Life is Precious. . .

I already knew life was precious, but I was reminded how much so in a very real way on Monday evening August 29, 2011.  You see on this day I was involved in a very real car accident with my mom, younger brother, and baby boy.  I will start from the beginning.

While Mark left to go to Shreveport I decided to stay behind and go out to eat with my paternal grandparents, great-grandmother, great aunt and uncle, mom, dad, and brother.  We had a great meal, with Reid eating SO MUCH FOOD I thought he would burst.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship and were in good spirits when we left.  Reid and I went with my mom and brother who were on their way to Kohls to get Adam some dress pants for a new job he started that very day.  On the way out I called "shotgun" on my brother (first one to call it gets to ride in the front), just to be funny.  So mom was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and Adam was in the back with Reid-Man, and the mood was joyful, we had talked about how we were gonna get ice cream after we got done shopping.  We needed gas, but decided to do that after shopping too.

We are on the road that will lead us to the opening of the driveway to the store.  There is a traffic light that conducts a four way stop.  It is quite a busy light because it directs traffic from walmart and into a big shopping center, restaurants, and a big movie theater.  Our light was green so we continued on down the road.  All the sudden we notice a green Tahoe turning left, right in front of us.  We all thought, surely he isn't going to keep going, surely we will miss him, surely, surely, surely. . . BANG.

We hit the side of their car with force.  Not as much as it could have been since mom wasn't speeding and had hit the brakes as soon as she realized what was happening.  She tried to swerve to miss them, but we think they might have hit their brakes when they realized what had happened.  Before I knew it we were stopped abruptly, the air bags had deployed, and I was screaming.  I didn't mean to at all, and it is one of the few times that things came out of my mouth that I didn't have control over.  I screamed "Oh my God, Reid!  Reid! Reid!!!"  (all the while thinking "I don't say 'Oh my God', why am I screaming it?") My brother is in the back saying "He's ok, he's ok!" and my mom telling me "He's fine, he's fine!!"  I couldn't turn around and look at him though.  I remember my brother unbuckling Reid and getting out of the car, my mom getting out and going around to grab him, and me just sitting there.  I couldn't move.  I remember seeing the kids who were in the Tahoe, scared looking, running around, not knowing what to do.  I remember being surprised we hit them, I really thought we were gonna miss it.

All I could think was, "I can't move, I really can't move, can't breathe."  My brother said he heard me say "I can't feel my legs" before he got out to which he thought "Oh man I don't want to see that."  I don't remember saying that I couldn't feel my legs, I do remember saying I couldn't move.  I was in shock.  Adam came around to my side of the car and told me I needed to get out.  I told him no, that I couldn't.  He said "Kristen, you have got to get out of the car."  This is where reason took over, I thought to myself, "The car could blow up, not matter if you can breathe or not, you have to get out."  I took off my seat belt and got out of the car and stumbled over to the grass, off the road, listening to mom ask people to call 911 and to stay as witnesses.  I get Reid, see he has blood in his mouth, but that he had only bit his lip.  I then realize I can't hold him for long, that my back is hurting.  I hand him to my brother who feeds him the rest of his bottle to calm him down before taking him to my grandmother who we called and came to help.  I sit down because I can't do anything else.

Someone brings me my phone from the car and I call Mark who had just reached Shreveport.  I told him what happened and he abruptly turns around, as does my dad, missing a meeting he had a work.  I am just sitting there, talking to the 911 workers, answering questions, waiting.  All the sudden this lady comes up and hands me an ice cold water in a cup from A&W (I don't think there is an A&W store in our town) and a sack full of cold bottle waters.  This makes me and my mom break down as we thank her, she tells us she is praying for us, and goes to hand some water to the other kids in the car.  We got her name, but that is all.  I don't know how she got their so fast, where she came from, or where she went, but we are so grateful to her.  She was the hands and feet of Jesus to us.  I told Mark that I would like to do that if we ever drive by a fresh wreck scene if it was at all possible.

They ask us if we need to go to the hospital, we say no, and then sort through what we need to do.  Our car gets towed away and we go up to the parking lot where my family is, as well as my mom's friends, a couple from church, who were in town that night.  We all decide that we need to go to the ER to be checked out.  We get there, Mark shows up, I break down again, get x-rays, get Reid checked out (fine except for a few scratches from the straps), get meds, and head home.

