Kris —

My prob w/the Prodigal.

by Kris on May 11, 2012

So I’m reading this book – and let’s just say, if you want to figure out who I am, read this book. I laugh bc about every other page I have “this is ME!” written in the margin. I love it…and I hate it. It’s showing me some things about me that I knew, and some things I never did.

Today I read the author describe her “issue” with the Prodigal Son story. She shares that she had big issue w/the prodigal in the story…because she desperately related to the older brother. Here’s the deal:

The father gives both sons their inheritance early. Prodigal-boy leaves to party/squander his. It runs out. He ends up in pig sty (yes, literally) so hungry he wants to eat pig slop…and then he decides he’ll go home w/head hung low and beg his father to let him live as a slave for him. Meanwhile, older brother stayed home and took care of business at the family farm. He did what was right and followed all the rules. When younger bro decided to crawl home, daddy was waiting w/open arms. Open, unjudgemental arms. Older brother heard the news and wouldnt even enter the party daddy threw in celebration…he wouldnt even go in.

I love Freeman’s response:

“As much as I want to be all rejoice-y and Jesus-y about the way the Father unconditionally accepts the prodigal back into the family, I am secretly and personally offended that this boy could be so irresponsible, thoughtless, immoral, and selfish and still be welcomed home. I’m mad that he went off and wasted money, caused heartache, had fun, and then was able to come home freely without question or judgement.”

Whoa. That’s truth that’s hard to admit…when you always want everyone to AGREE with and APPROVE of you/your choices (like me). As I thought on this a bit, I realized this about me:

I often seek justice; and I forget that grace operates independent of justice.

When I see older brother following the rules, I expect the happy ending for him. That’s justice. But what I’m doing is leaving grace out of the equation. Ouch. When I seek to obey the rules, achieve approval, keep the peace, etc – what is my MOTIVE? Isn’t that the real question? Is my motive to earn someone’s favor? Is my motive to impress God w/my checklists of achievements? If that IS my motive, then what have I done w/grace?

He extends His grace to me minute by minute and rather than accept it w/o question I try to earn it. I think I do. I never realized it…there’s no earning to be done.

Grace operates independent of justice. Grace is just, but not in our economy. Grace is God’s economy of justice. Humbled today. And thankful that He extends it to even me…

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“Thanks God, for making us with ears”

by Kris on April 28, 2012

Still moving old blogs…found this one from 2003. Luv.

Tuesday, August 05, 2003

“Thanks God, for making us with ears…”

Just had to share – just came from putting Braeden to bed tonite and we do a devotional each night. Tonite it was about the ways God whispers to us “I love you”. It talked about the birds singing and wind blowing and all kinds of neat sounds we get too busy and noisy to stop and hear.

Then we took turns telling God what sounds we love to hear and that we are thankful for…Braeden said “thank you God for the sound of the kids playing at our neighborhood pool…and God, thanks for making us with ears.”

Anyway…just wanted to remind you all stop and listen to how God whispers to you “I love you”. Tonite, He whispered to me thru a silly lil 4 yr old’s prayers.

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THINGS THEY NEED TO KNOW. (2)

by Kris on April 27, 2012

Cool thing today…found my very very very old blog and decided to cherry pick some of the entries to save on my HD. Wow. Did I find some good stuff…well, good stuff to ME. I did find a nugget of greatness that is very very fitting for us right now. We’re walking thru some hard lessons w/our kiddos about how to CHOOSE to separate yourself and be different when you know it’s the right thing to do…and the words that we keep hearing are, “I know…but I’m afraid that…”

Fear can paralyze. And so, my #2 thing I want my kiddos to know is that – YOU BELONG TO NO MAN.

Life deals hard lessons; change is often excruciatingly painful. But no person owns you…God wants us to live like that. Fear or what he/she thinks or says or does bc you are standing for what is right, should be worn like a badge of honor. But, it’ll be hard. Being an outsider always is.

In my old blogs I found this GREAT/TIMELY quote I borrowed from a book (wish I knew which one??) that says it perfectly. Sigh. Hard lesson for us all, but one I pray my kiddos get early:

Nonconformity
The crowd does not take kindly to nonconformity. It is the scorn of our peers probably more than anything else that hinders our living out of the center. The fear of ridicule paralyzes us more effectively than flat-out opposition. How much good is left undone because of this fear! The irony is that the opinions we fear most are not those of people we really respect, yet these very persons influence our lives more than we want to admit. This desire to stand well with “them” can lead to an appalling mediocrity and a frightening unfreedom. Living out of the center shapes and forms a liberated Christian. Albert Camus once said, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very act of existence becomes an act of rebellion.” There is nothing more maddening to the mob than a free person.

