Monthly Archives: January 2012

Blow Your Circuits

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Sharita
“Ok, I have 13 minutes to finish blow drying and straightening my hair, slap on some make-up, throw my shoes on and be in the car. I can do this. Everything is fine…”POP!Cue the moment when the surrounding area goes dark.

Fantastic. WHAT HAPPENED? As I fumble around in the dark, I realize, that I blew a breaker because of overloading the circuits. SIGH.

Fortunately, this doesn’t happen extremely often these days, especially since we are living in a decent house on post. (Plus I have become an expert low-maintainence speed groomer.) However, when we were growing up in late middle school early high school in a single-wide trailer house, which had 6 people in it at one point (two of which were teenage girls) blown breakers were a common occurrence.I would love to give a you a play-by-play account of how that happened, but the moment right after the loud POP and everything going dark usually included a profanity from someone. And I try to keep it clean.  Ish.Other than overloading outlets and having too many things plugged in at once… have you ever thought of how magnificent and intricate God’s creation is? Not just acknowledge that it exists, but REALLY thought about it.

Now THAT will blow your circuits.

Seriously, think about it. How awesome is our God to create something a tiny and interesting as Seahorse? (one of my favorite sea creatures, BTW) Where did He come up with the idea of creating different climates and seasons? Why didn’t He just keep it simple and consistent? What about different landforms: archipelagos (that’s a group of islands for those of you who have since blocked out 4th grade geography), mountains, oceans, the sky?

WOW.

And don’t even get me started on the actual human body. God is so creative that He made all of us completely different including hair and eye color, foot size and fingerprints. He could have easily said “Let’s just make them all bald and purple with size 7 feet. Yep. That’ll do it.”

But He didn’t. We are made with love in His image. He loves us so much that he created us with such a deep complexity that I personally can’t even wrap my head around. I mean seriously… He created goosebumps to keep us warm and sweat glands to keep us cool. I never would have thought of THAT.

How about just the general homeostasis activities going on in our everyday lives?  (Homeostasis is the bodily systems that sustain us and keep us living everyday… Bet you didn’t know you were going to get a geography AND science lesson today huh?) Just sitting in this chair, typing this blog, I am created for my brain to think of the words, my fingers to move at lightening speed to type them, my eyes to see what I am writing (and hopefully catch spelling errors in advance), my ears to hear the click, click, clinking of the key board.

Not to mention that my heart is beating, my stomach is digesting my lunch, my lungs are breathing, eyes blinking, muscles recovering from my workout… Need I continue?I say all of this because God’s love for us specifically seen through His creation of us and this world blows our brain circuits. I simply cannot comprehend it. IT’S AWESOME!!When is the last time you stopped and thought about God’s creative hand in our lives and world? He created us in love. Down to the last hair on our arm, fingerprint on our pinkie and beauty mark on our leg.

Just thinking about it blows my circuits. And lemme tell you, while I am overwhelmed at the whole idea, I am thankful that I can revel in His creation. I challenge you to do the same… today.

Here’s to all things great and small,

SGK

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” –Genesis 1:27

Categories: body, creation, God, Love | Leave a comment

Check it at the gate

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Sharita
“Attention passengers, flight 324 to Rome, Italy is now boarding.”

I am far from a professional flier. In fact, I was nearly a sophomore in college before I had the chance to fly for the first time. After that flight from Kansas City to Washington, DC (which was a little nerve-wracking as my co-traveler was also flying for the first time), I started to gain confidence on how to navigate airports in a timely fashion.

I’ve had the privilege of flying to DC, Atlanta, Spain, Chicago, Denver, Portland, Orlando, Rome, and China (and probably a couple others that I am forgetting.) Compared to my first time flying my nerves are much more in check.

Now I really don’t stress too terribly much about missing my flight because I do all I can to plan accordingly. But there is one place in the airport my blood pressure tends to rise.

The security line.

Yes, I am THAT girl. The closer I get to the front of the line, the more thoughts are racing through my head. I am strategizing on how to keep my boarding pass on my person while ripping off my shoes and/or belt, emptying my pockets, unpacking my laptop as I gracefully walk through the metal detector trying not to look like a bumbling fool and tick off the person in line behind me.

