my ordinary is quite extraordinary

This weekend has been filled with rest and relaxtion...just being a good ole home body, which I love. On Friday evening I was in my jammies by 6pm with dinner in the oven and two redbox movies to enjoy by myself. To some that would seem boring or lonely but it was quite welcomed. I watched "Secretariat" and absolutely loved it. On Saturday I got to sleep in a bit and then spent most of the late morning and afternoon with Amy and Noah. An afternoon on the town with two of my favorite people was just what the heart needed. The rest of the afternoon I spent running errands pricing things for the new home office renovation. And today...well today was spent pulling the home office together. I made some minor changes to the plan and all is done except putting some shelves above my desk. Pictures to come! I love it and look forward to spending some quality time in there working on Acres of Hope stuff.
So as you can see quite an ordinary weekend...but to me it was quite extraordinary. The house is clean, the last bit of laundry is going now and I am ready to start this week with everything in order.

*the picture above is one of my projects for the home office. I've had this window for a while but couldn't figure out what to do with it...I love the finished project!

Re-run

As I was struggling over my lunch break to get up and down the stairs in my apartment after my first day working out, I had a flashback to this post from last spring when workouts started. Enjoy the re-run....

I look forward to the day that everyone has told me is coming when I don't hurt like this. One friend even commented on my facebook that I would even crave working out. Time will tell and I hope she is right.

Here is my funny but necessary antic for the day. Hayden text messaged me yesterday and asked me how sore I was on a scale from 1-10. I wasn't really sure how to answer that knowing that day 2 is always worse than day 1...but I was certain I had to be at a 10 anyway. So out of necessity I have come up with a soreness scale to be able to answer his question more accurately. So here goes....
1-4 are all managable numbers....even numbers that I have felt without working out!
5 "ooh I am feeling muscles I didn't know I had"
6 when walking past my treadmill I long for the "good ole days"
7 I dropped something on the floor and say "screw it" and leave it there. If it was food the dog will eat it...if it was a piece of clothing I will wear something else!
8 I have had repeated thoughts throughout the day that "the human body was not made to do this!"
9 I strongly considered sleeping on the couch to avoid walking up the stairs or even worse...considered letting Matti use the bathroom in the house and clean it up later to avoid walking back down the stair (but then again see #7..bad idea)
10 Not being able to perform basic necessities of life without major pain or shedding tears. For example sitting down or getting up from the toilet. Moving your head instead of your arm when brushing your teeth

Today is definitely a mix between #5 through #7. The only variation from the first time this list was written is that I am very aware those muscles exist now but I don't appreciate them reminding me there every cursed step I take.

back on the wagon....

Well it's no secret because the lack of blogging is proof that I fell off the workout wagon. I was doing so good and had lost 20lbs last semester. After a trip to Uganda and a nice round of pneumonia for several weeks, I was out of routine and never got back to it. I spent the month of January getting some runs in with my friend Shannon to work up to the month of February when workouts would officially start again. Well Hayden wanted to jump the gun and we started back today. What does that mean? Tomorrow is going to be torture getting out of bed, getting on and off the pot, walking up and down stairs. Glory. Here's to sticking with it this time and see great results. Encouragement is greatly welcomed and I hope to make you all proud.

Philippians 1:12-18

And so the memorization of Philippians continues...

"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is in the cause of Christ. Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly. To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of goodwill. These do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, seeking to cause me anxiety in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, CHRIST IS PROCLAIMED. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice."

This is quite encouraging to me...especially serving at a Christian College where I wrestle with some students and staff members and their motives for why thy engage in the gospel ministry. What matters is that in the end CHRIST IS PROCLAIMED....the rest as they say will "come out in the wash."

hello...goodbye...hello...goodbye

So does anyone else out there feel like within 48 hours of getting paid that they no longer have any money? Seriously, LC's payday is the 23rd of the month and on the 24th all my bills arrive. By this time I usually have nothing in my house to eat so a trip to grocery store is required. So within 48 hours bills have been paid, the pantry and fridge have been stocked, the gas tank has been filled for the first of two times this month a little money has been set aside for "entertainment" a little has been moved to savings for future trips to Africa and we are back at a ZERO balance. Hello paycheck and goodbye paycheck. Why is it again that when we were kids we couldn't wait to grow up? What was so appealing about watching our parents go through this process because I have come to realize this is the "norm"?
Glad I got that out of my system...I think it every month around this time and now it's off my chest! Happy February everyone...here's to living on pennies and wishing for a sugar daddy!