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. I Corinthians 9:19

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THINGS THEY NEED TO KNOW. (part 1)

by Kris on April 15, 2012

I’m thinking about my kids this morning. I can hear they TV going in the other room and a few muffled laughs here and there. They are awesome. But, as I sit her and think/pray/fill up my soul a bit, I realize there are so many things they need to know. Things I’m learning…things I want them to learn, too.

Today, you (blog reader person) get to hear what I need to tell them, too.

1) He didn’t heal everyone.

I‘m a fixer. No, I don’t mean the kind of fixer who can get the toilet flushing right or even the fixer who can easily untangle your necklaces or ear bud cords. I’m another type of “fixer” – I’m the person who tries to fix things that aren’t always mine to fix. Fixers usually seem happy and content, but usually have a hurricane of anxiety stirring inside when they put on the fixer-hat and get to work. Fixers want everyone to agree with them and no one to ever be mad or unhappy with them. Fixers usually have this unrealistic vision of what everything will look like when all is fixed…and, it never, ever, ever, ever looks the way they imagined it.

God doesn’t tell us to be fixers. God doesn’t promise that things won’t be messy and uncomfortable sometimes. He tries to get us ready for the uncomfortable silences (crickets, crickets), painful seasons, and unexplainable circumstances by leaving us His Word… and it’s certainly not a picture of “how to fix everyone and everything in 3 simple steps”. Jesus didn’t fix everyone who needed fixing. And…he never tried to explain himself for the sake of his reputation. Check this out:

“He healed people, but he didn’t heal everyone. He stirred things up wherever he went, and the Pharisees hated the fact that he existed. He associated with adulterous and unclean women, lepers, and tax collectors. Though he was without sin, there were still those who questioned his reputation. Knowing there were people who disagreed, even hated him, didnt cause him to change on thing he did. He wasnt working to maintain a good reputation. He was walking in the dependence on the Father. Jesus didnt value what people thought, he valued people…” – Emily P. Freeman

Sometimes, people don’t want to be fixed. Sometimes situations won’t end with everyone happy and in perfect agreement. Sometimes it’s not the fixer’s place to jump in and fix…it might be someone else’s job.

Our pastor/friend Ron said once: “You cannot change another person. You CAN impact and influence another person.” So to my sweet kids I want to say this: You cannot fix everything/everyone and you are not CALLED to do it either. You can love others. You can impact/influence their lives by living your life with character and integrity the way God intends for you to. Sometimes, the messy and uncomfortable is necessary for the real healing to happen. Be still. Breathe deeply and ask God to take you where He wants you…and get comfortable in the sometimes-uncomfortable.

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Mercy vs. Fixin’

March 19, 2012

“Hi, my name’s Kris and I’m a fixer.” It’s an addiction, really. Probably the best part of me…and the worst part of me, too. I fix. That’s what I do. Forever I thought that was my destiny…to always jump right in when I get that tingle when something needed fixin’. It took a nasty bout [...]

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baggage.

March 7, 2012

We’ve all got it. Lots of us like to hide it…some of us like to climb into it because it’s quite comfy and just camp there. For me, I’m begging God to walk me thru it to the other side where He wants to take me – as a mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter, believer, [...]

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moms need moms.

March 4, 2012

So you know I’m a mom. So you know I like to write. So you might/might not know I am part of a really cool group of moms called Mommies in Connection (MIC) who get together once a month to laugh/cry/connect/encourage as we trek thru the mommy stuff. Well, this month we did a MIC [...]

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Consider vs. Feel

March 2, 2012

Just a thought…this week I keep hearing about yucky stuff that friends are going thru. I’ve had a few bumps lately as well (sometimes bumps can feel like mountains, eh?). It’s funny though, thru these yucky-stuff-times I’m seeing the words of James come alive. It’s actually crazy. I’m trying to do some memorizing…I laugh bc [...]

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Being a DOer.

February 27, 2012

It’s always funny when God decides to create lil “coincidences” in the things I’m learning. Like, today for example…I just wrote THIS about taking the next 40 days to choose to impact lives of others and what than can mean to our kiddos. Then, GULP, I’m reading James holler at me about being a DOER [...]

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