The Joy of Brothers

I have been very blessed to grow up with three brothers! However, it has been quite interesting.

With three brothers, playing in the dirt was a blast. They had the coolest trucks and dirt equipment, but I always had the coolest dirt house.

With three brothers, my Barbie’s had G.I. Joe to marry. They also had camouflage clothes to go hunting in which they took the camo duct taped jeep. But when they had to go on a trip and needed to take a lot of clothes, I used G.I. Joe’s jeep.

With three brothers, I learned to be tough. They are all fairly ornery.

I hate to admit it, but with three brothers I also learned how to squeal just right to get them in trouble when I actually started it.

With three brothers, I have learned to give very detailed instructions of what I need. I’ve learned not to assume anything.

With three brothers, I have become a bow hunter… but I won’t say who won the last shooting contest.

With three brothers, it is always interesting when a guy comes to visit. They seem to think that is the ideal time to sit and clean their gun.

With three brothers, I have learned to have the utmost respect for guys.

I’m amazed at how much they have all grown up. My oldest brother, Nick, is about to graduate from the aviation maintenance program at Amarillo College. Zachary, who is about to be 18 will graduate from high school this year. Jack, my baby brother, just turned 16 and has his driver’s license. Wow, time sure does fly by fast!

They are all taller than me now. Zachary and Jack both a whole head taller! With them being so much bigger (and stronger now) it makes it interesting when I come home from college and we wrestle. Instead of me holding them down and picking on them, they sit there taking it for a second and then they just scoot me over.

If you are on Facebook, look me up and check out my photo album dedicated to my fantastic brothers!

I know that siblings can be very frustrating, but I pray that if there is a wall that has been built with a loved one, that it be knocked down and that relationship be restored. There isn’t anything in this world that is worth losing that relationship over.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

Let Your Light Shine

I love the light/darkness analogy found throughout the Bible.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. ~ John 3:19-21

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. ~ John 8:12

Your word is a lamp to my feed and a light for my path. ~ Psalm 119:105

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. ~Ephesians 5:8-10

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ~Matthew 6:21-23

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:14-16

As humans, we are no where near perfect but because of God’s love for us, He sent His son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so we no longer have to live in darkness.

My prayer this week is that we shine God’s light everywhere we go, to everyone we meet and that they know we love God by our actions and our words.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

Recharge and Renew

Spring break- woohoo! It’s a great time to kick back and enjoy sleeping in, no class and possibly a fun trip with friends.
Not only is spring break a time to recharge, but a time of renewal. Spring is the season for new growth to take root and flourish.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Some ideas for those who will be spending their time renewing their strength at home include:

Spring Break Movie Marathon- gather a group of friends, take a trip to the grocery store and all pitch in for snacks, then it’s off to spend the day watching movies.

Get Outside- grab a big group of friends and head to the park or a sports field and play some games of ultimate frisbee, football or go back to the elementary school days and play tag. Also if the weather is nice, jump on your bike and take a ride around town and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

Cook Dinner- bring the family together and cook dinner. It can be a team effort, or each person can choose a night. Be creative with your meals.

The following is a quick and easy dessert recipe I learned from a great friend and fantastic cook-

Lemonade Pie
1 can Eagle Brand
1 small container of Cool Whip
1 can (12oz.) Lemonade
2 Graham pie crusts
Mix together and pour in graham crust. Place in freezer overnight.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~Isaiah 30:28-31

Over spring break, take time to thank God for all the blessings He has poured out in our lives. Share His love with others – the dessert recipe makes two pies (wink, wink).

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

You are the Branch

I am the vine; you are the branch. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ~ John 15: 5-8

As a student at Texas Tech majoring in agricultural communications, horticulture is a required class. I’m amazed by how intricately God created the earth.

Grape vines are a great example of the verses from John. The vine provides support for the plant. It is rooted deep down, providing a solid foundation. From the vine stems the branches, which enable the plant to produce fruit. In order to be ‘fruitful’, the vine and branches must work together.

In examining my relationship with God, I’ve asked the following questions:
Am I a fruitful branch?
Is the fruit I produce good quality?
Have I been separated from the branch and am now trying to grow on my own?
And in my life, what areas need to be pruned?
Where do I spend time that is not productive?
Where does God want me to grow?

It isn’t always fun to face reality, but the great thing about the Bible is that there are answers to every problem. So how do we become a better branch in Christ?

In Galatians 5:22, it says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

Walking in love everywhere you go, shining God’s light to the family, friends and strangers you come in to contact with every day, and trusting in God and His will for your life are all ways to grow stronger in Him.

This week I challenge you to memorize the fruit of the Spirit. Write them on a note card and hang it on your bathroom mirror or carry it with you in your pocket. Reflect on what each one means and how to apply it to your every day living. Cherish these words in your heart.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

I ♥ Beef

February is American Heart Month. During this month, thousands of volunteers have been raising funds for research and education and passing along information about heart disease and stroke.

