Meet Kelly

Hi there!  It’s nice to meet you!  Let’s pretend we’re meeting over hot drinks in fancy mugs with kitschy sayings like, “I’m a good egg, just a little cracked,”while we chat, share our stories, cry, and, oh, laugh until we almost pee our pants.  Yes, I grew up in a very blue-collar Midwestern town where we like to say what we think more than might be considered appropriate in some circles.  You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.  I’ve lived in the South for a lot of years now, though, so, it isn’t uncommon for me to be able to throw a ‘you’s guys’ and ‘y’all’ right on into the same sentence.

It’s my joy to meet you!  I’m Kelly Head. No joke.  That is my name. I’m a kellyhead whose sometimes a sillyhead.  I’m also wife to my ‘Weetie,’ Jason and mommy to three littles ages two, four and six.

I’m glad to see you looking around here searching for beauty, joy, purpose and a life filled with all things flourishing.  I get that.  Me too – I’m always looking for ways to cross the Jordan and enter into that Promised Land, I’m not totally dwelling there yet, but aren’t you thankful for His grace, wisdom and promises that are slathered along the pathway there? Those little gems found hidden amongst crusty earth are water to our thirsty, often-tired, souls.

Life was bumping along fairly well up until about a year ago, as we practiced at living the American dream, Christian style. We had our home, kids, church, law practice, friends, schools, dog.  Life was tied up with a lovely bow. We were happy. Mostly.

But, somewhere along the way the bow started to fray. It was like biting into a delicious-looking donut only to discover there was no jelly inside. Just dry, less than satisfying; not as good as expected, bites that were a little hard to swallow.

We felt our souls stirring for something more. A calling. A hunger. A deep desire to live a life that might matter beyond our short years here on this planet. Legacy.  Ahh, that word.  Legacy.  It’s a word that can handle more than a dollop of unpacking. We tried (really, really hard), but we just couldn’t shake it. People who loved us tried to talk us out of it. But in the end it turned out that this ”living beyond ourselves” business had us loading up our minivan, giving away a huge amount of “stuff,” packing away our businesses, renting out our home, and moving to Texas to attend Bible school – all in just a matter of weeks.  We didn’t get to say proper good bye’s and we even had to give our sweetest, bestest-ever-dog Lucy away.  Sniffle.  Okay, roaring wailing.  She was such an amazing dog. Still is, and fortunately lavished with love by her new forever mama.

But, despite the uncertainty, we pressed on in hope. Life surviving on fumes of faith, here we come!  So, we’re now reinventing what the next 40 years of life might look when we let go. Scary and humbling? You betcha. Exciting?  Yeah, it’s that too.  We get why some have called us nutters, because we wonder if we’re crazy ourselves half the time!  But don’t worry.  We’re okay with being a little crazy.  I promise, it really is kind of fun to let go and let God and the wonderful things He pours into our lives when we do!  Too, it probably will not mean totally packing up your life, but if you’re looking for some ways to add beauty, meaning and to really FLOURISH in all areas of life – I know you can! You’ve come to the right place!

Okay, so, my life isn’t all love and bubbles though. My life can be a tad nuts. Okay, it’s a Sam’s Club-sized bin of mixed nuts. Sometimes when the kids play I turn on my praise therapy and cry out to God – okay, it’s a lot.  Like, all the time.  Oh, and the pursuit of all things simplified and organizational are also crucial to my sanity. I mean, you might actually gasp if you saw our apartment.  But that’s okay, I’m cool with simplified and tiny. We’ve met before.  I know exactly how to deal with the likes of you, Mr. Simplified Life. Yep, it’s called cultivating a spirit of gratitude.

I served in the Air Force as a journalist out of high school. Then, in the midst of some dark days after finishing my enlistment, I found Jesus. Or, rather, He found me, broken. In need of a savior.

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

I’ve been blessed to have written for Stars and Stripes, the Air Force Times and in Charisma Magazine.  Most recently I published and wrote for a small regional print magazine for a few years called Designed to Flourish. I’ve always dreamed of being a writer since as long as I can remember. Way back when I was in second grade, I actually tried to write a book. Yeah, it wasn’t great.  Hopefully I’ve improved.

But wait, can I tell you a secret? While some of us may be okay at putting “pen” to “paper,” downright poetic even, the only words that really matter are His. Yes, it is His divine words lived out loud in this often-dusty space called life that reign supreme. While I haven’t ”arrived” by a long shot, thankfully, I’m not exactly where I started either. Mercifully, He is with each of us.  Loving us.  Rooting for us. He cares too, not just about where we are on Sunday mornings, but the other stuff too. The spit-up, the too-tight jeans, the party we want to throw. This thing called life, lived with others in all its messy glory. He has wisdom for everything from our homes and friendships down to our views on money, sex and parenting.  Hopefully, you will find a lot of that on these pages.

If so, we’re humbly grateful for those who join on this journey towards living a life worthy of the one who gave it to us in the first place. It is exciting and scary, just like my journey to Texas, leaving all we knew behind. But the beauty and joy He pours out are just breathtakingly spectacular. Too, we can never out give the One who gave it all. His mercies are new each and every day, especially when we decide to live this life with passion and Holy abandon. Cheers ladies! Thanks for joining in. It’s gonna be awesome!! Let’s go do this thing!

Kelly

Ps – If you would  like to know more about Christ for the Nations where we are being trained, equipped and seeking to launch out into ministry from, you can do so here: http://www.cfni.org/about .

If you would like to be in touch with me, please email me at kelly@iflourishonline.com. I may not be able to get back to every single email straight away, but I do my very best! I love to hear from people! Or, you can always connect with me on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kellylynhead.

 If you would like to help further this publishing ministry,  you can do so here: http://iflourishonline.com/sponsor/.

Love and Prayers!
Kelly