Confessions of an Emerging Leader

So I've now been in Austin over two months. Yeesh. And things have definitely begun to be more consistent. I feel like I have steady relationships at this point (in some ways) and am learning what my faith looks like on a day to day basis in a setting that I truly have never been faced with. I've been thinking about this post for a long while now... but am just now beginning to put into words what this experience has been like... this will in many ways be a continual post in order for me to process this new year and new lessons learned (or continually being learned)...

1. Being an Emerging Leader is a privilege and blessing that I could not have imagined.

I'll be honest... some days it doesn't feel like it, but we all know feelings are deceptive so I try not to linger there. There is a level of gratitude I have for getting to be a part of this program that I couldn't express on my blog. When I think about the end vision of what the church is hoping to accomplish through this residency, I am beyond excited and honored to be a part of fleshing that out.

2. Emerging Leaders is NOTHING like the Forge.

To tell people I was in a leadership/discipleship program last year and then tell them what I do now could sound a little redundant. I don't think it could be farther from my daily reality. When I think of the Forge, I think about the intense community and incredible teachers who spoke into our lives and just pushed and prepared us for the world in which I am now living. Doing what I do now, without the foundation of the Forge or the things I learned there, would be a freaking disaster. Multiple times a day I pull from the storehouse of Truth I received there in order to live boldly and courageously in the world I am faced with.

This could be a poor analogy (or fabulously brilliant) but the Forge was more of the boot camp before you go into battle. It prepares you and tells you of what to expect and even forces you to work with others on how you will fight once you're on the front lines. Emerging Leaders is the front lines. At times you are fighting alone, at times you can see your other team members... but at the end of the day you're still in a fierce battle and you wake up the next day to engage again and again and again... there is no running away from the battle. You're there and you've been prepared... so you fight.

3. Live out your design... wait, what?

In the Forge, I got a very clear idea of how God has designed me as a person and got to live that out in the midst of my community there. In Emerging Leaders I am forced to live that out in front of people with all sorts of failures and successes in such a vulnerable way. In the Forge, your failures were welcomed and then afterwards you felt so clearly the love of others that when you fail with people who don't have that level of commitment to you, your only source of security and reaffirmed identity can be found in the Word. It's a sweet place to be. Getting to really delve deeply into the ways God has been molding me and growing me over the past 10 years even, I am able to then see where (though a very small glimmer of it) God is leading me. There are things I am passionate about, such as seeing the Gospel radically transform the world we live in, that I get to be a part of everyday. That is a very broad passion but practicing what that looks like for Kimberly Ginnings specifically is a journey I have loved being on. But I'll save all that for another post.

Goodness, 3 things and look how long this baby is! I'll give one random piece of advice for all the Christmas music junkies out there. Rosie Thomas' Christmas album is magnificent. Go check it out. :)

Life in Austin... how odd that that description is for my life. Truly, everyday I am still wrapping my head around it. Perhaps because I hadn't planned on living in Austin, or because it is a place some people come for vacation or fun... I've never really lived in a city that has "hype" if you will. But here I am kickin it in the ATX.

Learning all new things can be both fun and frustrating, challenging and overwhelming, draining and exhilarating... I'd say that's a good description of my life here. Specifics aren't always blog-appropriate but I'll share some bits and pieces.

For instance, books... always a good conversation piece for me. Prior to the Emerging Leaders (that is me) arrival, we were asked to read the following book. It was very interesting and definitely a book I'd be excited to read. If there was a section in Barnes and Noble titled "The Church: Historically to Modern Times," I'd be all over that... So this book would fall under that oh-so-specific genre.

"The Tangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay... A book I'd recommend. Many books on the current American church are a bit jaded to say the least. This book has it's moments but had a section that was refreshingly practical. It's based off of a group in Denver, CO that have a gathering of believers with an extremely missional perspective. Interesting and worth your time.

The book I am currently reading for our program is "Dedication and Leadership" by Douglas Hyde. I'm done with chapter 2, so my opinion isn't set in stone yet, but so far I like it a lot. It's a book from the 1960s that is written by a man who became a believer after living his life as a communist for a long time. Basically he compares communism and Christianity and in that shows a lot of Christianity's failings. Quite interesting, very challenging. Last week, during our discussion I was so revved up I almost left wanting to start a huge movement... it'll get ya!

