Moving to Tumblr!

I'm moving my blog to tumblr! It is easier and I am already on it most days, so it will be easier for me to remember to post hopefully! When I post on tumblr it will automatically post a link to my facebook feed, so that should make things tons easier! Or you can go to the url: http://jeremiah2nine11.tumblr.com/

Enjoy!! <3

=)

I am soooo glad our God is so big. Because honestly, I have so many issues and problems and things that happen in life that I would be out of luck with on my own. And I don't even have to worry about being an attention hog, because it's not like I have to worry about taking up all of God's time. He's never like-Hey, Kimber, I know you've got a lot on your mind, but, I'm kinda booked tonight and I have an early morning..sooo...could you just give me the highlights? NO. Thank goodness gracious gravy. And I just can't get over that he's never too busy for all the junk, or even all the great stuff that's happening. I love that he loves to hear about all that too. Like how I got a call from the yearbook today or how I didn't have to sit alone at lunch. I'm sure you're laughing now, but I will tell you what those things are big deals. Then there's the slightly bigger stuff-the stuff that isn't so great. Like how I hate awkward situations and wish the world would just be rid of them straight away. Or how I sometimes just want to steal a few select people and take them away to a secret place where I can completely monopolize their time and attention. Selfish? Maybe. Honest? Yes. And then, after all that, there's the real life-big deal-no joke-kinda makes you sick inside- kinda stuff. Like how someone you really care about gets hurt really really bad by someone they really cared about and you just want to bash that person's face in but you know that wouldn't actually help your friend be less eternally scarred. Or how you know that someone just needs a good friend, someone to talk to, but you aren't in the same city as them. Or how someone who isn't supposed to die is taken from the people that really need them. And what do you do when all that is just pressing, pressing down on you like a huge bag of junk that no one wants-like empty pizza boxes and broken toys. It sucks. There's no simpler way to put it. And I just honestly don't know what people do when they don't have Jesus to talk to. I know that could sound cheesy but I honestly wonder it. Like, I grew up in the church. I grew up learning that when you had a problem or something you needed to get out, even if no one else in the world was there, there was one who was. And you didn't even have to call him or see if he's busy or if he wants to hang out. You just talk. Now that's the ultimate form of communication. And that's why God always trumps people and their man-made communication devices. Because no matter how freaky insane technology gets, it will never get as close as God does. Why? Because when it's person to person, there's always someone on the other end who can say no. Someone who can say I'm busy or I can't talk or just doesn't answer at all. But not so with our God! And it just makes me wanna scream because when I'm at that point when I'm so overwhelmed by nerves or unsureness(word?) or doubt or sadness or happiness or whatever(!), it's just like a no brainer. Of course he's going to listen. And that's wonderfully reassuring. And I don't really know how but I just want people to get that. To know what it's like to have that friend-in the truest definition-connotation and denotation-that is so always and completely ok with you pouring out your heart and your mind and just whatever is troubling you or whatever you're thinking about. God just loves to talk to us, just like I love to talk to my friends, but on an even more extreme level. Like, I know that my friends get to a point when they get tired of listening-hey, I'm guilty as charged too! And that's because we're not perfect, which includes not being perfect listeners. But God...(which is such a wonderful phrase and so applicable for all kinds of situations and scenarios)..he is the perfect listener. Which is what everyone wants right? Well, at least every girl..and a lot of guys I think, even if they don't admit it.

So that's it, that's what's on my mind. How much God loves us and how wonderful it is that he is there. always. always. always.

I'm eating spaghetti right now, just thought I'd share that with you all. It's supremely yummy. Maybe it's that spaghetti is just an inspirational food, or maybe something's finally ready to come out of the wood here. I haven't written in a while. I won't apologize for that, but I'm excited to be writing right now for the very reason I started this blog: I just love what happens when an individual puts pen to paper, or here, fingers to keys. God does some pretty epic stuff in the lives of tons of people everyday, and it's part of our job to share that in some way, be it the spoken word, art, music, or, my personal favorite: writing.

So, that said, I'm thoroughly happy to be writing again. God's been doing some awesome stuff in and around me. First off, I am very blessed to be in Cincinnati right now. Although it's not where I'm going to be forever, I have no doubt in my mind that once again, God knew what he was doing. Suprise, I know. Naw, it shouldn't really be a suprise at all, somehow, it always is though. Ha. Humans are dumb. You'd think we'd get that God knows the right plan, but somehow we pull a Peter and ask him if he's sure he wants to take that route. (Mark 8:32-this was in the sermon Sunday at my church and I was floored. I had never noticed this before, but Mark says taht Peter rebuked Jesus! "What was he thinking?!" we say, but I'd need more than just my fingers and toes to count how many times I've done the exact same thing. I find it interesting, and so completely human, that we hold Bible characters to such a high standard. They're people just like us, and I guarantee we mess up just as much as they did. When we hear about their failures, though, what do we do? We ask how they could've been so silly to do or say or think that. Oh irony, how I'm amused by thee.)