A more optimistic blog to come soon.

PS...for all my college students reading my blog....don't rush to get out of school, the grown up world isn't all it's cracked up to be. There is a good reason they created masters degrees...to prolong the inevitable.

on a mission

With the money I got for my birthday I purchased my first pair of TOMS shoes. If you aren't familiar with these shoes then you are missing out...much like I was for many years. The mission of TOMS shoes is ONE FOR ONE...meaning for every pair of shoes you buy they give a brand new pair of shoes to children in need. Pretty cool huh? Shoes with a purpose is what I like to call them. On top of going towards a great cause these shoes are unbelievably comfortable. For people like me who hate wearing shoes they are the ideal. My first pair are burlap and I would wear them everyday if I could. The only reason I cant is because they don't match everything...thus, I am on a mission this weekend. Angie and I are going to take a quick roadtrip to Ruston so I can get a black pair. With two pairs...one black and one brown I should be covered when it comes to most things in my wardrobe. So, while I enjoy a random roadtrip and hopefully my new pair of TOMS you should check them out on www.toms.com and find the pair perfect for you.

Back to School....:

Yesterday was day one of my CS Lewis class and I am even more excited now than I was before. We have quite the reading list for the semester and I am beyond thrilled to add 10 CS Lewis books to my personal library. Here is the run down of what we will be reading and the order that we're reading them:

Surprised by Joy
Till We Have Faces
The Screwtape Letters
Abolition of Man
The Weight of Glory
A Grief Observed

Surprised by Joy is CS Lewis' autobiography which so far has been quite good. I love reading about the humble beginnings of a man who has had such an incredible impact in literature and is considered to be one of the greatest theologians of all time. Cheers to ya Jack Lewis!! After Surprised by Joy we will start Till We Have Faces, which Lewis writes in his autobiography is the book he considers his best and most meaningful work....how can I not get excited about that?

Happy reading.....

discerning and "hog wash"

I have been trying to figure out how to blog tactfully about a recent church experience I had. To say that I was blown away by the things I heard would be an understatement. The title of this blog accurately describes what I heard preached that day...HOG WASH. I could go into great detail about the many things that rubbed me the wrong way that people were just eagerly digesting but I will leave it with this one.

Throughout the sermon the preacher used various translations of the Bible ranging from the Message to the King James to the New Living...whatever wording fit his point best. At one point he read from Revelation chapter 1..

"The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear words of prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time it near." v. 3

Oddly enough he camped on the first phrase "the one who reads this is blessed" and continually emphasized that the Bible says "those who read God's word are blessed....you don't have to understand it....you just have to read it." Say what?
I've lost a lot of recall from my seminary days but I am pretty sure that God intends for us to study His word for understanding. In fact, isn't that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit...to help the believer in discerning and understanding scripture? To drive his point home he added this littler zinger, "you don't have to know who the whore of Babylon is...you already know enough whores." While it is true that knowing who the whore of Babylon is doesn't determine my love of the Lord and understanding of His word...that illustration falls way short of teaching us that we don't have to understand God's word.

This morning as I was working to memorize my verses from Philippians for this week I camped out on this particular verse...

"And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment," Phil 1:9

It seems that Paul was praying for and encouraging believers that they were to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Biblical love is not empty sentimentalism but is anchored in TRUTH...which hinges on the reality that we must first understand that truth. Paul prayers that they were have discernment, meaning that they would have insight and moral perception and the ability to apply that knowledge practically.
Not only does Paul write this to the people in Philippi but in almost every one of his letters he admonishes believers to grow in knowledge and discernment. It seems as though Paul felt is was very important for us to understand truth. In fact I think Paul would say that to read and not understand and apply would be HOG WASH...liking looking at your reflection in a mirror and do nothing to change your appearance.

