Be intentional

This semester, the theme on campus has kind of been "Be Intentional."  Be intentional in spending time with God.  Be intentional in your friendship.  Be intentional in sharing Christ.  Be intentional in loving others... It took on a whole new meaning for me tonight.

As part of the college ministry at my Baptist church, John, Keith, David, and I went out on Friday evening.  It was a little weird because I was the only female among three guys.  Before coming to college, my only brother was the tractor.  I didn't have a lot of male friends.  I was pretty much clueless as to how guys work.  Well, ok, I still am but I'm learning.  Last night was a nice challenge for me. 

Putt putt was fun.  I won!  I had the highest score!  Unlike in soccer (which I still call futbol), you can use anything and everything including my proper end of my golf club, the handle end of the club (like a pool cue), my feet, my hands, and even my mouth (I blew the fall into the hole).  Yes, I rock at mini golf!  However, I did have one advantage: the guys kept complaining about the nasty water/fish stench.  I grew up on the shore of a great lake... I smelt it but it didn't bother me.  :-) 

After mini golf, we went to the coffee shop and shared life.  All four of us are bloggers, students, and Christians, but that's about where the similarities end. Sure, we're less than ten years apart in age, but we're all at different stages in life.  The first time I ever worked with each of these guys individual, it was in various ministry settings.  I see them as wonderful men of God and in their presence I don't feel the need to constantly be concerned with my appearance (or anything else girls fret about in a co-ed environment).  Last night, we were each open with how we were doing academically and (more importantly) spiritually.  It was great to hear what God is doing in the lives of these gentlemen.  I know He's got great things in mind for them.

David, Keith, and I had each shared, and we were about ready to wrap up.  Keith looked at John, "And how are you doing?"  Keith and I are a lot alike--same double major, same germ-phobia, same thesis topic, same short attention span, etc.--but his conversation-starting ability is much better than mine.  Sometimes it's a simple, "How is Katie today?"  Other times, "What have you read lately?"  Or, my personal favorite yet the most intimidating, "How are you and God doing lately?"

I was not surprised when he turned John's question around back on John himself.  John, on the other than, was a little taken aback by it.

"You know, it's been a long time since someone has asked me that.  My pastor does periodically, but no one else.  Be aware of that if you go into ministry, no one asks how you're doing spiritually."

Eventually he gave us an answer, and we closed in prayer.  His words, however, stayed with me: no one ever asks you that once you become a minister.

Do me a favor, be intentional about making a moment to ask your pastor how he or she is doing.  If you're not comfortable with that, ask how you can pray for him/her most accurately.  Be sure you follow through with that prayer, too!  And follow up. 

Even if you don't have the opportunity to ask your pastor, be intentional about asking someone.

Let me ask you: how are you and God doing?  How can I most accurately pray for you?  If you don't want to comment publically, pull me aside in the caf, send me an email, do something.  I'd love to hear about what God is doing in your life and where you need some extra prayer.

Learning to be intentional and how to play mini golf,
<>< Katie

Catch Phrase

For being an English major, I'm shockingly bad at Catch Phrase. The words pop up on the screen and those words I want to say are ones I'm not allowed to use. It helps me to know Keith, who speaks almost as many languages and I do, isn't good at it either. He just sits there and screams, "OOHH!, OKAY! UHHH!!!"

I, on the other hand, stare blankly, "I don't know who this is."

"It's a person," someone guesses.

"Yes, a man."
"Describe him."

Okay, if I don't know who a person is, how on earth am I going to describe him? Lucky for me, Allyson started shouting out mens' first names and hits the right one, Jack. My entire team began listing famous people with the first name Jack. When I heard, "Jack Nicholson" I threw the controller at Nikki, sitting behind me on the couch.

"That's not what it says!" Nikki exclaimed. She'd been peering over my shoulder, enjoying my struggle. "It says Jack Nicklaus."

"Are they two different people? I don't know who either one of those people are," I admitted. A year ago I would have struggled and continued the game, lying, if necessary, that I'd heard someone say "Jack Nick-claus."

David leapt to my rescue explaining who each person was, and they gave my team a point anyway.

This same thing happens in Apples to Apples all of the time. I'll throw people-cards cluelessly if I don't have anything better to put in. Sometimes the other players find the choice hilarious and I win; other times they find the card offensive. Oops.

Learning to ask questions and admit when I don't know something,
<>< Katie

PS: I do know that text messages reading, "WHAT NO BLOG YET??? Are you alive? Are you conscious? Did you get eaten by a walrus? You do realize it's almost 4 and thus you have 8 hours left to blog" really mean "My day is not complete until Katie updates her brilliant blog. Perhaps she has forgotten about my dependency on reading it and therefore I shall remind her."