Miraculous Provision

Robert and I just got home from the grocery store and for those that don't know--that's kinda a big deal! When we first accepted the job here at RiverStone there was never a thought in our mind about Robert finding a job. Well we were here about a month and a half when the Lord was very specific in speaking to us. Even though Robert had been very diligent in seeking a job, day in and day out putting out applications, not a door was opening. After this time of seeking, the Lord very specifically spoke that Robert was to be in a season of prayer.

With that word from the Lord--came the first step of faith for us--believing that if God called our family to this--that He would provide for us. And He has! Ever since Robert accepted the call from the Lord He has continually provided for us. Week after week we have anonymous money show up in our mailbox and it's always just as another bill is due or we run out of bread.

What's most exciting about this time in our lives is that I get to tell people what my husband does. It brings great pleasure to my heart to say that I have a man that seeks the Lord. I have a man that spends his days in pursuit of this man Jesus. I have a man that loves Jesus and is willing to lay down worldly things to gain insight into the Kingdom.

It's been a great road for us. We've bought the Dave Ramsey book (you have to buy a book to learn how to save money!?) and although we are no where where we need to be yet, we are allowing the Lord to have complete control over our finances.

We covet your prayers for this season for our family and to whomever keeps allowing the Lord to use them to answer our prayers by sending financial blessings, thank you. You have allowed us to see our God as the Jehovah-Jireh "The Lord will provide."

posted by Kristin @ October 31, 2008 0 Comments

The most painful thing known to man

I underwent the most painful thing I have ever done in my entire life. I have no memory or recollection of an event in my life that caused so much pain – and I’ve been through a lot of self-inflicting painful experiences. I’ve had a series of warts recently on my right hand, so I decided to go to the doctor about it. I underwent “Cryogenic Surgery,” which is doctor talk for “let’s see how loud we can make him squeal with this Q-tip.” Cryogenic surgery is when the doctor applies a bountiful helping of liquid nitrogen to the skin. I decided, after my experience, to find out the properties of this demon liquid. Liquid Nitrogen is anywhere between -346 ºF and -320.42 ºF. Once it touches the skin (now I’m speaking from experience), the skin turns snow-white, begins to sizzle and crackle, and emits a smokey/steamy gas. The sensation is as if someone has stuck a million needles into an area of skin about the size of half a centimeter, then rapidly pulled them out, and put them back in again. This sensation lasts for a good 10 minutes. I had 5 places done on my right hand at the same time. When the nice doctor lady was done, she and Kristin proceeded to have a nice conversation about Savannah and the weather while I writhed in pain. The doctor then looked at me and said, “Oooo, do you need to lay down? Some people tend to get dizzy and pass out.” “No,” I exclaimed – thinking that passing out would have been a better option. She then replied, “Oh good, because you seem to be losing your color.” The next set of words that came to my mind are not appropriate to publish on this blog. The doctor then said, “They’ll probably blister-up and scab over. Come back in two weeks, and we’ll freeze them again, to make sure we get them completely.” Joy filled my heart. Kristin then drove me around and treated me to pizza. I honestly think that amputation of my entire right hand without anesthesia could have possibly been less painful. I’ve now drained my blisters twice. Here is a picture… A picture is worth 1000 words, and my mind thought of all of them when the liquid nitrogen was applied to my raw, burning flesh.

posted by Robert @ October 28, 2008 5 Comments

Two New Sons...

In the past year and a half mom has given her heart to helping plan (but never overbearing and only wanting what her daughters wanted and did not stand in the way of that--we are truly grateful to you mom for this!) two amazing weddings and in the past 10 months as she watched her daughters walk down the aisles, her attitude has been that she is not losing her daughters, but that she is gaining 2 incredible sons. In light to Robert's comment on the last blog--here's to your two new sons mom! :)

posted by Kristin @ October 27, 2008 0 Comments

Today Mom We Celebrate You

Today is a very special day. Today is the day that my sweet mama graced the world with her presence. Today mom I celebrate you. You have a way of making everyone else know that they are special. Birthdays are your thing. You know exactly what to buy and what to do that will make the person smile (even if it is white dishes)!

Mom, you are the mom that is there for her children. You are the mom that will lay down all of your own wishes and desires so that those around you are blessed and fulfilled. You are the one that stays up late mopping the floor and gets up early to make 3 different pots of coffee to meet all of many different preferences. You are the mom that loves loving on others. You are the woman that makes an incredible mom. You are the woman that makes an incredible wife.