Meanwhile, other thoughts are racing through my head. “Where did I put my plastic baggie with 3 ounce liquids? Did I take my mini-pocket knife out of my purse? Are they going to confiscate my dried apple slices? Does a fingernail file count as a weapon?”

I also suffer from OPS… Overpacking Syndrome. I never fly without a carryon. If I did, it would eliminate a majority of the above thoughts/worries… But then I might  arrive at my destination without a spare set of clothes.
This is how the Knobloch’s travel… Rome to Home.
We were on our honeymoon. Can’t you tell? ;-)

I couldn’t help but wonder if we are sometimes like this in our faith. Are we carrying too much baggage that in the end just weighs us down? The more baggage we carry around, whether it is insecurity, things from a past relationship or worry about future “stuff” the more likely Satan is going to be like the TSA agent who digs through your bag and finds that nail file. He will pick through our “baggage” and find the one thing that will bring us down and ruin our day.

Jesus asks that when we are traveling with him to leave our baggage behind. Don’t believe me? Check out what he says to his disciples in Matthew 10:9-10 as He is sending them out to the world:

“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.”

The Message version is even more direct:

“Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.”

If I was there as a disciple, I am sure I would the one in the back to raise my hand and say, “Um, Jesus? Yeah. Are you sure about this? I mean, I would really like to have a toothbrush and change of clothes. Oh, and what about my cell phone and charger? Jesus? Hey, where you going, man…”

While we all may still choose to fly with a carryon, (hey, I trust Jesus way more than the airlines) we can travel luggage free with Christ. He gives us everything we need. He has called us to come on a journey with Him. So what about all that extra baggage? Yeah, lets go ahead and check it at the gate.

Flying Free,
SGK

“Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?” Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.” –Matthew 19:27-30 (MSG)

Categories: baggage, faith, release, security, travel | Leave a comment

Regain your Breath

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Sharita
Ever had the wind knocked out of you?
Source here

I am going to guess that the answer to that one is probably yes. It might have been the physical wind knocked out of your lungs… Like when you, as a 2nd grader, thought that jumping from the low bar to the high bar on the jungle gym at recess was a brilliant idea. Next thing you know, you are flat on your back on the ground, staring at the sky gasping for breath.

(That’s a totally hypothetical situation of course. I certainly never did that. Completely made up.)

Or maybe your breath was taken away when you received some sad news about a friend or a relative. Perhaps the wind was whooshed away when your beloved proposed marriage to you.

There are a million different possibilities. For me, specifically as an army wife, the wind-knockage experience will typically come from my husband either in person, on the phone or via text.

It usually starts with the phrase “So, I’ve got some news…”

Let me tell you something, readers, falling off the jungle gym or getting bucked off a horse can’t compare to the “Hey-baby-got-some-news” army marriage wind-knocking conversations. Because whenever I get in that situation, I am trying not to panic while I keep my breath, fight back tears, AND not to throw up all at the same time. (Fortunately, ALL of those don’t usually happen.  Not because I am a pro at keeping it together, but because it would  be a mess. And if I am dealing with profound breath-takingly uncertain conversations, I don’t have time to clean it up.)

When you love someone as deeply as I love Brandon, it is hard to get “news.” I am so thankful that news coming from first from Iraq and now here at Fort Benning hasn’t resulted in reporting any injuries or catastrophically terrifying information. (Thank you, Jesus!)

Instead, this “news” usually revolves around changing schedules. And time apart. So forgive me if you think it sounds a little melodramatic. But hey, I love the man, I love spending time with him and he is kinda my best friend. Plus, I am a planner, so when I get the “first news” I process it, pray and prepare. When the “news” changes, I have to do it again. It’s exhausting.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a “strong, independent woman.” (My Mama’s words, not mine.) But when the Holy Spirit gets ahold of me, coupled with an awesome husband who’s job takes him away on a semi-random yet regular basis, I become much more vulnerable. Which means I cry more. Which I hate. SIGH.

I had one of those wind-removing moments yesterday afternoon. The past few weeks, I have been preparing my head/heart for Brandon to go to Ranger school. In a nutshell, it’s a two month (ish) long training where he doesn’t come home at night and communication is minimal. He was planning on attending pre-ranger school, which according to our calculations, started February 16th.

