Redemption.

I'm sure you all were on the edge of your seats waiting for my next post, right? Yeah, I thought so.
Well, what's new since I last posted? The semester has started with a flurry of snow, reading, and chaos; I've taken control of the high score list on our "Michael Jackson: The Experience" game for the Wii; and, oh yeah, my Steelers are headed to Dallas for complete NFL domination.
You knew that was coming, right?
The Steelers in the Super Bowl - who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? Roethlisberger was suspended (for reasons obviously everyone knows and I won't waste my time talking about), and the world thought that they couldn't do anything without him. And really, they had some reasoning behind it. Like him or hate him, Ben is a great athlete. He was most recently described as a "snow plow," because he's so big that it's nearly impossible to tackle him. With the possibility of him being out for 6 games, their season looked bleak.
They had other plans. The team went to a 3-1 start with their backup quarterbacks, and when Ben came back, it was all business. People looked down on them, and said that they weren't good enough. They wouldn't beat the Ravens to get the number one seed. But they did. After their bye week, they couldn't possibly beat the Ravens again to make it to the AFC Championship game. But they did. And after all that, there was no way they could beat fast talking Rex Ryan and his Jets.
You all know the story.
After the game, reporters crowded around Roethlisberger as he hid his head in a championship shirt, taking in the moment. He was overwhelmed at the situation - from the charges and hate and negativity of a few months earlier, to realizing he was on his way to his third Superbowl. The ultimate redemption story.
Except for one.
People were getting pretty shady - sinning all the time, not following God, doing all sorts of bad stuff. Everyone knew it, but they didn't care. They just kept on doing what they were doing. They figured the small amount of things they were doing "right" in their eyes would be enough. It wasn't going well for them, though. God knew that they were going to get in some serious trouble if action wasn't taken. The people weren't going to turn their ways around, and so He sent someone in to bail them out. He sent the only person that was right for the job - His son, Jesus.
Jesus went to Earth and started getting the misfits together - not the people you would expect to help redeem the entire world. But He chose them over others. In the end, Jesus gave His life for us so we would be free from sin - the ultimate redemption.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." - Ephesians 1:7.

Here in Ephesians it tells us just that. It doesn't really get any simpler than that.
So here's your NR challenge for this crazy post (and I'm sorry it's so crazy; I'm completely exhausted from drama tonight and Blogger wouldn't let me on for the longest time!). Take the time to acknowledge the redemption given you from Jesus. It's something better than any other thing that could ever be given to you - your very own spiritual Superbowl ring.
Roethlisberger was in awe over something as trivial as a football game. Shouldn't we be in complete wonder over something as incredible as God's grace?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me to all of you! I'm thankful for those of you who take the time to read the silly posts that I write, and those of you that follow me and encourage me in this adventure with NR. Remember the reason for the season!
Sometimes, mere words can't explain what Peanuts can.

Again, Merry Christmas everyone!

-Kimber.

Oops.

(This is an apology!)
Well, hi strangers. Fancy seeing you here. Rather, fancy seeing me here.
I know that I haven't been posting recently, and now that I'm on break I'll be doing what I can to fix that. Goodness knows I have ideas! I have a list of like 6 ideas that I'm itching to write about, I just haven't had the time to do all the research and actually sit down to write it all out. It's coming though, so be patient!
No challenge for this post but to stay tuned!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Let's Say Thanks!

Just a Quickie Post for right now, since I posted a long one earlier. I saw this as a link on my friend's Facebook and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share!

www.letssaythanks.com is a website where you can send a card to a soldier fighting for our freedom. It's simple! Select one of the cute cards provided, and write your name and hometown in the specified areas. Choose a message that reflects how you feel towards the unknown soldier, and hit send! Xerox will then print and send this as a postcard to a soldier serving overseas. They sacrifice their lives for us daily, so shouldn't we at least thank them for this amazing duty?
Also, remember that we are nearly the holiday season, and these soliders are away from their families and homes - two crucial parts of the holiday spirit! Why don't you send a quick note to them reminding them that we are all praying and caring for them this season, and all the time?
Jesus tells us in John 13:34 -

"A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Your NR challenge for this Quickie Post? Take the 3 minutes out of your Facebooking, surfing the web, or whatever you may be doing, and send a postcard to those overseas reminding them we care and thanking them for what they're doing for us. Jesus loved us so much He died for us; shouldn't we share this amazing love to those who are willing to do the same?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Giant Mistake.

Things are looking rough.

