Changing the world--one light at a time

These are scenes from my amazing time at Camp Worldlight, a missions camp for girls run by the Florida Baptist Convention. I spent a week at Lake Yale as the missionary in residence.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

I need to issue two disclaimers before you read any further. First, I grew up Southern Baptist, which means I was a mission friend, a GA, and an Acteen. I have a deep belief in gender-specific missions education, deepened by my own experiences. Second, my oldest daughter, Sarah Beth, is a counselor at Camp Worldlight, and so I do not claim to be unbiased or objective about the camp. I'm not. I adore camp for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is having such an impact on my girl. If you can live with those things, read on!

I have many, many memories of GA camp at Windermere, the Baptist Assembly I grew up attending in Missouri. We also went to some kind of Sunday School training there--my parents were heavily involved for many years in Sunday School leadership--and I can very clearly remember riding the paddle boats with my Daddy. I can picture the cabins, the activities, the bugs, the scary storms that sometimes blew through...all are clear in my mind. But what is most clear is those young women who were my counselors. I cannot remember their names all these years later, but I can remember their faces, and I can certainly remember the impact they had on my life. Through Bible study, nature hikes, worship and late-night talks, they encouraged me to follow closely whatever it might turn out God had for my life. Whether I was to become a missionary, a teacher, a doctor, a nurse, or a housewife and mom made no difference--they told me clearly that God had a plan and purpose for my life, and that if I followed Him, my life would have meaning beyond my comprehension. I believed them, because I saw lived out in front of me what that kind of life meant. They were wonderful young women. They were loving and kind and funny and all about Jesus. And I didn't lack for female role models--beyond my many teachers and church workers, I also had my momma and my two older sisters. But there was something about those young women I saw only once a year, for a week in the summer, and the way they didn't change. They remained convinced that God had a special plan for them and for us, and they remained committed to living that out in front of us.

And that is what I loved so much about being Mrs. Kellye at Camp Worldlight this week--those beautiful, wonderful young women who have given their summer to influence girls for Christ. They are funny and silly, but also deeply committed to what Christ has for them and for the girls in their charge. They are loving but firm, and the girls are closely watched and cared for during their time at camp. It's made clear that there are rules to protect them from harm. We don't swim in the lake, because there are too many gators. (There really are. I saw them.) We follow the rules so that things run smoothly and everyone has a good time. We pray because God listens. We wear closed-toe shoes because the ants will eat us alive if we don't. We go to sleep because we want tomorrow to be just as good as today was. Wouldn't the world be a better place if ALL of our children had the opportunity to learn these things, instead of learning to throw a fit and get their way? And certainly, these are things parents should be teaching, but I can tell you from my own experience as a teacher that many parents are not teaching kids how to follow the rules. That's why parents call the school and complain when their kid is punished for something they did. They don't really believe in following the rules. Isn't it nice to know that somewhere out there, a place exists where the rules mean something? Where they are enforced?

But it isn't just that these beautiful young women are rule-enforcers that makes Camp Worldlight such an amazing place. It's also the unceasing focus on missions that makes it so special. Everything is about Christ, His purpose and plan for each girl, and about our responsibility to be involved in missions. Maybe you didn't grow up Southern Baptist. Maybe you are attending your very first Southern Baptist church, and they have some other kind of programming for children. But what makes us Southern Baptist is our belief that our greatest work as the church is missions--near and far, next door and across the ocean--and that together, we can do far more than we can do separately. That's why the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board is the largest missions organization in the world. Our entire denomination is built around a foundation of going, telling, and making disciples. GAs and RAs teach that every week. And Camp Worldlight is all about missions. Ask a room full of IMB missionaries where and when they first thought about or made a commitment to be a missionary, and many, many of them will tell you it was at GA or RA camp. It's a place where girls can--without the distraction of boys--entertain the thought, maybe for the very first time, that God might be calling them to missions. Will they all become missionaries? Of course not. But some of them will. And Camp Worldlight will be the first step in that adventure.

