Hello all, I only have a bit to chat as I have spent most of my time catching up on Beth Moore's blog post! This may sound crazy, but she really does feel like a mom to me. We have spent a LOT of time together and she has almost single handily taught me the Word. I will forever be grateful to her for giving me the greatest gift known to mankind! I want to make sure that not one single person reading this blog misses me say that the Word of God has totally changed my life. Today was my Dad's birthday and we got him a Bible. I don't think he has any idea how much this single book could change his life. (I don't think many people understand this concept just to be real honest.) I wish so much that I lived here and could read it to him every single day! I wish I could force him to understand the impact that it could make in his life. I wish honestly that I could shove it down his throat (in the nicest way of course)and force him to see its power. I don't know one single victorious Christian who isn't madly in love with the Word.
Ok, enough of that rant......
Something happened today that I just couldn't wait to get on and tell you guys about! Ok, for background info, Cross and his words...........well, let's just say they are few and far between and I keep telling myself that eventually they seem to talk so no worries. He has however caught on like crazy to the word and the sign, "more". J said it and signed it to him one time 2 weeks back and he has been tapping his cute little fingers together and saying more over and over and over! He does it when he wants more food, or when he wants another kind of food, or when he wants to get down from eating.......you get the point! Well, today, in the car, we were listening to what I would vote quite possibly as the greatest CD on earth (2nd only to maybe Sunset and Sushi by David Crowder), Jeremy Camp's "Unplugged" and the song is called "Empty Me". Lately the words to all the praise songs I hear have just been so alive. The song basically is a prayer to the Lord to empty us of all of our junk AND THEN.........at the end he sings "because I want more, I want more, I want more of you Jesus". I just screeched at this concept in light of Cross' new favorite word, us begging God to empty us out and begging Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to give us MORE of HIM! I pictured us as His children signing "more" over and over to our Father. Not for more stuff or more comfort or even more happiness, but MORE of Him and Him alone!
I also couldn't stop thinking about how that process demanded emptying!!! When I hear Beth Moore talk, I know she knows her Jesus like her best friend and I know it is from years and years of begging Him for more! Why don't Christians want to know Jesus as intimately as possible while on this earth? WHY???? I also know that prayer has taken Beth through fires that not many of us would dare to withstand! But at the end of the day, I do still want more.............do you? Do you want to hear Him more? Feel Him more? Talk to Him more? Know Him more? I pray that you and I both snuggle up in our beds tonight and secretly sign "more" to our Father and feel the chill of excitement run through our spines as we think about the reality of what that means! Go ahead............ask Him for "more"!
K
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Miscellaneous Directions.....................
Hey guys, our internet service will be cut off this week so I wanted to check in and say hello and give you a few random thoughts to ponder until I can get back into a wonderful coffee house routine. Nothing is changing, someone had just anonymously given us a glorious credit to Charter so we were able to get at home internet, but our party has come to an end. It is good for me, I spend more time with the Lord, more time with Cross and more time with J when it is down so this is probably a blessing all the way around, but we’ve been thankful for the time we had. I promise to keep you guys posted with any super exciting news! Love you lots and follow Jesus like crazy until we chat again!
K
Anything that God is, He is fully. He is fully good, fully sovereign, fully just, etc. WOW!
Why do I forget that Christian Community is a MUST? A few weekends ago we had an awesome meeting with our small group and I was totally reminded of how much we need friends in our lives that we meet with REGULARLY to walk through this faith journey together! This is not just good for “some people” it is good for all people!!!!!!!!!
I never dreamed we would have to wait this long for God to reveal a job/calling…….assuming is never a good idea, it almost always ends in a let down!
BE CAREFUL who you text! I sent Jeremy’s boss (who is also my dear mentor here in Clarksville) a text a few weeks back that I meant to send to J, but thank goodness it was nice and not naughty! She would have laughed regardless! Her husband asked what a "boog" was, how embarrassing!
I know now why people drink caffeine late in the day. The other night at small group I was super tired so I did something I never do and drank some coffee late in the day and MAN did I get a lot done before bed. When I got home I did more from 9-11 than I had done all week. I think that may be a bad sign for lots of reasons!
