I had the opportunity to witness family life again this weekend and it was good. :-)
The youngest son spend quite a while leaping off of the couch attempting to retrieve a lady bug from the ceiling. Eventually he was successful and ran to show his parents in the kitchen.
"Look, Dad! He's not dead anymore!" The son stretched out his finger allowing his father to take a closer look at the ladybug stretching his wings.
"I don't know; I think he's dead," the father teased.
"No! Dad! Look! He's not dead! He's moving!"
"I don't think he's really moving; I think it's your imagination."
"NO! DAD! LOOK!!" The son insisted.
Eventually the lady bug flew up right into the father's face and onto the window.
"You were right, son!" the father admitted as they both watched the ladybug explore his new freedom.
Like the son worked persistently to retrieve the bug, we have to persevere in life. Even once we're successful, there will be skeptics telling us we're wrong. However, in the end, our efforts will not be futile because God is faithful.
This most certainly is true. :-)
<>< Katie
"More than that we rejoice in our sufferings because we know sufferings produce endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us down to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Rain, Rain Go Away
It's pouring down buckets today. It has been since I first woke up this morning and probably won't stop anytime soon. Honestly, I hate rainy days... well... because everything's wet. The ends of your pants, your backpack, your fleece jacket, everything is wet. (Then there's the almost impossible goal of not getting the cell phone wet). Even if you're carrying an umbrella, you often wonder: what's the point?
I left the caf this morning and walked across campus to my first class. I eat breakfast with the same two girls just about every morning and one of them heads to the same building I do afterwards. I let her slide under my umbrella and we walked to class. We went up the steps onto the porch and were just about to enter the building when she goes, "Oh, crap! I just remember I have class in the library today!" We spent 5 minute walking to this one building trying not to get wet, only to realize she needed to go one building over from where we just were and had to get wet to do so. I felt bad.
Was all that effort to say dry futile?
Two classes later, I left a building and a friend ducked under my umbrella. We were halfway across the parking lot before he was like, "Where are you going?" I told him I was headed to the caf and it turned out to be a different building than I was, but he needed to pass the caf anyway. We walked along together for awhile (can I please say it's hard to hold a small umbrella over two people when you both have huge backpacks!) and I needed to enter the building. He jumped in front of me and opened the door for me. (He then decided he would stop in this building on his way to class). It made me ponder general roles in today's society (wow, that sounds like an essay topic...). Thoughts?
Have a fantastic day and do a random act of kindness!
<>< Katie
"But just as He who called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be Holy because I am Holy.'" - 1 Peter 1:15-16
I left the caf this morning and walked across campus to my first class. I eat breakfast with the same two girls just about every morning and one of them heads to the same building I do afterwards. I let her slide under my umbrella and we walked to class. We went up the steps onto the porch and were just about to enter the building when she goes, "Oh, crap! I just remember I have class in the library today!" We spent 5 minute walking to this one building trying not to get wet, only to realize she needed to go one building over from where we just were and had to get wet to do so. I felt bad.
Was all that effort to say dry futile?
Two classes later, I left a building and a friend ducked under my umbrella. We were halfway across the parking lot before he was like, "Where are you going?" I told him I was headed to the caf and it turned out to be a different building than I was, but he needed to pass the caf anyway. We walked along together for awhile (can I please say it's hard to hold a small umbrella over two people when you both have huge backpacks!) and I needed to enter the building. He jumped in front of me and opened the door for me. (He then decided he would stop in this building on his way to class). It made me ponder general roles in today's society (wow, that sounds like an essay topic...). Thoughts?
Have a fantastic day and do a random act of kindness!
<>< Katie
"But just as He who called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be Holy because I am Holy.'" - 1 Peter 1:15-16
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My printer is satan... well... sorta
My desk is currently a mess. I'm pretty sure there's wood holding it up, but at the moment you couldn't tell that by looking at it. In fact, the heap next to my desk currently consists of two newspapers, my Bible, three pads of paper, three books, two or eight old tests, my cell phone, a game card I'm "borrowing" from the coffee shop (they spelled "Indiana" like "Indianna", call me a nerd, but I was forced against my will to copy it for my "grammar oops" book!), and a plethora of other random papers. This thing is massive!
Last night, I plugged in my printer, told it to print my outline for small group, and walked across the room. Since my printer is up on a "shelf", it usually throws it's completed jobs onto the heap on my desk. Well, yesterday the heap was too huge. I heard the paper fall and knew it was done but the fall sounded huge. I turned around and what did I find: the printer threw my paper all the way across the room. Not just onto my desk. Not onto my chair. Not even onto the floor. No, all the way across the room (just goes to show the size of my room...)
