{Always}

Always. There is something daunting about that word. Perhaps it is the amount of times it is used in ones life, and how many times "always" turns out to be a week, a month, or a year. Perhaps it is the slightly reminiscent sting of a love that was going to last "always" or a friend that would "always" be there. Always is not just a word. It is a promise. Always doesn't have circumstances or requirements, it means here and now, then and there, anytime and anywhere. (Sorry just went all Dr. Seuss on y'all) But seriously. When I think about the word "always" I think about how it has gained a sarcastic reputation throughout the years. Many people have fallen in love and been heartbroken under the premise of "Always." Many have sunken into the cozy safeness of "always" only to find a shallow bottom where the "always" ended.

Matthew 28:19-20 says "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

WOAH. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THAT LAST PART IS PRETTY INTENSE?

I feel like the "That escalated quickly" internet meme could totally apply here. We just completely passed Whitney Houston (And Iiiiiiiiiiii-eeeee---Iiiii will alwayssss loveeee youuuuuu-whooooooo......anyone?) and went to JESUS ALWAYS. Jesus Always is a whole different ball park of always. We pass up the sappy love song always, the middle school crush always, the Coca Cola always (youtube it), and every other realm of always and went to "Until the end of the age" always. The TRUE always. The always that means no matter what. And I don't know about you but when I read that verse I didn't see a list of conditions. There was no fine print underneath specifying a level of holiness you have to maintain in order to receive this eternal partnership, there is no church you have to be a member of, no church group participation necessary, and no checklist of deeds to be done before Jesus will be with you always.

Always doesn't have a starting point either! Many people misunderstand that word to mean "always: after you accept Jesus". No! Always means from the beginning to the end. Always.

That means when God created you He did not send you down here and wait until you decided to go looking for Him later on in your life. He stayed with you! Just as a shepherd stays with his sheep, our Lord has stayed with us from the beginning and He will continue to be with us until the end! THAT. Is always. Until the end of the age. The END of the age. Not the end of YOUR age, but the end of THE age. He will stay with us no matter what. THAT is a safety net that you can sink into, one that knows no end. THAT is a song worth singing. 

I just cannot get over how awesome that is. God, the most holy and awesome being. The King of Kinds and Lord of Lords. Creator of heaven and earth. The I Am. Will be with me always. Until the end of the age. He walks with me. He whispers to me when I am lost and leads me back. He holds my hand when I need comfort, He picks me up when I fall, and He carries me when I cannot walk. He listens to every word I speak to Him. He makes a way for me. He has a plan for me. He loves me. Always.

If that is not the most beautiful love story in the history of the world, I don't know what is.

Our God is amazing. Always.

Love and Blessings,
K

{IN the Wilderness}

I've been on the road! My grandmother and I picked up this past Friday and spent the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama with my cousin Lyndsay. I enjoyed SO much the time we got to spend with Lyndsay. She is already an ordained Baptist minister and I LOVED being able to talk with her about her journey through ordination and share with her our different views. We were able to do and see a lot over the weekend and of course we were able to EAT at some great places. Friday night we arrived at about 5 P.M. and after unloading and getting settled Lindsay took us to her favorite local sushi place. I LOVE sushi, I wish I would have taken a picture but alas I admit to being a bad blogger and failing to do so. BUT, I do have pictures of my AMAZING lunch on Saturday! 

We went to an AWESOME little restaurant called Urban Cookhouse. I ordered this lovely salad with fresh fruit all from local farms and feta cheese that was also made locally, as well as the lettuce! It was DELICIOUS! I wish we had an Urban Cookhouse in my town!

After lunch we shopped at a few local boutiques and shops, it was a really neat experience and really loved the atmosphere and the people in Birmingham.  P.S.- Downtown Birmingham is gorgeous and has a really great almost bohemian feel to it, the restaurants are all about buying and eating local. The whole downtown area is very fun and energetic!

Saturday night we stayed in downtown for dinner and ate at Cantina! it was a really fun Mexican restaurant snuggled in downtown Birmingham and the food was AMAZING. Also, if you're eating on a budget and in the area then eat here- SO CHEAP! Tacos for under 4$, and the guac is phenomenal! I loved this restaurant and would definitely go again!! 

Also on Saturday we made a trip to Whole Foods! If you know me then you know my absolute LOVE for Whole Foods and Central Market! I love eating organic and clean foods so stores like this are like the holy grail for me! I picked up some rice cakes, organic popcorn, a few different organic granola bars, and some sweet potato chips! All some of my favorites! 

Then after dinner we ventured to Books A Million and I picked up a new journal for only 5$ and then I picked up 2 books from the clearance section, one is Monday's With My Old Pastor by Jose Luis Navajo and the other is Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth. These books both looked really interesting to me and I am excited to begin them this week! 

