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

Two Fish Named Earwax

This definitely was a "You had to be there" story and no one remembers exactly what "there" was, but I'm going to do my best to explain why my sister has two fish named Earwax.

Several years ago, my mom had a student we'll call Eric for one reason and one reason only: that is not his name. Eric had this fascination with earwax. One day, we were sitting at the kitchen table eating our after school snack while Mom was doing dishes and telling us about Eric's earwax obsession. She started a sentence, "He has these two fish..."

"Named Earwax?" I asked, finishing the sentence for her in the only logical manner possible. No one knows what the real end of her sentence because we were all ridiculing Eric's supposed two fish named Earwax.

Eric never had two fish named Earwax but the joke stuck. Even when our other pets earned themselves obscure names based on bodily discharges, "earwax" was reserved for the two fish we didn't have. Oscar became "Booger," Christina became "Rash," Cassie became "Turd," and our male cat named Misty became "Puke" ("Puke did his thing"). Our family was Rash, Booger, Turd, Puke, and two fish named Earwax.

The only problem is that we still didn't have any fish much less two of them with the same unique name. For years, this is where the joke stayed (well, except for my aunt and uncle naming their dog Fish and our new cat being nicknamed Cow... our poor animals!).

This Christmas, Christina received a fish tank. Of course, now we could finally have our two fish named Earwax! Even though she calls her three fish Mo, Curly, and Larry they will forever be Earwax, Earwax, and Fishy to me. Frankly, my names are better because it took Christina a week before she realized she'd named her fish after the Three Stooges.

When she got a fresh-water shark, she named him Bruce after the shark in Finding Nemo. Creative? I think not. I renamed him "Juice." I then learned he's a red-tailed shark, but he looks more like an orange-tailed shark, so he became "Orange Juice."

Today's new fish was a catfish cleverly named "Kitty." Growing up, my mom had a catfish named Flat Bush. She said for awhile she even forgot he was catfish; he was a flat bush in her eyes. Therefore every catfish will forever be named Flat Bush.

"Man, Katie, your family is weird," you say.
"If you only knew," I respond.
"UPGRADE!" Laura screams.

Be sure to check in every week to hear about the newest additions to our family. Christina can have up to 11 inches worth of fish but not all in one fish and they have to be added one a week.

<>< Katie

Daily Mullings

I don't know what to write about today. I wrote a blog about smashing glass against the fire place, and I'm proud it as a writer but it doesn't have a point. I might post it anyway. I've toyed with the idea of explaining why my sister has two fish named Earwax but I think that's a "you had to be there" story and no quality of writing will do it justice. I could blog about Lyme disease since that's something that's become close to my heart and my aunt and uncle's dog was just diagnosed with it (missed by the first vet, big surprise there...). Or I could make reading this blog worth your time unlike the book I'm reading right now.

As of yesterday when I went to the bookstore, I am currently reading The Condition by Jennifer Haigh. Supposedly it's about a woman with Turner's Syndrome, a disease I did a case study on in 9th grade. Well, I'm 126 pages into it and I'm not quite sure what it's about. Way too many details about too many people. I understand explaining the lives of the five people in the family since they are all adults, but the lives of every person each individual has ever met is a little bit of overkill. Why am I reading this? I don't want you to ask the same about my blog. That is, assuming you're still reading. Is there anyone but Melissa here?

Oh! Storytime!
Since the story involves Bob you have to hear me like Bob hears everything I say: supersonic speed in a pitch so high only dogs can understand (I've been frequently told I'm "Telemundo in English").

A few weeks ago, I was the only attendee of HIGH SCHOOL Bible study. This isn't the first time this has happened, but in all previous instances I was still, well, the target audience. This particular week Bob had been prepared to teach on messianic prophesies as found in Zechariah (that's means everything in Zechariah the predicted Christ's coming). It was time to start and Bob looked around the room, "There's no one here," he announced.

"Am I no one?" I retorted.

"You know what meant," he said with a smile. Of course I did. I've only known Bob for seven years; that's enough time to know anyone's quirks (trust me, we both have plenty).

The two of us took a big step in our relationship and sat at the same bar table to investigate these passages. Even with both of our brains put together we could not wrap our minds around some of these passages. "But how does this predict Christ's coming?" "Are they talking about Christ here or not?" "Why do we insist this is Christ? This part came to fruition but not the rest of this." "What does this mean?" "The study Bible said THAT?"

Yeah, not a very educational but incredibly challenging. It was relaxing to wrestle with these ideas without a facade. Without either one of us needing the answers. Both of us were willing to admit we didn't understand.

"Maybe it's a good thing no one came today," he said at the end of our time.
"I came."
"That's what I mean. You're probably the only one who's ok leaving with more questions than answers," he said and paused. "I feel like a failure."
"You're not," I assured him. He was right: I was ok leaving with more questions than answers.
"I'm a failure. You're a failure," he said with a laugh. Thanks for the support, Bob. :-)

Learn to be ok with questions. They don't all need to be answered but that should not stop you from asking them.

What does this mean?
<>< Katie