Sorry, that was a really long parenthetical...I feel like I may be all over the place today, so just bear with me =] Aaaannnyyyway....basically God's blessed me with some pretty cool people and opportunities in nati city. Lately, I think that, instead of showing me personally things so much, God has been using other people to teach me. See, I've been trying to pay more attention to those around me. It's good to take the focus off yourself. And it's remarkable how, when you stop looking just at yourself, what you can learn from others about me, myself and I.

I have always believed that other people was one of the greatest blessings God ever gave us. He uses friends to show us our faults and our strengths, to encourage us, and to hone us into better versions of ourselves. I want to share with you now what some of these people have been teaching me lately.

1. This remarkable girl isn't intimidated or scared of anything, or so she claims. I'm seeing day by day that a lot of us put up strong fronts so no one sees our weaknesses, myself included. We think that only putting out the elements of our person that we feel confidence in, or that we think will be the most protective and undamageable, is our best bet to making it through this life unscarred. That's a lie though, a suprisingly widely beleived lie, but a lie none the less. Not letting anyone see the real me only damages that person inside that's being supressed and confined. Catapillars can't stay in their cocoons forever.

2. I can only handle this individual in small doses. Some people just rub you the wrong way, I guess. But they're still there, so what do ya do? Come to find out, lots of people have problems. While that's not an excuse for acting a certain way, maybe I'd understand them a bit better if I took into account that I'm not the only one who's had a hard time growing up. Believe it or not, I think that most of us have. This individual teaches me patience, no matter how stubborn I am to learn.

3. Some people, like this one, are just easy to mess with. It's funny to throw those verbal punches, all with the claim of "jk" attatched. Now, I love a good joke. I throw them because I can take them in return. I've realized that not all people are like me, though. Sometimes jokes can hurt just as much as the real thing. I'm not ok with hurting a friend, even if we did get a good laugh out of it. Plus, how many times do our "just kiddings" actually have a hint of truth behind them? I'd say that, at least for me, quite a lot of the time. Sometimes, well, probably a lot of the time, I should just keep my mouth shut.

4. This individual has the biggest heart in the world I've determined. She loves and cares about people waaay more than most, just like God asks us to. Funny thing is, if you knew her past, it'd suprise you that her heart is still in good enough tact to love so much. Sometimes it seems, though, that the hearts that are the most damaged are the most loving. Not, always, but when that damaged heart chooses to push all the junk aside and love people anyway, even though they've hurt you in unspeakable ways, that is true bravery. To love despite, that's bravery, and that's something I want to have.

5. This girl has made me aware how much I judge people. Labels characterize our society, and it's hard not to slap a label on someone before you even find out their name, not to mention anything deeper than that. This girl doesn't always make the right choices, but who does?! See, in our minds we have declared certain sins worse than others, and we're quick to judge each other as we see fit. But I've been realizing that frankly, we all have issues, and to God, we're all sinners. But you know what? We all know who still loved us and died for us, despite our issues: good ole JC. Why on earth, then, would I refuse to love someone because they still mess up? Well, then I say, "I didn't say I didn't love them!" But I don't see how we can treat someone with disdain or judgment and still say we love them. It's just ridiculous to judge someone for their faults when we have our own log sticking out of our eye. This one is a hard thing to get over, because, unfortunatly, it comes so naturally to us. I have to stop judging, though, and instead, love those people, so that maybe, just maybe, I can be a true friend, and help them be better, and*, at the same time, allow them to do the same for me.

(*it truly pained me to write that run-on, but I felt it necessary.)