So yeah, super crazy, eye opening, and makes us so thankful that we are all ok.  It could have been much worse.  Here are a few pictures of the cars.  They are taken from my dad's iphone.

This is a frontal view of Mom's car

The vehicle we hit.

The kid driving the car was 16 years old and didn't have a license.  He admitted to looking at the wrong light and going when he wasn't supposed to.

View of the passenger side where I sat.

Seriously one of the scariest moments of my life!  I am blessed to be here another day with a wonderful baby boy to train up in the Lord.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Do Everything

God is just funny awesome sometimes.  Even in the little areas of our life, He just chooses to show us His love, and that He is very involved in our lives, yes, even the life of a stay at home mom.  Yesterday the hubby and I went on a crossover trip where we took the 6th going into 7th grade students who are going into the youth group to a water park.  This water park is called Splash Kingdom, and it encourages it's patrons to first Seek the Kingdom using Matthew 6:33 in it's advertisements.  They play Christian radio throughout the park all day long.  It is a small park with a great family atmosphere.  So much so we even let the kids go around in pairs or more if they wanted.  All in all a great trip.

Back to my story.  We were on the way back, listening to KLOVE, the local christian radio station when I heard the lyrics to a song come up and then the artist start talking about them over the song.  I was trying to listen to Mark, listen to the lyrics over the artist, and all the time thinking, he is singing about my life!  I never caught the name of the song, but I knew it was Steven Curtis Chapman.  I said I would look it up later.  As soon as we got home, we picked up the baby, showered, and headed across the street for a prayer meeting and fellowship with some friends.  It was a great time, something I am so thankful to God for.  Once that was over, Reid and I headed to the youth building to go get Mark, who had left the get together early to go practice praise band for the next day, and found him, along with my brother, playing in there.  Adam was downloading some songs from his computer to a jump drive for Mark to download.  I took it from him, then once we were finally home and had the baby in bed, I decided to upload them to my laptop.  One of the CD of songs that was on there was Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD Re:created.  And wouldn't you know the first song on there was the one I had heard earlier!!!!  It is called "Do Everything" and I fell in love right away.  Here is the first part of the lyrics.  Doesn't the first part just sound like the life of a stay at home mom?

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

It was such a good reminder and such wonderful way for God to speak straight to my heart, that yes what I am doing matters.  Yes following His will for my life and staying at home matters to Him, it matters in eternity, I am making a difference even if it is just sweeping up the Cheerios that got away.  It also helps me to keep right attitude as do stay at home, that I am supposed to do everything as if working for Him and not for men (and wouldn't you know that is also what I read this morning in my quiet time in Col 3:23).  

All in all it has been a great week for me.  I have been working on not keeping tally and finding joy in doing things for my family.  It has been my prayer and God has been so faithful to provide.  It isn't an overnight thing, it has been a process, but it's wonderful.  

Here is the whole song if you want to read it.  You can also go here to listen to it, and here to hear the story behind the song.

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

OOoh ooooh oooooh

Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day

Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Well maybe you’re sitting in math class
Maybe anekatips on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget
to do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Ooh oooooh
Every little thing you do

Thankful. . .

Today I was driving.  That is it.  Just driving.  All alone, a rarity in my life now that I am a Mama.  No, there was no babbling baby, no radio, no husband singing slightly under his breath.  It was just me.  And it was good.  Here is why.

About a month ago my husband and I leant one of our cars (we have two) to a family in our church who had run into some bad luck with both of their cars.  They were waiting to be worked on in the shop and since the church where my hubby works is right across the street, we could spare a car for a couple of weeks.  Our Ford Taurus found a new home for a time being.  However, one day while they were driving it, it just quit working…

This was not good news for either party.  We brought the car up to my grandfather’s shop.  Luckily this man is one of the best mechanics this world has ever seen.  Seriously.  Most of the time you can just turn the car on, he will listen to it, and have a pretty good idea on what the problem is (and is right more than he is wrong).  This has saved countless thousands of dollars for my family as well as other families in our community.  He is a servant, a God fearing man, and a prayer warrior, a wonderful example.

