Kristin McLendon

Kristin McLendon: April 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Freedom

Remember this post when I confessed I needed freedom?  Well thank you for your prayers, because tonight, even though I know there are other things I need to blog on--and things I've promised to blog on---I have the ability to walk in freedom and post these pictures from LAST NIGHT!!!  Woohoo, thank you Jesus!

Last night we had our Senior Banquet--we were missing a few kids due to awards banquets and play off games, but the ones that were there--we shared amazing, special moments with!  Our Senior Banquet was put on by our Junior moms and we had the most amazing catered meal in our churches Grand Foyer that was beautifully decked out.  

Our night included the parents writing letters to their kids and the kids writing letters to their parents (prepared beforehand) and we shared in a moment of them reading letters to each other.  It only took to the second letter reading that Robert disappeared into the Worship Center to collect as many boxes of tissues as he could and pass out to the tables.

At the end of the night I couldn't take it anymore and with tears streaming down my face I stood up and told them thank you for letting me into their lives.  You see, it was EXACTLY this time last year that I was standing up in front of a youth group that the Lord graciously let me be apart of for five years.  Five years of being involved in their lives, being there in their ups and downs, watching them fall madly in love with Jesus.  One year ago exactly the Lord had me stand up in front of them and tell them that He was closing that chapter in my life.  It is still to this day one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  Knowing it was what the Lord wanted didn't make it any easier.  Those kids still hold a very very special place in my heart.  I fell more in love with Jesus as I walked life with them.  It was hard then.  I still miss them now.

But I stood up last night in front of a group of kids that have openly let me into their lives, confessing that one of the hardest things about leaving my rhumc youth group was the senior class---the one I had been with since they were in the 7th grade---behind.  I had even asked the Lord for one more year in RH to see them graduate--but it was definitely not His will.  Standing up last night, I now know why and I know His will is perfect.

Here are a few pictures to share His will for my life.  Thank you for loving me.  Praying for me.  Sharing life with me.  Letting me be vulnerable with you.  I love you.

Our Seniors in the Grand Foyer:
Me and my Senior Girls and their amazing cell group leaders!
Cory and I with our exchange student, Carla.  Yes, I should have worn heels!
Me with our intern for this past year, Kimmy:
Yes, it's been a fun year! :)

posted by Kristin @ April 29, 2009 0 Comments

Monday, April 27, 2009

Confession...

I have a confession to make--well more of an admittance to a disease I have--it's called, "not able to blog out of chronological order" and it drives me crazy!!  You see, I feel as if I am always playing "catch up" on our blog because when things happen or we go places, and if I still haven't blogged about something, I feel as if I can't blog about the current.  For example--Robert and I took an amazing mini-vacation this past weekend to Birmingham, but I feel as if I can't blog about it because I haven't blogged our hilarious attempt to take a family picture at Easter.  And I can't post those yet, because I haven't blogged about my trip to Maine yet.  Anyone following me? Please, I need prayer to be set free and walk in FREEDOM!!!

On that note, Robert and I have started reading a devotional together--yes, a yearly one, at the end of April, because that's how we roll--but it is Smith Wigglesworth, Devotional.  AMAZING!  Here's a random thought for you today:  "Get alone with God, and receive the revelation of His infinite grace and of His wonderful purposes and plans for your life."

I have been hanging out all morning on our back porch, just the pup and I.  She just got into these, my new hobby that I decided on Saturday that I wanted to have and my lovely husband was incredibly supportive of--pictures of those coming soon!  More importantly Maddie and I have enjoyed this Monday morning together.  I've been enjoying the presence of Jesus and enjoying the fact that He's answered our prayers.  Robert started his new job today--this morning at 8am!  (not gonna lie, the 8am part was kinda painful).  I'm kinda sad our season of him not working is over, but this will be good for us and it is needed....as you see, we are also in the process of buying a house (another incident that has unfortunately not made it to the blog)...but my friends, because of how much Jesus loves us, we have some incredible stories to tell because of this whole house buying process.  As a friend said to me just yesterday, "after all you guys have been through, I can't wait to see the house the Lord has for you."  Amen and amen.  Stories coming soon I promise, and saying in faith, we will have a house to show you soon!

I should close now, as I'm sure this blog is a rambling blog and not even sure if it makes sense--I had to get up and leave at one point as I was trying to upload pictures to iphoto and write a blog and the macbook just wasn't liking to multi-task on this Monday morning--so Maddie and I went for a walk around the buildings...well I walked/she ran.  We have to get this girl a yard asap!!!  

