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"Mom!....

Watch Unicorn and make sure she doesn't get any ideas".

-Rylie's words last November as she chained her mystical pet to the chair

Unicorns are magical beasts; symbols of freedom and beauty.  They aren't to be tamed.  They are only chained at will.

Choosing to be bound, to be limited is beyond me; this coming from one who too often allows myself to be earthly tethered.

The world calls me friend; says that I belong to it.  The world feeds me; lies no doubt, but I gladly partake.

Here are some of those lies:

Lie #1- I must be the perfect mom; one who never loses important papers and never "loses it". If I'm a good mom, I remain calm while carting everybody around for activities, helping with homework and refereeing sibling rivalries.  To be the perfect mom I'm not allowed to forget lunch money.

Lie #2-My house should always look the way it looks when I have company over.  I'm supposed to have the ceiling fans dusted and toilets scrubbed.  The living room is not complete without the decorative pillows being fluffed and rearranged.  The meals I make should be made cheaply, while looking and tasting heavenly though low-calorie and low cholesterol.

Lie #3-To be, all that I can be, I must be (1. the perfect mom and 2. superior homemaker)  while looking my best.  To do this, exercising is a must as is the wearing the latest fashion.

Lie#4-When I fail at the above mentioned, I should pretend that I have it all together.  If I don't feel comfortable pretending, I can always consider ways that the fellow woman falls short, in turn lifting the spirits.

Other Lies from the world

-what my neighbor has is better than what I have.

-the moment where nothing seems to be going right (when I'm flat broke, my hair is flat and my tire is too...)

-that moment is everything.

- mistakes aren't meant to be forgotten; they're meant to be carried on my back along with my guilt and shame.  Women are strong enough to push through, carrying it all, right?

-if my children aren't behaving/performing properly, I'm doing something wrong

-my husband is responsible for my happiness

My ability is proportionate to my value.

My appearance is proportionate to my value.

My "being good" and "doing good" is proportionate to my value.

I know better.

And yet I stay, in the world and regretfully (so often) of it.

Though ransomed and free, I'm willingly on a leash that leads me in a way opposite to the everlasting.

It's where the accuser wants me as he whispers through the worlds' ways, "Watch Kristi....And make sure she doesn't get any ideas".

....greater is He who is in you

than he who is in the world. -1 John 4:4

I'd love to hear from you kristiburden@gmail.com

 

 

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Halloween is here.  And while I won't be sporting Dracula teeth or a witch cape I will celebrate with pumpkins.  Pumpkins are bright, round and cheery-especially the ones with  big jagged smiles.

I must tell you that I don't carve pumpkins anymore. They're a huge mess. If you've ever been a part of pumpkin carving, you know what I mean.

You cut a hole in the top of your pumpkin; which is no easy task.  Then comes the fun. Everybody gathers around to stick their hand in a hole which barely has room for one hand. You scoop out sticky, smelly pumpkin pulp. The stringy pulp and seeds continue to appear as clowns unloading from a small car. You can't imagine how it all fit inside.

I personally am ready to quit after pumpkin guts have been accidentally dropped on my leg or when my hands are covered in the sticky, stinky goo.  But really, this is when the "Pumpkin Project" has really just begun.

After your pumpkin has been emptied of itself, it's ready to get its face or design.

I like the idea of giving your pumpkin a new face , but it's not as easy as it sounds.  I've carved a few pumpkins and the result is a crooked smile and uneven eyes. I also dislike the fact that your pretty pumpkin doesn't keep its beauty; it begins to shrivel after time.

If you come to my house this year you won't find a carved pumpkin.  You'll find a pumpkin with its belly still full of that sticky goo.  I'm leaving the pumpkins guts inside.

Me + Dealing with Pumpkin insides=MESS

The last few years I took to gluing eyes and accessories on my pumpkin.  This year I bought spray paint and sequins.  I think other people have same idea.

You may choose to leave your pumpkin as it is; a faceless pumpkin can still be used as a  decoration.

I'm no artist, so enough about round cheery pumpkin decoration, I want to talk about you.

