my friends is your Anything.

My Anything, is laying my entire life on the altar.

 I put my children, my marriage, my blog, my EVERYTHING on the altar and told God ANYTHING, EVERYTHING, whatever HE wanted.

Anything is a prayer of Surrender. We sing the song (at least I have) yet we don't always literally surrender all to Jesus. We don't always let Him wreck our lives to build up the life He has in mind for us. The book is broken down into three sections. What keeps us from Anything (the comforts and fears in life). Praying Anything, it's a sincere prayer that will change your life forever. Living Anything, after you pray anything and surrender all, you now have to LIVE it. You have live with God at the steering wheel. You have to defer to whatever God tells you to do. And this is where we slack. We pray anything but we don't live anything. I am guilty of this. I have prayed Anything but I have a hard time living Anything. Jennie helps to make sense of this so that we can effectively pray anything and live anything. 

It starts with Yes, Lord. I surrender all Lord. And a heart to obey.

 Gracefully, Joyfully, Gratefully.

This copy of Anything is the newly released and updated version. Jennie Allen shares what her Anything looks like now since the initial release of Anything.

It has a bible study in the back, the same one that just started over at Faith Gateway. 

If you are willing to pray Anything and live Anything. Join the study here.

{P.S. You know I do reviews in exchange for being able to read these books before anyone else does. However you should also know this is my personal views}

Think, Act, Be Like Jesus

Something I've realized in my walk with God is that it is easier to read about Jesus' life and to believe that is the model for the Christian life than it is to actually live out what Jesus' life teaches us.

I will be more specific. It is easier for me to read and in theory understand the walk of a Christian than it is for me to actually apply and walk it out. I'll start out good, then my flesh will get in the way and I'll mess up. And thankfully God gives us grace.

So Randy Frazee along with Robert Noland has penned an excellent guide to aid us in living like Jesus. The book, "Think, Act, Be Like Jesus," helps us to read God's Word, think like Jesus would, and act on the Word of God to be like Jesus. This book is the companion book to Believe, the review of which is here. Believe took the bible and pulled the passages which aids in understanding our choice to believe in Jesus Christ. Think, Act, Be Like Jesus expounds on that by showing us how to live like we believe in Jesus Christ.

Think, Act, Be Like Jesus seeks to help believers, new and old. According to the blurb for the book: The Bible teaches that the goal of the Christian life is to become like Jesus—for our own personal growth and for the sake of others. Every believer needs to ask three big questions: What do I believe? What should I do? And who am I becoming?

This book seeks to answer those last three questions for the believer. For me, I need this book because I have always read, understood, could explain to the next person, but was faulty in application in my own life. Now I am learning to apply what I learn and become a completely new creature. I do NOT always get it right however I am taking baby steps to get there.

{FYI: I am a member of BookLookBloggers which allows me the privilege of receiving books for free in exchange for my HONEST opinion of the book.}

Also, I have recently become the Community Groups Director for Be Made Whole of Whole Magazine. On Monday June 1st, Be Made Whole will host its first corporate bible study of the book of James. I invite you to join us here.

Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not people. (Ephesians 6:7)

Kris

I do....From this day forward

Are you married? 

Do plan to be married one day (if you are single).

What do you think contributes to high, 50%, divorce rate among those in the U.S.? 

Personally I think the high divorce rate is because people in the last 50-75 years or so have become super-lazy. They want their marriages to be like a hot pocket or like a Subway sandwich made to be exactly how they or they give it back or throw it away. People these days seem to only want marriage when it is easy. They don't want to get down in the trenches to put in the work to make the marriage work.

From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage By Craig & Amy Groeschel explains five commitments that Christian couples can make to strengthen their marriage to lengthen their marriage and glorify God with their marriage.

 As a married woman with children. This is a book that I can and do appreciate.

The five commitments are: 

Seek God (We seek God in prayer. We need to pray regularly and consistently. All day every day! We need to pray alone at times AND we definitely need to pray together. It is intimate to pray for and with your spouse, knowing their needs from their lips.)

Fight fair (Many times in marriage, we argue to hurt not to solve problems. We lash out in anger and we want our spouses to hurt like we hurt or to prove a point to our spouse. It is not about who is right or who is wrong, when your marriage falls apart.)