I began by telling you I'm completely biased. And I am. I love GA camp. I loved it as a girl, I loved it when I was a camp counselor at Camp Nunny Cha-Ha in Oklahoma, and I love it as a missionary and as a mom. And I encourage you, if you have children who are the right age, to find a GA or RA camp where you live to send them to next summer. You will be amazed at what happens in their lives. In an age of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga filling girls' minds with who and what they are supposed to be, why wouldn't you want them to have a Brooklyn, an Amber, an Ellen, and yes, a Sarah Beth to speak God's truth into their lives? Why wouldn't you want a Mindy to show them that--just like on the high ropes--they are completely capable of doing anything God calls them to do? Why wouldn't you want them to see amazing women, like Anne, leading and being in charge? I can't think of a better gift to give girls. I honestly can't. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are giving your life to the only One who makes the moon reflect the sun, and that you, too, are headed to see the last Harry Potter movie this afternoon. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Waiting (and waiting and waiting) on God

Marc and I with Han at her school musical. I was very impressed with how good a junior high musical could be!

Han with Mimi and Poppy (my parents, for those who read this but don't know them). I am pretty sure they are enjoying every chance to be with the grandkids. :)

I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:3-4

As my entire house is still asleep except for me (I did sleep until 5:30--amazing for me!), I have time to finally post something about where we are headed when we return to the field. This post, my friends, has been a long time coming, and it has been an interesting faith journey for our family, because we have not known the place to which we would be returning until last week. So here's the story, not only of where we're going, but how God has used this uncertainty in our lives.

When we left the field last summer to return to the U.S., our understanding of our future was that we would be in Moscow. Our family serves on the Forward Communications Team of the European Peoples Affinity. (WOW! That's a mouthful.) Our team is spread all over Europe, living in the places where we work. So we have people in Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, and until recently, Ukraine. So we would be in Moscow, because Russia is our main area of service. (Our other responsibilities are with the European Diaspora Cluster, which is groups of Europeans outside of Europe, so there is not one main place where we serve that cluster.) We were fine with that, as you can imagine. If you spend five seconds with us, you're more than aware that we love Russia and Russians and people who speak Russian. Can't help it, we just do. So we were okay with Moscow. Not long after we returned to the States, the plan seemed to shift to putting us in Kiev, Ukraine, because our responsibilities were going to grow to include a good section of the former USSR, Ukraine included. (Have you gotten a good look at Ukraine on the map? Not a small place.) And we were okay with that, because we LOVE Kiev. Love it. Such a beautiful place, and no new language for us, and the people are honestly lovely and kind. So all was well for us if we were headed to Kiev. Then, about five months ago, the team started to talk about all coming together in one city. And that's when things got complicated.

We had the benefit of serving for a year on a church-planting team. There is something about being on a team with other people that is unbelievably beneficial when you're living someplace that is not your own. But then, as was planned, we transitioned into our "real" job with the Russia field. And that was a different business altogether. Not having a team in your city means that you can feel (it's a feeling, not the truth at all) like you are alone. We did enjoy our job when we only served the Russia field, but there was a sense of isolation from everyone else in the city, who were serving on teams, having team meetings, team dinners, team ministry projects. (The exception to this were our friends who serve the deaf affinity, who are also not on the city team.) So we had known both sides of the "team in the same city/no team in the city" equation. And we were honestly completely okay no matter what was decided. If the IMB put us together in one city, great--we love our team members. If the IMB didn't put us together and had us spread all over Europe, great--we'll dive in wherever they put us and make our way.

After some time of prayer and thinking and talking (and consulting with the IMB, of course), it was decided that our team would, indeed, come together in one city. And then things got REALLY complicated. Where do you put a team of five or six families? There was talk of several different places, with each place having benefits and negatives, too. Some families felt very strongly about one place, some another. But above all, we all wanted the place that God wanted for us. So in February, in a team meeting in Prague (Marc stopped there before heading on to Russia), the gathered team (minus spouses--lots of children on our team, and someone has to take care of them) prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And out of nowhere, with not a single team member having their eye on this particular city, came Vienna, Austria. When Marc sent me the list of the final four cities, and Vienna was on the list, I was dumbfounded. Shocked. Vienna?!?! Whose idea was Vienna? But as the team talked and prayed, and especially after three of the five wives on the team visited Vienna, we all began to believe that Vienna was the place. A great school, a city team who is excited about us coming, a language that one of the families already speaks fluently, and (for us) a desire by the strategy team for someone to minister to the large Russian-speaking population in Vienna were all benefits we could not have foreseen in a possible move to Vienna. We began to, very cautiously, be excited. When we got the news that Vienna was, indeed, the place...well, let's just say there was a little noise in the Hooks house. (Although Sarah Beth swears up and down that she will not be twirling around on the hills outside of the city when she visits. Spoil sport.) Lots and lots of rejoicing here, not only because Vienna is a beautiful city and a nice place to live, but also because it was clearly God's movement that placed us there.