You my dear are a pumpkin; bright and beautiful.  But truth be told, you like every other pumpkin, are filled with goo.  Jealousy, fear, dishonesty and all kinds of sticky sin is inside you.  You and the people who love you can try to rid you of your "mess" but really there's only one who can remove the sin inside.  You know his name. When I clean out a real pumpkin, the mess is all around me and usually stuck on me.  When Jesus removes your sin, (as you trust in him), it's gone.  There's no trace of it.

He's also the master artist. He had in mind what your new "face" would look like since the beginning of time.  He patiently awaits the time where you invite him in your heart.  He's also anxious to do some decorating.  He wants you to look like him and be the "face of Christ" to the world around you.  That can be hard.

But he never asks us to live for him on our own.

What goes inside a completed pumpkin?  That's right.  Light.  God places his light inside of us.

God is in the business of making masterpieces.  With God's handiwork, the goo is gone, we have a new fresh face and we have God's light in our heart; a light that is meant to shine- not only on Halloween but every day.

Go on and get messy with your pumpkins.  Carve  or decorate to your heart's delight.  But remember, we're all amateurs.  Leave the real "pumpkin project" to Jesus.

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”

made his light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory

 displayed in the face of Christ.

 -2 Corinthians 4:6

(I heard an illustration similar to this years ago.  I couldn't find it, so I put it in my own words.  Is that plagiarizing?  Hope not.)

 Discussion questions:

What would be a creative way to decorate a pumpkin?

How can the insides of a pumpkin be compared to our hearts?

How can carving (or decorating)  be compared to a person when they become a christian?

Who can rid us of our sin/ give us a new face?

What does verse 6 and 7 mean when it talks about "shining our light"?

If you have pictures of your decorated pumpkins and would like to share, or if you'd simply like to chat, email me

- kristiburden@gmail.com

 

 

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by Mandy Arceneaux

– Sitting in a lounge of a local school, I overheard a statement from a female student that just stuck with me.  She said, “Whoever invented food did it all wrong.” She was struggling with the decision to eat one of her friend’s nachos or not.  She wanted that nacho, but was also worried about fitting into her Halloween costume at the end of the month, resulting in a comment that ultimately hurts our God.

He is the inventor of food.  He is the inventor/creator of all things, in fact, and He never created anything to harm you.

 Genesis 1:31 says “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

 

I could interpret her statement in a very different way and talk about the issue of self-worth in a demanding worldly society. But, for today, I simply want to remind you and myself that God is the creator of all things.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Bible tells us what God creates is good.  With that said, we also know that it is man that messes it up. Food was not created to be a bad thing.  God created food so that we may eat, and live!

Genesis 1:29 says “I gave you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.”

  We should be rejoicing with God and all that He has created!

    Go outside and smell a flower,

 let the breeze mess up your hair and be glad! 

Dance in the rain, lay in the grass even go eat with your friends.

Thank God for creating your friends, your family and most importantly for creating you.  May we also see the good in everything God has created, and thank Him for being so good to you, who is also one of Gods beautiful creations.

 

My name is Mandy Arceneaux and I am 23 years old. A year ago I took on a new responsibility as a Wife, and it has been my biggest blessing. Aron is my heaven on earth and I’m thankful to walk through life with him. I have the amazing opportunity to serve the Lord as a career. I work at the Baptist Student Ministry at Lamar University, discipling and sharing the good news of Christ on campus, all day, every day. I enjoy cooking, sleeping, exercising and playing with our sweet puppy, Nala. We reside in Nederland, TX. Go Bulldogs! (I married a PNG Indian, so that’s fun to say!)

 

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God wants your mess.

Your sticky mess.

The mess you unwittingly find yourself in

and the messes you create; when you've followed a recipe for disaster

God wants your mess

The small mess

 the mess you find yourself covered in

and your mess that lands in the lap of others.

No need to try and hide it.

Didn't you know?

God's in the cleaning business.

He longs for your invitation; when you quit wiggling and squirming, trying to avoid being wiped clean.

He's waiting for you to be finished in your ill attempt at doing your own clean up.

In the most loving of voices he urges, "Hand it over.".

Create in me a clean heart, O God, Renew a loyal spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10

I'd love to chat with you or pray for you kristiburden@gmail.com

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Another God's Girlies Event:

Geared toward girls in first through seventh

Bring your mom, an aunt or grandma

Invite a friend 

Or invite someone you hardly know and make a friend.

