Lenten Devotional

Hello All :),

I was asked to write a Lenten Devotional for a booklet that my church is putting together.  I procrastinated, of course, and waited until the last possible minute to write it.  I sat down and opened my Bible to the verses I had been assigned to write about, and found that last night, I didn't relate to ANY of them.  I was seriously freaking out.  WHAT WAS I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT???  It was due the next day! So, as I usually do when I have writers block, I just went to bed and woke up early this morning, hoping that I then would be inspired.  And thank goodness, after my morning prayer, I was able to write.  Here's what I came up with, hope you enjoy:

Read Psalm 31:9-16.

We all go through times in our lives when we feel completely overwhelmed with grief and distress.  For me it’s usually has to do with school related stress.  We want to give up and just stay in bed all day.  It seems like none of our friends truly care about what we’re going through and they turn against us.  We feel like the garbage they’ve just put out on the street and then stomped on.  Oh, and now they’re bragging and laughing about it with their other friends.  Even if they tried, they couldn’t fully understand what we’re going through.  Only the Lord knows your heart.  I pray that you lean on him through this time of trial.  He is a loving God who WANTS to take your burdens from you.  1Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxieties upon Him because he cares for you.”  Let the Lord provide your strength.  Our earthy bodies are poisoned by sin, which makes us weak.  Put your trust in the Lord and let His light shine through you in the dark time.  Bury your self in His love.  He will provide you with all you need, even though it is most often in a way that you least expect it. 

I want to end you with these lyrics from Tenth Avenue North.  This song is titled, “Hold My Heart.”

Here's the Tenth Avenue North Video

How long must I pray, must I pray to You?
How long must I wait, must I wait for You?
How long 'til I see Your face, see You shining through?
I'm on my knees, begging You to notice me.
I'm on my knees, Father will You turn to me?
One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Would You come close and hold my heart
I've been so afraid, afraid to close my eyes
So much can slip away before I say goodbye.
But if there's no other way, I'm done asking why.
I'm on my knees, begging You to turn to me
I'm on my knees, Father will You run to me?

One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Would You come close and hold my heart.
So many questions without answers, Your promises remain
I can't see but I'll take my chances to hear You call my name
To hear You call my name
One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Won't You come close and hold my heart.
Hold my heart, could you hold my heart?
Hold my heart.

Dear Lord, You are faithful and just.  You are a jealous God that wants to know our every thought and desire.  Thank you for loving us when all we want to do is live for ourselves.  Thank you for pursuing us through our darkest times.  You are truly an awesome God.  I pray that during this time of Lent we are able to focus on truly relying on you in all aspects of our lives and that we are able to shine your light through our every word and action.

YOU are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made,

Love,

Ky :)

True Love

This year in my Bible Study, our leader, Choley, came up with the idea that we all (one person per week) chose a song that really struck us that week, print out the lyrics for everyone, choose a verse that connects, and lead the discussion with a challenging question or two to journal about. It's been awesome. This week it's my turn, and I wanted to share with all of you what I'm going to share in small group.

Love Never Fails :
Brandon Heath

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

We strive to love others the way Christ loved but fall short and become disappointed in ourselves. The words of this song remind us that NOTHING is greater than God’s love for us. How can we show God’s love to others in new ways? Why is it so hard for us to forgive when God forgives us so easily? Why do we boast about our accomplishments when our gifts are from God? How can we make changes in our lives to remind ourselves of the love of God in this verse and live it out?

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day. I love each one of you dearly and am so grateful to have you in my life. Isn’t it crazy how different THIS love is than the earthly love portrayed through this commercial holiday? I’ve been thinking about that (and this song) a lot today.

I challenge you to answer those questions for yourself. I know I fall short daily but this song is such encouragement that God's love is PURE and will NEVER fail us.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones you love.

YOU are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made,
Ky

Christmas in Nashville!!

I LOVE spending Christmas with my extended family.  This year, as always, we left Christmas Day after opening presents to go to my aunt Kellie's house in Nashville.  It took an easy 9 hours; we're pro travelers.  The next evening, we had our annual family dinner and gift exchange with EVERYONE.  This year, we added a Chinese gift exchange!  It was so much fun.  Here are some pictures from our time together.

This was my present for the Chinese Gift Exchange.  My grandaddy stole it.  It's now sitting on a dresser, awesome. Haha.