"Politics" by Wayne Grudem. A book I've been seriously looking for for a long, long time. Thank you Wayne (can I call him that?). I would like to think we sit down together and talk about politics or systematic theology... whichever we feel like. But lo, it is just me and my book. Though I am going to turn this read into a book club with a friend who this past week swore into the United States military (shout out Brooks!).

So do you seriously just read?!

Some of you are thinking my life is lame... no I just talk about the important stuff first. :)

This year I volunteered at ACL (Austin City Limits Music Festival) each day of the festival as a greeter. It's kind of a sweet deal because you greet people and answer questions three hours a day and then get in free. So what? Well the tickets are really expensive, and I had never been so I didn't know if I'd even enjoy it...

I enjoyed it alright. You see 70,000 people (I am serious) in one large area with 130 or so bands over three days is awesome/crazy! I mean look at it! When I see this picture, I don't think about the awesome Black Keys show I saw or the fact that the Eagles were headlining...

no, see I think about... allergies. it was brutal. but now I know.

One of the reasons I love Austin... bikes, bikes, bikes!

So that's a small glimpse. Til next time!

Living in the Capital of Texas

Well, I've been in Austin for over two weeks now! That is crazy to think about. We are settled in our apartment (after I rearranged my room within the first week). This photo is the 6 emerging leaders for this year. We are very different with such different passions, but I am so excited to see them all in their element doing what God's designed for them to do. (Left to right: Andrew, PaToya, Dustin, Me, Stephen, Kyndell).

There is so much to do in this city and as I get my bearings, I find myself in awe of how big this city is and the calling on my life here. I am learning so much about myself here... which is great to remember that God doesn't just stop teaching you things outside of the Forge (I can be so naive and ridiculous). But learning a lot... about everything...

In other news... Emily is 1! Crazy that she is that old... but then again, I'm 24. We are only 23 years apart? That doesn't seem that much... Here are a few pictures from her party... I picked ones where she has some attitude and sass. They are much more fun that way. :)

The giraffe cake was homemade by none other than my sister, Homemaker Melissa. Super cool, huh?

The End of Baby Ruths

(Above) The wonderful women from first half.

(Above) The wonderful women from second half.

The women above are some of the dearest people to me... Getting to disciple these women as they are about to embark upon college was fun, challenging and humbling. I learned so much from them as they were vulnerable and shared their lives and their struggles with me. I cannot wait from them to take their colleges by storm. In 5 weeks, God did some incredible things in their lives and I feel so privileged to have been a part.

If (and I believe it was truly) this was my last summer at Pine Cove, then serving behind the scenes with these women was by far the best way I could've ever imagined going out.

Austin, TX this weekend!

Pine Cove for a final summer...?

I've thought for many summers that "THIS is my final summer to work at camp," and I've been wrong. So here we go one more time... thinking this thought, with the chances being extremely high that this truly will be my final summer. And boy howdy, what a way to go out...

I am a Mama Ruth this summer. Meaning I spend every waking moment with 6 recent high school graduates as they go through the Baby Ruth program. It is a blessing and a challenge. I love seeing these young women learn and grow and change and struggle... and I love doing the same thing right alongside them.

A glimpse into my life from the past 3 weeks:

• doing dishes for 3 hours a day
• scrubbing carpet floors and baseboards and every other thing from camp
• carrying a canoe with my 6 girls across camp and through a pool to learn about working together and dependence upon one another
• learning how to pray about literally everything and see the Lord answer in crazy ways
• seeing the importance of discipline and full obedience
• living out honesty and vulnerability in front of women who are following me... oh the beauty of failure and grace
• deep cleaning kitchens and bathhouses
• spending 3 hours early in the morning of week 2 trying to squeegee water out of our newly renovated meeting room at camp during a flood
• jumping on trash in a dumpster to be able to put more in

I love my life. I truly do. God has blessed me abundantly with opportunities to live out the Gospel and to disciple women. Please be praying for me and my girls as they learn. Pray we would have strength and dependence upon the Lord to meet every need.

Miss you all. :)

Transitioning out of the Forge.

Well I finished the Forge 3 weeks ago and moved away from Tyler... Here we all are on our last morning as Forge students... Things I've realized since finishing the Forge three weeks ago:

• Justin Bieber. Who is this boy/girl? Crazy... well that's how every 13 year old girl is about Justin Bieber. According to my mom, "He's only the hottest teenage pop star in the world!"
• T.V. is a time sucker.
  
