All the little pieces...

As I rode my bike down the road yesterday, I felt like I should stop.  I got off my bike and walked into the woods off the road.  Enjoying the beautiful North Idaho scenery (I am officially in LOVE with this place!!!! hehe), I followed an elk trail for awhile till I got to this old stump with some sticks leaning against it to make a cave.  Inside the little cave was a few old bones, probably from a bird of some sort???  Anyway as I started walking back to my bike I felt something in me say that I needed to leave a piece of my heart there.  Honestly, I was quite puzzled.  "Why would I want to leave a piece of my heart here?" I thought.  Finally, riding on down the road it came to me...
God wants all of us, he doesn't want to share our hearts with something or someone else.  It might be that super hot dude with the charming smile, or it might be that amazing opportunity that you just don't feel quite right about inside (or your parents just said "no" haha). 
I had already surrendered my heart to God, but I was still holding back little pieces that he wanted.  
I knew what I had to do, I got off my bike once again and laid face down in the dirt.  I told God to break my heart, I let go of every last little piece.  Now he's planted a seed inside me, and I'm growing a new heart, a better one, a heart like his <3  Kiana

This first pic is of a super talented new musician who put on a concert in my area, check out her facebook page/youtube channel (no videos up quite yet)!  Her name is Ahriel Puckett =)
The rest is North Idaho scenery =D

A Servant's Heart

God's been teaching me a hard lesson lately. He has been giving me lessons on how to have a servant's heart. All it really comes down to is following in Jesus footsteps. Jesus may be our King, but he came to us on earth as a servant. He did not sit on a throne with a crown on, he ate with the tax collectors and the cast offs. I think everyone struggles with being a servant. We have our own wants and needs to look after and most of the time we get caught up in our own lives, never even thinking about what other people are going through. We are too busy doing the bare minimum of what we have to to get by. I think it's time we all stop and look around. There is a whole world out there that has no idea what it means to have a servant's heart. And maybe it won't do much good, but I am determined to show the world what it means to be a servant.

It means cleaning up the ice cream that spilled on a chair before it dries up. And then wiping up the floor and table too, even though you did not spill it. It means getting off the internet for the 10 minutes it takes to help your mom make her bed. It means helping someone finish up their chores so that they aren't late. It means giving up your seat or your second helping of desert. It means arriving early to a church/school/community event and helping to set up, or staying after to help clean up. It means picking up the trash on the sidewalk. It means bringing a stray cart in the parking lot back to the store even though you didn't leave it there. It means thinking of someone elses desires and needs above your own. It means going above and beyond what you are required to do and doing your very best.

Maybe this sounds like really boring and thankless work. But the thing is, we aren't doing it for us! The Bible says to do everything as unto the Lord. To do everything with excellence. And you will notice that nowhere will it say "If you feel like it". We aren't doing it for us, or for the people around us, it's for God. We don't do it to draw attention to ourselves or for our own gain, but that God would be glorified. So the next time you just walk by a need, stop, go back, and do what needs to be done, and do it for Him.

.k grace.

Oh my dear, I will wait for you

This post is to every unmarried female in the world. This is my heart's cry for you.


Oh my dear



I will wait for you


Grace tonight, will pull us through


Until the tears have left your eyes


Until the fear can sleep at night


Until the demons that you’re scared of, disappear inside


Until this guilt begins to crack


And the weight falls from your back


Oh my dear


I’ll keep you in my arms tonight

-Tenth Avenue North "Oh My Dear"

Do you hear God's voice just whispering, "Oh my dear, I will wait for you. And when you come I will hold you in my arms until you are ready to face the world again, and I will hold your hand". Isn't it beautiful? But it takes just as much courage to go to Him as it does to face the world. Right now, He's waiting for me, waiting for me to have the courage to say, "Hi. I messed up, I need you". It takes more courage than some of you may realise.

Valentines Day was just a little more than a week ago. It's the day when so many girls look at couples and just wish...But you don't have to be one of those girls celebrating The National Singles Day on February 15th, because there's someone who would love to be called your valentine. Why don't you just give HIM your heart. Not a paper heart with an overused poem scrawled on it. Not a candy heart that millions of other people have an identical copy of. YOUR heart. Give Him the one thing that no one can take from you, and that is YOU. He has so much love just waiting, He's bursting with pride and love for YOU.
 
This is someone who won't cheat on you or tell you lies, won't put you last or treat you as second rate. He never lets go, never backs down, never looks away, never gives up. That's a whole lot of nevers. How many of you girls know any other guy with qualities like this one? He's gorgeous, indescribable, unexplainable, unconditional. His face shines "brighter than the noon day sun". How's that for a dazzling smile?!
 
