"Rain"

There are times in our lives, when we feel for whatever reason, that we are being drenched with nothing but rain. Rain, it seems to be a two sided thing. In some cases it is so beautiful; a graceful release from the everyday, even to the extent that we have a sudden urge to run and play in it. (Which is really exciting, if you haven't tried it I highly recommend it.) But there are times when rain seems to be not-so beautiful. It is going to rain in our lives, we have to be prepared for it. God does not promise us a easy ride, full of "sunshine and rainbows". Sure he loves to grace us with happiness, but it doesn't always work out that way. It's like the story of the Wise and Foolish man. The wise man was prepared for the rain, he had a sturdy foundation, he choose to build his life on the teachings of Jesus. The foolish man wasn't quite prepared, and the storm overwhelmed him, destroying his house. The storm is going to come, sooner or later it will rain. It will rain allot. The question is do we have the right foundation to make our way through it, and come out a stronger individual.

It is argued, of whether our trials are the workings of God, or mere coincidence. I personally feel, he wants us to live our lives without trials. But seeing as we are human and often stubborn, we make him show us the long way home. He tells us in scripture that with trials, we develop perseverance with the trials we face. I've personally seen this in my life. There have been certain things in my life, that weren't quite "good" per say, but at the same time if I hadn't of gone through them, or done some of the things I did, I wouldn't be the strong christian young lady I am to this day.

We watched a video during our church lesson the other day that impressed me. It is called the "Nooma Videos" all by Rob Bell. There are 14 in the series, I saw number one. I urge to go to Nooma.com and check it out, you can actually watch the whole "Rain" (#1) video on the website. It is a beautiful example of the love God has for us. The way he clothes us in his grace, wrapping his arms around us. Psalm 55: vs. 22 says "Cast your cares on the lord and he WILL sustain you. He will NEVER let the righteous fall. Psalm 46 vs. 1-3 "God is our refuge and STRENGTH, and Ever-Present help in trouble. Therefore we WILL NOT fear, thought the Earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

He tells us he cannot ignore the cry of the afflicted. He is there by our side ALWAYS. And we should feel so SAFE in that thought.

God Bless!

<3 Kayleigh

Breaking the ICE...

Every now and again, I get this sudden urge to write something. The urge is usually overbearing, there is always a central point. Last night, while listening to a bit of George Winston's beautiful piano, I had an urge to write. My mind somehow focused on a single idea, ICE. I don't know how, or why, but I had to sit down and write about this subject, and I did. With this in mind, it lead me to a thought.

There are so many words to be spoken, to be written that rarely ever get thought of. How many times do we actually sit and think about things that aren't really needed, or certain. If we just started to pick words out of the air, and arrange them into forms; imagine the masterpieces that could be created. Poetry for instance, is it really a talent, or do people fail to open their minds enough to create it? With simple words, a mind can be changed completely.

There are no wrongs to be written with words, as long as we choose them wisely of course. There are a thousand stories lying behind their doors, should we dare to open them.

I really hope this made any bit of sense. Sometimes I just get these ideas, and they seem so interesting I can't help but write about them.

<3 Kayleigh

Worship or Romance?

I was reading an article today, finding something interesting to end my boredom. An interesting point caught my attention and got me to thinking. The article was titled "Undivided Worship" by Susie Shellenberger. It was talking about our worship, and how even the most moving songs, we think, are really questionable on who they are focused on.

Read the lyrics to this song:

"I want to know You; I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more.I want to touch You;
I want to see Your face, I want to know You more."

Now does that seem a bit weird? If not read it again. It seems as if we are romanticizing God. Instead of truly worshiping him with all our hearts, we seem as if we could be singing to some boyfriend of ours. Which questions what our minds are really focused on. It doesn't mean they are wrong, it just seems a bit under-classifying God. It is like we are putting him on the same level as a friend in our 1st period class, when he is our maker, our savior. The one who created us all!