For now, here's a pic from this past weekend in the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham (and us playing with the color options on the camera!)--I hope to blog a little more this week and catch us up--in the midst of Senior Banquet tomorrow and Summer Camp Kick-off on Sunday, and yes I can admit, that's me asking you to pray for us this week! :)


posted by Kristin @ April 27, 2009 2 Comments

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What happens following bath time...

Maddie just got a bath. Turn on your volume to listen. :)

posted by Kristin @ April 21, 2009 1 Comments

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Savoring this moment...

I decided to make this tonight and it got rave reviews from the hubby!  So much so, he's in the kitchen now doing the dishes--so I just had to pass this one on! :)  Actually, this is something he's started on his own--when I cook, he does the dishes...he says because he loves me and wants to bless me.  I know I am blessed beyond belief and am truly truly grateful.


Enjoy the recipe my friends!

posted by Kristin @ April 19, 2009 0 Comments

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Let's catch up a little shall we?

We've been on a few road trips here lately that made me realize we never posted photos from our last trip to the Hill.  Somehow we managed to not make it home to Richmond Hill from Thanksgiving to February...yes, I'm posting photos from February--somehow I got really slack on the blogging...but feel as if these need to be up before I put up photos from our latest travels, and this was Maddie's first visit to the Hill, so we have to document it...so here we go....

Maddie got to see her Pa-Pa for a few hours before he flew out early Friday morning...Let's just say Chloe's (the one sitting on dad's shoulder)  not really a fan of her cousin Maddie...
Did we mention that Maddie got up early the next morning to say Pa-Pa bye and fell in the pool--and yes, I went in after her...in February, early in the morning=very cold pool!!!

Next up was to see our godson, River--isn't he a cutie!

Notice Robert in the background:

Me and my little man:
This has to be one of my favorites.  I could just eat up those cheeks!:

Feeding him didn't go too well:

Riv and Robert like their Sperry's:

Aunt Heather finally got to meet her niece Maddie:

The next day was a day full of fun with Mema and Aunt Munchkin and cousins:



Gotta get the family photo in--too bad Abigail didn't come for this one:


Oh, Richmond Hill, how I miss you:



Aunt Munchkin was a great trooper.  Can you count how many dogs are on her:

Ah, Maddie likes Aunt Munchkins lap.  It's a safe place when you get rid of the rest of them:
Don't worry, Max got some quality time in with Robert:

Sunday we had the privilege of going to worship at RHUMC and got to see the beautiful new youth room.  I have been wanting to write about this experience in this series but somehow have not sat down to blog lately.  I do hope to continue this soon.  Here is a picture from the new Youth Room.  You can read these posts for more details:  Here I am, Lord
and Happy Birthday to a Dear Friend
After worship it was time to head back to the ATL.  It was a great visit and we look forward to going back for a weekend in May to celebrate with some dear friends of ours graduating from high school (aka those youngins that were in the 7th grade when the Lord first sent me to the Hill to be in ministry!)!  

Maddie was tuckered out from the weekend and this is what she looked like in her box for the majority of the 4.5 hour drive:

We love each and every one of you in Richmond Hill and look forward to another visit soon.  Thank you for holding a very dear place in our hearts!

posted by Kristin @ April 18, 2009 1 Comments

Monday, April 13, 2009

A Moment With Ashley

MORE THAN A FEELING


Well I just couldn't wait until Saturday to send this one out. The Lord really was pushing this topic on my heart in the prayer room this morning, and then we talked about it in class, and now I'm emailing ya'll about it. 

The big thing we hear about, and I've emailed about is God's love. Last night my roommate and I went over to a friend's house to worship. When we got back my roommate was really upset and she said, "I don't get it I never feel ANYTHING." We've all had this moment where we just break down, and try to figure out why we don't feel God's love. Is it because of something we did in the past? The answer is no. The problem is we picture God sitting up in heaven with a bucket of water (love), and we sit down during our quiet time and say, "Pour it on me God! I want to feel your love!" If God is in a good mood that day, or if we've been praying that for a consecutive year then maybe He'll pour some out on us. That isn't how it works at all. We expect this emotional explosion of God's love, and assume that we can just skip the relationship part. If I were to ask you who your closest friends are, you would list the people, and you would realize they all really know you. They know what you like what you don't like, and you know everything about them. The same is true with God. We will be able to experience His love out of the overflow of knowledge. He's not just a good feeling, but a real God who has real love to give if you're willing to have a relationship. 

