Veggie Tales, Purity Rings and a Busy schedule

A story of how God looked at my schedule and laughed, as he usually does.

I was having a pretty busy day and had a lot of errands to do. I needed to find a Veggie Tale to show on Sunday so i decided to call a local video store and see what they had. I had a conversation with a girl who worked there and was immediately dissapointed that they didn't have the movie i was specificially looking for. The girl on the phone said that if i came in she would take me through some movies that she believed would work just as well. I hung up the phone and thought that maybe i could squeeze a trip to the movie store in. I guess. I went and walked straight to the " free kids movies" and starting hurriedly looking through them. She walked up and asked if i was the girl on the phone looking for Veggie Tales. We ended up on this conversation:

"Jonah is my personal favorite" girl
"Yeah, i like that one but they have seen it already" me
"Can i ask you a personal question?" girl
"You sure can" me (thinking: sure, cause we've known each other for five minutes)
"*pointing at my ring* is that purity or promise?" girl
"Oh, that's my purity ring" me
"Wow. *points to her matching ring* Mine too. It's very rare to meet anyone "these days" willing to wait for the right one...it's refreshing to know i'm not alone" girl

Then we had a pretty great conversation. Was i looking for a conversation at the video store about faith and purity? Ummm, no but God wanted to remind me of all the little moments he provides us to show glimpses of his goodness.

Faith in people restored :)

Okay so it's time for some honesty...but really when am i not honest, right? Lately i have really struggled with our society. You pick up a magazine or newspaper (yes people actually read these OUTSIDE of the internet) and it's just filth: murder, betrayal, cheating spouses, children missing...it makes me want to cry. Most people may not have this reaction but I pray to never be sensitized to such sad and hurting people. Truly. So lately I have really been praying that God would help me to see the good not only in the blessings he gives to me but in the people around me.

God answered my prayers this weekend. I was unable to get my youth to go to an annual conferance so I actually asked the band that plays to come to my church for a concert and to play at our services. Thankfully, they had an opening. This weekend I met four people from ages 20 - 29 who not only love Jesus but gave up a year to travel around this region of our country to reach out and tell others about Him. This was what I had been praying about. There are great people out there. People who have hearts of gold and who live for Jesus and not for money, fame or anything else that will never last.

You will never see these stories on the eleven o'clock news but this just in "Kris Locker's faith in people has been restored" and if you ask this author (the one who writes this blog): THAT IS NEWS WORTHY!

God be praised for he is good...even when the world isn't and we feel alone. Last night God spoke to me in a way that God usually does which is through a youth event :)! We were playing this game with yard which demonstrated how Christians work together (sooooo good by the way) and we were given yarn to wear around our wrist to remind us that we are not alone (and yes i am totally fighting the urge to sing Micheal Jackson's song right now) and that is something God has been trying to tell me for a few months now.

Did i mention how much i love Jesus?
cause it's A LOT

Thanks for reading,
Kris :)

money is stupid

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Lately I have been really struggling with money and how much emphasis it gets. I love my job and am content with it but still struggle to barely make enough money to pay off my bills. In the upcoming months I also get the pleasure of starting to pay off student loans. I know that God will provide but sometimes I wonder how if i will ever get out the money hamster wheel. I make money to spend it and it seems the more i make the more people want some more money.

God is good and always has provided and that is what I need to focus on. I have found the verses above and am meditating on them.

"If HIS grace is an ocean, we're all sinking" -How He Loves Us

new person

This morning I found myself thinking like a parent. I was in a planning meeting for work and was scheduling around when my brother would get out of school, or his cub scout meetings, etc. When did that happen? It truly feels like yesterday I was working at a job i hated and that stressed me out and was running around with my 20-ish aged friends, driving to Flint and getting back way too late, walking around downtown GR or taking a road trip to Chicago to visit Heidi and then off to see my fave asian girl :) Now here I am cleaning the house, cooking dinner and making sure homework is done before dinner. Who have i become? I'm not saying that I don't love my new life, I actually do and i think that is scarier than not loving it. What i didn't love was my full time job with the pile of bills.

I never thought i would be the girl who dreamed of being a housewife but truly that would be okay with me. I work at a job that I love more than anything. It provides me with a comfortable paycheck. I have two guys who love me very much and are very supportive...my dad and brother and they are so awesome. I have a job that sends me to camp during the summer to be a youth pastor and hang out with the kids. I get to plan, organize, teach and be around children of all ages. Did i mention that i love my job? I haven't loved anything this much since i was student teaching in the special education classroom. I sometimes wonder if i'll ever teach and to be honest even if i don't i know that what i went through during my college years will have prepared me for life now.

I have to say that although it seems like i have gained a lot more responsibility that I have never been more self seeking than this year. It's always been about my family, my friends, my classes, my jobs and my bills before. Did you catch all of the "my's" in there? Yeah, so did this girl. I am not so me focused. I use the money God has given me to contribute as a team in this household. I know that when i came here it was with the intent to save up and pay off my school bill but i have gained so much more in learning to stop thinking about me and thinking more community. God will use that to bless some guy one day.

God is good and he takes my breath away every day just to think about where he has taken me from that confused and scare girls back in August who climbed in a car headed back to Ohio to live with her dad while unemployed, single and leaving all of her friends behind in Michigan...and he shall be praised.

