Kristin McLendon

Over the Valley, Through the Jungle, Across the Pond...Jesus said Go.

2017-03-14T16:16:00.002-04:00

I love what I do. I love my students. I love seeking the Lords heart for my students. I love hearing His heart for my students. I love when I don't have a clue what it is He wants us to do. I believe it is out of this state of desperation that He comes like a mighty rushing wind. I love when He downloads it out of nowhere and you didn't see it coming and it leaves you in a big puddle of a mess because you know it is nothing but Him. Yes, Yes, that is what the summer of 2017 will be for the McLendons.

Jesus. Jesus said Go. We don't always know what it will look like and that is okay, but we do know that He said Go. He said go tell your neighbor about me. He said go tell your classmates about me. He said go to the grocery store and share about me. He said go to the widowed, the brokenhearted, the rich, the poor. Go.

"Going" for the McLendons has had many faces over the past eleven years. This year looks more different than it ever has before, but the impact is one that we are undone by and eternally grateful that Jesus would choose us to lead. If you don't mind, we would like to take a moment and tell you about it - simply to ask you to pray for us! I (Kristin) have the honor and privilege of leading a "get your feet wet" trip to Costa Rica desiring to introduce our students to missions and show them Jesus' heart for when He said Go. We will continue our partnership with the Abraham Project in San Jose, Costa Rica. The Abraham Project just broke ground on Phase Two that will house two new Children's Homes! Please pray for our students that they would fall in love with Jesus' heart for the Nations and they would come into an understanding of their calling in His Kingdom.

Robert is leading a "next step" trip to The Isle of Lewis, Scotland to challenge our students in sharing Christ with those that do not know Him. They will have many opportunities to share Jesus with peers of their own age. Please pray for our students, that they will be deeply rooted in Him as they will encounter peers of their own age that do not know Him - many that are proclaiming atheists or agnostic.

Please pray protection over both teams. Please pray for unity amongst our teams. We are extremely excited about the plans the Lord has for our Student Ministry as we feel the impact is huge. He is obviously sending us out to two physical places, but the impact that is able to be done in our hearts is even greater.

We simply write this today to update you to share the stirrings in our hearts and how the Lord is leading the McLendons and to say we covet your prayers. We can not do this without you.

Below are some pictures of past teams, but the locations of where we are going just to help give you a visual. To stay up to date with the teams you can click here:

RiverStone Youth In Costa Rica (June 5-13)

RiverStone Youth In Scotland (June 8-21)

It is over the valleys, through the jungles, and across the pond that we go.

Love, Robert, Kristin, and Jude

RiverStone Youth Scotland Team 2016

RiverStone Youth Costa Rica Team 2015

Praise the Invisible

2016-05-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

(**This blog was written on the airplane out to California before my 26.2. That update coming soon!**)

No matter the run, no matter the distance, "somehow" my "random" shuffle of a playlist plays a Daniel Bashta song as the last song of my run. It blows my mind every time that Jesus even dictates the shuffle! He's so good isn't He? Sometimes it's All Hail. Sometimes it's Like a Lion. Sometimes it's Praise the Lord.

This past week for my last long run before heading out for the big race, it was Praise the Invisible. As I approached the last .5 of my run, the first few notes started playing and tears just came to my eyes. "Praise the Invisible. Praise the Immortal One. Praise God Incarnate, Praise Father, Spirit, Son. For He is God. For He is Holy. For He, Holds the Keys to the grave and Forever He will reign."

I ran that last .5 of my 12 mile run singing and worshipping (pretty sure my neighbors think I'm crazy by now). For He is the only wise and eternal King. He deserves all honor and glory. I finished that last run strong and thanking Him.

Sunday am, worship started and wouldn't you know the very first song we start singing is Praise the Invisible. I sat down right there and wept.

He is in the details. He cares about EVERY LITTLE DETAIL OF YOUR LIFE. He cares about things that bring you joy like running and He heals even when doctors say the opposite.

May you be encouraged today. Know He is God. He is Holy. He is the only wise Eternal King. Praise the Invisible.

Jesus, Pneumonia, and a Marathon

2016-04-12T09:40:00.000-04:00

I am less than two months past pneumonia and less than two weeks out from my first marathon. According to doctors I should still be hacking up my lungs. I only have one explanation for this and His name is Jesus. On my run yesterday (it was only a 5 miler) I was worshipping and thanking Jesus for this miraculous recovery and was thinking about writing this blog post. Then almost immediately doubt crept in. What if I don't finish. Should I wait till I finish my marathon to write this post. Then almost immediately (again) the word TRUST came to mind. And I just started saying that word over and over again as I ran those laps around the neighborhood (by now I have a good 1mile route nailed down). I trust you Jesus. I 100% believe YOU have healed me.

This journey to my first marathon has not been what I was expecting. I had not expected to have a week in the hospital and a full month of being on bed rest. But if I needed a lesson in the power of prayer and trusting in Him, I got one. I attended our church's Night of Healing Prayer and just wept as our people prayed for me. Begging for mercy and wanting to return to "life". The next day I had my first full day of not sleeping in the middle of it. Glory be to God.

That next week I slowly began returning to work, and that weekend we had a guest speaker at church. At the end, the Lord used him to prophetically speak into our people. He asked if anyone needed new lungs and I stood as quickly as I could, holding my hands up, believing with everything in me for complete healing from the Lord. Eventually I opened my eyes and I was surrounded by youth that love me and were laying hands on me and praying for me. It is a moment I will never forget. In that moment I was changed and I will never be the same. I became the student and my students became the leaders. The Lord used them to speak life into my body and I became ALIVE.

To Him Be the Glory.

Scotland.

2016-03-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

In 2005, I (Kristin) walked into Rev. Bills office and asked him to pray with me for a male influence on our youth group. Four days later he introduced me to Robert McLendon and said, “here is your man, now ask him to go to Costa Rica with you.” Little did we know how prophetic that statement would be and the journey the Lord would have for us. We have now been married for over 8 years and have led many mission trips both together and a part. From Honduras, to Mississippi, to Costa Rica, to Scotland. One thing that has happened is we have both been to Scotland, but never together. Now on this wild journey called the life that we live, in 2016, the Lord is taking us to Scotland, together.

We can not even begin to explain how wild of a ride this has been or the emotions that go into this calling the Lord has placed on us. From those beginning days in 2005, to Robert being in grad school, to Jude being born, to Kristin in grad school, to the Lord opening the door for us to be in full time ministry together, January 1, 2015. To being ordained together on July 19, 2015. We get to spend our days together ushering students into the fullness that God has for them. We are so thankful to Jesus when we couldn’t see what this would look like, He knew all along, and of course it is even better than we could ever imagine.

Scotland is a beautiful piece of this journey. While Costa Rica has captured my (Kristin) heart the past few years, God has made it obvious that we are to step out of our comfort zones and take our students on a not so easy ride. While the Lord stretches them, we are expecting to be stretched just as much, if not more.

