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Every vacation we have ever taken has included a visit to the gift shop. Last summer we visited a gift shop in Galveston and came out the proud owners of two hermit crabs.  Jason's parents laughed recently remembering a trip where they took Hayden and Hallie to Yellowstone several years back. They were steps away from a moose, ate like kings and queens and saw Old Faithful but  Hallie announced that her favorite part of the trip was the gift shop.Gift Shop in Galveston

 We're about to make our yearly trek to a resort in Colorado.  This will be somewhere around my twenty-eighth time to go to Fun Valley. I have visited the gift shop there at least twice as many times.

There's just something about being in that gift shop that I adore. For as long as I can remember there have been wind chimes gracing the rafters in front; a welcoming tune. Rows of new t-shirts are stacked neatly on shelves. And there's a candy section with chocolate covered raisins and saltwater taffy. I'm no shopper, but at the gift shop there's usually something just for me and a little something for the ones I love.  I could go there a thousand times, and still there would be things I somehow missed. And even when I leave seemingly empty-handed I know that there was joy having simply been there.

I take my children there.  I go there with my mother and sisters.  My nieces and nephews go with me too. They go with rolled up dollar bills and coins jingling ready to give what they have to leave with more than they came.

Though absolutely nothing compares to the Bible, the Bible -like my favorite gift shop- is a place worth visiting time and time again. It's words always welcome me. It's words are always new through the Spirit.   I can go to its pages and find words just for me.  For the loved ones on my mind, the bible has words of comfort, peace and direction. Through meditating on its lines, I bear the gift of love its words have placed in me.  There have also been occasions where I have been reading and the clarity of  scripture brings to mind someone who needs prayer or encouragement.  Even when I spend time in God's word and I go on seemingly empty-handed, that is not the case.  I may not receive revelation every time I visit its pages, but I know that time spent is sacred. I may not leave with a bag of treasures, but a bit more of the Spirit in me.

It is a precious gift, both to those who read it and to those we encounter as we live out its words. But I don't know its value.  Shamefully I have treated God's word like one of the many coffee cups bought at the gift shop; something to be used on occasion. It has been treated like a refrigerator magnet a proud symbol but nothing more.  Like a Fun Valley t-shirt I often try to make it fit me. I've hardly ever invited my children, much less my sisters, nieces and nephews into its pages with me. Thankfully one of the greatest gifts I find in my Bible is the gift of grace.  And even as I approach the words with small expectation, I believe the Spirit has greater things in mind.

My thought?- The more I visit the more I'll know.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. -John 15:7-8

 

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Why?

We hear questions roll from the lips of a three-year old. You may be going to the store, or to the bathroom and the curious little mind wants to know why.  I encountered a sweet little four-year old recently who had already experienced some difficulty in her short life.  Her mother was simply asking her to eat some of the food on her plate, and she answered aggressively "Why?"  It was more of an exclamation really.

Don't we do this as adults?  As adults and believers?  The first time my world was shaken was on December 17, 1990. My cousin and best friend Leah was on her way home from school.  She was going to come and get me; I was going to her band concert with her.  She had earned first chair.  I kept calling and my aunt kept answering, growing in her own concern.  We received a phone call that she had been in a wreck and that things didn't look good.  My mom and I took my aunt to the hospital; we arrived shortly after she died.  I remember clearly my aunt screaming "Why!"

Only my cousin's car was involved in the wreck.  It had been lightly raining. It is suspected that Leah swerved to miss a dog in the road and lost control of her car.  I know we all wanted answers.  We found later that her seatbelt had been faulty; she always wore one. But the answers helped no one.  She was still gone.

What causes us to ask questions?  It's not mere curiosity as it was when we were young children.  Maybe we think it will help if we understand why; like we have a bit more control of the situation.  Maybe we are trying to fill in the blanks. Maybe we don't know what else to do as life as we know it has ceased.

But even if we get answers, it doesn't lessen the pain.

If you listen to the news, there would be reason to ask why time and time again. You have your own personal pain.We hear of children dying. Abuse. Broken families. Senseless death. Cancer.  I know my world was shaken again when my mother was told she had cancer.  We have all had quakes in our lives, times we wanted to know why.