My brother's so special.

Most of the cousins :)

Isn't my grandaddy cute?

Katrina, Coutrney, Marilyn (Grandaddy's new girlfriend), and me. :)

Trina and me!

Cute little Jordie girl opening her present from Grace.

What a cutie pie :)

Maddie and her new puzzle book!

6 Months Left

Recently, I've had a really dry season in my relationship with the Lord.  I've just not been able to connect, let myself settle by not pursuing anyone or being intentional in my actions toward ALL my friends.  It's so easy to get swept into the "normal" teenage things to do: talking about other people behind their backs, being overly concerned with personal image, and only really being concerned with myself and my closest group of friends. But as always, here comes the Lord and he gives me some freaking awesome new friendships and continues to bless me with friends who love me and encourage me in my walk of faith.  These friends are not going to let me settle and constantly encourage me to push myself and discover exactly what the Lord is calling me to do.  I am eternally grateful for them. 

One of those friends in particular, one of my Young Life leaders, Choley, who is a senior in college at JMU and is in the same situation as I am with the prospects of graduating, understands wanting do accomplish as much as possible senior year.  It's so easy to think, "Okay, I have only six months left in my high school career, what difference am I really going to make?  I'm leaving and going out of state to college next year, is it really worth it?  All I really want to do is spend time in my comfort zone with those who know me best..."  Choley came to me with a challenge about a month ago.  She posed the question: Who do you want to me at the end of your senior year?  We both made a list of goals and shared one evening when we were hanging out.  I must admit that my list has changed a bit since we shared, so this is not the exact list that I told Choley.

• Spend more time in the Word, but also finding a way to worship rather than the classic "quiet time."  I want to explore and find what works best for me.
• I want to speak with intention to my friends.  Jesus never beat around the bush.  He spoke in parables, but never acted or spoke against what he believed.  What's the worst that can happen?  Them not wanting to hear it?  I will be BOLD.
• Even though I'm leaving next year, I do want to love and spend time with younger students.  I can still have a positive impact even though I'm leaving soon.  
• I want to spend quality time with friends that I most likely won't see after high school.
• I want to be different and show everyone Christ's love.  I find that sometimes I'm unintentionally selective with who I am kind to, especially through my thoughts.
• I want to speak about my faith with my siblings.

I know that's quite a long list, but I'm determined.  I'm so thankful for the people that God has placed in my life and the constant encouragement I receive.  I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

YOU are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made.

Love,
Kylie :)

P.S. For my birthday my aunt had "Beautifully and Wonderfully Made" engraved on a necklace for me!  Coolest gift ever?? Yep. :)

Thanksgiving

Wow, another Thanksgiving has come and gone.

My mom's sisters, Joy and Lee, come every year for Thanksgiving with their families to our house.  It's great.  When the three of them get together even the most serious person can't help but to laugh.  I can only hope to be as quick and sarcastic one day.  We have the Thanksgiving Day meal down to a science.  Mom, Dad, and Aunt Joy make the food, and I.E. (Lee) does the dishes with her husband Trent (if he comes) and all the kids.  I.E. has also taken on Gramma Kay's tradition of making a craft with all the kids.  This year we made coasters for our teachers' Christmas presents.  It took several trips to Wal-Mart, but we finished them and they look great!  I love making presents that I know people will keep and use for years to come.  I mean really, how many teachers do you know that don't have a fountain drink or coffee of some type with them in their classroom at all times?  The presents that my dad still has from students are the original ones, ones that stand out and that he uses every year.  We put up so many ornaments from his former students every year on our tree.  Anyways, we all had a great time making them and spending time together.  We don't get to see that side of the family very often, only at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and sometimes in the summer, because they live in Kentucky.  I really wish we could all just move our homes and communities closer together.  We all want to live closer, but we're all tied down and love where we live, so we just make the best out of it when we do see each other.  I'm so thankful for the time we get to spend together and the loving family we have.  It's never awkward between any of us and even though we don't see each other regularly, you'd never know by the way we interact.  I love it.