But take a look at these lyrics:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

There is no question what so ever who we are singing to. All the focus is on the greatness of God, his power, his mighty Grace!

This is just something to think about. I just really thought it was interesting, that we could actually Romanticize God, and not even realize it. I hadn't ever really thought about this before, but it is certainly true. God wants our all when we worship. I truly believe that when you worship, you have to give your all, 100%, no holding back what-so-ever, to feel the spirit of God upon you. If he is urging you to close your eyes and become closer to him, then you need to do just that. If he urges you to lift you hands, or clap, then don't hold back! Give him all you've got, and don't be afraid of what others are thinking, because they don't have your life in their hands. I really believe that he sees that, and he fills you with his spirit when you give you all, 100%. And it is so beautiful!

God Bless,

Kayleigh

Driving!

So today I went driving with my pepaw. It was actually not so bad. In fact I love it! I have been putting off the idea of getting out and learning how to drive for awhile now, so much that my family has started to think that I am scared to drive. They have this strange idea I have some phobia of driving which isn't so. So we went out on Redman Road, and he let me drive. I thought I was going to practice in a parking lot or something but no, I was on a actual road...cringe. It freaked me out at first but It was so fun, I actually got up to 40 miles an hour. I know that isn't fast, but for me who has never driven a car in my life, it is. I am very proud of myself...now I just have to study that retched test. sigh....

:)

~Kayleigh

Thoughts from a song

"In the quite, in the stillness I know that you are God...I am restored by your presence." "There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Crucified to set me free, now I live to bring him praise."

-Hillsong United

What a wonderful message. It is so comforting to know that Jesus loves us so much. How he died for you and me, and everyone on the face of this Earth whether they accept it or not. He is here with us holding out his loving arms whispering to us, we are his! It is such a beautiful message. All of our life is in him, all of our hope, all of our strength! There is no one else for us, none but Jesus. He is always there. Wow, it is unfathomable.

I just got the urge to share this, while I was listening to Hillsong United, they are so wonderful and inspirational.

Have a wonderful blessed day!

<3 Kayleigh

Art and other pictures

These are pictures of art, and other things I am proud of. I hope you enjoy them!

This is a kind of bad picture, but oh well. On the left is the head BMW guy(executive maybe, I don't know what to call him) and the other one is my art teacher, Coach Lindley.
This is at the BMW contest, as I'm accepting my check from the head guy(far right in the suit) and that is my wonderful art teacher in the blue next to me. My picture is on the screen behind, but they cropped and I don't know why.

OK, this picture of me is bad but the drawing is really what counts. This is my famous "Lady in Blue" that won 2ND in state and BMW. I love it, there is nothing else to it. My pepaw thinks it's strange though, maybe it is, but I won me 250 dollars so I'm not complaining, and besides aren't artists supposed to be a bit strange? :)

This one is also a favorite. It was actually a minor, meaning it was the warm-up drawing before the major of this media. It actually has an interesting story behind it. Our assignment was to find a piece of architecture, a building of some kind that had character. So me and my memaw went to Little Rock, so I could photograph some of the houses in the historic district, seeing as most of those houses are absolutely beautiful! Well I was taking a picture of this(not this one I drew) house, and this teenage boy comes out and asks me why I'm taking a picture of his house, so I'm kinda scared, like what do I say? So I told him it was an art assignment, and he just kinda looked at me like he had no idea what the word "art" meant. And for the record it wasn't like I was on their property, I was on the street a ways away taking a simple shot. Well we drove away, and that is when I found this wonderful house and I believe it worked quite well. It is matted also, it just doesn't show it. This one hasn't competed.

Again, I am very sorry for the odd shape of this one, my camera couldn't capture the whole thing. This one is titled "Joy". It is of one of my dear friends, and expresses so much Joy ,so I felt the name fit well. This one is also much larger in person, approximately 18x16 I believe, I'm not sure exactly. It won honorable mention in the Emotionalism category at state.

