Newtown, CT Elementary School Massacre

If I had a flag, it would be at half-mast

If I had a gun, it would be available but unloaded

If I had the words, I would comfort the survivors

If I could reach, I would hug those parents

If I had a wish, it would be to stop him

If I had a time machine, I would warn those teachers

If I had the answers, I would know why

If I knew why, would it hurt less?

If I had a magic wand, I would make the pain disappear

If I had a voice, I would yell and scream

If I had a threaded needle, I would sew up broken hearts

If I had a candle, I would illuminate the path to healing

If all the wounds heal with time, let time pass

If all the prayers could be heard by those hurting

If all the tears could be uncried

If all the blood could be sucked back inside

If all the bullets would melt into a metal door of protection

If all the shots heard could really have been the "pans falling"

If all the crazies could be confined

If all the guns were owned only by good guys

If all the children could feel safe where they should be

If all the hate in the world were overwhelmed by love

If all the evil they saw could be erased from their memory

If there is vengence, let it be God's

If there is justice, let it be swift

If there is love in my heart, let it forgive

If there is peace, let it prevail

Back to the DR!

You're wondering what this is! We are using all manners of technology to get the word out about our upcoming mission trip to the Dominican Republic! 

Daylin and I are blessed with the opportunity to return to the DR for the 3rd time this year. Since we've been in the past, we have established lifetime relationships with the people in Boca Chica, the village we stay in while we're there. These people are precious to us, and to Jesus - that's why we have to keep going back. To continue spreading His love to the people of the DR.

We would love to count on you as a partner again this year. Either financially or in prayer - hopefully both! If you have never partnered with us in the past, allow me to explain. The trip will cost approximately $1,250 each so we need to raise $2,500 for both of us to go. If you are able to sponsor us financially, you will help with the following:

* Installation of water purification systems in several locations including an orphanage, transition home for men and the prison. Waterborne illnesses are rampant in the places we visit. 

* Medical clinics in possibly two Haitian refugee villages, possibly a Dominican village and possibly at La Victoria, a maximum security prison for men who desperately need to see the hands and feet of Jesus touch their lives.

* Work in the city of Guerra, where the orphanage and several small churches are located. Last year we painted the walls and railings in their city park yellow. Doesn't sound like much but it made an impact on the city. Some of our contacts have said that the park is now a bright spot (literally and figuratively) in the city which was once cloaked in darkness. This year we want to do more improvements in the city, to have some sort of worship service in that park and another prayer walk around the park (we did this last year and if nothing else, it piqued curiosity of the town folks!) 

* Assistance to the local churches in the village we stay, Boca Chica. We have established relationships with a few of the pastors there so we want to do all we can to help their church's as their needs dictate. We are still in the process of determining those needs.

As you probably know, with mission trips to foreign countries, plans often change many times and could end up being completely different once you get where you're going. But these are loosely our plans. We want to do what the people of the DR need and spread some Jesus-love in the process. No matter what we end up doing, rest assured, your donations will be used for their good and God's glory!

There are two ways you can donate monetarily towards our trip...
* Mail a check made payable to Triad Community Church to our house: 4415 Garden Club Street, High Point, NC 27265
* Give online at www.TriadCommunityChurch.com and be sure to notate that it's for Daylin's and my trip to the DR (our church has another mission trip to Kazakhstan so we need to differentiate.)

Please take just a few minutes to check out these videos of our past trips. I'm not trying to tug at your heartstrings but I want you to see where we go and who our friends are down there. They are awesome so I want to show them off! 

2011 Trip -http://youtu.be/toRRPdMjx28
Tarantula 2011 - http://youtu.be/Md-i7pWE_wc (the person saying "OH MY GOSH!!!! at the beginning is ME!)
"This Little Light of Mine" - http://youtu.be/3Xhl83w2HLE (one of our pastors teaching the kids to sing)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to read this and hopefully partner with us this year. 

Love, 
Kim & Daylin

Back to Primitivity

Yes, I am pretty sure I made up the word "primitivity". But the reason I've decided it's time to go back to it is because, while I am most grateful for all the technological gifts I received today, they are so frustrating!

I got a Nook Tablet. Very nice, I'm excited to use it. But, I can't get past step 4 of the set-up because we recently changed from Time Warner Cable as our internet provider to North State, always out to save a buck. NS installed a new wireless router, and they set it up for us. However they failed to share the password with me. We haven't needed it to log into the laptop nor our smart phones. So, while I'd love to be typing this from the Nook right now, I'm waiting on an email response from North State and/or Nook Customer Support. What. The. Heck.

Secondly, we got D a new flat screen TV for her room. The girl has always had a TV in her room since she was a toddler so now she can't go to sleep without the sound. Well, recently, again to save a buck, we changed from Time Warner Cable to Direct TV. So now I can't figure out how to set up her TV. I am usually very good about such things but not this time. So dear Mr. Howerton is gonna have to come hook it up for her. Thankfully he's already offered to do just that.

