Transition

"Transition" (noun): passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another. (Definition from Webster's Dictionary). That sounds about right.

Vinnie and I have been in 'transition', passing from one state to another, for what sees like forever. Reality is, we've been in this state since we got married. We went from single-hood to married-life, from living with 4 girls (and Vinnie with 2 guys) to living with someone from the opposite sex, from working different jobs to full-time support-raising together, from holidays spent alone to visiting two families in a 48-hour span, and most recently...going from raising support to being on campus and moving from a one bedroom apartment to a house!

Taken by our friend, Lindsey

I'm sure there are many more states and stages we've passed through, but those are the highlights. I won't even begin to tell you our though-processes and emotions that have been involved in all of this. I will tell you that the Lord has brought us through it and will continue to do so. I have learned more about His grace and love for us through this time than I ever before. It's hard sometimes, but so sweet and rich most of the time. Not only do I get to be married to a wonderful, God-fearing man but I also get to walk on two different campuses each week and share the Gospel with students that have never heard anything like it before. It's such a blessing to be entrusted with so much.

And, our house. It's so different from apartment-life/living with 3 other girls that are much more responsible than me! Even this house is a blessing from the Lord and our prayer is that we can steward it well to the glory of God.

The new house!

Please pray with us that the Lord will continue to bring Himself glory through our daily lives. Vinnie and I have been entrusted with much and we seek to be faithful with what He's given us (Matt 25:14-30). How can I be praying for you? How do you handle times where you feel like you're constantly in transition?

And we're back again

Home sweet home. It's been a busy, interesting, and fun few weeks! Vinnie and I have had the opportunity to travel the country (not literally, just 3 states)!

As you know from the last post, we got to spend some time in Colorado last month. We got some sweet time with friends that are also on staff with Cru. This was a refreshing and reviving time to be with the Lord, learn from great speakers, and worship.

THREE DAYS after we drove back from Colorado, we were packed up again and headed out to LAX airport. Vinnie and I have some dear friends that live in Hermosa Beach so we spent a few days there. Another treat was being able to see one of my best friends, Rachelle. She lived in S. Korea for 1 year, teaching, and had a layover in L.A. the same time we were there! We got some good, quality time with her as well!
Vinnie and me with the Kaufmanns (the couple we stayed with in Hermosa Beach)

Then, we went from LA to Minnesota to see my parents. This was a really special time to catch up and see, for the first time, where they are living! I must say, it is beautiful (what isn't beautiful compared to 100+ degree temps in TX??). I was really surprised at how much there is to do there. We went to the Mall of America, kayaking, played bocce ball (SO FUN! I wish we had it more around here), and ate more than you would want to know. The best part was spending time with the whole family, talking, laughing, and playing a rather intense game of Cranium. I love my family and am so incredibly blessed by them. The Lord has used each person in such unique ways to teach me more about His character and love for Him. I (we) can't wait to go back up there and see what it's like in the winter! I hope my Texas blood can handle -0 degrees!!
Vinnie and me with the parents at 1 of the 10,000 lakes in MN
Us at the Twins vs. Red Sox game

The whole family eating after a game of bocce ball :)

Next week, our staff team will be planning how we will strategically reach ethnic students in the DFW area with the Good News of Christ. Please be praying that the Lord gives each of us wisdom, discernment, and a listening ear as we plan. Vinnie and I love each of you and are so thankful for you. We can't wait to see what's He has in store for us.

Until next time...

Revamp

After praying and thinking, I've decided to revamp this blog. I've enjoyed writing (more so rambling) my thoughts for you to read, but I think it would be better and more glorifying to the Lord (which is really the goal in all of this) to make this blog more about our ministry and what's going on in our lives.

So, this is the beginning of a new blog. Same writer, same family, different information.

Vinnie and I just got back from a 10-day conference in Ft. Collins, Colorado. There were 5,000 other people that work with Campus Crusade for Christ that we got to fellowship and worship with during our time there. It was so rich and such a blessing to be surrounded by a group of like-minded servants of the Lord. Our time there consisted of living in a dorm, eating in the cafeteria, going to main sessions with amazing, godly speakers, attending seminars that were more focused on different topics that peak our interest, hanging out with friends, and walking around the beautiful, quaint town of Ft. Collins.