Apparently, our math skills stink and our calculations were incorrect.  I received a text yesterday saying that it started on the 10th. Yeah, in like 14 days. Dear Lord. Cue living room breath-leaving-the-lung moment. (To you non-military spouses, six days might seem like peanuts… and I suppose big picture, it kind of is… but it’s still hard to be like “Yay honey, we are going to be apart even longer!”)

If I am being completely honest, I have to say that yes, being apart is difficult… but the changing schedules and unknown of “Will he pass? Will he get recycled? How long will this take? etc” is almost overwhelming.

But it’s only overwhelming if I let it be. No, I was certainly not thrilled with this new information. My fleshly side of me, as I was trying to stay composed (and briefly failing) wanted to just jump off the deep end right there. I wanted to get down in my living room floor and throw a tantrum. Sobbing, snotty, kicking and screaming. Very adult. Real professional.

Somehow I refrained. I’m not gonna lie, I did have a few tears… But I immediately engaged my newest army wife mantra. As I took deep breaths to restore my composure, I started saying out loud, “I trust you, Jesus. I trust you, Jesus. I trust you, Jesus.”

It worked. I was able to breath again. And even managed to blog about this. Good work, Jesus. Very impressive.

We won’t always understand WHY things happen in this world, whether they are small-scale like 6 extra days of Ranger school/spouse mandatory separation or life changing-scale level like dealing with cancer of a family member. But we can trust the unknown to a known God.

Trust all things to Jesus. He didn’t promise that this life on Earth would be easy. But He does vow that trusting Him is worth it. Let Him restore your composure. Allow Him to be the air you breathe. Ask Him to help you regain your breath.

In-through-the-nose-out-through-the-mouth,

SGK

“And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:25
Categories: army, challenge, changes, faith, trust | Leave a comment

A January Thanksgiving

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Sharita

It came no surprise to me that I needed a drastic perspective shift yesterday. After all, I had written a ra-ra-shish-koom-ba post  and no doubt The Enemy saw it… and wanted to derail it.

But great news. He didn’t win.

Here’s the very general back story: I posted “Your Personal Cheerleader” talking about how awesome God was, how we all need a pick me up sometimes etc. Well, between army stuff, normal life stuff, army stuff (oh wait, did I already mention that?), hormones, and general marriage stuff, I myself needed a pick-me-up. Things were wearing on me. Oh, and it’s prayer week at Christ Community, which is great– except God is (fortunately) using some of that time to create revelations in my heart, which makes my emotions vulnerable. (He know’s what he is doing… but its never easy.)Needless to say: I was in a pretty rotten mood yesterday. SIGH. I despise being in a funk. It stinks.

The mopey-grumbly feeling didn’t show up til about noon yesterday. Due to some brief miscommunication with my beloved and/or the army, my optimistic cheerleader apparently decided to hibernate. Fantastic.

For the next couple of hours, I grumbled to myself around the house, slamming cabinet doors, stomp, stomp, stomping, ignoring the whispers from God about what He was trying to reinforce in me about patience, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, being slow to anger etc. Yeah, all those super-sweet subjects.

I made it to about 2:30pm. I had already done one workout at the gym totaling 10 miles (2 on the elliptical, 8 on the bike… it is my low impact day) I sat down to blog… and nada. Zippo. I couldn’t get inspired to write anything positive.

Suddenly, as I was staring at the computer screen, fighting back tears for the second (or was it third?) time that day, I had a revelation… A feeling of thanksgiving swelled over me. I was sick of moping, and I knew that if I sat here, letting things stew and boil before I could discuss them with my beloved when I see him next (which wasn’t going to be until the next evening) things would not go well. I would be a mess.

I slammed my computer shut and told (yelled towards?) Baby Dog Justus, “Screw this. We are going for a walk. And I WILL be thankful for today and smile if kills me!” (Can you say “Screw” on a Christian blog? Hope so. Cuz I just did.)

I slapped on my tennis shoes, grabbed my purse, keys, pen and pencil. Our normal walk around the neighborhood wouldn’t suffice. I needed some nature. With God. Where I could give thanks.

We stormed out of the house. (Sidenote: Is it really storming out of the house if no one is there to see it? Kind of like if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around does it still make a sound?) Justus and I hopped in the car, and off we went.

I drove for a few minutes across post to a little pond nature-y trail area. We took off.

