Six-word living

Today we are going to talk about dying. Death. Kicking the bucket. Pushing up daisies. Walking the golden streets with Jesus. The eternal nap.

You get my drift. 

I know, I know, death can be a very dark, trying and sad subject, especially if it is unexpected or painful. But hey, life is short (pun intended) so why not look at this light-hearted. After all... I know where I am going and I hope you do too. (Gonna be knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door. Someday.) 

But in order to die, a person typically lives some type of life before that point. So maybe today's post isn't about the actual dying process, but rather the LIVING process. 

One of my favorite songs that got me through one of the roughest points of my life (when I didn't know if I could keep going) was a song called How You Live by Point of Grace. (Watch the video and listen here.)

The best part of that song is part of the chorus when it says "Cause it's not who you knew... it's not what you did... it's how you live." 

Can I get an AMEN?!?

Let's take it a step even further. It's not just how you live, but who you live FOR. Think about it. What or who are you living for right this moment? 

For more information go to
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/

Earlier this week, I was introduced to the concept of Six-word Memoirs. I was surprised that I had never really heard about it, but I am hooked. I have been walking around all week thinking about different memoirs... and perhaps what mine would be. (To read the history of Six-Word Memoirs, check out this article. 

Six word memoirs can be funny, sad, moving or somewhere in between. The basic concept is to be able to write your "life story" in six words. Here are some examples. 

"Most creative when avoiding a deadline."

"Would've, Could've, should've, didn't, didn't, didn't." 

"Living the dream, don't wake me up." 

"Born bald. Grew hair. Bald again." 

"Battled cancer, richly blessed with friends." 

"Rock bottom became the solid foundation." 

You get the picture. Hopefully, you are already thinking about what your six-word memoir might look like... 

And I have started to think about mine. Fortunately/unfortunately, mine varies by the day. Some ideas might include: 

Army wife. Supporter of chocolate industry.

Puppy mama who trains with sarcasm. 

Woke up Monday. Back to bed. 

Playing sports equals consistently broken face. 

Great housekeeper when company is coming. 

Professional pep-talker, even when not wanted.  

(Hyphens count as one word, right?) 

Oh look, that is another one.

Used AMERICA as random multipurpose expression.

Starts focused. Sees shiny. Epic fail.

I could go on... but I want to give you the chance to think of your OWN six-word memoir. How are you living your life? If you died today, what legacy would you leave behind? Please feel free to comment here and share one (or more) of your own six-word memoirs. 

Think about this... mediate on it. What would GOD like your memoir to look like? Remember, it's not who you knew or what you did but how you lived. And WHO you lived FOR. 

Oh, and I have figured out my six-word memoir, at least for today: 

Jesus called. Slowly followed. Richly rewarded!

Gettin' creative with random blog topics, 

SGK

"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." --Romans 2:7

Year in Review: "Crazy Awesome"

Hi there again readers... Today, I am going to share with you the Christmas letter (And picture) that we shared with our friends and family. 

Note: If you are one of our friends and/or family members and did not receive a hard copy in the mail, my apologies... but when one is working for "God Dollars" as opposed to world dollars, postage gets expensive... FAST :-) 

We hope you enjoy the recap of our "Crazy-awesome" year. The copy dude at Staples was intrigued (yes, apparently they read your letters when you have them copied. Awkward.) 

Thank you all SO much for your support you have shown us during this crazy-awesome God-filled year. As always, let me know how I can pray for you-- and if you would like to share this with your friends, go ahead and spread the message for His glory!

*******

Greetings and Holiday Blessings!

      Anybody else out there have a crazy-awesome year? I say “crazy-awesome” because at some points over the last 12 months it has been pretty crazy, other times pretty awesome and sometimes both. I am going to try and be “brief” in this letter (I know, that’s a first… alert the media) but I will explain how you can find out more about our little Knobloch family below. Ready?

At last writing, I think Brandon was getting ready to leave for Drill Sergeant School. Well, in case you didn’t get the memo, he did great. He graduated at the very beginning of April, which was awesome. I flew out to celebrate this huge accomplishment and as we drove back, our transmission randomly died in Paducah, Kentucky. After 3 days in Paducah waiting for a new, shiny (expensive?) transmission, we made it back home. Crazy.

We returned to Kansas and had about one month to prepare to move to Georgia. I married off one of my best friends (love you Kally!), then the following morning Brandon and packed up and started our trek to the deep south. Crazy. While I was sad to leave a great job at Heartland Works, as well as the Midwest, we were excited for the new adventure that God was taking us on. Awesome!

