January 30, 2011

AP: Eating grapefruit



This is the funniest thing I've ever seen!!!! I found this on the Yahoo news page.....

~Ashton

January 29, 2011

KP: Is Your Heart Burning?

KP Writes:

Luke 23:44-45, "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two."
Why was the curtain torn in two? Because the Holy of Holies was now to be opened up for the first time to human gaze. And because the Holy of Holies of the human spirit was now to be opened to the habitation of God!

When the Son of Man died, God ripped the veil wide open. He passed through the holy place, and penetrated into the Holy of Holies, into the secret of humanity-and the reality of humanity's spirit was unveiled.


Next was the resurrection and then the encounter of the two disciples walking on the road to when Jesus appeared to them. Luke 24:32, "They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'"


A burning heart is a heart that is caught up with the excitement and glory of a fulfilled humanity. The secret is revealed. Our humanity is fully possessed, reclaimed by our Creator. The Holy of Holies has been entered. What was lost has been saved.
That is where we stand now. The secret of humanity is open to anyone who opens his or her own heart to the Son of Man, the perfect man.

He alone has penetrated the depths of the human spirit. He alone reestablishes the lost relationship with God that enables us to be what God intended us to be. He alone saves and restores what was lost in the fall of man, in the entrance of sin into the world. He alone can restore the marred, distorted image of God in our lives.
All the possibility of a fulfilled humanity is available to anyone in whom the spirit of Christ dwells. All that you deeply want to be in the innermost recesses of your heart, you can be. I'm not talking about your goals in life, such as becoming a millionaire or an Olympic gold medalist. No, I'm talking about the deepest, most inexpressible yearnings of your heart-your desire to be connected to God, to know Him and be known by Him; your desire to have your life count for something in the eternal scheme of things; your desire to be clean and whole and forgiven.

Jesus makes it possible for you to fulfill God's best for you, so that you will be mature and Christlike, filled with love, forgiveness, wholeness, and good works.
Yes, a burning heart is a heart that is caught up with the excitement and glory of a fulfilled humanity. Is your heart burning?

Blessings, Kristian

January 28, 2011

KP: Ashton's 19th Birthday Party

KP Writes:
Ashton wanted to have some friends from dance and friends she knows through dance friends go ice skating with her to celebrate her birthday. So on Saturday before her birthday eleven girls and guys gathered at our house to caravan an outdoor skating rink in a part of Kansas City known as the Crown Center. Of course the temperature was a frigid 9 degrees when we left the house about 5pm. After a co
uple hours they had had enough fun and were ready to head back to the house for a chicken and rice dinner, games, a movie and then girls spent the night. Great fun was had by all, including Jeff and I. Enjoy the pictures.
Mallory getting all suited up: skates, layers, coat, scarf, hat, gloves.....
Jeff 'holding' Kirsti's hat. Not sure about that look on him! (Really, a flower?)
Most everyone was a little wobbly at first. Left to right: some guy, Mallory, Dacia, Abbi, Stanton.
Jeff and Kenon are a pair! You really never know what these two goofballs will do!
In the area where the rink is located the trees are decorated with lights and there are several large hotels all connected by indoor walkways over the streets.
Mallory and the birthday girl! Nice smiles ladies.
Part of the gang resting on a bench, or is it that they are getting out of wind for a moment? L to R: Dacia (Missionary Kid from Japan who is staying with the Kawases for a season; ATP met her and her family while in Japan last summer; she is doing College Plus now too.), Nicole (Stanton's sister; they are a IHOP family who have been here 5 or so years; Stanton dances at DT but Nicole dances at another studio.), Ashton (an amazing young woman who loves the Lord and loves her friends.), Mallory (an amazing young lady who loves the Lord and brings joy to all those around her.), Hannah C. ( a friend from dance), Abbi (4th oldest Kawase child, dances at DT, went to Japan with Ashton; started College Plus last fall), Kenon (2nd oldest Kawase child, dances at DT, went to Japan with ATP, finishing up at Johnson County Community College in May and transferring to University of Missouri Kansas City, studying Civil Engineering)
Different line up on the bench: L to R: Ashton, Dacia, Nicole, Kirsti (3rd oldest Kawase child, graduated from dance at Dramatic Truth, went to Japan with ATP, started College Plus last fall), Mallory, Hannah C., Abbi, and in the background Dante (new friend to ATP- he is a friend of Stanton, Kimberly, and April's, his family is associated with IHOP but I am not sure how), Stanton (dances at DT, went to Japan with ATP, Nicole's brother, IHOP family who has been here 5 years.)
Cluster of the party out in the middle: L to R-Kenon, Kimberly, Gabe, Ashton, Dacia, Hannah C, Abbi, Kirsti, and Stan. It was hard to photograph with the lighting, the movement, the distance, and all those people who kept getting in between my camera and my subjects.
'Mallory the Beautiful' as she is appropriately labeled in my phone directory.
Ashton and Abbi, precious sisters in the Lord; beautiful young women.
Jeff and Kristian.
Again.
Dante and Ashton.
Dacia, Nicole, Ashton and Kimberly (dances at DT, went to Japan with ATP, started College Plus last fall, lives with April and her family as Kimberly's dad is a US ambassador and her family has now moved from DC to Turkey.)
Dante, Nicole, Gabe ( a new friend of Ashton's, he is a friend of Stanton's, he plans to do FSM-IHOP's school of ministry- in the fall.), April (dances at DT, started College Plus last fall, Kimberly has lived with her family since November. Before that Kimberly lived with another dance family for about 2 years.)
L to R: bottom row-Abbi, Mallory; 2nd row-Dante, April, Ashton, Kimberly, Dacia; 3rd row-Gabe, Kirsti, Nicole; 4th row on top-Kenon.
Added 3 to the picture. Abbi, Mallory; April, Dacia; Gabe, Nicole, Ashton, Kimberly, Stanton; Kenon, Dante, Hannah C., Kirsti.
Same 13, just more goofy! Nice hat Stan. (He took Kimberly's hat from her early in the evening.) I guess if Jeff is wearing Kirsti's hat, Stan can wear Kimberly's.
Back at the house chowing down! These were some hungry people.