Now it is Sunday and after a LONG drive we have arrived at our destination. A beautiful cabin that is nestled in the mountains of North Carolina! It is GORGEOUS here! The mountains are truly awe inspiring and I had my camera on my lap the last hour of the trip while we were driving up the mountain. I cannot wait to blog about the rest of this trip! Right now I feel very cliche sitting in a bath robe (already at the cabin) in a cabin in the woods blogging. Cliche, but oh so happy. This trip was exactly what I have been needing. Can't wait to write all about it!

Love and Blessings,

K

{Deeper Still}

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you feel like the only possible thing left for you to do would be to take the longest shower on earth then crawl into your bed with 13 blankets, 9 pillows, with some cream soda and watch Band of Brothers and cry your eyes out? Anyone? No? Well we all probably have our own rock bottom, rehab for the soul technique. That is mine, and whatever yours may be we all know that feeling of hopelessness. Like it couldn't possibly get any better (or worse). Maybe you had a bad day, stubbed your toe, said a few bad words, shattered your iPhone, got in an argument with your best friend, and to top it all off burned your mac n cheese. Or maybe it was a bad week? Maybe you spent three days working on a project just to have it all fall apart at the end, then your battery on your car dies and you have to get a new one, and to top it ALL off you just found out your FAVORITE show on TV just got canceled. Maybe you've done something you're a little ashamed of. Or maybe it was just a bad year. You've spent so much time and effort building up your career only to be fired mid-year, you lost a close loved one, you're romantic relationship fell apart, and then you have to replace the air conditioner in your home. Now all that you can think is "this is it, I cannot possibly go any lower." Whatever the road it took to get you to rock bottom, once you are there then it seems pretty hard to get back up. I wish it could be like Gilmore Girls where Rory gets pretty low because she isn't accepted into the New York Times and she cannot seem to find a job, all it took was some food from Luke's Diner, a little shopping, and a heartfelt karaoke rendition of "I Will Always Love You" sang by her mother to pick her back up! Some cheering up from your friends and family can cure a bad day, or maybe even a bad week, but when you're really feeling low and worthless it's easy to sink deeper and deeper into depression. At times like this it doesn't matter how long you spend under the covers, or how many old war movies you watch, there is only one place to retreat, only one place you can go to seek sanctuary, under the Wings of your Savior.

 The picture above reminds me of that, that no matter how crummy I feel about myself or the way life is working out that God's love covers it. No matter how low I feel, God's love goes a little deeper, and a little farther. That the amazing thing about God's love, His love doesn't just cover our sins and our shame and our shortcomings, it goes a little farther. It covers every inch of us and then goes farther to cover the places around us, His love goes before us as we walk the path of life and is left behind us in His mercy every time we get back up when life knocks us down. God's love is SO vast and SO amazing that when we delve deep, deep, inside our lowest depths of despair and decide to wallow there for awhile God is there with us, His love knows no limits and cannot be contained to one place. When we are sinking to the bottom of the ocean of our problems God takes it one step further and meets us at the deepest, darkest bottom with open arms. Because He loves us and wants us to succeed.

So when you feel low and you can't seem to figure out how you could possibly get through what you are going through just look around, God is still there, you didn't sink so low that He cannot reach you. God is with you ALWAYS. Not just when you're happy, not just when you're worshipping, not just when you're succeeding, He is there with you in the struggle. He is there with you in the fire and in the hurt. He is there when you are crying and when you feel worthless. He is there whispering "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). God CHOSE you. He CREATED YOU. Does a creator just abandon his creation? No! Like the picture below says, He loves us much too much to ever let us go. So whenever you are ready, He is right there with you, ready when you are. You just have to get up and get going.

Love and Blessings,
K

The Plan

Lately I've been struggling with God's plan for my life. Not the plan, but the interpretations that everyone has of that plan. Being called to ordained ministry in highschool/college automatically puts you out there for the "perfect kid" comments. There will be those that think you should do or don't do things. It is extremely important to listen to your elders and people of influence in your life. Make sure you listen to their concerns and soak up all the wisdom they have to offer! BUT- At the end of the day it's you and God. Make sure that above all you are praying and asking God for guidance. Set standards for yourself, standards that are set between you and God. Once you set your standards and your expectations then everything else in your life follows suit. As was the slogan at this past years Louisiana Annual Conference, "If you know who you are you will know what to do." This is what I run my life by, sometimes I slip and I forget who I am, and whose I am, but when I remember who I am and whose I am I know what I should do. But as always- a foolproof plan is always to PRAY. God doesn't pick and choose when to pick up the phone, He is always ready to lend an ear. God's plan is the best plan there could possibly be, if you are ever unsure about something in your life, stay in prayer with God. Always Always Always. That's the best advice I could possibly give anyone about anything. 

Love and Blessings,

K