We had thanksgiving in January. As I walked, I was intentional to breathe deeply and keep my eyes open to the gifts God had placed in my life. (That was what the pen and pencil was for.)

Three miles later, I had captured the following Thanksgiving gifts for my 1000 gifts list. (Based on the book by Ann Voskamp.)  Not all of these things actually happened, but I was reminded of them on our walk. My mind drifted to thoughts of God instead of thoughts of annoyance and this world.

347. Reading by the water
348. Warm wind blowing through my hair
349. Gazebos
350. January days that are warm enough to wear shorts
351. Puppy “smiles” that show white teeth and pink tongue
352. Seeing fish swim in a pond
353. The distant sound of rifle/gunshots at a range on post (I’m an army spouse. Don’t judge me for this one. I think it is really sexy cool.)
354. Wet musty cool dirt smell
355. Ivy winding up a tree
356. The sound of a tractor
357. Eating fresh honeycomb
358. Hollow trees
359. Magnolia blossoms as big as your face
360. Leaves covering a path
361. My bucket list
362. Butterflies
363. Big backyards
364. Patio furniture
365. War memorials
366. Soldiers working crossing guard duty
367. The Infantryman’s Creed
368. Being up high looking down
369. Laying on your back outside looking up
370. Random conversations with an awkward middle school boy on a bike about your “weird dog”

By the time Ladybug (our red Pontiac Vibe) was back in view, I felt great. Honestly, I felt like a new woman. My perspective shifted from incredibly ticked to incredibly thankful. I went from “poor, poor, pitiful me” to “blessed, thankful, God loves me.” We don’t have to wait til next November to be thankful. Start today. Right where you are. Even in the midst of a pending storm.

I didn’t have to have turkey, gravy and pumpkin pie to have my Thanksgiving in January. I just needed Jesus. And I don’t know about you… but I am STUFFED.

Enjoying His Gifts,
SGK

“Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” –Hebrews 12:28-29 (MSG)

Categories: army, frustration, God, patience, spiritual food, thanks | Leave a comment

Your Personal Cheerleader

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Sharita

“Our team is dynamite… our team is dynamite… our team is tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick BOOM dynamite! Boom, Dynamite!”

“Be Aggressive, be, be, aggressive, B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E.”

“Go, go, go, go get electrified!”

Uh, yeah… Not sure if Columbia bluewas, eh, my color? Also, it seems that onthat particular day I has lost my cheerpart of the leader. Oh well.

Oh, my cheerleading days. I would say I speak of them with fondness, but that isn’t quite the truth. Sure, there were a lot of perks– getting to the be the crazy one yelling and bouncing around all the time (if my high school had a mascot back then, I woulda been much better at that role), supporting our team and going to the games. (And yes, the cheers above are ACTUAL cheers I did back in the day… I remember several others. Maybe someday I will video blog the actions to them. Or not.)

I was only a literal cheerleader for three years of my life: 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Then as I ventured into high school my body shape/image continued to get out of hand (and out of shape) so I quit. Which didn’t help the situation.

But THAT’S another blogpost.

While I only cheered in a red, white and columbia blue uniform for three years, God has shaped me to be a cheerleader for life. It is one skill that I LOVE… and has gained considerable substance when I answered the call to ministry.

So today, I would like to be your cheerleader. Pep talker. Pick-you-upper. Whatever you want to call it. Why? Because God loves you. He told me so.

If you are reading this, whether it’s for the first time or the 130th time, this post is for you.

I don’t know where you are right this very moment in your walk with God. But I want to encourage you to grab ahold of His hand and keep going. Know that He DOES have a plan for you– a very awesome, very exciting plan. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) It’s gonna be wild and it’s gonna be great. He’s holding up a “WE WILL ROCK YOU SIGN” to the Enemy. And by “WE” He means, you… and Himself… together. After all– He IS The Rock.

Is He calling you to step outside of your box and take a leap of faith? Don’t be afraid, my friend. He LOVES you. The one who calls you is faithful and will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24) Our Father isn’t going to ask ANYTHING of you that you can’t accomplish. I promise you that He isn’t going to say “Come on, honey, get in the game!” Then walk away, waiting to see if you foul out, win or get tackled. He will be right there beside you all the way, till that final buzzer sounds.