We will take a team of 22 to the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, June 1-15. We will be working along side our RiverStone sent missionaries to invest into the lives of children and teenagers on the Isle. We will be partnering with YWAM while we are over there as well. Our greatest desire is to be a blessing to the missionaries-that we would not be a burden, but bring them life, joy, and refreshment in the Lord. We will be doing street evangelism and this will be stretching for all of us-and our greatest desire is that our flesh will die and they will know that Jesus is the One that sent us. Please pray that we will have the spirit of boldness and that we would truly walk out the words of the Great Commission. Please pray for us as we lead this team. It is different than any other team that we have led before. Please pray for unity of the team. The Lord has laid John 17 specifically on our hearts for this team-that we would be One, so that the world may know who sent us. Please pray this would be true of us.

We are writing to you to today to ask you to please join us in praying for these things and of course anything else the Lord lays on your heart. We are trusting for an army of prayer warriors to rise up around us. We thank you in advance for partnering with us.

Secondly, this trip is a huge step of faith. It is more expensive than anything we have ever done, but we are firmly believing that what God calls us to, He will provide. We are believing that our students will see God during this trip as Jehovah Jireh - the God that provides - and He will unlock something deep within their hearts as He does. Cost for this trip is $2500 per person. Would you please pray about partnering with us financially? If you feel led to contribute you may CLICK HERE for the direct link and choose: McLendon Family.

We are so thankful for each of you and the love you pour out to our family. Thank you for being our army.

Love, Robert, Kristin, and Jude

Follow the journey: http://youthinscotland.blogspot.com

The Journey of and after Pneumonia

2016-03-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

**Disclaimer--I started this blog post while I was still down for the count. It was beyond good for my heart to go back and finish this, leaving in the not so fun details, but finish it out with testimony of the Lord's healing! Amen and Amen!**

Many people have asked me what exactly happened to me. For document sake, I thought this might be a good place to journal it all out. It is also a safe place to journal it out and for my heart to trust in the Lord and know He is in control.

I am one that tells others to journal their prayers so that

they may have a record of the way God answers them.

Here is my journal. Here are my prayers.

This is my journey through and back from pneumonia.

What started out as a beautiful weekend on January 29th-I had a great

9 mile/marathon training run. Felt great and was

eagerly anticipating the next week where I knew training was

about to be rubber hitting the road-and I was excited about it.

We picked up Jude from school and had

a great family day!

The next morning-January 30th-I woke up EARLY for a 5k run with Dorie

with a little twinge in my chest-but hey-I can still run a 5k!

By night time I was running a fever and the room was spinning.

Kristin. Down.

Sunday am fever even higher.

Monday even higher-so we call the dr, but they couldn't see me till Wednesday.

Tuesday evening-in the E.R. with a 105 fever.

x-rays, lots of blood drawn, three bags of fluids and two bags of antibiotics later

it's declared I was septic, with low blood pressure, high pulse

and pneumonia...and I was being admitted.

Two days into being admitted, lab results came back and

the stuff I had coughed up for them showed a rare bacteria-not so much

normal for normal pneumonia, so they switched the antibiotic I was on.

On Saturday, when apparently my coloring started to return, they let me return home with

instructions to be on bedrest for ten days.

On Wednesday I was starting to feel better, but also took my last dose of antibiotics.

On Thursday I could not move off the couch again and this continued through the

weekend. Sunday night my fever spiked back up again to 102.1

and needless to say I found myself back at the dr on Monday.

The results: I still had crackling in my lungs = pneumonia.

The antibiotic they treated the bacteria with in the hospital

was specific to that bacteria/not pneumonia.
Round three of antibiotics was begun.

Round three of antibiotics seemed to do the trick, as my fever never returned.
We are incredibly thankful for the community that rallied around us,
prayed us through this season, and kept us fed!

The words THANK YOU do not even begin to seem big enough!

Now, a month or so later--I fully believe the Lord has healed me.
I was told that it would probably be months before I started to
feel all the way like myself again, and I would definitely
have that pesky cough for months.
I am excited to say that I am back to running and feel great.
I do not know why I was
taken down this crazy road, but what I do know is that once I was back
on my feet, the recovery back has been quick. I give Him all the glory.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy."

Psalm 92

Join me in November?

2016-02-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

This past November, I was thrilled to have a Girls Night out with my friend Dorie. Now you should know something about our friendship...it's not a typical one. We have been known to fly across the country together and spend 32+ hours together in a van, running 200 miles...so a girls night out would none other consist of a 5k! I was excited to spend this time with her + have a night race---something I had never done before!

We had a great time and a great stroll through Piedmont Park in Atlanta. This is a favorite spot for our little McLendon Fam, so I was excited to do a race through the park!

Following the race, it did not take much to convince Dorie and I to sign up again for 2016! We had such a great time and the food after the race was the best I have ever seen (we all run for the food don't we? And well the t-shirt--and I love this tank by the way!).

I was elated to be contacted soon after and asked to be an ambassador for Esprit de She 2016! YES PLEASE! I love this race so much, I had already signed up for it, and now I get to encourage my friends to come run with me--and give them a coupon code! YES!!!

So here are the details:

Join me (and Dorie!) in Piedmont Park, in Atlanta, on Thursday, November 3rd for a Girls Night Out!

Pre-Warm Up starts that day at 6:05pm (with packet pick up beginning at 4pm) and the 5k race begins at 6:30pm! Wanting a little more? They do offer a 10k and that race starts at 7pm!

For all the details of the

ATLANTA RUN click HERE

When you go to register, be sure to use COUPON CODE:

GEDS16AMB039

to receive $5 off of your registration fee!

Who doesn't like a coupon?

I can't wait to run with you in Atlanta in November!

Need encouragement getting started?

Read my running story here, and I'd love to chat!

Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?

2016-01-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've sat down and typed out a few words in this space. I have a few reasons. Most of which consist of 15-20 page Seminary papers. Details right? But I miss this little space of mine. It has a homey feel to it and to write without a midnight deadline is just well, nice.

So how have you been? What I would love to do right now is sit down and have a cup of coffee with you and ask you my #1 question, How is your heart? How has life been lately?

What has Jesus been telling you lately?

For me, I would tell you life is good. Seminary is well, Seminary. Not what I thought it would be back in the days that I called it C.E.M.E.T.E.R.Y. and that pigs would be flying if I attended...but good. Finishing up a practicum this week, then a week off, and then diving in deep to two more classes for Spring Semester.

Jude-well he is almost FIVE.YEARS.OLD. When did that happen? Seriously. I can hardly handle it. And he's almost as tall as me. I mean, it doesn't take much, but seriously? At FIVE?

So tell me about you? I have more to write about, but I want to hear from you.

It's been awhile... let me know how you are doing and what I can pray for!

**All photo's are from The Focused Lily Photography and can not be reproduced.

Merry Christmas from the McLendons!

2015-12-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

Maybe, just maybe by my third year of Seminary I will figure out how to manage Christmas card ordering season ... and finals. So far I am 0 and 2. Please keep sending them to us. We love them, we love you, and promise to return to the Christmas card circuit one day!

When I imagined a Christmas Card amongst coming up for air from finals, I imagined it arriving in your mailbox looking a little something like this:

Inside would give you a snapshot of our 2015 and giving glory to our sweet Jesus:

I would write you a short letter and would tell you that 2015 was a year that we saw Jesus fulfill the greatest desires of our heart. Robert and I became full time partners in ministry as Robert joined me as a Youth Pastor at RiverStone Church. In July, we were ordained, surrounded by our family and friends. Starting in ministry together in 2005, and seeing this fulfilled in 2015, we are truly thankful to the One who knows the perfect plan for our lives and a church that believes in us.

