Welcome

Why a blog from me, someone who has never been a writer, someone who has never been articulate or had a solid grasp of the grammar world. Because God told me to write. Several years ago a life storm invaded my family. God kept telling me to write it all down. I argued, but He would not let up. This went on every day for a couple of weeks until one day out of frustration, (I'd like to say it was out of obedience), I picked up a pen and paper and wrote for 7 hours straight! Do you think maybe I needed therapy and God knew it?

I've been writing ever since and have learned to love it! I started out sharing my stories with friends and family. I've now been published in a Nashville church paper, Our Daily Journey (a devotional site of RBC Ministries), PCCWeb Daily Devotional, Ruby for Women Ezine Magazine, and I am a contributor in the book Alabaster Jars, Life in Abundance Collection 2.

Why Ponderings? During this life storm, God led me to a pond in the woods behind my home. There He met me each time, teaching new lessons, reminding me of old ones, showing His presence and allowing me to feel His love through the surroundings of that pond. I found myself returning over and over to ponder, pray and praise. A healing of my heart took place and out of the experience came my first book, Ponderings From the Pond, then a second book, Ponderings From My Porch, and now a third book is in the works along with a memoir about my storm.

Why am I making myself so vulnerable? Because God has done so much that I cannot keep quiet. I have to share. Jesus's last words to his desciples were, "Go,tell." We are his disciples too and this is just one of my ways of telling.

I'm no scholar but I have heard God's voice in my spirit, experience His love daily, and have a desire for others to experience this also. I would love to share with all who visit and I would love to hear from you. If my sharing gets just one to ponder, to be quiet with the Father, to see and hear from Him or to be reminded of something from Him, then this is worth my vulnerability.

As you visit me, sometimes we will be at the pond, sometimes we will move to the front porch, and sometimes we will just be here, there, and yonder. Thank you for coming and please feel free to come back anytime, you are always welcome here.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

*****EXCITING NEWS*****

My first book, Ya Know What I'm Say'n, has been released.


Ponderings

Ponderings

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Talents for Therapy

from our Prodigal book. . .(Christopher is our younger son, Tim is our first son who became the prodigal, Keith is my husband. . .the subject. . .talents and how we use them. . .or in this case, how our son Christopher used his. . .


 Keith's Voice
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There is symmetry to Christopher's life that is subtle in nature, yet remarkable in how he finds ways to express what he is feeling.  He has always been very observant of the world around him as demonstrated in the playful make believe adventures he generated growing up.  At an early age he discovered art and we often found him sitting for hours drawing and creating characters from his imagination and at times reproducing characters from stories and high adventures he read about or visualized from movies or television programs.

Christopher began to thrive in the environment of art as he discovered a world where he became the decision maker.  With each piece of work, his confidence grew, with each approving gesture from us and everyone who saw his work, his belief in his abilities became stronger.  At an early age the quality of his work was far beyond what his grade level would dictate. 

I believe his art became his way of coping with what was happening with his brother and within our family.  For hours, he would sit and draw until he had the exact image he was looking for.  Artists by nature tend to be either very hyper, or very reserved and Christopher was no exception to this rule.  As his depressed feeling began to take hold...it also brought to the surface the creative insights that God gave to him.  I believe this was a special gift he was allowed to have for God knew just how special a young man Christopher was going to become when we were allowed to bring him into this world.  He also knew something we did not...that a difficult time would penetrate our world and he would need something to grasp ahold of to help him through those dark days.   Art allowed him to become someone other than who he was...gave him the heart of a lion to fill the void inside the sadness of heart he most certainly was experiencing.  With each character, he became someone who was strong and brave...giving him that spirit of knighthood he needed to fathom the depths of the despair that threatened to overcome his world. 

As his dad, it grieved me deeply to see him suffrer the way that he did, yet at the same time I was never more proud of a young man as I was of Christopher.  All the prayers...all the talks...all the venting...certainly contributed to him getting throught a difficult time, but, it was the gift of art that God so inspiringly gave to him that carried him where we could not.

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Mom's voice. . .
Prodigalism doesn't just affect the one who leaves, more often than not, the pain is left behind and for a 13 year old boy who thought the world of his older brother, he didn't understand what had happened.  His grown parents didn't understand, how could he? After Christopher was long out of his depression, he printed these pictures and explained them to me.  What I saw as dark and menacing in some of the pictures a couple of years ago, now I see something totally different.  They show a boy who was troubled, depressed and he reached out to the One he knew could help him from this dark period of his life. He was able to let out his feelings and deal with them in a positive way onto paper using pencils, ink, and colors. The more he thought and prayed, the better he became in his spirit and in his art. Here are just a few of the ones Christopher drew during this time at the ages of 14-15.  He titled them. . .

Pain and Agony
 

Reaching out to Him

My Chains are Gone

He who strengthens me

The Holy Spirit

Stand Out. . .in the world but not of the World

Warrior in Christ

Christopher is whole and happy.  He is 19 and going for a double major in Religious Studies and Art.
Thank you Father!

How are you using the gifts God gave you?









6 comments:

Deidra said...

What talent, and what a beautiful story! I'm thankful God gives us what we need, even within our own personalities and talents, to deal with the difficulties of life. He truly does all things well!

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

I feel like a Momma here bursting with pride! I'm proud of your son and his extraordinary abilities and talents. I'm proud of you as parents who loved and nurtured all that God gave your son and were wise and sensitive to what was going on. And I have this crazy pride in how God works and how creative He handles things. You asked a question at the end. For me? The only expression of pain I could find was with a pen and words. LOTS of words. I couldn't speak my heart at all. But it would flow out like Niagra Falls if you put a pen in my hand and a notebook on the table. Thank you for sharing these intimate times of your family's life. Just so heart-wrenchingly beautiful!!!!

Anonymous said...

oh..these pictures are amazing...just like we pour our hearts out with words...he did with his art. what a lovely picture of the redemption of Christ. thanks for sharing these here...blessings~

Lisa Maria said...

Oh Kristin...I can;t eve imagine what you were going through. Those pictures! I would have been disturbed by them too, but what talent your son has! Praise God that Christopher had this outlet and such loving parents who sought their answers in Christ. I know of people who sent their child to a psychiatrist for similar drawings and the poor child wasn't really helped at all. My own daughter writes such dark things at times, yet I know its her outlet too...I've been there at some point myself. Thank God for His Grace which covers over all! Thank God for Christopher and thank God for the blessing that you and Keith are to so many with your testimony.

Love to you both

Lisa Maria said...

P.S...forgot one very special thing to thank God for... thank God that Tim is in His hands, He knows every hair on his head and He has a plan for him. Thank God that Tim is covered in prayer by so many and one day his prodigal status will be no more!

Denise said...

Such awesome talent.