 So, I'm sitting here trying to get a final project finished before Sunday night. It's a HUGE portion of my grade for my Special Education Technology class, and I have to get it done or else I'll be in major trouble. I have Pandora radio on, trying something new for a change. Normally I have Grooveshark or, lately, Christmas music playing. I found a good station for Contemporary Christian songs, because I needed a lift - lately life has been pretty wild, and sometimes it's just obvious that Satan is using every advantage and chance he has to kick me where it counts.
I started thinking about this, and different aspects that Satan has been pushing in my life started coming to light. I've been tempted with thoughts lately, and my attitude has been less than ideal, and I'm losing my temper fairly quickly now. I've been blaming it on the hectic schedule that I've had lately, with trying to get time to study in, finishing projects, and getting ready for finals next week for school, and all of the other pressures from the outside, like trying to get hours at work which isn't happening, making it to church even though I have class Wednesday nights, and making time for my friends that I've been neglecting because of school. However, it really isn't any of those things, I think. I've been opening myself up to Satan's blows, because, first and foremost, I've been so "busy" that I haven't read my Bible. While this may not seem like a big thing, this is actually a HUGE deal. I normally read it every day, but I haven't because I've been "busy" like I said - with Facebook, trying to catch some sleep, studying, and all of that other stuff.
Because of this, I've started a "chain" of holes that Satan has definitely grabbed a hold on. I haven't read my Bible, like I said, and this led to me not giving everything I have to make time to pray. Sure, I say some short ones through the day and I say one at night, but like Francis Chan said at IYC (see my post on that here), if you aren't giving everything...it doesn't mean anything. We aren't talking to some random person when we pray. We're talking to the creator of the universe, that gave us life and controls everything.
When Satan finds one opening, you can sure bet that he's going to try everything to find another and use it. It's like a domino game - one falls, and shortly all of the others follow. So whenever this happens, it can seem like there's a huge cloud following you that you can't get rid of - like a giant mistake that will never, ever go away, no matter what.
As I said earlier, I had Pandora on when I was thinking this. Remembering everything that was going on - and how I wasn't handling it - automatically killed my spirit and mood. I felt horrible, and it was like I couldn't do anything about it. Just then, Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns came on Pandora. This song is probably known by everyone - it's one of the Sunday morning staples at my home church - and so sometimes it's just another song in the background. This time, however, the lyrics couldn't have helped more.

"Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone, surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor wishing they'd had the strength to stand. But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me, time and time again, 'Boy, you'll never win. You'll never win.'"

Hello, irony.
This was the absolute perfect song that could have come on at this moment. Why? Because not only does this verse capture everything that was going through my head at that time, but it also has a killer chorus that nails exactly the response that I needed - and the truth.

"But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says, 'Do not be afraid!', and the Voice of Truth says, 'This is for My glory!' Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."

Exactly.
This reminds me of the verse that I repeatedly tell my girls that I counseled at camp this summer. When things get rough, and it seems like everything is too hard, I remind them of Philippians 4:13.

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

This verse is one of my favorites, because it reminds me that, no matter how big the challenge - or the giant - God will give me the strength to overcome it. It's pretty amazing.
Your NR challenge for this post is this - take a lesson from this story - and don't get me wrong! This isn't a "made-up post" that sometimes come on here or other people's blogs, where they use a story someone has told them. This is real. It's my personal deal. - and remember that, no matter how big your giant is, he's nothing compared to God.
There's the saying that I think is appropriate for this post. "Don't tell your God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is."
I'll choose to listen to that, instead of making a giant mistake. What about you?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks today!

I woke up at 6:00 this morning to hear my mother laughing as she and my father tried to put all of the biggest turkey I've ever seen inside the oven. Ever since then, I've been tortured with the amazing smell of everything that is cooking. We have two turkeys - 30 pounds, I think! Maybe more - potatoes, gravy, pies, and all of that good stuff - not to mention all that will be coming with my family.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, hands down. While Christmas probably comes second, Thanksgiving just wins. Not only is it a holiday where you actually have an excuse to drop everything you're doing (goodbye, Psychology), eat until you feel ready to explode, and watch football all day, but Thanksgiving is a holiday where you don't have to worry about the stress of buying gifts or hoping that the person likes what you got them. (That comes the next day, but that's a different matter entirely.) To me, it's a holiday where family and friends can gather and just enjoy each other's company, relax, and give thanks for all the many blessings that they have.
Times are tough now -unemployment rates are high, the economy seems to stay at rock bottom, and jobs are hard to come by. For many people, life is tough. However, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate not the hard things, but everything that you have been blessed with - no matter how small. Did you take a shower today? There's a blessing. Are you going to go to a family member's home and spend time with them? There's another. You have clothes to wear, food to eat, water to drink, and a house to live in - all blessings that, unfortunately, we sometimes overlook.
When we look through the Bible for an example of people giving thanks in times of trouble, there are plenty of examples! King David loved to praise God in both the good times and the bad. Daniel was in a den of lions, but still he praised God and gave thanks. When I searched for a verse with the key word being "Thanksgiving" on biblegateway.com, I had 10 results in a matter of seconds, with several more to find and choose. In Psalm 107:1, it says this:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever."

In Psalm 69:30, we read:

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving."

And, lastly, in Psalm 95:2 it says:

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

See? All through the Bible there are references saying that we, as God's children, need to give thanks for all of the amazing blessings that He has given us. So this is your NR challenge for today: I challenge you to thank God for everything you can think of, and everything that you can't. From a house, to a computer to read this on, to the eyes that He gave you so you CAN read this. Give thanks.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Think Again.

Idol Worship « Videos « The Skit Guys

This is just a quickie post, because I found this link earlier and I wanted to put it on here.Take a few minutes and watch this video - it isn't long, and while it's not a funny skit like Tommy and Eddie (The Skit Guys) normally do, it's still definitely worth watching.

Watch it!

Are you in?

-Kimber.