Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Songs of Hope

February 17, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

– Psalm 68:5-6 NIV

I want those who feel lonely to find rest in my home and companionship in our family. God’s ways as a father and defender were present as He built our family through three adoptions, but I don’t want us welcoming others in to stop there.

In the ESV translation of Psalm 68, verse 6 reads “God settle the solitary in a home …” This is about belonging. In other words, we are not meant to do this life alone.

*****

I contributed a devotional about Psalm 68 to “Songs of Hope (Vol. 2)“, which was compiled by fellow writers Keri Snyder & Sarah Frazier. This devotional spends 31 days in the Psalms.

We all need to sing some songs of hope, don’t we? Regardless of the disappointments and interruptions we face, we can still cling to hope. Of course, we want some rest from the weary, overwhelming parts of life. But so often we all seek the wrong answers.

“Songs of Hope” offers encouraging truth to bring hope to your weary soul. The devotional is a digital product so you receive the PDF immediately and can read it on any device. The purchase also comes with a 31-day reading plan and printable verse card. Right now, it’s on sale for $7 but will return to the usual $10 price soon. (Buy here!)

There’s also a first volume of this devotional book by the same name.

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In my contribution, I talk about how God built a sanctuary for me at our house in the country and how I want to share that with others. I end the devotional with these questions and a prayer:

  1. Where in your life can you invite others in with you?
  2. What places and peoples are places of refuge from loneliness for you?
  3. How has God been your father and defender?

Father God, let my home be a sanctuary where I draw nearer to you and a place where others can settle in. Set those who are lonely in meaningful relationships so we can go forth with singing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

*****

These links are affiliate links, so I will earn a small amount from your purchase, but I’m sharing this product because I’m proud to be a small part of this project that will encourage many.

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Let’s go where trust is without borders

January 22, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

“Lord, lead me where trust is without borders …”

When “Oceans” was a popular worship song, I was annoyed by it. But one day when my kids were 8 years old, almost 6, and just a newborn, I heard the lyrics in a fresh way.

Maybe I didn’t like the song at first because trusting without borders is scary.

For several weeks after the day I decided I didn’t need to switch stations whenever “Oceans” came on the radio, I couldn’t get the phrase “trust without borders” out of my head. At the time, I was navigating a relationship with my youngest daughter’s birth mom. We adopted two times before, but the relationships are all different and change as the children grow.

Adoption built my family but it also built my faith, largely in part because there’s a lot of trusting and very few borders. I was able to take the lessons I learned from our adoption experiences and remember God’s faithfulness in other circumstances.

I was able to pray big prayers of faith because I’d seen God show up and show out so many times before.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” – Psalm 107:28-30  NIV

To trust God without borders means I need to surrender control, once again. It means I need to realize life doesn’t fit in a tidy box. Sure, sometimes storms far out of our control rage and overwhelm our lives, but God will lead us to a calm haven. Recently, God has reminded me of this truth over and over again.

*****

To read the rest, join me over at Lyli Dunbar’s blog, where I’m sharing as part of her Pray Big series. Oh, and Rend Collective’s version of “Oceans” is my favorite version, if you’re wanting to listen to this song.

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Creating Family Unity

January 4, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Our homes are supposed to be a place of refuge and comfort from outside forces, but sometimes it can seem like that takes a lot of effort. Helping to create a sense of unity and safety can help the atmosphere of your home be peaceful and loving instead of contentious – even with all the personalities in play at the same moment. Here are some ways you help make your house a home where all family members feel valued and important.

Commitment

It is important family members feel secure in their pace in the family and committed to helping others as well. Many times people will adopt an “everyone for themselves” mentality and that can chip away at the foundation of a family. Family members should be committed and loyal to other members of the family in helping them become their best selves and supporting them in their lives. For us, that has meant conversations about understanding one another’s love languages and personalities.

We strive to be committed to supporting each member’s emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. If we make this a top priority and goal for ourselves, other people will start to take the cues and adopt the behavior as well. Truthfully, while this prolonged season of social distancing has certain come with adjustments, it’s almost helped deepen our commitments to our family.