My mother called yesterday with tragic news.  A young lady very dear to my heart drowned.  I taught her in Mission Friends, Vacation Bible School and in second grade.  We wrote letters to each other as I moved away.  I'm heartbroken; for myself and for her friends that were with her, and most of all for her family.  I know there will be an investigation to try to sort out exactly what happened.

Knowing won't be a consolation.

Only knowing and holding to God will get her parents and her brother through something devastating like this.

On this side we may find little comfort, but we still won't understand.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

Now I know in part; then shall I know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

-1 Corinthians 13:12,13

Hayley now knows God in his fullness while we're still here broken.  Any answers or even wise words will not comfort her family. The love of God, in part by us will be the answer. The answer isn't in the reason.  In faith and in love we should pray for Hayley's family and for others burdened in sorrow.  We have to pray that they will trust even though their faith has been shaken. And instead of looking for answers, let's pray that these hurting souls will hold unswervingly to God.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day.

.......Be still and know that I am God.

-Psalm 46: 1-5, 10

Connect with me through e-mail www.kristiburden@gmail.com


 

					

		
		
	

							
	

				

						

				
				
					
							

						
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If only I could be that person that sees a burning bush;


       a sign that with Christ I am free.


I know burning bushes are still around.  


And as I find one, may I not rush on unphased.


 May I, in awe,


 remain with the one who fans the flame inside of me.




As Moses encountered the burning bush, he was commissioned to go and bring the Israelites out of Egypt; out of bondage. It was through the bush that God announced he would deliver his people. Moses asked God what should I say is the name of the one who sends me.  God replied,      I AM WHO I AM.


 God.


He was.


He is.


And He will be.


The great I am, who always is, sent Jesus as our deliverer.  We have been delivered from death.  But he doesn't stop there.


 In our going too much and in our going astray, we must be looking. 


 There is a burning bush in our midst. 


 A burning bush with a declaration of deliverance and an invitation


to stand in awe of the I AM.


Connect through email- www.kristiburden@gmail.com


-Picture taken in Kenya

					

		
		
	

							
	

				

						

				
				
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It just so happens that I had seventeen beautiful sunflowers waiting for me when I got home this morning. 


 It wasn't the first time my guy has given me sunflowers and I hope it won't be the last.  We are celebrating our seventeenth anniversary, but he's been giving them to me for longer. I once got sunflowers from him while he was away in Africa. I remember summers in High School and when we were first married.  He would pull off the highway, jump out of the truck and grab a handful of giant sunflowers from the side of the highway (or someone's pasture). 


They always brightened my day, even if the ants had decided to come along too.


 


I have always found it delightful that sunflowers, as well as other flower types follow the sun.  This is called heliotropism in case anybody wants to know.  Some heliotropic flowers are known to be fourteen degrees warmer than the air around them.  This warmth of course attracts insects which generate no heat on their own. -Never thought about it before, but I read that if you see a bee in the morning it will appear to be slothful as it has a dependence on heat from another source. Naturally bees and other insects find their way to an inviting stay in the warmth of the sunflower.


My point?   What smart flowers.  They spend their days bowing then reaching to the heavens taking in the sun.  Their warmth is attractive to those with none. The sun is so central to who they are, they even look and move like the sun.




Bring me the plant that points to those bright Lucidites swirling up from the earth.  And life itself exhaling that central breath!


Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light!


-Eugenio Montale


Crazed with the love of light.....If I could be any flower I think I'd want to be a sunflower.


 

					

		
		
	

							
	

				

						

				
				
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I started out trying to locate all of our pictures from the past seventeen years. That's how long we've been married as of tomorrow. Wow.  So many pictures to go through.  Our first pictures together predate the digital days. After going through our computer and saving many pictures from the past seven or so years, the computer misbehaved and those pictures scattered back into the electronic black hole. So instead I picked up my phone and found pictures just from the past twelve months.


Just want the world to know-


It's been a good year.


There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.


Many of those times were shared together this year-


A time to plant


 In June we said goodbye to friends in Trinity and were welcomed to Nederland.


A time to love




This is a picture of a great weekend at Marti's wedding and Great Wolf Lodge with the kids.


A time to embrace


I cherish the time we are able to spend together on my birthday.  This December we watched a play in Ft Worth.


A time to search


There were extra busy months.  Here we were able to steal away on Parent's Night Out if just for an hour or two.


A time to be silent


Quick date for dessert at Spoon It- No time for talk


A time to keep


Pictured is a more recent tresured day at Shangri La.


