I can teach history

Since I'm going to school to be an elementary teacher, I have to take a lot of pretty sweet classes. For example, one class I have this semester is "Creative Experiences and Play" - a big fancy name which really means "We're going to make crafts and make puffy paint and play with tambourines and dance at 8 in the morning and pretend it's legit." Cool class? Absolutely. At 8 in the morning? Not on your life.

Another class I'm taking is something like "Emerging Literacy for the Young Adolescent Kindergarten through 4th grade" or something ridiculous. Again, this has a secret name: "We read kids books and tell stories but it's enough work to make you want to pull your hair out."

I'm real good at this code name stuff.

One of the books we have to read for the biography genre of the class is one about FDR. For those of you who don't know, he was president. 4 times. Bro was legit. He had polio, but he was cool. After he was elected president the first time, he declared a national bank holiday for 4 days in order to straighten things out and get America out of the Great Depression. After he told Americans to take all of their money from under their mattresses (which was true, they were hiding it all under there since the banks were awful,) one Republican had this to say:

"The house is burning down, and the President of the United States says this is the way to put out the fire."

Have you ever thought of that? In order to start over, you have to wipe everything completely out. Take building something new, for example. If there's something there originally where you want to build, you have to level it all out and tear the previous stuff down to make way for the new. Out with the old, in with the new - you know the deal.

This applies to your life, too.

In my last post, I referred to starting over. Clean slate, new challenges to overcome. This one ties in with it. If you're sincere about starting over and doing something new, you have to level what you had before.

Maybe something keeps holding you back. You want to honestly try and do good, to renew everything, start over fresh. But you can't; that's holding you back. Whether you like it or not, it's there and you can't go anywhere with it still in your life.

This could be anything. A friendship. A dream. A guy or girl you're holding out for. A broken heart, a second chance, a shot at something you would never think of. These things aren't necessarily bad, but it's tying you down. Holding you back. Keeping you from leveling everything out, burning the old you away to make way for the new.

Sometimes, it's just plain scary to think about ditching everything we know. I know I struggle with it myself - latching on to familiar things is one of my weaknesses, even though I know it's not for my benefit.  There are things that hold me back that I fight to keep, whether they're good for me or not. It's pretty freaky to consider the fact that we should get rid of everything like that, to burn those ties.

But.

We aren't alone when we leave those things behind. God promises us right in His word that we never can be alone:

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20.

God is right there with us, holding us as we cut those ties to the things that are holding us back to what we could become and what God wants us to be in Him. It's a much more pleasant thought when we consider getting rid of those things and starting from the ground up when we know He's with us.

When we do let those things go and start new, man! What an awesome adventure we have in store for us then.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -  2 Corinthians 5:17.

God is waiting for us to become new creations, alive in Him. He's there as we get rid of the things He doesn't want in our lives anymore. That person, that relationship, that dream or job - once it's gone, who knows what will happen. God will move.

Perhaps the most famous quote by FDR came from his first inaugural address. In the midst of the Great Depression, with people desolate and unsure of what to do, with banks sinking and the country failing, he had this to say:

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

With God, there's simply nothing to fear, period. We don't have to be afraid of anything, because He's got it covered.

Your NR challenge is this: identify the things in your life that are holding you back. What are the things you need to burn to the ground to start over? What ties do you need to sever; what things do you need to get rid of? Pray about it. Think about it.

Then start burning the house down to get ready to put out the fire.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

New Beginnings

Considering it's nearing the end of the semester - May 10th, where ya at? - my motivation is rapidly approaching 0%. In fact, it may be there already. Thanks to this, I have been spending way too much time reading stuff like The Help, tweeting every other second, and creeping on everything on Facebook. Right now is one of those moments.
Instead of typing out the stuff that I should be, such as the huge language development project paper powerpoint thing that's due next Thursday when I have to present it to the class, I decided I should creep on myself. I'm currently back to last April looking at pictures I've been tagged in. I saw this picture and it gave me a start:

The infamous bar picture...hehehe

That was from our Spring Woman's retreat that my (Sunday morning!) church has every year up at Whitehall. It was such a blast, considering it was our first time going and we were all much, much younger than everyone else! I saw this and contrasted it with the new one we took this year:

This year's bar picture! This is going to go on forever.