So yeah, primitivity is the way to go because the only thing that's working from Christmas is my paper books, and D's candles. Let's go back, back to the basics of life!

Besides, B is watching a Call of the Wildman a.k.a. Turtle-Man, which shows a severely crazy little man in the hills of Kentucky who captures and releases wild animals for folks. He is a nut! They are a bit TOO primitive in the hills of Kentucky so I guess I don't want to go TOO far back!

New Habit: At this Moment (ATM) past few days:

12/11/11

At this moment, I am thankful for Nivea chapstick (the VERY best chapstick EVER), Graham playing his little guitar and dancing/stomping his foot, Amanda recommending The Journey, all the Growth Group leaders for giving up their time & energy to facilitate discipleship in our church family, that the movie Four Christmases just went off and I don't have to watch it ever again b/c it was really stupid, that Daylin knows the words to more songs than I can believe (I don't know HOW she learns words so good), and that I like to write stuff down. & Jesus

12/11/11

At this moment I am thankful to hear my daughter belting out Christian music as she gets ready for church, that Grant Gilmore has to stand outside to do the weather and NOT me (it's COLD!), that my husband is opening the doors at church this morning, that we are free to walk thru those doors w/o risk of retribution, that it's Sunday so I can take a nap after lunch, low-fat brown sugar & cinnamon poptarts, and.... Jesus.

12/10/11

long, good night of Christmas shopping, now I'm home warm & comfy in my chair watching Elf, one of my favorite Christmas movies, looking at my uniquely beautiful Christmas tree, happy. I am thankful for these things at this moment. (& Jesus)

12/09/11

At this moment, I am thankful for Godly council from wise folks, a daughter that loves Jesus and has a strong mind, King of Queens, the power of prayer, the fact that we are keeping Christmas simple this year, my blood family and my God family, my fuzzy hot pink slippers from my bubbies last Christmas and Jesus. Jesus is so good, I can hardly believe it sometimes!

12/08/11

At this moment, I am thankful for a wonderful place to work & the best co-workers, a soft, warm sweater Mama gave me for Christmas last year, a big iMac to work on, God's bountiful blessings and promises for the new year, two church families to love and be loved by, my daughter safe at a good school, my husband working hard to support us, and crystal light to make water taste better. And Jesus, I'm still thankful for Jesus.

12/07/11

At this moment, I am thankful for a solid church family, an awesome daughter & hubby, a warm house, comfy p.j.'s, my cushy chair, a pretty Christmas tree (sans ornaments), a big TV to watch basketball on, a very soft yet firm bed to sleep in, and that my hair is long enough to pull into a ponytail. And, oh yeah, Jesus. I'm thankful for Jesus.

God Moved Into the Neighborhood

"I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making His home with men and women! They're His people, He's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone."  Rev. 21: 3 -5ish
     I love the way Eugene Peterson, the person responsible for The Message version of the Word, puts it: "God has moved into the neighborhood".  Clarke's Commentary puts it this way, " The tabernacle of God is with men - God, in the most especial manner, dwells among His followers, diffusing His LIGHT and life everywhere."  