6. The last thing on my heart right now is something that a bunch of people have been showing me, but one in particular. I wrote a blog a while back about being beautifully made by our Creator, and truly embracing and believing that. I think maybe I forgot about that for a while. Especially for girls, its a hard thing to remember. Always comparing, always feeling unsatisfactory, always trying to be perfect: that's us, ladies. But that is NOT who we were created to be. This friend of mine wrote something quite moving the other day. She said, "My body was not meant to be used for men to lust after. It was not made to seduce men. It was made for the sole purpose of glorifying, praising, and honoring my Creator." And I was just so blow away by that insight, because it's so true, yet I've never thought of it like that before. I don't know why exactly God made me the way he did, but it's not like he messed up or just threw me together. No I was formed, crafted, and created by a perfect God who is in the business of producing nothing less than perfection. Forgetting that is detrimental, but realizing it is like looking in the mirror and seeing a completely different person. Maybe I was made with imperfections-according to society, that is-because God wanted me to give him the glory for creating me that way, or so I could find my fulfillment in him, not others, or maybe so I could help someone in their struggle for body peace. Whatever the reason be, I know that to my creator, I am perfect.

On that same note, I find myself astonished at the cutting remarks we ladies are so good at producing. We do this, at least I do, to make ourselves feel better, to take the focus off our imperfections by putting the focus on the shortcomings of others. I have found that there is almost no other force among women that is more harmful than cutting each other down. So I'm trying hard to replace these hurtful, judgmental, and unnecessary comments with only compliments. Uplifting each other should be our first priority, not judgment.

So there I am, lots of stuff going on, and a lot to figure out. But I think the bottom line of all this is that we're all God's creations, none better than another. I think that a grasp on that can change our world, one life at a time. Spread the love <3

Open Door Policy

I am sitting on facebook right now, but I don't feel too bad about it because I just cleaned our entire room as a suprise for Abby, my roommate. So as I was sitting here doing whatever people do when they are on facebook...basically nothing, and I noticed an old friend of mine's status. We went to middle school together, and that got me thinking about those days that seem sooooo long ago. I went to a small Christian school, with a grand total of eight kids in my eighth grade class. Because of that small number of people, I think, we all became very close over the course of those years. Today, we have all gone our separate ways, but still I'm friends with all of them on facebook. So as I sat there thinking about those days, remembering our friendships and the unique bond that the eight of us had, I started thinking about the people we have all become today. As I try to remember what each of us is doing now, it's really incredible how different each of us are. All of us are at different colleges, I believe, community, private, and public. We all have different interests, majors, activities, and jobs. Some of us are single, others have significant others, and I think one is even married. We are in different places, and we are headed, most likely, even further apart. Perhaps in eighth grade we were not all that different, but now that we have each grown up, I am struck that no two of us are even remotely similar, apart from our faith.

As I thought of all these potentially dividing factors I was struck at the amazing power of Christ to bring people together. Yea, it was eighth grade, and none of us chose to go to that certain school, but we ended up there, and I know I have been blessed from those days. Despite our different lives today and the people we have become, God brought together eight people that year that would go out to all different corners of life. Now, I will not claim that we are all still best friends. I would say instead that we are old friends, but not in the same sense that that phrase is most often used. Rather, I use it to say that we once knew each other, maybe not anymore today than the "acquaintance" type of facebook friends, but we still share a link that cannot be broken: the link of brothers and sisters in Christ.

And so I marvel at the power of Christ to bring the most random and unlikely people together for his incredible, yet unknown purposes. This same principle is seen everyday in the church. In youth groups kids from all different schools are brought together by Christ to learn from each other. In Bible studies and Sunday school classes, people of all ages, pasts, and futures come together to learn about Christ, and, I think, to learn from each other.

But this principle or idea, whatever you want to think of it as, doesn't only stop in Christian environments. And so I realize the vital importance of having a heart and mind open to new people. See, you never know what person God might bring into your life at the most random time, or even at the most normal. Yea, God might use a new experience or place to give you new relationships, but who's to say that he won't use a normal, everyday circumstance, too? If I go into life with a closed mind to new friendships, I could miss out on an individual that God wants me to be there for during that hard time because I have empathy for their hardship. I might lose the chance to have a unique and incredible friend who always cheers me up, or I might shut off my heart to someone who God will use to teach me a valuable lesson.

Looking back, there's no doubt that God brought the eight of us together for a reason. I don't doubt that you have people in your life that God has done the exact same thing with. Rarely, at the point of meeting someone, do you realize a) whether they will be a lasting friend, or b) how they will impact your life. But you know who does know? God. But if we shut ourselves off to new people and friendships, I wonder how much we could miss out on. I don't know about you, but my guess is that, like me, you'd like to have as many meaningfull people in your life as possible. The thing is, we can't pick and choose "meaningfull people" out of a crowd to be our friends. It doesn't work that way. Rather, our all-knowing Creator does the picking and choosing. Frankly, I'm glad for that, mostly because I know He can pick the people He wants to be in my life way better than I would be able to, but also because a life full of suprises is indeed one full of unforgettable people, friendships, and experiences. So ask and trust God to bring the right people into your life. Open up the door of your heart and your mind. After all, you never know who's going to walk in.

