Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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We are ambassadors

October 27, 2016 by Kristin 10 Comments

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

That word: Ambassador.

It jumped out at me when I was working through my Sermon on the Mount study recently. I was reading about being peacemakers when the Precept study took us to these verses from Second Corinthians. Of course, my mind went to parenting like it has time and time again since I started this study in August.

So I was dwelling on the fact I’m a representative of Christ to my children as I went about my day, which in all honesty was a hard one. Disappointments and inconveniences filled that day.

While waiting for my kids at the bus stop later that same day, I finally opened “Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family” by Paul David Tripp because I had said I would read and review it on my blog. The deadline was approaching and I needed to get started.

AMBASSADOR. It was the first word in the whole book, the title of the introduction. That same word showed up and broke me. Four pages in, and I was crying. I was grieving and dealing with conviction and rejoicing with hope.

I couldn’t even finish the introduction in that sitting because I had to digest this more: By kids don’t belong to me, but I’m Christ’s ambassador to them. I know, it’s probably not even a new concept to most Christ-followers, but it was striking me in a fresh way I still can’t shake.

Because of my emotions and revelations, I needed a couple days to get through the introduction of “Parenting,” but the shift in perspective was exactly what I’ve needed to be a better wife and mom. It’s really good stuff.

Tripp starts the book writing about the differences between ownership and ambassadorial parenting. Basically, our human default is to treat our families as possessions. It doesn’t seem bad because we talk about the good things we want for and from our children. We talk about goals and hopes and dreams we have for these people we love. But we get really caught up in producing those things by ourselves.

We leave out the One who truly creates families. Ambassadors faithfully represents the message, methods and character of another leader – in our case, Jesus.

I don’t own my family, but I can represent Christ to them.

{Tweet that.}

“Parenting is not first about what we want for our children or from our children, but about what God in grace has planned to do through us in our children.”

– Paul David Tripp

Y’all, this concept is rocking my world. In a matter of days, it’s made my life harder and easier in the same moment. It’s give me a focus and convicted my heart. It’s slowed me down and helped me see beyond the daily frustrations of dirty floors and a never-ending to do list.

And, admittedly, it’s interrupted my finishing Tripp’s book. I’ve since read a few more chapters, but I keep coming back to that introduction about how I’m an ambassador of Christ to my kids.

About the book

In the midst of folding laundry, coordinating carpool schedules, and breaking up fights, many parents get lost. Feeling pressure to do everything “right” and raise up “good” children, it’s easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose as parents in the quest for practical tips and guaranteed formulas.

In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining 14 foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God — grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.

Freed from the burden of trying to manufacture life-change in our children’s hearts, we can embrace a grand perspective of parenting overflowing with vision, purpose, and joy.

This 224-page hardcover book was published by Crossway (Sept. 30, 2016).

About the author

Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, author, and international conference speaker. He is also the president of Paul Tripp Ministries and the executive director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas. He has written a number of popular books on Christian living, including “What Did You Expect?,” “Dangerous Calling,” and “New Morning Mercies.” He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Luella and they have four grown children. For more information and resources, visit paultrippministries.org.

Giveaway

I told you I haven’t actually finished the book because this is one I’ve got to take slow, but I have no doubt I’m going to be challenged and encouraged more throughout the pages. And I’m happy I get to give one of you a copy too. This giveaway will be open through Wednesday, Nov. 2 to U.S. and Canadian residents. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Live generously together

October 26, 2016 by Kristin 15 Comments

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One afternoon at the pool a few months ago, Cate and her friend Norah started talking about having a bake sale. Norah loves baking, especially cupcakes, so I think her hobby prompted the conversation, but I’m not even sure. I just remember sitting in the baby pool with Rachel and my best friend Jaclyn when the girls were telling us about their idea and asking about when and where they could have it. My favorite part was when they started discussing to whom they could give the money they earned.

That was July, probably. And here we are in October.

But since that initial conversation, they recruited another friend from church, Violet, and nailed down specifics. And us moms figured out a time and place for them to have it. Jaclyn hosted a baking day. Then the girls individually decorated the cupcakes and cookies closer to time and baked some brownies.

Well, the much-discussed bake sale happened Saturday.

The girls raised $96 to send to Bethel Ministries International, the ministry with which we served in Guatemala in July 2015. Bethel serves families throughout Guatemala by distributing wheelchairs, food, and clothing; building houses; and sponsoring children who can’t otherwise afford to go to school.

With $96, one elementary-school aged child can attend school for about four months. That’s the kind of investment I want my kids and their friends to realize makes a difference.

I want my kids to notice other people.

{Tweet that.}

I want them to see their friends’ and strangers’ hurts and needs so they can help them. I want them to realize our lives are better together – and sometimes that means taking the first step. I want them to love Jesus and love people.

And, let’s be honest, I want that in my own life, so I might as well teach my kids as I’m learning myself.

I don’t want service to be a part of our lives,
I want to default to living generously.