Love you & asking for continued prayers,
Kris

another slice of humble pie (another one bites the dust)

It has become apparent to me that for whatever reason this is the place God wants me for awhile. Not to say that I don't fully trust God but sometimes i wonder why he had to pluck me out of the only Christian community i've known and fallen in love with. However I know that God is GOD and knows how to run my life a lot better than I.

I went to the DMV to take the written test to get my Ohio license...easy enough, right? WRONG! I failed the test. It has been ten years since I had taken a written driving test. I drive out of experience and not out of a list of rules I memorized. However here's the kicker I did not fail because I didn't know how to merge into on coming traffic or know what a yeilding sign looks like. That would be one thing but i failed because of my lack of knowledge of drugs and alcohol usage while behind the wheel? Seriously? I thought this was a good thing. I don't know how many hours you spend in jail after driving intoxicated because I tend to just avoid that instance altogether. I also don't know how many days in jail you spent if they find a used needle in your car. I never thought i'd ever need to know these things. Life is funny and sad at the same time.

I am re taking said test on Saturday. They gave me a booklet to review until then. I feel like i'm back in Drivers Ed all over again. This is insane really. The best way I can describe it is this: Imagine you walked into your ten year high school anniversary. You walk in and they give you a number two pencil and tell you to have a seat because you have to take an exam to prove you earned your high school diploma. They assure you that your diploma cannot be taken away but they would like to see if you are still capable of having your diploma. So you sit down and take the test and most of the questions are things that you do so naturally that you don't know how or why you do them. This is what it felt like. I know how to drive i've been doing so for ten years and have never been pulled over, or even gotten into an accident.

Since August God has provided me a few moments in which i call "slice of humble pie" moments. These are times that I need a good 'ol humility lesson. To be honest I'm ready to start eating something other than humble pie but since I am not the master chef I will eat what is put out in front of me. He knows how much pie I need and although I think i've had my fill, I will continue to praise him through it all.

He is my everything. My only thing.

Bring on the pie.
Kris :)

transitions and blessings overflowing

God has done a number in my life. Recently I have been reflecting over where God has taken me and the decisions i have made time and again to drop everything and follow him. In the last two years I have declined a job teaching in Honduras (which was MY dream and not His will), moved to Grand Rapids with friends and work in daycare centers- a room of toddlers is not my ideal job-, and then move away from everyone i know and love and reconnect with my family in Ohio. It has been a crazy road but God is proving how much he truly loves me. Not that i doubt his love but sometimes I wonder if he got distracted and forgot about my needs. It's ridiculous to think that but I am human and I do worry.

Right now I am acting as a housewife but i call it house-daughter. I have a part time job ***more of that later*** and during the day I take care of the house ie. laundry, dishes, cleaning areas of the house, and cooking dinner and take care of the family dog. Twice and week and every other weekend I pick up and drop off my little brother at his mom's home. It scares me how much I actually enjoy doing this. I love my family and love to sit down as a family (even if that is only my dad and me) at dinner and have conversations about the day, beliefs, whatever. I never pictured myself as a "house wife" but could see it happen someday. Never thought i'd ever say that. I also find it hilarious how attached I am getting to the family dog. She is a family member for sure. I have always loved dogs but she is the last dog i would have ever picked given a choice. She is half Pomeranian and half Poodle. She's a girlie dog and it took some time but she has grown on me.

Okay so the job. I am the Director of Christian Education and Youth at a Lutheran church. Its a long title but basically I oversee all teachings and curriculum in the church and am an active leader in the youth. I organize things like youth services, youth outings, membership classes, baptism classes, and the Christmas pageant. This is a part time and primarily I am only at the church on Wednesday nights and Sundays mornings. I have met with the pastor a few times and he has a great sense of humor and is so helpful while I'm transiting into this position. I have met a few of the junior highers on Wednesday night. I look forward to what God has. This job is a blessing. Not only is in Education but it's a ministry that I am getting paid for. It's not much but it is sufficient enough to pay my monthly bills and that is all i need.

I know this is long so if you skipped to the end here are the highlights I got a job and I'm married!

Much love and prayers for you,
Kris

my thoughts on Polygamy!

For me polygamy has always been a joke. Not the lifestyle but just a blonde joke. When i was in high school there was a blonde sitting next to me in history class reading and she leans over to me and says "Why is there math in here? Why are they talking about poly-gamy? Is that like a octogon?" Yeah, that happened.

I tend to think that I am an open minded person. I've seen shows about the towns of polygamist families who dress like Amish and have teen brides. However lately i've started exploring a show on TLC called "Sister Wives". It's a very intriguing show I must admit. I think that like most 'alternative lifestyles' we should treat them as people and as God's creations. They need to see that their are people to love them even if they do not believe their lifestyle. They don't need people to criticize, or judge. They need love which is ironic since these people are all about love!

This is no way of saying that I am interested in polygamy. I struggle with sharing my food; so there is no way I would ever be able to share a husband. I've never been in a committed relationship but I do know that I wouldn't ever want another woman stealing his attention and especially not having their children. This is not me judging their lifestyle but stating my opinion.

Interesting: There was a point in the show when Meri "the first wife" was dealing with jealous as Kody (the lucky guy with four wives) was planning the wedding for his fourth wife. She told him that he should picture her being around another man and that man getting ready to move in with them. Kody became disgusted with the thought of another man in their world and he even stated that he would not be able to work with that. I found this very interesting.

:) My thoughts/ ramblings!
Kris