According to the Beef Council, “A healthy diet and lifestyle are some of the best weapons for fighting heart disease. A heart-healthy diet with moderate amounts of lean protein such as lean beef can provide your body with the nutrients it needs for optimal health. In fact, lean beef has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease, through the following:

Feel Full Longer: According to a 2007 Journal of Medicine study, protein has more staying power than carbohydrates and fat. Eating a moderately high protein diet can curb hunger and reduce the body's desire to eat. This is important because obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Improve Muscle Strength and Metabolism: Research has shown that including high quality protein such as lean beef in the diet helps to optimize muscle strength and metabolism, thus helping to improve overall health. Eating at least 4 ounces of lean, high quality protein at each meal may help maintain muscle mass and provide energy essential to leading a healthy lifestyle.

Improve Blood Cholesterol Levels: A 3-ounce serving of lean beef is composed of 50% monounsaturated fats, the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil. Another 20% of the fats in that same 3-ounce serving comes from stearic acid, a fatty acid shown to have a neutral response on blood cholesterol. In addition, a study published in the Archives of Medicine found that lean beef is just as effective as skinless chicken and fish at lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Beyond these benefits, many people are surprised to hear that beef not only offers POWER in the protein but that many of your favorite cuts of beef are lean and fit into a heart-healthy diet. Did you know that there are actually 29 cuts of beef that are LEAN, meaning they contribute less than 200 calories, less than 10 grams of total fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fat and less than 90 milligrams of cholesterol per 3-ounce serving?

Choose from your favorite lean beef cuts for dinner tonight and discover a complete recipe for better heart-health with lean protein, nine essential nutrients and great taste!”

For recipe’s and a list of the 29 cuts of lean beef, visit www.txbeef.org.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. ~Proverbs 4:23

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

Bulls & Boys

The cattle industry has taught me a lot about life. Everything from responsibility to life and death, cattle are good teachers. In a conversation with my dad, I recently discovered that dating is a lot like finding a good herd bull.

“A systematic approach to finding and identifying the “right” bull is imperative,” according to the Systematic Approach to Buying a Bull, published by the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Step 1- Identify Herd Goals- Herd goals serve as the foundation for sire selection and provide guidance as to traits with the most relevance.

Step 2- Assess Herd Strengths and Weaknesses- Basic performance parameters are necessary to serve as the basis for assessing areas of strength and those needing attention.

Step 3- Establish Selection Priorities- Focus on a handful of priority traits rather than attempting to change many traits simultaneously.

My dad and I agreed that it’s key for the ‘bull’ to have sound structure, a good disposition and that he stays in the home pasture.

Highly heritable traits are important. How have the sire and dam performed? In addition to these traits, recessive genes are also good to take note of through a look at the rest of the herd.

And I think it’s imperative to know when to keep ‘em and when to cull ’em.

The joy of this last part is that it doesn’t have to be solely your decision. God is a good one to listen to considering He sees the big picture.

Proverbs 16:3 says, Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.


Proverbs 3:6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.

I know without a doubt that God has an amazing plan for my life. I pray for my future husband and look forward to the day when God brings us together.

Also, I do pray that he’s tough hided and has a good sense of humor. He’s going to need it when my dad starts asking him about his EPD’s and Gene Star DNA scores.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

Anna-Lisa Smile

I just love how God works! I recently attended the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 2010 Annual Cattle Industry convention in San Antonio and met the most amazing acquaintances. After becoming friends on Facebook, I discovered that one of them has a blog (the joy of technology!).

She hit the nail on the head with her latest post-
“Perception vs. Reality is not only a battle in my attempting to weed out the bad guys, it's a battle on every field in every arena of our lives. How are we perceived?

When I was in the Word this morning I ran across a wonderful passage in James. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.~ James 1:22.

Are you perceived as a follower by every interaction that you have with others? Am I? Maybe if we do what the Word says and not only listen to it, other's perceptions of us will be our reality.

I am reminded of the song "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love". The Word tells us to love on people, in fact he says, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 1 John 3:23.

One of my gifts from the Lord is the desire to love on people. I love to help people, care for people, guide people and really just love on others. So much so that often I fall behind on what I need to be doing for me, i.e. cleaning the house etc.

It is my hope that when I love on others they will see the Lord's light in me. They will see that He is the center of my being and that only By HIS Grace, am I me.

Do others know you are a Christian? Do they notice your behavior? How are you perceived? I would encourage you to think about this and truly seek to do what the Word says. Make the Lord the center of every conversation and a guest at every table. Exceed perception and strive to exceed expectation. Remember that it is By His Grace...”

I encourage you to check out her blog at http://anna-lisa-smile.blogspot.com.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.