Latest on Kali Kiger

Ky called me today to share some good news. The Docs were first of all amazed that Kali was doing so well. I think they honestly didn't think she would be doing this well, nothing short of a miracle really. They did and upper GI and she has all of her organs, spleen, stomach and everything else and they all seem to be functioning fine. They aren't where they are supposed to be, but that is still good news because they are working. Her heart and lungs are doing as good as they expected. The Docs think that she may go home in a couple of weeks. She needs to start eating, she tries but Ky said he thinks it is a matter of time her throat is sore when she swallows and she is still recovering from major surgery.

Be praying for her because the next big surgery is actually 6 months out, but Ky said that it is important that as she grows her heart and lungs and blood vessels keep up. I guess it is like the body grows and increases demand and the heart, lungs and vessels have to increase the supply. If that doesn't happen then the Docs said there isn't much they can do for her. Obviously that would be tough. Ky wanted me to make sure and thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts. He is positive that is what has brought them this far so continue to be thinking and praying for the Kigers.

Kris

Kali Kiger

Ky called today and said that Kali is off the ventilator breathing on her own! This is great news. Pray that she begins to eat next. She can nurse but still isn't getting anything. Also we can be praying for the next surgery, it will scheduled for 3 months from now. Hug your babies and say a prayer for Ky, Theresa and Kali.
Kris

Whew!

It has been a busy run lately. I have been working a lot on remodeling a house here on camp that we also moved into last weekend (at least partially anyway). We have had volunteers on camp so that has kept me working as well. So after 2 1/2 weeks or so without a day off I am toast. I am taking it easy today (or at least trying) and I hope that helps me get refreshed for more. I think I am going on a mountain bike ride and am taking lunch to the kids...ahhhh! A little relaxation is good for the body, mind and soul.
K

Kali Kiger

Just want to send out the latest on Ky and Theresa Kiger's baby Kali. Monday they closed her chest and her one chambered heart is functioning as expected for the most part. They have been working to wean her off of the ventilator and we need to be praying that she will begin to breathe on her own. It has been a hectic for the Kiger's, but it seems as though Kali is stabilizing a bit. Continue to pray for them to have strength and wisdom and for Kali's health. Ky also says thanks to everyone who has been praying it is what has gotten them through.
K

Love First

I listened to a podcast today that helped me quite a bit in sorting things out that I have been thinking about regarding my faith. The God Journey podcast is one of the few podcast that I listen to and it has been okay, but today it really spoke to me. I was listening to one titled "Kindness and Severity". I know that there are those out there who would criticize Wayne Jacobson and Brad Cummings as having a love only view of God and I have been wrestling with how that works with what I read in the bible. In this podcast they did a good job of explaining that they do believe in a God of judgment and "severity" but the point they had was that we need to start with God's love because that is where the severity of God comes from. I think the point they were making is that if we KNOW that God LOVES and live in that LOVE then the severity comes from love. I don't feel like I am doing it justice, but it is similar to the book I am reading by Brennan Manning titled The Furious Longing of God where contradictory terms are used to describe God. It seems like we want to separate who God is when in fact He is love first and love always even though that includes love with judgment, love with fury, love with... I have found myself in the past wanting God to be the mean God of judgment with people I had already judged rather than loving them as God loves me. The bible says "God is Love" so everything He does is motivated by love. Unless I am mistaken I don't think the bible ever says "God is Judgement", "God is wrath" etc. He is love, His very being is love and I may never completely understand how God's love and wrath go together, but there is no question that they both describe God. I think maybe it helps me to just know that God is Love and everything he does comes from this crazy about me love...even when it doesn't make sense or it even hurts.
I hope this whole post doesn't sound too convoluted.
K

Kali Kiger

I talked to Ky today, he said last night and today were the first good days they have had. They have been unable to take Kali off medications to allow her kidneys to remove fluid and swelling due to inaccurate readings regarding her blood pressure and some other vitals. They get those readings from a probe in a blood vessel and they can’t find a vessel that will hold and give them a good reading. Kali has been “fighting” the Docs so they have sedated her to the point of paralysis so she won’t move and pull things out etc. Tonight they are going to try to put the probe for her vitals in her brain (not sure how that works). If that doesn’t work I am not sure what is next. They sure need our prayers. I think Theresa is doing okay and Ky sounded better today than he has since the baby was born. I could tell because he was asking me about my family and how we were doing.
Keep praying for them,
Kris

Good Friends

If you have seen my facebook page you know that I have been using my status to ask for prayers for Ky and Theresa Kiger. I spoke to Ky yesterday and have gotten some more information. Kali is so swollen from the surgeries and she cannot handle any more surgeries so if she has any more complications with her heart or if the swelling would affect her brain there is little the Doctor's could do to help. They are going to begin to test her kidneys as they move her off medications to see if she can remove the fluid from the swelling herself. The next 48 hours are fairly critical. If the surgery is successful she has life expectancy of 8 years or so. After that they can do a heart transplant which will give her another 10 to 12 years. Theresa has been taking it hard understandably so. She and Ky both really need our prayers for strength through all of this. Please continue to pray.