If you know me even a little bit, you know that I am a planner. A serious, serious planner. Checklists are an every day thing for me, and they make me super happy. So you can imagine that months and months of uncertainty was...hmmm...a little discombobulating to me. (And yes, that's an actual word.) I wanted to know. I really, really wanted to know. But I didn't NEED to know. I felt like I needed to know, but that wasn't really the truth. What I needed to know was that God, not Kellye, was in control. And just before the meeting in Prague--in fact, Marc was on his way there when I came to this one morning--I realized in the midst of my daily time with God that it didn't really matter where we were. What mattered was our obedience to whatever God put in our path. I know from experience that God's absolute best for me is deeply rooted in obedience to His call and a belief in His never ending faithfulness to us as a family. And with that knowledge comes the strength to wait on Him. And His Word tells me clearly that those who wait on Him have their strength renewed. They walk without becoming tired. They have strength like the young. And those are all qualities I'm interested in having.

So we continue to wait on the Lord. We think we're headed back in September, but we don't know that for sure. We have some medical things to take care of before we head back. But we can wait with patience and endurance because we know whom we have believed, and we know that His faithfulness is beyond measure. Wherever you are in the world on this Good Friday, I pray that you are waiting on the One who loves you enough to die for you, and that you are so grateful that He didn't stay in that grave. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Dealing with Discouragement

The kids. I think they are on their way to John's basketball game with Mimi and Poppy.

Guess how we spent our spring break! (This is sand, by the way, not mud.)

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

I have to be honest--it's been a discouraging week. Nothing terrible has happened, but it has been one of those weeks that felt like we were walking backwards in our quest to return to the field as career missionaries. Ever felt that way? You clear one hurdle to find another three in your path. That's the way this week has felt. And as we have consistently made the choice to look on the bright side, to trust God, to refuse to be discouraged, it seems like the little frustrations keep coming. I want it to stop. I don't want to feel frustrated. I don't want to feel discouraged. And I definitely don't want my children to be frustrated and discouraged.

But that's not reality, is it? Sometimes, no matter what we do, no matter how much we choose to trust and obey, there are things beyond our control. One of those things is the behavior of other people. And to some extent, another of those things is our health. Now, I can make all the right choices, I can exercise daily, eat very few carbs, drink enough water to sustain a camel for months, but there are certain things about my health that I cannot control. Marc has high cholesterol. He's been on cholesterol medicine for a decade, because his doctor looked at the genetic factors and knew it was always going to be a problem for him. We eat basically the same food, and my cholesterol is pretty much that of a child. Is it because I'm trying harder? No. I simply have some excellent genetic factors. My people are long-lived and generally healthy. (But don't get me started on the hips I inherited from my father's side of the family. Ugh.) I can make every right choice, I can have good genes, but I cannot control everything about my health, any more than I can control how other people behave. So what's a girl to do with those little frustrations and discouragements? And what's a mom to do when those frustrations and discouragements are coming in the life of a child?

I'm choosing praise. I have to tell you what I told one of the kids this week--praising God in every situation is not always what I feel like doing. I am human, and when someone or some situation discourages and hurts one of my kids or Marc--my first reaction is a very human one. I want to make a biting remark. I want to hurt whomever or whatever has hurt someone I love. But you know what? That's not who I am in Christ. That's who I am in Kellye. And I want to work out of the strength and power afforded me by being His child. I want to love others--no matter how they behave. I want to be positive in difficult situations. I want to walk over the obstacles in my path with confidence born of knowing my Redeemer and trusting Him with my whole life. But it's a choice I must daily make--to die to who I am in Kellye and to live as who I am in Christ. And though it's not always an easy choice, it's one I always benefit from making, if only because I know Him just a little bit more.