This is a picture of my "Pointe of Grace". I did a bit of research for this name, I found that the tip of the toe on a ballerina is called a "pointe". So that is where the name originates from. This one I did last year, I am very proud of it. At first I didn't like it, and my Art Teacher, Coach Lindley, had to almost Twist my arm to finish it...but I am very grateful because it is one of my favorites. It is about 18x24, larger with the full matte. It won 1st in the ASU Beebe contest, and has yet to compete in State, but it will this year. (sorry for the odd shape of the matte, it is normal in real life I promise. :)

This is a picture of Kayla Oudthone and I at the BMW overall competition. This is her piece, that won overall in state and BMW. It is completely beautiful, and flawless. She won 1st I believe, and then overall, and I won 2ND, and honorable mention for the overall competition. Fun times!

Beautiful world

There are so many beautiful, wonderful things in this world that we overlook far too often. Too many times we focus on the negative when we fall, when we feel alone. If we could see the beauty and joy around us, it could all be well again. I hope for both myself and others, that we get to experience this beauty firsthand. To be able to dive head first in the radiant wonders of this world. To see the glory in the towering mountains, the grace in each and every flower, the brilliance in the showering rain. I feel so light and wonderful when I think of the things God has put on this Earth just for the soul purpose of letting us experience his beauty. We could be so worry free, so happy and free if we could see the majesty in his works, every single day. I vow to myself, that at least before I die, I will go in all the world, to capture his beauty, and let it amaze me firsthand. I want to see the beautiful fall leaves on the trees, towering over a country road. I wish to stand, feeling like a mere ant, in front of a towering snow peaked mountain. I wish to fly across the beautiful ocean, plant myself on the edge of the sea and paint my heart out. To lie under the stars, feeling wrapped in a blanket of light. I want to run in a field of flowers, falling amidst their graceful blooms.

His majesty is engulfing us everyday, if only we could feel wrapped in it, as we are. Such beautiful things lie on this Earth, and I want to witness everyone of them.

Check out this video, it is so beautiful it could almost make you cry.

http://mayyoubeblessedmovie.com/

Have a wonderful Blessed Day!

<3 Kayleigh

Family History

Isn't it just strange thinking about the genealogy of our families, and the thousands of ancestors we have never heard of? If you really give it much thought, we all could be related, since everything started with Adam and Eve. It is as if we are one huge family, all of us, our genes have just been mixed together too many times to count, making it seem as if there is no possible connection.

I made a strange, and a bit frightening discovery today. Me and my memaw were looking at the genealogy records on the Internet, racking our brains trying to think of the names of my great- great-great grandmother and father. I learned my great great grandmother's maiden name was actually "Moore". The surprised me because I have a good friend by the name of "Moore". So I was talking about it, and it just so happens that all of her sisters, that held the name"Moore" also, had red hair. Well my "friend" has red hair. This could be a huge coincidence, but it is a bit frightening to think that me and him could be distant-distant-distant cousins by some odd chance. I just had to write about this because it freaked me out way too much to pass it by.

Like I said, this may be a huge coincidence, but it is all so fascinating to think about.

<3>

My Photography

He is Amazing

God is truly amazing. It is just so amazing the way he works, in people , in situations, in every way possible. God can take the most unlikely place and time and turn it into a memorable experience, he can pour down his spirit on you in the depth of your despair and automatically you are lifted, high, where the enemy could never reach you.

What an amazing God we have, he is always there. Never in all my life has he left me. There have been times where I have hated him from the depths of my soul, wanting nothing to do with him, but he was there. I didn't see it then, and I couldn't understand it. He was there sheltering me and watching, waiting until that night when I'd had enough, and just cried out to Jesus, cried out to him. He was there. Gosh he was there and I could feel his spirit. It is so beautiful, the love he offers us, and holds for us. It never goes away!

Tonight, a friend showed me some things. He showed me that God is truly amazing, that he can do anything. Whether it be healing someone, touching someone who could never be reached by ordinary means, or just sheltering us under his wing.