We also got to spend time with our region and people from around the nation that serve with Epic (the Asian-American student ministry) and Destino (the Latin-American student ministry) around the nation. This time was really sweet because we got to hear what God is doing around the nation to bring these students to Christ and mobilize them to reach their community with the Gospel.

The Casanovas with the Eatons (our good friends from New Staff Training)


You may be interested to know some VERY big news regarding the name of our organization....in the U.S. the name Campus Crusade for Christ will now be "Cru"!

We decided to change our name to be more effective in reaching people for Christ. We are in no way ashamed of the Gospel, we are doing everything we can to be more effective in telling people the Good News of Christ. As we considered hundreds of name possibilities, our experience confirmed that Cru would provide greater opportunity to connect men and women with the heart of Jesus, and to help them consider the good news of the gospel.

*Note: Much of this information is found on the website www.ccci.org/cru. Please feel free to peruse that site as much as you can!

On another note, Vinnie and I are about to embark on a journey to L.A. and Minnesota to visit V's friends and my family. Please be praying that we are able to rest well and grow in our relationship with the Lord during this time. As soon as we get back, we will be attending staff planning meetings and getting ready to report to campus! We are so excited to get back on campuses to reach students for Christ!

Please know you are loved and prayed for. Please leave me a comment telling me how you're doing and ways we can be lifting you up. Until next time!

New chapter, same Hope

Today is (was) the Day

Well, for those of you that don't really know many details, let me enlighten you. My Momma and Daddy moved to Eden Prairie, Minnesota today. They had to leave for my Dad's job and they should be there about 5-6 years. As most of you know, I'm a major Mommy AND Daddy's girl. My Mom is one of my best friends and my Dad is my hero. I love them so much and will miss them so much. This is the first time ever that they've been more than a 3-hour drive from me (and 3 hours away only lasted 6 months). You probably also know that I love to write, hence why I'm writing this to go ahead and start processing through all that's happening.

Did you ever do the "name poem" (technical name that I had to Google is 'acrostic')? I used to love doing them when I was little. I was the corny little sister that made these poems for my brother like:

Classy
Hilarious
Responsible
Intelligent
Social

*note, that is a real poem I made on a card for him that he recently found*

In honor of loving and missing my parents, I thought I'd make one for each of them...

Strong and dignified
Tender-hearted
Example of a great wife and mother
Pleasing to the Lord
Honest about anything :)
A follower and lover of Jesus
Not too far away! (only 2 1/2 hours) :)
In love with her husband
Elect, predestined, called according to the purpose of His plan (Rom 8:28-30)

Loving and gracious

Open and excited to share his faith

Understanding and compassionate

In love with his wife

Steadfast and dependent on Christ

So, you can see why I am head-over-heels for my Momma and Daddy. The Lord has truly blessed me with such great examples in how they walk with Christ and are so gracious. I love them so much and am excited to see how the Lord uses these attributes and gifts in them to reach the new city around them. Minnesota won't even know what hit 'em!

I love you guys so much!!!

Tug of War

NBA Playoffs, Battlestar Gallectica (don't knock it till you try it!), work, Facebook, Mahjong, etc, etc...these are things that I choose to spend time doing instead of spending time with the Lord.

If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago what spending time with the Lord looks like I would have said "It's when you get your journal and your Bible out and read and reflect." The period at the end of that sentence is so important. Is that really where it ends? Is time with the Lord supposed to end after your 30 minutes-1 hour?

A few weeks ago, I told my home group that my prayer life sucks. I didn't even know where to begin. Our leader said that it may help to think about how I approach the throne of God. Do I view Him as holy and worthy of my time and affections or do I view Him as my genie in a bottle (and I gotta rub Him the right way...right...?). Since that day, I started just praying that God would radically change my view of Him so I long for Him. He has already started answering that. It's been pretty hard and sobering, but fantastic and beautiful at the same time. He's been teaching me the importance of confessing. This past week, there have been two things that the Lord has been showing me that I've been harboring and becoming bitter about. The Lord has been teaching me the importance of confessing and bringing these things to Light because God's victory has already overcome those things.