Imagine you start dating someone you're in love and engaged to be married, unfortunately they leave to go off to war. Everyday they write you a letter telling you about how much they love you, reminding you of all the times you've spent together, and how they can't wait to come back. You receive one everyday, but never even open them. You just look at them and make a pile on your desk. When they come back they find out that you're engaged to someone else. They ask you why, and you simply respond, "I did feel like you loved me."  They ask if you received the letters, and you say, "Yes I have a nice pile on my desk." They reply, "You didn't read them! I poured out my heart in each letter...desperately trying to tell you how much I love you. I never once received a letter from you, but I still loved you and wrote you each day." 

This is exactly how it is with us and God. He has given us the Bible telling us how much He loves us, the measures that He has gone to just to be with us, and how He can't wait to be with us again. The problem is that we never read it, and then we complain that we don't feel anything. Meanwhile He's saying, "I poured out my love into that book...please read it take it off your bedside table and open it!" We don't even take the time to sit down and talk with Him. We fall into compromise and give ourselves to other lovers because we didn't feel like He loved us.  We can't just expect to sit down with our hands open and BAM you feel His love. The way we feel is through knowledge.

Here are three aspects to having an intimate relationship with God. 1) Invitation- This is when you're born again. You have certain expectations of what God's love is going to be like. You say I love you, but you're not really sure what it means....this is where number 2 comes in. 2) Substance- This is where you get into the word and look at what God has done for us because of love. Look through the Gospel and see what Jesus did. Jesus is fully God, and the compassion He shows the people He comes in contact with in the Bible (disciples, Mary Magdalen, blind man, lepers, ect.) is the same compassion He shows you. This triggers revelation and that leads to number 3. 3) Now this is the one we like....overflow. This comes from having a relationship, reading the word, talking to God. Not just saying nice polished prayers, but talking to God like you talk to a friend. If you're mad let Him know your mad, if your sad...let Him know, if you're happy. God wants to be involved in our lives!  He doesn't want us to put on a happy face when we're around Him and act like everything is ok. When we get real with God, and we understand who He is....that's when we feel His love. This is a real relationship with a real God with real emotions, and He really gets hurt when we choose things of this world over Him, because He really loves us. He's real....

God Bless 
Ashley

posted by Kristin @ April 13, 2009 0 Comments

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The Enemy Has Been Defeated--Happy Easter

On this beautiful Easter Sunday I thought I'd share just a quick post with a quick video--this is a song that has become personal to me over the last few years.  We sang it this morning in worship at RiverStone and I thought I would share it with you.


Yes, the enemies been defeated--death couldn't hold Him down!  Hallelujah!  


posted by Kristin @ April 12, 2009 0 Comments

Friday, April 10, 2009

Where i've been this week!

Video of the harbor in camden, maine. Will post more pictures when i get home since this is just from the cell! It's been a great vacation and some much needed girl time with my friend sam!

posted by Kristin @ April 10, 2009 0 Comments

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Moment With Ashley

Identity

When you first meet someone one of the first question they'll ask is, "What do you do?" If you're in college they'll ask, "What college do you go to?" If you're in high school or middle school they'll ask, "Who do you hang out with?" These questions are all asking the same thing. They're trying to figure out who you are, and without saying another word, after you've answered the question, they immediately have an idea of who you are. Rich, poor, smart, dumb, popular, not popular...the list goes on. While assumptions may be true the problem arises when we center our lives around what other people see. Lets look at the life of David.

David was a shepherd, we often read this and think WOW a shepherd that's so great he got to sit and talk to God all day in a beautiful pasture. Let me put this in perspective, a modern day equivalent would be mowing the lawn. Imagine Jesse coming up to David and saying, "Son I want you to mow our 800 acres of land." You can picture David looking out at the land and then saying, "Ok dad." So the next day David gets up and starts mowing, he doesn't even get one strip of land done and has barely anything to show for the work he did. Everyday he goes out in the hot sun, no one see him, no one knows him, no one cares. David was the youngest in his family, and the only son of his mother. When Samuel came to meet Jesse's sons they didn't even bother to go and get David. In man's eyes David looked like nothing, but in God's eyes He saw a king. "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Want to know why God chose David to be king? Because David didn't look at himself as a shepherd, he saw himself as a worshiper above all else.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we're doing on this earth that we forget what our primary purpose is, and that is being loved and a lover of God. What we do on this earth is important, but it's not the main reason why we're here. We are here to cultivate a relationship with God, by realizing that we are loved by Him and then loving Him back wholeheartedly in return. The problem comes when we try to put what men see ahead of what God sees. David didn't see himself as a shepherd or a king before he saw himself as a worshipper. When we put our earthly identity ahead of our heavenly identity is when we find ourselves in trouble. David didn't go out trying to find a way to be king, instead he postured his heart rightly before God and said, "If you want me to be a shepherd for the rest of my life that's what I'll do." I'm sure some days he didn't want to be out herding the sheep, but then he remembered..."All I have to do is be confident that God loves me, and love Him back. Ok I can do this....I can do this." God found David "I have found My servant David...with My holy oil I anointed him" (Ps. 89:20). "He also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people" (Ps. 78:70-71). David didn't try to exalt himself, but God saw what He was doing and it moved His heart, and He went out and found David in the pastures so that He could be king.