He's in your head, in your heart, your thoughts, emotions, actions, He's never anywhere but here, here with YOU. Your heart is all He has ever asked for, your love the only thing He has ever desired. You are the only one who can give these things. If you think you are the only single girl in the world, it's not true. You have someone waiting for your answer. All the other girls who think they are so lucky, they have a guy on their arm, but for how many  and how long will that last? Boyfriends come and go. God doesn't. He is here forever. And He's waiting, waiting for YOU. What a beautiful feeling, to be wanted.

.k grace. 

Beautiful

Beauty does not mean a sky lit with stars, beauty is knowing that the stars are still there even though they are covered in clouds

Beauty does not mean perfect skin and hair and body it's knowing that you are beautiful beneath the surface, even if you can't see it.

.k grace.

Changing Times

My Dad works at the airport now so he took me flying a few weeks ago, this is a picture from above the clouds =D

Like "WOW" lots of stuff going on lately. Right now I'm trying to figure a lot of stuff out.

It's a weird season of my life. For so long I could never figure out how to live not knowing what's gonna happen around the corner. It's a long process trying to learn to live "Ever in the Present Moment..."

The theme of this blog has never been so real to me as it is right now.

So many things are changing, I'm almost afraid to hope that it'll all turn out. Now more than ever is the time for us to stand on God's promises and remember that no matter what changes in this world, his promises won't.

I was reading my first edition of "Susie" magazine today, and I loved the verse that one article mentioned.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." -Psalm 68:19

I need to remember that no matter what happens, I can always give God my burdens. I never have to take things alone. Even though we don't always understand why things have to work the way they do, God is always there for us. He's waiting for us to give ourselves to him. He's waiting for us to let him wrap is arms around us and hold us close. He's saving every one of our tears in a bottle, that's how much he cares.
Psalm 56:8
"You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?" NKJV

If you're up for a challenge, start living everyday like it was your last. Don't worry about what's going to happen tomorrow, don't keep focusing on the mistakes you made yesterday.

Live like you mean it. Live constantly meditating on what God says about your life. Do your best, do everything you do for God.

I love this song by Heather Clark, it makes me want to be in total love with Jesus, undived focus.

"Undived Focus" is such a crazy concept for me to grasp.

UNDIVIDED FOCUS by Heather Clark

"Holy Spirit, I surrender to You (x2)

Take my life I lay it down
All my gifts and all my crowns
I am Yours

Chorus:
I am in love, in undivided focus
I am in love with You (x2)

Take my hand and lead me through
Glorious fields to be with You
I am Yours"

~Kiana

Change cometh

In a split second, things can change lives forever. Nobody knows how many ways. Last night my brother Si lost part of his right trigger finger. It's tragic, even though some people would say "it's just a finger". It's more. It's a part of him that he has to learn to live without now. Deer hunting starts soon. He was all ready to go out and get a big buck. He was excited. And now his dreams are crushed till next year. He will have to miss a bunch of school. Losing part of a finger not only affects him, it effects everyone else, too. All the things that he could do before, he can't do them for a while, and then he has to learn to do things with other fingers. He will still have feeling in the end of his finger once it heals, but it will still be hard to adjust. I don't know why  I really wanted to post on here, but I thought it would make me feel a little better. It did. Just writing out calm plain facts helps.

.k grace.

Staying in Tune

Anytime I go to my Grandma's house, I get her old guitar out of the top shelf of the closet and do a little bit of general maintenance on it before I play. Sitting for so long, it always needs tuned up and often new strings. Anytime something sits in one place, it starts deteriorating.
Even after a week a guitar will usually need tuned. It's the same way with your relationship with God. When we ignore him for a day or a week we get out of tune. We fall away from that fresh, beautiful place. I've been working pretty hard lately on staying in tune and thought I would share some of the fruit...

