Meet Chelsea Kauflin. Pt. 3

talia: So tell us what you do.

chelsea: i work for my dad at Sovereign Grace Ministries, and LOVE it. it has been such an awesome thing receiving emails and talking to people all over about how my dad and Sovereign Grace Ministries has impacted their lives. it has only made me more grateful for Sovereign Grace and the work that they're doing.

talia: Since you come from a musical family, do you play any instruments, sing or write music?

chelsea: yes, i get this question asked all the time. i am from a musical family and i do not play anything. i have tried playing violin, guitar, and piano, but never liked it enough to practice every day. i do sing, but not nearly as much as i used to. writing...not so much. though i have tried numerous times to go up to my room and start to write a song...i guess the writing genes just skipped me? most everyone in my family writes music. i am the unique one.

[Chelsea is being modest. she didn't mention this, but she is featured on the upcoming Sovereign Grace Kids worship CD "To Be Like Jesus" coming out soon. We heard a couple tracks, and it's awesome. Better than the first one.]

talia: What's your favorite hymn?

chelsea: one of my favorite hymns is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" i can't stop listening to it:

Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

such a good reminder to me that i am so prone to wander, no matter how strong i think i am. my prayer is that i would not lose sight of this and be ever leaning on grace to fight this battle.

"My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less" is another favorite. the whole song from vs. 1 stating where my hope is, from vs 2. reminding me that i should never doubt when darkness comes because his grace for me is the same, and to be reminded to look back at all the times he has been faithful, vs. 3 even when times are hard, his promises to me never change. even though it might not be the way that i think is best, he does. from vs. 4 my prayer, that i would always be found in him, never straying but building my life in him.

"In Christ Alone" is a good one as well.

Thank you Chelsea! Your testimony is a blessing to us.

[Chelsea will be working the Sovereign Grace Music table at the Resolved Conference 2009 in Palm Springs]

Meet Chelsea Kauflin. Pt 2

talia:  During that time of reading, praying, and talking to your parents after you had been let go from ministry and work at the church, what were some books or passages of scripture that God used to turn you around.

chelsea:  the book that impacted my life the most is Disciplines of Grace by Jerry Bridges. this book helped me realize just how desperate i am in need of God and his grace on my life. this book really humbled me and made me more aware of how i cannot do anything in my own strength. also, the book of psalms, proverbs, and james, were books that i really meditated on. the truth of those books was just what i needed and continually need to hear.

talia:  What robs you of your satisfaction in Christ most? How do you fight for that satisfaction?

chelsea:  my eyes have always been drawn to things of this world. i can constantly feel the pull from the world thinking that if i buy this, or if i'm with this person...i will be happy. these temptations jump at me most when i am going through times of diversity. when i am not trusting in God's promises for me, i can often feel like God really doesn't have my best interest at heart (ps 84:11), and he will never give me what i really want. during these times, i seek things that i believe will make me happy. God is always showing me that i can only find complete satisfaction in him after i believe the lies that my flesh tell me. and by God's grace, i hope to reach the point when i'm not giving into the lies, but instead, resting on the promises that the Lord has given his children.

talia:  What excites you most about the gospel?

chelsea:  well, the more and more i see my sin, the more glorious the gospel appears. this means that by God's grace, i will only be more and more amazed by the gospel. i can come to God as a filthy sinner and yet be seen as someone who is clean. and not only me, my friends and family have all been cleansed of their sin as well. and if we have all been saved by grace, so can many other people. there is nothing that i need to do to prove myself worthy since it has already been done for me on the cross. what a releasing thought.

talia:  What is your life mission?

chelsea:  my life mission, is really to "live a life worthy of the calling i have received" (eph 4). i want everyone that knows me to know who i live for. i want people to be drawn to Christ by the way they see me living. i want my eyes to be taken off myself and what i need and turned to all the people that God has placed around me. i hope to be a woman that "does good all the days of her life" (prov. 31) not for my good, but for God's glory.

[stay tuned for the conclusion of "Meet Chelsea Kauflin"]