Every Little Girls' Worst Nightmare

So after spending sometime at the mall telling people about religious suckers ( take the quiz http://religioussucker.com/ ) I retreated to a nearby retail store called Ross. I went to the dress section and as I was looking for cute summer dress, I came upon a wedding dress, but this wasn't any wedding dress, no, it was the wedding dress that I had dreamed of since I was a little girl and there it was on a sale in a retail store. Don't worry, I'm not a crazy. I am aware that I am single and far from holy matrimony, but this was the dress of my wildest dreams. So of course I took it to the dressing room to try that bad boy on. I had a little trouble getting the dress over my shoulders because there was no zipper up the side and I had to force the dress over my shoulders. Everything fit beautifully. As I looked at myself in the mirror my heart leaped for joy for the special day that I would actually get to wear a wedding dress down an isle.

 As I came back to reality, I realized that I had to hurry up and purchase my other clothes before my friends came to pick me up. As I attempted to pull the dress over my shoulders, the dress would not budge. I tried again and again before realizing that if I pulled any harder I would ripe the delicate fabric. I started t freak out. I was freakin' trapped in the dress of my dreams. The more I squirmed the tighter the dress got. The room started to get smaller and I started to sweat. I contemeplated getting that dress off by what ever means necessary, but couldn't force myself to tear the beautiful fabric. I had gotten myself into a mess that I could not get myself out of...alone. I decided to enlist the help of an outsider; I stepped outside my dressing and found the first available lady. I invited her back into my dressing room and she forcefully pulled the dress over my head. Embarassed and a little claustrophobic I emerged from that dress severely jaded.

What does that mean when a girl finds her dream wedding dress and gets trapped in it. Lesson learned; don't try on a wedding dress when you aren't getting married....fair enough.

I know it's embarrassing, but my embarrassment could be someone else's treasure..... 

Jesus Culture

 

I went to this conference in Redding, California called Jesus Culture and I'm featured in the Redding online newspaper under the photos. Check me out  praying for this guy!

http://www.redding.com/news/2009/aug/04/by-faith/

Eyebrow Threading

Hey friends! I have been in kind of a dry spell of blogging so I thought that I would talk about some randomness that is my life.

Has anybody ever had their eyebrows threaded? Eyebrow threading is depilation technique that originated in India and has in recent years made its way over to the US. It involves twisting a piece of thread into a double strand. The strand is used to pick up a line of hair and then remove it, creating a very clean, precise hairline. Eyebrow threading is the technique  preferred by Indian movie stars, who are often distinguished by their crisp brow lines. The result is pure Bollywood awesomeness with a beautifully shaped brow. The process of getting this finely shaped eyebrow is shear torture and agony. It feels like the lady is riping my flesh off.

I've only had this technique done a handful of times, but everytime I go, I sit there in the chair in pain thinking to myself "why, why oh why did I sign up for this knowing that I would have to endure this misery in order to have flashy eyebrows." Everytime I am there in that seat, I want to cry out "UNCLE!" But I signed up for the pain knowing that the result would be worth the pain. And oddly enough this reminds me of a sacrifice of a different kind, with a greater reward. Jesus willingly went to the cross, enduring unimaginable pain and humiliation just so we could have a chance at being in relationship with God. Jesus willing took that pain and shook the foundation of the world. 

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Whoa.

Risk for Love

 

We risk ourselves for the things that we love. Lately I have been feeling like a regular Indiana Jones. I have a tendency to forget things. Most recently I have been forgetting my keys in Ruby’s car and find myself with a need to lock the door to the apartment but unable to lock the door from the outside without a key. My mission was to make it to the Family Film Festival (a festival Remnant supports that makes it possible for families to watch free children’s movies during the week days), but I could not leave the apartment unlocked all day long. But I organized a plan to lock the apartment and leave for the Family Film Festival. You see Ruby and I live on the second floor and if I could just find the courage to step over our railing on our back porch and jump down, I could go and play with kids all afternoon. I prepared for the worst and I expected the best. I packed a snack thinking that if I hurt myself on the way down I would at least have something to take my focus off the pain. I put a Band-Aid in my bag thinking that one would be enough. I texted my friends to let them know the plan in case anything should go a rye. I prayed for the best.

 

Looking over the edge, I contemplated chickening-out but did not want to face the alternative of missing the Film Festival or leaving the apartment vulnerable to theft. Jumping was my only courageous option. I stepped over the railing, kicked my shoes down below into the shrubbery. I figured if I could somehow shimmy down the railing, I could swing to the railing of my neighbor’s porch below. I let my feet go. As I was hanging there off my railing, in plain sight of my neighbors, I thought to myself “Once again Kristen, you did not think this one through.” At this point it was too late to turn around. I did not have the arm strength to pull myself up and over the railing. My only choice was to let the wooden railing slide through my fingers until I was low enough to stand on the porch railing below me. My feet caught the railing and I jumped down into the safety of a flowerbed.

 

But we risk it all for the things we love. Am I right?  I love the Family Film Festival. I get to meet tons of kids and parents, paint faces, play corn hole, and spread the word about the new church that meets in the movie theater.

 

Well jumping from a balcony may not be much but it was the riskiest thing that I have done since I up and moved to California.

 

I also had to do the same maneuver the week after that when I forgot my keys again. At least that time I had a spotter.  

Cheers to safety!