Hey guys, Bryan and I are condensing our blogs to just one - i know so sad...we just thought it would be easier on everyone if they only had to check just one! And maybe there will be more posts! So heres the new blog address:

www.kbisbell.blogspot.com

Fuel 08

"Words fail me this morning as I try to process and explain what we saw and what happened on the mountain. Your presence leaves us speechless, yet changed, and our actions become the microphone for what happened on the mountain." (my journal)

As people have asked me about camp, a huge smile and joy has come to my lips in a huge grin, as I have said, it was great! However, I always feel as though my words fail to fully express just how great it was and the life change that happened. However, I know that what happened on the mountain needs to be shared, and that the life change that happened in us will be revealed in our changed actions.

This is a song that has come to my mind all week. Its by one of my favorite musicians, Bebo Norman.

It's a better place
Standing high upon this mountain
I've seen your face
Full of the light that only this height can show
A blistered hand is what you've given
But we've been given all we'll ever need to know

So walk down this mountain
With your heart held high
Follow in the footsteps of your maker
With this love that's gone before you
And these people at your side
If you offer up your broken cup
You will taste the meaning of this life

It's a common ground
And I see we're all still standing
Just look around and you'll find
The very face of God
He's walking down into the distance
He's walking down to where the masses are

No Regrets

As we wrapped up our No Regrets series at church this Sunday, I have been processing all of it the last couple of days.

Right after we got married/graduated from college, Bryan and I had to make a decision about our future. I wanted to go on staff with a ministry more than anything, and I had prayed about and so had Bryan and we felt peace so we moved forward. However, as we began raising our support, the money was just not coming in. At first we continued to trust God, knowing that He would be faithful to provide. After several months of this though, we decided to go back to our knees to hear from Him again, and the still soft voice whispered, "this is a good thing, but not the best thing". We know God would have used us in that place, but it wasn't the best. This phrase has come back across my mind as I have processed living with no regrets.

I want God's best for my life, but I know that in order to get to that place I'm going to have to take risks. I can play it safe and have what is good, but to have what is best involves risk and trusting Him. I can love those who are easy to love and love me back, but loving those who might not give me anything back or who are hard to love will involve risk, but it will also allow me to become more like Christ. I can conform to the world and who it says I should be, and have a good life, but choosing who Christ says I am and living for eternal purposes will be much more satisfying.

I know I will not always choose correctly, because its comfortable to play it safe, but I want to at least live a life pursuing the choices with no regrets.

4 X's

Birds are out to get me...

Today Bryan and I had were enjoying the beautiful day on Samford Lawn, in the Lovliest Village on the Plains(Auburn University). Spring in Auburn is definitely one of my favorites! We were also both enjoying meals from our favorite restaurant in Auburn. As I was indulging in my turkey wrap and sweet potato chips from Amsterdam Cafe a bird dropped a present right on my leg!!! Now this would not be so dramatic were it not the FOURTH time in my life that this has happened-please tell me this is some sort of record!

Twice I have been "gifted" on the head and now twice on some other area of my body. This may have something to do with the target a blue bird pecked into my head sometime in elementary school when I walked too close to her nest of baby blue birds, but I do think I have paid my dues for innocently trespassing while going to my swing set.

However, it provided a great laugh for us and a wonderful memory of our picnic on the plains!

(Just make sure not to walk too close to me when birds are nearby. )

As a senior at Auburn, I had no idea that graduating and "growing up" would also mean no TCBY. Growing up, every Sunday night after church we would stop by TCBY on the way home. It was one of the first places I got to drive after getting my drivers license. So you can imagine my disappointment when it closed in Montgomery. Not to despair, when I moved to Auburn I was elated to find the 4 beautiful letters. However, my weekly(sometimes twice weekly) visits to TCBY came to a sad end after we moved away from Auburn(and I'm sure their profits saw a slight decline as well). Over the last two years, my TCBY visits have been very few. Yesterday I had a serious craving and was happy to find a TCBY on the way home and enjoyed every single bite of my White Chocolate Mouse with Reese's cups shiver on the way home today! Although its not really convenient for a daily basis, it is close enough for once or twice a month =). 

