Bride & Bridegroom

Well, Saturday was a first. This is going to be as vulnerable as I have ever been on this blog.
I went to the wedding of Erika Walter and Chris Snapp.
It was at University Baptist Church...filled with white candles.

They started with the Steven Curtis Chapman/Geoff Moore song, "Listen to our Hearts" and Erika came down the aisle to "In Christ Alone." I have cried many times at weddings over what I do not have (a husband) but this was the first time that I cried at a wedding over what I do have - Christ as my Bridegroom. This wedding was so worshipful to me. Thank you Erika, Chris, Logan, Megan, Mason, Jeff, and Teri for letting me participate in this union for all eternity.

Lady Bears Big 12 Champs

The Lady Bears defeated Texas A&M, 72-63, to claim the Big 12 tournament title game today in Oklahoma City. Baylor beat the Aggies for the third time this season.



This is so exciting since we lost our leading scorer two weeks ago. The team has pulled together to make this a true TEAM sport. They will find out their fate in the NCAA tournament Monday night on the selection show.



Kudos to the BU "Man Bears" who had a great run through the men's tournament by beating Nebraska on Wednesday, top-ranked Kansas on Thursday, texas on Friday. They lost in the Big 12 Championship game to Mizzou. They will most likely go to the NIT and will also find out for sure tonight.

The good thing about the NIT is that we can bid to play at home for the first two games. The semi-finals and finals are played in NYC at Madison Square Garden.

Lace Williams

Man how time flies. Last basketball season, some of my good friends were living at the cabin with me and Walker Paul "Lacedarius" Williams was born. He came home to the cabin and "Aunt Kim" quickly learned that early morning prayer time was also snuggle time. This time helped me gain perspective about my day...really, nothing seemed significant compared to holding a little person...a life, in your hands...watching him breathe and sleep...then to see him recognize familiar faces or voices and try to smile...just gums...then he was old enough to transport to the Baylor basketball games...where he picked up his name "Lacedarius" or "Lace" for short. And now, a year later Mr. Cutness is walking, running, babbling, throwing food, petting the dog, loving tractors, making car and airplane noises...wow, what a difference a year makes. Lace, here's to you...a toddler becoming a boy...I pray that you would continue to grow in wisdom, stature, favor with God and favor with man (Luke 2:52).

I love you little man!

Finally - I got my pictures from the fall off my camera..with the help of a friend.
Thanks Baker! So here are a few moments from last fall to catch up on.

First, the NOGS FIREPIT at the Ponderosa. My Bible Study girls came out on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and we ate some dinner and then took a hayride back to the firepit. We had to improvise since McLennan County was under a burn ban but we all had fun...till the husbands started calling around bedtime! just kidding..but the smores and the fire and some good Titus 2 talking....here are a couple of shots to remember that night:
NOGS with BLOGS at the FIREPIT.

Next, the Outdoor Adventure Rock staff came over for a little firepit action of their own, but they actually came on a warmer night and cooked out over the open fire...some were more adventuresome than those that opted for the traditional hot dog.

It is good to work with students. And, in Outdoor Adventure, there is no "10-second" rule...you just have to retrieve it before the dogs or other varmits. Kelli McMahan is the Outdoor Adventure Program Director and it is good to actually work with friends.

Finally, here is a head shot of me and my favorite bear (on my front porch).
My sweet brother hauled him back from Red River, NM one summer and he fits perfectly
(in the fam and on the porch).

Stay tuned later this week for the "Old Rattler" story and the ingenuity of my grandfather following the worst whipping of my life!

Gratitude Adjustment

As I try to navigate this world of technology, and find myself frustrated, it only takes a moment for reality to set in...this is not my domain. I grew up in the world of hand-written notes, party-line phones...only after college were the infamous "bag phones" created for cars, then came cell phones, the internet, email, instant messages, text messages, and Facebook. It is a wonderful world we live in with the capability to call our friends who life on different continents or to keep up with 100's or 1000's of friends and their families with the press of a button. My frustration melts into gratitude although I don't ever think this world will be my home...I'm just a'passin' through.