There is nothing more beautiful and wonderful than the spirit of God being poured down on you. The feeling is like no other, to know that God is in that place, his spirit is all around you and he is there listening to you worship, hearing your thoughts, whispering the things he wants you to hear. Wow, nothing in this world could be more lovely than that. It is unfathomable.

May God Bless you in the coming days, and may you truly see him. May he show you his love and grace, and pour down his spirit and his love on you.

<3 Kayleigh

More Mission Trip pictures

This is the house one of our groups worked on. This is one of the erie neighborhoods, withthe tall weeds, open doors, broken windows, water, etc

if you look closely, you can see the x, this house was in the 9th ward

Down town New Orleans

Note the spray paint and keep out sign

Water in a can

The showers...otherwise known as, a wooden box

with the luxury of a half torn tarp. But hey, they worked!

inside the house

the all awesome Bobby, and his humor

all of us, and the owner in front

Mission Trip- Katrina Relief

Ok, so I just got back from my mission trip saturday afternoon. We left sunday morning and got there about 8:00 pm. it was such an amazing experience. We went as volunteers for the Tammany Oaks Disaster Relief. All together we worked on 4 houses over the week and finished them all. We were split up into 3 groups within our youth group. Each group had about 8 teens and 3 adults. I was with Roy, Bobby and Mr. Benford.

So we woke up at 6:00 every morning, put on out faded mustard yellow t-shirts they had for us to wear(they washed them every night for us)and eat, not worring about make-up, hair, etc, and got on the bus to head to our house we were assigned to. The houses were about an hour away. When we first drove through the the neighborhoods it was alitle bit overwhelming because they were deserted, and the doors were wide open with the windows broken, some of the roofs tarped over. You could see the mark the army placed on the houses after searching, as if branded. They were marked with a giant red X with the top number being the date, the right was the amount of animals found alive, the left was which army searched them, and finally the bottom was the amount of bodies found. Fortunatly I didn't see any with a number on bottom, but some other people said they saw them. I think God was sheilding my eyes or something. But the houses had this erie feeling, it was quiet and it didn't help anything that it was a windy, overcast day so it was gloomy and depressing, like a horror movie. Some of the streets still had 2or 3 inches of standing water, because the drains were so badly clogged with mud.

The house were trashed, destroyed. Our house wasn't as bad as it was it if was untouched, you could walk. But our owners showed us the next door house. THe door was wide open, so you could see inside. THe furniture had been picked up by the water and strowed about, you couldn't walk a foot into that house. It was impossible. But the house we worked on was bad enough. They had cleaned some of it already. The house was to be condemmed, meaning it was going to be demolished no matter what, so we didn't have to gut it. We just helped Barbara try and find the salvagable stuff. These houses, were unbelievable when you entered them. Imagine your house, with everything you have out on the floor, soiled with mud and water, furniture toppled over, clothes stained and decomposing, glass broken, the ceileng completly gone, you could see right through to the attic. The floors covered in your belongings, insalation, ceiling, etc, some places up to your knees or higher. It was horrid, and it smelled terrible. Everything that used to be shiny and pretty, was tarnished and ruined, pictures were ruined with colors bleeding together. These houses were immerssed in water for months, some over the rooftops. We had to wear masks, gloves, goggles,and heavy duty boots. They said only a few weeks ago they were wearing full body suits that looked like ghost buster outfits. They told us not to open the refrigerators, no matter what. We had to duct tape them completly if they were to be moved out, becasue of the stuff growing in it for a year without electricity. They said the fumes could literally knock you out.

