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| The view from my room. Ahhh. |
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| My brother and nephew attended the event. A sweet time to be with them and let them see more of what CRM is besides what they know of us. |
4/14/2011
CRM. Community of Transformation, Pt. Clear, Alabama
4/01/2011
Mitch Albom | The college that rejects you may do you a favor | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com
Mitch Albom | The college that rejects you may do you a favor | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com
gotta love that mitch. a friend sent this to me yesterday. great article.
3/31/2011
LAUNCH
Wrapped up in my ego
That’s wrapped up in him
I watch the 18 year old.
A most perfect rocket
In between the Lab and space
Crafted and invested
With all the explosive creative genius
I had to impart.
A high octane cocktail for fuel =
Nurture + Nature + Free Will + Sovereignty.
Elegantly, and with an air of casual
He stands out of reach on the launching pad.
Close to the final countdown that will launch him into his future.
Yet, despite his vitality
And talent
And intellect
The engine at his core
Won’t yet ignite.
What gravity has kept him so weighted to the ground?
Afraid to dream
Or work for a dream?
The tools I had to tinker with
To fine tune or tweak
Are proving useless now.
So I put them aside and dig out the binoculars.
Breathless, I watch.
4-3-2-1.
3/17/2011
THE OLD MAN & THE BEAGLE - PART II
(Continued from PART I - September 9th, 2010)
The “Fit Solution - Amazing Cellular Nutrition from Switzerland” had not been very fit for my body. It had only stayed down for a few minutes. As I mopped the orange mess from the front of my dress and started to get my wits about me again, I suggested we “make a move,” as we say in Singapore. It had been an eventful visit to this neighbor’s apartment.
“Uncle, we’d better get going now,” I call to the Old Man who had left us in his living room with the dogs and my vomit and was eating his dinner with his wife in the kitchen. We were in his home because he’d been trying to convince my Canadian friend LISA and her kids Emmett and Thizbe to adopt his Beagle. And while we were there, he had introduced us to a Pyramid Marketing product that sounded like the fountain of youth.
Awkwardly our menagerie, which also included my dog Jack, and the neglected neighbor girl Yi Hui started to move toward the door. Emmett was the first to open the door and before he’d gone outside where our shoes were left, in typical Asian fashion. The Beagle scooted out the door and past his reach.
Emmett called out and the Old Man started to scramble from the kitchen, as Lisa and Emmett took off after the dog in their bare feet.
The dog bolted straight down the hall past a few other apartments before he came to the top of the stairwell. He didn’t pause a second as he started down the nine storeys. It turned out this was a familiar route for him!
As Lisa and Emmett ran after the dog, I was in no shape to run and stood, still a bit dizzy, in the doorway amidst the pile of shoes. I was trying to will my groggy brain to think fast.
I put Jack’s leash on and slipped into my Barbie pumps. Thizbe, Yi Hui and I headed for the elevator. The Old Man was going to follow.
“Oh! I hope they can catch him!” Thizbe worried, knowing that this apartment block stands next to a busy street. It was rush hour by now. It was dark and and the streets were packed with cars. She couldn’t keep back her tears.
The elevator reached the first floor and we search what’s called the “void deck” for our friends and the dog. We must have been quite a sight to the Singaporeans returning from work. Scrawny Chinese little girl and a preteen with light curly hair, the floppy happy dog Jack, and me in my pumps and orange vomit stained white party dress. We were so intent on finding the dog, on a mission, that we didn’t really notice the others around who were surely noticing us.
The Old Man came down to the first floor soon after and he told us, “She does this all the time.” We continued to search the parking lot and walkways nearby. Upstairs in his apartment, he had just been showing us all of his discipline methods with his dog.
Singapore has many wonderful qualities. It’s an amazing little country. Unfortunately nearly everyone around the world, if they know anything about Singapore, has heard of an American Boy who, years ago, was caned by Police for vandalism. Singapore’s discipline methods are effective and famous, even if outsiders see them as a bit Draconian. Thinking that this Beagle is regularly whacked like this, I wasn’t surprised that the dog might bolt from “caning” at every possible opportunity.
Before too long we heard Emmett and his mom Lisa running down the pathway, the dog with her floppy black ears waving behind her, just out of their reach.
We tried to herd her in near the wall of letter boxes. She was getting cornered.
Emmett came up behind her and managed to get his hands around her hips. The dog turned around quickly and chomped down hard on Emmett’s hand. He cried out in pain and let go as the dog ran out of sight once again.