Keep My Commands - In Context

Reading today from John 14 - 15 somewhere in there. John 14:15 in context looks very different than I have heard it used. That verse is the classic "If you love me you will keep my commandments.." and from there the question is what are the commandments Jesus wants us to keep. Often I have seen those commands listed as all sorts of things, mostly external IE - tithe, be baptized, don't use profanity, don't drink, don't smoke, don't chew, be in church every time the doors are open, hand out tracts, evangelize, serve in the church, etc. But after reading the verses (chapters even) before and after that verse I didn't find any of those in there.

I found this in John 13:34-35 "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I love you, love one another..."

I found this in John 15:11-15 "...This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends..."

I admit that I am just as prone to make a list of commands because it is easier than learning to live loved and learning to live a life of love. I guess more than anything I am excited to finally figure out what the commands are and I am grateful to Jesus for keeping it simple for people like me and for giving us the perfect example.
K

Easter Is Confusing

Had a nice talk with my 4 year old:
Gunner - "Dad what's Easter"
Me - "It's when we celebrate Jesus coming back from the dead."
G - "How did he do that?"
Me - "He is God"
G - "How is He God?"
Me - "That is how He was created to come to earth."
G - "So does He bring all the eggs?"

Darn Easter Bunny
Gunner comes to me with some candy he found in an Easter egg - an atomic fireball jawbreaker. I told him it was hot but he was determined to eat it so I let him. He puts it in his mouth and in a matter of seconds covers his mouth with his hand. Then after a few more seconds he spits it out..."Dad my tongue needs some water"

LOL! Love my kids they bring me so much joy.
K

Performance-based Christianity

I was at this small group meeting last night of a sort of random group of people. Amy and I enjoy it and thought that last night was the best discussion that we have had. We were talking about Jesus and his first role is salvation. As we discussed what this looks like I asked the group (Amy and I are the youngest so there is a lot of wisdom) how! How do you live this life in Christ? The life in Christ that Jesus talks about where we are one like Jesus and the Father are one and we are intertwined...John 13 - 15? There was some good discussion and I got a few things out of it. Someone said that spending time reading the bible and praying is not necessarily for God, He doesn't need it, I need it. I need to give it some more thought, but it is true that I need that to help me with this walk. Although the bible does say that God inhabits the praise of His people. I was grateful to NOT get the usual stuff that is said about when you don't have that daily time with God your day goes bad (performance based love and grace from God on your day), but your day may seem better because your attitude is better by starting the day off in reading the bible and praying.

The other significant conclusion that I came to has really helped me. Our society is very performance based. If you do good work you get promoted, if you do well in school you get college paid for, if you are good in sports you get a scholarship and the list goes on. I am not saying that is bad, but it is the reality of where we live. As such whether I applied this same performance based attitude and applied it to my faith or whether churches in the West have helped create this doesn't matter. What does matter is that where I am in my faith right now is on a journey out of performance-based faith. Performance-based anything is so conditional. God is not going to love me any more or any less based on what I do. This doesn't give me license to go sin (just ask Paul) rather it helps me know that God loves me period! I can't earn more of His love than you and God isn't going to withhold His love for me. This kind of love draws me into Him more and more, I want to read, I want to pray I want to get close. It is a challenge to break this performance based thought pattern. I will also say this is pretty fresh material for me so I have some more processing and don't mind some help so I you want to talk about it or make a comment I would love to hear from you.
K

Last Words

Lately I have been helping coach a middle school wrestling club. We are just getting started and haven't wrestled any tournaments, but I have been thinking about what is said before the match. What do the college basketball coaches say to their team right before they go on the court? After reading a little in Brennan Mannings new book "The Furious Longing of God" he mentions John 13 and then it clicked...the last instructions before you go on the mat or court or field are typically the boiled down version of everything you have been working on in practice. So if I want to "get" what Jesus time with the disciples was about I can look at what he told them before he went to the cross. So I think I am going to spend some time reading John 13 - 15 as I prepare to celebrate what Christ did for me. One thing that I just realized this morning is that it is here that Jesus says if we love Him we will keep his commands and in this same chapter he commands us to love Him. This was quite a revelation for me because I always have thought I can't keep all the commands of Jesus, which ones exactly should I keep? Ten Commandments, all of the law, how about the sermon on the mount...don't look on a woman with lust that is the same as adultery etc, wow that doesn't help because the sermon on the mount only makes the Ten Commandments look easy. I think Jesus came to ask us, command us to love as he has loved us..."the greatest of these is love, love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." I am truly seeking to love as Jesus loved us.