Are you experiencing the storms of life and have a tendency to question God’s goodness? Don’t look at this as a nightmarish experience… Instead, lean on Him. He is there, waiting for you with open arms, toweling you off at halftime, pouring Gatorade down your throat. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) Get in the game and play your heart out. Play the game for Jesus.

It doesn’t matter what you are experiencing right this moment– if it is a heart full of peace or one that is struggling to find rest. Be assured that He is in complete control… Be bold in your faith. Step out. Turn your fears into faith. Be aggressive when facing the enemy. “All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.” (1 Timothy 1:16 MSG) The enemy doesn’t play fair, but when God is the referee, you have nothing to worry about.

Take heart my friend. God is in the game with you, coaching and cheering you on. Toweling you off. Keeping your refreshed. He’s got is figurative pom poms and megaphone.  Keep the faith, because God is your personal cheerleader, and He never loses a game. Ever.

So please, hear me today, when I say “”Our God is dynamite… our God is dynamite… our God is tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick BOOM dynamite! Boom, Dynamite!”

Let HIM be your personal cheerleader. For life.

Winning with Jesus,

SGK

“Stay with God. Take heart. Don’t quit. I will say it again: Stay with God!” Psalm 27:14 MSG

Categories: affirmation, cheering, encouragement, faith, pep-talk | Leave a comment

Love, Peace and Jesus Cheese

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Sharita

“Would you like cheese on that?”

Talk about a moment of truth. You haven’t really given any thought to the question prior to this very blip in time. It doesn’t matter if the person behind the counter/at your table is asking about a salad, a Big Mac (ick) or Subway sandwich.

For me, the answer is almost always yes.

Cheese is awesome. I am a non-discriminatory cheese eater. My only stipulations are if it smells like a foot or comes in a can,  it is not going in my mouth. Other than that, bring on the cheese baby!

Just last Saturday, my supervisor Kelli and I traveled to Macon, GA to do some SHAPE training for a church plant. As we were discussing each person’s spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences, we got to the topic of “filling” holes in ministry with volunteers.

Now, this is a baby church, just being planted and doing the work to get off the ground. Their numbers are small, so “filling holes” within their group was a challenge. But one participate piped up and jokingly said, “Holes aren’t bad. Just think of swiss cheese. People love swiss cheese. We are the swiss cheese church.”

This comment not only made us laugh, but it got me to thinking. We know that Jesus is all about love and peace… but how would he feel about cheese? Specifically, swiss cheese. (Hang in there readers… this will make more sense momentarily, I promise.)

We have already determined some types of cheese are “holey.” And I don’t know about you… but so are our lives.

Let’s start with our holey selves. We are full of holes. Looking to be fulfilled. Broken. Searching for something greater. Seeking love and peace. Completeness.

So where do we find it? In Christ. Jesus fills our holes with His eternal love and neverending peace. We can be wholly His. ALL of us can live in Him. Lean on Him. Trust in Him… And ultimately we can become…

HOLY.  This is a good kind of holy. Fully, deeply and completely dedicated to Him through our actions, words and lives. We can live a full un-holey life by being holy. Our original holes are filled to the brim with love and peace through Him.

So maybe Jesus is a cheese fan like me and you. He understands our “holes” and embraces our longing to be filled wholly with Him… to make us holy FOR Him.

And let’s not forget that Jesus STILL has holes… no, not the ones that are needed for perfection. He needs nothing, because He is perfect. But He himself has holes in his nail-scarred hands. The holes in His hands ultimately compensate for the holes in our lives caused by sin.

Don’t be ashamed or concerned if your life looks like swiss cheese. Mine does. Instead, find the love and peace from Jesus. And next time when someone asks if you want cheese on it, you can simply reply, “Sure, but I’ve already got some… I have love, peace and Jesus Cheese.”

Life is cheesy,

SGK

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence.” Acts 4:31 MSG

Categories: Christ, food, fulfillment, healing, hope, Love, peace | 2 Comments

The Simple Life

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Sharita

When I was in high school, I remember watching  a “reality” show called “The Simple Life.”

