tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55052445258496797032024-02-20T03:58:34.417-06:00unwordable wordsthese are words expressed as best as possible revealing what God is doing in my life, what questions He is raising in the depths of my soul, where He is asking me to go, and much more that you can venture through with me.
i would enjoy your feedback and i would love to connect with you and hear your story.
peace be with you.:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-47293876908071323052010-02-16T10:21:00.002-06:002010-02-16T17:24:51.657-06:00a much needed updatei hope my words find you well. i've been told that our best tool is our story, so we are sharing an honest look of our story. if you received this it's because we love you and we do not want any confusion about why we are back in lubbock. it's come to our attention that there is a bit of confusion so l'ray and i feel like we need to fill in the gaps that so many of you may be wondering about. .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-55235952762291920852009-06-11T15:20:00.001-05:002009-06-11T15:22:27.279-05:00the emptiness of the crossthe rain gently taps my window as if it were nature's percussion section of a symphony orchestra. a beautiful accompaniment to "one love" by Bob Marley playing softly in the background. the elements are in place to create the ideal atmosphere for reflection and meditation.so i sit.i reflect.on my past 11 months here in Lewisville.on how it felt to have a second child, Haygen Reese.on successes .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-24726871959404558042009-04-29T12:41:00.002-05:002009-04-29T12:45:50.263-05:00inconvenienced by the Gospel this past weekend i was able to be involved in something that changed me. it brought me back down to reality and showed me that what i do today has eternal significance. on saturday, april 25, 2009 thousands gathered in over 100 cities in North America, Europe, and Australia to raise awareness for the thousands in Uganda that are kidnapped and forced to fight in a war they do not believe .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-24898174098264988622009-04-22T15:44:00.003-05:002009-04-22T15:49:20.731-05:00life lost under feari'm very excited for you all to read this post. this weeks artlicle was written by a dear friend, Sheldon Schwartz. he is a man who strives with all he has to be Christ every moment of the day. so please read with a readiness to move..:rustinIf I were to ask those of you reading this what you believed to be the most frequent command in the Bible, what would you say?What would you say is the most.:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-47049587384332147502009-03-19T15:16:00.004-05:002009-03-19T15:29:44.675-05:00just a savior?today i want to take a moment to challenge you. it's good to wrestle with things and be challenged in the way that we think and what we believe. for some of us, our beliefs have never really changed too drastically in the past 5, 10 or 20 years. i'm not here to change your beliefs but rather push you to contemplate the way we percieve the world.today is not a political statement. the issue .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-3638118168542986502009-03-12T08:16:00.003-05:002009-03-12T08:23:26.149-05:00peaceful discontentthere is a delicate balance within our journey with Christ that revolves around contentment. i have determined that i am hardly ever spiritually content for any extended period of time because contentment of my spirit brings a mediocre walk. some might not agree with that statement but the disagreement stems from what we consider to be contentment or discontent.i believe there are two kinds of .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-55546586892655521402009-03-11T11:30:00.002-05:002009-03-11T11:39:54.935-05:00the beautiful ritualthe mix of bitter and sweet consume me as i tear off a piece of a cinnamon pecan muffin and take a sip of warm espresso. it's 12am and i'm sitting in one of my favorite coffee houses i've found in the area - Jupiter House on the square in Denton. a steady flow of people move in and out the door, some to study, some to talk, some to flirt, and others.... well i'm not sure what they're doing but .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-33034568455611879262009-02-06T23:02:00.004-06:002009-02-06T23:06:04.819-06:00institution or movementif you don't know, my wife and i had our daughter Haygen Reese on January 13, 2009. leading up to this amazing event, L'Ray had been having a tough pregnancy to say the least. while we were in lubbock visiting family L'Ray started having contractions so we rushed her to the hospital, where we spent a day of thanksgiving break. her doctor informed us that for the remainder of the pregnancy she .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-20031252095086517652009-01-09T00:40:00.002-06:002009-01-09T00:44:59.343-06:00a needed depressionmy grandparents held two things higher than any other -- their families and God.i realize that statement isn't mind boggling. but the way they held their families and God is mind boggling.one thing i remember about the klafka side is that family was everything. my dad grew up on a farm with 4 sister and one brother. if your bad at math, that's six in the family. they were a good german catholic .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-86835601046220126042008-12-12T11:19:00.002-06:002008-12-12T11:23:55.746-06:00bombay reflectionsfor a good time i've felt led to embark on several "mini-journeys" in search of answering questions that lay beneath the surface of the hearts of us all. i believe that people, no matter their theology, their race, their gender, their religious beliefs, all have questions that never go voiced.just the idea that people have questions that they won't ask bugs me. it doesn't bother me because i want.:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-11643974366965110862008-12-04T20:37:00.005-06:002008-12-04T21:00:28.090-06:00the odd couplea week ago today millions of families and friends sat down together and ate. we sat down with people we love deeply and broke bread. what a sacred event.my closest friends will tell you that for years i've been saying, "good things happen over food." i truly believe that if more people took the time to sit and eat with each other, the world could be a different place. sounds a little crazy, .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-54762209007782251802008-11-22T17:04:00.003-06:002008-11-22T17:09:20.689-06:00eat more work lessi had the opportunity to sit in on a Bible study class on Sunday and there was one comment that stuck out to me. it wasn't bad or made outside the lines of context, or wrong by any means. in fact it was terribly revealing. the class has been discussing Donald Miller's message called Free Market Jesus and a young lady said we shouldn't be trying to sell anyone Christianity.i totaly agree, but my .