As I bent over to pick it up, I realized the printer had achieved Satan's primary goal. Satan isn't happy to just to pull us away from God a little bit and throw us on the desk. No, he wants to throw us all the way across the room away from God so we couldn't reach Jesus if we tried.
Are you going to let Satan pull you away or are you going to stand firm?
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we have become conscious of sin." -Romans 3:20
Last night, I plugged in my printer, told it to print my outline for small group, and walked across the room. Since my printer is up on a "shelf", it usually throws it's completed jobs onto the heap on my desk. Well, yesterday the heap was too huge. I heard the paper fall and knew it was done but the fall sounded huge. I turned around and what did I find: the printer threw my paper all the way across the room. Not just onto my desk. Not onto my chair. Not even onto the floor. No, all the way across the room (just goes to show the size of my room...)
As I bent over to pick it up, I realized the printer had achieved Satan's primary goal. Satan isn't happy to just to pull us away from God a little bit and throw us on the desk. No, he wants to throw us all the way across the room away from God so we couldn't reach Jesus if we tried.
Are you going to let Satan pull you away or are you going to stand firm?
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we have become conscious of sin." -Romans 3:20
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Are you kidding me?
"You have a LOT of white socks," Megan said walking into my room late last night. She chastised me about doing laundry on a Saturday night (I didn't tell her that I labeled the bones on all of the skeletons in the building on Friday night...) and teased me about my plethora of white socks. She and her friend were on rounds and they were excited to actually see hints of life on my hall (my door being open was it...). That was our conversation: white socks and dead hall. They then left me to ponder my socks and PAH!
I remember when I was really little, I was sorting socks for my mom and commented that my dad had a lot of black socks. She told me he he pretty much only wears black sock. I remembering thinking that was nuts and could not understand how anyone could only wear one color of socks.
Well, friends, the tables turned a few years after that and since I was like eight, I've only worn white socks. I will admit, I spend more time musing about socks than any sane person should (I have home socks and college socks and they're all white, it's that bad), but it wasn't until last night when I was talking to Megan that I realized something important regarding white socks.
As the hymn says, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow." Jesus washed away our sins just like He washed the feet of the disciples in John 13. I was a member of the black foot tribe, but He washed my feet clean and now they're white.
And that is why I wear white socks. In case you were ever wondering.
In Christ
<>< Katie
"Jesus answered, 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.'" John 13:10
I remember when I was really little, I was sorting socks for my mom and commented that my dad had a lot of black socks. She told me he he pretty much only wears black sock. I remembering thinking that was nuts and could not understand how anyone could only wear one color of socks.
Well, friends, the tables turned a few years after that and since I was like eight, I've only worn white socks. I will admit, I spend more time musing about socks than any sane person should (I have home socks and college socks and they're all white, it's that bad), but it wasn't until last night when I was talking to Megan that I realized something important regarding white socks.
As the hymn says, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow." Jesus washed away our sins just like He washed the feet of the disciples in John 13. I was a member of the black foot tribe, but He washed my feet clean and now they're white.
And that is why I wear white socks. In case you were ever wondering.
In Christ
<>< Katie
"Jesus answered, 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.'" John 13:10
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Hello, Tokyo?
There's a banana sitting on my desk that I was supposed to eat for breakfast and didn't. I am strongly resisting the urge to pick it up and the conversation would follow something like this,
"Hello? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh, you want Laura? Ok, here she is."
Even though I am a firm believer that Laura is a four year old somedays, her reaction would probably be, "What the crap?"
Although it would go perfectly both with what the speaker was discussing tonight and an "argument" Laura and I were having.
Laura and I were trying to decide who loves the other more. She said she loves me more and wins the argument because she's older (this is my friend Laura). I came back with the fact that I love her more because I am younger and come with the love of a child. I won even if I did have to call myself a child. Sometimes being a child is a good thing, sometimes it's not. Natalie would love to discuss how breast milk is perfect for babies but not so good for adults...
The speaker tonight was discussing Matthew 16:13-16 and how we need to go deeper with our relationship with Christ than just what we learned in VBS and Sunday School. VeggieTales only teach one so much. If you're still thinking the Babylonians prevented their wall from being knocked down by throwing slurpies, you need to think again. Great story for kids, not so good for college students. Dig deeper, respond to God. It's not just find "A", "B", and "C" plug them in and get "X" (Thank goodness because I hate math!), it's a lot harder than that and we need to search and answer who Jesus is for ourselves.
Good news: God doesn't need a banana "phone" to talk to you. That way it doesn't get all mushy in your hair! He's calling, go pick up!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"'But what about you?' He asked. 'Who do you say I am?" Matthew 16:15 (emphasis mine).
"Hello? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh, you want Laura? Ok, here she is."
Even though I am a firm believer that Laura is a four year old somedays, her reaction would probably be, "What the crap?"