Can't wait to see what else I find in the "pre-game meal" Jesus had with His disciples.
K

Laugh 'Til She Cried

Yesterday I was listening to some podcasts from The Drew Marshall Show truly the best podcast interviews I have ever listened to. I suggest checking him out if you get a chance. One of the podcasts was comedy bits just for fun to finish his show and so last night I played them for my family. We watched all of the ones at this link Tim Hawkins and my kids and Amy laughed until we cried. It was so much fun just laughing as a family...like camping we need to do that more.

99.5%

I went to church at PCC this morning and the message was about 99.5%. Danny Cox mentioned that only 0.5% of our time would be spent in church on Sunday morning and that really got me to thinking. What about the other 99.5% (which was his point). Whether or not I go to church is not necessarily what makes the difference, it is really what I do with the other 99.5%. At our bible study on camp last Thursday we talked about really trying to live this relationship with Jesus day in and day out. Checking our hearts and how do we do that...by checking out hearts to what the bible says, allowing the Spirit to lead us and interacting with others (both Jesus people and those who aren't Jesus followers). Obviously I got something from going to church as I was challenged, just one of many ways God uses people to touch us. I am also reading a book by *Brother Yun a Chinese Christian called Living Water and the first chapter talks about our need to repent in the context of truly turning our lives over to Christ. He talks about a missionary to China who was bringing other missionaries in China to Christ. I realized that there are many "Christians" who need to come to Jesus...as I begin to search my heart I realize I may very well be one. Needless to say this has all hit me this weekend and I am looking at my spiritual journey wanting to be diligent with following and pursuing this faith I have. I don't want to go through the motions and if I am not taking 0.5% of my time going to church Sunday mornings then what am I doing with 100% of my time to grow in this walk with Jesus.

*When searching for a link to Brother Yun I found some controversy surrounding him being a heretic. Upon further search I found this open letter by his co-author that seems to support and clear up the controversy. I can say that whether or not he speaks for God what he has said has pointed me in the right direction in my faith Phil 1:12-20

Ouch

Gotta tell the story because I have heard of this happening but yesterday it happened to me. It doesn't make me feel smart, but worth sharing.

We are under the house we are remodeling putting up insulation. I am using a hammer tack staple gun (a staple gun that you use like a hammer to drive the staple) and I hit my index finger right on the tip. I look down and have driven a staple through my glove and fingertip. I try to take off my glove and I can't because the glove is stapled to my hand. I use my razor knife to pull out the staple and don't want to take the glove off to see the damage. Only one side of the staple went through my finger. Fortunately it went through right off the end of my fingernail and came out the other side. Like I said it makes a guy feel pretty smart.

Sweet Conversation

So today I am in Barnes and Noble browsing for books and I see a guy I know from PCC. We end up having the best conversation we have ever had, it was interesting. Honestly I can say that we weren't exactly great friends, it wasn't that we didn't like each other but at the time we both were at PCC things were different. After talking to him today about his journey through some church stuff and my journey through some church stuff and where that has taken us in our relationship with Christ. I found we have a lot in common. At one point he apologized for a meeting he and I were in and that stood out to me, the meeting didn't but the fact that he apologized did. I found myself thinking to myself "wow he has changed" then my next thought was so have I! God has done a lot of transforming in my life, sometimes I think more than I realize. Most of what has changed has to do with my heart toward others and that is significant. I know God still has a lot of work to do with me, but it was a great conversation today that helped me realize how much work Father has already done. I am such a mess in so many ways, that alone humbles me and helps me realize that if God can love me he can love anyone.

Camp More Work Less

If I could I would camp more and work less. We went camping this past weekend and had a really good time we were at Dead Horse Ranch State Park with our great friends Jim and Michelle Smith and their family. We also ran into some other great friends Mike and Shae Morris by accident. We had a great time fishing and just hanging out. The big kids played memory with the little kids. I love the way camping gets you away from tv, computers video games. I think we need to camp more and work less.