Today mom my prayer is that you would know how special YOU are. That you would know how much we all love and adore you. That you would know just how much you mean to us. Thank you mom for loving us so abundantly. Today mom, we celebrate YOU!

posted by Kristin @ October 25, 2008 3 Comments

With Everything

One of my new favorite worship songs is “With Everything” by Hillsong. We sing it on occasion at RiverStone. The song is a prayer for purity and a prayer to be what God wants us to be. To cast all things off of us that hinder us from obtaining His presence. To be filled to the measure with the goodness of God. To kneel before His thrown and offer Him praise. We will shout for His glory, we will shout forth His praise. That we would be caught up in crying out, in a place of desperation and longing. To be given just enough to be left wanting more. To experience His presence like Isaiah when the glory of the Lord filled the temple. To be completely cleansed. To sit in utter amazement of who He is. Sometimes I feel as if I have God figured out, but Job 36:26 says, “Behold, our God is great, and we don’t even know Him…” That is what this song means to me. In a place of worship He longs to draw near to us. The Lord inhabits the praises of His people, and we are a people created to worship Him at His throne. I demand much of Him, but He has done enough already. If I were to never hear Him again or experience His presence, then He has done enough, and I will praise Him for who He is. He measures out the heavens with His thumb and His forefinger. Who is this God that I should think I should know Him. I have no idea. His thoughts are higher than mine, His ways are higher than mine. Just like Jericho, I will shout and the walls of my enemies will crumble before the Lord. He is going to shake everything that can be shaken, and what I’m hanging on to has to be Him, because He’ll be the only thing left standing. How brittle my world is, how insignificant my troubles are, how little I am, But how BIG He is, and even I am not far from His grasp or out of His sight. With everything I’ll shout forth your praise.

(Watch both videos - the second is a continuation of the first)

Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen

Break down our pride
And all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet

Let hope rise
And darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see
Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised

God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
The majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name

With everything
With everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

Our hearts they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

posted by Robert @ October 24, 2008 1 Comments

Come Into My Heart

Tonight-The Wednesday night after Fall Retreat was absolutely incredible. The kids came out of the woodworks and we worshipped Jesus together and a good amount of kids gave testimony about what the Lord did in their lives over the weekend. These kids challenge the mess out of me!!!! It's so good!

I just had to share one more video with you from Fall Retreat...oh, let this be the cry of your heart!

posted by Kristin @ October 15, 2008 0 Comments

A taste of what it might be like...

We are home from Fall Retreat and I'm really at a loss for words--but one of my youth--one in which the Lord has equipped with the ability to write for Him--summed it up pretty well. With her permission-I share it with you now. I think she does it best. Also, below are two videos from Saturday night. Thank you all who faithfully prayed for us while we were gone!

"A tase of what it might be like" by Amy Carpenter

So today i just arrived back home from a youth retreat I took with my church (Riverstone) to Cohutta Georgia. The entire weekend was amazing, the theme being surrender, and we just had these awesome times of worship where God came and moved in powerful and unexpected ways. But I want to zero in on one such worship time in particular: Saturday night.

Before the band even came up, I could feel the sense of expectancy, anticipation, and almost urgency of the people around me, myself included. There was an unspoken need within all of us to worship our Creator and when the worship began our prayer might not have read "please, God wreck me tonight, mess me up for you Lord, please God when this is over I pray I will be undone" but it happened anyway.

I'm new to spontaneous, or prophetic worship when the worship leaders just sing what the Holy Spirit is placing upon their hearts and this weekend our group was exposed to and began to accept that we didn't have to know the words being sung to praise our King, but that we could sing our own, we could sing our own personal praises to God. The IHOP Atlanta band however, were old pros and they led us into a new realm of worship that our youth isn't exposed to very often, or at all.

I remember sometime that night just looking around and taking it all in, it was like God whispered in my ear, take a mental picture, because the people who aren't here tonight will want to know how it all went down. People were jumping, spinning, shaking, punching for God. In time with the heavy percussion in the background, the body of Christ was worshiping as one, dancing for joy in the throne room of the Most High. People who I never thought would get up and go for it did, leaving all insecurities behind. No one was concerened about what the people around them looked like, they were only searching for one approval.