"I See You"

I write to make sense of my world. A lot of times life doesn't happen the way you think it will, or work out like you planned. And sometimes, that's ok. Usually at the beginning, it's horrible and terrible, but I've found that God's plan is way bigger than mine. He can see waaaay further ahead than I can, and he truly does have my best interests at the very center of his mind and heart. Sometimes the events that seem like the end of the world are only the beginning.

If you're looking for a collected and organized thought here, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid this post will consist more of a couple disjointed thoughts strung together by punctuation than some revelation or idea. Usually it seems that the things God is showing me relate to each other in some way, but it seems different right now. I have been continuing to see that God's plan is usually unexpected, but undoubtedly superior to mine. I have also confirmed in my mind that I love to write, sensical or not. Whether it's an encouraging letter or a general pondering of what God's showing me (like this), I just plain love it. Just throwing that out there. haha.

I want to share something I have been facing recently, much to my puzzlement. During finals week, I had three consecutive nights of dreams about inescapable death. Yea, kinda dark, I know. I think those were the result of Bible school study of the Bible-in depth and detailed. One too many classes on the martyrs of Acts and the Old Testament's holy war, with my high stress level piled on top, resulted in some scary nights for this little girl. Since then, I have not had anymore nightmares. I have, however, been unusually paranoid about safety. I don't know if it's the bad weather that has me constantly thinking of the worst or what, but I find myself worrying for my safety and the safety of others waaay more than is usual, necessary, or normal. Luckily, I have a God who is much bigger than my fears. Thanks to one of my favorite passages, Philippians 4:6-7, I have been able to deal with this random paranoia pretty well, I'd say. I was thinking about why this was happening the other night, and I realized that it doesn't really matter, because my God is truly the biggest and the most awesome God ever. I know that his plan is perfect. End of story. Never the less, this got me thinking about how I view God. I think that different people appreciate, if you will, different aspects of God. I would say that everyone needs all that God has to offer, but that they focus on different aspects of God's character based on their own needs. I, for example, look to God for protection and guidance most often. While I absolutely need God's forgiveness or mercy, I find myself thinking most often about how God protects and comforts me. I'm sure this is because of the conditions of my growing up and different circumstances of my life. With this in my mind, I find myself reveling at the vastness of our Creator. 6 billion people in the world, and we have a God that can relate to, cater to, and take care of each in the special and unique way that they need. What an awesome God! Our God knows each of those 6 billion peoples' hearts, and he knows exactly how to comfort each one of them. Why and how? Because he created you. He created you in the womb and planned out each day of your life before any of them happened (Psalm 139:13-16). You are "fearfully and wonderfully made" by a God who knows your heart and mind so perfectly that only He knows how to give you the peace that you so desire. It reminds me of a brilliant movie I just saw, Avatar. In the movie, the Na'vi people greet each other by saying "I see you." This implies that they not only see them physically, but that they see into their soul. I love this image because it is exactly what Christ says to us. He sees us, he gets us, and he cares about us more than anyone in the world. And when you realize this knowledge and care God has of each of his children, it can become a scary thing that we want to hide from, or it can become an imense comfort that we will embrace in the absolute hardest of times.

So this has turned into more of a connected thought than I thought it would lol. But it doesn't really matter, connected or not. It's kind of like life: it doesn't always make sense or go in the order you think it should. The bottom line is, though, that our God is vast and indescribable, and when you're talking about him and learning about him, it might not always make sense. People deal with that in different ways: some, like me, write, some talk or produce art or sing, or whatever. It doesn't matter how you do it, though, because one thing we can ALL do is pray to our mighty God to make sense of it. Because despite our confusion and the questions, God knows us perfectly, and he's just waiting help us through anything and everything in his precisely perfect way.

So have a happy Christmas and a merry new year. And remember that no matter how rough it gets, or what this next year brings, our God is unchanging. He knows us yesterday, today, and even tomorrow. Run to him in the tough times and ask him for help on the dark nights, because he knows you better than anyone, and he's absolutely ready to save your life.

Not The Leaving Kind...

It's easy to forget about God when the rest of the world presses in hard around us. Whether you lose someone you love or your workload just seems impossible to handle, life can get pretty tough. I can promise you, though, that when life gets too dark to see the light, feel a hug, or believe there's hope for a brighter tomorrow, God is still there beside us, no matter how dark it seems.

