God is good.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Yesterday started out as a normal day at my job.  My co-teacher and i get along great. We were just doing our thing.  After nap time, things changed a little bit.  Management has put me in a place for the last few months were I have to do what is right for management and inappropriate for my children.  I hate having to do this, because I am going to school to learn how to be the best teacher in the world, and sometimes they ask me not to be.  Let me say this though, I love my job!  I love my class, I have the best group of parents that I have ever had in 7 years of doing this, I love my co-teacher.  I just don't love the management.  They pay me a decent amount of money to not have a degree.  So, I stick around.  But when they begin to ask me to do things that I know are inappropriate, I get upset.

Yesterday afternoon was just another one of these scenarios.  I was asked to do something that I know to be inappropriate, but if I were to speak up and say it were inappropriate, I could loose my job.  As time went on, I began to get more and more frustrated.  I was shaking, I started crying.  I had to tell, not ask, tell my boss to come in my room for a minute before I lost my cool.  I went in the bathroom and cried and cried and cried.  I balled my eyes out.  I looked at myself in the mirror and reminded myself that I needed a job.  I know I need a job.  I can't get fired.  I can't walk out.  I need a job.  I have bills to pay.  I can't get fired.  I can't walk out.  I need a job.  I calmed myself down as best as possible, and went back to my classroom. 

I left work yesterday feeling very down.  I cried a little bit.  I asked God why He is putting me through this.  I told him that I am ready to put my white flag out and surrender.  I am questioning everything about myself because of this job.  Do I want to do this for the rest of my life?  Am I meant to do this?  I have reminded myself that I can't do anything else, because this is all I have ever done.  I wanted to hang out with someone, because otherwise I was going to mope in my room alone.  Well, I ended up moping in my room alone.  I watched The Kids are Alright and ate pizza in my bed.  Then, caught up on Private Practice and Cougar Town.  I was still feeling very down.  Then, I had an amazing conversation with Sam, a girl from my eGroup.  Actually, I more talked and Sam just kept me going.  I preached an amazing message to myself. 

I serve a good God.  I serve a God who would never harm me.  Jeremiah 29:11 says so.  Proverbs 1:33 says whoever listens to Him will live safely.  Isaiah 58:11 says He will guide me always.  Proverbs 19:21 says that the Lord's plan will always prevail.  1 John 3:20 says God knows everything. 
My God will always have my back.  The harder this struggle is, the better the reward will be.

So, to you... What are you dealing with today?  Do you think He isn't there?  Do you think He isn't listening?  Are you wondering why He would put you through this? Whatever this may be, He knows you are there.  Better yet, He brought you there for a reason.  He would not have brought you there if He did not know you could overcome the struggle.  God is going to teach you something great here, if you will let Him.

Amazing

Happy Easter.  This is not going to be your typical It's Easter so I am going to explain the importance of Easter and remind you that it is not all about the Easter bunny post.  I had something amazing happen to me and I want to share it with you.

A few weeks ago, may amazing trainer, Regina Gunn sent out a mass email to all of her clients about surprising her fiancee and his flight in Korea with a huge Easter package.  As I was reading this email, I felt God telling me to write them cards.  The more I thought about writing them cards, I felt as if God wanted me to make it personal.  He didn't want me to write one card that said a generic, Happy Easter to everyone in Kevin's flight.  Thank you for your service in Korea.  I hope you have an amazing Easter and we can't wait for you to come home, sort of thing.  I felt like God wanted me to write a card for every one in Kevin's flight.  I was so excited to do this.  I quickly reply to Regina and ask her how many people are in his flight.  She quickly responded, and her response was over 40.  I was immediately overwhelmed. 

I began diving into the Bible on my lunch break.  I prayed before writing each card.  I wanted the card to be personal.  The only thing that was the same about each of the cards was the beginning that said, Happy Easter!  My name is Keirstin, and the end that said, Happy Easter, Keirstin.  In a majority of the cards, I thanked them for their service.  And then, there was a Bible verse.  No two cards had the same Bible verse.  I wrote a little something about what this Bible verse meant.  On several of the cards I told the story of my baptism last Easter and what being baptized symbolized.  On a handful of the cards I told the story of Easter and the importance of being saved.  I prayed about how many cards to write.  Because Regina didn't know how many exactly, I needed God to tell me how many to write so that everyone got one.  Before I gave them to Regina, I prayed over the cards.  I prayed that God would make sure that each person would receive the card that they needed. 

The Lord had been all over this entire process.  He revealed passages to me that I had never read.  He gave me strength to write all of the cards in a week and a half.  He gave me the words to make each card new and fresh.  Anytime that the Lord is working in your life, the devil will invite himself into the process as well. 

