1,2,3,4....

So, I am redecorating the playroom. I found a super cute border with pink, yellow, and green numbers on them. Then I had an idea. Human numbers? Sure. Sesame Street does it all the time. So, we gave it a try. This is what we came up with. Hope wasn't too good at helping us out, but I think they are cute anyway.

They are watching...

Your kids ARE watching you.

Limitless God

Let me ask you a questions? Do you limit God? Do you limit your husband? Do you limit yourself? I have before. A year ago, Bryan was getting ready to graduate from Evangel University. We were so excited to be done with that long and hard journey of school completion. We were also really wanting to move on from the position we held as Children's pastors. We felt a little lost and forgotten by God. We started sending out resumes to a few churches, but mainly Bryan was applying for jobs in graphic design. We had pretty much decided to get out of the ministry because of so many hurts and the current situation at that time was not a good one. We were tired of being in churches that were run by nothing but politics and didn't see people. We felt that we could do more ministry working outside full time ministry than we could being at church every day.

This decision was a hard one for me. I started going through some depression. During this time of him traveling from Kansas City, St. Louis, and Tulsa for interviews, we began to lose something. It wasn't until today as I was drying my hair, humming a worship song to God and just thinking how great life is now that I realized that we were missing that devotion to Christ that makes you fall on your face and say, "Here I am Lord, send me!" The Bible is full of these experiences that people just gave it all. They gave it all for the cause of Christ. One of my favorites is of Mary. It probably isn't one that most people think about when you say the words, "Here I am Lord, send me!" Most would think of Samuel. But, Mary is a huge example of this. Can you imagine saying yes to God and knowing that the potential of losing all those you love is a possibility. She had no idea how Joseph would respond to this news. She had no idea how her parents or friends would respond. She could have walked away, pregnant with the King of kings, completely alone in an earthly sense. But, because she handed all she all, every fear, every insecurity, every imperfect part about herself, over to God she was a blessed woman. She is the mother of Jesus. I mean, how cool is that! She humbled herself before God in a way that he was able to completely mold her into what he needed her to be. Because of her choices she unleashed God to be limitless in her life.

Bryan and I were limiting ourselves and God last year. It wasn't until late Fall of this last year that we began to really open up ourselves to more possibilities. We had spend 100's of dollars on driving to and from graphic design interviews. We had began arguing more and more. We were completely unhappy. We became desperate for God to do something. I remember the night that Bryan was out late for work, the girls were in bed. I had just finished working out on the elliptical, listening to a podcast by Erwin McManus. I became overwhelmed with my defiance to God. I had been so close minded saying things to my husband like, "I don't want to move away from my family." "I only want to live in this area." I had totally limited God, myself, and my husband. I fell on my face in humiliation and repented of my attitude, my actions, and my insecurities. I laid it all out there, which wasn't much. And I let my Savior fill my heart and life with his peace. I was still in the unknown of what the future held but I knew that I would trust God no matter what. Even when the current church we were at gave us a resignation date, I trusted God. I opened my life to him in a way that I had not done before.

Now, I sit in Beaverton, Oregon and loving my life. I am far away from my family but I am okay with that. I am serving God to the fullest and my life has become such an adventure. My parents are great examples of this, as they left the USA and lived overseas for 9 years in missions! Serving God is anything but boring! As a woman, wife, and mother, I could have continued to be closed off and limited God from working and blessing my life and the lives of my family. I surrendered and now my husband comes home from work happy. Watch out world, Kristin is not limiting God any more......ANYTHING is possible! I serve a limitless God!

How to Make a Baby

Are you a Tweet? Do you Twit? Or is it are you a Twit and you tweet?

When you type in the word "Twitter" in google over 372,000,000 results come up for something that didn't even exist before 2006!! At the Thompson house, we love technology. For example, my husband and I both have mac book's, iPhones, we own an ipod video, we twitter, we facebook, we text each other while we are close enough to play footsies. We search for places to have coffee so we can have free wifi, we lay in bed with our iPhones in our hands. We haven't picked up a paper phonebook in years. If a company isn't online, we don't use them. We use google so much that Grace has said, "Just google it, mom" and she isn't even 4. He does graphic design, I love photography and all the computer programs that have to do with the subject matter. I prefer digital scrap booking over the traditional cut and paste kind. My daughter, Grace, doesn't even know that a computer exist outside of it fitting on top of your lap. She thinks everything is touch screen and will try to touch the screens in gaming places that have buttons. My youngest, Hope who is 16 months old, knows how to use her finger to unlock an iPhone. We are the average American family. We are insane, really. But, it works. I think.