{Tweet that.}

How do you teach your kids about giving? What are you some service projects that have worked well for you?

*****

Here are some other ways I’ve tried to teach my kids about living generously.

Operation Christmas Child
Compassion International birthday gifts & sponsorships
Collecting diapers or other supplies at birthday parties
Jesus Birthday Party
Treats for fire and police departments

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - 3 Word Wednesday
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Things I Wish I’d Known

October 17, 2016 by Kristin 10 Comments

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My son doesn’t like most casseroles or soups. He likes to sleep with a lamp on and wake up before anyone else in the house. He’s loud when he’s happy and has more energy than anyone I know. My oldest daughter likes to sleep in the pitch dark, wake up last, and wait hours in the morning before eating breakfast. She talks fast and includes any detail you could possibly ever considering wanting to know in her stories. My baby girl likes milk right before bedtime, loves sleeping in the car, and eats anything we give her. I’m sure she’s going to have plenty to add to the conversations around here once she starts talking!

Children are little people. People have personalities, therefore kids do too. They have opinions and likes and dislikes. As parents, we need to realize that and work with who they are as people.

Y’all, this was a hard one for me to realize, even for as simple as it sounds. And I still fail some days because, well, this momma’s personality wants to be in control! But their opinions are among the things I wish I’d thought about before I actually became a mom.

I also didn’t think much about how our children are mirrors – even when they’re adopted and don’t share any genetic makeup of us! How we behave and what we say is often repeated by our little ones.

And, wow, if that’s not convicting, I don’t know what is! Even so, it’s taking me so long to make some necessary adjustments and, yes, I’m still working on other things!

Ah, parenting. Are we really ever prepared?!

“Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Became Parents” by Gary Chapman with Shannon Warden is a good resource for people preparing for parenthood. Really, it’s the kind of book I wished I’d read a decade ago. (My oldest is 9 ½ years old!)

I appreciated how this book was written in conversational tone and included perspectives from both someone who has raised children (Gary Chapman) and someone who is in the process (Shannon Warden). Each chapter includes questions and prompts to think and talk about before you’re in the everyday grind of parenting.

The authors cover plenty of everyday challenges parents face: bringing home baby, sleeping, boundaries, potty training, chores, screens, social skills, academics, emotional health, disobedience, conflicts, and expectations. Yes, parenting is about raising people, but this book also talks about self-care, parents’ growth, and marriages.

Even though I’m almost a decade into parenting, I stopped reading multiple times to reflect on where I am in parenting now and how I can do better.

The chapter on apologizing was excellent – both to teach children how and why to apologize as well as how as parents we’ll need to offer our children apologies. I actually incorporated some of that information into a recent conversation with my son.

“The good news is that our failures need not destroy our relationships if we are willing to apologize and they are willing to forgive. Apologizing and forgiving are essential to maintaining good relationships. Children need to learn these skills because they too will not be perfect.”

– From “Things I Wished I’d Known Before We Became Parents“

A section on page 113 asked parents to reflect on whether they’d be happy or sad if their children grow up to handle anger, conflict, and money the way they do; drive a car like they do; have a similar relationship with God; and treat in-laws and children like they do. That section was provoked many thoughts and reflections from me.

So, yeah, there are things I wish I’d known before I became a mom, but I’m glad there are always opportunities to learn and change – both for the kids and their parents!

About the book

In “Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Became Parents,” Chapman and Warden share wisdom gained from raising their own children and from the many families they’ve counseled through the years.

This 208-page paperback was published by Northfield Publishing (Sept. 6, 2016).

About the authors

Dr. Gary Chapman is an author, speaker, and counselor who has a passion for people and helping them form lasting relationships. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars and his radio programs air on more than 400 stations. He and his wife have two children and several grandchildren.

Dr. Shannon Warden is an assistant teaching professor at Wake Forest University, where she teaches in the graduate counseling program. She is also the director of counseling and director of women’s ministries at Triad Baptist Church in Kernersville, NC. As a professional counselor, Shannon has counseled children, families, young adults, women, and couples since 1998 and has served as an assistant to Dr. Gary Chapman since 2003. She and her husband have three children.

Giveaway

And I’ve got a copy for one of you! Just use the Rafflecopter widget to enter the giveaway through Sunday, Oct. 23. I’ll announce a winner on Monday, Oct. 24.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*****

I received a free copy of this book from Northfield Publishing/Side Door Communications, which is also providing the copy for the giveaway winner, in exchange for a review. These opinions are my own.

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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 high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade 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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The world feels heavy & broken because it is. Pare The world feels heavy & broken because it is. Parenting has me at my max emotional capacity because it takes much soul and mental work. Spring soccer season started in the cold tonight. 

Even so, God is good and wants us to live abundantly here on earth while we wait for heaven. This week that looks like church league basketball games, dinner with friends, apologies, sideline encouragement, prayers, middle school humor, theological conversations with friends, tears, and laughter. 