Yes. With the Hilton sisters. (You didn’t know this was going to be a confessional type of post today, did you? But don’t judge me. Blame my parents. They were the ones manning the remote) Still, I watched. I am not proud of it. But, much like reality TV today, it was kind of like a car accident… You felt bad for the people involved, but you just…can’t…look…away.

Here’s the basic premise from what I recall: The Hilton sisters (note: They would be what some call, uh, high maintenance perhaps?) would be plucked from their inherited throne and deposited in some small town. Let’s say rather podunkish. These girls would have to live the “Simple life” without the luxuries of being waited on hand and foot. They might even have to get muddy and do chores.

You get the picture.

It was a rather pathetic scene, and there were several times I wanted to jump through the screen and thump someone. But recently, my beloved husband and I decided to live the simple life.

No, we didn’t get orders to move to a 500 person town and work on the farm. (Both of us have been there, done that, so it wouldn’t be new anyways.) AND I would like to think I am NOTHING like Ms. Paris Hilton in the fact that I like getting dirt under my fingernails and the only time I utter the phrase “That’s hot” is when I gulp my steaming coffee too fast in the morning.

But we wanted to live a simpler life. Looking at our budgetary plan for 2012 (we are 23 days in and doing well) we wanted to cut back and simplify some things.

Not only has it saved us quite a chunk of cash, but we have been set free. It’s awesome.

We have simplified a few things in our life (baby steps, people, baby steps.) First we got rid of cable. Brandon is almost never home anyways and I barely even watch TV. On the rare occasions that we do get to sit down together, we figured Netflix or movies we had already purchased would do.

Cut the cable. Saved some cash. I tasted freedom.

THEN, we downgraded our phone plans. Brandon went back to a “flip phone” in December, saying goodbye to the Blackberry. I followed suit this month when I THOUGHT I was available for an “upgrade” even though I was downgrading. (It’s a long story.)

Convincing the phone store that my plan was legit was a quite the task. I told them I had an iPad gifted to me a month ago, so I didn’t need phone email AND iPad email to-go. While they initially acted like I was trying to give up my first born child or part with a limb, I finally convinced them this was what I wanted to do. As I was staring at the “basic” phones trying to decide, I saw a “free” one (after rebate of course.) Beside it was a $50 slider phone. What to do, what to do…

Suddenly, a wave of freedom rushed over me and I literally felt God saying “Live simply.”

Decision made.  I said so-long to my Android and picked out the simple, non-slider “free” phone that makes calls and texts. That is it. No email. No internet.

I love it. FREEDOM!

God has continued to affirm our baby steps of living simply. It has been amazing for our budget, but even more so in our relationship with Him. I am less distracted. I am more focused. I am spending more time frolicking outside taking in his non-technological gifts. I am more available for Him.

Ultimately, living simply makes me thankful.

In what ways can you simplify your life this year? It doesn’t have to be drastic, but God will recognize and encourage any method you use to spend more time with Him, keeping your eyes focused upward.

You don’t have to move to a tiny midwestern town to experience this kind of freedom. Start right where you are and live the simple life.

Living simply-er and loving it,

SGK

“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.” Proverbs 13:7 MSG

Categories: budget, glory, money, simple, technology, TV | 2 Comments

Life-as-a-wife survival kit

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Sharita

God sure has a sense of humor. It still cracks me up almost daily that He had the idea to create man, then create woman, make us COMPLETELY different and say “Ok, live together for your entire life. Play nice. Love each other. I’m here when you need me. Good luck.”

Sometimes I think marriage needs a survival guide. Specifically, I need a survival guide (or kit) as an army wife. So today is my appeal for  either 1) every man getting married to give their wife the following kit, 2) every woman getting married to get this kit for herself or 3) for the army to standard issue the following items to all army wives everywhere.

But before I get into the actual life-as-a-wife survival kit, I would like to address the survival kit needed for married men, military or otherwise. I am sure they are already feeling left out, and we certainly wouldn’t want that.

So here is the basic supplies needed for dudes in an I-wanna-be-a-husband-in-a-joy-filled-marriage kit.

1. Food. Any kind will do.

2. Shelter. Any kind will do. Preferably warm and dry.

3. Beer and/or TV. Not any kind will do, and amounts with vary per man.

4. A passionate wife. Why? To um, ahem, satisfy, eh, their, er “urges.” (If you don’t get this one… ask your spouse. I am sure he can clarify.)