Meting Needs

Over the weekend, I attended a women's retreat at my home church in Montgomery, AL with my mom and my sister. It was a great time of fun, food, chocolate, and teaching.  The weekend was "Loving Well" a retreat teaching series by Beth Moore. We watched 4 teaching sessions on love and the people in our life that we are called to love. 

People in our lives typically fall into four categories: joy, testy, foe, stranger. Joy is easy to love, Testy is difficult to love, Foe is impossible to love, and Stranger only comes in our life randomly.

I was challenged in each area, especially testy, however some things Beth said about loving "stranger" really impacted me.

Loving stranger..."is an opportunity to love with no strings attached and to love not for what we can get back for it"

"Loving a stranger relieves us of the burden of self-absorption"

So often our first thought is to witness to a "stranger" when by meeting their needs first its sets a better stage for them to receive the truth of the gospel. David also challenged the students with this idea at SHIFT this weekend. The Lord has really challenged me to be more aware of the needs in peoples lives and share the gospel with them through meeting those needs!

An Amazing Testament

Rick Burgess is the co-host of the Rick and Bubba Show, a popular morning talk-show primarily aired in AL. He and Bubba have always been very open about their faith in Christ and have been great witnesses for His Name.

Tragically Rick and his family lost their 2 year old son in a drowing accident over the weekend. I have just listened to the memorial service where Rick spoke, and could not be prouder to call him my brother in Christ. He has turned this event into an opportunity to bring glory to God's name and bring people to Christ! I encourage you to take the time to listen to him share his heart and the journey he has gone through the last several days. His speech is an amazing testament to God's grace, mercy, faithfulness, love, kindness, comfort, and promises to carry us through the trials that we will endure on this earth. May we surround him and his family with prayers!

Media File:
http://www.strengthtostand.com/audio/BronnerMemorial-RicksMsg.mp3

You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PUHUZWyFeg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7aNDixS2J0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT8Bk6Ou90

Buddhism teaches them niceness

On the way home from work Bryan was sleeping so I listened to the Wednesday weekly edition of Dr. Blue on Star 94. I don't really like him, or his counseling philosophies, however, since I am pursuing a career in counseling(one day) I still like to listen. 

Dr. Blue just got back from a 3 week visit to Thailand. His comments on the country were that the people were so nice, and that he had never been treated with such "niceness". "Buddhism teaches them niceness".  Having been to two Buddhist/Hindu countries, I can agree with him that yes culturally they are very nice (for the most part-the rude ones are out there and you just don't understand their language) But what impacted me more than anything was the fact that he equated their religion with their actions-positive actions. 

I hope that when people meet Christians they think things like this as well. I pray that we will be a generation of believers marked by love, patience, kindness, compassion, forgiveness...

I told you...

Well, last night around 10 we got a wonderful New Year's surprise - snow flurries! It wasn't much and it stopped by midnight but it was a wonderful promise that 2008 is going to be a great year =) I love snow and I know that it might not have excited as many people as it did me and bryan. It also reminded me that Christ promised to wash us white as snow.

"says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Happy New Year

I am so excited about 2008...because I love even numbers. Not that odd numbered years are bad I just really love even numbered years. I will also turn an even number age this year which makes me happy as well. I know its a strange obsession, but it makes me smile.

So on a more serious note...

As the new year has approached I have thought about things that I want to change and work on. Some carry over from years past that I am still working towards and then there are new ones. My biggest goal is a shift in my mindset. Instead of basing my choices on what I want, how I feel I am realize my mindset needs to shift to what is best and making wise choices and my feelings will catch up. Most of this involves only certain areas of my life that need this mentality shift, however, I know that change starts in the renewing of the mind. Also that discipline will develop out of this as well.

I am looking forward to 2008 with much anticipation simply because I serve a God that is good and I know whatever this year holds will be to further His Kingdom and I am glad to be a part of it. I hope 2008 is a wonderful year for us all as we seek first His Kingdom!