Playing school? Not really, playing Mofia which is a killer/detective type group game.
Gathering in the kitchen to sing happy birthday and get cupcakes and ice cream.

The girls not sure of what is going on with the guys. Jeff's hand on the right gives you the clue that a major performance is coming up.
Yes, Jeff, Kenon, and Stanton break into song-may have been some rendition of Happy Birthday. From their faces I think the girls loved it.
3 major hams!
Kenon gives the grand finale.
OK, well then. Now let's eat.

19 year old birthday girl.
Wow, this re-lighting candle is fascinating!

Hope you got a taste of the great fun we had with this celebration of a beautiful young woman. These are some great kids and they are a joy to 'do life' with. May the Lord bless them and may they run hard after Him!

Love,
Kristian

KP: Casual Prayer

KP Writes:

At the onething'10 conference Lou Engle preached at one of the evening sessions. I love Lou. His messages are typically very convicting and inspiring all at the same time. He is so real. His family is real. I have watched him/them now for the last two years. They really are living this thing called Christianity out, day in day out. Back to the point of this blog.

Lou delivered a 2 hour sermon at the conference, not one that really struck me like they usually do. Just about the time he was wrapping it up he made a completely random statement, basically unrelated to his message. But it struck me to the core.

"Casual prayer leads to casualties." God immediately had my attention. How many casualties have there been because I have been casual in my prayer for someone or some need or some situation? Am I casual in praying for my husband, my children, our families, my friends, our health, our church, our city, for the salvation of the lost I know???? Casual prayer leads to casualties. We as believers have been invited to participate with the Lord through prayer. We can make a difference in outcomes. But, casual prayer leads to casualties. The resolve in my heart is: Not on my watch!

Love,
Kristian

January 27, 2011

KP: Bad Idea

KP Writes:

Jeff, honey, I don't think that is a good idea.......

January 26, 2011

KP: Prayer is the Deepest Function of the Human Spirit

KP Writes:

OK, so I admittedly am not an Old Testament scholar and I do not know much about many things. But, one of the glorious things about home schooling is that you are a perpetual learner. As a teacher of a younger student I was able to 'wing' it and draw on my previous education especially in the realm of secular academics. Let's face it, I have now graduated from high school, twice, and from medical college.

But as the teacher of a high school student in a year long study called History of God's Kingdom, I am at a loss. To that regard I am reading more than I thought humanly possible and learning things that astound me. Of particular appeal is a book Mallory is reading (therefore I have to read) which is a comprehensive guide to the entire Bible. Now, I typically steer clear of commentary type books until I have tried to do my own word studies, etc....But I am amazed at the way the Scriptures are being opened to me by understanding more of the historical and cultural context of certain books and passages. (I also believe these revelations are the answer to an apostolic prayer we have been praying over ourselves and each other for the last two years - Eph. 1: 17-19, "That the Father of glory, may give to me(us) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of my(our) understanding being enlightened; that I(we) may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power..."