Brandon started his duties as a drill sergeant in June. It’s an intense job and I get to hear some pretty crazy stories about the “bad life decisions” of some of the trainees. My favorite quote (so far) is “REALLY PRIVATE? REALLY? YOU ARE GOING TO RUIN YOUR ARMY CAREER FOR A BOWL OF APPLE JACKS?!?” It’s kind of a long story, but you can shoot me an email or give me a call for the whole tale. J  Being a drill sergeant (and drill sergeant’s wife) can be a little challenging because the hours are crazy when in cycle, but the growth we have experienced as a couple has be awesome. Oh, and God has been pretty awesome through it all too!

Oh, I almost forgot! We welcomed a new member into our family in May… WHOA, take it easy… don’t get all crazy and go mail us booties and blankets. You can, however, send us rawhide bones and squeaky toys for our baby dog Sweet Justus. He is a rescue puppy and is pretty awesome. Hilarious really. He only weighs 12 pounds (he’s 10 months old) but has the personality the size of an elephant. We aren’t really sure what kind of dog he is—rumor has it, his mama was a Papillion, but as for the daddy?? He has HUGE ears and is really smart. During my solo time this summer, I taught him how to sit, stay, fetch, roll over, high five, pound it (with his nose), dance and walk. With him around, we never fail to be entertained. Awesome huh?

Moving on: this summer as I was pondering my purpose in God’s plan in Georgia, I got involved with Christ Community Church. Again, it’s a crazy-awesome story that won’t fit on one page, but long story short, I started working as SERVE intern. I have been with that team since July and have LOVED every minute of it—I have learned so much and continue to revel in God’s awesomeness. Never knew I was called to ministry til my boss Kelli asked me that in July. Talk about light bulb moment! Answering God’s call to ministry has been crazy awesome.

You might also remember during last year’s letter, I was getting ready to start working on my Masters of Arts in Christian Leadership. Crazy right? On December 2 (yes, this year) I finished it. A two-year program in 310 days. Awesome. And praise the Lord for no more research papers!!

So now what? Great question. Brandon and I continue ministering to people here in the Deep South through out lives and jobs. I hope to maybe get Justus certified as a social therapy dog in the new few months. I had the chance to go back to KS to see my family during Thanksgiving and God allowed me to lead my Dad to Christ! Hallelujah!  That was beyond awesome. (To see the whole story, check out my latest endeavor that God has called me to: writing, specifically on my blog. www.morepreciousthanrubies-sgk.blogspot.com. Notice the enclosed card. Tell your friends. Help us share God’s message. Please and thank you. It’s precious!)

Oh dang… I’m already at the bottom of the page! Time to smoosh the final thoughts from the last year: Brandon took up a hobby of brewing his own beer, I am Family Readiness Group Leader for our company in the army, neither one of like grits or sweet tea (we tried,) we love our house, we celebrated one year of marriage on October 2^nd (one year down, somewhere between 49-74 to go!), the enclosed picture was our Halloween costume, and we miss you all! WHEW!  Please call, Facebook or email us. Oh, and keep up with us on our blog. You might laugh, you might cry, you might rejoice… but you will see that we worship a God who loves us and is crazy-awesome, in more ways than one.

For His Glory,

Brandon, Sharita & Sweet Justus 

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” ~Romans 12:12

Army of God: "Voluntold"

When one gets involved with the army, there is A LOT to learn. 

It doesn't matter if you are actually joining the ranks as enlisted or officer, OR you have been called to marry a beloved soldier... There is going to be a learning curve involved. 

Early on in our marriage (ok, let's be honest, it's still pretty early... we are only 14 months in) I had to stop Brandon every other sentence and have him translate the gobbledygook that he was trying to communicate.  Even now, I have to put the words through a filter in my army wife head to understand them. 

On a typical night, I hear something like this come from my beloved: 

"Hey Sharita, the CO and the BC were talking today, and since we are done with ARM and getting ready to do FTX, I got voluntold to do CQ on 12 December."

<insert wife brain scrambling sound here> 

Translation: 

"Hey Sharita, the commander and the battalion commander were talking today, and since we are done with advance rifle marksmanship and getting ready to do a field training exercise, I am working overnight charge of quarters duty on Monday, December 12." 

Um, ok. Roger?!?

This week, I am going to share with you some of my favorite "army" words/phrases... And since this is a Christian blog (not sure if you picked up on that yet ;-) and we are all fighting in the "Army of God," I will of course be drawing some kind of parallel to how God lovingly directs our paths. 

So are you ready? I hope you are standing at parade rest and anticipating todays "Word of the day." 

This word of the day is BY FAR my favorite word taught to me by the army. I use it in my civilian life... and it is awesome... Ready? 

"Voluntold: the inadvertent nomination of an individual to comply with orders or plans through being commanded to do so... or else." 