Obviously, just looking at our smiling faces is enough to see that we've changed over the year. We've grown up and have become another year closer to the awesome woman that God wants each of us to be. Of course, we aren't without our flaws and mistakes.
Funny how that happens. Looking at the first picture, everything seemed full of promise - right? Still with the steady boyfriend, solid career choice with no potential changes, everything lining up pretty well. Then flash forward half an inch down the screen to the newest bar picture with all of it's changes - single, still the same career choice but with added responsibilities and ideas, no ideas about what is going to happen on any given day. It's pretty wild really.
Over the past year, I've made my mistakes. More than my share, if you ask me. While I'm not exactly proud of anything that I've done, I've learned from those mistakes.
I've learned that I need to be myself, not hide who I am, what I like, and what I want to be just because others don't like it.
I've learned that I'm not as strong as I would like to be, but in my weakness, He makes me strong. When I do fail and slip back, I know He will always take me back with open arms. He knows that I've made a lot of mistakes and that I'm trying to start over. He always will know me and know my heart, know my mistakes and know my intentions. 
I've learned that I can start over, no matter what happens. God will always take me back. I am His.
A lot has changed in the year since we took the first bar picture. There's a lot that has changed - all for the better, none for the worse. If it happened, it's because it was in God's plan. Today I'm realizing that, even though it's been a crazy year, I can start over. Press the reset button.
Today is a new beginning. 
That's your NR challenge for today. Today is a new beginning. Accept it, embrace it, be thankful for it. 
Are you in?


-Kimber.

Scars

They say all scars tell a story.

They say all scars tell a story,
and that every story is meant to be heard.
By why mine? Why my scars?
The hurt is too private, 
no one would understand.


They say all scars tell a story,
but it's not one I want to tell.
You wouldn't understand.
My scars are too deep to bring to light,
they're the ones I am ashamed of, 
scared of.


They say all scars tell a story,
but who would want to listen?
My story is hard to say,
it hurts,
it's painful,
keep it inside.
My scars are mine alone.


They say all scars tell a story
but are mine really the worst?
There are stories far more important to tell
of love 
and redemption,
of sacrifice.
My perfect lamb, His palms, marred by my scars, my secrets,
those I tried to hide, 
the worst of me
on display for His majesty.


They say all scars tell a story,
the perfect story of love,
of faith, of surrender.
My scars are private, painful,
but they speak of surrender, 
of peace,
of coming
back
home.


They say all scars tell a story,
and mine is calling out to be told.
My Savior touching the scars,
making them whole.
Perfect, 
untouched, 
a beautiful testimony
to Him and His story.


They say all scars tell a story.
Mine have a matching set.
The palms of His hands and the depths of my heart,
together they form a beautiful love,
a beautiful surrender.
Only He can complete my story.


They say all scars tell a story.
They're all waiting to be told.
Listen to your scars,
what are they saying to you?

Be yourself. (Also, an apology, as well as a picture.)

So, I haven't posted in a while or with any frequency whatsoever. I apologize. Things have been pretty hectic lately and the semester just started last week, and so that's just adding on top of everything else. I have some ideas, and so they're coming soon, I promise.
Until then, here's a picture of Lilo and Stitch dancing.

Dance to your own beat. Also, keep yourself entertained as I take forever to write another post. Sorry.

Also, for those of you who don't know me, I'm addicted to Twitter now. Follow me! I tweet some quality things sometimes, even though mainly it's pictures of food.

Follow me on Twitter! k_lynn__

I'll post soon, promise!

Are you in?
- Kimber.

Update

Just a quick update for anyone who read about Passion in my last post. If you didn't get a chance to catch the sessions, I feel bad for you - they were incredible. I'm buying the all access pass to get them all for myself now, greedy me, but just so you know, here are some final numbers from here.
The goal this week was to raise 1 million dollars to help organizations against human trafficking and slavery. There are approximately 27 MILLION people in slavery right now - something I didn't know, and something many people don't know. That's the highest, ever. So Passion's goal was to raise 1 million dollars. Check out this tweet from the session they wrote today:
"...The total amount given at #Passion2012 was $3,660,670."
Can you say incredible?
They also raised $100K for what they're calling The Atlanta Project, which is a special task force right in Atlanta  focused on human trafficking prevention, education, and rescue.
All in a matter of days.
No challenge for this post, I just wanted to let you see how God's will was done this week. And to be the first to say, see you next year at the Dome!
Are you in?


-Kimber. 

Passion 2012

Right now in Atlanta something huge is going on in the Dome. Close to 50,000 people ages 18 to 25 are gathered in God's name for the Passion 2012 conference. As I type this, I keep stopping to follow as Beth Moore preaches through the passages in Mark and Luke that talk about the bleeding woman and her faith to touch Jesus to be healed.
I'm going to be selfish and make this a quickie post because Beth is blowing my mind and I can't type notes on my Bible on my Nook and type this on my laptop at the same time. 
Your NR challenge is to spend some time and check out these sessions. Every one this week will be streamed live and then available for a while online for everyone to check out at home. Watch them. Wait for God. You never know what can happen. I know that I've already been changed, you could be too.
Are you in?