In September after a two week residency in Wilmore Kentucky for me, we decided to take a last minute vacation, and set sail to the Bahamas. It was the most beautiful time away just the three of us and truly a blessing from the Lord. Jude spent 8 hours straight on the water slide at our day at sea as we would casually look up from our chairs to make sure he was okay every once in awhile!

Jude is the most wonderful gift to us. He is our almost five year old, passionate about life, full of energy, all boy that is ready to take on the world for Jesus. He joined the Atlanta Track Club this year and ran his first timed race/mile in 10:20. I have to keep training just to keep up.

We are giving thanks tonight on this very Merry Christmas. Jesus deserves all of our praise, for He is worthy. Praying that you are resting tonight in the Peace that is Jesus Christ the Lord.

You are my

2015-08-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

With week one of pre-k behind us, this seemed very fitting.

"You are my I love you"

I am your parent you are my child

I am your quiet place, you are my wild

I am your calm face, you are my giggle

I am your wait, you are my wiggle

I am your audience, you are my clown

I am your London Bridge, you are my falling down

I am your Carrot Sticks, you are my licorice

I am your dandelion, you are my first wish

I am your water wings, you are my deep

I am your open arms, you are my running leap

I am your way home, you are my new path

I am your dry towel, you are my wet bath

I am your dinner you are my chocolate cake

I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake

I am your finish line, you are my race

I am your praying hands, you are my saving grace

I am your favourite book, you are my new lines

I am your nightlight, you are my sunshine

I am your lullaby, you are my peek-a-boo

I am your kiss goodnight, you are my I love you

Author: Maryann K Cusimano

The almost four year old

2015-02-21T15:42:00.000-05:00

The almost four year old is independent.

He wants to wash his own hair.

Bathe his own body.

Pick out his own clothes.

The almost four year old can *almost* brush his own teeth.

Can ride his scooter and asks to do so as a Transformer

in February.

The almost four year old can

Dream big dreams.

Pray real prayers...

and believes God for them with every ounce of his being.

The almost four year old

pauses long enough to say

"mama will you snuggle with me."

Loves big squeeze hugs.

Loves to tickle, loves hide & go seek.

Loves fruit, veggies, and eggs.

And pancake picnics.

Pictures taken on a random Tuesday in February-courtesy of Emily Cathryn Smith.

McLendon Christmas Letter: Now that it is almost February...

2015-01-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

Well...Robert wrote a Christmas letter this year and we failed to get it in the mail. It is too good not to share, so we are posting it here. For all to enjoy. So, now that it is almost February we are going to officially say good bye to 2014 and say hello to 2015.

Does anyone else wonder where January just went?

I hope this season meets you with merriment and diminished anxiety (whatever that means). Once again, we decided it was best to send you an update on our family through the written word rather than a picture-perfect portrait of our family sitting in wonderment at how organized we are. We would have done that, but we really couldn’t find one or pose for one long enough for the needed millisecond of camera flash.

Kristin is still taking on the world one student at a time as the RiverStone Student Pastor. She loves what she does when she’s not drowning in kids. She took a lovely group of students to Costa Rica this year to work with an orphanage and a local impoverished community near the orphanage. She is really good at hitting teenagers over the head with selfless reality. The kids are really no problem for her at all. She is having a blast with her students. Kristin fulfilled one bucket list item this year – she ran from the top of Mount Hood in Oregon, through Portland, and to the coast of Oregon. She did it with several friends and had a great time. They finished the relay in 34 hours! What is currently killing her is her recent decision to go to Grad School!!! She just finished up her first semester at Asbury Theological Seminary where she is getting her Master’s Degree in Intercultural Studies with a focus in Church Planting – this really means she is studying missionary processes both domestic and international. As much as it pains me to say, her school seems to be harder than mine.

Robert has also had an interesting year. In January of 2014 he started a counseling internship working with individuals who were court-ordered to go to counseling for anger/violence problems and alcohol/drug abuse problems. Whatever you picture in your mind when you read that is probably pretty accurate. He encountered lots or rewarding and heartbreaking moments over the past year. This internship was long and had some late hours, so Kristin was single mother for most of the year. Robert also continued to work at RiverStone as the Missions Coordinator helping missionaries and mission teams get their finances in order and counseling leaving and returning missionaries through transitions. Robert also went back to Scotland this past summer to work with kids and host a summer camp – And his dad went with him. Robert did take time off during the summer to drive a 15-passenger van from the top of Mount Hood to the coast of Oregon. He drove 34 consecutive hours and stayed awake for 42 consecutive hours (needless to say, Kristin had more fun than Robert did). With all the busy-ness, Robert looked at life a lot like Forest Gump looked at running across the country. “When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.” Robert finished his internship on December 12th, and started working with Kristin at RiverStone as a Student Pastor January 1st. A dream come true for the McLendons!

Jude has been a beautiful behavioral challenge this year. I’m sure after reading this letter you can probably deduce that he has been acting out because he has been the only child of a working single mother this year. Jude’s energy level equals that of the sun. He is either “all systems go” or asleep. It is not fair to say he has been all bad this year. We have shared so many sweet times with our boy. We took a road trip to Asheville, NC, Lynchburg, VA, and Charlotte, NC with Jude in October. He had a blast, and we had sweet family time. 4-6 hour car rides are not really his thing, but he managed.

Top 10 Lessons Life Taught Us this Year

10. If you take your dad to Scotland, don’t let him buy a kilt.

9. Kristin can run longer than most people can drive.

8. Oregon has traffic jams at 3am.

7. Jude can go through a “hungry-tired-angry-wired-happy-snuggly-screaming” cycle in 90 seconds.

6. Three-year-olds are the worst.

5. Three-year-olds are the best.

4. Kristin’s bucket list will probably kill Robert.

3. If a 3-year old wants to walk the dog, you have to walk the 3-year old while he walks the dog.

2. Don’t promise a 3 year-old movies for a 5-hour car ride if the portable DVD player doesn’t work.

1. Only the McLendons can get photo bombed by a man in a kilt while picking out a Christmas Tree!

Happy 2015 friends!

**Disclaimer: Letter was written by Robert**

When?

2014-10-19T08:45:00.001-04:00

When is it that you re-start your blog? Is it August 1st like I originally intended? Or Maybe September 1st? Or wait, October 1st? Or the start of Fall? Or maybe just go and publish all the drafts that are waiting in the ole blogger window....'eh how bout October 19th. That sounds like a good day. Although I don't know where to start. The last time I posted was in February and to be honest that about sums up our year in the McLendon household. We knew it would be by Gods grace that we survived 2014 and after this past week, all back together under the same roof, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe I'll be able to process this past year one day. But for one thing I know it's Jesus that I held onto ever so tightly. Knuckles are a little whiter that's for sure. Faithful is who He is. Jesus.

Cheers to actually hitting publish on this blog post. Cheers to my theme song of 2014. Thank you Jesus for being my source. Thank you for being faithful and being the One that remains.