We were having a relaxing evening at home with my Nana and Papa when the phone rang. Mrs. Nice Lady had called because the other nice little old lady down the road had gone missing! She asked us all to come down and help search for her. As this as had happened multiple times before, I really did not want to, but did it anyway. As I was riding my XR-100 down the road, I felt like God told me that I was going to find her. When I got there only a few people were there searching! I set off down a trail through the woods, calling (we'll call her Maggie May)'s name. After about an hour or so, it was getting dark and I was getting nervous for her. I dropped to my knees and starting praying in tongues. As I was praying I saw a vision of Maggie May in the tall grass holding a stick, her dogs all around her. I continued to search for awhile until I came to a meadow. A big, fluffy dog came to the edge of the meadow. I followed it through the tall grass where I found Maggie May! She was confused, but I was able to lead her by the hand back to the trail. I fired three signal shots with my Ruger 45. Colt, then left her on the trail with her dogs. I ran into Mr. Nice Guy and the neighbor kid who had radios. Walking back to Maggie May with Mr. Nice Guy, I filled him in on the details. Somebody drove a truck in to get Maggie May. She was pretty healthy, but tired.
I was glad that I heard God and went to bed that night feeling pretty satisfied.
~Kiana

Sometimes I feel like jumping off a high place and flying somewhere far away...

uh oh...

Oh no I got a facebook! Will my blog suffer because of it? I hope not!

.k grace.

Interesting Stuff

Hey!
So lately I've been looking into scholarships I can apply for, it can be kinda frustrating!
Last night I found this website www.scholarshipexperts.com
It's pretty cool =) Sometime if you're feeling ambitious, fill out all the info on their site and get pages of available scholarships based on your profile!
And best yet, it's free! Yipee! =)
~Kiana

A story teller's story

Sometimes I feel like posting but think I have nothing to post. So I post something I have drafted previously, maybe changing something here or there. And then I realize within usually 5 minutes that I have something to tell the world after all. I thought about removing the previous post but it is exactly what I need to be thinking about so I'll leave it and just post for the second time tonight.

Shortly after I posted about faith, my mom asked me to brush my five year old brother (JD)'s teeth. Not an unusual request, I do it almost every night anyway. So I set aside the laptop and went to brush his teeth. He started to act a little stubborn about it, but I ployed him with a reminder of mom's promise to read him stories after his teeth were brushed. That got him moving, but still, it wasn't enough. He wanted stories NOW. You see, in my family I am the storyteller. I always have been.

When I was little, younger than 5 probably, I began making up outrageous stories that no on would believe. It's a good thing though, because they were never true. I have just always been a storyteller. I used to share a room with my two younger sisters and to get them to sleep I would tell them stories. When my brother JD was a baby, he would get cranky in the car and so I would whisper in his ear, just making things up as I went. By whispering he would have to stop crying in order to hear what I was saying and then stay quiet because he wanted to hear. It didn't ALWAYS work, but most of the time. After I switched bedrooms, I no longer told them stories. As JD got older he was better in the car. I didn't have the occasions when I needed to utilize that gift. But more recently, in the past months or year, I have had to pick it up again.

I remember the first time in several years that I had to call on that gift. It was this year. I had to put my sisters to bed and my youngest sister Em asked for a story. I racked my brain for something, ANYTHING. I got nothing. I walked away wondering, "What happened?" I used to be able to come up with a story on a moment's notice. And now? I couldn't anymore. The next time she asked I told her my version of a long joke about turtles. But I still wasn't satisfied. I felt like I had lost a huge part of me. So the next time one of my younger brothers or sisters asked for a story I made one up. It was stupid and sounded stilted and I had to stop often to think of what to say next. But I worked at it and became more fluent as time went on. Now tonight when JD asked for a story I felt good. Because I have rediscovered a part of me I had lost.  I thought fast and told him a story about a snurtle and a porculinus who got all stuck together with superglue and  had to use toothpaste to unstick themselves. It felt  like a rebirthing moment. One of those moments when you have just come out of the forest and marvel at



the light breaking through,





the sun in your face,




and the wind in your hair.

 I just felt good about that and wanted to share that little piece of joy in my week.

.k grace.

note: all photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted, please do not use without permission.

Faith: Living what you believe you believe and making it count

I feel like such a faker sometimes, you know? I know what I say I believe, and I know what I show the world that I believe. But when it comes to believing what I believe I believe, it doesn't work out exactly how I thought it would.

I mean, don't you just decide to believe something and then believe it? Nope. Doesn't work that way. Believing is all about faith and faith is all about actions. No, I am not saying your good behavior's gonna get you into heaven. But how is the world supposed to know who God is, if the people who are supposed to be His followers aren't reflecting Him? Our actions are supposed to be the very REFLECTION of HIM. Not our wants or needs.

And if our faith is driven by actions....well by ourselves, it's a hopeless mess. What I mean by this is that without the "works" our faith is "dead", remember that verse? I can't remember the exact place to find it, but somewhere in John, I think, there is a verse that, simply put, says, "Faith without works is dead". Therefore if we don't put that faith into action it's worthless.