Have fun (Many times we have forgotten to laugh. To take the time to have fun in marriage. I'll be honest there are times when I am in a funk and my husband coming to play with me changes my entire mood.)

Stay pure (Keep your mind and heart pure. Don't be out there lusting after people, don't be out there looking at pornography. Regardless to what anyone says, pornography DOES hurt your marriage and your spouse. Adultery starts in the heart, so nip it in the bud before it starts. Keep your heart on pure things. Meditate on Philippians 4:8)

Never give up (This is crucial. Just because you argue, does not mean you give up. Just because your feelings got hurt does not mean you give up. The only cause Jesus allows, spoken of in the bible, couples to divorce is adultery. There are some couples who have remained married and worked out their issues in spite of adultery. See Tina and Teddy Campbell of Mary Mary.)

The goal of this book is to aid married couples and singles alike. For singles and those who are engaged this is a preparation book to aid in their future marriages. For marrieds this book intends to aid them in their marriages, in not giving up or allowing their marriages to crumble. 

So whether you're single, engaged or married you need to read this book.

Kris

{FYI: I received this book through the Booklookblogger's program in exchange for my HONEST review.}



(The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is back for a limited time! Get yours here)

Women of Influence

Women of Influence is a mini-study that is two weeks long and seeks to encourage us in our walk as women of influence. Even if you are unaware of it, you are a woman of influence. Each and every day you have some influence over someone.

 I personally influence my children and husband on a daily basis with my words and actions. And because of this, I must be careful to guard my spirit against any impurities so that I do not influence them in a negative way. This is an on going thing, you won't get it right once and that's it. Nope it's a daily dying to self so that you can be a godly influence in the lives of those around you.

Today's passage is: Titus 2::3-5

 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine,but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (NIV)

This is one of those passages I need tied around my wrists and fastened to my forehead. Why? Because I fill both of those roles. For some I am that woman of influence who is to teach and encourage, to be an example of what a woman of influence looks like. And yet I am still a young wife and mom who has to be self-controlled and pure, to be submissive to my husband and humble. It's hard to be that person, but its definitely worth it.

It's easy to snap and be angry, to follow our emotions. It's hard to practice self-control and patience.

It's easy to point out your husband's mistakes, to try to usurp control. It's hard to praise his good and let love  cover the mistakes and submit to the authority given to him by God.

It is so easy to gossip and do what everyone else does. It's hard to mind your own business and put out love, to pray for those that others gossip about.

Choose what is hard for you now but is in your best interests and pleases God.

Ladies, I am NOT perfect. I will be honest just yesterday I allowed my emotions to lead me into being disrespectful and being offended. It's hard to rein in those emotions because those emotions tell us we're right, especially when we are wrong. But today I am thankful for a husband that puts on love. Today I am thankful for another chance to get it right and rein in these emotions (and the additional pregnancy hormones). 

So this is my charge to you, I am not telling you anything that I myself am not learning and everyday going to God for help with. Die to yourself and take up the mantle as a Titus 2 woman. You may be the seasoned woman who can help and counsel the younger woman, or you may be the younger woman who is seeking godly counsel. Or you may be like me a mixture of both and fighting to stay on track. Not just for myself but for those who I influence (whether intentional or not).

God LOVES you. Grab on to it and put it on EVERYDAY.

~Kris

Where is God?

In life we all experience the ups, the downs, the hardships, the happiness. And in it all is God, as the Creator of all things, He is always somehow connected to what we experience.

Many times we see the good times and we scream how blessed we are. Yet what happens when we experience the bad? Do we say we are cursed, do we blame God for our misfortune, or do we blame the devil? Many times God will allow the bad to happen so He can get the glory for what happens next. 

The best example of God allowing the bad to happen so He can get the glory in the great happening next is the story of Joesph in Genesis. I chose Joesph's story because there was human free will involved in his story. His brothers chose to sell him into slavery. His father chose to display favoritism between his sons. Yet in that same manner, Joesph chose to do good and have honorable actions at all times.

The bad is that Joesph came from a wealthy family, yet the same brother who should have had his back were the same ones who sold him into hardship. 