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-29819314277125348342008-11-09T08:55:00.005-06:002008-11-09T09:03:14.919-06:00breathe HOPElast week i told you that we would look at Hope during this edition and it shows how remarkable God's timing truly is.just days ago, we the people, voted in an african american man for our president elect. regardless of where you sit on the political front, it is a great testimony to the progress of a nation in a positive direction. a direction that has been long overdue. we aren't going to .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-24755568803426810772008-11-09T08:51:00.005-06:002008-11-09T09:00:13.694-06:00personal holinessi have been reminded this week why i want to tell people about Christ, about His Love, about His Peace. i think it is different for everyone, but for me, it's HOPE.next week we will look at HOPE but this week i thought it would be good to step back from time to time and allow other people use their gifts to encourage us, push us, and motivate us to stay strong in our pursuit of God.so, an old .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-18592855053889623242008-10-24T15:49:00.004-05:002008-10-24T15:54:06.830-05:00morning reflectionsthis week has been a reminder of the brevity of life. i was reminded that i need to take better care of myself. i was reminded that we never know what tomorrow will bring.last night as i talked with my dear friend, jerry newton, on the phone i was confronted with the reality that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. jerry told me of how our good friend passed away wednesday morning. at one point i .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-28375093059832638692008-10-20T14:18:00.002-05:002008-10-20T14:26:05.160-05:00God Save The Queeni would have to say that my favorite book in the Bible to read is the book of Jeremiah. it's emotional, it's raw, it's dark and hopeful all at the same time. the characteristics that i see in the heart of Jeremiah, in his words and his passions, i can identify with. it is in Jeremiah that i was given my call. it is in the God breathed words spoken and written by the prophet that i felt God say to.:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-83902774087829885012008-10-13T15:18:00.004-05:002008-10-13T15:24:36.187-05:00one cross, three wedgesover the course of my 28 years of being in church i've noticed quite a bit about people who claim the name of Christ. some of these people produce great good for the kingdom and therefore the world, and others tear people down and cause massive chasms of division.some of you might know that i started walking with Christ when i was 20, in January of 2000. at that point in time life was beautiful, .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-30113876124431199242008-09-28T08:53:00.003-05:002008-09-28T08:57:23.589-05:00Pieces of mei've always felt like God asked me to do more than i was comfortable. at times it seems to be what He does most. it's as if He knows something will come out of my willingness to do anything he asks.sometimes it's good to look back and see what God has told us in the past. to see where He was taking us two years ago and see where we are today. this is one of the reasons i think journaling is .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-10232868374196580252008-09-28T08:46:00.005-05:002008-09-28T08:53:51.426-05:00She Was An Amazing Priestfor some of us location has great significance.location of a business.location of a house.location of a church.where we are at can affect how we hear a message. it can effect how we view the world around us or the people we encounter.it is the location of our childhood that has a tendency to attach baggage in our lives that acts as lenses we have to look through to see our world. sometimes these .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-43869955713067504682008-09-14T08:32:00.003-05:002008-09-14T08:38:34.584-05:00Just You And Godthe busier our schedules become, the quicker we lose track of the things of lasting importance. in the mix and madness that is our lives we often forget what having a significant relationship with someone looks like.jobs. hobbies. everyday run-of-the-mill errands. worries. kids activities. going to the gym. and many more that could be listed are some of the things that fill our calendars.the .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-46759815557610552642008-09-05T06:23:00.005-05:002008-09-05T06:28:20.958-05:00Sculptures of Jesusmost of us are familiar with the story in exodus 32 in which the hebrew people make for themselves a golden calf. often the scene runs through my mind of a charlton heston-esque moses running down a mountain for the sole purpose of throwing the ten commandment tablets onto the sculpture of a golden calf. as the tablets hit, sparks and flames erupt in an explosion.that is the story i've always .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-38101827733930372252008-09-03T14:47:00.005-05:002008-09-03T15:02:41.028-05:00Anonymous Christianity (inspired by Francis Chan)from the moment we begin our day we are bombarded with choices. choices of what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, where to get coffee, what to eat for lunch, where to buy groceries, clothes, shoes, etc. it is a never ending cycle of abundant choice.just take a look in your closet and notice how man pairs of shoes you have. how many shirts (even though we only wear our top 10)? how many belts, .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-35657084494069200012008-08-26T14:23:00.006-05:002008-08-26T14:43:03.008-05:00a gnostic hangoveri've begun to notice that we have this obsession with declaring certain things in our lives as spiritual and other things as secular or "non-spiritual".some of us work in the secular world, others in ministry. we have "christian" music on "christian" radio. forget the fact that the christian band plays pop music or rock, it's no longer either one of those genres; it's simply christian.many of us .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-46899315150826871122008-08-18T08:58:00.003-05:002008-08-18T09:01:10.491-05:00staggering realityas i sit and allow the new coldplay album to flow through my ears, i begin to think about all of the places that i've seen God move, all of the places i've seen people experience God's healing by His Grace.you'll find, if you haven't noticed already, that my heart gravitates toward the outcast. my heart and soul are pulled by a divine force to the people who spend their nights in bars and their .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505244525849679703.post-2668698649188003692008-08-18T08:55:00.001-05:002008-08-18T08:58:02.509-05:00risk managementsometimes i wonder if we are constantly trying to live our life like Job.i'm not talking about the time in life when Job had everything he knew taken from him and those he loved turned against him, but rather the "pre-trial" period in which all was going well.let's take a step back into Job's life before he loses everything. he had all the creature comforts a man could need in his day. we can .:rustinklafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303967678679132758noreply@blogger.com0