Girls in grades fifth through seventh will spend special time with mentors.  If you haven't been assigned one, that's ok. 

Come and we'll fix you up.

Sunday, October 28

3:30-5:00

Edu 102

Come learn how you're one of God's prized pumpkins in his world-sized patch.  Learn how he cleans us up and decorates us giving us a "new face".  You'll be reminded that he puts his light inside us so that we can glow for Him.

We'll also make a fun pumpkin craft and have time for prayer.

You don't want to miss it.

Register on Facebook; a head count will greatly help.

(An event has been created on the God's Girlies page)

Send me an email with any questions kristiburden@gmail.com

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I'm doing lots of walking down memory lane this month. If only that kind of walking burned calories. Alas, I don't think it works that way, especially when your eating chocolate chip cookies (for breakfast) while you're walking down memory lane.

Back to the point.

Hayden will turn sixteen in seventeen days.  I am filled with emotion.

I'm excited for him; sixteen's a big one.  He'll be licensed to drive.  Turning sixteen is a sign that greater independence is at the threshold.

I'm also scared silly.  He's won't be entirely experienced when he gets behind the wheel (alone) There are other drivers out there with too much on their minds; drivers in a hurry.  Does driving signal that it's time for dating?

How did this happen so fast?

We got a scanner recently which prompted me to go through old pictures. I've been looking at pictures of Hayden with his chunky baby legs.  I've held pictures and laughed at his common expression around the age of two; the one where his fists are balled and his teeth are clenched and he's saying "cheese" to the whole world. It's almost more than I can bear to think those days are gone.

My "memory trip " reminded me of one of the stories I used to tell about Hayden.

Before the girls, when it was just Jason, Hayden and I,  our first pastorate was in Chilton.  I remember one Sunday Hayden had been especially "expressive" in Children's Church ( and by Children's church, I mean the mini lesson that was given on the podium-for the world to see). Despite the harmful rays projected from my evil eyes, Hayden continued to talk, and wiggle, and.... flip.

He and I were walking home to the parsonage after church.  I remember gripping his hand quite tightly in effort to show the seriousness of the situation.  I sneered, "We need to have a talk when we get home!". Hayden's little feet scrambled to keep up as he said, "Can we pray first?".

I love that story. It's a story that warrants an eye- roll as I've told it a hundred times.  But for some reason my current recollection has brought about new thoughts.

Hayden was a mess that Sunday, no doubt.  But as I look back at my reaction, it's me who has the greater lesson to learn.  I can't remember if we prayed first or not; I'm guessing we did not.

Should we have prayed first?  Should I be doing more praying now instead of reducing myself to a tearful, anxious mess of a woman?

I'm certain I'm going to be doing some worrying and that there will be some misty-eyed moments in the weeks to come.

Driving.

Grades.

Girls.

College.

Job.

Evils of the world.

Marriage.

Oh what am I saying, ......in the years to come.

It's time to loosen my grip and

Even my tone

But I'd do best to take advice from a chubby cheeked boy and

"pray first".

Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Philippians 4:6

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I have a love/hate relationship with my computer; mostly hate.


I've become more aware of my computer's diabolical nature over the course of time.  This ludicrous laptop finds joy in pushing MY buttons (Hey, that's my job).  Still, as life's hardships are the best teachers, many life-important lessons have been reinforced through my connection with my computer.

Things I've Learned from my Computer

It is more by our own paranoia that we are soul injured than by the intentions of others.  The computer, and people in general typically do not set out to hurt or frustrate us.

Patience is a virtue.

The computer, like us, will hold on to meaningless information and "lose" vital messages to the great abyss.

When the computer is working slowly, purpose is not necessarily reduced.  Great purpose is often achieved in simply being forced to  slow down.

Save what's important.

There is " a time to weep and a time to laugh". We treasure touching stories and priceless pictures with which we're face to face.  Thank your computer screen for graciously sharing.

With Google we learn" there's a time to search and a time to give up" (though the "time to give up signal" is often ignored followed by another hour of searching).

Like most tools, the computer can be used to build or tear down.  The choice is in the hands of the one who works the tool.

Nearness can be achieved by means other than physical geography.

It's foolish to expect all response to be immediate.