This past week my husband and Papaw have been working on our poor Taurus.  My husband knows absolutely nothing about cars. Zero. Luckily Papaw is a patient man and a willing teacher.  He took the Hubs under his wing and allowed him to help in this project.  They had to take the transmission out, which took a while, and sent my husband home looking like a grease monkey the first day.  After this there was the ordering of a part (a Tork converter I believe) that they hoped would be able to fix the transmission instead of having to replace it.

Which brings me to today, when these two men go back to working on the car, and my husband the grease monkey reappears.  However, before they start their work day, my grandfather says to the Hubs, let’s pray because I am not real sure if this will work, it is a gamble.  So they pray for their day, their families, and that God would allow this $200 part to fix the problem instead of a $700 new transmission.  Guess what, at the end of the day, it did.

The best part though was getting the text message from my grease monkey honey saying he was done for the day.  When I asked how the car was he simply replied, “Working, praise God.”  Immediately I was so thankful for a husband who would work all day long on something and without a second thought give God the glory for it.  I was so thankful to have a husband who is unashamed to love the Lord.  I was so thankful to have a husband who would talk this way to me, and lead me to do the same by example.  I was just so grateful for this man, not another, that he is the one I get to spend the rest of my life with.

So on my solitary drive home, I thanked God.  Intensely thanked Him for the blessing of my husband.  Of a God-fearing/loving, praying grandfather.  Of the fact I get to be married to this guy for however long God sees fit.  I am blessed beyond measure to be his wife.  I prayed also for our marriage, for a strengthening of our relationship, for his stamina in being a leader not only at our church but at home, for his own spiritual life.  THis was such a sweet time with the Lord, one I am grateful for.  I am thankful for a God who listens, who hears, who blesses.  Thank you Father for quiet rides alone on a long stretch of highway when this mother needed it.

A God Who Speaks

Isn't God just amazing?  I mean literally just wonderful.  He loves us all so much and cares about us in such intricate ways and on a personal level.  Example A, He speaks to each person differently according to what is going on in their life right now.  I know, I know, this is not an eye-opening statement, most people who follow Jesus know this, but stop for a second and take the time to think about it.  I mean honestly think about the fact that God deals with me according to what is happening in my own little world (which is the smallest it has ever been in terms of size or what I do since I stay home, but the most full it has ever been because, well, I stay home), and yet with someone else, even someone who is essentially at the same place in life, He is talking to about something totally different.

 Ok so I am going to take the long way around to get to the point, just stay with me for a paragraph or two and hopefully it will all connect.  Here we go; I love reading blogs, especially from people I know/have met/ have a relationship with.  I have some great personal friends with wonderful blogs.  Take for instance my friend Jen, who has lost MANY pounds using weight watchers and has not only one blog, but two.  One for her personal life (found here), and another to chronicle her journey as well as give out helpful hints and other goodies (found here). Her blogs are so uplifting, and she is so spirit led, I am always challenged to listen to God and spend time in prayer more after reading her blog(s).

There is another blog I read written by my friend Meagan.  Meagan and I went to college together, then ended up in the same sunday school class (along with Jen) for a season, then had babies around the same time (both boys), and have become stay at home moms.  Needless to say our lives have started looking somewhat more alike then probably both of us ever thought they would.  She is a blogger, a great writer and when she blogs I am so excited to read what she has to say.  You can find her blog here (and I strongly suggest you do, good stuff), and read about what God has been teaching her lately.

This long intro brings me to this point.  Although Meagan and I are pretty much going through the same experience in life, God is using this time to teach us things that are different and uniquely ours.  For Meagan it is being vulnerable and real with people (strange because I have been dealing with this myself lately, but she lays it out perfectly), while for me God has really been speaking on being diligent.

Diligence is a word I never really would have thought about had I not been at this place in life right now.  I have always been a hard worker, and self motivated if I were doing something for someone or some other cause (such as sports, for a team/coach).  However, when it comes down to me just being my own motivation I am really not so good.  My ADD (literally, really have it people, not just saying it) kicks in and I start on one task, yet don't finish it before I move onto something else (hence the last sentence in this paragraph that I didn't finish writing before I wend to put in the links to Jen's blogs), or I focus only on one task and neglect other things (hence the writing of this blog entry when I have a half unloaded dishwasher).  This is where I fear I am failing and I do not want to pass this along to Reid.  So God has really been speaking to my heart lately on being diligent, staying until I get not one job done, but many jobs done.