Naturally, not all pictures were captured. Beautiful, happy days with our children were spent.  This year, like every year, held times of busy schedules, growing pains, viruses, days with unmade beds and no milk in the fridge.  But today and every day


I'm thankful for all of our times.


June 3, 2012


Happy 17th Anniversary.


-Had to throw this one in



					

		
		
	

							
	
							
	

				

						

				
				
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You've heard it said; "Don't take it personal".


I admit there are circumstances where someone has said something unnecessary, hurting me or someone I love.  In those instances, it is definitely in our best interest to not take it personal.


But I like personal.  Hayden had pages of stickers with his name on them when he was younger.  He proudly stuck them on everything.


Hallie received an award for her DARE essay.  It makes her, and her dad and I proud to see her name written on that certificate.


Hallmark cards are great, but there's nothing like a hand-written sentiment.


I remember traveling on vacations as a child looking in souvenir stores.  Stores had the turning rack with personalized license plates and key chains.  I always wanted something with my name on it, but either they didn't have it or it was misspelled.  If my name wasn't spelled correctly, it wasn't meant for me.


Rylie received an end of year" personalized towel at school. It brought back to mind seeing towels in Jason's house with the names "Jason" and "Ann".  Someone was making an effort to say "This is just for YOU".


Of the million things that could be said about God, pretty high on the list is the fact that he is personal.  He created time and space the earth and everything in it.  He makes the ocean foam, the bird sing, and the heart beat, and he specifically cares for me.


I don't often shop there, but when I go to Pier 1, I usually see things there that make me think "that has my name all over it".  There are books that seem to fit my interests or needs.  There are people who share my taste and those who have had similar life experiences as mine.  But what I get from them isn't personal like God is personal.


He knows me.


From knowing the number of hairs on my head- to knowing my every thought; he knows me.  He knows my insecurities, my failures, and of my unfaithfulness to him at times....  He knows me.  And he still loves me.


Stop and watch that sunset.  It may have your name on it.


 


Delight in the bird that needed your rescue.  It may have been no accident.


Listen to that song on the radio.  It may be just for you.


Stay in that hug; the very arms of God may be around you.


Take it personal.


 


 


 


 

					

		
		
	

							
	

				

						

				
				
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"When did you tell me that?  I didn't hear you say that."


"I told you three times the other night."


"Well, I didn't think you were serious."


"So you did hear me."


"I might remember something about it, but I'm remembering it differently than you do."


What an awkward conversation.


Conversations similar to this have repeated themselves across our 17 years together. I never set out to ignore or to contradict or to undermine, but it sure has come across that way at times.


It's a terrible feeling when we have hurt the one who is closest to our heart.


Yes. This is how a conversation went after Rylie's graduation that Jason and I attended with one car.


Jason: I'm going to go ahead and take the two big kids.


Me: Ok. The car is parked on the street by the two-story house on the corner.


Jason: Ok.


Me: (Looking for the keys-He waits for me to find them then starts walking


without the keys) Where are you going?


Jason: Home.


Me :But I have the keys.


Jason: Ok.


Me: How are you going in the car without the keys?


Jason: I'm not.


Me: Then what are you doing?


Jason: We're walking.


Me:Why didn't you just tell me that when I was telling you where the car was parked and while I was looking for the keys?........


Our conversations, or lack thereof, can be frustrating and disconnecting. We sometimes remind me of oil and vinegar; a vinaigrette.  I love a good vinaigrette on my salad.  I occasionally make it at home for our salad. Though oil and vinegar go wonderfully together, the two ingredients have to be briskly whisked by a strong hand. And to keep the vinaigrette from tasting too tart, you have to keep whisking.


Communication can be a big source of frustrations in a marriage.  There are times that we are just not on the same page. It doesn't happen often, but it happens often enough to make me want to try to avoid it in the future.


One problem lies in the fact that men and women think differently.  We approach our world from different perspectives.  It is difficult to put yourself in the place of another.  You cannot listen well without trying to understand the other person from their vantage point.


Sometimes the frustration is compounded by assumptions we make.  In the conversation above I was assuming Kristi knew certain things, Kristi assumed I was going to do certain things, and you can assume that we broke from that conversation thinking the other was goofy.


