Clothing

"I'm joining a nudist colony," I announced to my mother this afternoon.

"Um... Ok. Why?"

I spent two hours traveling through every clothing store in the mall, and I came home with four books and a new contacts perscription. Everything I tried on at had something wrong with it: This shirt makes me think of Grandpa, what's with the bows?, it looks like a checkerboard, if I wanted jeans with holes in them I'd wear the ones I have, yeah that's nice but move and boom FREE SHOW!... On and on and on for two hours.

Dressing modestly in today's world is a challenge. To put it lightly. Sure, there's always the popular potato sack, but really how can one run in a potato sack?

Bananagrams

I have a new favorite games: Bananagrams. It's basically like Scrabble but without the board, you play off your own letters, and you can rearrange. To me, the best part is flipping over your tiles for the first time and seeing what kind of crazy words you can make. I also love it when you're so frustrated you start rearranging insanely and are amazed and some of the words that pop up. Those words weren't there thirty seconds earlier, but now all of the sudden you have huge words like "Taxation" or "Planet" or "Quiver". They all appear.

In the same way, after you're looking at one thing (or aspect of life) in one manner for eons, it looks boring. You seem to feel like there's nowhere to go, no way to change, nothing. Yet if you rearrange a bit, break the rut, and suddenly all sorts of new options appear!

"I don't expect God to speak to me through that metal pole." - Jonathan
"BUT He can!" - Katie

<>< Katie

GOD LOVE

It's VBS week round two this week. The craft project the kids were working on was to make a three-layer cross out of Styrofoam and put words on it to read, "LOVE" going up and down and "GOD" going across. Well, some of the older kids are much too creative for these simple projects (our VBS kids range from age 3 to age 14... good luck keeping them all happy at once!).

One kid, took the three crosses and connected them top to bottom. At first glance, it looked like he had just stuck the letters on at random wherever he felt like it. But when I asked him to tell me about it he he said, "It's kind of hard to see at first, but look! Up and down it says 'LOVE.' And then, on the diagonal like this is says, 'GOD.'"

Isn't that life? At first glance it looks random, all out of whack, and with no order at all. Yet when you look closer, God's love is visible. You weren't expecting to see it in the manner than it appeared, but it was there.

Search and find God today,
<>< Katie

Dance-Party

I had a dance party in my car last night. There were only three invitations: Peder Eide (and his invisible band blasting through the stereo), God, and me. But we had a blast! Worship in alternative form! I checked my blind spot a lot (even though I was on a two-lane country highway) because my Heavenly Father is an artist and He painted a beautiful sunset just for me! I love Him! The light drizzle, awesome sunset, and country highway seemed like the perfect opportunity to praise Him with the dance. There were times when I wanted to lift my hands in the air and close my eyes (Except I didn't because I was driving).

Have you spent some good, quality time with your Abba Father lately? You don't have to say a word. You can borrow someone else's [words] if it helps. Just be with Him and do whatever the Spirit leads. Sing. Dance. Scream. Cry. Whatever feels appropriate. This is your Best Friend, remember, so there's no reason to be embarrassed. He loves you more than you'll ever know.

Have a party with Jesus today,
<>< Katie

Chosen for God's Kickball Team

I played kickball with some friends today. I think it's safe to say none of us are kickball professionals, but we still had fun. By the end of the game, we were sore. Not in our legs. Rather our cheeks.

We smiled and laughed harder than any of us had in a long time. Our faces are definitely out of shape and need more exercise!

Smile and someone today. It'll make his/her day. It'll also help your facial muscles. :-)

<>< Katie

God's Orchestra

Being a member of God's orchestra takes practice. Lots of practice. Scales and arpeggios. Mundane. Repetitive. Focus on playing in tune. Yet the tune doesn't end when you mess up. And you will mess up. Yet the song continues. All performers must press on and put the mistakes behind him/her. Whatever you do, don't stop playing God's song. He loves to hear it, and you hold a very important place in His orchestra. He loves you.

Worship in Alternative Forms

On Wednesday, I didn’t really want to be at Lifest. There were a plethora of reasons; namely: very few of my favorite artists were going to be there, after seven years it had become mundane, and my “I’m bored; let’s go get lost in the mosh pit” mother was leaving me with the responsibility of chaperoning my sisters.

I thought about our past six years worth of Lifests, and the plethora of funny memories flooded my head. The time Michael W. Smith finally played “Never Been Unloved” live after years of begging. Having our minivan pushed into the muddy parking lot. Steven Curtis Chapman’s first return to the stage following Maria’s death. How Mark Schultz’s water bottle earned a standing ovation. Watching TobyMac in a downpour and using a lawn chair as an umbrella. Don’t get me wrong, those stories are hilarious, but they aren’t what Lifest is about.

When asked to summarize this past Friday in one sentence, I said, “Worship in alternative form.” That’s exactly what Lifest is all about. I feel like after seven years, I finally got it. Lifest isn’t about sticking plywood in your elbows for four hours to be in the front of the mosh pit that night. It isn’t about finally having the opportunity to meet your favorite band. It isn’t the perfect time to destroy your eating habits. It isn’t even a great excuse to stay up until one am every day. Rather, Lifest is an opportunity to see God in a new way. Worship in alternative form(s).

Sure, it’s pretty basic. If someone else had said it over the past six years, I definitely would have agreed. I have great God moments from previous Lifests. Kneeling on fist-sized rocks with my arms stretched towards the beautiful blue sky crying out to my Abba Father. Listening to Peter Fuller of Newsboys talk about how God’s timing is perfect only for his sentence to be interrupted by a nearby train (“and you laugh”). Something about this year was different. Agreeing that “church has left the building” and applying the concept are two different things.

Of course, I’ve got silly stories from this year, too. Matthew West writing a spontaneous song about brats. Skillet’s opinion on illegal music downloads and still loving the audience for free. Officially becoming part of BarlowGirl. Hitting Aaron Shust in the head with my cowboy hat. Getting chastised by Mark Schultz for singing along to one of his songs that hasn’t been released yet. Dancing, jumping, singing, and worshipping with my arms around complete strangers. Singing two commercials with several hundred of my new “family members.” Following Peder Eide around as he moved from stage to stage. Except I had to look through my journal to remember all of those silly things.

The things I remember off of the top of my head are memories about closing my eyes singing and signing praises to God as raindrops fell softly onto my face and Phillips, Craig, and Dean led us in worship. Singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and having Peder Eide cut off the audience telling us only to sing if we really believed it and were aware of what we were singing. Watching Bob Lenz on the jumbotron saying, “God is bigger than your pains” as the beautiful sun set behind him. Singing hymns on Mountain Dew and confessing "Yes, I believe." Finally understanding how worship is truly "tasting and seeing that the Lord is good."

To anyone else, my Lifest may look like a let-down. I only went to 3 events not at the Grandstand. I waited in line for 2 Meet and Greets. Yet to me, it was worth every $2.50 bottle of water to sit outside in a sea of lawn chairs and read 1 Samuel in a new light. I will repeat “We’re family, and I love you,” to more strangers if it also means I can also shout “God is good. All the time.” A misconception that’s been stuck in my head for the last six years has finally disappeared, and praying for no rain for five days will never be the same.

How easily do we lose focus on what Lifest is all about? On what life itself is all about?