A lot of the less then awesome duties that Brandon gets to do (and I get to deal with) in the army are typcially voluntold to him. This happens when someone says "Who wants to pull CQ tomorrow?" When everyone remains silent and avoids eye contact because they were hoping to sleep a full night and eat food other than from the DFAC (Dining facilities) and the answer comes from the same person who asked the question: "Knobby... you pull CQ." And Brandon says OK (most of the time, because that is the kind of awesome soldier he is.)

God does the same thing-- sometimes he asks a question or gives a subtle command that He of course already knows what will be the result. Maybe He says "Sharita, do you want to be called to ministry?" (Insert brief moment of blindness/eye contact avoidance here) "Thanks Sharita! Way to step up. You will do great. Now... get to work, girl." 

We all reserve the right to say NO to being voluntold... but it is going to cause a lot of issues, especially when we are being voluntold or called to do something by our Lord. We can say no... but then we have the whole issue of disobedience to deal with. While that sounds like a less than winning situation, let me assure you that living a life of obedience and embracing those calls of voluntold-ness is worth it. God knows what He is doing, and if he gave us choices all the time, we would probably be in a bigger mess than normal. 

Have you been "voluntold" to do something lately as a soldier in the Army of God? Have you complied and followed through or tried to say no? Take heart and have faith... God is the ultimate commander-- He isn't interested in making you hurt or live in a pool of bureaucracy. He loves you... So when He has voluntold you to do something, let's head into battle, together. Look up, smile and say YES SIR! 

You won't regret it. 

Thankful to be Voluntold, 

SGK  

"Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask." Philemon 1:21

PS-- The giveaway for the free "Leadership and Faith" package is still going on... BUT TODDAY IS THE LAST DAY! (Entries close at 8pm EST) You don't want to miss out on this great opportunity. To enter comment here or see my celebration post for more information!

We have... Memory Loss

Think about your most prominent memory. Where were you? What time of year was it? Was it a good memory? A challenging experience? What type of details do you remember about it? 

Reminiscing can be a lot of fun. It might also be a little painful. Personally, my memories can be triggered by a location, sound, song, smell, person or experience. Some memories are so prominent that I literally get goosebumps-- it feels like I am traveling back in time, experiencing the specific event all over again. 

I don't want to brag, but I have a memory like a steel trap (much to my husbands occasional dismay: "How or WHY do you remember that, Sharita?!?)" I remember the most ridiculous things from kindergarten experiences, weird and random facts from some of my college classes and even  direct quotes of conversations I have had years ago. But even with this amazing memory, I still have memory loss... and often forget some of God's promises. 

Let's think about this for a second. We almost NEVER forget promises made by other people, especially when they don't come through for us. How many times (especially as children) do you remember saying "Heeeeyyyyy... YOU PROMISED?!?!" 

We don't forget the promises made by people in this world. But I always find myself saying "Whoops, sorry God... I forgot you already promised me that." God often says to me "Heeeyyyyy, Sharita... I PROMISED?!? Remember?"

Oh. Yeah. All those things I worry about or am uncertain about... yep. He already promised to help me out with it. God's multiple and never-failing promises can be found in His word.  His amazing promises are found in the Bible, in every book, every chapter. 

Concerned about your path? Check out Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Don't know if God is involved in your life and knows what He is doing? Look at Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  

Unsure if all things that come from God are legit? Take a peek at Romans 8:28-- "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

God never promised it would be easy. But He said he will never stop loving. Never leave. Never forsake. His love never fails. It never runs out. It endures forever.  "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1) He PROMISED us this!! 

I vividly remember when and where I was the moment I began remembering parts of His word. I was parked outside of the Schnucks grocery store in Jefferson City, Mo in the winter of 2009, around 10:30pm. I did NOT want to go to work that night at midnight. I had brought my Bible with me and needed a reminder from God about His promises because I was in the middle of what would eventually become my recovery testimony. (Check out No Bologna Testimony Part 2 for the full story.) I forgot that God was in control and had a plan. 

I grabbed my Bible, trusting God to give me the reminder I needed.  I didn't have the verses memorized, but from the last few months of spending time in the word, I had a general recollection of where to look in the Bible. I (guided by the hand of God) narrowed it down to a book... then chapter... then read through and BOOM. Found the verse. "Ohhhh... NOW I remember. Thanks for that promise, God."  Memory: restored. 

Spend time in the word. Relish His promises. Overcome that memory loss. You never have to say "HEY GOD, YOU PROMISED." Instead, He says to us, "Hey you... I promised! TRUST ME." He ALWAYS comes through. And boom. No. More. Memory loss. 