 

Welp. That was easy.

Now, back to the life-as-a-wife survival guide in reverse ranking order. (United States Military, I hope you are paying attention. Seriously. This should be standard issue when anyone marries into any branch of the military. I will be waiting by my mailbox.)

(Note: These of course are hypothetical. They certainly aren’t based on MY experiences at all… right.)

10. An upright punching bag. With accompanying hand wraps and gloves. There will be frustrations in marriage… and this is a healthy way to, um, release some tension without taking it out on your beloved. It works. Or so I’ve been told.

9. Chocolate. Any kind will do… some might prefer a mint-chocolate combination, or dark chocolate varieties.

8. Kleenexes. Emotional roller coaster breakdowns can happen at any given moment. I have known wives (again, not myself of course) to end up sitting on the couch tearing up a boxes of Kleenex telling their husband as she gasp’s between sobs “I…(gasp)… don’t… (hack)… know… (snort)… why… (sniff)… I’m…(honk)… cryinggggg… (waaaaaa!) *Also useful for happy and/or Holy Spirit tears as well. Those too are very common.

7. A wine glass. I have hypothetically been told that some wives don’t always even drink wine out of the glasses. A wife last week perhaps kinda sorta drank Diet Dr. Pepper out of a fancy wine glass. Wives are all about feeling elegant and keeping it classy. Do what it takes.

6. A bathtub. This is best used for life-as-a-wife survival tool if combined with #9 and #7. (Just add steaming hot water and bubbles.)

5. Tylenol.  For recovering from #8 and other semi-stressful and/or overwhelming experiences.

4. A movie/TV show filter. Sometimes as a wife (especially army wife) we need a magical filter that blocks certain shows or movies from our viewing. AKA films that involve war, adultery, excessive tears, etc. They are seed planters and can be super un-survival-ish.

3. A positive go-to person. This can be a friend, neighbor, mom, family member or fellow wife. When the husband is either the cause of the issue OR is not available (which is often the case), wives need to have a pep-talker on-standby, even if it is via phone, internet, text or Skype.

2. A sense of humor. Marriage can either be stressful and painful or hilarious. Choose the latter option. It is way more fun… and WILL help you survive. (ESPECIALLY in the military.)

1. A Bible… and the faith to go with it. This is easily the most important of all the survival supplies on this list. When our husbands are gone, busy, preoccupied, confused, deployed, injured, uncertain etc, we have ONE to lean on, and that is our Father in Heaven. Ultimately to survive as a wife and live in a joy-filled marriage, we must FIRST be married to HIM. Be so in love with God that your husband has to seek Him to get to you. And allow your husband to lead in your walk.

Keep the faith– it will ultimately lead you to both survival and revival of your marriage.

Living and loving my life-as-a-wife,

SGK

“Stay with God. Take heart. Don’t quit. I will say it again: Stay with God!” Psalm 27:14 MSG

Categories: army, faith, husband, list, Love, marriage, wife | 3 Comments

Stop suffering from DFD

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Sharita

It affects millions of people everyday.

You might suffer from it and not even know it.

It is most prevalent in married men… but if you are human, you are at risk.

It’s symptoms can literally change your life… for better or worse.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about Degenerative Filter Disorder, or DFD for short. Ok, ok… so it is really an issue that my husband and I made up. After doing much research (ok, two days worth) I really think it is a major problem in our world. My beloved suffers from it. I suffer from it. And I would guess you probably do too.

Let’s break this down. DFD kicks in when we begin to focus on one thing more in our life more than we normally do. Lemme give you a real-life example. Two nights ago, Brandon and I were hanging out in the living room and he was doing research for his potential experience at Ranger school. Whenever a big life event (in his case: profound army stuff) is on the horizon, his “filter” of thoughts, words and actions begins to break down (degenerate) and become less effective. Hence, the higher probability of saying or doing something that might potentially offend his darling wife (yes, that’s me.)

But this is not a husband bashing session, I promise. I am just as guilty. When I was finishing up my masters, specifically working on a big project, I too suffered from DFD. I would be WAY more blunt than necessary in normal conversation, wearing my project-focused attitude on my sleeve.

See. I told you it would change lives. For better or for worse.