Have you dealt with something similar? Where people who should have your back didn't? 

Guess what its OKAY. 

Because God will use what hurts you most, to give Him the most glory. 

You have to let Him have control of your situation, you have to lay everything that you go through, good or bad, at the altar. You have to leave yourself on the cross so that God gets the glory.

God took Joesph from being a slave in Egypt to being the second most powerful man in Egypt, all for HIS glory. It shows us that regardless to what happens, what God says will be, will be. And in everything, God will turn it around for His glory.

God is in everything that happens. Many times the bad happens so the better can happen. Sometimes God will allow something to happen just so that we can know to appreciate what comes next. Joesph was giving the prophetic dreams on what the outcome would be but he didn't know HOW it would come to pass. We know we have the victory, but we still have to walk the path to get there. So since we already know the outcome, we can walk the path with our eyes firmly fixed on Christ.

Home Management

 For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. (Deuteronomy 23:14)


I am the keeper of my home (how I view the camp in this verse). It's my job to keep the peace in my home, to invite God into my home daily. It's my job to teach my children the Word of God. It's my job to guard my home.


There are many things I am doing in an effort to make our lives a bit more simple and easy considering our new addition arriving in the spring. One thing I've purposed to do is have a better handle on our home.

I have to invite God into my home. I want God to be at home in my home. I want God to dwell in my home with my family. To protect us and not find anything indecent among us. I have to guard my home's peace and atmosphere. I have to set the "temperature" for my home. One way to do this is to guard my spirit (my attitude and thoughts, my heart).

I mean the WHOLE house. I've gotten into the habit of washing a load of clothes once every few days so that they will not get too backed up. I've noticed that when I don't feel so overwhelmed with housework, my spirit is not so riled up.

 Now I'm on to getting everyone onto a routine (I won't say schedule because some days we sleep in, others we're up before the sun, but I want to keep the routine the same). This is more than me wanting to do this but my husband, the leader of my home, requesting that we all be on a routine, that we all be in decency and order. And as his helper, the keeper of our home, it's up to me to instill it.

One thing that's getting fixed in permanent is Bible copy-work time, which we do after breakfast then we discuss the verse/passage. I decided to implement this as Cupcake (our 6 yr old daughter) reads pretty well now and soon I will have a newborn to care for on top of Happy Feet (our 2 yr old son) and will need to have a more simple but still effective Bible time with the kids.

The next thing is meal planning. I've read the blogs where some meal plan for an entire month. That doesn't work for us. Some days I'll have a meal in mind and before I start cooking I'll get a suggestion or request for something different (using the same/similar ingredients). So what I have started doing is deciding what meats I plan to cook with while grocery shopping then I may meal plan weekly, leaving room for change.

Next thing on my list is detaching from Social Media. Even when I'm not posting, I may be on..reading. 

I think it will be in my entire family's best interests that I back up off of Social Media especially because I know my time will be cut short soon. Not only is my time cut short but my focus does not need to be so much on Social Media, my phone or computer BUT on God, my family and my home.

So I want to create boundaries for myself. These boundaries will limit me to only so much time on social media a day. I'm thinking max at 2 hours a day, since I have a Good Morning Girls group that I participate in. I want to have only so much time on social media. I want to focus more on God than on social media. I want to give my family more of my undivided attention.

 This will be the biggest change in habits for me.

So tell me, what are some ways to create boundaries? Have you created boundaries for yourself? How did it go?

~Kris

(Cupcake and Happy Feet after church at their great-grandparents' house)

The Christian Life

What do you think the goal of the Christian life is?

Is it to have more things? To be seen by the masses? To be commended by people for a life well lived?

I think it is to encourage and point the next person to Christ. I think we are to live life Christ-like so that people who watch our actions, see our lives will want to know Christ for themselves. Especially when they knew us before we sought out God.

I don't want to just get it (my relationship with Christ) right for myself. I HAVE to get it right. I have children who will look to me to be the example. At this moment I can say I am failing them because I tend to yell when I'm upset with them. I'm learning to not yell, it's hard and I struggle. This is one of the many moments when I need God's grace. And HE said "my grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). I thank God for His grace that is sufficient for me. That gets me through each day.