Yvonne is Running This Year!

2014-02-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday Friends! Excited to share another #RunThisYear Runner's Profile with you today!! Don't you just love this community?!

Today I have the privilege of introducing you to Yvonne! Praying you each are encouraged as we share her story today!!!

Hi Yvonne! I believe one of the best ways to be encouraged is to hear one another's "stories". So let's start out by hearing YOUR Story! Tell us your "Running Story!!"

Growing up, I was a tall-uncoordinated girl. I was never, NEVER, picked to be a part of a team. I tried out for everything – volleyball, basketball {hello .. I did say tall}, softball and cheerleading (not even sure what I was thinking there-remember “tall-uncoordinated”) and wasn’t selected for a single one. The only thing I could join was band {tallest trombone player in the marching line-up}, ha, because I couldn’t be turned down! In my head – I am not an athlete!

I sit here now, a “twenty-year wife”, mother of two crazy teens and a 4-legged pup. I am a vegetarian, part-time vegan foodie, and a dedicated running road and trail {race} fan. Some may even say now an athlete. Somewhere in my later 3rd decade, I decided to really run full force and haven’t stopped, only sped up!

Are y'all encouraged yet?! I am! :)

Is this your first year participating in #RunThisYear? What is your goal for this year?

This is the first year for RTY for me. I watched from afar last year and was mad I didn’t join in. So this year I was ready with my goals: an Ultra and 2400k or 1200 miles for 2014.

Having a schedule and a race to prepare for helps me stay on track. This year (running wise) so far will be my biggest race accomplishment. The goal is to cross the finish line feeling strong and happy...then there may be a second Ultra shortly after!!

Tell us about your favorite race to run and if you follow a training plan to meet that goal!

I did my first "race" almost 11 years ago and it was a full marathon -- it wasn't graceful, fast or love at first run either (up until this last California International Marathon 2013, I disliked full marathons). Yes, I learned the hard way TRAIN PROPERLY and you succeed. It was after my first not so fun marathon when I fell in love with the half marathon distance, my first one in 2007. Since then, I have ran approximately 17 half marathons, as well as 4 full marathons, three 200-mile relay races (Ragnar Relay) and several road and trail distances in between. None of my races have been "easy" but I have found that if I stick to a schedule and stay consistent I finish successfully (as mentioned above this too was learned several races into my journey) -- and I am always ready to sign up for my next!

Right now, I am now just a few weeks out from my first Ultra 50k (on March 8th!). I started running the trails about 3 years ago and I love it! I am currently following a plan from Tiffany (Running Hutch) and one from a local running store. I've also recently added strength training into the mix. I really do think it's added to my successful long training runs that have varied from anywhere from 13-24 miles, with my longest trail run to date coming up tomorrow...26 miles!!!!

To close us out, do you have any tips to encourage us with?

One of my biggest tips or lessons that I've learned is to stay consistent with a training schedule. It is okay that some days are good run days and some not so good. It is the act of continuing to move forward that makes success. For me I feel so lucky and blessed with my running friends who motivate, inspire and cheer me on every mile along the way! Seriously some days you don't feel like running, but once I get out there it is like therapy, and it turns every day into a better day!

I also finally feel that I have learned how to properly fuel my body for endurance training. In several races and during training in the past, I found myself crashing towards the end or immediately after. This too is something that I finally took seriously and stuck to. It has made a huge difference in the way I feel during and after long runs.

Thanks Yvonne for encouraging us today!

Yvonne has her eyes set on her BIG RUN--Ultra50k just around the corner and her longest trail run TOMORROW! Let's jump in and encourage her today!!!

Blog: ynowanathlete.com

FaceBook: Y Now an Athlete

Instagram: @ynowanathlete

Twitter: @ynowanathlete

Tara Jane Is Running This Year!

2014-02-17T00:31:00.000-05:00

One of the really fun things I get to do as a #RunThisYear Ambassador is introduce you to fun people within the community! I am excited today to introduce you today to Tara Jane!

Tara is new to the Run This Year community this year--but signed up this year eager to do it! With her church and work commitments, she knew she probably wouldn't be able to do the full 2014km--so she got creative (which is why I'm so excited for you all to get to know her--and be encouraged by her!!). Her goal for the year is to run 201.4km twice. Once she has achieved this, she will then try to do it a third time!

One of the things I am most eager to learn from other runners is what a typical week looks like for them. We all have different things on our plate--so I am fascinated the most by this from other runners! For Tara, she let us know that in a typical week she runs about 10k, 5km on a Saturday and 5km on a Sunday. She occasionally throws in a weekday lunch run. (Who else out there runs on their lunch breaks?!).

Tara is a social runner--so as long as she has a friend or two to run with, she's out there! If she finds that she is alone for her run she will usually head to the gym for a class. This is still a great way to get a work out in--but she does confess it is not helping towards clocking those km's!

I asked Tara to share a little bit about her running story. She shared it so well, I thought I'd share it here with her own words....

"Until a year ago I thought running shoes were reserved for Dads in jeans and gym fanatics, two groups of people I never wanted to be anything like.

My running story starts January 2013, in a sweaty tent. I had been married for ten months and working full time for twelve. My life had shifted from single, on-the-go university student, on my feet all day serving coffees, to days on end of sitting and dinner every evening. After a year of living like that, I felt overweight. I felt slow and sluggish all the time. I didn’t like it. And so during my summer camping trip, I made the decision to sign up for the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT) - a fitness and food program I had heard about.

I met Rachel’s Runners through the 12WBT community. They ran on Saturdays and anyone could join. I was just getting used to the idea of exercise, and I love socialising, so I thought “Sure, I’ll give it a go!” I started by doing a Learn to Run program, and within 10 weeks I had run my first 5k fun run!

Since then, I’ve run in a few fun runs organized by the group, three 5km runs and a 10km run, and I’m working my way slowly up to a half marathon. I love the Rachel’s Runners fun runs the most because I get to run with the girls who push me to work harder, run faster and get better every week.

If my weekend is normal, I join Rachel’s Runners and participate in Learn to Run training with the new runners, plus half marathon training, and then a distance run of anything between 5km to 15km. Aside from this, I have no regimented training plan.

Running for me is not about strict training and achieving goals. I’ve still got goals, and I still train, and these are great things. Running for me is about exercising in community. It’s about sharing life with each other, and running while we’re at it!"

To close us out, I asked Tara if she had any tips she'd like to share with us! Here are her awesome words of wisdom:

Get a running buddy - if you’re social like me, a running buddy will make you lace up and get out there.
Find a local running group - Facebook is super helpful for finding these.
Start slow, but work on improving
As the girls at Rachel’s Runners say: Don’t stop!

I am excited about us connecting with one another and encouraging each other on as we #RunThisYear!!! Let's start by connecting with Tara!

Instagram: @eatinghappy_
Twitter: @thisistarajane
Blog: hellotheretarajane.wordpress.com
Tumblr: hellotheretarajane.tumblr.com

January Check-In, #RunLove & Happy Valentines Day

2014-02-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! Are we already hallway through February? Back to back to back conferences or retreats and hello two snow storms in GEORGIA--that is how we got to mid February! I had big plans to hop on here and tell you all of my big goals for 2014---I even started a post at one point---and well you see how far that got! I did just want to hop on here tonight to check in for my #RUNTHISYEAR community! How is everyone? How did January go? How is February going?