With computers and humans, sometimes no response IS the response.  Accept it. Thank goodness this isn't so with God.

Not all information is necessary.

Not all information is edifying.

Overload will inevitably cause a "slow down" if not a crash.

No matter how hard you push buttons, if it's not working, it's not working.

Sometimes you need to walk away.

The same rule applies to the amount of TIMES you push the buttons. If it's not working, learn to walk away at least for a spell.

Being able to minimize and maximize what's on your screen is necessary.

Your computer can't hear your hisses, groans and urges to "Hurry!"; it only hears the old fingers tapping. If you're not talking in the right manner, you probably won't be heard.  At best you'll be misinterpreted.

And maybe the best lesson?

My frenemy (friend + enemy), the internet, in its limitless bounds taught me this one.

Have purpose,   as distraction will surely invite you on its way.

 

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It's Not About Me     Written by Jennifer Horner

When my sweet big sister asked me to do a guest blog, my first thought was….. Who me?  What could I possibly have to offer anyone?    I don’t have a story; I have nothing, no major disasters, no overwhelming life changes, nothing.  I was saved when I was eight years old, I go to church, end of story.  Who wants to hear that?

So, I searched and wrote and trashed many blogs. I have come up with at least 30 titles, but no story.  <Sigh>….  My sister is crazy to think that I could have anything of significance to say that you haven’t already heard.

Alas……… I have been prompted by the Lord to share my walk.

He nudges and whispers “You need to share where you are most vulnerable.”

Major sighing now!  You see I hate being vulnerable. (Don’t we all?)   I don’t want others to know the real me.  The insecure me, the” I think everyone hates me”, me.   But that is who I have allowed myself to become.

It’s no secret to those who truly know me, that I have almost no self-esteem.  Seriously!  I may seem easy going and happy, but inside is a raging sea of emotions.

Everything I say and do, I question.  This same lack of self-esteem carries over into my Christian walk.  I have no doubt about God’s abilities to do anything.  I just have unfounded fears that He won’t because I am not good enough to deserve His blessings.

I hate to try new things in fear of failure.  I hate disappointing people.  I have spent my whole life believing only the lies and hurtful words others have said.  Never truly believing “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  (Psalms 139:14.)

I was so blessed to have the support of a loving family.  But I continued to believe only the negative about myself.

In fact I can’t even tell you how hard it was for me to write this blog.  My fear being that, what I had to say was stupid.  I could just imagine GG’s readers thinking what a pathetic sister Kristi had.  How prideful I am!

 

That’s right I said prideful.  Who am I to think of myself in that way?  I am a born again Christian, made after God’s own image.  I am no authority on myself.  God is!  He saw me as worthy enough to die for!!   I now know that this insane need to be liked, to BE somebody special, to be accepted by man is another form of pride.

Who cares if I say something stupid, or what I look like?  It doesn’t matter if no one likes my blog or my Facebook status, or me as individual.

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!

I can fall on my face a million times and never achieve one single thing.  I could be hated by the whole world and myself; but it still wouldn’t change how GOD feels about me.  God doesn’t just use the ones who have overwhelming stories or the ones who have achieved so much in life.  He has use for us all.

We all have a story.  It’s God’s story.  A story about how a lowly carpenter who grew to be a man who would save mankind from the world….and ourselves.  In Colossians 3:23 it says this….”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”  So it doesn’t matter how anyone thinks about you, we are not here to impress the world, we are here to work for the Lord.

It’s not about me or you, It’s about him!!!! 

A few weekends ago I went to Women of Faith and heard Amy, the lead singer for Selah, speak.  Her story touched me because it was my story.  Over weight and fighting low self-esteem!  Anyways after her testimony she sang this song.  “You raised me up to more than I can be.”  Don’t ask me why, but this song is talking about me.  God has and will raise us up to be more than the world or our self-esteem will allow us to be.  Our salvation in Christ has given us the power to overcome ourselves.

Our life doesn’t have to be a novel or a suspense story to share with others about Christ.  We don’t even have to be an interesting person!  We just need to share God’s love because at the end of the day, it’s all about Him! 