We(our group alone) worked on two houses. We were extremely lucky to have had such sweet owners. The first owners were a couple. They found softballs in their attick and gave them all to us, so we got one and signed it and wrote God Bless, Good Luck, Etc on it and gave it to them. It was the best thing we good have done for them besides giving them our love and compassion. They signed one for us also. I now have a ball that survived Katrina! But it was so awesome and amazing to find something that meant so much to this women, to see her face light up because something so dear to her was found unharmed. It made it all worthwhile to see the effect this great dead played on these people and knowing that your making a differnce, maybe even leading them closer to God. At the end of the day when we had found everything we were going to find, she says "Well this isn't much for thirty five years, Oh well! At least were still alive!" I could not have done that. Their attitudes were amazing, for instance we found the husband's golf trophies(and clearly this guy was an amazing golpher) but he didn't want them. You could tell he was simply glad and thankful to have his wife. It was amazing.

The second house we got to gutt. We tore all the sheet rock off the walls, tore out the base boards, the appliances, plumbing(even though he had done most of the appliance and plumbling work already), carpet, got all the muck out, etc. We stripped the house of everything except the boards that held it up. Our owner got us doughnuts and drinks everyday. One day he even got us ice cream when the ice cream truck went by. He noticed that another group was working on another house accross the street and got them doughnuts also. He was so nice.

Chris, my amazing youth minister!, and his group found a goldfish on the window seal with a fish bowl on the other side of the room. They had mustard bottles everywhere outside becasue they all came from Big Lots. They said it looked as if these people left in the middle of everything because there was a pizza in the oven, dishes in the sink, clothes and water in the washing machine, etc. It was as if time just stopped suddenly.

There was so many weird stories we heard fromother groups. One foung a dalmation on the bed. :( Someone found a baby shark in the bath tub, about 2 feet long. Someone found literally crazed fish in the pool. (I mean just think about the water they've been in, they would be crazed). People found aligators, we had a refrigerator on the roof, with the door on the other side of the roof and it wasn't even the owner's. It's just crazy and unbelivable.

While we were there we showered in a wood box, drank water from a can, and eat peanut butter sandwiches everyday from half molded bread. It was deffenatly differn't. I am glad to be home, even though it was an amazing experience. I am glad to have water that doesn't taste like alluminum, am gald I can go to sleep whenever I want without having to beg people to turn the lights off, be quiet and go to sleep at midnight. I am glad I don't have a flash light Nazi outside my door(Jane)(long story). LOL But even though it was hard work, and intense, and a bit stressful at times, it was an amazing experience. It helped me to deffenatly be thankful of all I have, and reminded me to not get so caught up in my stuff, because it could be gone tommorow, just like that. It's like the parable in the bible about the rich man who had a really good crop but he didn't have a big enough barn to store it all so He built another. God called him a fool(which was probably pretty scary to be called a fool by God) and told him his life was going to be taken from him that very night. It could all be gone an hour from now. It's scary.

But I'm going to put some pictures on here of the destruction and stuff, if this posts this time, I wrote all this yesterday and it froze up and I lost it all, I was furious.

God Bless!

Kayleigh

God's Creation

The trees sway with such grace,

as the flowers bloom in the sunlight.

Birds chirp in their nests with a cheerful song.

Everything is perfect, in tune with the wind,

the skies, the seas.

Full of life, full of love, full of wonder.

God's grace shines through brighter than ever;

Brighter than the sun, taller than towering mountains,

his majesty reigns over all.

He sheds his beauty on this world he created.

Every creature , every nat, every single blade of grass,

frequently forgotten, belongs to him.

Your Sacrifice

The stains of your blood carried me far.

The scars on your hands washed me clean.

With the freedom to fly, I took off into

your arms, rose above these mortal chains.

Like a new born baby I rose out of the darkness,

into your arms I hear you with glee,

A new born child to set free.

Jesus, your everything to me!

Your mercy and love set me free.

Just like an angel you rose, you flew

above this world.

What a mighty savior!

With a heart of joy

I live for today, not tomorrow.

I reach for the skies not the ground.

Because your high above me,

and I want to find you; meet you face to face.

Then one day we can sing together in

a sweet remembrance of your sacrifice.

The Living Water of Christ

Living Water;

nothing but a stream of water

upon shallow waves.

Whispering winds combine

with the laughter of the day.

Among the trees, among the mountains

we find one breath of life.