It was such an atmosphere of joy and acceptance and light. It felt like the angels had come down from Heaven to join us in our revelry because of the party-like atmosphere. We were no longer crying out to God for help, to break us and help us heal, we were healed and we were celebrating his goodness. And suddenly I realized that, this is what Heaven is going to look like.

I felt so privileged, God chose to let us taste it, how awesome and fun praising his name could be-I believe the term was 'Holy Ghost party'. It was all that and more. Because all the while we were praying for God to move, praying for gifts, praying for our generation. That we would be awakened. That we would be delivered from addiction.

Heaven is the closest I can come to accurately describing what happened. But there was a shift and a confirmation that God. Is. With. Us. We no longer have to live in fear, but he has empowered us to go out and live radically different lives.

My prayer is that it won't be a one night occurrence, but that like wild fire that joy and fervor will spread and we can experience a taste of heaven daily. That the satisfaction of being in God's magnificent presence will take root and we will expect that when we meet with the Lord in the secret place. We don't need a band, or loud music to reach a deeper place with the Lord, we need to be willing to meet with him because he longs to take us there.

Video #1: How the night started--expressing our love to Him

Video #2: When Jesus showed up in a mighty and powerful way

posted by Kristin @ October 12, 2008 3 Comments

Fall Retreat This Weekend-Please Pray!

• that we would experience the Presence of the Living God
• for Steve as he speaks--anointing from Heaven would come!
• for Christian and the band as they lead us into the Presence of Jesus.
• for Cory as he gives leadership and the Lord would anoint his words as he speaks
• for Robert as he gets to hang out with the guys--and he's in charge of games :-)
• for me as I finally have time with my girls
• relationships would be built
• repentance
• hearts would be stirred
• surrender
• intimacy with Jesus
• and anything else the Lord puts on your heart to pray!

Also, if you could pray for a guy named Aaron. He has been leading worship for us on Wednesday nights and occasionally on Sunday morning and evenings. He was suppose to go with us this weekend as a part of the band and to minister to the guys--but his 30 year old brother was killed in a car wreck yesterday. Aaron's only request is that we pray for his family--that they would come to know Jesus through this--especially his father. I'd like to ask that you pray for him.

Thank you for praying for us! Looking forward to sharing what the Lord does!! Love you all!

posted by Kristin @ October 10, 2008 0 Comments

Sit around the table together...

Okay, this post is for the girls--well unless the boys want to cook--but I had a great experience yesterday, I just had to share it with you.

I came home for lunch yesterday and before I started making sandwiches, I sat down and picked up my Real Simple magazine for this month that I have not even had the chance to look at yet. I stumbled upon a recipe and as I looked over it, I thought hey-I have all these ingredients in my pantry and they say it will only take 15 minutes!

So I got up and started cooking and it was a great special treat for a Wednesday lunch!!! I already had the shrimp thanks to my mom. I love being from the lowcountry and going for a visit--you come home with fresh seafood (I know this is where my being a seafood snob comes in)!!!! So I peeled the shrimp and used these instead of the frozen ones the recipe called for. My mom had cooked these shrimp the way that we cook asparagus--put them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the non Rachel Ray fans reading this), kosher salt and pepper...not sure the temp she set it at...maybe she can post on this blog and let us know!


Here's the recipe....

Angel Hair with Spicy Shrimp (you can click on this link, but it's below as well)...

3/4 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter


Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let it brown). Add the shrimp, wine, red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Toss the pasta with the shrimp mixture.


Yield: Makes 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 540; FAT 13g (sat 4g); CHOLESTEROL 187mg; CARBOHYDRATE 67g; CALORIES FROM FAT 21%; SODIUM 456mg; PROTEIN 34g; FIBER 2g; SUGAR 3g


Enjoy a great meal around the table with your loved ones!!!

posted by Kristin @ October 09, 2008 1 Comments

Your sons will be like olive shoots...

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3

This is the verse that the Lord gave Jason & Heather as they prepared to bring life into this world. For awhile there we called this little one Olive as we referenced this verse. Now this life has entered this world as he has been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). The Lord has great plans for this one...and how exciting that we get to be apart of it!


I promised more pictures of River...so here we go!

posted by Kristin @ October 08, 2008 2 Comments