Here is my honest check-in. I am no where near my 2014 miles in 2014 goal BUT I ran ZERO miles in December due to sickness. The fact that I jumped back into running in January and logged 31 miles makes my heart very happy. So--I am going to take it for a win and keep on keepin on....following January's #RunThisYear theme #rundetermined !!! I felt very determined in January! How about you?!

February's theme for #RunThisYear is #RunLove. I love this theme. Thinking through all the reasons why we love to run. Just a few to throw out there off the top of my head---it is a mental release for me. It is where I can encounter Jesus. It is where I can pray, think, clear my head. It is where I can take a deep breath of fresh air. It is where I can worship. I have found that my body craves a run. It's a stress reliever. This may sound weird, but it is for "me." I have 30 minutes (minimum) by myself. :) I love the challenge. I love having the goal. I love completing one goal and then immediately going after another one. You cross one finish line and you are ready for the next one! I have now entered into the realm of pushing my body a little bit harder to be a little bit better--to go a little bit harder...and totally fascinated by other runners who push the limits. The best part I have found of being a runner? The community that you become a part of when you become a runner!

So tell me! What do you love about running? What gets you to go out there when it is so, so cold outside? What makes you run ridiculous miles over and over again on a treadmill? Tell me and share it using the hashtag:

Speaking of LOVE...Happy Valentines Day my friends! I hope you each had a great day! Ours was filled with beautiful family time and the things that are okay to bend the "rules" for a day (donuts, take out, picnics, cuddles, & movies on the living room floor!).

Run This Year 2014

2014-01-02T01:14:00.000-05:00

Some may have seen the crazy thing I posted earlier this week on Facebook.... "Run 2014 miles in 2014. Who's with me?" (You may have also noticed it's the only thing I've posted this week----I deleted Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter off my phone this week to be more intentional with my boys. My apologies if you've tried to get ahold of me--I'll be back next week....).

So really...who's with me? Am I really going to reach 2014 miles in 2014? It seems like such a lofty goal. But to be honest with you since finishing my third half marathon for 2013 in November and not being signed up for another race..I've been floundering. I'm apparently a person that needs goals in their life. So why not sign up for a big one. So I'm in. Not only am I in...I signed up with the big dogs. I'm joining TEAM #RunThisYear as one of the Ambassadors. What does that mean? Basically you'll get to hear from me a lot on this subject and hopefully encourage you along the way!! I plan on checking in later on this week with my own personal goals for 2014--running & not running--but for now, here are the details for RUN THIS YEAR!!!

Run This Year is an amazing community (FREE!) that encourages and motivates runners to keep on running all year long...and see how many miles you can log in one year!

There are THREE ways to participate!

RUN THIS YEAR CHALLENGES:

CHALLENGE 1: Run the year in miles: 2,014 miles in 2014.

Download a sample running calendar to see how it can be done: PDF or XLS.
Breaks down to 5.5 miles every day or 39 miles per week.

CHALLENGE 2: Run the year in kilometers: 2,014 kilometers = 1251.4 miles.

Roughly 3.5 miles every day or 24 miles per week.

CHALLENGE 3: GYOG!

Get Your Own Goal! If you join later in the year or are new to running, that’s okay! Participate by selecting a challenging mileage total for yourself and get after it!

This is what I love about this community! There is a challenge for everyone--no matter your fitness level!

There is a fun place to tell us you are participating--SO CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY!

And another fun spot to log your miles every week! Use this form to log 'em!

I will also start using the Daily Mile website again to start logging and my favorite running app is Strava. So follow along!

Who's excited for 2014 and all that it holds?!?!

Christmas Cards. A Blubbering Mess. Adoption.

2013-12-04T18:30:00.000-05:00

I am a mail junkie. There you go. Confession just from the very beginning let's get it out there. It's the first thing I do upon arriving home every afternoon. If I am home when the mail lady comes--I go straight out to check it. Some (like the hubs) may call it an addiction. I say it's like getting a mini gift each day. You just never know what you are going to get. I love good mail days.

I love December which makes mail days that much more exciting. It may be the fact that I grew up an Air Force Brat which meant I grew up in a family that mailed Christmas cards and letters each year and we received letters and cards from around the world with updates from friends that my family made from those 18+ years in the service. I still love visiting my parents house at Christmas time and seeing those familiar faces that were a part of my childhood. It's a beautiful thing.

On Monday I opened up our first Christmas card & letter and came completely undone. To be honest I've never had those emotions before over a Christmas card or letter, but inside this letter contained pictures of kids I have grown to love and have a deep place in my heart for. You want to see me come undone---send me a letter from Costa Rica with 16 beautiful faces smiling back at me. Undone, sobbing, blubbering mess.

I was able to pull myself back together knowing that I will see them again come late May. I'm so thankful that my very first mission trip almost 12 years ago sent me to the beautiful country of Costa Rica and now for three years in a row I just keep getting to go back to these beautiful faces. To love on them and hug them. Who knows one day God may open the door for one (or two or three...) to become permanent fixtures in our family, but for now I'll take what I can get and that is a yearly trip to Costa Rica.

So there you go--there's my mail addiction. There's my heart for 16 beautiful Costa Rican children. And here is what is on my heart today that I want to share with you and what I personally would like to do something about. A family that I have come to know and love dearly in our church is raising funds to finalize their adoption of their sweet Elijah. You can read their complete and beautiful story by clicking here...really go read it. Please.

So what would I like to do about it? I wish I had $7000, but I don't. But I do have an etsy shop. I open it from time to time and God uses it to provide for mission trips to Scotland for the hubs and to Costa Rica for me...and/or wherever else in the world Jesus calls us to from year to year. He uses it to provide when my little fam of three just needs a little bit of extra finances (like Christmas time!) and I'm so thankful for the way He has just used it and blessed it. I've opened it up again this year for the holidays and I would like to use it to bless the Koeppen family. A minimum of 20% of all proceeds from my Etsy Shop this season will go towards their fundraising efforts.

I know you are presented with lots of things to give to during this season--but I would like to ask that you would pray about giving towards this sweet family. What a sweet Christmas present this would be to officially make Elijah a Koeppen. Whether you choose to do so through my Etsy Shop or give directly to them--either way is beautiful. Read their story, pray for them.

Adoption. It's a beautiful thing isn't it?
Only 174 days till I can wrap my arms around those 16 babies that have my heart....

December and a few things on my heart...

2013-12-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

December.

December 3rd at that.

Last time I wrote a blog post was June 21. Not sure how that happened. Actually well I do. In the life as a Youth Pastor--Summer is well Mission Trips, SUMMER SCHEDULE, Summer Camp, then Fall...trying to catch your breath. This Fall didn't exactly present that for me this year--but all for good reasons and all things I feel thankful to be called to---but here we are---December. We've had the Christmas tree in our house now for twelve days. It was finally graced with beautiful white lights 48 hours ago. Progress People. Tonight Aunt Mia will come over for dinner and the tree will finally get it's proper dressing.