• Secular music is awesome.
  
• I'll never live in the apartments again with the 22 members of my Forge family...
  
• Yet at the same time, seeing our relationships transition has been a good thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
  
• I read at least 16 books in the last 8 months... and am taking a break. And I don't feel bad about it.
  
• Avatar was worth my time... Robin Hood was not. Toy Story 3 will be awesome.
  
• The learning never stops... I've learned a lot in these past 3 weeks and boy howdy... I know that is just the beginning.
  
• I still love Tyler, TX. Why wouldn't you!? It's awesome and has lots of tall trees and cool people.
• 
• Photobooth doesn't lose its ability to be funny after the Forge
• Hanging out at Tazza is as fun as ever!

So the Forge is over and I would fail hard if I attempted to talk about what all I've learned, as well as I am still and will continue to be processing what all happened over the last 8 months for a while.

One things I know...
God is good and He is redeeming this world and it is only by grace that I get to be a part of it!

crazy love.

wow... I know, I know... I'm sure you are all thinking, "Didn't she go to Israel!? When is she going to post about her time there!?"

Well... honestly, I dare not diminish my trip to a simple post. As the Forge comes to a close in less than two weeks, I'd rather share overall what God is doing in my life. Something I am learning over and over and over again is the love God has for His people, it's overwhelming, it's consuming, it's the greatest thing to ever be found on this planet and by golly it's for you and it's for me. Praise God!

Israel was incredible, but more than that, the love of God is incredible. Seeing that firsthand in Israel and seeing the scriptures in a different way now was a gift I'd love to share with each of you. Here is a glimpse of that (special thanks to Bryce Hamilton for making this post much easier on me for his photos and words)...

What are you spending your time and resources in? Are you building into people and spending your time on things that will last for eternity or are you building things that could be torn down and destroyed tomorrow? Such as this photo above... Herod's fresh water pool that he built in the Mediterranean... now it's in ruins... was it worth the energy he spent to make it? I think not...
Or this woman, a member of a Bedouin community who welcomed 50 people into her home, showing hospitality and love to strangers... offering tea and bread out of her menial existence... are you willing to give your time and resources to absolute strangers, just to show the love of Christ? Romans 12.


Like I said, a glimpse. Excited to share with you in person... let's talk soon. :)

Israel Tomorrow!!!

So I leave for Israel tomorrow morning! Goodness, I could not be more excited! In 48 hours I will be on the other side of the planet! That is just crazy to me. Please be in prayer for our trip as we leave tomorrow and then return on the 23rd.

Our leader, Matt Lantz, will be posting occassionally about what is going on and pictures and things. You can know in greater detail what is going on by following the link below:
Follow our trip here!

I can't wait to tell you all the wonderful things God does in Israel over these next two weeks!

Oh the Forge...

This past week the Forge ventured to Houston for a student-led mission trip. We spent a lot of time working with a church called City of Refuge and a plethora of urban ministries such as Star of Hope and Open Door Mission. It was an incredible week learning and ministering in Houston.

I don't have a lot of experience with Houston, honestly, but left the week really loving what God is doing in that city. There is so much need and there are some really cool things happening there.

The Forge is going by very quickly... VERY quickly! A month from now we will be in Israel! Wow. This semester has been really good, as our friendships strengthen and deepen and we put to practice a lot of what we learned last semester. As I learn with greater clarity than I've ever had, how God has designed me and created me to minister to this world, there is so much more freedom and purpose in everyday interactions and service. I love what the Forge teaches and am so grateful for this time in life. Truly so grateful.

That's all I've got, just a good day here in the Forge reflecting on how incredible it is to have this time to really understand who God is and who I am in light of Him.

wait... I have a blog?

My last few months have been crazy and I haven't blogged... sorry bout that... but instead of catching you up, I'll post a few pictures from the happenings!
Zach ran his 1st marathon at Disney World on January 10th... He thinks he had hypothermia... crazy!
We visited Disney World and took a picture with Pooh Bear, Winnie the Pooh Bear.
Started the 2nd semester of the Forge with fun and games. :)
And again... with Mel, the hippie!
And my best friend Cassidy got married! Whoa!! This is me, Lauren and Cassidy!

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks, but so wonderful! Here's to a new semester!

kimbo