This is the 3rd Thanksgiving we've had without my Gramma Kay.  She passed away 3 Novembers ago from Pancreatic cancer.  She was diagnosed in September, came home from Chile (she was a missionary) in October, and passed away the day after Thanksgiving my 8th grade year.  It was so hard to lose her so quickly.  We really didn't get to say goodbye.  I miss her so much and I know the rest of my family does too.  I really wish I could talk to her and tell her all about my life.  I know she's watching from Heaven, but I still wish she could be here to see my choir shows, cross country meets, and high school graduation.  It's not going to be the same without her.  She was always filled with so much joy.  Gramma Kay was one of the most loving and happy people I knew.  She loved Jesus with her whole heart and it showed through all her actions.  I wish I could have realized that when she was still living.  I was naive and didn't see that.  It's so evident now that I'm older though.  Gramma Kay was loved by all who met her and she touched MANY lives.  When she was in her 60s she decided that God was calling her to serve as a missionary in Chile, and after staying in the states longer than expected to be with my Aunt Joy through her second round of chemo for breast cancer (she's a two time survivor), she did it.  I'm so proud of my Gramma.  She serves as such a positive example for my siblings and me.  I miss her and I love her, but I know she's in Heaven having the time of her life and I can't wait to join her.  It'll be such a joyful reunion!

I am also incredibly thankful for my immediate family: my parents, Amy and Bill; my brother, Sean; and my sisters, Maddie and Jordie.  For a family of four kids, we actually get along really well.  Not saying that we don't fight or have our differences, but for the most part, we enjoy being with each other.  Sean and I have gotten a lot closer now that he's in high school.  I love my little brother so much.  He's kind hearted and just wants to do the right thing.  I don't think he knows exactly who he is, but what 14 year old does?  I know I didn't.  I'm just so proud to see the way he cares for his friends and loves others.  He is a great kid and I can't wait to see him grow up even more.  I pray that he comes to want to know the Lord more.  He knows all the stories and knows exactly what he's supposed to do, but still doesn't realize that it's about having a relationship with God, living out his will every day.  I pray that Sean longs to have that relationship.  Maddie is such a ball of energy.  She's in 6th grade this year and is tackling middle school head on.  She just wants to be loved by everyone, much like I did at that age.  I see a lot of myself in Maddie, although I had a much different middle school experience being the "new kid" in 6th grade.  She can be hard to deal with at times, but I still love her.  I can always count on Maddie for a smile and a hug on a bad day.  She has such a big heart that she shares especially with her little sister and best friend, Jordie.  Those two are two peas in a pod.  They do everything together.  They are four years apart, but you would never know it.  Jordie looks up to Maddie so much, but still is learning to do her own thing.  I pray that they two of them look out for each other and that they love each other no matter what, because as people reach their teenage years, things tend to change, but a sisters love will remain the same.

My parents are two of the most amazing people I know.  I look up to them so much.  They follow the Lord with their lives and serve as a strong example of Christ followers to all us kids.  I don't know what I would do without them.  My parents, even though we do fight occasionally, understand me well.  My dad and I are so very similar that when we do disagree on something, my inherited hard headedness (from him) gets in the way.  Thank goodness for mediator Mom.  She always sees both sides and is able to help solve whatever issue.  She's the best.  My mom is quiet, but notices everything.  If I come home from school after having a bad day, she's the first one to spot it.  When I was little and was having serious trouble getting to sleep at night, Mom would stay up with me, sometimes even after midnight.  My parents have taught me to be responsible and trustworthy and have given me a lot of freedom due to my actions.  They support me in any of my decisions, but have taught me that if I commit to something, I must stick with it.  That's huge, and I'm so thankful for them.  They love me no matter what and will be behind me 100% in whatever I decide to do.  They have made a home that I love to be in and in which feel safe and loved.  I can't wait to come home to this house once I'm in college.  Is it weird that I'm already excited about that? haha.  I just love my family.  We're a little unit that I'm so incredibly thankful for.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my post.  I hope you all have a great night and that everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

YOU are beautifully and wonderfully made.

Love,

Ky

Fall

It's really becoming evident that I'm a senior.  The fall has FLOWN by!  XC season ends on Tuesday with Regionals, we already had our Fall Concert Choir Variety Show, and college applications are beginning to be due!

I haven't blogged in forever and I just wanted to do one that sort of sums of my life the past couple months.