Now it’s time to rest and do it again tomorrow. These are the rhythms of grace and goodness, heaven and earth, sorrow and joy. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #soccermom #thirdchild #momlife #reallife #faithlife #PorchStories
I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished t I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished this book today. Yes, I’m fully invested in this Cuba saga involving the Perez family. “The Last Train to Key West” by @chanelcleeton is the third in the series. I have the fourth on hold at the library for pickup on Monday. 

I wasn’t sure I was going to love this one as much as I did Cleeton’s first two, but it was a slow-building story that turned stormy. I loved how the three women were in Key West for their own reasons, developed meaningful relationships as they navigated their lives, and managed to survive the storms of their lives and an actual hurricane. 

The historical fiction story offers hope:

“It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth. There’s so much broken around us; maybe all we can do is try to fix each other, do what we can to preserve these precious moments in a world where there is so much sadness and loss. … Maybe some would say my dreams are too small. Perhaps they would dream of railroads that go over the sea, great, wonderful things. Maybe others want riches and jewels, a chance to travel the globe. For me, this is enough: A corner of paradise in this wretched world that I am able to call my own.” — Helen in “The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #historicalfiction #weekending #favoritethings #choosingJOY #bookquotes #bookreview
This morning there are three “holes” in Wright This morning there are three “holes” in Wright Road after the creek flooded it overnight. The Calloway County road department responded quickly and is working to pack in various kinds of gravel so it will passable again soon. I’m thankful for their work, but these Band-Aids aren’t an actual solution. 

Wright Road needs a permanent solution for when Wildcat Creek rises. A bridge seems to be the best idea, so the creek can rise and flow beneath the road rather than flowing across it and washing out the gravel on top of the culverts. 

I know it’s an expensive fix and would take local government working with state government, but I wonder how many times the road has to break before it can be truly repaired.

#callowaycounty #kyweather #kentuckyweather #countyroads #countryliving #reallife #murrayky
In a week filled with all the parenting emotions, In a week filled with all the parenting emotions, God has provided conversation with friends who understand, new mercies, a few walks and talks with a friend, and cinnamon rolls on a rainy Friday afternoon. I’ve been reminded when we are vulnerable and share our real lives, friends bring truth and goodness — often in ways we don’t expect but bless us anyway. 

#bettertogether #createdforcommunion #reallife #momlife #weekending #parenthood #choosingJOY #favoritethings #livingfaithfully
People ask when I have time to write. The truth is People ask when I have time to write. The truth is I like to make time to write, but sometimes it happens in the cracks of my days — at Panera, in the Notes app on my phone, at the library before I pickup my kids, or while I’m waiting on kids at activities. This week I edited my manuscript while Rachel practiced soccer. 

#momlife #writerlife #selfpublished #bloggerlife #authorlife #soccermom #thirdchild #createdforcommunion #bettertogether #favoritethings
I needed this weekend. The UK Wildcats didn’t I needed this weekend. 

The UK Wildcats didn’t win this afternoon like I had hoped. But following our house full of people on Friday night, I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch, under a soft blanket, with a book, while I watch #MarchMadness. 

Yesterday I pulled “When We Left Cuba” by @chanelcleeton from my to-be-read stack and then realized it was the second in a series about the Perez family. Thanks to @libby.app, I was able to get “Next Year in Havana” immediately. 

I finished it today during commercials and timeouts. And now I’m going to start “When We Left Cuba” as another basketball game also gets going. 

#KHTreads #basketballseason #weekending #bookstagram #reallife #booklover #librarybooks #KindleOasis #Kindlebooks #favoritethings
What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends and food. So thankful for all these provisions and others in my life. Oh and a Cats win is icing on the cake. 

#MarchMadness #weekending #basketballseason #bettertogether #choosingJOY #BigBlueNation
You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor pos You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor posts on Facebook — and a picture at that! — and puts his radio/TV degree to work figuring out how to improve the viewing setup. 

#reallife #basketballseason #wifelife #choosingJOY
I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected while studying Genesis 1-2. Going back to the beginning and seeing how God created, ordered, and filled the earth has been exactly what I didn’t know I needed, especially as a mom. 

For quite a while now, I feel like I’ve been living a day at a time. I used to be able to see my life in larger chunks of time and anticipate and prepare accordingly. Now, I slap things on the calendar and then deal with them as they come. Navigating life with two teenagers and a first-grader is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Honestly, this moment-to-moment living has been good for me and helped me rely on the God who created the stars and rivers that still exist in our world. Focusing on where I am helps me take slower steps, trust God to provide, and remember I’m not in control. I’ve felt an internal shift with my relationships — with my husband, kids, and friends. I’ve felt behind on laundry and dishes and piles of papers. But I’ve also felt a refreshed nearness to God. 

I’m going to rest here while believing God created life and light when there was only darkness and continues to order my days. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #faithlife #preceptstudy #genesisstudy #genesis #beginnings #reallife #PorchStories
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