Today I encourage you to check your hearts. What have you made your primary identity? Are you defining your life by the One who loves you? Are you being faithful in the pasture, or are you trying to make yourself king?

God Bless
Ashley

posted by Kristin @ April 09, 2009 0 Comments

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Happy Birthday Dana!


Over 4 years ago the Lord blessed me with a group of incredible godly women!  We met in a hotel room at a conference in Kansas City and stayed at what was suppose to be a Marriott--which was not---it was a Crappiott--therefore we have been known as the Crappiott Crew ever since!

We have been through a lot together--4 years ago we were all single--now there are 2 husbands and a baby, but we still love how the Lord uses us to encourage and build one another up.  Today is one of those special girls birthday---DANA!  Enjoy your day my friend!  We love you!

In the beginning:

Over the years:












Our Most Recent adventure--to the farm:

I know there are so many more pictures I could post--and Crappiotts, please feel free to send them over and I'll get them up (I think I lost a few with a computer crashing last summer!)  But, Dana, know we love you and enjoy you!! And this one is just for fun: 

posted by Kristin @ April 07, 2009 2 Comments

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Learning About The Persecuted Church

I was catching up on my Google Reader the other evening and came across the article below on my friend Lisa's Blog.  It was one of those I couldn't help but pass on....

Learning about the Persecuted Church,


Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

As we are getting ready to go to Asia, I have become more aware of what is going on in the church outside the world. I was somewhat aware before, but would shamelessly try to shield myself from too much detail because it was painful to think about (you would be shocked about some of the horrors that are now taking place). Lately I have been spending more time reading about the persecution Christians are currently experiencing around the world, and it is having a profound impact on me, as it should. It's something we wish we could ignore... but we do at the cost of our brothers and sisteres who are suffering. How much do you value your freedom to worship here in America? :


Did you know that it is illegal to own a bible in 52 countries? That owning a bible alone qualifies you for death in Iran? That over 7 countries impose death as a penalty for converting to Christianity? That over 300,000 Christians are currently in refugee camps in north India after being persecuted out of their homes? That Chinese believers are regularly tortured and imprisoned for years for worshipping in their own homes? China alone is seeing 30,000-40,000 new believers each day. Without access to bibles, even pastors don't have the Word of God.

Do you know the number of countries where Christians are being persecuting for their faith?

Red = Restricted Nations Purple = Hostile Nations

Reflecting and praying about all of this has changed my attitude toward my freedom to worship Christ in America, where the worst that could happen to someone is rejection and ridicule or loss of respect from others. We have access to more bibles than we could ever want, churches on every corner, and the right to worship publicly on the street or plaza.

As the body of Christ, let's actively pray for the persecuted church. I copied the following list of countries from a website. They broke the regions into 7 days of prayer. They reccomend Matthew 5:10-12, 44, John 16:2, Romans 8:35-39, Hebrews 13:3 as a few verses to help cultivate a humble attitude toward prayer for these places.

Monday: Africa: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Comoros Islands, Egypt

Tuesday: Israel & Neighbors: Israel, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, West Bank, Jordan, Syria

Wednesday: Middle East: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman

Thursday: Central Asia: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan

Friday: South Asia: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, Maldives Islands

Saturday: East & Southeast Asia: China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mindanao (Philippines)

Sunday: Caribbean and Eastern Europe: Cuba, Colombia, Chiapas State (Mexico), Belarus


Pray with us! Voice of the Martyrs keeps a website with new information as it comes in about cases around the world. You can stay updated about the persecution that is happening right now and help in pressuring foreign governments to release prisoners. Visit their website athttp://www.persecution.com/ (another way to help is to give to Voice of the Martyrs. They advocate for persecuted Christians around the world and help meet their needs and the needs of their families).