Now, Thizbe is crying for her brother and the lost dog and Emmett is crying in pain. Everyone is upset for multiple reasons, but eleven year-old Yi Hui is wide eyed and laughing. In her small simple world of this local neighborhood, she has probably never seen such excitement. Emmett’s hand is bleeding and we tell the Old Man that we’ll take Emmett back home to take care of his wound.
Awkwardly we decided who would go up to get Lisa and Emmett’s shoes from the 9th floor, and said goodbye to the Old Man. He assured us that he’d find the dog; he always does. We headed back home to our apartment a half block away, to tell the rest of my family of this crazy adventure.
Emmett’s hand wasn’t too badly injured, and within 30 minutes the Old Man had called to report that he’d found the dog.
As you might guess, LISA and the kids decided they’d not adopt the Beagle. I didn’t buy any Fit-Solution from the man.
At least not yet.
3/13/2011
Japan Relief $ through network of Christian Ministries
Kimberly Creasman Our ministry connections from Japan are all recommending this network: If you are looking for a way to respond to the disaster in Japan, here is one excellent option. We'll have a way to do online donating soon! http://crashjapan.com/
3/02/2011
What's up with us in March...
Accepted!
Excitement mounts as Tyler learns he's been accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Waiting on 7 more Universities as the Creasmans do their taxes early for the first time ever. Motivation? Filling out the all-important FAFSA for Federal Aid needed the 2010 tax info!
LORD, we pray for Tyler to draw near to you as he makes his first important decisions as an adult: where he will do his undergraduate studies, and what he will study! We thank you for his gift of intelligence and wit, and his many interests. How can he have an A in AP Mandarin when there's not even a sign of any Chinese studies at home? Direct his steps and inspire him for how to use what you have made in him for your glory!
The Prayer of Examen.
Kimberly joins other CRM women for 2 weeks in exploring the spiritual discipline of what St. Ignatius called The Prayer of Examen. We are preparing to have a series of retreats starting in October for CRM women around the world. Examen is a morning and evening practice of quiet reflection with the goal of tuning our heart and souls to hearing God. Here's a guide for the prayer of examen and the 1/2 day retreat put together by our team leader Jenny Walley if you'd like to look into it for yourself and your own spiritual growth.
What We've Enjoyed Reading Recently:
Kimberly-
Charitable Giving thru CRM
Thank you for making our work here an extension of your heart for Asia.
We pray that you'd have great joy in these kind of investments,
whether is it with us or with other good work around the world!
Donation questions (in USA) 1 (800) 777-6658
you may add "preferenced for Creasman-acct 5651"
CRM- 1240 N. Lakeview, Suite 120, Anaheim, CA 92807-1831
A HIGHLIGHT of FEBRUARY:
Tyler as a Singaporean taxi driver emcee'ing his school's international night. He and a classmate John Griffith made this
2/23/2011
Best Birthday Card EVER!
It was a good birthday.
simple yet full of surprises (3 gals from my Wednesday YaYa Sisterhood discovered my 'detox home' and Elaine join us from her work. She's interning this semester as a counselor at nearby ICS.
Missed a few of the girls who were still traveling. But maybe I can manage a make up birthday date!
After having watched THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD last night with James, my Seasoned Sisters of Singapore had a discussion today about the real YaYas from Caroline's hometown! They are really named The Hee Hees. And they are quite notorious in a way that my sophisticated and Godly girlfriends don't really want to be. Let me tell you!
Having been so long without on-the-ground girlfriends, I am deeply thankful for my friends and sisters here in my adopted country. Life is delightful when God is showing his feminine side of love for me through my girlfriends.
My boys were also sweet; in their masculine bumbling sort of way.
James showed the boys CORNY video from our honeymoon.
TYLER: Oh man. It's a good thing you waited 8 years to have kids. You needed some time to mature!"
I an have audio recording to remember them telling me Kimberly qualities A-Z.
The best was H="hot", I="indescribable" (tyler)
and
J="James' lover", W="winebibber" (cameron).
The actual day was much much better than the previous day. To protect the innocent (and easily embarassed) that post will stay in draft form until the teenage years have blown over.