Inside and Outside

"Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. You didn't think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he's such a nice God, he'd let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change."
Romans 2:1-4 from The Message on Bible Gateway

"Those people..." at the beginning of this passage refers to people Paul talks about in chapter 1 who "...know perfectly well they are spitting in God's face. And they don't care..."

So last week I was talking to a friend and we both have come to the realization that this passage of scripture was talking to us. I realize now how judgmental I have been toward others. How little grace I have had for others and where they are, not allowing God to be big enough to love them. Five years ago if I knew of someone who said they were a Christian, yet they drank, chewed and cussed I would have questioned their faith rather than think the best and see what God has actually done in their lives that has been good. This leads me to want to ask for forgiveness from all those whose faith I have judged by my standards, because I am that person now. I don't want to change my behavior because the Christian culture says I should, I want God to work on me from the inside out, I want him to have my heart and do the changing. Does this mean I have a license to sin? Of course not (just ask Paul) it does mean that God is working on things in my life that are probably more important like my heart and attitude toward others (inside of the cup) and less concerned about some outward things (outside of the cup). I am still really processing through a lot of this, I feel a need to press into Jesus more so He can work on me. I feel a need to become a whole lot less self-righteous and a lot more humble.

This is what God is doing in me, it isn't that pretty really, but it is good. It isn't fun, but it is good. I know this that he wants more of me and I want him to have more of me too.
K

Luke 11:38-40 The Message
When he (Jesus) finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn't wash up before the meal. But the Master said to him, "I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn't the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.

"Quiet Times"

Amy and I are a part of a bible study on Tuesday nights. It is interesting because we are the youngest and the only ones with small children. Mom and Dad come over and watch the kids and we really appreciate that. We also appreciate the people in the group and the wisdom that they all bring to the group. Anyway it is a different small group than we have ever been in, but it is really good.

Last week we watched a video about "Quiet Times" it was interesting as the proper Christian stereotype of "quiet time" (qt) is taking time everyday in the morning to spend time in prayer and reading the bible. Which is a good thing, but my brother mentioned how at one time he worshipped his quiet time...this is also true of where I have been. I think sometimes as humans it is easy to turn things into something we worship rather than keep our focus where it should be. As I was growing up I got the idea that how much, how long, the quality etc of your quiet time would define how good of a Christian you were. There is a balance in there - obviously spending time praying and reading the bible is good, but it can be made into a performance based thing which robs it of what it is intended for and this is something I had done with it. I would love to turn the blame to someone else (and there are those out there who push the qt in this direction), but I am the one who lost sight of it's true purpose. I also feel as though I have in the past judged others based on their qt and that I have pounded on people with a big qt stick. For that I am sorry, the guy in the video was good at pointing out the relationship part of a qt. The guy on the video suggested asking God to show you how to have a qt that works for your relationship with God. The thing that stood out to me the most was "pray your mind", basically instead of praying a list and forcing your way through it because you "should" pray this way pray about what God has put on your mind. I have done this a lot lately and it is a staple of my qt and it happens throughout the day. I still need to work on my time in the bible and journal (I just like to journal), but it is good to focus on it as time for my relationship rather than a religious expectation I have put on myself and others.

No matter where you are, simply taking 15 minutes or so to just clear your thoughts and focus (for me on my relationship with Jesus) is a good thing that really can help you relax and destress.
K

Working It Out

So Amy and I have started the Body for Life 12 week program and have finished 2 weeks. I really like the workouts, especially the lifting, the running is another story. I am highly motivated especially after my birthday and because Al Ortolani told me lovingly that I would eat myself to death. I know he told me that because it was true and for motivation so that I wouldn't. So anyway the workouts are going great, the issue is eating. I have not done well following the plan this second week, so Monday (Sunday's are days off) I am going to make a new commitment to strictly following the plan. It has made a difference in how I feel especially when I follow it closely, so here we go...starting NOW! If you have any ideas or encouragement let me know...I am running in the Whiskey Row 10K in May in loving memory of Al Ortolani so I have got to get going.
K

Thirty-nine and Holding

I turned 39 last Friday (the 6th) and had a great birthday with lots of birthday wishes via text and Facebook. It was nice, we had a couple of dinners with friends and family and played a little pool last night. All in all it was a great birthday. I really appreciated all the birthday wishes and had a great time with my family and friends.

It is a little weird being this old, I don't really feel old, still think I am 25 I think. Ultimately I have a full year to prepare for turning the big 40. I don't think I am going to let it bother me, just keep plugging away. I am thinking my goal for 40 is to ride in the Whiskey Row 25 mountain bike race. All in all life is good and going to just get better and better.
K