The devil was working in my life through the cards as well.  He kept telling me that nobody was really going to care about these cards.  He kept telling me that the ones where I shared the story of Easter was too pushy.  He told me that the people who picked those cards would be offended.  The devil worked very hard to stop me from sending those cards.  After I gave the cards to Regina, he kept telling me that I didn't write enough and how bad it was going to look because not everyone got one.  Rightfully so... The devil doesn't want the kingdom of God to be advanced, and he knew that it was going to be through these cards.

So, do you want to hear about how God worked through these cards?

There were exactly enough cards for everyone to get one.
Each person was challenged by the card they received.
Each person is closer to God through the cards.
Each person is amazed that someone who isn't in their family, who they have never met, and probably never will meet took the time to write over 40 cards for them, and that they were all personal.  And through this, they have seen the love of God.

All of those things are straight from Kevin.

This entire process, especially hearing that there were exactly enough, reminded me of how good God is.  I was reminded of the importance of obeying His word.  I can't imagine what guilt I would be feeling now if I hadn't taken the time.  Each of their lives were changed and it was because I obeyed God.  We never have a reason to doubt God.  Any doubt you ever have about something God has told you, is straight from the devil.  The devil doesn't want you to  obey God.  The devil doesn't want you to act on God's word.  The devil just wants you to feel inadequate for the job, the devil wants you to doubt. 

The truth about the devil is that every word that comes from him will sound as if it is from God.  Because, guess what... we are inadequate.  But, we don't have to worry about being inadequate because we have God on our side.  Pastor Steven did a sermon on this concept.  I do not remember the series, the Bible reference, or the sermon title.  But, I do know that when the devil is attacking your life.  Tell him that you know that you are inadequate, unworthy, incapable, but because God is on your side, you can do anything.  Shut the devil right down.  Do not let him work in your life.

Happy Easter.  I hope you were inspired by this story.  I know that it will be inspiring in my life forever.  Just to know that there were exactly enough cards blows my mind.  God is amazing.

134

"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."

Acts 22:16

I woke up this morning thinking it was going to be another Sunday morning at Elevation. I love serving at Elevation. I love serving the 11:15 because we always have loads of first time families. I was expecting God to show up. But, can I be honest with you? I wasn't expecting Him to show up like He did.

There were 10 baptisms planned during each worship experience this weekend. At the 11:15 service, Pastor Steven felt as if there were a lot of girls being baptized. He called out the men of Elevation, and asked 5 men to step up, be obedient and get baptized. More than 5 men got up immediately... more than 10 got up immediately. John Bishop was baptizing these men. Pastor Steven told the people of Elevation, 'If you are at another campus, leave and get to Matthews now. They will baptize you.' When I say people kept showing up, I mean... THEY JUST KEPT COMING!! People came from the other three campuses. How many people you ask?? 134 people. 134 people were obedient to the call that the Lord had put on their heart, and came to get baptized this morning/afternoon.

I had planned on leaving the Matthews campus at 12:30. Then, I felt led to ask if I could help. I helped out until 3:00. It was amazing. People showed up until 2:15. There was water everywhere. There were towels everywhere. It was amazing to help. It was amazing to serve the people getting baptized. It was an amazing day.

I cried on my way home today. I am so thankful to get to be a part of Elevation Church. I am so thankful to be a part of this move of God. God showed up in ways that no one could have expected today.

Wondering what the final baptism count for the weekend is? 203. That is 203 people who declared their faith in Christ publicly today. There were husbands and wives (one of which I know!!!!!), brothers and sisters, moms and dads, whole families...

Today is a day that I will never forget. I will never forget how God showed up at Elevation Church today. I will never forget the number 134. Although 134 was not the last count, 134 was the amount of people who were spontaneously baptized at the 11:15 service. I was in the auditorium for numbers 93-134. Those are not just numbers, those were all people. Each number is a life. Each number is a life who accepted Christ, and wanted to let the world know their life is new. People who responded the the call the Lord put on their heart. People who had walked away from Christ for years. People who had met Christ weeks before. People who baptized with their whole families.

I apologize if you are reading this and feel like there isn't much direction. There isn't. I am still just in awe of what happened at Elevation today.

My God

You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come
Psalm 65:2

Every Saturday evening involves me picking Corey up for church, volunteering, going home for a dinner. I love getting a free meal from my parents. :-) This was a typical Saturday in that. Dinner conversation always consists of discussions about our work week, how volunteering went, and any other news. There is typically a bit of conversation about why I do not have a boyfriend yet.

Well, just like any Saturday dinner conversation, we had to discuss my lack of having a boyfriend. Last night, this discussion got a bit out of hand. My parents began telling me that it is time that I get over Anthony and get on with my life. "He isn't going to knock on your door one day, Keirstin." "You have to get out their, Keirstin." "You need to have some fun, Keirstin." "It's lame that you spend every Saturday night with your parents."

I always explain to them that I have not felt the need to get out there. When God feels as if it is time for me to start dating, He will move me to get out there. I do not expect God to have my future husband knock on my door one day, and it be that easy. I do know that God has always told me when it was time to do something. When it is time, He will tell me. I will know when it is time. So, I am giving them that spiel. Then my mom takes it somewhere she never has before...