I'm also choosing an attitude of thankfulness. (I wanted so badly to say attitude of gratitude. I love a good rhyme.) What do I have to complain about when God has blessed me so abundantly? An incredible marriage, a close relationship with my extended family, an amazingly close relationship with my children, a great church, wonderful friendships here and all over the world, a job working with people I truly love, teaching a subject I really love...blessings all mine, with ten thousand besides. I'm incredibly grateful for the adults who have chosen to invest in the lives of my kids--youth pastors and volunteers and chaplains and teachers who have made a huge impact on their lives. And I'm really thankful for those relationships in their lives with their peers that are encouraging and replenishing to them, that encourage them to be the people God created them to be. And you know what? Those relationships far outweigh the momentary troubles of other relationships. God has been amazingly good to us.

So today, even though nothing has changed about my frustrating, discouraging week, I am making the choice to not get caught up in that, to not focus on those little things, and to focus instead on the amazing God I serve and the incredible ways in which He daily makes my life worth living. And along the way, I pray I'm teaching my kids to do the same. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are choosing to praise Him no matter your frustrations, and that you are headed to the fair with your kids today, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

What I have...and what I don't

John and Han on the way to John's basketball game. So cute!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

So….I don’t have breast cancer. Yes, I know. You didn’t know it was a possibility. Or at least 99% of you who will read this didn’t know. About two weeks ago, on a Friday, I got a call from the imaging center where I’d done my mammogram two days before. They needed to schedule me for a second set of pictures and, maybe, an ultrasound. When I asked exactly what that meant, the voice on the phone said, “The radiologist sees something on your mammogram that he doesn’t like.” Oh, well…NOW I feel comforted. J So I scheduled the appointment for this past Tuesday, which was the first time they could get me in. I went in, had the second set of pictures done, was told the radiologist still saw something he didn’t like, and then had an ultrasound done. Finally, after a pretty scary hour of going back and forth with nurses and technicians, the ultrasound technician came and told me I as free to go. It turned out to be dense tissue instead of the mass the radiologist thought he was seeing. And so, with great joy and exultation, I went home, satisfied that this particular trial wasn’t going to be mine.

So why didn’t I tell anyone? Well, my first response was to have every single person I knew praying. But after some thought, I decided not to do that. First of all, most of the important people in my life had something going on in their own lives, with daughters and sons and fathers having all kinds of real problems, and they didn’t need one more thing to worry about. And if I wasn’t going to tell those people, then I really couldn’t tell anyone else, could I? My parents knew, but only because they asked a direct question that I could not avoid. (I can’t lie to my parents. It’s a rule. So I tried being evasive. They were having none of that.) But consideration for others going through hard circumstances wasn’t my only reason for not saying anything. In fact, it wasn’t even the biggest reason. Mostly, I wanted to test God. Not in the sense of testing to see if He loved me enough for it not to be cancer. I know many people who God loves very much who have been through various forms of cancer, some making it through and some having ultimate healing. So it wasn’t that. It was more about testing what God can do in my life in terms of my own attitudes and worries if I will just 100% surrender to Him. And it turns out, given the invitation to do so, God will take my worries and change my attitudes completely.

If you know me at all, you know that I can easily become worried and nervous about circumstances beyond my control. I can work myself—and everyone around me—into a pretty good tizzy given half a chance. And this was certainly something unexpected and completely out of my control. But I knew that I had to be calm. For one thing, there wasn’t anything to be “un-calm” about, yet. Only the possibility of it. And I was also faced with the daunting task of finding out on Friday and speaking Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night in three different churches, one of which was my own. If I was going to stand up in front of people and talk about how big, good and faithful God is, then I had to be calm. And I also had to mean it. If I had an attitude asking why God would do something like this to me—and yes, I realize that’s faulty theology, but I think it’s a pretty natural first place to land—then I couldn’t stand in front of people and talk about His goodness. What is a worrier to do in this kind of circumstance?

