The new year

Well 2011 is over. What a year! So much happened but there is also so much I am looking forward to for the new year. I made a few new years resolutions but I haven't written them down yet so they are still floating around my brain somewhere :D but three that I can think of at the moment are:
#1. Increase my knowledge on the bible and grow in my faith :)
#2. Spiff up my blog and blog more ;)
#3. Work on a budget system
One of the way's I would like to increase my knowledge of the bible is by going to a bible college. I have one in mind so I'll be praying about that one.
And as for making my blog look more spiffy I've already started working on it :) Anyone have any tips?
Anyone have any ideas on a good budget system?
So did you make any new years resolutions? If so, what are they? :)
Have a fabulous day! :)
Karis

Adsense?

I was playing around with the settings on my blog recently and I ran into this thing called Adsense. Apparently you can earn money by having ads on your blog. But people have to click on those ads. I am curious about it but I don't want to be scammed so I was wondering if anyone has tried it and can tell me about it :)
Thanks,
Karis

Beautiful modesty

Recently I stumbled upon a blog post that had pictures of four girls. As I looked at the pictures I couldn't help thinking "my they are all so beautiful." I realized that first off what made them beautiful was their faith in Christ. You could tell that God's love shown from the glow on their faces :) But something else that made them beautiful was their modesty. You see modesty is truly beautiful. It also a way to express the beauty that God has given you. 
Girls, not only does being modest show your beauty but it also helps Christian young men who are trying to be men of God not to stumble. 
Ladies, please join me in being beautiful and being modest :)

In His Name,
Karis

Love and love again

There has been a few issues going on in my family lately and one of them has to do with discipline. I was thinking about this subject late a few nights ago and a thought came to me parents discipline because they love their children. But what about the times when the child just doesn't seem to learn. You can discipline them numerous times and it doesn't seem to do any good. Or how about when the child turns away in rebellion? In that case when the parent is at their wits end, they should do as God does with His children. 
Love and love again. 
How many times in the history of mankind have we turned from God? Or we haven't learned? To many to count! But what does God do, He loves and loves again. Love is extremely powerful :)
This is my random thought for the week :)
In His Name,
Karis

                (Not my picture)

Open hands

Wow....it's been awhile since I posted. Anyways I had a thought I wanted to share with you all :)
I've come to realize that when you give your life to God, you have to continually do so. It's not just a one time thing. I realize that this might be kind of confusing so I am going to attempt to explain it better by using an analogy(an area of Jason's expertise :) ).
When you hold out your hands to give God your life, you must keep them open. As humans we want control and so we will hold out our open hands to give our lives but through wanting control we begin to close our hands and pull back.
I've noticed this a lot with my own life. I thought that when you gave God your life, that was it. You gave it to Him and were allowing Him to have control. But than I look at my life and realize that I have started to pull back. It is a constant decision. One you make everyday that you are alive. 
What decision have you made today?
"But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57
In His Name,
Karis

Convicted and guilty

So today after I finished my Thursday morning kid's time at a local woman's bible study(mom's go to study, I watch and teach their kids :) ) I headed over to the CEF office to work for the afternoon. On the way I was thinking maybe I should go up to the college to figure out some problems with my college schedule and just get to the office a bit later. I decided to just call the college instead and just head to the office. Ha ha that was part of God's plan for sure. So I get to the office and the first thing I noticed was that a familiar looking car was parked outside. It wasn't until I walked into the office that I figured out why it looked familiar. The pastor of one of the churches I did a VBS at this summer was in talking to the ladies. I seen his car at the VBS a few times. The first thing he says to me is "so October 6th from 2:30-4:00pm at my church. You already know the kids so teaching good news club shouldn't be to much of a problem". I protested and told him that that wouldn't work because in a week I will be going to a ceramics class on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 1-3:50pm. He than goes on to convict me by asking if I was going to give up a chance to tell kids about Jesus to flip some mud. I told him I was already signed up to "flip mud". He looks toward the ceiling and starts talking to God for me saying "sorry God. I'd rather flip mud than tell children about you". By than I was feeling bad. He continues to tell me how I should get a refund on the class and teach the kids instead. Than I felt worse. He stayed for awhile longer and talked about other things but I couldn't stay focused on the conversation. My mind kept going back to what he said. That I would rather flip mud than tell kids about God. 
Most people don't know this about me but I feel really guilty really easy. So this guy was pushing button's that he didn't know I had.
I was thinking about how it would be really hard to do this. I would have to change my major, give my boss a new schedule of when I would be available to work, register for a different class so I would have two credit classes and than make time to study to teach a lesson every Thursday afternoon on top of the one I am already teaching the kids at bible study on Thursday morning. That is a lot to change! 
Is this stressing me out? Yes! Does God have a plan in this? Yes!!! 
I think that through this man, God was showing me that even though I thought I had given Him control of my whole life, I hadn't. By not wanting to give up ceramics I was guilty of being selfish and holding on to what I thought I had already given Him. 
Jason is always saying how we should make plan's with open hands, that way God does not have to pry our hands off of them to change the plan. I made a plan and than was holding very tight to it. 
I think I know what I am going to do. Because I know I will forever regret it if I don't. 
I was also listening to a song right after the guy left and it also convicted me of holding on to much. Here is just the chorus: 
When life doesn't go the way I thought it should

Sometimes it's because, God is good

And when plans fall apart though I never dreamed they would

Sometimes it's because, God is good


-John Waller- Because God is good


Wow! Longer post than I thought it would be. Oh well :)


In His Good Name,


Karis :)

(Not my picture)

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Scraps to masterpiece

I was sitting at my desk today at the CEF office doing some of my work when I hear the door open. We don't get many visitors but when we do they are usually very good! So I leave my small desk in the paper room and go check it out. This lady brought in this box with at least 50 small wooden crosses. This one man makes them and it gives him something to do. What might have been the most surprising about these cool little crosses was that they were made of scrap wood! After the lady left Julie, Jackie and I stand around this box of crosses marveling about how beautiful they are. Than the thought hits me. These crosses are another picture of Jesus in our lives. You may be thinking "why of course Karis! It is rather obvious it's a cross. Jesus died on a cross!" Yes, that is true but that is not exactly what I was thinking about. Here it goes:
We are scraps. Life bruises and scars, people take what they want from us not caring how it hurts until there is nothing left but a beat up piece of wood with not much to offer anyone at all. Than Jesus, this wonderful carpenter picks up those scraps and carves and sands away what He needs to to make us beautiful and new :) 
Jesus is the only one that can turn something that seems completely useless into something beautiful and an amazing tool :)
So anyways that was my thought about scraps and beautiful things today :)
Thanks for reading!
In His Name,
Karis