Sorry for my rant but I just needed to finish processing that experience and be done with the craziness. If you stuck through this blog entry to the end...I pray that today you grow in knowledge and discernment of our Father's Word!

going to my heartland

Well as of today it is official... I am going back to Uganda this year...not once but twice! I will be going March 9-19th with Samaritan's Feet and will spend the majority of time visiting the orphans, getting their pictures, stories and videos so we can get them sponsored. Then I will be going back June 28 through July 14th with International Sports Federation. I will be leading the team for them again and will soon be recruiting my team. If you want to go to Africa and love on some orphans shoot me an email at kbthomas@lacollege.edu and I will get you some information about the trip.

If you want to sponsor either of the trips I would be indebted for your contributions and prayers.

more to come soon....I am up to my ears in primer and paint....the office project has commenced.

dreaming up some new projects...

So I guess the best way to start this blog is by having a little confession time. Here goes... I, KB THOMAS, AM A COMPULSIVE REARRANGER! There I said it. I know it...the people who have lived with me and work with me and have been friends with me for more than one season know it. I love change...at least the kind I control. I love to rearrange my living room or bedroom or office quite often. I love the change and feel like it makes me more productive. It usually starts with the need for a good cleaning and before you know it the entire room is in disarray and furniture is being moved around. I can't help myself. If I go for a while without rearranging I get a little antsy and that is where I find myself this cold, rainy, Sunday afternoon. I want to change something and the itch has been to redo my middle bedroom and make it into a cozy office space. The obstacle: MONEY. I have it all laid out in my head what I want to do. I have the wall color picked out (most changes don't require paint but this one does), I have the material for the curtains picked out, I have an idea of how I want to build a desk and shelves to optimize the space for scrapbooking and writing. It's all in my head and I have sat in that room and envisioned it a thousand times already. One day I will have pics of the remodel but for right now it remains the catch all room. That may just be my gift to me after tax refunds come back.

I also have another pending project that WILL get done as soon as the rain stops coming down. There is a trash shed in the backyard of our apartment complex where everyone throws their trash. Our maintenance guys used to be really good about picking up the trash everyday but lately not so much. In fact, not only do they leave it for weeks at a time, they took almost all the actual trash cans out so it's just a big concrete slab to throw trash. Normally I wouldn't care enough to do something about this nasty problem but Matti has come to love the trash shed and digging for treasure in there. I've come to tweak the old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure"...now it's "one man's trash is my dog's treasure." I am not okay with this. She eats things that make her sick, she drags trash all over the yard and she has been waking me up at 3am wanting to go out and when I take her out to pee she makes a b-line for the trash. This has got to STOP! My solution...I am going to build a gate on the shed made of 2x4s and chicken wire. Ah la trash stays in, dog stays out. I've done the measurements and have enlisted help, now I am just waiting for the rain to stop. I will post pictures of my project when it's complete. Until then I leave you with a pic of the trash shed that I took this week.

Philippians 1:7-11

So I ended up spending two weeks on the first set of verses but they are locked in my brain now. It's on to the next set of verses. If you are just tuning in I am trying to memorize the book of Philippians this year. If you want to join me this is the verses for this week.

7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Paul certainly does make his letters easy to memorize...lots of words...but here goes another week.

UPDATE ON GRAHAM: Thanks for your prayers. I got an update from Jen that she is pumping and they have started feeding Graham through a feeding tube. Not exactly what we would consider ideal but he is getting nourished and having a full belly has put him at ease tonight. Keep the prayers coming.

Seems like just yesterday I was sitting in a hospital room with Amy working through nursing issues...little different scenario and now look at this kid. This picture was taken this week of him eating baby mac-n-cheese with veggies and he didn't like it one bit.