Well, this worrier prayed. And to be honest, not over and over. Not every day. And not for it not to be cancer. Because if cancer is a road I’m going to have to travel, then it is what it is. No, I didn’t beg God or make deals with Him. Instead, I simply prayed that next morning for peace. If God is who He says He is, then peace in the midst of a storm is mine for the claiming as His child. And it wasn’t necessary for me to pray again and again for the same thing. I didn’t pray about it again until the day of the second appointment. You know why? Because I didn’t much think about it again. And I had the very real sense that God was there. He was with me when I got the call. He was with me when it crossed my mind. He was with me in the waiting room. He was with me when the technician looked at the images and frowned. He was with me as I waited for word from the ultrasound. And He was with me when I found out good news. He is with me wherever I go. And that means He is with me in whatever circumstances I face. My sorrow breaks His heart. My joy brings a smile to His face. I am His beloved. And I am never, never alone.

So what if the results had been different? Actually, that’s what I was prepared for. I only shed a couple of tears when they told me it wasn’t anything, and that was because I was so calm if it was something. J That doesn’t mean, of course, that I was anything short of absolutely thrilled to learn it was nothing. I wasn’t going in search of a fight, trust me. But I know for certain that if a fight was to be had, I would not fight alone. And that, my friends, is the peace that passes all understanding. Wherever you are in the world today, I pray that you are finding His peace in the midst of your own storm, and that you are about to have breakfast with 150 moms and daughters, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,

Kellye

Confirming the work: Psalm 90, pt. 3

The girls at the beach

Han being contemplative.

I couldn't talk her out of getting in the water. Her little feet were half-frozen!

Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

There is, of course, much more to this psalm than the few verses I've picked out here. It's rich in not only meaning, but also in beautiful, lyrical words and syntactical structures. But the parts I've concentrated on are the parts that have become particularly meaningful to me over the last few years. And I have prayed few verses more as a missionary than Psalm 90:17.

One of the hardest things I've ever done is to leave my career. Teaching, besides being something I'm called to do, is very, very rewarding. I loved being able to see the results of my efforts, sometimes in an easily quantifiable way--test scores, essay scores, etc. When I walked away from that, I stepped into a world that isn't always so easily quantified. What data can I glean from months of language study, when many days seem like you're making no progress at all? When your husband and children are your main ministry, it's not always so easy to see the results of your efforts. (Ooooooh...company dropped in unexpectedly, and my bathroom was clean! I feel good about myself now!!) So I prayed often for the LORD to confirm the work of my hands. And because He is ridiculously good and faithful, He did in so many ways.

So what does it look like when the God of the Universe confirms the work of your hands? Sometimes it looks like happy, smiling children laughing around the dinner table. Other times it's a comment from a colleague I really respect. And sometimes it's just the still, small voice on a quiet night that whispers, "You are never alone." This past Christmas, it was watching my girls, who are so different from one another, stroll on the beach and laugh together, enjoying one another, creating memories together. There was a moment when I caught a glimpse of their relationship as adults--loving and encouraging one another despite their differences--and I was reminded that, once again, a good and faithful God had confirmed the work of my hands.

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that our mighty God is daily confirming the work of your hands, and that you are having dinner tonight with old friends, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Psalm 90, pt.2: Numbering my days

Both of my girls love the beach. This is Villano Beach in St. Augustine, Florida.

They also love each other, which is pretty nice. And yes, Hannah is this much taller than SB. :)

Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:11-12

One of the really interesting things about living overseas is coming back to the U.S. and being confronted by things in the culture that seem really strange. It's coming home to realize that Taylor Swift is a name you should know, but don't, and that the Kardashians are not from Star Trek, but L.A. It's also trying to figure out television, especially (at least for me) the fascination with reality television. I love a good sitcom, and I adore NCIS--they tell a story and develop characters. But I must be honest--I have no desire to know or be a real housewife from anywhere. Those women are scary. Why bring this up in a discussion of Psalm 90? Because it seems to me that what makes me uncomfortable about those kinds of shows (and a lot of American culture) is a lack of fear of the Lord and a desire for real wisdom.

