07Aug 2018 by Krystal 2 Comments
An Anxious Heart Lacks Peace

An Anxious Heart Lacks Peace

Faith, Personal Testimonies
It's been a few weeks since I've shared, which feels weird because of having gone through a summer where I plunged through writing one or more entries each week! This post will explain why.I recently met with some faithful women who intentionally followed my blog this past month, and I asked them to write down what word encapsulated their last four weeks. I myself wanted to have a happy, uplifting one to describe my month, but I was honest and wrote ANXIOUS; that was how I had felt more often than not.ANXIETY in the dictionary reads, "a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome." WORRY and UNEASINESS were overtaking my spirit and ultimately  my ability to not only enjoy but to…
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10Jul 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments
*Everyone Needs Compassion*

*Everyone Needs Compassion*

Faith
I've been thinking a lot about compassion recently. It can take many forms, but the end result is really a love that moves us to action. One definition of compassion that I found is, "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is hurting, in pain, or has misfortune and is accompanied by a strong desire to help the suffering."In my travels, I have had what I like to call "easy compassion" on the "least of these." During my time in the country of Bolivia in South America, compassion for the poor children I saw in the streets came naturally, as I believe it does to most in similar situations. My heart longed to take care of them, to provide for what they were lacking, primarily through food, clothing…
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03Jul 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments

Confronting FEAR: Who Do You Run To?

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Today was a scorcher, a whopping ninety plus degrees Fahrenheit! My children and I headed to a splash pad by 10 a.m. to meet some friends and stay cool. After all the water time, we made our way over to the adjacent playground area for awhile. All seemed well, until I noticed someone was missing. I was pushing Laurelle and Davin on the swings; Bennett was with us at times too, and then would go to the park to climb and slide. My oldest son Luke, on the other hand, was out of sight. At first, I assumed he could have gone to the bathroom and just didn't tell me. This tamed my fear a bit, although my heart still lacked peace.Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and rounded up my three…
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25Jun 2018 by Krystal 10 Comments
God is Taking Care of YOU

God is Taking Care of YOU

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Our family (my husband and children), visited my twin sister and her husband this past weekend. They live a few hours away, and a month ago now my sister delivered her first baby, a girl they named Kadence Marie. It was our first time meeting this little miracle! We brought a meal to share, and spent the day at their house. I was going to pack a game to play or some blocks for the kids, but in the end I didn't. It wasn't necessary: the new baby was entertainment enough!The moment we arrived and saw precious Kadence, we were enamored. She is a preemie, so tiny, just over four pounds now. I had never seen a baby so pint-sized, and our children were in awe. At home, all of…
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20Jun 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments

Music~The Rhythm of Our Souls!

Faith, Teaching Your Children
We are watching "Pinkalicious" right now as I write, a cute show on PBS kids, and Peter is singing the blues! He is trying to make people feel happy when something goes wrong, but the "blues music" just makes everyone feel more sad about their problems. Music and its rhythm, lyrics, and vibe can elicit a variety of emotions, both positive and negative.Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that God blessed people with the imagination and creativity to invent instruments and make wondrous music? Children naturally ignite when music is played, and I never tire of seeing their little bodies move about, twist, and shout! We all appreciate music, and being thoughtful with the types of music we listen to is key(no pun intended)!This past year teaching…
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17Jun 2018 by Krystal 8 Comments

Time to Speak DIRECTLY!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Recently in a few of my friendships, in my marriage, and with my children, I have seen the benefits of intentionally speaking words of affirmation. What I mean is instead of waiting for a "special day" such as Mother's or Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or a birthday to express how much I care for and appreciate someone, I do it when life is ordinary, when people least expect it.In my marriage, I have found that with the stress and work it entails to raise four young children, I need to be particularly intentional. Before I started homeschooling, I had the habit of writing sweet personal notes to my husband and sticking them in his lunchbox on random days. A few times the kids and I have blown up balloons, put…
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07Jun 2018 by Krystal 8 Comments

R-E-S-P-E-C-T ! *just a little bit*

Faith
RESPECT! Here is the dictionary definition: "a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements." After reading the definition, I concluded that technically respect requires you to at least know something about the other person, whereas courtesy and manners can be demonstrated to complete strangers. We seek respect from others, which usually includes a relationship with them. WHY do we long to be respected? Personally, I desire to be respected because it affirms that others deeply care and admire who I am and what I stand for, who God has molded me to be.At the park today, a neighbor of ours related a story of a few twelve year old boys who took his daughter's backpack and threw it over the fence into the woods,…
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01Jun 2018 by Krystal 15 Comments

~Practicing Hospitality~

Faith, Personal Testimonies
My husband is from Ecuador, his city in the mountains. There, as in other places around the world, you can visit your friends' houses without calling beforehand! Yes, you can simply go, and as long as someone is home you will immediately be invited in for coffee or tea and bread, which lends itself to conversation and wonderful fellowship.As a whole, Ecuadorians practice hospitality. They don't hesitate to let others in for an unexpected visit, taking time out of their day to listen to and bless another. While in Ecuador, my husband and I made "surprise" visits to many families from our church in the evenings, and we were never turned away. How would we react to an unplanned visit? If you live in the United States as I do, the…
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29May 2018 by Krystal 3 Comments

Memorial Day–A Day to Remember My Testimony!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day and it was a sunny, gorgeous, and patriotic time. Attending a parade, cheering for service men and women, and celebrating with a cook-out and family time made our day joyful and meaningful.Memorial means "remembrance," and just as we remember those who served and are serving our country, I was remembering how I came to faith in Jesus as my personal Savior. I would like to share my story with you.My first remembrance of beginning my journey to belief in God was when I was probably only four or five years old. My family and I attended a Christian church, and in my Sunday school class one morning the teacher shared that Jesus loves me, died for my sins, and wants to come into my heart…
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26May 2018 by Krystal 12 Comments

Friendship and Forgiveness

Faith
Friendships come and friendships go.Have you ever met someone that you thought you could stay friends with forever, only to find out it all came crashing down perhaps when you least expected it? Maybe it was a best friend you had growing up, a parent who has deeply hurt you, the heartbreak of divorce, or a sibling you no longer keep in touch with. It's like a death of a person in a sense, the betrayal of a confidence. I have a lot of friends that I have lost, some seemingly unnecessarily. It stings to feel a rejection, and my first reaction can naturally be bitterness and anger. However, what I've found is praying for those who I feel have wronged me brings about a softness in my heart, a compassion…
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