Team Picture

This is the team that is going to Wichita, KS; Oklahoma City, OK; and Costa Rica. Now you have faces for praying. Thanks so much!

Clowning Around

So go figure...I'm a clown. Yep, I was cast in the acting and clowning for outreach. Hmm...I'm going to have to really stretch myself for that one huh? Okay, okay...you're laughing. I love it. I love it when I get a reason to clown around and act goofy!

For the skits we're practicing ice-breakers for when we start services. One is called "The House Is On Fire". It's all about silliness! I play the playhouse director and am trying to get "professional" actors to do what I want them to do. BUT...they aren't quite professional after all. They can't seem to do anything right. When I tell them to act the scene out again in a different way, they do it to the extreme. "Fast", they act so fast it's like a VHS tape on rewind. I tell them slower, they do it slow motion. They just can't do anything right! It ends with me quitting the job and them ending Jackie Chan style.

One of the clown skits we do is called "Kick Me". I play the grumpy clown and I act all grumpy until happy comes in and starts to bug me! I push her away several times, then I get the idea to put a "kick me" sign on her back. 3 other clown kick her, there is a chase...and I'm found out! I get beat up, but she's pulled back and told that God loves me, so should she. She comes to pick me up (but I cower because I just got beat by her!). She goes on to tells me that God loves me, and so does she...so we're friends and skip off the stage! Oh...if life were that easy :)

So I've been having fun this week with ministry preparation. It's also been good realizing how close we are to going on outreach. We are becoming more unified in our team, and we're seeing each others gifts become more evident.

Thank you for keeping me (us) in your prayers. They are definitely felt.

Blessings,
Kelley <><

Keep the Pillow To Yourself

The tongue is an amazing muscle in the body. So small, yet so powerful. Do this...relax your tongue. C'mon...try hard, I'll give you a few seconds.

It relaxes your whole face...it will even relax your whole body if you concentrate on relaxing your tongue that much. Such a powerful muscle. It controls your tasting abilities, which in turn control your smelling abilities. If you burn it, it hurts for several days. If you bite it, it will hurt for several days.

The Bible is right about our tongue being a powerful thing! In the New Living Version of the Bible there are 79 separate references that specifically use the word 'tongue' in it. That's quite a few references for such a small muscle!

James 3:5 says: "In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire."

Wow! Have you ever wished you would have held your tongue before you spoke? I know I have (lots! Yes mom, no comments please...) We were told a story in class about a church member who should have held her mouth when she was talking with friends.

She gossiped to her friends about her pastor, which in turn spread to other friends, which in turn spread to the community, which in turn came back to the pastor. When this women realized what she had said was wrong, she came back to the pastor to ask for forgiveness. She had realized what she did was wrong and wanted to let him know that. The pastor forgave her, but he gave her this illustration: "Take a feather pillow with you to the edge of town. Tear it open on top of a hill on a windy day and let the feathers fly all over. THEN...go in to town and pick up all of the feathers that you just let loose. Impossible. This is much like what you have done to me. I forgive you, yes, but the damage to my reputation is done. There is no reversing the words that you have spoken already."

Wow! Have you ever thought of it that way? I encourage you to go to the people in your life that represent you opening a feather pillow on a hill about...ask them for forgiveness. Hopefully not too much damage has been done in that persons life, but maybe you'll realize that you shouldn't stand on a hill with someone else's feathers on a windy day. Keep the pillow to yourself. Relax your tongue. Is what you have to say encouraging or tearing down the other person?

So...put down the pillow.

Blessings,
Kelley <><

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Nothing really exciting today...just wanted to see if people were reading this :)

Aren't You Glad God Speaks English?

Have you ever thought of that before? Yeah, we often don't. We have four nations, and three languages represented in our class here at YWAM Tyler. Wow! And it's so much fun to hear them speak in their own language to God.

But you have to think...God's first language wasn't English! Hogwash! No, it's true. But I'm sure glad He speaks English, Korean, Karen (people group in Burma), Spanglish, Jibberish, Morning-bad-breath-haven't had my coffee yet...you get the idea.

So no matter what you language you speak to God, please know He hears and understands you. I'm so blessed to know that my friends all over the world can pray to the same God that has redeemed us all.

May you be blessed as you speak to God is whatever language you want to speak :)

Kelley <><