A cold and refreshing glimpse of what

we have and could be.

The lost souls, only skimming the surface,

with no idea of what's in store.

They search for water but find nothing

to restore their tounges to new.

The answer is right before their eyes,

formed by God himself.

The faith and hope of Jesus Christ.

The answer was never deceiving.

they're cries were just too faint,

Not by words but by heart.

But the soul of a believer,

deep and rich with water,

breath for a new day,

with life for our wonderful savior

Jesus Christ.

My crazy summer.

Well right officially I'm out of school. I am so wonderfully happy. But it's weird because I've been waiting for this for so long and now it's like- Now What? I have summer school in a week for a whole month, maybe longer. I'm excited about p.e. because we get to go places and I have a good friend that will be in there with me so it's not so bad but still. At least I wont be bored. But right now as I see it I have so much going on I don't have a summer. My dad want s me to go up to Rodgers for a week, then my mom wants some time(which is both fine) but I feel like I need to do the whole "your scheduled here", "no, sorry, that time is booked" thing. Which is sad. I wish I could go to uplift but I can't even do that! It's so crazy.

The Madness of a Storm

The wind shapes its fingers through my hair,
whispering secrets in the night.
The meaning of out lives float away,
under the shelter of their flying colors.

Speeds pick up,
stranger by the minute,
beating its fists against
everything in their way.

The first drop of the evening
hits with a shuddering thud.
Soaking in the creatures that haven't
left the threatening grounds.

The skies begin to Roar,
with their angry voices
they cry into the night,
shouting their threats to the world.
The trees are pushed aside,
lifting their roots from their comforting homes.

The clouds overflow with all their might,
casting out their drowning floods.

The skies are split in two,
and with one flick of his wrist,
lightning strikes the darkness.

Fingertips to rooftops

I also got this while listening to classical music. It is very inspiring. I'm not sure it quite makes much since but I guess it doesn't have to.

Fingertips to rooftops; feel the sunlight.

Such a beautiful day

and Dusk is far away; let your hair down,

let your fears hide beneath you feet.

Cast the skies to blue. Paint a canvas of a lovely, lovely you.

Eyes shut, entertaining lids of honesty.

Dancing is the key to wonder,

to a tune of a thousand vacant voices.

Sing tunes and voices,

with such a beautiful day.

Rays hit my face, this tune is growing louder,

Escalating to the surface of the water.

And oh how the wind is kicking up, picking up the leaves

off the ground.

Float off far away to another ground,

another song,another sound

until we dance, good byes across the room.

Float off on a cloud of glistening silence.

Eyes open, all is well. Paint a Lovely, so Lovely

you.

Forbidden Forest

Here's a poem I thought of while listening to some classical music one of my friends let me borrow. Not much but oh well, here goes.

One Drop,

All is still as the night closes

in among us.

The quickest thread of light

floating away on a cloud,

drifts upon unwanted grounds.

The sky rumbles in the distance,

with a second drop to match the first.

Creatures scatter their own way,

spreading their wings to fly away upon the sun set.

As night closes in among us.

Retreat

Right now I am exhausted. I've been at a retreat all weekend and now I feel like I could sleep all day if I had time(which I don't). Well we were supposed to go to Pedegene Mountain(sorry I have no idea how to spell it...oh well.) but It poured down raining and we had to stay at the teen center the whole time. And of course it wasn't the same as if we were actually somewhere serene and peaceful but It was ok. We had to design all the lessons ourselves. Complete with songs, scripture, theme, everything. And it was a great bonding time for the girls especially. Yes we had our fun...some I'm not going to repeat. Inside Jokes, the whole works. We had to sleep in separate rooms than the boys(of course) and we decided we were going to sing. Well we finished our second song and one of the girls had been halfway asleep and all of a sudden we hear"Guys, God is asleep, you should too"...We about fell on the floor laughing. It was hilarious. But It was a good learning experience...Lets jut hope out next retreat doesn't get cancelled and messed up.