Anyway, back to the Old Testament. This is very rudimentary for you who have studied, but my point is prayer, which I am getting to. In the Holy of Holies there were only two articles of furniture: the ark of the covenant and the golden altar of incense. Basically the ark of the covenant had the mercy seat under the overarching wings of the cherubim, where God's Shekinah glory dwelt. The golden altar of incense was that by which a nation was to offer its praise to God. This author was drawing a correlation that these two objects are symbolic of what is hidden in the depths of humanity.

The mercy seat speaks of human relationship with God. Hebrews tells us that it is blood alone that can make that relationship possible and acceptable.(Heb 9:22) It was the blood upon the mercy seat that released God's forgiveness and grace. Our Lord entered into the hidden spirit of humanity and offered His own blood. Hebrews 9:12, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."

The altar of incense speaks of the communication between people and God, the place of prayer. Prayer is the deepest function of the human spirit. Nothing goes deeper than that. God, in the humanity of Jesus Christ, made the way through His redeeming blood for us to communicate with GOD! Us, not some saintly high priest, not some pastor we esteem, but US. We can pray anytime, all the time. We can 'do' what the human spirit was created to do. Whether driven to our knees by despair, defeat, exhaustion, need, joy, thanksgiving, sorrow, our spirit can cry out to the God of the universe. That is what prayer is at its most fundamental level: the cry of the spirit. God gave us a spirit that with the need for communion and the function of prayer. Then He gave us redemption through the blood of Jesus so that we could have those needs met and perform that function. He is our all in all. Through prayer we exercise that cry in our spirit.

Blessings, Kristian

January 25, 2011

KP: Snow

KP Writes:

Well 3 weeks ago we got our first snow of the season. Although we have been thankful we have not had all the extra work and mess that comes with snow here in the midwest, we were kind of disappointed that everyone else, including our friends and family in GA were getting snow and we were not. This first snow was about 5 inches and really didn't change our schedules at all. Things just take a little more time, like backing out of the driveway or getting appropriate clothes on to leave the house.
Jeff sweeping the truck and shoveling the drive so that he could go to the prayer room. Don't worry, we have an equal opportunity household. Ashton and I each had the privilege of shoveling the driveway during this snow as well. That will teach us to wait a couple hours between each other when we have leave the house.
Mallory and Ashton dressing to go out and play in the snow during their lunch break from school. Yes, we still have school when it snows, Papa. One of the many benefits of home schooling. (But we also get to take a late fall/early Christmas break to go with you on cruises because we home school!)

Ashton in her Canadian Olympic gloves.
Why is it that the first thing my kids do in the snow is eat off the dirty trampoline?
Oh no. Here they go again....WHERE IS THE MOM??
Yes, they always want to make snow angels. Not in the yard, but in the middle of the street. (There was a car coming behind the mail truck. But the girls assured me they would be done before it got there because they had to drive so slow with all the snow. )
Struttin' Mallory.

Snow eating Ashton.....
......with some great manners. Must be from the Price side.


None of our snow had gone anywhere until six days later when it began to rain heavily. In a matter of hours the snow was gone. That however, only lasted about 2 days. Then we got a big snow!!

In one Wednesday evening /night we got 9 inches! In fact the weather forcasters had predicted this storm and issued a winter storm warning before it started. Ashton's boss (the manager of the hotel where she works as the breakfast hostess) had called her Wednesday morning and said he had made a room reservation for her for that night at the hotel, if it was ok with her parents. In all, he had made 8 reservations for all the people who were scheduled to work first thing Thursday morning. With her shift starting so early, it would be doubtful she would be getting anywhere before the snow plows could do their job. So, Mallory and Ashton headed to the hotel for a "girl's night". Mallory got the best end of the deal since she slept in until 9:30AM and then just read some of her literature until Ashton got off at noon when they checked out. It was really comical, when Jeff and I dropped them off; they checked in carrying a couple bags of popcorn they had microwaved at home. (good movie snacks) Right beside them was the morning front desk guy checking in with a Little Caesar's pizza!
Nine inches. You can zoom in if you want! :)


The driveway, steps and front porch must be shoveled before you can even leave the house.






I wonder how our six fish are doing in this fish pond? Can anyone say 'fishcicles'?

It is hard to believe there is a big multi-level raised, rock enclosed garden here. There is also a large patio that starts at the lamp post on the left.
It has now been 13 days since the 9 inch snow and we still have 7 inches in the yard. Most of the streets were fairly clear until today. We were above freezing and sunny yesterday and today causing daytime melting with runoff. Now we have ice slicks where the water went across the roads. You have to be alert, ever mindful...To me this is a reminder in the natural for the prayer cry I have for the church in America. "Awake o sleeper!" You must awaken, be alert and ever mindful!

Love you,
Kristian