Compassion

We also need to act with compassion in our homes. Greg and I believe if compassion starts in our home, it will overflow into our other social circles and even among strangers in our ordinary lives. I’ve certainly been guilty of being the worst version of myself toward the people closest to me, but that ultimately threatens to harm the most important relationships in our lives. Unkind words, angry outbursts, pettiness, and jealousy can all sow deep seeds of distrust and unhappiness in our homes. As a mom, I’ve had to grow in this area along with my kids. I’m thankful for the grace that abounds when we mess up and as well learn together.

Greg and I want to teach our kids to genuinely caring about the struggles, difficulties, and fears each of us face. Allowing space for their sadness, even when we may not understand it, and celebrating victories with them is equally important to create a compassionate environment.

Communication

We need to be able to communicate effectively with our family members to build a sense of unity and deepen our relationships. As parents, we take on the responsibility for this. One way Greg and I have improved our communication is by having a shared Google Calendar. Knowing what’s happening logistically in our day-to-day lives at work and home helps foster even more conversations to keep us on the same page. We need to be informed about the communication they have with others. You can go to this blog article to read more about doing that.

We also need to focus on the communication that is happening in our homes with each other. With different personalities and preferences, we each have our own communication styles too. Good communication requires active listening. Listening to understand instead of to respond, asking for clarification, and offering support are all important to help someone be heard. We need to put down defensiveness and really try to understand someone if there is a disagreement instead of focusing on being understood.

Compromise

There will always be disagreements in any relationship, and family relationships are no exception. Healthy and unified families are always striving toward the best possible outcome for the family unit, and sometimes that will mean that individuals don’t get everything they were hoping to get. And usually that means making adjustments as seasons change, kids grow, and life happens.

Negotiation is healthy and should be encouraged. Considering the hopes and schedules of other family members will help them to feel loved and understood. When we compromise on some issues and take turns, we get what we want sometimes too and the family grows together. There needs to be a balance between striving to get what we want and supporting the other members of the family in their pursuits and desires.

Traditions

A great way to support family unity is through the use of family time and traditions. Embracing yearly traditions or weekly family time will allow family members to get to know each other and to build a relationship that will benefit everyone involved.

We have different traditions for birthdays, holidays, and ordinary days. None of them are elaborate, but they all anchor us to our place in this family and in our larger community of friends. Again, the Google Calendar helps Greg and I communicate about plans we want to make sure happen and don’t get lost in the busyness of life with kids and responsibilities.

Game Nights are some of our family times, and we often rotate who chooses which game we play next. This helps everyone feel included and get a chance to pick their favorite game. While we play games, we learn about each other, compete in good fun, and make memories.

(Here are many of our favorite games, if you need some recommendations.)

Christ

We can do all kinds of things to create a sense of unity and peace in our homes, but ultimately Christ is the center anchor of all this. When all members of the family are focused on drawing closer to Christ and living out our beliefs rooted in faith, we will automatically draw closer to each other as well.

We haven’t been to church since March, but we’ve been having home church in our living room. While it’s been different and involved adjustments on everyone’s part, the time we set aside on Sunday mornings has helped us learn more about Christ and each other. We’ve gotten to share in something Greg and I value in a new way together and God’s been faithful to meet us when we gather on the couches together, often in our pajamas.

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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I'm glad I was able to contribute to "Songs of Hop I'm glad I was able to contribute to "Songs of Hope (Vol. 2)", which was compiled by fellow writers @kerilynnsnyder & @sarah_e_frazer. This devotional spends 31 days in the Psalms. 

I share about Psalm 68 and how God built a sanctuary for me at our house in the country and how I want to share that with others. I end the devotional with these questions and a prayer:

"Songs of Hope" offers encouraging truth to bring hope to your weary soul. The devotional is a digital product so you receive the PDF immediately and can read it on any device.  There's a #linkinbio to buy this devotional and more info #ontheblog. #bloggerlife #authorlife #amreading #psalms #psalm68 #bettertogether #hope #KHTreads
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