My senior Homecoming was the best of my high school Homecomings.  I went with a group of my friends, all of us without dates.  It was so nice to be able to just have fun at the dance.  It was so stressfree and just awesome.  The music was incredible and perfect for dancing.  We all had a great time and I will cherish those memories for years to come.

The Coast!

The next weekend in October my best friend, Lauren, and I went on an adventure to Maine!  We had been counting down the days for MONTHS.  We left early Thursday morning and flew (yes, we flew by ourselves!) to Philadelphia and then to Portland, Maine where my aunt picked us up.  We first went and visited the coast.  It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  It had been raining earlier that day, so there weren't many people there.  It had stopped by the time we were there and we were able to see the clouds clear and the sun come out.  It was so beautiful.  The Maine coast is so very different than anything we have in the south.  There are just cliffs and tidepools and then the ocean.  No beaches or sand.  It's an incredible sight.  It's amazing that the Lord would create such things for US, for ME to enjoy.  It seriously blows my mind because we did nothing to deserve it.  After that we did some much needed shopping in Augusta and then headed up to Greenville.  It seriously looked like a storybook's illustrations of autumn.  The foliage was so beautiful.  It was COLD, but it was still fun.  My family just purchased a cabin in the Moosehead Lake area and I got to be the first of my siblings to see it!  It's so exciting to know that we will have a place in Maine forever.  On Saturday we got to go to a town Apple Cider festival where they pressed their own apple cider! It was so cool.  Only small towns can have something like that.  It was such a cool trip and so awesome to be able to share it with my oldest and best friend.

Next we had our Fall Variety Show for Concert Choir!  It's the conclusion to my whirlwind October.  I love Hell Week.  It's the week of night practices before our choir show.  It's a hard week, but it's the week that the choir really bonds together.  We cry, laugh, sweat, dance, and sing together to produce an amazing show.  It's always how it goes.  We stress out about our show and how we will sound, and then it always turns out well.  We are our hardest critics.  I can't believe that I only have one Hell Week left in high school.  It seems like just yesterday that I was entering choir as a nervous sophomore and now I'm helping to lead it as a senior.

You are beautifully and wonderfully made,

Love,

Kylie

XC season is my FAVORITE season

I can't believe I haven't written in so long!  Senior year is going really well.  I got a job today working at a cute little pizza place right outside of town and I'm so excited about it!  I LOVE serving costumers; interacting with them, hopefully brightening their day.  It's great. :)  

I ran in my first XC meet post surgery yesterday!  I thank the Lord every time I run.  It's such an incredible miracle that I'm running at all this season.  I didn't do very well time wise, BUT I finished, and that's huge in my book.  I'm just really excited and blessed to be part of such an awesome team and awesome sport.  Everyone is so encouraging while you're out running.  Girls running by will say a quick "good job" or "keep it up" even though they're passing you (or you're passing them).  It's such a cool atmosphere.  We're all out there running, just running, as a sport.  (Insane, right?)  But we all are out there together, we all know how the other person feels, and everyone helps each other out.  Whether it be by unintentionally pushing someone else to run faster or verbally encouraging them, we all sorta form a family out there, even though we're competing against each other.  Another great thing about XC is that it's and individual AND team sport.  You're always trying to improve your own time, but also cheering on your teammates when they increase their time or if the top 7 move up together.  The guys cheer for the girls while they run, meeting us at spots along the course, and the we do the same for them.  I know that hearing them cheering for me pumps me up more than anything, well maybe not as much as my dad, but it's pretty close.  And then you finally cross the finish line with so many parents and friends cheering for you to give it your all and sprint the finish, and somehow you always manage to.  I love XC.  It's my favorite sport.  OH, and after the meet is the best part.  We all go (it was originally just the guys, but another girl and I go too now) to El Puertos, this Mexican restaurant in town, and just hang out together, stuff our faces, and have a great time.  It's awesome because on the XC team, it really doesn't matter what grade you're in... we form such a close bond that we end up forgetting about all the normal "seniority" stuff... haha except in line at team dinners.  SENIORS at the front, hahaha.  I just love XC so much.  The people make the sport.  We all come together and kill ourselves running and we do care about the place we come in, but the team is the real reason we're there, at least it is for me.  :)  

I hope you enjoyed reading.  I know I enjoyed sharing about my favorite sport :)

YOU are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made.

Love,

Ky :)