Remembering fondly, 

SGK 

"O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant." 1 Chronicles 17:26

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Here's to Kicking the Bucket... list (Part 1)

If you have ever been engaged in a conversation with me for more than 18 minutes, chances are I have mentioned my "Bucket list." 

I don't talk about my Bucket List to say "Oooo looky at all the 'cool' things I have done." Because honestly, most of them aren't cool. They are probably borderline nerdy. But I've come to terms with this. My Bucket List is important to me a for a few reasons: 

1. I love making lists. (I briefly mentioned this in Three Step Game Plan back in August) 

2. God has designed me to be a person who enjoys working towards things and having goals-- even if they are nerdy goals. 

3. It makes a great conversation piece. 

4. Gives me an excuse to do some pretty random stuff. 

5. I can revel and thank God for all of the awesome little things in life that make me happy!

That being said, I didn't start my list after the movie came out. I began writing it long before, back in December 2003... Which if my calculations are correct, that is two months shy of 8 years ago (Holy cheese and crackers!) Of course back then I didn't call it a Bucket List.. Rather it was "Things to do before I die" list. 

Obviously, many new things have been added over the years, (and a few things checked off) and some have become a little deeper/profound. But that's the great thing about a bucket list-- it doesn't HAVE to be profound. I once was chatting with someone about starting their own bucket list... and they said they didn't have anything "worthy" or "profound" to put on their list. After I scoffed (silently, I hope), I reminded them that it doesn't have to change the world. Do they really think that me "Breaking glass with a hammer" is going to make a difference? It will to me, but that's about it. 

My Bucket list is in a small, simple black journal.... Today, I am going to share some of the random things I have done so far (I mark the date and place/event so I remember) Then tomorrow, if you are bold enough to tune in again, you will see things that I am still working on. 

Brace yourself: This could get random.  (The ones in bold I count as especially hilarious and non-profound) 

CHECKED off the list...

(Note: This list is not exhaustive... but you get the picture) 

• Go to college: K-state, 8/18/04
• Fall in love: Brandon L. Knobloch, Summer 2009
• Get married: Brandon, October 2, 2010!
• Be on TV: Polar Bear Plunge, 2006
• Travel Overseas: Spain/Portugal, Jan 2006; China, June 2009; Italy 2010
• Meet someone "famous:" President George W. Bush, White House, July 2005
• Go to a KSU game: Manhattan, KS September 4, 2004
• Wear a tiara: Alpha of Clovia Crystal Ball, March 11, 2006
• Get ears pierced: Manhattan, KS, Aug 2004
• Go to a Clay Aiken Concert: Hutchinson, KS Sept 10, 2004 (Hey, don't judge me...) 
• Get a fantastic job: Heartland Works, Inc, July 2010
• Learn to "really" dance: Salsa/Brandon, Sept 2010
• Walk on a beach/boardwalk: New Jersey, Jan 2008
• Be in a wedding: Nicole & Kyle Wainwright, Soloist, Aug 2008
• Teach: Catalyst Class, Manhattan, KS 2008
• Go to Auctioneering school & become Certified auctioneer: March 2009 (seriously... Have gavel, will travel) 
• Go to church regularly: Eternity, Jefferson City, MO Nov 2009
• Wear a Bikini-- confidently: Summer 2010
• Read the Bible daily: May 19, 2009
• Run 1 mile w/out walking: Manhattan City Park, March 30, 2009
• Eat Kobe Beef: Paducah, Kentucky, April 2, 2011
• Take a self defense class: Boxing, Manhattan, KS Spring 2009 (Sr yr well spent!) 
• Learn about wine: KSU, Spring 2009 (See-- great semester!) 
• Run a 5K: Herington, KS March 19, 2011
• Go Skinny Dipping: Sorry, details will remain anonymous :-) 
• Police ride-a-long: Citizens Police Academy, March 2009 
• Own a Pet: Sweet Justus, Fort Benning, GA May 17, 2011
• Make a perfect omelet: Manhattan, KS February 19, 2011
• Cut Hair for Locks of Love: Manhattan, KS March 19, 2011
• Fill an ENTIRE Journal: Pink Bible journal, Jan 23, 2011
• Learn to make sushi: Fort Benning, GA 2011
• Successfully complete a Sudoku: Fort Benning, GA July 19, 2011. 

I thank God for helping me to experience some of these things-- it is a reminder of the little opportunities that I can take some extra joy in... Do you have a bucket list? If not, I recommend making one-- just let your little joys flow onto the page-- you don't have to show anyone! It's between you and God. 

To me, kicking the Bucket List (and the things on it) is one part of my life that I count as "More Precious than Rubies." 

Checking it off the list, 

SGK 

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:2-3