Quote from John Bunyan:
"Run, John, run the law commands,
But gives me neither feet nor hands;
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids me fly and gives me wings."
Victorious days turn into victorious months, turn into victorious years, turn into a victorious life! I say this all the time and these past few weeks I have been practicing what I preach, promise. For me today, not staying in bed, making a phone call to a friend in need, going to the grocery, paying the bills that I can pay and trusting God with the rest is a VICTORIOUS day!!!!!!!! What would it be for you today? I have friends who need to not have a drink today, to not call a guy when they are lonely, to not live in fear and codependency as they follow Jesus, what is it for you?
Quote by Jesse Duplantis If you are jealous of your brother or sister, you are now in competition with them instead of cooperation.
Quote from Kelly: Sounds like a good trick of the devil to keep the Kingdom from spreading, thanks for the insight Jesse!
Another quote from Kelly: Anytime we think things are about us we get into trouble, this life is about Jesus. When we think marriage, children, jobs, time or stuff exists to bless us we are flirting with danger, they are all but a tool to further the Kingdom. If used properly they bring us joy, if used as the world teaches they break our hearts!
Cross climbs now…………….so how am I supposed to baby proof that????
What if this was the year that I saw 4 of my biggest prayers answered, how much differently would I pray?
Grace summed up…………anything you have done right in this life is nothing more than grace!
Cross, yes, Cross C-R-O-S-S, yes, that is his name………..I say this a lot!
Yes, he sure does look JUST like his daddy…………….I say this a lot too!
And last but certainly not least, some lovely photos: Cross with his newest hair product, his first time eating with a spoon on his own, cousins (that should make life fun for the fam), my kitchen (this wasn't what I had pictured for decor), and Cross' (and mommy's) new favorite pass time, mowing with daddy!
K
Anything that God is, He is fully. He is fully good, fully sovereign, fully just, etc. WOW!
Why do I forget that Christian Community is a MUST? A few weekends ago we had an awesome meeting with our small group and I was totally reminded of how much we need friends in our lives that we meet with REGULARLY to walk through this faith journey together! This is not just good for “some people” it is good for all people!!!!!!!!!
I never dreamed we would have to wait this long for God to reveal a job/calling…….assuming is never a good idea, it almost always ends in a let down!
BE CAREFUL who you text! I sent Jeremy’s boss (who is also my dear mentor here in Clarksville) a text a few weeks back that I meant to send to J, but thank goodness it was nice and not naughty! She would have laughed regardless! Her husband asked what a "boog" was, how embarrassing!
I know now why people drink caffeine late in the day. The other night at small group I was super tired so I did something I never do and drank some coffee late in the day and MAN did I get a lot done before bed. When I got home I did more from 9-11 than I had done all week. I think that may be a bad sign for lots of reasons!
Quote from John Bunyan:
"Run, John, run the law commands,
But gives me neither feet nor hands;
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids me fly and gives me wings."
Victorious days turn into victorious months, turn into victorious years, turn into a victorious life! I say this all the time and these past few weeks I have been practicing what I preach, promise. For me today, not staying in bed, making a phone call to a friend in need, going to the grocery, paying the bills that I can pay and trusting God with the rest is a VICTORIOUS day!!!!!!!! What would it be for you today? I have friends who need to not have a drink today, to not call a guy when they are lonely, to not live in fear and codependency as they follow Jesus, what is it for you?
Quote by Jesse Duplantis If you are jealous of your brother or sister, you are now in competition with them instead of cooperation.
Quote from Kelly: Sounds like a good trick of the devil to keep the Kingdom from spreading, thanks for the insight Jesse!
Another quote from Kelly: Anytime we think things are about us we get into trouble, this life is about Jesus. When we think marriage, children, jobs, time or stuff exists to bless us we are flirting with danger, they are all but a tool to further the Kingdom. If used properly they bring us joy, if used as the world teaches they break our hearts!
Cross climbs now…………….so how am I supposed to baby proof that????