Don't you think God is busy enough right now? The earthquake in Japan. Three world wars currently going on. Do you think He has time to tell you when to get out there? He doesn't have time for that.

I was officially in attack mode. My parents do not go to church, and I understand that they do not think the ways I look at things are logical. I never attack them for what they believe. I began to rattle off reasons I knew my God would tell me when it was time to get out there.

• My God rescued me from an out of control shopping addiction by allowing me to spend my every last dime and have nothing.
• My God had his hands on my finances when looking at the numbers said I should have hundreds of dollars less than I actually had.
• My God allowed me to buy a car when I had no money in the bank.
• My God knew that in April I was going to have to start paying my phone bill and I didn't have money for that. So, my God allowed for my insurance points to go away. Now, I have an extra $200 a month.
• My God told me to write a letter to my best friend in a time of need. When I got the letter to my card, He told me not to send it yet. THREE MONTHS LATER, it was still sitting in my car, and He told me to send it. Two days later she got the card and said it was perfect timing. He knew when I was going to be in the right place to write the letter, but that it wasn't the right time for her to get the letter.
• My God has never led me into a situation that I couldn't get out of. Every time I have had a bad situation at work, to where I needed to leave, He hasn't let me get to that point until there was somewhere else for me to go.
  

My mom got very defensive. I asked her if she wanted me to give her any more reasons that I knew my God would tell me when it was time for me to look for my future husband. My God has His hand on every part of my life. I told her that if her god won't listen to all of her prayers, and have his hand on every part of her life, then it isn't the same god as my God.

So, to you. I want you to take strength in this post. The earthquake in Japan can't stop Him from answering your prayers. Keep praying. Have strength. He is an awesome God. He has His hand on every part of your life. Don't forget that.

They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.
1 Chronicles 5:20

Perfect

Warning: This video contains graphic content!

I have heard this song on the radio for weeks. The first time I heard it, I knew that God wanted me to write about it. But it took me weeks to figure out what He wanted me to say. I love this song.

Pretty, pretty please/Don’t you ever, ever feel/Like you’re less than/less than perfect/Pretty, pretty please/If you ever, ever feel /Like you’re nothing/You are perfect to me

Every time I heard this song, I was so comforted. God feels this way about me. He feels this way about you. You are perfect to Him. That was all I could think of to write this post. He thinks you are perfect. As I was trying to figure out how I could make that one statement an entire blog post, I looked up the video to the song. Woah! That video broke my heart. It is so graphic. Seeing how she carved "PERFECT" into her arm, and all the blood in the tub. It killed me.

Through that, God gave me the perfect blog post. Isn't it interesting how God works. Through a bloody wrist that had "PERFECT" carved into it, I saw God.

In high school, I struggled with fitting in. I got a job to buy "nice" clothes for myself. I thought that American Eagle, Abercrombie and Hollister clothes was all it took to fit in. I pretended to have this beautiful life. As far as I was concerned, the right clothes worked. I got invited to parties and hung out with the "popular" children. But, none of that changed who I was or where I came from. I didn't come from a great, happy home. I bought my way into being popular. I was pretending to be someone I was not. Hiding who I was hurt.

My sophomore year was tough. I hated hiding who I was. I hated not being able to talk about what was going in my life. I was just always dusting things under the rug. I began cutting myself. It was such a relief. I never told anyone. To this day there is only one person who knows that I cut myself. I never felt beautiful. I never felt loved. I knew nothing about the love of Jesus Christ.

I wish I had someone to tell me this when I was in high school...

Even if you don't fit in, even if you don't have a nice car... God loves you. God sent His only Son to save you! God wants your heart. He doesn't want you to hurt yourself. He doesn't want you to hurt. He loves you! He loves you more than anyone on this Earth will ever love you. He loves you more than your future husband will love you. God loves you. Jesus Christ died for you. Jesus Christ loves you!

Are you listening? This is to you. You don't have to be in high school. You can be a 25-year-old single woman who feels like she will never get married and looks in the mirror wondering what is wrong with her. You can be a 23-year-old man who has had sex with more women than you can remember trying to feel loved. Are you listening?

Jesus Christ loves you. He died on the cross for you.

Matthew 9:10-13 says While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'? On hearing this Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' For I have not come to all the righteous but sinners." No matter where you are coming from, it is okay. He still loves you. He came to Earth for you. Elevation Church exists for you. We don't exist for the saved. We are reaching people far from God.

I pray for the day that there is no one on this Earth who does not know the love of God. I pray for the day that there is no one who feels as if cutting themselves is the only relief to pain. I pray for the day that there is no one who feels as if killing themselves is the only way to save themselves.

Jesus loves you! Take heart in that!

In deed, the vary hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:7)