Jennifer Horner is my baby sister.  We begrudgingly shared clothes and a bedroom as children.  Now, though the miles separate us, we share laughter and life; stories over the wires.  Jennifer is more talented than she knows. She's a no-nonsense kind of girl; devout in her beliefs. She is passionate, fulfilling the verse she referenced "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord....-Colossians 3:23". She, like most of us, is still working on the "not (working) for man" part. By the way, I chose that verse to describe her before I knew she was going to use it.  She's an awesome wife and mom of three.  She spends much of her time as maid and cook, but I know she enjoys a good book too.  She, like all the girls in our family, likes an opportunity to snap a good photo, like the pictures above she took of her precious kids.  She loves kids, and she especially enjoys her own.  I will long remember her caring for a boy with Down Syndrome.  She's a sweet mix of nurture and "we're doing this!".  I'm most honored to call her my sister.

Consider sharing your story on "A Thursday for Your Thoughts". It's certain that you and others will be blessed.  kristiburden@gmail.com

 

 

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I'm no dog lover.  Please forgive me if that sounds insensitive.  As a child, my family often took in stray dogs.  We fed them and cared for them.  But for the most part, the dogs we owned were merely part of the "living on a dirt road" scenery.  We pet them when they asked. They told us by their barks that there were visitors; rattle snakes and armadillos or an unfamiliar car. They often killed their own food, but they ate our scraps too (no Blue Buffalo dog food). I have never had much luck in training a dog. To be honest, there has never been much effort. My dogs know no tricks and they live outside.  That hasn't stopped them however, from teaching me some valuable life lessons.

Things I've Learned from Dogs

They don't mind if you're late; they're just happy to see you.

Just being present is often more important than wise words.

Removing the "dirt" in life can be unpleasant.

Mexican Lasagna isn't worth eating.

New dogs don't replace the old ones.

Once one's gone, even the small annoyances will be missed.

Dressing up can sometimes be more trouble than it's worth.

To protect loved ones, sometimes barking is necessary.

 Barking is lessened when a loved one acknowledges your reason for barking. 

Even the easiest "tricks" are not mastered if there is no motivation.

 

A little bit of encouragement goes a long way.

Feed them and they'll come.

There's nothing better than the love of the Master.

 

To really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog. ~Edward Hoagland

 

What's your canine wisdom?

Don't forget to swing by tomorrow for "A Thursday for Your Thoughts".  You'll get to hear from my baby sister.

To drop me a line-  kristiburden@gmail.com

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My website is currently under construction.  -Feels a little like life.   Laboring. Building. Bulldozing.  Measuring.

-Frowning when the results don't match the blueprint.

I have not been able to find my groove this school year.  It's what I long for in August after the chaos of summer.

Routine chaos. 

 That's how I refer to the school year.  Scheduled craziness.  It's a time of busy-ness, but I know the things that are coming my way.  There are set times for school, practices, twirling and church events.

Somehow this school year has managed to continually throw curve balls.  I don't like curve balls.  I don't like baseball........ with its strikes and the ump shouting "you're out"! 

No, routine chaos isn't here yet.  It's more chaos with a little bit of routine mixed in. 

Thankfully I can always depend on the computer (insert sarcasm).  I sat down this morning to post something fun, something upbeat: Life Lessons Learned from Dogs. 

I had it just like I wanted it.  I was ready to add pictures, my favorite part.  I'd found sweet pictures of dogs dating all the way back to when Hayden was three years old.

I pressed the "insert photo" button like always.  For some reason my pictures wouldn't upload.  I think I may have tried near fifty times. It consumed a big part of my day.  Things are supposed to work they way they're supposed to. I had Jason try.  I thought my picture gallery may have been too full, so I began to delete pictures from my gallery.

You may have noticed I unknowingly deleted my "fun feet" header photo.  My theme picture- gone.  Not happy about that.

So here I am......tonight........pictureless.  With only words.

And then I remembered the closing lines of yesterday's post.  Those words have pounded me with ironic force.

(When the pretty picture I have in my head, stays just there)

It's worth remembering that even beauty hidden from my eyes, remains deep within me.

Reflect the beauty.

Pictureless, tonight, I must dig a little deeper.  

.....but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart

with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which in God's sight is very precious.  -1 Peter 3:4

Even when the results seem disappointing.

Even in the chaos.

Even pictureless, be adorned.