I am also grateful for the creation I see all around me. There are trees, grass, clouds, along with the sun and moon and stars. I feel the cool wind on my face and know I am alive in the natural realm. Yesterday as I worshipped in my home church, I felt alive in the spiritual realm. I am grateful to be alive on earth and moreover alive in Christ. On the dawn of a new year, I am hopeful that "...the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father loves us and had given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, [He will] comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work." (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

I am also grateful to have the time to catch you up on the past two months...from NOGS to Blogs to Walker Lacedarious Williams and Will the Thrill to Thanksgiving and Christmas and the start of 2009...Life is most certainly Good...just as is our God.

With a Grateful Heart.....

FREED FROM.... or TO?

OK, I have no pictures but I am going to try to give you and update on some of the lessons learned from Beth Moore's teaching during the re-taping of the Breaking Free Bible Study mentioned earlier on this blog. There were 10 sessions plus an introduction. the premise of the whole Bible Study is from Isaiah 61:1-4 and it parallels the bondage of the Israelites to believers today.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound...to comfort all who mourn...to give them a beautiful headress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of priase instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called the oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins....

There were several main points from the week and without stealing Beth's thunder of some of the poingant analogies I will share some thoughts:

• The least likely make mighty warriors. All of us have strongholds - those things or people that we are preoccupied with that are destructive to healthy spiritual lives. Bonadage is anything that hinders us from being who God created us to be. If we don't seek freedom - we will seek shelter, primarily in our strongholds.

• HEBREWS 4:12 - The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; piercing even dividing asunder soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

• YOU NEED A BULLET IN YOUR GUN - Having a quiet time replete with the Word of God is your ammunition. There is no substitute...not a sunset, a mountain, a beach, or any other created thing...not a song, or a poem...the only thing potent enough is the Word of God. So load up....there are shotgun shells that spray for a wide variety and their are bullets (or for shotguns - a slug) that are for a more narrow aim. Whatever your stronghold is, The Word of God has the ammo you need to derail the enemy.

• It's your choice: Bandage or Bondage! Is. 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...to bind up the brokenhearted... God is much more interested in our calling than our comfort. We are not FREED FROM ______ we are actually FREED TO _______ ! Many of us are under the captivity of activity. We do not know how to rest...we are busy, busy, busy. We check our email, facebook, my space, our text messages, voice messages, and mailboxes. We listen but we don't hear. We talk but our lives don't speak. We have been called to COME WITH ME...TO A QUIET PLACE...GET SOME REST (Mark 6:30-31). Just because there is a need...it doesn't mean you (or I ) are called to meet it.

This is quite enough to dwell on. The taping sessions were so applicable (as you can tell) and have given me much food for thought. What you see here are the nuggets I will grapple with for the next few months. How do I slow my life down enough to ...REST IN HIM, REST WITH HIM? Thanks for indulging me the priviledge of sharing some of the week with you. I will say that this study will be well worth your time and will transform your heart to be more like His.

Breaking Free from Work

Today I am off - totally off - not mentally (well, maybe) but from work at work and work at home. I have had a terrific month of November...first, I got a good report from my Dr. about my knee...still no load-bearing exercising - until January - but I can bike and do the elliptical machine! Then I took an entire week off November 10-15 and went to visit my good friend, Elizabeth, in Pass Christian, MS. During the day, I got to see her new world with her precious son, Walker Paul Lacedarius Williams.

Then about 4:30 each day we drove to New Orleans to Franklin Avenue Baptist Church to be a part of the re-taping of Breaking Free Bible Study - live with Beth Moore! This was such an amazing thing to witness. There is no way I can really describe it. I have tried and tried to see how I could actually blog about it...I am working today on narrowing down my thoughts to a few talking points....then I will post them later this week...since, as you know, I have the rest of the week off! :) so, stay tuned for an update within the next four to five days.


One final note on Redemption....this is the prequel for the 7th season of Jack Bauer and "24" that was aired on Sunday night. It was set in Africa and honestly hit a little close to home because it showed some rebels mounting a coup against the government and what Jack has to do to save 14 young boys...it reminded me of my time earlier this year in Rwanda and a bit of what it must have been like to live in fear and for children to be captured and forced to serve in the makeshift army. Anyway, alot of thought provoking scenes...but the very last one will preach...Jack gives up his freedom so that the boys will be saved...sounds familiar. More to come.