Just like the scientific principle that if you are pushing something, but it never moves, you have done no work. The proof, the actions, are what drives the whole thing. But this doesn't mean you have to see it to believe it. Because to even make the faith work, to do the actions that make the faith valid, we must step out.

As Fireflight's song, "Unbreakable", says, "Faith is moving without seeing, can I trust what I can't see, to reach my destiny". I believe that's the cry of every teen trying to live for God. Can I step out and trust that He's gonna have me in His hands? Can I believe that He's really gonna catch if I fall? Will I see another tomorrow if I take this risk? Yes, you can. In a world that tells every Christian "you can't believe that, you can't do that, you're a failure, you just simply can't do that", I am telling you YES YOU CAN. Because of Him and through Him.

It's time to step out. Maybe it's not stepping outside the box, maybe it's stepping back into the place where you felt so unsure of, and believing that God is gonna bring you through. This is what I believe. This is what I try to put into action every day. But unless I truly do it, not just TRY, my believing that I believe won't do me any good.

So I keep going back to square one. And once I have passed square two, I know I don't have to go back to one.
Believing is not seeing, nor seeing believing. Believing is you making your decision to essentially do or die. To live what you believe or die trying. Like Cassie Bernall. Live like today is the day you will have a gun put to YOUR head. Live like today you will be asked if you believe in God. Show the world that they don't even need to ask. When you walk into the room something changes. When you walk away from spending time with someone and they say "wow, she really walks what she talks". When people clamor to be around you because they know you're the real deal. This is when you know that you are truly fulfilling your destiny. Your destiny to live for God every day, every moment.

.k grace.

Our Father's Love

This is a post I did on my old blog Modest is Hottest that I thought I would post here because i love it so much. I have a bunch more, too, from that blog that i will probably repost here. (Note that this was written when my pen name was Sal, my name is actually K Grace!)

This morning when I woke up, I was thinking about God. No surprise there, but I was having new thoughts about Him, new thoughts about His love. As i was doing some chores shortly after i got out of bed, I realized that some qualities I would only attribute to earthly fathers are inspired by God!

Now, my dad is not big on a lot of fruits and veggies, and neither am I. But my mom occasionally says, "Sal, you need to have a piece of broccoli". Many times I can get out of it by eating an extra helping of collard greens or spinach, but sometimes there are no collard greens or spinach available. So I sit at the table, staring at the dreaded broccoli. When I am being stubborn, my dad encourages me. He encourages all of my six siblings in similar ways, too. He says "Sally" in such a way that there are so many extra syllables that I have to smile. So he says "Sally", (with all the extra syllables), "You need to eat your broccoli". And then when I am finished eating it, he smiles and says "I knew you could do it". God is the same way! He whispers "Sally, my girl, come on! Eat that broccoli." And I do, and I get a great big hug and a "well done my girl". That was a lot like my daddy's encouragement. He knew I was being stubborn and that if I drank two glasses of water really fast after eating the broccoli I wouldn't hardly taste any of the gross stuff. What else does my Heavenly Father do?

Sal is about to walk away from the kitchen counter, when she feels a nudge on her shoulder. She turns. "Hey, um, nice looking counter, eh, Sal?" the guy says. Sal spits out a fake laugh, "sure" she says. Sally turns to walk away again. This time it is a tug on the back of her shirt. "Now, come on Sal, you KNOW I'm a nice guy, so just listen a minute or two, awright?" Sal leans against the kitchen sink. "I'm listening", she sighs. The guy begins his speech. "You know, I know, we all know, that if you go and sit at that computer one room over, your momma, she gonna walk right through this room and see that messy counter". Sal groans and rolls her eyes. "Hey, none of that now. Bad habit. Your mom isn't gonna like that. What would happen if your mom saw this right now? That's right, you would have to come back and do it all over again, and while you were away from the computer your brother is gonna go on facebook, and he won't wanna get off because he has to go to work tonight and he wants to catch his friends first, and give 'em a message or two". Then again, if you clean this counter right, then your momma will walk through this room and do a double take when she sees that spotless counter, and by the time you are ready for the computer, your brother will have already found out that none of his friends are online because they're already at work, and he will decide to go get some extra time practicing that new song on he guitar. Waddya say?" "Well, I guess you could be right, but..." Rebel breezes through the room "who you talking to squirt" he laughs and knocks her on the shoulder. Sal turns back to the man, but she is alone. She smiles, and starts scrubbing at some water stains.

How Great is His love for us? It is higher than the heavens, and deeper than the seas. But it is never too high to care about the details.

.k grace.