posted by Kristin @ April 05, 2009 0 Comments

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Moment With Ashley

The Word

When I came to IHOP in August it was a bit of a reality check for me. I came here ready to learn, but I thought I had a pretty good understanding of a lot of stuff. I guess you could say I was fat, dumb, and happy. My first class here at IHOP was Excellencies of Christ with Allen Hood. The first week he was telling us a story, about how the year before he gave a test where the students had to write about every season of Jesus’ life. He talked about how people turned in 15-30 page papers on the topic….that’s when I knew I was in trouble, because I could only think of about a half-page worth of information. The problem was that I would go to church, and I just assumed that since I knew the story the pastor was talking about, that I knew everything. Well I didn’t, and I still don’t. Today I want to give each of you a little reality check. I’m not going to blow you’re mind with amazing information or tell you a story from the Bible you’ve never heard, but my goal is to encourage you to dive back into the word with a hungry spirit.

The Bible is one story it’s not a collection of stories thrown together. If you were to go to the library and get a book would you only read the end? No, you would start at the beginning and read it all so that you understand the book. Sometimes we can get too focused on the New Testament that we just completely rule out the Old Testament. I’ve heard people say, “I don’t really read the Old Testament I’m more of a New Testament kinda guy.” It really upsets me to hear people say that, and they think it’s ok to just read the end of the Bible. We won’t be able to fully grasp the meaning of the New Testament until we read the Old Testament. I’m not saying that every time you read the Bible you have to read it all the way through, but I am saying to make sure you are balancing out what you read. Do you know the stories? Do you know the people? Can you testify of God’s faithfulness? Their story is your story. Reading through the Old Testament you are able to see God’s faithfulness. It gives you faith that because He was faithful then, He will still be faithful with you today. You’re able to see that the people of the Bible were by no means perfect. They weren’t always faithful to God, but He was always faithful to them, and He upheld them with His mighty right hand.

We have the Bible not only as an encouragement but also as a promise. There are 735 predictions about the future in the Bible, and 596 of those have already happened. That’s 80% so that leaves us with 20% left to be fulfilled. God was faithful with 80% but not a lot of people know that. They don’t trust Him because they don’t know that He has been faithful this whole time! We take the Bible and look at certain parts but we forget to take a step back and look at it as a whole.

What is John 3:16? I bet 98% of you were able to answer that question without hesitating. Now do you know John 3:17 or John 3:15? The numbers probably went down with that one. They didn’t used to have references in the Bible; they just knew what it said. In the New Testament you’ll see the disciples and Jesus will quote the Old Testament. When they were talking everyone knew what they were talking about they didn’t have to say in Daniel 8 verse 3. Would you be able to find you’re way around the Bible without the references? I’m not saying the references are bad, but I am saying don’t limit the Bible to just the references. Let the word impact you’re heart. If you don’t have millions of verses memorized it’s ok. When something impacts you’re heart you’ll remember it, but don’t stop reading. Get into the word, read the word, meditate on the word. Don’t just skim over and check it off your to do list, but really read what it has to say. This is a gift given to us, use it take advantage of it. Don’t just say it’s your favorite book because you’re a Christian, but really read it, think about what you’re reading, pray about what you’re reading, ask the Holy Spirit to open up your eyes of understanding. I pray that each of you will fall in love with this wonderful book. That each of you will truly long to read it each and every day. 

posted by Kristin @ April 02, 2009 1 Comments

Just a random update...

As I was sitting here on the couch fighting a really bad headache (rain, rain go away!!!!) I was looking at my puppy and decided to turn the computer around and take a picture with photo booth--because just in case any of you were wondering how our puppy has been doing---this is what she does for most of her free time:


Yes, she's on the couch--I know, I know...I'm a softie.....I can't help it!  Robert had some boys over last weekend and they told him he had a "snuggly" dog.  Isn't that cute!  :)  Not sure what Robert thinks of having a "snuggly" dog!  But I am loving it!  For the most part--she's really laid back and we are really enjoying her!  (Minus her eating my macbook cord a couple of weeks ago--did anyone else know a power cord cost $79--geesh....)

She had her final puppy shots last week so we don't have to go back for a year!  (Well, minus her little surgery she'll have to have when she reaches 6 months old...she's 4 1/2 months old now.)  At her final puppy appointment she weighed in at 22.8 pounds---remember the day she came home and she was less than 6 pounds????  Just in case you need a reminder:  


Okay, that's enough randomness for now!  Thanks for sharing life with us!  Hopefully this weather system will move on out and the pressure in my head will go with it and we can get a deeper blog post out of me! :)  

posted by Kristin @ April 02, 2009 1 Comments