New Blog

For those of you who haven't already checked it out, please visit my other blog at www.cidpandme.blogspot.com. Visit to find out more about my life with CIDP. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Forever Changed

January 8, 1993 was one of the greatest days of my life. Ellen was born into this world and changed my life forever. I thought I'd take a moment to share just a bit of what makes her so special...

LN, you are forever God's girl. You unabashedly share your faith with those around you in such a unique way. Being passionate about outreach at the age of 15 is uncommon and a special calling on your life. You have a presence about you that says, "I'm me! I'm confident and content!" You are incredibly musically gifted and are using these gifts for the glory of God. You are incredibly intelligent and well on your way to an amazing career in whatever you choose. You will be thankful one day for your love of books and your love of writing. It's only a blink of an eye and you'll be all grown up, but one thing I know for sure...My life has been forever changed because God blessed me with you on this day 15 years ago. Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you.

Who Am I? Pt. 2

Yesterday I promised you that my next post would be more positive and I'm delivering on that promise today. Diving into my core values required examining what stirs up a righteous anger within me and what brings me bliss. To be honest with you, examining what brings me bliss was a bit more difficult to put down on paper than what angers me. Hmm...Wonder what that says about me? This list sparks something within me that I can't explain. Anyway, here's what brings me bliss:

1. Just being with Chris and the kids. There's no greater feeling in the world than being Chris' wife and the mom of the three craziest kids in the world!
2. Singing. Actually music, in general, brings me bliss and fills a place deep within me. Sounds cliche, but I actually "long" for music.
3. Writing and performing monologues. It's almost like preaching, only I get to pretend to be someone else! I can spend hours writing. I just get lost in it.
4. Creatively planning an event or a service to draw others nearer to Christ. What a humbling, yet exciting opportunity.
5. Seeing someone connect with God for the first time. Seeing the look in their eyes when they realize that Christ loves them and wants a relationship with them.
6. Helping someone make a connection (an introduction, a ministry opportunity, a small group, a volunteer opportunity, etc.) at church.
7. Seeing someone take the next step on their spiritual journey.

What brings you bliss?

Who Am I?

One of my goals for 2008 is to be purposeful and in the middle of God's will for my life. I want to be intentional in everything I do and part of that is knowing who God has designed me to be. If I want to know His purpose for my life, I need to know how He has designed me. By the way, if you haven't read Chazown, by Craig Groeschel, run out NOWWWWWWW and get it! It's on my Greatest Books I've Ever Read List and I think you'll enjoy it too. Craig says that to find your core values, start by making a list of what angers you. What stirs up a righteous anger within you, not just a pet peeve or an irritation. Here's some of what I've found (after much soul searching) stirs up a righteous anger within me:

1. When the "church" focuses on itself and not the lost. When worship services are designed to make Christians comfortable and fed...this is a huge one for me!
2. Hypocrisy, on any level. Dishonesty goes with this one.
3. Plastic people.
4. Aimlessness/unintentionality...is that a word?
5. Rambling discussions...okay, that's just a pet peeve, so it doesn't count!
5. When Christians are more interested in being self-righteous and "holier than thou" than in really reaching the world around them. For example, it gets me when we draw attention to movies that we think are "atheistic" in nature. Do we not realize that, as a group, we're calling more attention to these movies through our public protest? Or when we say we can't go to a certain establishment because "Christians" don't go there. Hello! Where are the lost?
6. When traditions (the way we did it last year, the way we've always done it) becomes more sacred than Scripture!
7. Doing things halfway. You know, not your best, not your first fruits, just your leftovers.

That's all I'll share for now because I sound like Spongebob Angry Pants! I promise my next post will be more positive! I'll even share what brings me bliss!

Happy New Year!

Dream Big

Like many of you, I've been working on my goals for 2008. I came across this prayer by Sir Francis Drake and wanted to share it with you. I hope you dream big for the coming year!

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."

Website

Believe it or not, I FINALLY got my website up and running! It's only the first page, but it's a "work in progress",just like me! Check out www.kristenreyna.com when you get a chance. (Thanks to Alene for encouraging me to get this done.)

So many of you were praying for Alex, my aunt's husband who was in Iraq and I wanted to give you an update on him. Alex is now home and in LA with Lynette where they're beginning a new life together. Thank you so very much for your prayers for his safety and for strength for Lynette while he was gone. Praise God for keeping him safe and bringing him home safely to his adoring wife. Welcome home Alex! We're so proud, honored, and thankful for your service on our behalf!

Have a great week everyone!

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been busy trying to "declutter" my life. I don't think I've been successful in my attempt, but I'm a work in progress. Does anyone else get in this "mood" just before the holidays? It's like I can't go through the holidays without readjusting my priorities and decluttering my life beforehand. Like I said, I don't feel all that successful, but I've made some progress. I've let some things go that shouldn't have been part of my routine anyway. I'm also learning to say no to things that aren't worthy of the stress they cause. Here are a few of the questions I've been asking myself lately:

* Will this deepen my relationship with Jesus Christ?
* Do I feel the call of God in this situation?
* Does it enrich my marriage or benefit Chris?
* Does it enrich my relationship with my children?
* Is it healthy?
* Is it beneficial to achieving my goals?

Let me know what works for you in keeping your priorities where they should be and keeping your life "clutter" free.