I have to ask myself the question as to why we are fascinated by all the "relational" technology. Everyone is now talking about Twitter. I follow Ann Curry on Twitter and get my news probably faster than most. I knew about the whole pirate ship thing before it was ever even a special report on tv. The first news report on the plane that landed in the Hudson River wasn't from Brian Williams. It was photographed with a phone and posted on Twitter and Twitpic. Brian Williams then picked it up from there. CRAZY? Ashton Kutcher has more followers than most countries have population! (over 1 million, by the way) WHY? Why are we fascinated with the distance technology brings to relationships? Or is it because we feel like we are closer to people because of it?

"Jesus is blessing us, huh, Mom."

We are here and are settled. I love my new house. Some of the major perks that I love,

1. Granite countertops in the kitchen and in ALL 3 bathrooms.

2. Oval roman tub in master bathroom

3. HUGE garage!

4. Small backyard so we don't have to put the dog on the leash all the time to take her out.

5. Wood floors in the kitchen/dining area.

6. Fireplace

7. Really great lighting.

8. High ceilings!

9. Lots of windows that open to clean, crisp air

10. Having 3 bedrooms!! (one of which is a playroom for the girls)

It is still so awesome to be doing what we love. Bryan feels surreal when he is playing music and messing with the sound system at work all day. It's as if he isn't doing his job and should get back in the office then he will realize, "Oh right THIS is my job!!" It is an awesome thing for me as his wife to watch him lead worship and know that he is finally doing what his heart loves.

The girls and I are enjoying the church as well. We love being there and love the people. Grace can't seem to get enough church and is always asking if it is "church day". On Friday night we were there early for Bryan to have practice for the Good Friday service. I had taken the girls to the play area next to the church. While we were there another girl, age 7, was playing. Grace began to try to befriend the girl without much luck. After a few minutes of the other girl not wanting to take turns with Grace on the slide and monkey bars, I said, "Grace we gotta go back into the church in just a minute." Just so she would be aware that we were getting ready to leave. This started a conversation between Grace and the other girl with her saying, "I don't go to church. All they do is tell you to obey your mom and I don't like that." I was a little stunned by this as her mother was standing fairly close by. I didn't say anything but listened as I helped Hope walk around on the play equipment. Grace just looked at her as if she wasn't at all surprised by the girls comment and just says, "Well, I love my new church!!" and points to the building directly behind her. I just smiled with pride but Grace wasn't finished making me proud just yet. The girl kinda laughed at Grace as Grace slipped slightly off of one of the bars she was holding onto. At that, I looked over to Grace and said, "Grace, time to go!" Grace obediently climbed down but before turning away from the girl she looked right up at her and says, "Jesus loves you, you know that?" The girl and mother, who was still standing close unmoved and speechless, were both stunned. Not another word was spoken as Grace jumped down and ran over to me and grabbed my hand. My heart swelled with love and pride for my daughter who just reached out and ministered to a little girl who is cold and hurting. I don't know what will happen with that girl, but I do know that Grace not only ministered to her but challenged me to reach outside of myself and just simply be Jesus to someone.

I can't finish this story without telling you that later on that night after we were home and sitting on the couch reading the story of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again in her "My First Message Bible", I again saw the heart of my daughter. She was moved by this story that she heard and for the first time the story of Jesus became real for her. She was very happy when we got to the part of Jesus coming alive. I asked her what she thought about what I had just read to her. She says, "Jesus is blessing us, huh, mom!" It wasn't really a question as much as a statement. "Yes, Grace, Jesus is blessing us," I said as we made our way hand in hand up the stairs. I tucked her into bed then wiped the tear that was streaming down my face as I closed her bedroom door behind me and couldn't help but lift my head and smile at the One who created a little girl with a heart for Him.