Although it would go perfectly both with what the speaker was discussing tonight and an "argument" Laura and I were having.
Laura and I were trying to decide who loves the other more. She said she loves me more and wins the argument because she's older (this is my friend Laura). I came back with the fact that I love her more because I am younger and come with the love of a child. I won even if I did have to call myself a child. Sometimes being a child is a good thing, sometimes it's not. Natalie would love to discuss how breast milk is perfect for babies but not so good for adults...
The speaker tonight was discussing Matthew 16:13-16 and how we need to go deeper with our relationship with Christ than just what we learned in VBS and Sunday School. VeggieTales only teach one so much. If you're still thinking the Babylonians prevented their wall from being knocked down by throwing slurpies, you need to think again. Great story for kids, not so good for college students. Dig deeper, respond to God. It's not just find "A", "B", and "C" plug them in and get "X" (Thank goodness because I hate math!), it's a lot harder than that and we need to search and answer who Jesus is for ourselves.
Good news: God doesn't need a banana "phone" to talk to you. That way it doesn't get all mushy in your hair! He's calling, go pick up!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"'But what about you?' He asked. 'Who do you say I am?" Matthew 16:15 (emphasis mine).
Monday, September 29, 2008
Happy birthday, Kaitlyn!
Today is Kaitlyn's birthday. Unfortunately, she's not having a very happy one. Her birthday consists of the daily trip to the clinic for treatment followed by the necessity of eating despite the nausea. That's not to mention the light, noise, and touch sensitivity.
Kaitlyn's my sisters' friend that I haven't seen in four years. Were she in any other condition, today would go on as normal. Instead, it's causing me to pause and reflect and find a good Kaitlyn story. I could tell countless stories about her big sister. Several about her family in general, but Kaitlyn? There's the memory of crouching in the closet listening to her pace the hallway calling my name during an intense game of "Hide and Seek". Or the time we were in the basement for the tornado warning with their grandma.
A different story comes to mind and causes me to feel guilty. I usually wasn't the girl who made fun of other kids, but one afternoon I made fun of one of Kaitlyn's friends for being a little different. Kait's sister totally called me out on it.
"It's not her fault she has a speech impairment."
Ouch. I was caught up in the physical attributes of this girl and missed who was hiding behind her crimped blond hair. Kaitlyn was able to look beyond that and see a good friend. Let's learn from Kait's love and Katie's mistake! :-)
In Christ,
<>< Katie
(This was supposed to be posted yesterday... oops)
Kaitlyn's my sisters' friend that I haven't seen in four years. Were she in any other condition, today would go on as normal. Instead, it's causing me to pause and reflect and find a good Kaitlyn story. I could tell countless stories about her big sister. Several about her family in general, but Kaitlyn? There's the memory of crouching in the closet listening to her pace the hallway calling my name during an intense game of "Hide and Seek". Or the time we were in the basement for the tornado warning with their grandma.
A different story comes to mind and causes me to feel guilty. I usually wasn't the girl who made fun of other kids, but one afternoon I made fun of one of Kaitlyn's friends for being a little different. Kait's sister totally called me out on it.
"It's not her fault she has a speech impairment."
Ouch. I was caught up in the physical attributes of this girl and missed who was hiding behind her crimped blond hair. Kaitlyn was able to look beyond that and see a good friend. Let's learn from Kait's love and Katie's mistake! :-)
In Christ,
<>< Katie
(This was supposed to be posted yesterday... oops)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Song of the Sick
Well, it's official: I have the cold that's going around. Despite washing my hands incessantly and drinking a case of water (and then some) in four days (approximately 13 liters), I am sick. I wonder if orthodontists know that translucent sheath retainers make it almost impossible to breathe.
When I get sick, it attacks my speaking voice first followed by my singing voice. Even though I've sounded like crap all day, I was able to sing to God tonight and actually keep the song in the right key! It was an amazing miracle!
By the end of night, my singing voice was going quickly and I started squoaking. Well, go figure the next song was "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. My sign choir did this song last year, so when my voice disappeared, I praised God with my hands.
Lord, God, I give You all that I have. I will praise You will all that I have. Whether You take those abilities away from me or not, I will praise You!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." Psalm 86:12
When I get sick, it attacks my speaking voice first followed by my singing voice. Even though I've sounded like crap all day, I was able to sing to God tonight and actually keep the song in the right key! It was an amazing miracle!
By the end of night, my singing voice was going quickly and I started squoaking. Well, go figure the next song was "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. My sign choir did this song last year, so when my voice disappeared, I praised God with my hands.
Lord, God, I give You all that I have. I will praise You will all that I have. Whether You take those abilities away from me or not, I will praise You!
In Christ,
<>< Katie
"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." Psalm 86:12
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