All posts by Kristen Mudrack
Fifteen Minutes
By Kristen Entwistle
I was a distance swimmer in college. The 1000 yard and 1650 yard (the mile) races were my favorite.
I think what I loved about it was that for ten or fifteen minutes, no one expected me to do anything but swim.
Out of the water, every fifteen minutes was full of chaos and expectations and multi-tasking. I was expected to have an answer for everything – what assignment was due tomorrow for any class, what lab the general chemistry students were doing this week, how my doctors were handling my latest illness, what songs we were singing at church this week, when choir was performing at church, when our next swim meet was, how much time I needed to drop to make the cut for any event…
But for those precious minutes in the water, all I had to do was swim.
Even now, when my life feels overwhelming, and the change is impending, and my to-do list is a mile and a half long, I wish for those fifteen minutes again.
And I realize that I don’t only want those fifteen minutes – I need them.
I need that time to rest in God and in His promises. I need that time to recharge, reset, and renew.
It’s not much, but it is enough for today. Tomorrow, I’ll need it again. Fifteen minutes.
Proverbs 5: Idols
I believe. But help my unbelief.
By Kristen Entwistle
It’s never quite the way you plan it, is it? Life?
One day, you wake up, thinking it’s all going to be all right, and then – bam. You get thrown a curve ball that you never expected.
A few weeks ago, my family faced one of those curve balls: the unexpected and largely unexplained disappearance and death of my uncle.
What do you say when something like that happens? How do you make sense of the seemingly unexplainable? How do you cope with the gaping hole that is left in his place – of a father, a husband, an uncle, a friend, a surgeon, a brother? Where do you find peace in the midst of such turmoil?
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Hold on a second, God. In the midst of all of this, I’m supposed to just not let my heart be troubled? You’re telling me this is easy? And just don’t be afraid. Sure. That’s just easy peasy. But your peace, your shalom, can I feel that today? Can you give me some more of that today?
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Great, thanks for that reminder, God. This life isn’t going to be a piece of cake, and we will have trouble. Right old ray of sunshine you are. But, you have overcome the world, even overcome death. At a time like this, that’s easy to lose sight of. But thank you for the reminder, and for overcoming the world. It made all the difference.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 2:1,4
Yes, a time for everything. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. But remember what He said just before He went to the tomb, to Martha?
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11: 25-26
Yes, Lord. I believe. But help my unbelief.
I don’t have all the answers. I can’t explain why my uncle’s life was ended on this earth. I don’t know how best to fill the hole that is left in his absence. But I do know where to start finding peace: At the foot of the cross, in the arms of Jesus.
Proverbs 4: The Road Less Traveled
Proverbs 3: Storing Up Wisdom
Challenges, Speedbumps, and Mountains
I started off 2016/ended 2015 with this facebook status:
Honestly, I’m glad that 2015 is going to be in the rearview mirror. Praying that 2016’s challenges and speedbumps and mountains will be weathered with God’s grace and strength, not my own.
And boy, what a 2016 it’s been so far.
Challenges, speedbumps, and mountains? Check, check, and check.
I can’t give you all the details (because I don’t know all of them myself) but suffice it to say that every area of my life has been … well, for lack of any other words, jumbled up … this year.
I am facing a year of giant changes. I don’t know yet where these changes will take me – or when. But I do know that God is unchanging. Unyielding. Immovable.
I am facing a year of the unknown. I don’t know what is going to happen in this year, but I do know that God is all-knowing. All-loving. All-powerful.
I am facing more than a year of challenges – I am facing a lifetime. A lifetime of things that I don’t expect, don’t understand, and won’t soon forget. But it’s a lifetime of challenges weathered with the God of the Universe on my side.
I am facing more than a year of speedbumps – I am facing a lifetime. Some speedbumps may throw me for a loop, while others may slow me down. But it’s a lifetime of speedbumps faced with my God in the driver’s seat.
I am facing more than a year of mountains – I am facing a lifetime. I will climb, and I will fall. And when I get to the top, there will be more mountains to climb. But it’s a lifetime of climbing mountains with the Lord of Creation by my side.
I can’t do this, but God can. And He will. Every step of the way, He is with me. No matter what challenges, speedbumps and mountains come my way, I will not be shaken. I will not be moved. Because my God is with me, and He will never leave or forsake me. Amen and amen.
Proverbs 2: Hide and Seek
Proverbs 1: Choose Wisdom
https://soundcloud.com/allforhimlife/proverbs-1-choose-wisdom
What I Need More Than Anything Right Now
By Kristen Entwistle
We’re about two weeks into the new year, and it’s about time for those resolutions to start slipping.
Gyms become emptier.
Chips and cookies start appearing on the counter again.
Bibles lie closed, collecting dust.
Pews are empty at the back of the church.
No matter what resolutions you made – be it to eat healthier, read your Bible more, exercise more – you’re going to fail. You’ll eat a cookie. You’ll miss your reading plan one morning. You’ll work too late to go the gym. You can either let these failures hold you down, or you can get back up and try again. But even more than that, I want you to ask yourself today why you made the resolutions that you did.
Was it to be skinnier, to fit into your old jeans, or to be a better person on the outside? Was it to prove to someone else that you can do it on your own, or to improve others’ opinions of you?
I’m not saying that any of those reasons are wrong, or that some of them (read: all of them) haven’t crossed my mind in these last few weeks.
Why do I want to improve others’ opinions of myself?
Because I’m finding my identity in their approval rather than in Christ.
Why do I want to be skinnier?
Because I’m finding my identity in the mirror rather than through the eyes of my Savior.
Why do I want to prove that I can do it on my own?
Because I’m trying to prove that I don’t need God.
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in my identity crisis. And believe it or not, I have a way out – and I’m hoping to gain something from it, too. And I’m wondering if you’ll join me.
You see, what I need more than anything right now is wisdom. The wisdom to know when to shut up and when to speak up. The wisdom to know when enough is enough, and when to say no. The wisdom to know how to live out the Gospel. The wisdom to know when to tough it out and when to back out. The wisdom to learn loving like Jesus, living like Jesus, and dying like Jesus.
So this year, I’m going to do an audio series through the book of Proverbs – one of the books of wisdom in the Bible – one chapter, every Wednesday. If you’re counting with me, that means we’ll be in the book of Proverbs (and other books along the way) until the middle of August. Yup. Maybe you can listen in while you’re washing the dishes or while you’re vacuuming the living room. Or maybe while you’re driving to work or playing with the kids.
What I want more than anything from this study is to learn wisdom while sitting at the feet of Jesus. Won’t you consider joining me?