A few things I've been pondering as we enter this Christmas Season....

I want to be Present. I want to put my phone down when I'm in the presence of my husband and son and I want to be present in our conversations. Jude is full of sentences these days and I want to make full eye contact with him. This month I'm making a concentrated effort to put the phone down.

An off season. This was an ongoing debate in our house that started two months ago when I started googling "gobble jogs" around where my in-laws live. I couldn't handle the thought of not running on Thanksgiving Day (my reasoning---Fall 2012 I trained for my first race the Gobble Jog 5k Thanksgiving Day that then led to three half marathons for 2013. Kind of a big mile marker in my "running career" (in my opinion) and I just wanted to run on Thanksgiving Day. I digress...) The hubs asked me to not run on Thanksgiving Day and spend the day with family. I'm being completely honest in this post to tell you I really, really struggled with this. Which put a whole nother spin on things I had to deal with in my heart: priorities, etc. I submitted and did not sign up for a race. (Every one say, good girl :) Day before Thanksgiving 2013 I found myself in the doctors office being diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis. So there you go. A forced off-season. I'm dreaming big and praying through what God has for me in 2014....but for right now....I'm going to take a step back and breathe deep of all that this down season has for me. And at the same time make sure my priorities are always where they should be.

Jesus. Christmas. Jude. Little man is 2.8 this year. ...and a whole lot of fun. Every morning he comes downstairs, sees the Christmas tree (the bare one with nothing on it), and asks if Santa has come yet. He is for the first year grasping this whole Christmas thing and with that I feel like there is a whole lot of pressure as a parent. I so want him to get it. I trust Jesus that he will. Experienced parents out there---what do you do to make sure your kids don't miss it????

Those are just a few things I'm pondering at the moment. Goals, Dreams, 2014....there's a lot more going on in this heart. What about you? What are you pondering on today? For me it's on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in a coffee shop. Praying for you that your heart is full (even if it is pondering!) wherever you may be.

Our Song.

2013-06-21T18:09:00.001-04:00

Jude and I have a song. I started singing it to him before he was even born. I am by no means a singer and the way I make up my own version of songs has been known to drive the hubs crazy at some points during our 5.5 year marriage. All that to say the song I have sung for 2.5 years now to my son goes something of the like, "My soul sings, my soul sings, my soul sings, how I love you." The other line goes like this, "Just a little while longer and I'll see you. Just a little while longer and I'll know you. Just a little while longer and we'll be together." Then I go back into, "My soul sings.." The little longer chorus was a little bit more humorous when I was 9 months pregnant, but I digress.

I've been rocking my baby boy to sleep to this song for years now and sadly the nights he has wanted me to rock him have gotten less and less. But upon returning home from Costa Rica last week he has all of a sudden wanted me to rock him again. The hubs says he is stalling. Maybe he is, but I don't care at all. That baby boy, wants his mama to rock him. And the best part about it--he's asking for Mama Music. The last couple of nights as I sing to him he stares ever so intently into my eyes and I just want to soak up these moments. Rocking him, singing these little choruses that he's been hearing even in the womb.

Last night he started trying to sing them along with me as we rocked back and forth, back and forth. His eyes locked into mine. Right now we are in our busiest season as a family. Our time together is short before we head off in different directions again, and we have to make every moment count. It may be stalling--but there is Mama Music to be sung and I will sing it as long as this little boy asks for it (and then some).

**For those of you getting this in an email, click on over to see the original post --there is a video in this post!!

My Running Story

2013-05-09T21:57:00.000-04:00

To start this story--I need to go back-way back. Running is in my genes. Growing up both my parents were runners (I recently found a race shirt of my mom's from 1986---and have been wearing it around the house!) I joined the track team in the 7th grade and I will never forget the day I ran a 6:34 mile. We moved to Georgia my 8th grade year and they didn't have a track team for my grade...but once high school hit, I was back on the team. Just in the last month a friend posted an old track picture of us at state my freshman year..... talk about memory lane.

The funny thing about back then was I may have run 4 different events---but I was a sprinter. The longest I probably ever ran was a mile and that was just conditioning to be a sprinter.

College came and I pretty much hung up my running shoes. I didn't really have a desire to keep "sprinting" and I surely had no desire to run any distance whatsoever.

Fast forward ... by a lot.

Jude was born March 5th, 2011 .... Fall 2012 I had the startling realization that I was still carrying baby weight, but more than numbers on the scale, I had fallen into a complacent lifestyle. Don't get me wrong--life was busier than ever--just personally I had zero exercise in my life. I think what scared me the most was how easy I had gotten comfortable with the complacent, no exercise lifestyle, that I felt like I could blink and ten years would pass and my whole family would be living a very unhealthy lifestyle. If anything I wanted an active lifestyle to be present in our home and I knew it had to start with me.

Enter in the couch to 5k program. Not gonna lie--I thought I was going to die the first week--but I pressed on. That was September. In October I asked for birthday money to buy new running shoes and I made real changes in my diet. I knew enough that the two go hand in hand.

At this point I set for myself the following goals: a 5k by the end of 2012, a 10k in the Spring of 2013, and a half marathon in the Fall of 2013--by my birthday in October.

I ran my 5k on Thanksgiving Day--the Gobble Jog in Marietta. My two goals were to run the whole thing without stopping and under 33 minutes (my age). Happy to say I did both! (Nowhere near that 6:34 mile from middle school--but we gotta start somewhere right?!).

At Thanksgiving Runner's World put out a statement saying that Americans gain the most weight between Thanksgiving and New Years. They issued the challenge to run one mile every day during that season. I put the link on Facebook and my friend Katie responded. We both took up the challenge and we took to holding each other accountable! I'm here today to tell you as for getting in shape, her accountability is the best thing that happened to me! Each day we sent texts. We didn't make it the entire season, but I still think we did really, really good. It was during this season that Katie asked me if I wanted to sign up for the Nashville Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in April.....wait....what???? This was way before my October goal.....but we signed up for what would be for each of us our first half marathons!

After the first of the year we started our training and continued our daily text messages and holding each other accountable. We both suffered some set backs--she had a knee injury--I had crazy sickness--thankfully they were at the same time and neither one of us lost heart. We were able to encourage and speak life into each other just when the other one needed it!

We watched the miles increase. We tried to run a 5k together that got cancelled due to thunder & lightening. We encouraged each other when a three mile run was tough and we screamed with joy when we both went on our first for real long distance runs. I can promise you that accountability is what made all the difference for me. I've been blessed by both her and my friend Sam who is the ultimate athlete and every technical question I send to her. She even made me download an app so she could watch my training--which held me to a whole new level of accountability!!

All this to say 7ish months ago I was living a very complacent lifestyle. Now I crave the simplicity of a run. To have the time with the Lord--letting Him refresh my heart as my feet hit the pavement has been lifesaving and life giving over the course of these past months. Like I said earlier, I thought I was absolutely going to die my first time out there on the couch to 5k program. And sure, there are some days that my run does not go great---but it's about getting out there and being active, and for me encountering Jesus in another beautiful way.

To close my running story....I want my son to grow up living an active lifestyle and I am so thankful that I woke up before he settled in. And if we want the real truth....we all really do this.......