2/20/2011
The Swan Song: SINGLISH
He'll be off to Uni in June :-( This video was the intro to him coming on stage and emcee'ing ICS international night last night as a Singaporean taxi cab driver. It was fun to see him shine onstage in his "native tongue!" Hard for this stage mom to stay pretty much "hands off" and let the 18 year old do his thang. Should we submit this as a "special skill" to UCLA admissions office?
link to the intro video on FB
link to the intro video on FB
2/10/2011
PERSONAL VISION for 2011
In a couple's mentoring group we worked on Personal Vision statements this week. A dynamic/ever editing type of statement helps us focus on the important and weed out the urgent.
What's yours?
Tho I don't have much clarity for future LONG RANGE,
I'm very sure the now is to:
- mix up creative small batches of love to
- feed those who are in my immediate family and close circle of friends,
- see the boys "launch" well fed and eager to feed others,
- making sure we're eating a healthy BALANCED diet,
- and working from a tidy kitchen with clean tools, and a healthier chef (who's not spread it too thin).
That means: Exercise the "no Muscle" on new inspirations by setting them on the back burner for the time being.
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| Oasis Home Group from RHC tosses the Yu Sheng for Chinese New Year 2011 |
2/01/2011
Knowing the Bible May Seem Like a Daunting Task, but it’s Do-able!
(Wrote an article for our church blog. Here's an excerpt from the middle of it,)
After hearing some of our histories with the Word of God, our host lead us in a very practical exercise of how to make a plan to know God’s word over a lifetime. Here’s the condensed version of what he taught.
CORE Books or Passages
Christian leaders usually have favourite Bible books or passages which God has used mightily to spur their growth or solve their problems or guide their decisions. These books or passages form the basis of much of what they share with others, and they do it with added impact since there is a deep personal meaning. Pastors who have invested years in studying the Bible and preaching the Word have the opportunity to master more of the Bible than others, but all of us have some books or passages which we have or are becoming the core for us. God has provided all of us with different opportunities for learning and shaping us through the Scriptures.
Approaching Our Mastery of the Bible in Four Ways
1. Devotional Input - learning to hear from the Holy Spirit as you regularly read the Bible.
2. Mastery of Core - Really set your heart and mind to study and mastery of these sections as God reveals them to you.
3. Familiarity Reading – the sections of the Bible you don’t know as well.
4. Situational Studies – as topics come up that you need to know about, or have the opportunity to learn, God will lead you to expertise in certain areas.
1/08/2011
Reflections & Guilt Free Postit Note Resolutions
It was 2 January 2004, with 5 young Singaporean theatre female friends that I first started these Reflections and "Post it note Resolutions". A couple of them went into it kicking and screaming, and now see it as something that has changed the trajectory of their lives.
It's really rewarding to reflect and look over the past years and see what's been accomplished, then look ahead with a sense of anticipation without the dread of feeling guilty about not following through on the ideas.
I've put the reflective questions below, and as a blank document here. If you've got the time, type out what you come up with, and send it on back. You could paste them here (a Facebook New Year's event) or below as a comment, to inspire others! Even if it's a comment on just one of the topics, please let us hear what's on your heart. I've posted mine here.
LOOKING BACK 2010
I grew most in…
A Scripture verse, passage or book
that was important to me was…
One of my best adventures was…
I saw/knew God was doing something when…
A real gift from God was…
Something I really enjoyed doing
more of was…
One of the happiest memories I’d like
to freeze in my mind…
I was really brave when…
I’m still trying to learn what God
wants to teach me through this hard experience...
...But I think perhaps, it’s:
The best word of advice or encouragement I can remember:
LOOKING AHEAD 2011
Brainstorming Resolutions
NOTE: Phrase these as “do-able” not just “wishes” that are out of your control, but something you can do to grow or improve. Breaking it down into small steps you need to take to accomplish it, you can't DO a project, but you can do the steps toward accomplishing it!
Financial/Professional
Health/Physical
Personal Development/Intellectual
Spirituality
Relationships
Adventure Risk
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| Kimberly's Raisin Toast 2010 ie. Personal Development: "learn to make toast." |
As I stated above, I did the reflections part, but I'm still working on the postit notes. I'm finding that though I made a lot of steps toward last year's resolutions, it's not quite done on many fronts! I'll get them up here when I get them done. But first, I'm listening to Getting Things Done on CD with the boys, and learning how to better start the year even more organized and focused.
Whether or not you do it, I look forward to hearing from you, or spending some time in the new year together!
Whether or not you do it, I look forward to hearing from you, or spending some time in the new year together!
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