What if this was the year that I saw 4 of my biggest prayers answered, how much differently would I pray?
Grace summed up…………anything you have done right in this life is nothing more than grace!
Cross, yes, Cross C-R-O-S-S, yes, that is his name………..I say this a lot!
Yes, he sure does look JUST like his daddy…………….I say this a lot too!
And last but certainly not least, some lovely photos: Cross with his newest hair product, his first time eating with a spoon on his own, cousins (that should make life fun for the fam), my kitchen (this wasn't what I had pictured for decor), and Cross' (and mommy's) new favorite pass time, mowing with daddy!
Friday, May 15, 2009
An overlooked reality.........................
Hey everyone! I want to thank those of you who donated to the Pregnancy Center's Walk! I am super thrilled (as I said before) to kick satan's booty for trying to kick us when we are already down and making sure the Center's doors stay open is a fine way to make that happen! I have had something on my mind for over a week now so I just had to share it with you guys. As for a little update, the Bullock crew is still in wait mode. We are knowing deep down that the Lord FOR SURE has a great plan for us, we are just desperately trying to be faithful in the wait. Through this season I have noticed a super ugly side to our human flesh that I want to dissect with you all in hopes that we see it for what it is and call it what it needs to be called, U-G-L-Y some of you former cheerleaders are getting the jingle in your head already, U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, it's ugly.........
The topic at hand today is refining or sanctification. Please know ahead of time that when I say something that "we" forget I am certainly including myself in that category so remember that as you read, I mean "me too". Ok, so we somehow know that we are sinners in need of grace, but then we forget that once we are saved by grace that we are committed or binded to Jesus to become more like Him while we still reside on this thing we call earth. We also somehow seem to forget that we look VERY LITTLE like Him from the onslaught of our salvation, therefore it takes YEARS of work to mold these lowly bodies into something that resembles Christ. The key here too is that experience often is a better molder than knowledge. (We really forget that truth and act down right shocked.) THIS is one of the greatest lessons I have learned from this season, that although I love Jesus and certainly look more like Him then I did 5 years ago, I still need A LOT of work, thus a lot of refining and sanctification and this is a season of hands on learning instead of a season of scholarly class room assignments.
I could go on and on and on about how many aspects of my life look nothing or very little like Christ and I could go on and on about how I am slowly but surely seeing those ugly truths revealed and some of them healed as I have walked through this season, but I will give you only one small example that could be followed by a million. Some people say that "everyone has a vice" or that "God doesn't expect you to be perfect" and I would say to those people, you are absolutely correct. The only small problem with those statements is the fact that God does expect you to look more and more like Jesus if you are a child of God.
Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSES. For those God foreknew he also predestined TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
Oh golly gee does this help us understand why godly people go through hardships. The reason is sometimes because, although they are godly, they still have a long way to go in the process of looking more like Christ. One time when all of this began the Lord spoke so clearly to my heart and said "Kelly, you are so arrogant to think that you don't "need" this refining". Well...........what do you say to that! Now looking back, I am sometimes scared because now I really know how much more refining I actually need. I need a lot of refining to get my mind to think like Christ, to get my emotions to be like Christ's, to get my heart to beat for the things of Christ. I am just thankful He is taking it one downfall at a time. So here is my quick example, but let me challenge you today. If you are going through a super rough season, remember, chances are you naturally still need a lot of work and this season is quite possibly just getting you one step closer to the total body/mind/spirit make-over that you are in need of to look more like Jesus!
A few years ago I would have told you a.)that I was not materialistic b.)that I was a good manager of our money. Those were both lies I believed because it is super hard to see your own faults. Now I would say a.)that I was terribly materialistic and that now I am slowly getting better in those areas, really not even sometimes wanting "stuff" because I am seeing the dangers it intells and b.)I am thankful He has stripped us down to be faithful in the very small amounts of money we have before entrusting us with more. Both of these (even if slight) transformations have come through the last few years of refinement. Did you hear me say YEARS? Just checking...............