Kidding. Kinda. But the real beautiful truth in this sticker is that in October I took my birthday money to our local running store and bought real--tested to my feet--running shoes. I haven't been back till this past week to ask them a question and while I was there the hubs bought me this sticker (and then put it on my car for me--isn't he wonderful!!!). Not going to lie--it felt good...okay...great! To go from being there buying my shoes (and I happened to sign up for my 5k while I was there) to buying a sticker showing I had completed my half marathon. It feels absolutely incredible to be living an active lifestyle once again. I promise if I can do it, anyone can!

~~~~
A few updates for the rest of 2013 on Instagram:

Half Marathon #2:
http://instagram.com/p/eP6E00xreA/

Half Marathon #3:
http://instagram.com/p/ghE-fxxrZh/

A wrap up of my journey as a Half Marathon Runner:
http://instagram.com/p/gzS_55RrSN/

Boston: as a newbie runner & the fight against fear

2013-04-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

Boston. It is one of those moments that you will forever remember exactly where you were sitting when it happened. I was in a coffee shop with a friend that had just returned from the mission field. Her back was to the tv screen and I had to interrupt her and say I am so sorry, but something has happened. Even the coffee shop crew came from behind the counter to gather around the tv to see what had happened. It's one of those moments you have no idea what's going on but all you can do is say the Name JESUS over and over again.

I've struggled with the words to say over the past week because I'm new to the running community. So new, I wonder if I have words to say, or even if I should say anything at all. When it went viral to wear a marathon shirt on Tuesday to support Boston all I had was a couple of 5k shirts. I still wanted to show my support, so I wore it anyway...but that just shows how new I am to this community! So new, I haven't even written my whole running story on here yet, but I did want to say a few words today.

One week from today Katie and I will run our first half marathon together. We have been training since the first week of January. We've been running "together" since Thanksgiving. She lives in Nashville and we text almost daily holding each other accountable. I know how hard we have worked for this half next weekend and it's a race that anyone can sign up for---Boston is a race of a lifetime. I can not even imagine someone wanting to steal that from someone....but that is not the purpose of this post.

Fear. Katie and I stayed up late Monday night talking each other out of exactly where the enemy wanted us to go---the pit of fear. I could feel it creeping up on me. As the news reports came in and as we watched the clips over and over again, we just kept talking each other through it and out of it. The questions we've asked each other--do we want our families standing at the finish line--something as a newbie runner you've been dreaming of for your first big race. And if I'm being honest with you for a split second I had the thought creep in--do I want to do this--put myself and my family at risk? Is this whole running thing worth it?

As the week has gone on...YES. More now than ever do I want to run. I was passionate about it before, and I plan on sharing my running story with you this week my first big race approaches, but running is absolutely worth it. I will not only run on Saturday, I will run more this upcoming year than I had originally planned prior to Monday. Run now for those that can't. Pray harder that Jesus will somehow use this for His good. I will enter into Saturdays race declaring that the enemy has not won. Jesus is Victorious. Fear cannot and will not win.

--

For the tangible side of things....how can you help?

Pray. That Jesus would be made known in the midst of this.

Another Mother Runner has a great blog post on 10 ways to support Boston.

Pavement Runner has organized A Week After: A Run for Boston (click that link to find your city!). There is one in Piedmont Park for Atlanta. The facebook page for that event is here.

Big Peach Company is also organizing runs for Monday night--click their page here.

Something you can do from anywhere is the Run 26.2 for Boston--it's an event going on on Facebook that you can join and commit to run 26.2 no matter where you are. You can do it in one day, one week, one month. Click here for the event page.

And to close it out--My favorite article I have read so far can be found here--Let The Healing Begin: Running Still Matters by Brian Metzler.

Ten Years Later [McLendon Missions-Part Three]

2013-04-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

Thank you friends for being so kind to my heart earlier this week. I am so excited to start writing again and I can't thank you enough for your kind and encouraging words. They mean more to me than you know!!

~

Ten years ago this month I came "home" from the mission field of Costa Rica. I had been working with Christ for the City with their Renacer program (the rehabilitation ministry for street girls). Although I wasn't certain how long I was going to be there, I was sure I would be there longer than the three months I had been there for. Let me back up just a little. I fully surrendered my life to Jesus the Fall of 2001. I went on my first mission trip Spring 2002 (which happened to be to Costa Rica). I graduated from UGA in May 2002 and spent the months that followed raising support and allowing the Lord to prepare my heart to go. I left in January 2003 and in April the Lord started giving me dreams of me at RHUMC--which was nowhere on my radar. We all know how the story unfolded--the Lord opened the door for me to move to Richmond Hill and work with the youth for the next five years, but the part of the story I want to share today is what He has done in my heart when it comes to missions.

To be honest I did not leave the mission field in April 2003 very willingly. Even though the Lord gave me very vivid dreams of RHUMC and we know how the story ends now, I did not know all the pieces then, and I still thought there was a full time calling of missions on my life. I was confused, a little hurt by the Lord if we want to be honest, and wanted more than three months (all very selfish).

It is now April 2013. I can hardly believe ten years have passed. What I have seen the Lord do is more than I could have ever, ever dreamed of. Now both in Richmond Hill and at RiverStone He took my passion for missions and my passion to see youth walk in the fullness that He has for them and He put them together. I tried to count the mission trips that He has allowed me to lead the other day and I couldn't. I got overwhelmed by His goodness and now think the calling of "full time missions" for me may have just looked different all along.

This year overwhelms my heart even more than any other--because I get to watch my husband lead. In 2005 he came along with me on a mission trip to none other than Costa Rica. He had never been on a mission trip before--much less ever been out of the country. The second day there I ended up in the hospital in Costa Rica and he ended up leading the team beautifully all week long. He has been marked as a leader from the very beginning and I love that I get to see it coming out this year more so than ever before. We've been able to lead together over the years--but this year I get to watch him lead on his own and it's beautiful (he'd probably beg to differ with me--but I think it's beautiful :).

At RiverStone Tom says, "we want all of you to go on a Short Term trip and we want some of you to come home." Ten years ago I was one that was unhappy I was "coming home" but I am one that now has had the privilege of going back over and over again. Admittedly ten years ago I questioned the Lord A LOT. Today, I wouldn't have had the last ten years any other way. To know the youth I've had the privilege of knowing. To take them on life changing trips. To now see Robert lead, not only a trip, but lead a Summer Camp and a mission team (which is not for the faint at heart) and to remember the Robert in 2005 being out of the country for the very first time. Jesus is beautiful. His plan is absolutely perfect. I'm so thankful the April 2003 Kristin decided to listen to Jesus and come home.

To read the full story of what the Lord has the McLendon's up to this Summer click here and here.

Why I almost quit writing... [a very honest post]

2013-04-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't write yesterdays blog post because well-my Fresh Start was for April 1st and as you can now see I didn't write it till April 8th. I looked back in my journal at April 1st in my Secret Place with the Lord and this is what I wrote, "Jesus. Not only is it a new week, it is a new month. I love when the first falls on a Monday. There is a freshness to it. A fresh start. A newness. A do-over. Jesus, that is exactly what I am asking for today. I just feel like I can take a deep breath in you. Whisper your name and say let's do this." (As I type that out of my journal I feel like I am letting you see a piece of my heart--please be gentle with it.). I drank deep of this with the Lord and so wanted to share all of this with you...