With these things in the Light, I can now experience freedom from them. I'm still praying that the Lord will take away my guilt I still feel and make me truly believe that "there is now therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1).

So, what does time with the Lord look like? It's a daily, minute-by-minute humbling of self before the Almighty throne of God asking Him to renew my mind and heart and continue to sanctify me and conform me into the image of His Son. Easy, right? Pshhhh...it's not easy. There are constantly going to be worldly, evil things pulling and vying for my attention and I have to ask the Lord for wisdom, strength and discernment to overcome those things. What's even more beautiful is we don't only have a God that will give us strength to overcome these things, but "we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15).

It's because of this High Priest that we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive grace, that we may find mercy to find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16). This Lord and Savior is sympathetically wooing and calling me to Himself daily. Am I listening? Am I ready to turn off the TV, shut the computer, turn off my phone and let Christ wrap the truth and the grace of the Gospel around me and allow me to confidently approach His throne? Are you?

I can't say, by any means at all that I'm a pro at this. I am learning, I am begging, I am seeking, I am failing, but I am redeemed and seen as holy through Christ's redemption alone! With that, I can freely walk in obedience and boldly approach Him and find mercy and grace in time of need!

"Name's Rango"

Vinnie and I went to see Rango last week. It was OK. The running theme was Rango trying to find his identity and he kept asking the question of "who am I?" WARNING THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT (kind of): it ends with Rango being able to choose his own destiny. Yikes.

Can you imagine if we were really able to choose our own destinies?? I'd probably be a college drop-out, living somewhere in Asia, jumping from job to job to job trying to live a "spontaneous life". It would be a train wreck.

So, this brings a question to my mind, "who am I?" The Lord has been revealing to me more and more lately how many things I seek identity in that aren't Him. For example, driving a standard. Recently (I mean really recent...THREE DAYS AGO) Vinnie and I went down to one car, which happens to be a standard. I've never driven a standard until now. I had ample amount of practice with Vinnie in the car and then when we went to one car I had no choice but to drive alone. The Lord used this to reveal to me a lot of the idol of approval in my life. It's so prominent that I even crave the approval of people on the road that I don't even know! If I screeched the tires or almost stalled out I immediately looked around to make sure no one was laughing at me. Why do I care about them? Why do I care what they think? Why do I feel the need to be perfect at driving a standard??

It's because I crave satisfaction in approval instead of in my new image. I was reading today Colossians 3:9-10, "...seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on a new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator." What amazing, great, humbling News! I am no longer enslaved by my need for approval, my need for wanting to be "perfect" (whatever that means), but I am free in my NEW IMAGE in Christ. When God looks at me He no longer sees the filthy rags, but He sees perfection and righteousness through Christ and all of His splendor. That's so much more life-giving and meaningful than driving a standard without screeching tires. Because of Christ I can laugh at those things and drive on!

So, "who am I?" I am Kimberly Kruger Casanova, daughter of the Prince of Peace, the Giver of Life, the Creator, the Graceful Lamb, the Mighty Lion, Christ on High.

Why blog?

Today I had a thought. I look at so many blogs but I myself don't blog. I follow friends, mommies, church leaders, missionaries, great recipe-posters, but I don't write anything! I kind of felt like a creeper so that got me to thinking, I would love to write a blog.

I would love to have a blog when we have kids so I can have a place to post funny stories, pictures, videos, etc so that our children can go back when they're all grown up and see their life as we see it. I figured I should start now so that when we do have children I don't have to add "become disciplined in writing a blog" to the list of things to do that includes "learn how to be a Mommy."

To answer any curious questions, no. I'm not pregnant right now. I'll let you know when I am :)

So, on goes the blogging. We'll see what happens with this!