but the greatest of these is what?

so, I've been having one of those days. it was a dreary start to the week and it continued through to today. it was hard to keep a smile on my face so I let it slip right into a frown today..maybe even a bit of a scowl like this >:( but eventually the sun came out and my smile came back. On my drive home I was mulling over the day and feeling irritated at some things I witnessed. It happens every day though. People judging others. Sometimes over stupid little things. And I am definitely guilty of this myself more often than I'd care to admit. I know I've posted about this before, but it's a resounding theme in my life right now - WHY IS LOVING OTHERS SO HARD?

I know we've all read or heard 1 Corinthians 13 enough that we should all know it by heart. It's a favorite at weddings. The parts I usually remember are "Love is patient, love is kind..." but the parts that I seem to have really overlooked until now are the lines before that.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.        2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.           3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

WOW. how have i missed this? How did I miss the part that says I can have FAITH ENOUGH to move a mountain, but if I don't have love, I'm NOTHING. nothing. not a thing. Or, if I can solve life's greatest mysteries and have the wisdom of Solomon, but don't love others, it doesn't mean one red cent. And, it's great and all if I help the poor, but what is my motivation for doing so? Is it because i LOVE them, or because i LOVE thinking that I am such a good and noble servant. HEY, look at me over here! Giving to the poor! :) yep, that's right! I'm soooo good and sweet to do it.

I mean, crap. Yeah, I like to think that I love others or at least try to. But how can I say I love others and then curse the person who cuts me off in traffic? How can I love others and then not cut them any slack when they are rude to me? And, it isn't just in the blatant ways i'm not showing love to others. It's in the little things. The eyeroll behind someone's back. The snide remark to someone who rubs me the wrong way. All of these things reflect my "love" for others.

So far, I'm not looking all that great. It's in the last part of this scripture that God spells it right out for us just to be sure that there is no confusion:

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
the greatest of these is LOVE. Faith, Hope and LOVE. So, loving others must be pretty important. I wish we could all love others just a little bit more every day. If everyone did this, think of what we could do! So this will be my prayer...

Father God, I pray that you will let me see people through Your Eyes and reflect a true love that can only come from You in me. I pray that every day You would help us to love others more than we did the day before. Thank you for loving me!

i LOVE you, friends!
kbt

my life in lists

So, a while back I bought a journal of sorts called a Listography. I like the idea of keeping a journal but since I am a procrastinator, it would go about as good as this blog. I'd write in it maybe once a week. :) And, I wouldn't have anything profound to say! Not that it would have to be, but you know if I'm documenting my days in an effort to preserve my memories, well I would like to think I had some good thoughts every now and then. Here are some of my favorite list topics.

1. List your favorite books: pride & prejudice, LoTR trilogy, Blue like Jazz, this could be a long list so i'll just move on...

2. List your best purchases: hmm..this one is tough. my house? i like having my own space. i just bought a Rowenta iron which could prove to be a great purchase! (thanks Lauren for introducing me to this)

3. List your favorite TV shows of all time: Modern Family is quickly becoming a favorite of all time. Little House on the Prairie is still one of my faves even though I know it makes me a big nerd.

4. List the things people should remember you for: this one is hard! So, I don't know what people should remember me for but I do know that a handful of folks will remember the video of me singing at the Avett show for a while

5.List the websites you visit most often: facebook, pintrest, here, msnbc, you tube (because i cannot stop watching the honey badger video!)

Well, you get the idea! So far I've only filled in a few. Maybe one day I'll fill them all in.

Hope you guys had a fantastic Sunday!

Kaci

Change the World!

Friends! I hope you guys notice the new banner in the upper right hand corner! It is from the Compassion website. :) This makes me very happy! I wish I could get this on my facebook!

My family is quickly becoming a Compassion family. I sponsor Julienne in Rwanda, my mom and dad sponsor the CUTEST little girl named Linny in Honduras and now my Aunt Pam and Uncle Mike have joined the fun and are sponsoring a little 4 yr old girl name Rakhi in Bangladesh!

COME ON Y'ALL! JOIN THE FUN! Sponsor a child today!!!

I and Love and You

This blog is about my favorite band THE AVETT BROTHERS!! Y'all know I LOVE them! A few weeks ago I went to their free show at the Tabernacle in Atlanta with Cassie Lamar, Cari Moyer, my brother Jon Tidwell, and his buddies Josh Campbell and Wes Duren. Now, because this was a free show, we had to get there REALLY early to get in line to make sure that we got inside. So, I spent my Friday afternoon sitting in Atlanta for 5 hours just to see them perform. But it was so worth it! Here are some pictures from the show.


Possum art outside of the Tabernacle


Alabama ghost! This was a sticker on the lightpost next to where I was standing in line.


See, I am not the only one who loves these guys! If you haven't checked them out you really need to. Their music is smart and fun and can make a bad day better!


Our awesome seats next to the stage!!


Scott and Seth (Seth is the one in the front)


Scott playing piano. He plays the banjo, harmonica, piano just to name a few! And he designs the posters.


Scott Avett




Inside the Tabernacle. This venue used to be a church.


Me!! loving the show!!

football is here!

Went to my first high school football game of the season! My cousin Hunter is a senior at West Point High School. The team played Curry last Friday night. Here are some photos from the game! Hunter is number 63.





One thing I learned is that I need a better zoom lens for future games.

Also in attendance were the Hamms - TJ, Tara, Ashlin and Ella! Here are some pictures of the littlest Hamms.

Ashlin being silly!





Ella was being a mess!





I look forward to more games...and a better lens. :)