Graham Gene Charles Rice

I have been so blessed to be aunt Kabes to the kids of my dearest friends for years now. On Thursday I got to welcome my newest nephew, Graham, to the bunch. I've only seen a picture but I love him already. He weighed 8lbs and 10oz and was 19 inches long.
Graham has been in the NICU under observation since he was born because he has fluid in his lungs making his breathing labored. The fluid is also putting pressure on one of the valves of his heart causing a murmur. Please pray for Graham if you're reading this. Because of his condition Jen has not yet gotten to nurse him and the delay is causing problems on her end now that they need to be able to give him milk. I realize that is a weird request but most of the people who read my blog are woman and you understand. Jen would be crushed if they had to start Graham on formula...she's just a granola mom and desperately wants to be able to nurse and I pray she gets to do just that!

Thanks in advance for your prayers for Jen and for Graham. I am hoping and praying that not only will he get to nurse but before the end of the weekend he will be tubes and IV free and ready to be held by his big sis Evie and his precious grandmother who I call Mama Karen. I know they can't wait to get this little man home.

C.S. Lewis

I am just a little excited right now...
I just found out that one of my favorite professors at LC (Dr.Whatley) is teaching a class on C.S. Lewis this semester and I am going to sit in on the class. The great part about it is that I get to learn and enjoy the class without the stress of paying tuition and without the responsibility of writing papers and taking tests. Woohoo!
I am sure many blogs this semester will be about what I am learning so stay tuned. I have secretly always wanted to be a C.S. Lewis nerd but never taken the time to start from the beginning and read through his collection. The time it now....

"slaves of Christ Jesus"

I shared with you in a previous post that one of my goals this year is to memorize the book of Philippians. Each week is dedicated to not only memorizing about 6 verses but spending time really meditating on those verses and what they mean. This morning I spent some time doing a few word studies and the one that has really resonated with me is the idea of being a "slave of Christ Jesus." In the very first verse this is how Paul and Timothy identified themselves. They don't introduce themselves as "hi, I am Paul, I am from ______, I am ______, I have _____, I went to school at _____, I work at _____." Their one identifying description is that they are slaves of Christ Jesus...meaning they are in a state of willing bondage under the control of Jesus Christ.

In thinking about this it took me back to my trip to Uganda this summer. I will never forget the first time we met with a group of believers for worship on a university campus and the students began introducing themselves. The very first one said, "I am John and I have been a follower of Jesus Christ for 5 years." I sat back and was just humbled that that was the one and only thing he saw fitting to describe himself. Meanwhile I was pillaging through what I wanted to tell them about myself. Shame.

I have a confession....I am still not there yet. In fact as I studied that this morning and I write this even now I am ashamed and under conviction that yesterday instead of being a slave of Christ Jesus I spent almost the entire day being a slave (and victim) of my circumstances. Back in August my car was hit by a student on campus and the agreement was that she would just pay for the damages out of pocket. Here we are in January and she still had not fixed my car. Even worse she came to see me yesterday and told me that the reason she hasn't paid me is that she feels that I am taking advantage of her and she feels that I am partially to blame because my car was parked in her spot. By the time our conversation had ended with raised voices and tempers flaring my blood pressure was through the roof. For the rest of the day my head pounded, my attitude was poor towards anyone I encountered and I told anyone and everyone who would listen how ridiculous I thought this situation was. I am still upset about it today and probably will be until the situation is reconciled but it doesn't have to determine my attitude, my joy, my demeanor towards others.

Today....my goal is to choose to live like a willing slave of Christ Jesus...not a slave to my circumstances, not a slave to my job....a slave of Christ Jesus who will always act with integrity and in my best interest, who will love me unconditionally and who is the giver of all peace and joy. If you read this today or whenever you read this...pray for me. Paul is gracious to remind me in verse 6 of this same chapter that I am still a work in progress and it was God alone who began a good work in me and God alone who will complete it. My job is to follow his lead and not be an obstacle in my own path to becoming more like Jesus.

announcing....

the 2011 NATIONAL CHAMPS.....the AUBURN TIGERS!!!
For any of you who know me well you know that I love me some college football, especially the Auburn Tiger variety. I love college football as much as any man...which I know is weird but when you are born in the south and grow up steeped in college tradition it just sticks with you. After going four perfect seasons (1983, 1993, 2004 and 2010) in my lifetime we finally had the opportunity to play for the BCS championship. It truly is a day I won't forget for a long long time. Our last championship was in 1957, clearly not in my lifetime but I remember the three perfect seasons that came and went with no closure. I am PROUD TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER...always have been and always will be.