Maybe I'm particularly attuned to this because an understanding of what real wisdom is used to be something I really struggled with--and sometimes still do. I am a teacher, and that has been how I identified myself for a long time. It was important to me to be smart. I know a great deal about my subject, particularly about literature, and I am very well-read. This was a matter of pride for me. I am an expert in something. And then I moved to Russia. And I wasn't an expert in anything. I couldn't plug in John's XBox without literally blowing it up. One day, not long after we arrived, I was crying to a colleague about feeling so stupid all the time, and she remarked, "Maybe God is stripping you of the need to be smart." OUCH. As I examined my life, I discovered that she was right. I had gotten used to depending on my knowledge, my expertise, my ideas about things. I had substituted my knowledge for God's wisdom, and what God calls wisdom--numbering my days correctly. In other words, putting together my life and my priorities in a way that honors our God, who is to be feared. He is not a genie in a bottle, who only comes out when we need something. He is not a feel good self-help guru. He is the God of the Universe, and He requires complete obedience, complete dependence on Him.

That idea--that our days correctly numbered are about God and His priorities--is the exact opposite of our culture, isn't it? Everywhere I look, there are messages telling me that I--and what I want--are the focal point of the universe. But God's truth tells me something altogether different. It's all about Him. Though the world tells me that my values lies in being thin, wealthy, and beautiful (and having strangely puffed up lips), God's word tells me that I'm valued because I'm His. His work, His creation, His. And that, my friends, is good news of great joy for all people.

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are numbering your days correctly, and that you are headed to your son's first basketball game today, too. Blessings to You and Yours!

His,
Kellye

Psalm 90, pt. 1: I am not the center of the universe, it turns out

Sheer goofiness. Hannah and Sarah Beth at the beach in St. Augustine, Florida, on New Year's Eve, 2010.

The girls.

LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Psalm 90:1-2

Psalm 90 is one of my favorite psalms. Of course, I'm partial to Psalms as a book, anyway; I read at least one every morning as part of my quiet time. But Psalm 90 is particularly special to me, because it is one I returned to again and again during our first term on the mission field. So I wanted to take some time to share with you why the different parts of the psalm are important to me.

Please know up front that I make no claims to Biblical scholarship; I don't know any ancient languages; I can't tell you that much even about the context, especially in the psalms. But while I love to study and know those things and feel that they add a layer of understanding to my reading of Scripture, I truly believe that the strength of God's Word at work in our lives is that we don't have to know those things in order to be enlightened and enriched by Scripture. I am often moved and amazed by just the beauty of the psalms and their application to my life at any given moment.

The first two verses of Psalm 90 put me in my right place in relation to God's majesty and power. In my life (am I the only one who does this?), I can often think that my life, my problems, my situation is earth-shattering and should be at the top of God's (and everyone else's) to-do list. I find myself whining to God, "But what about me?!?!" (Aren't you glad He doesn't just throw up His hands in disgust and pronounce that He's giving up on us?) When I am feeling like the world is firmly centered on me, inevitably these verses come to mind. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God. He has been my dwelling place; He will continue to be my dwelling place. He doesn't change, nor does His goodness and mercy. No matter how things look or (especially) how they feel, no matter how dire I believe the situation to be, He will never be anything but what He is--almighty, everlasting God. I cannot look at my life in the same way when I come face to face with the God of the Ages. I can be nothing but humble when I recognize that He who birthed the earth and put the mountains in place, He who is God from eternity to eternity...He loves me. He shows me mercy and grace beyond comprehension. He is God forever, and He is mine. When I call, He hears and comes to me. When I seek Him, I find Him. I cannot be lost from Him. I am His forever. My problems, my feelings, my life cannot be the same in the face of His glory.

In a world where everything tells me that I am the most important person in the room, I am grateful for God's Word, which reminds me that I'm definitely not. You know what? Being that self-absorbed and self-important is a lot of pressure and responsibility. It's a lot of work. And it doesn't bring me joy or contentment or peace or fulfillment. But a life with the Everlasting God at its center brings all those things. And though they may not make me famous or even infamous, those things are the hallmarks of the life I desire, the life that I most treasure. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are seeking fervently a life of fulfillment in God, and that your best friend in the world is coming to your house in less than a week, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye