What is Love

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?^[

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

¹⁶ Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

¹⁷ A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

Bend Lower

I know I have talked about kissesfromkatie before but I just finished her book and I was looking through her old blog posts. This is by far one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy!! Oh and her book is a MUST read. It teaches what servanthood looks like and is a wonderful reminder of the Father's sweet sweet love for us. You can find the book here or at any book store! http://amazima.org/katiesbook.html Here are some quotes from her book:

“I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, let Him use me to change the world for one person.”

"Poverty is not a sin; it is a condition, a circumstance that allows God’s work to be displayed.”

"I am more more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.”

June 2011

Around here, we live bent low.

Tuesday morning ladies from Masese stream through my front door. We have moved our weekly meeting from the slum of Masese to my living room because I have been up all night with new foster baby and can’t imagine getting all 14 of these little people out of the house. Excited about a change of pace and my sweet friends in my home, I enlist the help of darling Tamara and 13 eager little girls to give these ladies pedicures. We wash and we rub and we paint. I rub lotion into old scarred feet and think of the journeys they have traveled. I whisper thanks for the ways they have blessed me and the things they have taught me, and here in a puddle on the hard tile floor, Joy overflows.

It is on this same cold, smooth tile that I kneel hours later, face inches away from the burn on Makerere’s calf. The stench doesn’t even bother me anymore. And while it looks horrific to outside eyes, I remember what it looked like months ago and ever so slowly, I can see the healing. I can see the healing in the blood red life that spills out as I bandage and in the smiling eyes that tell me stories as I work. Laying on my belly with a surgical blade I scrape out the dead and do my best to preserve the new pink tissue that is starting to form around the edges. He laughs and says, “I have told you now all the stories I have! It must be your turn.” And I tell him a story of a Heavenly King born as a pauper and of a Body broken for me and for him and for each one of us. And I don’t even realize but there are tears on the tile and I sit astonished that messy, inadequate, ungraceful me would get to share such a story.

We sit in the dirt, not worried about the red stains and serve 400 plates of food to sponsored children on Saturday. I look into these faces and remember them nearly 4 years ago, destitute and hopeless and starving. Afraid of my funny white skin. We feed them lunch and we feed them God’s Word and we watch them transform. We feel like family now, no one noticing these skin differences. The suns rays beat down the glory of God and covered in mud and chicken broth I know that this is contentment.

Our family sits on the street corner down town sharing ice cream and laughter. My daughter bends low to offer a homeless man her popsicle and as he cries that no one cares about him she looks straight into his face. “We will be your family,” she asserts, and she means it. We kneel on the pavement and we pray and people stop to look but we hardly notice because we were made for this.

We bend.

I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower.

Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face.

He lived, only to die.

Could I?

Die to self and just break open for love.

This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me?

And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy.

Praying for you as you bend today for whoever is in front of you. He will meet you there.

Video describing her book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfXgCx3f_1c

Her blog: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

Happy Tuesday

I cant remember how to upload this video so just click on the link. Its a two year old rapping, cutest thing ever

http://youtu.be/an_STKm-524

Where are you Christmas

This year has not felt like Christmas for some reason. Our house has been decorated since before Thanksgiving, I've watched numerous Christmas movies, and my Christmas cds have been on repeat for weeks. It even snowed in Oxford, twice, but still no feeling had occurred. Once finals were over I told myself, after this I can rest and then focus on baby Jesus. But I have been done for almost a week and still nothing....Until yesterday. I was at my home church, which I am obsessed with, and our pastor is doing a series called "Merry Christmas to Me" Its all about why Jesus came and what Christmas is about. But he is focusing on the intimacy of Christmas between us and our creator. I never really thought about it like that until now.

To be honest I have been focusing on my plans, friends, and family and haven't thought about Jesus at all. Of course its been the normal lets celebrate baby Jesus and sing Joy to the world but I haven't let the true reason of the season penetrate my heart once again because I have been so busy with life. Praise the Lord there is always grace and he forgives but He wants more from us then our leftovers. In some way each of us keeps caught up in the holiday rush and forget the main point of it all

LOVE

This Christmas its all about love for me. Like I said, I have been so busy with meaningless things I have forgotten the most important. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.- John 3:16

Going back to what my preacher is speaking on this month, the love and intimacy of Jesus Christ. We all know the verses but do we really believe them? God in his holiness, would take on flesh to enter into a sinful world to save sinners who had no hope. And when I say sinners Im talking about ME, Kailey Lauren Kemp. I get so caught up in the little things and forget about this astounding truth. I can even be doing good things like reading the word, praying, trying to reach out to someone, plan a bible study or whatever. but I have been missing the main focus of it all. I have been trying to do and do what I think is considered "good" and what I "need" to be doing. While these things are pleasing to the Lord he ultimately wants our hearts and our love. I make everything about what I think is best. I tend to forget I have a human mind and a sick sinful heart without Jesus.

So this Christmas I want to believe what the scriptures say. I want to return to myfirst love and get back to the basics. Our relationship with Christ isn't about our resume or our to-do list. Its about sacrificing our hearts to him and letting him love us. He is there and waiting to do this. Our works become an overflow of our love for Christ not the other way around. I pray that we can remember what Christmas is truly about. The ultimate display of love that the world has ever and will ever see.

Our pastor has challenged us to think what are we going to give Jesus this year for His birthday? It is slightly ironic how it is His birthday but we spend all of our timeand energy on each other. He definitely doesn't need a pair of socks, cellphone, or new car. He wants our time, love, affection, troubles, and worries. He delights in his children giving him these things. It still blows my mind that He is such a personal God. He cares about our desires, our feelings, and our happiness. The creator of humanity, wind, insects, and nature loves us. Each and every one.

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5

"Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 49:15-16

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1

I pray this Christmas will be different than any other because each year we should celebrate more the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray we can use our money, time, and love all for the glory of Him. If you are looking for something to give to this Christmas here are a list of some of my favorite charities:

http://www.worldvision.org/m/tt1

http://www.amazimastore.org/

http://ijm.org/

Each site has options from necklaces to buying goats for a family in need.

And my gift to you, my favorite blog- http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

Lets celebrate the greatest love story ever told

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Done and Done

I am officially home for Christmas break and done with fall semester! I am looking forward to a lot of rest and trying to process through the semester since that really hasn't happened yet. But for now, catching up on my television shows and being lazy will work just fine...

Don't mind if I dooo

Lazy Sunday

Sunday is by far my favorite day of the week. I am taking full of advantage of the sabbath this week and enjoying some down time at home with my mom watching tv, laying in bed, and baking. After a wonderful morning at church and then lunch, we are enjoying the rest of our day in our pajamas. Praise the Lord for rest and family. Here are the cookies we will be making thanks to interest

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Oh and not to mention and its wedding sunday on WEtv!

Happy Sunday!

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24

Lately

Here are some things I have been wanting to make, bake, or create:

Anddd its almost time for....

56 Days

Baby its cold outsideee

Innocent

This is a journal entry from one of my friends that went to zambia with me this past summer. Please read her sweet inspiring message!

"It didn't feel real. We had landed in Lusaka at 9 pm and even though it was dark, my eyes were searching around in excitement. When we were heading to our lodge I was nervous and had no idea what to expect from Africa. I felt helpless a lot of the time when we would travel to the orphanage. All around me I saw dark eyes & light smiles, little children in desperate need for love. What can one day do in the course of a life...? My heart was broken for them and I felt a need to do more than what I was. I thought we'd arrive and I'd be full of impact for them, but staring back at the eyes staring at me, I was helpless.

At one of the orphanages I went to, I met a young girl, 15, named Jean,and I heard a story that changed my life. Jean's story. At the tender age of 12, already living at the orphanage, Jean was walking to school. A stranger, a man who believed the common myth that the cure for AIDS lies in the virginity of women, spotted her and took away her innocence that day. She was dragged village through village, naked, while people spat and urinated on her broken body. No one at her orphanage home knew, because she kept silent. Soon, Jean found out she was pregnant. Three years later, I meet her and her beautiful son, named Innocent.

Hearing her story and seeing her faith in God impacted me in a way that I can't physically explain. I saw a lot while in Zambia... poverty and sickness...but also hope in the people afflicted with them. I met college students who were more driven and determined to succeed in their education than any student I've met in the States. I met women willing to walk or craw to a clinicl for hours to get the medical care they needed. I've seen the joy of the Lord be the strength for one woman, Elina, who mothers her own children and takes in orphans. I've seen the Spirit of God move more mightily in a one room, cinder-block church, than in the "mega-churches" here at home. But most of all, I've seen love. I've seen love and I've felt love for people I never knew before. In coming home to America, I have brought this love back in the hopes that others might feel it too. I've brought back the pieces of my heart that belong to Jean and Innocent in telling their story. I want to raise awareness of what is happening in our world and to testify that feelings of helpless CAN transform into good works...easily.

My hope is to inspire you to give some of your love to these people. It has changed the way I live, and has taught me how grateful I should be for an abundant life in the Lord Jesus Christ. I never would've been this thankful if I hadn't met Jean. You can visit www.Zambiahope.com and donate, meet the kids I have personally met and raise awareness of the issues these children face, daily. And we, together, can develop a team of people, who out of love, impact the lives of children across the world for eternity. "

7 Truths

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. MATTHEW 6:33

I want to spend just one more day wrapping up these seven non-negotiables of life—because when you see them together like this, it becomes much clearer what they're all about.

1. Seek God, not sin.

2. Fear God, not man.

3. Love God, not the world.

4. Believe God, not the deceiver.

5. Obey God, not your appetites.

6. Serve God, not self.

7. Worship God, not comfort.

We know in our heads that we should put God first and ourselves last. What we're not always sure about, though, is how to apply that theoretical truth in real life—during a routine business meeting or a normal Thursday afternoon or walking to class.

That's what these seven simple action points are all about. When every intersection of life begins with an eye toward God—the way each of the statements in this list does—our lives begin to more closely resemble our professed beliefs.

I urge you to type out and print these seven non-negotiables, put them in your pocket or purse and discover how often they apply to the choices you make in the course of an average day. They'll help you not just remember your need to put God first, but also see how to do it.

DISCUSS

Choose one of these non-negotiables right now, and talk about how applying it in the circumstance you are facing would make a huge difference.

PRAY

Taking turns, pray your way through these seven."

They Swam Home

After sunday, we officially have 121 new baby dolphins!!!! This is our largest pledge class ever and we also are the largest tri delta chapter! I am so excited about these new girls and how the Lord is going to change their lives and use them for his glory. Please be in prayer for our babies and the Lord's guidance. Some of my dearest friends, Mary Cannon Spradley and Callie Rush, are in charge of the new pledges and basically become their mothers for the next semester. So please also be in prayer for them as they Shepard these precious girls!!

"Im a Delta Delta Delta lucky person that I am"

Furious Love

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.-Ephesians 3:18-19

FURIOUS LOVE

Following Christ has nothing to do with success as the world sees success. It has to do withlove."

Madeleine L’Engle

"God is love. He didn’t need us. But he wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing."

Rick Warren

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness."

Jean Vanier

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”

C.S. Lewis

“God loves us just the way we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way”

Leighton Ford

And he is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am tree. oh how He loves

To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love.

- Thomas A Kempis

To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek him, the greatest adventure; To find him, the greatest human achievement.

- Raphael Simon

His love is so intimate, satisfying, and unconditional. Our human minds will never comprehend this type of love. We have never known unconditional love on this earth. But through his Son, his love is now shown to all the world.

-Unknown

Nothing can tear us from

The grip of His mighty love

We’ve only glimpsed, His vast affection

Heard whispers of, His heart and passion

It’s pouring down…

His love is deep, His love is wide

And it covers us

His love is fierce, His love is strong

It's furious

His love is sweet, His love is wild

And it's waking hearts to life

The Father loves and sends His son

The Son lays down His life for all

He lavishes His love upon us

He calls us now, His sons and daughters

He’s reaching out…

… and its waking hearts to life

He is waking hearts to life

He is waking hearts to life

Your love is deep, Your love is wide

And it covers us

Your love is fierce, Your love is strong

It's furious

Your love is sweet, Your love is wild

And it's waking hearts to life