I know college football isn't everything....it's not even the biggest thing but on Monday night it brought great joy to this little Auburn girl planted in LSU territory's soul!!

FINAL SCORE: Auburn 22 vs. Oregon 19

Philippians 1:1-6

I mentioned in my "resolutions" blog entry that I am trying to memorize the book of Philippians this year. Here are my verses for this week if you're looking for a challege as well...

v.1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons. v.2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. v.3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, v. 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, v.5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. v.6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

What a promise and great news that we are still a work in progress and will be until the Lord returns to claim his own. I don't know about you but that allows me to take a deep breath on this Friday morning. I know in my heart and mind that I have a long way to go in this journey but what a relief to know that God not only knows that but orchestrated it that way.

Happy Friday!

great news...

I received an email from Geoffrey in Uganda today that made my day. If you remember back in September when I was doing the $5 challenge and asking 100 friends to give $5 so we could get the orphanage registered and secure the land..I was blown away by the support and was able to get the money to Geoffrey quickly. Here is the email I got from him today:

Hey K B - I am excited to break the news that finally Acres of Hope Uganda is legally registered by Uganda government as an incorporation. meaning we can fully operate anywhere in Uganda and own both movable and immovable assets and also run our activities freely and legally.
With this I would also like to registered my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to you and to all that contributed financially through you,toward the registration of this ministry in Uganda.
Thank you big big Momma
May God continue to bless you as usual.

Geoffrey

That is such wonderful news! I can't wait to go back at the end of February/beginning of March and find our what the next step needs to be in raising money for the actually building of the children's home, primary and secondary schools. I am praying big that people in the States will step up to the plate and give, send teams of construction people, etc....I long for the day when Acres of Hope is standing and full of happy children who just want to be loved. I will keep you posted.

get it together girl....

So funny story...today was my first day back to work this year and boy am I struggling. I just got a phone call from a non-traditional prospective student asking about housing. As she finished she said "I think that is all the questions I had." And my response, "okay, well if you have any other questions don't bother calling." Needless to say I quickly caught myself and said "I mean don't hesitate to call...welcome back to work...I need to get it together, sorry about that." She laughed, I laughed and as I type this she called back to ask another question so I guess all is well. WOW! May be time for another round of coffee!

On a happy note....day 3 of no soft drinks is going well and today starts my official workout routine. Thanks to the blogging world I found a workout partner so I am supper excited I don't have to go it alone. A huge thanks to Shannon Smith for blog stalking and coming to my rescue.

January 4th and here is the update:
eating healthy--CHECK
no soft drinks--CHECK
just printed the guideline for memorizing philippians and putting my journal together so ---CHECK CHECK

off to a good start so far but we are only 4 days in...what is it they say, it takes 28 days to form a habit?!?! 4 down and 24 to go!

New Years Resolutions: 2011 edition

I usually don't make New Years Resolutions because it seems by doing so makes it nearly impossible to achieve said resolutions. This year I refuse to settle for that and am posting my resolutions for all to see. I guess if you don't set goals for yourself you have nothing to aim for....so here goes.

It no particular order:
* pay off my car note
* pay off at least 1/2 of my student loans
* lose at least 50lbs
* blog at least once a week
* stay debt free on my credit cards (got those paid off this month!!)
* memorize the book of Philippians

Specifically where the weight loss is concerned I have some new life style changes to put in place. It's no secret I fell hard off the workout wagon...and now it's time to get back on. I have yet to find a workout partner but I can't let that stop me from getting back in the routine. Hayden is willing and ready to kick my tail again. So here are my life style change goals:
* no soft drinks
* cut back signficantly on sugar
* no eating after 8pm
* fast food no more than twice a week (let's be realistic)
* eat more fruits and veggies
* workout at least three days a week

I am heading back to Pineville tomorrow and all of these are about to be put in place. Wish me luck and keep checking back on the progress. The goal for 2011 is better spirtual, emotional and physical health. Here's to a healthier and happier me!!!