Kristen Welch

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Kristen

Today, I Turn 50 (and Begin a New Job)

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“Intelligence, goodness, humanity, excitement, serenity. Over time, these are the things that change the musculature of your face, as do laughter and animation and especially whatever peace you can broker with the person inside.

It’s furrow, pinch and judgment that make us look older — our mothers were right. They said that if you made certain faces, they would stick and they do. But our mothers forgot that faces of kindness and integrity stick as well.”— Anne Lamott

I’m either halfway done or just getting started. It’s all in how you look at it. When I turned 49 last year, I dreaded my 50th birthday. It’s here and you know what, the view is not only good, it’s lovely.

To celebrate, I bought my first pair of readers, started a new therapeutic hobby (painting flowers on my back porch) and I became the CEO of Mercy House Global.

After 8 years of hard work and sacrifice, my husband (who has served as the CEO) is stepping down to care for our family in a new way and I am stepping up. I’m excited and kind of terrified, but those feelings aren’t really new.

I am a couple short years away from a completely empty nest and I hope we are like fine wine, getting better with age. I’m ready for what’s next.. who knew I’d be leading a staff of over 30 women who also happen to be the largest group of licensed forklift drivers in our county! ”Women may be the one group that grows more radical with age,” Gloria Steinhem.

I wanted to quickly jump on this space and say thanks for being on this long road with me. Most of you have watched my children grow up and supported Mercy House Global in some way. Thanks for being a part of my life along the way.

And to all of us aging as gracefully as we can:

“Listen to your heart.. you are becoming more fully and completely who you were created to be.

It is a whisper that says you are being called to something new. It is a gentle voice that seems to say, ‘Ah, now I have your attention.’ It is a voice that has been patiently waiting to speak truth you would be able to hear.

We are no longer in that part of life when we simply respond to parents, children, husbands, jobs, the PTA, and recycling schedules. We are not spending every single minute trying to keep everyone else happy.”  -Dale Bourke

Unlock the Door to the Happiest Holiday Season Today

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You haven’t really lived until you’ve been given the last of what others are living on. It’s happened to me more than once. This time last year, I stood in the doorway of an apartment in Houston with bags of groceries. I was there on a chilly November day with my family on behalf of Mercy House Global to welcome a family who had just escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and were being relocated to my city. Due to a hiccup in the resettlement system, hundreds of families were in limbo and it ... Read More

This Is What Faithful People Do

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This week, my family will sit around the table together for the first time in months. Only a mother with a mostly empty nest understands the tenderness of this statement. My kids are almost entirely grown up and this old parenting blog remains idle much of the time until I have something new to say. It seems like I’m the kid these days, learning what comes next. There are so many things I want to tell you about what God is teaching me right now: how leading with a limp will make you grow, ... Read More

Complete the Circle

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Dignity is another word for decency—and when it’s missing, God created us to demand justice. 12-year-old pregnant girls Indentured teenagers Child brides Underage laborers Survival prostitutes Orphan-led homes Violated minors These words shouldn’t go together. When we see them side-by-side on a page, we are offended because innocence and evil shouldn’t commingle. It’s unnatural, unholy, and unacceptable. Our first reaction is to stop and help. Sadly, these ... Read More

Woven Together

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She tugged slightly on the thread and gathered the woven fabric under her fingers. With a critical eye, she leaned back to give her creation a better look. A smile formed at the corner of her mouth. It was good. I watched this play out as she sat at a large wooden loom, in a light-filled room, in a slum in the heart of Kenya this week. I wish I could describe the feeling of hope that settled into my soul --how the pull and push of the loom and the rhythmic cadence sounded like a  steady heart ... Read More

Turning Your Pit Into a Well

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I have spent much of 2022 in a pit. I don’t say that to alarm you. I share it because it’s true. On one particularly hard day, my husband was also struggling to hope and he said jokingly, “I need you to throw me a rope, so I can climb out of this pit.” I said  “Dude, you’re standing on my shoulders.” And so we wallowed in the pit together. Fun times. While I don’t have three easy steps to climb out of the darkness, I can tell you that deep pits that threaten to destroy us can become ... Read More

Something New Will Be Born in the Pain

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Nearly two years ago, I dropped shrunken dried bulbs into what I hoped would become a flower garden. I didn’t know that bulbs have a top and a bottom. I planted them upside down and covered them with thick dirt. I buried hope in the ground upside down. Stay with me. Did those large dormant seeds even stand a chance buried in the darkness ? Here’s the incredible truth about a seed: because it was born to grow, it reaches for the light. I don’t know how it happens, but somehow in ... Read More

Jesus is Praying for You Right Now

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When I was a child, I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard something in the next room. It scared me at first, the muffled words. My childhood wasn’t perfect, but my parents did their best. I got out of bed and snuck around the corner and saw my dad in his old blue robe kneeling at his favorite chair. His Bible was open: I stopped short because I heard my name. I have carried this memory with me—of my father— praying over me in the next room. These are heavy days and I have ... Read More