still got a ways to go,
Kelly
The topic at hand today is refining or sanctification. Please know ahead of time that when I say something that "we" forget I am certainly including myself in that category so remember that as you read, I mean "me too". Ok, so we somehow know that we are sinners in need of grace, but then we forget that once we are saved by grace that we are committed or binded to Jesus to become more like Him while we still reside on this thing we call earth. We also somehow seem to forget that we look VERY LITTLE like Him from the onslaught of our salvation, therefore it takes YEARS of work to mold these lowly bodies into something that resembles Christ. The key here too is that experience often is a better molder than knowledge. (We really forget that truth and act down right shocked.) THIS is one of the greatest lessons I have learned from this season, that although I love Jesus and certainly look more like Him then I did 5 years ago, I still need A LOT of work, thus a lot of refining and sanctification and this is a season of hands on learning instead of a season of scholarly class room assignments.
I could go on and on and on about how many aspects of my life look nothing or very little like Christ and I could go on and on about how I am slowly but surely seeing those ugly truths revealed and some of them healed as I have walked through this season, but I will give you only one small example that could be followed by a million. Some people say that "everyone has a vice" or that "God doesn't expect you to be perfect" and I would say to those people, you are absolutely correct. The only small problem with those statements is the fact that God does expect you to look more and more like Jesus if you are a child of God.
Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSES. For those God foreknew he also predestined TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
Oh golly gee does this help us understand why godly people go through hardships. The reason is sometimes because, although they are godly, they still have a long way to go in the process of looking more like Christ. One time when all of this began the Lord spoke so clearly to my heart and said "Kelly, you are so arrogant to think that you don't "need" this refining". Well...........what do you say to that! Now looking back, I am sometimes scared because now I really know how much more refining I actually need. I need a lot of refining to get my mind to think like Christ, to get my emotions to be like Christ's, to get my heart to beat for the things of Christ. I am just thankful He is taking it one downfall at a time. So here is my quick example, but let me challenge you today. If you are going through a super rough season, remember, chances are you naturally still need a lot of work and this season is quite possibly just getting you one step closer to the total body/mind/spirit make-over that you are in need of to look more like Jesus!
A few years ago I would have told you a.)that I was not materialistic b.)that I was a good manager of our money. Those were both lies I believed because it is super hard to see your own faults. Now I would say a.)that I was terribly materialistic and that now I am slowly getting better in those areas, really not even sometimes wanting "stuff" because I am seeing the dangers it intells and b.)I am thankful He has stripped us down to be faithful in the very small amounts of money we have before entrusting us with more. Both of these (even if slight) transformations have come through the last few years of refinement. Did you hear me say YEARS? Just checking...............
still got a ways to go,
Kelly
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Must have sleep...............
Ok, first, please go down and read "The Blog in Action" if you haven't already because I have a lot of work to do in that area within the next 2 weeks so please help out if you can! I wanted to give you guys an update on my Dad and thank you all so very much for your prayers. He is finally out of surgery and getting a good report. The first night wasn't so hot with dropping blood pressure, etc, but we finally got a thumbs up this a.m. which gave us such a relief! He will have to be in the ICU for several more days until he is off of the ventilator and up and at em' at least to some degree. Then he will be moved into a room for about a week. Super major, serious, surgery to say the least. I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night so I am heading to the bed while Cross is down for his nap (prayer request number 2, long nap Cross, longggggggggggggggg nap)! Love you guys oh and LOVE YOU JESUS FOR BEING THE GREAT PHYSICIAN!!!!!!! Duh, that should have been first, and now I hear Cross, pray harder! :)
K
K
Monday, May 4, 2009
Exceptions to the rules..........
Hey guys, I totally forgot that my Dad's surgery is today! I am in Nashville at Vanderbilt sitting with the fam..........waiting! It is a 4 hour surgery to remove an aneurysm. It is a very dangerous surgery so please be praying that it goes well. Also, as I have mentioned before that my Dad smokes and will have to stay in the hospital for a week so please pray that he will be miraculously released from that addiction! I am still fasting from posting because of the Walk but obviously not with prayer requests! I'll keep you posted!
Trusting (not worried) daughter,
K
Trusting (not worried) daughter,
K
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