Impossibility

I was on amazon looking at the first chapter of "God Chasers" by Tommy Tenney. I ordered it into my library and haven't been able to pick it up,  but I wanted to know what to anticipate, whether i should look forward to it and try and pick it up soon, or send it back. Trust me, I will be trying to get a hold of that book as soon as I possibly can! Just the first chapter made my heart want to be a God Chaser, to follow after Him with all my heart, not to examine and analyze His trail, but to truly know Him. Somewhere along the line I came across another book, "Ever Increasing Faith", by who else, Smith Wigglesworth. The last lines of what appears to be the introduction hit me like a ton of bricks. Listen to this.

There is nothing impossible with God. All the impossibility is with us when we measure God by the limitations of our unbelief. -Smith Wigglesworth

Whew, that is a lot to take, but how true, how true.

.k grace.

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here's the before picture

Mom got hers done too =)

After!!!!

Yipee!!!!!!!!! I did it!!!! I finally got my nose pierced and as usual it was sooo much easier than I expected! It didn't hurt at all! Like seriously!

The lady who did mine was super good and I am super glad I went to her.
So whaddya think?! I'm lovin' it more every minuet XD

~Kiana

Chasing God

Do you ever have times in your life when you feel like you're just dry? You pray and can't feel anything. You can't stay focused when you try to read the Bible. Frustrating, isn't it?
I've been feeling like that lately and I've kinda come to the conclusion that if you really want God in your life, if you really want to be close to him and feel like he's near you everyday, you have to chase him. Doing a devotional in the morning is not enough. God wants to draw closer to you, but you have to choose to draw near to him. Sometimes that means changing the way you live everyday life. It's not easy, it seems like God always tells you to do things that stretch you.
Any thoughts on the subject?

~Kiana

Btw, I'm getting my nose pierced tomorrow!!!!!!!! =D

Humanity

This song speaks to me today, not sure why. But it does. And just sayin, Tim Be Told is the best band ever.

.k grace.

My song for today

Hey! So I was listening to a Jeremy Camp CD a little while ago in my room and this song played and it has stuck with me and I can really relate to it. Especially with all these huge changes that are happening in my life right now. I dedicate this post to Saint (y'all remember Saint? I've talked about her several times recently). I know a lot of changes are happening in her life, too and so yeah, I just wanted to post this song for me, for Saint, and for all of you guys.

.k grace.

Destiny Call

Hi. Watch the video above and read the lyrics before you read any further.

The title of this blog is Ever In The Present Moment. It is both mine and Kiana's goal to live our lives every second making the most of it, never pushing to be in the future and growing up to fast, and never dwelling constantly on past successes - or regrets. But how do we live ever in the present moment? And how do we live forever with God when we live here on earth? I will tell you, if you haven't already figured it out from the lyrics of this song. You do it by loving what He loves, seeing what He sees, a hope burning like He is far inside us, with His light in our lives, our hearts renewed, and believing that "Here we are forever with you" never separated from His love. That is how we live forever with him in the present moment.

Why should we try to live ever in the present moment? What is the point? The reason? At one point this song declares "I want to live like every breath matters". Why? Why should we strive for a life that is meaningful and impacting and leave a lasting legacy? Because since God planned you, yes even before anyone else knew you would be born, He made a call rang out, your call. Your destiny call. You must listen to that call, but before you can listen and obey, you need to acknowledge that God has an amazing plan for you and your life. You need to acknowledge that you HAVE a destiny call. It is then that your destiny can be sprung into action for real. Don't wait for it to come find you, you need to listen for it. Listen for your Destiny Call.

.k grace.

life and school... what you make it

"About 90% of the times you're afraid to do something and do it anyway, it's not nearly as bad as you thought it would be." That's my latest motto or whatever. This is me jumping off a cliff. So for those of you who don't know that is like totally out of my character. I always used to be extremely quiet, not outgoing at all, insecure (not that quiet people are insecure, it just happened to be the case with me).
The present has overcome the past. I'm not afraid to be me anymore and I don't look back.

I'm home schooled. My mom does things a little bit differently than most other homeschooling moms. About a week before school starts she drags about 10 big boxes out of the closet and starts deciding what stuff we'll need for the year.

I always dread that fateful evening, but this year it's different. I was praying about school this year and I felt like God was reminding me that what the school year is like, I'm going to decide.

It's not always about how hard you're going to have to work on school or what classes you take, but what attitude you have about them. I want to learn this year. I want to do well. I don't know about you, but I want to LIKE school!

This is the present overcoming the past.

So lets continue to strive to live Ever in the Present Moment...

~Kiana