Are you still not convinced you have it? Let me list some of the symptoms:

  • Focusing on one item or big event
  • Memory lapse regarding important people surrounding you
  • Lack of focus on other important aspects of life
  • Excessive word vomit
  • Red Face
  • Frustration
  • Heavy breathing in the form of exasperated sighs
  • Eye rolling

It is not a pleasant disorder. But DFD is something we all battle… Especially when it comes to God. I have noticed that when I start to focus on my eyes on things of this world, my “filter” begins to break down… Negative thoughts come into my head. I am quick to anger. Slow to forgive.

Yeah. Totally unfun. And potentially painful.

But wait! There IS a cure. Instead of allowing our eyes to drift to the people, places or things in our lives, we can keep our eyes focused upward.

Then and only then is our filter strengthened by God. And instead of word vomit, we overflow with love. We more easily handle the big life events.

When we focus on Christ, our DFD essentially goes away… And honestly we don’t even need a filter anymore, because we are focusing our eyes on things that are pure and trustworthy– AKA Christ.

You will no longer be suffering from DFD… but rather be an OWL… Overflowing With Love.

With eyes focused upward,

SGK

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” –1 John 2:15-17

Categories: God, hope | Leave a comment

Handle with Prayer

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Sharita

Life can be distracting.

Life can be overwhelming.
Life can be stressful.
Life can be uncertain.

Any of these statements apply to you today? Then read on, dear friend. HOW do we function daily, putting first things first, without going off the deep end?

Some might say they flip the “Don’t Care” switch. (It works, but probably not the healthiest option.)  Others might consume copious amounts of chocolate. (Again… great theory, might not be super healthy.)  Still others retreat into a shell, shutting out the world.

But for me, I pray. A LOT. No, I don’t get to sit around all day in God’s presence listening, talking, meditating on His word (as much as I would like to.) I still need to fulfill my role as an army wife, minister, friend, daughter, sister, FRG leader, blogger, exerciser, and general life cheerleader. But spending time in prayer helps me to focus on Christ in all things that I do.

I spend one hour per day of what I like to call my “Jesus time” first thing in the morning. Then I continue to talk to Him (and attempt to listen) throughout the day. As I am working out, driving, showering, preparing to sleep… He is always around, inviting me to be in touch with Him. He is my everything. He gets me through the day. He is my eternal, my immortal, my ultimate chocolate-sleep-diet-dr-pepper-happy-place pick me up.

Just last week, someone asked me if praying actually “worked.”

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I passionately replied “YES.”

Prayer serves a lot of different purposes in life, several of which were covered in the paragraphs above. For example: ever since I got my shiny new iPad, I have been logging my prayers on a nifty $1.99 app. (I had a gift card, so the app was essentially free.)

Best. Investment. Ever.

The app is called “Prayer List” and the design is simple but genius. It allows me to categorize my prayers (aka friends, healing, ministry, our life/family, the lost etc.) The app keeps me accountable to legitimately PRAY for specific people, places or things every single day. And the best part?

It archives my answered prayers.

I have been using this app for 16 days. So far, I have entered 87 prayers… and already, in 15 days, TWENTY of them have been answered.

Holy. Lord. (Literally.)

Honestly, I had no idea how many prayers had been answered until Sunday… I was kind of in a “Jesus Funk” while preparing for church. So at the end of my quiet time, I quickly clicked over to the “answered” tab on my prayer app, expecting 3 or 4 to be in that category. I about fell out of my chair when the entire screen was filled up and I had to scroll to see them all.

Talk about giving your faith a boost.

I started looking at the answered prayers and got a teeny tiny glimpse of God’s ability to work actively in my life. It is PROOF of what he has been doing in the last 16 days. In fact, I realized He actually used ONE event to literally answer three separate prayers that at first glance were seemingly unrelated.

So today, let’s take time to rejoice in His faithfulness. We can take heart that He listens, replies to our petitions/prayers, and is both ACTIVE and ALIVE in our lives.

Consider logging your prayers. Watch how he is working in YOUR life. His answers are abundant and always perfect.  Approach life gently by first coming into The Father’s presence. Life can be simple and wonderful if we handle it with prayer.

In Gratitude,

SGK

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” –Ephesians 6:18

 

Categories: faith, hope, iPad, prayer, technology | Leave a comment

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