We heard one another's words, but we were not listening from the perspective of the other.  I think putting yourself in the place of the other is the key to great communication.  If we are going to have great communication we need to be mindful to share more with each other than just the facts.  When we communicate feelings and ambitions and goals we are giving our partner a better foundation to be able to listen to us from.


Assumptions are easily and often wrongfully made when we we're not deeply invested in the conversation.  At Rylie's graduation, we were busy.  Many times I'm rattling off, telling Jason things he could care less about.  I approach him some times when he is exhausted. There are probably days he is wary to approach me at all. As different as we are, God is helping us gain a knowledge of what it means to listen and respect one another. Now if we could just be faithful in exercising that knowledge. Oil and vinegar. Thankful for a mighty hand that binds two hearts together that otherwise would have less savor on their own.


Do you have similar stories of miscommunication/ or lack of communication?


Our conversation was compared to oil and vinegar.  What would you compare


your conversations to?


Follow Jason at www.pastorburden.com


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My in-laws brought fresh tomatoes with them this past weekend.  Fresh tomatoes plus salt makes for one happy girl.  I can't believe I spent the first eighteen years of my life unaware of their tasty goodness.  Jason feels the same way about coconut pies.  And he tells everyone.  He received thirty-something coconut pies from our sweet church family one birthday not so long ago.  So shamelessly I decided to tell the world that I love tomatoes hoping that some sweet local gardener might get the hint and share one, or ten of those red beauties with me.


Hayden shared a fun story with me last week.


Every semester, I believe Philpott Motors gives away a car to one lucky student with perfect attendance.  With all the students crowded into the auditorium, questions are asked to all students.  Those students with answers that apply are allowed to keep standing.  When those hundreds of kids standing are narrowed down, remaining students are allowed onto the stage.  Hayden got to be one of those kids. The question was asked, "Who of you have the same name as the name of a place" to which Hayden answered into the microphone "Hayden Valley, Wyoming".  I so enjoyed hearing him tell the story.  I think he had the best time making it to the stage, and then getting to speak into the microphone.


Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8


Jason doesn't like tomatoes.  He's tried them.


Hayden didn't win that car.  But there's something about having been able to get on the stage. It must have been exciting to get one step closer to that car than those who had to sit on the floor seats below.  I wonder how it felt for Trevor, who won the car, to be handed those keys.


I know one thing.  As good as a room temperature salted tomato tastes to me, and as good as a cold coconut pie tastes to Jason, there is nothing compared to the goodness of the Lord.  Winning a car has to be exhilarating, but the newness will fade.


We can take a step closer to the Lord leading to ever-increasing glory in our lives, though likely there will be steps back too.  But as we proceed into His presence we will see that He is very good.


Taste and see that the Lord is good; you won't be disappointed! 

					

		
		
	

							
	

				

						

				
				
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This past Sunday, God's Girlies met, focusing on loving God through loving our neighbors.  Summertime presents the perfect opportunity to do just that as we tend to bend from our schedules a bit.  The days are longer.  We may do some traveling, but whatever our schedule we seem to have more contact with people.  So God's Girlies made a craft that will aid them in their reaching out and encouraging a neighbor,... or twenty.


I have to confess my admiration for Jeanne and Krista Bergeron.  They do crafts.  And when I say they do crafts, THEY DO CRAFTS.  They make it look easy.  They make it look fun.  And the finished product is always adorable.  Is it admiration or jealousy, I'm not sure.




 


Here's what they did:


They had the girls make a cute cloth pouch with a fabric piece. They glued and vel-croed the cloth to fasten it in envelope fashion.


The girls decorated the pouch with spangles, ribbon etc.


Small cards were made possibly using Google or Yahoo images.  The images were printed on card stock and cut-out to be placed in the pouch. Hallie's cards included verses, sweet sayings, jokes and cute pictures.  Be creative.


Application Idea:


Jesus says in Matthew 25- Whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine, you have also done unto me. 


 Loving the least of these may refer to loving those hard to love, those we're not familiar with, or those in need. Neighbors are those who are in our proximity and those we have encountered in the past.  Encouraging these neighbors in Jesus' name gives glory to our Savior.


These mini cards can be given to a neighbor down the street, the boy at the sno-cone stand, a cashier at Target or an elderly lady at a nursing home.  A card and a smile brings a bit more of Jesus to the world.  And it sends a bit of love to Jesus too.