The point of this life is to get it right ourselves so we can help the next person get it right. Even if they never listen to a word we say...our actions will speak loud enough for us. Plenty of times Paul made it clear that we can better lead people to God with our actions rather than our words.  In our online presence, its our consistency to God's Word to encouraging others. I read a lady's Facebook post today she said "I deleted someone today for talking about God today yet was posting porn yesterday." We have to be consistent in everything we do! If we are going to live for God we've got to do it wholeheartedly. People are watching. You may not EVER know they are watching but they are. And they pay attention, to what you post, what you "like", what you retweet. And tells about you, whether you think it does or not.

Paul tells us the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to those who endure to the end. So we have to endure to the end. And not just endure but encourage others to endure. Not just seek God, His kingdom, and righteousness but encourage others to seek God, His kingdom and righteousness.

Paul, not only did he live a life pleasing to God, he sought to take the Gospel where it had not been shared so that people who had not heard could hear and have a chance to seek God as well.

That's our job now. Carry the Gospel out to others. The difference is that we can go online and touch people around the world without actually going to them. However start in your own backyard, help those who are around who need the encouragement and example of Christ's love.

~Kris

Don't ever get too comfortable

In life we get comfortable and its bound to happen especially when we get used to a person or situation.

I recently realized that usually we tend to get comfortable with our relationships and as such we will unknowingly take advantage of our loved ones. I think this is especially true in marriage as we see our spouse day in and day out so its VERY easy to get comfortable. We get into a rhythm of life and we just expect for things to happen without realizing that everything our spouses do for us (and vice versa) is a CHOICE. They don't have to do a thing yet many make it their obligation to take care of us and provide for us.

Recently I was out to eat with my husband and children, while we were waiting for our food I realized that I seriously take for granted what he does. Here's the stickler sometimes looking at others is not good but sometimes its just what we need to pull us out of our comfort zone.

I looked around me, at different relationships I saw and what I saw made me heavily appreciate my husband. Now mind you, I'm not saying he's perfect or he always gets it right. But what I am saying is that I appreciate his hard work and work ethic because I see women who MUST work to provide for their families because their husbands don't. I appreciate his faithfulness because I can say without any doubt, Chris Bush will NOT EVER cheat on me (His fear of God outweighs any and every thing). I'm fairly certain that he's often met with temptation however I trust that God dwells within him and will steer him away from it. I appreciate the fact that my husband doesn't hang in the streets and is a man of his word. 

I realize that he does not have to work hard to provide for us and ensure that I can stay home with our children. He does not have to remain faithful to me as I am well aware of society and the generation we were born in. I look at how he pushes me and how he strives for greatness. I look at how giving he is of his time to me and our children. I adore the fact that he prays with our children, something I don't see from a lot of men I know. It's not rag on them but I see it as something else to appreciate from the man I married.

( Sketch by Alexandra Vo, you can check her out here)

So the point of this whole post is to say don't get too comfortable that you miss out on all the greatness that you have in your loved ones, especially your husband!

~Kris

Contentment

Contentment.

Contentment is a topic I rarely post about and one thing I noticed about myself is that I am not content and I am ashamed of myself.

I hate that I am not content. I see some contentment but not overall contentment and because of this, there are times when I complain unnecessarily. There are times when mentally I mull some things over and it shows in my attitude (which can be absolutely horrible). That is another thing I need to get rid of my attitude. 

It is one thing to not like something or to not feel well, it is another things altogether to have a bad attitude on top of that.

So why am I sharing this with you?

Because I am well aware that while I feel like I am probably the only person who goes through this or who has this flaw. I know I am not the only person and so I reach out to the woman or man who may be in this same boat and is ready to jump ship. Cause I am!

I invite those who are in this boat with me, to take the journey to contentment with me. Take the journey to a better you, a better me. Take the journey to a more joy filled existence to the people around you being more joyful because in un-contentment we are good for complaining, for being unpleasant to be around. 

I don't want to complain any more. I want to be a joy to be around ALL the time not just some of the time. I want to have a better marriage and better relationships all around. And this is just the start.

Let's Journey Together!

You are welcome to comment or if you're more comfortable email me!

-Kris