-Kimber.


Session 1 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 2 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 3 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 4 - Only available until 1/5/12!

Tebow Time.

Perhaps one of the most controversial players in any professional sport right now is Tim Tebow, star quarterback of the Denver Broncos. For years Tebow has dominated headlines, starting in high school and continuing through college at the University of Florida, before becoming the 25th pick overall by the Denver Broncos. It's a pretty incredible story for a man that wasn't even supposed to be born, due to a medical issue when his mother was pregnant with him. 
Lately, Tebow is making the headlines even more than he previously had, and this time it's not just because of his stellar performance on the field. While he has been exceptional, leading his team to victory more times than anyone expected, especially after Kyle Orton was released and it became clear who the Broncos were pinning their hopes on, there has been another part of Tebow's performance that critics are a bit skeptical about.
The latest craze to hit the nation is "Tebowing," where people mimic Tebow's action of kneeling down and praying on the field. Another craze is mimicking him by pointing to the sky whenever something good happens, where Tebow points to heaven as if thanking God for getting the first down, making the play, whatever. 
Now, I'm not saying that I'm a sports writer. In fact, I'm far from it. I may be a girl, but at least I know some sports - mainly due to the fact that I have a 17-almost-18-year-old brother who thinks that sports make the world go round. Clearly I have some learning to do because I had to look some of this stuff up. I've seen tons of articles on Yahoo and Google, where other QBs in the league are firing harsh-sounding comments off about Tebow and his constant "church talk." In the world's eyes, once in a while is alright to thank God for what you have and what happened. But, every time? Plus pointing to the sky, and kneeling down to pray several times a game?
The other night I was reading my Bible when a few verses just seemed to jump off the page. I had read another article about Tebow earlier that day, where Kurt Warner was making a few statements towards the subject. He's a Christian too, and has thanked his Lord and Savior multiple times over the years for his time in the NFL. I guess I had Tebow on the brain, because when I read these verses, he was all I could think about:

"But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." - Philippians 1:18.

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." - Philippians 3:7.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10.

See what I mean? These verses, in my opinion, represent everything that Tebow is about.
The first verse is self-explanatory. Tebow is thanking God for what he has, and is making sure that everyone knows that this isn't his own skill and prowess that let him make it to where he is today. I mean, the guy wrote "John 3:16" on his eyeblack in the 2009 BCS Championship game, and what happened? Nearly 92 MILLION PEOPLE searched for the verse on Google. That's incredible, I don't care who you are. It led to a rule in the NFL referred to as the "Tebow Rule," where players aren't allowed to wear the stuff and write messages. But really, who cares? The point is that for one small incident, one small game, 92 MILLION people heard the message of Christ summed up in one of the best verses in the Bible: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life." That is incredible. 
This is God's plan for him, as of now. It may change someday, but that's for Him to tell Tebow, not our society. He doesn't care what people are saying - whatever he does, he's thanking God and making sure He gets the glory, not himself. That directly ties in to the verse from Galatians - it's not about Tim Tebow, star quarterback for the Denver Broncos. It's about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This leads to the other verse from Philippians - everything that Tebow has - the endorsements, the book deals, the star position on the team and all of the fame and fortune - are nothing. These things are garbage, nothing but roadblocks in his way to getting to heaven and partying hard with the Messiah for all eternity. It's a great perspective, and unfortunately, society would rather us forget about it. 
I will be the first to say that I'm still not a complete Tim Tebow fan. I'm not one to get on the bandwagon supporting him, and I'll be honest and tell you I was rooting against him and his team in the Sugar Bowl in 2010. I admire him and will acknowledge that he has mad skills, but I'm still warming up to him as a player. Since he was drafted by the Broncos, I believed that he was over-hyped. I was waiting for him to walk the walk to go along with his talking the talk and, honestly, I'm not surprised that he has so far this season. I'm warming up to him, but after reading all of the articles, watching his performance, and realizing how he isn't taking the credit himself - I'm slowly getting there. Make room on the Tebow bandwagon, because I'm soon to join.
This leads to the first NR challenge in a long, long time (sorry about that.) Evaluate yourself - are you "Tebowing" enough in your daily life? Is kneeling down and praying, thanking God for your blessings and realizing that all you have is just a roadblock keeping you from giving it all to God and getting to heaven? If you said yes to any of these questions, take a breather, put yourself on the bench, and bow your head. Listen to what God has to say. What's He telling you?
Are you in?


-Kimber.