The reason I didn't write it for a week is because my Fresh Start got further and further away with each new day last week (and do y'all follow Robert on twitter? If you do you can see what happened after I posted yesterdays blog post! Y'all-for real!!! Sometimes all you can do is laugh!). The reason I did write it is because it was a promise from the Lord that I feel like He whispered to my heart that I felt like some of you could relate to and I was being disobedient by not sharing it.

With that, here comes a very honest post--back in the fall I felt the prompting from the Lord to jump in with the Nester and do a 31 day blogging series and what the Lord gave me was Isaiah 32:18. I didn't make it all the way through the 31 days because life hit, but it did stir something in me. So much so a couple of months ago I spent time rearranging our blog and changing the name of it from "The McLendon Whereabouts" to "The McLendons" with the subtitle of "and their journey to an Isaiah 32:18 home."

I did a lot of rearranging of things on the blog--but never once wrote a blogpost once I did it. The reality of it was I felt like I had to have it all together before I did so. The same with last week. I had a fresh start on Monday and lost it all on Tuesday. The lie that entered into my mind was that I no longer had something to offer or to write about. I know that is not true, but it's the fear of man that enters in--that we have to present ourselves as if we have it all together. I'll just throw it out there--I do not have it all together at all. Most of the time I feel like I am the full time wife, full time mother, full time youth pastor that isn't doing any of these things well. Or at any given time, doing one of the three things well while the other two are being neglected. And the one that doesn't even make it onto the list--house wife--I'm completely horrible in this area. My house gets a good cleaning when we have company over and let's just say it's time for company to come over to kick my butt into gear (I said this was a completely honest post right--it's going to take everything in me to hit publish on this post and then I'm going to have to walk away and not come back to my computer and hit delete!!).

The beautiful thing is I know my little family is unique. We are a family in full time ministry. We are a family in full time grad school. We are a family in full time two year old BOY toddlerhood. I feel like we are the opposite of the "normal" (or whatever normal is suppose to be) family. In the midst of this absolute craziness I do believe the Lord has set me on a journey of discovering what it means to have an Isaiah 32:18 home. "My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." I almost quit writing because my journey is not pretty. I don't have it all together....and somewhere along the way I started to believe the lie that I have to have it all together before I could write. So here we go. I really do want to write again. It's good for me. I am a writer. I know I am. (Thank you Dorie for reminding me that I am.) The noon deadline every Tuesday for five years in Richmond Hill for my Hill Topper article almost drove me crazy, but now that it is gone, I miss it.

It's not going to be pretty--but I'm on a journey--1. to offer my family an Isaiah 32:18 home. 2. to write again. I hope you'll join me....

**Side Note/Disclaimer--Not every post is going to be about Isaiah 32:18 as it was in the 31 day blogging series--I'm just simply going to start sharing our journey again and hope you'll extend grace, yet find encouragement in the beautiful calling we have on our family.

A Fresh Start

2013-04-08T09:42:00.000-04:00

Last Monday morning I woke up with a newness in my heart. It was for starters a Monday morning. There's something about a Monday--like a chance for a do-over (am I the only one that feels that way?). Then it was April 1st. The combination of the two did something for my heart. February and March were long months for the McLendon household. February was especially hard and March just felt like we were trying to dig out of the hole that February created for us. With all that said I welcomed Monday, April 1st with open arms. I woke up early, eagerly anticipating all that the Lord had for me in the Secret Place and the word He gave me was "A Fresh Start." Thank you Jesus. I whole heartedly receive that. As I pondered on that throughout the day, I thought-I may even blog about this one. Yes, an April 1st-a blog entry would be good. Who doesn't need a "Fresh Start"? Of course, the day got busy and I felt my time to blog go slipping through my fingers and as I laid down to sleep that night I thought, it's okay, I can still blog on the 2nd, it's not too late.

The next morning, as I stood in the kitchen fixing little man his breakfast he proceeded to get sick all over the kitchen floor (with no fair warning at all--somehow that is so unfair--to both of us!!). As I rushed to clean him up and settle him down, I felt my "Fresh Start" and April being different than February and March not just slipping away, but being stolen by the enemy (these were the lies that were quickly coming at me--just being honest here).

Tuesday quickly turned into friends covering shifts and Robert and I playing tag as we each ran back and forth from home to work to home to work as we each had meetings we both had to be at through out the day. Wednesday turned into much the same with an added bonus of a friend leaving dinner in the church refrigerator for us to pick up. If I have learned anything in the hard months of February, March and now the first week of April, we are not alone and our community has kept our little heads above water (so, so, very thankful for our RiverStone community!!).

Now, back to my "Fresh Start." Jesus gave it to me one week ago today. Little man may have been feeling better on Thursday so we sent him back to "school", just for him to wake up from his nap on Friday at 4:30pm screaming, "IT HURTS!!" So off to immediate med we went--an ear infection and ten days of antibiotics for us! But here I am, once again on an absolutely beautiful Monday morning... again. It's not April 1st, it's April 8th, but I'm still claiming it for all it's worth. The winter is gone, the Spring has come. The McLendon's need a Fresh Start. We need the Fresh Air. We are drinking deep of all the goodness of Jesus as He says in Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" A Fresh Start. Jesus has that for me today (I'm claiming it with every ounce of my being and not letting the enemy steal what Jesus has given me). If a Fresh Start is what you need today--know I am praying for you!

McLendon Missions 2013, Part Two

2013-03-28T23:44:00.003-04:00

This Summer Robert and I each have the privilege of leading two different mission teams. He's headed to Scotland, I'm headed to Costa Rica. We wrote a letter a few weeks back and thought it would be good to share our heart here on the blog. Last night we shared Costa Rica with you. Tonight we are sharing Scotland. Thank you for partnering with us and praying us through what God has called us to! --Kristin

"I had the privilege of going on a mission trip to Scotland last July, and now I am leading a team of twelve back this year. I know what you’re thinking, “That sounds more like a vacation to a Christian country.” All of the mission trips I have been on overseas have been to Christian countries to minister to Christians, but this trip was different. I thought this trip would be a group of Americans holding a summer camp for a bunch of Christian UK kids. I was wrong. 10% of the Scottish population is “churched,” and less than that have a true daily walk with Jesus. This trip was the closest I have come to ministering to an unreached people group who have never heard the gospel and been impacted by the testimony of Jesus Christ. Christian kids do come to this camp, but 50% percent of the kids that come have not heard the story of how the creator of the universe desires to love them. Lives are changing, and communities are being transformed because of this camp. Christian kids in Scotland are ostracized in their schools, beaten up for wearing camp t-shirts, and made a mockery by their peers and neighbors. But we believe God is on the brink of doing something new in that country through these kids. We long for more. I work our RiverStone summer camp here June 30 – July 5, and then I will lead one in Scotland July 14 – July 19. We will be working with a local pastor transplanted from Zimbabwe and his church in Stewarton. Please go with me in prayer. I 100% believe in these efforts, and in the message these kids haven’t heard yet." --Robert