One of my favorite songs by Tenth Avenue North says "I'll be by your side, whenver you fall, in the dead of night, whenever you call." Like God is at all hindered by the junk of this world, yea right! No, God is next to us in the moments we just want to sleep the day away, when we feel worthless, or when it just doesn't seem like life will ever get better. Because, unlike people, who may or may not be there for you, God isn't intimidated by social boundaries-no matter who you are, what you've done, or where you've been, God is always going to be right there beside you as long as you call on His name. As the song says, He's not the leaving kind.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus gives us an unparalleled promise: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Amen. That's all I can say to that. Because so often I just forget. How is it so easy to forget a God like ours? I really can't wrap my mind around how I can ever let that happen, but I know I do. I know I let the junk of the world crowd my mind and steal the peace that only comes from trusting in God's flawless plan. I forget that the love of my Savior is the only thing I need. And yet, Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." When we seek God, he is right there next to us. He is with us always, all we have to do is look for him and call out to him for help.

I ran across a verse the other day, a whole chapter actually: Psalm 34. It's pretty incredible, not gonna lie. Here's a couple of my favorite verses that have seemed particularly applicable amidst all the drama, tension, stress, and frustration of the last few weeks. Verses 17-18 in the Message version say, "Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath." Now that's a promise I can hold on to. So many verses in the Bible just scream God's love and devotion to his people, but so often I miss them when I could use them the most. Instead I turn to stuff like chick flicks, music, chocolate, or facebook-all cool and awesome things-but never the less, things that have absolutely no power to heal my hurting heart. I really don't know what I'm thinking, when the answer to my troubles lies in an age-old, yet so contemporary, book right next to me, yet I chose to turn on my computer instead.

Despite my stupidity in this area, however, that doesn't mean God gets fed up with me screwing up and calls it quits. Heck no. Quite the opposite. A song by superchick is on my ipod right now. The chorus says, "So stand in the rain, stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain, you won't drown." Why won't we drown in all the mess of this life? Because God, Jesus, our Savior, the most Awesome God that was, is, or ever will be loves us so very dearly, and He's not going anywhere. Yea, people always leave, but not our God. If you're crying for help, God is right there, and he is sooooo ready to be your knight in shining armor to the rescue. To get all the love, peace and joy he gives, all we have to do is ask. And you know what's awesome? He doesn't even have to come running-He's been there all along.

Take <3

"Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God." Psalm 27:14 (The Message).

Winter is a lousy time of year in my opinion. It's cold, windy, and dead-looking. The sky is almost always cloudy, and the only good part of winter-snow-is only pretty for the first hour or so while it is falling. Not to sound cynical, but winter is quite an unpleasant time of the year. It gets dark way too early, and no one likes to hop out of a warm bed onto an icy floor in the morning. Despite my dislike of winter, it's part of the year, and no matter how much I kick, scream, and wish for summer, the months are always the same amount of time. It doesn't matter how much I grumble, winter is going to stick around as long as it wants. It's just the way life is.

I ran across the above verse last night, and I couldn't get it out of my head. So often I find myself losing sight of God, not because He is leaving me behind, but because I don't make the effort or chose to keep up. Other things get more interesting, and my focus on God begins to blur into apathy. Other times, it's not apathy that trips me up, it's something bigger than that. We all know the phrase: "stuff" happens. Bad things happen to good people, and when we come to that fork in the road, we have two choices, give up on God, or, as David urges us, "Take heart, don't quit, and stay with God."

Life is drab sometimes, just like the winter season. But we know that after winter comes spring, a time of rebirth and renewal. Though it's dark out during those long, winter months, we know that the sun hasn't disappeared, it's just around the corner (of the world), and it will shine on us again. Just like the faithful little sun, God hasn't gone anywhere. There may be darkness, but joy comes with the morning. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Every winter, we know the spring will come eventually. We have no trouble beliving that. You know who makes the spring come? God. The same God that changes the seasons each year can just as easily change a life. So if it's the same God, and we believe the seasons will change, why would we put our trust in something else less reliable? Don't lose sight of your faith in our all-powerful God with whom "all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26)

So first of all, take heart. Find at least a glimmer of hope in the dark winter time and have faith that the God who changes the seasons can see you through anything. And whatever you do, don't you dare quit. Rather, stay with God, the one who makes the world go round, literally and figuratively. Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Put your faith in God and keep it there for always; He won't let you down. Remember, winter doesn't last forever.