     At Christmastime, if you live anywhere near Greensboro, NC, you may have driven down Friendly Avenue to shop.  And if it's nighttime, a neighborhood called Sunset Hills has probably caught your eye.  Quickly your childhood imagination kicked in and you just HAD to drive through this magical neighborhood.  
     It's like candyland - this vast neighborhood of the classic older homes with huge oak trees has created a moment, a tradition, a memory for all who are blessed to see it.  This neighborhood has come together - which is rare in itself anymore - to make lighted Christmas balls and hang them high in the trees bare of leaves now.  They create a spectacular atmosphere of unity, old fashioned Christmas, taking time to slowly take it all in.  It's such a sight to behold, magical!
     The folks who started this wonderful tradition, John and Anne Smith, were inspired by their daughter home from college for Christmas.  The daughter had seen one of these lighted Christmas balls in Raleigh and knew that her fun-loving family would enjoy making them and launching them into their tall trees (they use a homemade potato gun to get the lights up into the tall trees!).  That was many years ago, it took a few years for their idea to catch on but now the neighborhood has an annual workshop where they all come together the Sunday after Thanksgiving to make and set up the wonderland.  
     Traffic is a nightmare during the holidays, but when you mosey through this neighborhood, cars lined up ear to tail, you don't mind a bit.  Because you want to drive super slow, with your car lights turned off please, to soak it all in.  You try to take pictures but once you see the printed picture, you realize it doesn't do justice to magicalosity (yep, made that up) of what you just experienced.  It's truly one of those things you have to see to understand.
     Since the neighborhood gets so much traffic, 25-50 cars an hours they say, some folks wanted to "cash in" on the attention the neighborhood was receiving.  It's told that some neighbors wanted to begin charging the public to drive through. That idea never got traction, thankfully because how tacky is that!?!  However, the idea that did get traction and has taken off like a rocket is the collection of canned goods to help local food banks stay stocked up during the winter.  Last year alone over 4,000 pounds of food was donated to Second Harvest!  Amazing!
     Like God is the light of my faith, these lighted Christmas balls generate a feeling of nostalgia.  That is not to say that my God is old-fashioned, not by any means.  He is as fresh, pertinent and vibrant today as He was for the Old Testament folks.  What I mean by His light generating nostalgia is that it takes you back to your roots.  Back to basic humanity treating each other with respect and dignity.  Back to a time when you were a kid and you didn't know that someday you'd have to worry about bills, leaking roofs, raising teenagers, caring for aging loved ones, etc., etc., etc.  The light of this neighborhood is not unlike the light of my Jesus.  He, just like the neighborhood, doesn't have big signs advertising how great He is.  There are no television spots during Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.  He sits just to your side, a bright shining light, just waiting for you to notice Him, to see His brilliance so amazing that you just HAVE to go see what it is.  
     And when you do make that decision to go to Him, trust me, you don't want to drive fast, you want to make every moment with Him special, you want to soak Him all in.  For He is magical.  He came into the neighborhood, the neighborhood of this earth, in a lowly stable. Born to parents who were just willing participants in God's plan but were really unsure of what was going on.  He dwelt among us, and if you've accepted His light, He dwells in you.  We are His tabernacle now.  And as the vessel of the living, loving, bright-shining Son of God, we have to carry out His ministry.  We have to light up inside ourselves and shine forth His glory in our lives.  We have to be that magnet that draws people to Himself.  
     So turn on your lights - make them bright and shiny and high up for all to see.  YOU are, I AM, a lighted Christmas ball on display not just during the holidays but everyday.  We are lights of His holiness inside us, shining for all the world to see His Glory!


If you live in NC and want to see the actual neighborhood, you will find it just off Wendover near Friendly Shopping Center.  Watch this video to learn how it got started and how you can make your own.  It. Is. So. Cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkf2DmF_-3w&feature=player_embedded

Hello, my name is Kim and...

... I am addicted to... BUTTONS!
Yes, I admit it, in front of God and everyone on the world wide webbyola. I am addicted to buttons. Not just any ol' button mind you, but vintage, special, beautiful buttons. Buttons that make me gasp. Buttons that make me wonder what kind of person originally used them. What type of garment were they on? Some of them are so intricate and lovely, I wonder if the woman wearing them counted them as jewelry. Maybe if she wasn't able to afford real jewelry, but could save up and splurge on these beautiful buttons to somehow take the place of the expensive stuff.
So while most may think it's a crazy obsession, I personally consider it a link to the past. A beautiful, fascinating tangible remnant of the women before me - who may have had the same addiction as me!

Martha to Mary

Almost everyday we hear someone say, "this will change your life". I hear it just about every Sunday at church and at least a few times a day on TV or the radio. They could be referring to anything from the New York Times Best Seller to the Perfect Brownie pan (you know, that thingy that divides the brownies as they bake...)

I recently got a taste of a real honest-to-God, "life changing" experience. All of my life I've gone to church and was brought up in a Christian home by a loving, Christian family on all sides. I was raised a Methodist but was exposed to many different denominations along the way. I guess that's how I ended up claiming "non-denominational" as adult. I went to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, attended Music Camp, grew up in the Youth Group, sang in the Chancel Choir. I've been to retreats, conferences, pilgrimages. I've served in most every capacity from nursery keeper to Deacon. But guess what I'm doing now... nothing.

Well some would put it that way. In actuality, what I've done is changed from being a "Martha" to being a "Mary". Read Luke 10:38 - 42 for the story.

I was Martha for many years, and the worst part is, I totally knew it. I always did whatever needed to be done to prepare for Jesus, to prepare for others to worship and learn, to do all the administrative tasks, all the coordination and organization (I'm not saying I did it alone, I'm saying that was my main focus). It took God using what seemed like a stumbling block in my way to make me stop the madness and put HIM first.

Now I am free. I have released myself from all the serving and have been released by others. Now I can be a Mary. Mary who chose instead to sit and just take in what Jesus had to say. She knew there was food to be prepared, but she didn't worry about it. She didn't try to figure out how to publicize that Jesus was in her house. Mary knew that there were cobwebs in the corners and dust on the piano, but she didn't care! All she was concerned about was sitting at the feet of her Lord and taking in all He had to say.

That's my "life changing" experience. Not some great sermon or intellectually stimulating book or even a perfectly separated brownie. My life changing experience was God using a not-so-great experience to change me from a Martha to a Mary. I hope I never go back.