I have been granted the gift of time by staying home, time I must use to make my house a home, time that I have to do things that HAVE to be done and not be dog tired doing them at the end of the day after working for 8 hours.  However, this gift of time can (and often does) turn into idleness on my part.  Time that I spend looking at facebook, reading, or watching T.V.  Don't get me wrong none of these things are bad, but when my house is neglected more than it receives attention then it becomes a problem.  It is easy to fall into the trap of idleness and not even know, and then not want to get up out of it.  However, it is something I must do.

So here is my experiment, a week of diligence, where I go to bed feeling good that I have accomplished many tasks around the house, not just managed it kinda clean it and get a little bit of supper on the table.  A week spent with my time going to more than just me and what I want to do, but to my family and what is best for them.  We will see how this goes.

Isn't it wonderful that God is a purposeful, diligent, God who we are completely vulnerable to, who sees every part of us.  Thank you Jesus for speaking to me, about me.

Star Light, Star Bright, BIGGEST STAR I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!

So I left you guys off where at the meteor shower. . . When I think back to important moments and nights in my life this ranks right up there as one that I will never forget.    Seriously, read about this night and you will see why!  Ah, I am getting ahead of myself, let us begin where I left off.

As I said we pull off this disinigrated old highway into this random field that just happens to be perfect for star gazing because there are no streetlights anywhere close.  We are there with the mutual friend Josh and my roommate Channin' who are all standing around talking.

I remember I kept saying we all needed to sit down, it would be much more comfortable, especially to me because I have tendonitis in my heels, I honestly can't stand for long periods of time, especially in one place.  Obviously Mark was thinking the same thing because finally he just lays down on the ground in front of the truck and begins to watch.  Now me, knowing I was highly interested in him (remember he had hung around with us before hand as a group), knew I wanted to lay down to, not just to look at the stars but to get a chance to talk to this boy, that I just had such a peace about getting to know.  It had to have been God giving me the courage because Kristen Jones just wouldn't have decided to lay down too.  So we are both layin on the ground, and there are a few awkward moments of waiting on everyone else to follow suit, but no one does.

At this point Mark thinks to himself "if this girl stays down here then I am going to take the chance to get to know her."  And wouldn't you know it, I stayed.  We laid there just talking and sharing our hearts about God, family, ministry, it was one of the coolest times in my life, something I wish I could go back and do all over again.  It was so nice to just get a chance to figure out what the other was all about, so much mystery and excitement.

 I remember at one point, once the stars started really falling (best meteor shower I have ever seen,  honestly, shooting stars everywhere.  This so sounds like out of a movie, but I swear it all happened), a huge, and I mean HUGE star fell out of the sky lightening fast.  Like so big it left a lingering tail!  It was the biggest shooting star I have ever seen or will ever see I am pretty sure.  Mark and I both see it and immediately sit straight up both shouting "Oh my gosh, that was huge, did you see it?!"  fully expecting the others to be as excited as we are.  However, nobody else saw it.  It was the strangest thing.  Even now as I write this post I asked him "Hey do you remember that huge star, you saw it to right, we both really did see it?"

This was such an amazing catalyst to our relationship, I could think of no better way to kick off my love story.  Isn't God just amazing like that, honestly, I couldn't have written anything more romantic.  I should have been expecting that of Him though, I mean the one who paints gorgeous sunsets everyday and made the whole world, why wouldn't He write an amazing love story for me.  In fact this is the theme to one of my favorite books about dating called When God Writes Your Love Story.  It talks about how we as humans want to keep the pen in our own hands and try to author what we want in a love story instead of trusting God to do it and to become the author of our love story.  Thankfully God had removed all obstacles in my life the year before, gave me a wonderful summer where I learned what it meant to truly love, follow, and trust Him with all my heart, and then and only then did he allow me to meet the prince charming he made for me.  Isn't He is amazing?

Next you will hear about when we finally made the decision to start dating and how that all worked out.