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A nine hour trip with my husband driving, two kids in the back with nonstop talking and requests and my golden retriever lounging in the 3rd row of our Trailblazer can get a girls’ mind thinking. As we passed through a small town on the side of one of the many highways that shows us the way home from PA to VA, I saw a steeple. It caught my eye due to the background of a beautiful horizon. You know the kind of sky… pinkish-dusky whites and grays that show you the way into the best daydream…
ANYWAY;
The steeple’s presence in that sky made me think that He is just that close. Today there are churches everywhere you turn. We don’t need a church to know Jesus but we do need community with fellow believers and that steeple made me think; Jesus is everywhere too. He is right here. He is not off in the distance painted in a pretty sky whispering sweet nothings in our ears.
Right here.
And I am too… right here Lord, show me Your ways, show me Your will.
Just in case you didn’t see this on my FB page;
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150129995922892“>
~Katie
If your life wasn’t an up hill battle, would you still pursue it with such great determination?
Those of you who know me would definitely say; that question is something Katie will find the answer to. And for those of you who don’t know me; you may think that I’m a negative person. Let me break it down for you:
This past Sunday, my Sunday school class talked about Acts Chapter 7 (other scripture too) but in Acts, we see a man thrown out of a city, and stoned. He cried to God, “do not charge them with this sin.” I’m thinking that this was not one of Stephen’s best days. So, did he wake up knowing what God had in store for him, I’m going to go with “no” for this answer.
Do you know what God has in store for you when you put your feet on the floor first thing in the morning? (again, a “no” is gonna fit best here)
So my question remains; if your life wasn’t an up hill battle, would you still pursue it with such great determination?
By no means do I think I have it hard in my life, I have a God that loves me, a husband that loves me too, children that depend on me and a roof over my head and food in my belly… life is good… for me.
But what about the people that don’t believe their lives are good? The people that don’t know God loves them, or that their husband (or wife) loves them, that someone, somewhere depends on them? This is where my up hill battle begins. I want to tell them that God loves them, I want to help them see that their husband/wife/children love them and depend on them.
I have been charged; charged to hear the good news, accept that Jesus is Lord and show others and tell others how to find what I have been so blessed with-a life of everlasting.
Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is LORD!
(P.S. our service this past Sunday was so amazing and inspiring-it has set a fire in me that I pray will never burn out!)
AMEN!
It takes being a Mom to know the extent in which your Mom went to for you…
Now I know why:
I couldn’t take my eyes off of them the second God brought them into this world and into my arms,
Why I watched and still watch them sleep and wonder how I could be so lucky,
Why I stood outside the door of their Sunday school rooms until they stopped crying,
Why I smile every morning that I hear tiny feet making their way into my bedroom (no matter how early),
Why I act so silly just to see them smile,
Why it makes me laugh when they hand be a booger instead of a kiss.
Now I know why God gave me my Mom.
She has shown me the way in so many ways.
Thanks Mommy, I love you.
The other night @ Youth (for those of you just reading for the first time, I’m a Youth Pastor’s wife)…we started a new series called “Gray Areas.” The band played an amazing worship set and then Aaron and Caleb facilitated questions pertaining to the gray areas that our teens may need to make decisions on in their lives. Their interest in these questions was nothing short of amazing and their discussion lead to some pretty deep stuff that teens can go through. It went so well and so long that it’s overflowing into next week’s session.
One question was; Are there really gray areas if God gives us grace and shows us His mercy?
What do you think?
…before you died, what would it be?
Okay so I totally stole this from this new show on MTV; The Buried Life
So for every crazy stunt or plan they pull off, they do something for a stranger. (help a man find his son, help a school with a computer purchase for education, etc)
It got my attention!
What do I want to do before I die?
As I watched the show, my list began to get pretty long… watch my children grow, see AOD graduate from Seminary, be debt free, lead by example for my family to grow in Christ… on and on I thought.
But what I’ve never thought of before was, how could I help someone else accomplish these same things? I don’t know the answer to that right now. But what I do know is that God is equipping me now to take small steps; and I’m doing that, willingly! are you?
So, I ask….
If you could do one thing before you died… What would it be?
My name is Katie. It’s not Kate as this blog portrays me, or Kathryn either. Just Katie. However this blog is a record of my musings and it is accurate none the less. So this weekend is my birthday and I am going to describe for you what I would love for my handsome and wise husband to do for me. My age will remain undisclosed, I at least deserve that much. I was still born in the eighties. This one is a milestone.
Here we go:
Weekend title: It’s My Party: A Weekend of Celebration With MamaKate
Friday night: I recently talked about drive in movies. I have never been, so I would love for AOD to set up a drive in movie at the church watching a chick flick I have never seen yet. With candy, popcorn, friends, the works!
Saturday morning: Ooo, after I go to Walmart, because that is a gift in and of itself!! I would love to get a massage at 11am with Aunt Jay! I could use a good rub down and Aaron sucks at it, LOL
Saturday evening: After watching my babies sleep and relaxing all afternoon, I want to go to the ODU football game with Aaron. We have sooo much fun there, and it’s like a date night! I know Holly with babysit:-)
An night of uninterrupted sleep.
Sunday morning: I want to worship Jesus and study the bible with our youth!! Nothing more filling than that!
Sunday afternoon: Lunch sounds good, ooooo Chicken Alfredo!! Haven’t had that for a while. Gwyn can bring salad, Jen bread and drinks, and Aunt Jay the Alfredo (my recipe). And Jay def has to make the cake, she’s the best at it!! After that, I want to enjoy my birthday with the fam!!!
***In case you have not figured out yet, this blog has been hi-jacked by the handsome and wise husband of Katie! This is how I am telling her what her plans are for the weekend!! You may have read it before her, LOL. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!!!! I LOVE YOU 
-AOD
So many things are communicated by word of mouth. The stories in the bible, our country’s history, our families memories and funny stories. Sometimes you need to be brought back to reality and the other day on the telephone with my Grandpap did just that.
I give him a call every now and then to catch up. Here’s a little background on my Grandpap; Born and raised in Northwestern PA, his childhood years were spent in the ways of the 1930’s. He attended school and was drafted into the Army at 18 years old, served and retired. Married the love of his life (my Grandma passed away in May 2007) and raised his family in Grand Valley, PA. I will say that I see my Grandpap as a simple man. He loves God, attends church and men’s bible study-but tends to not get too involved.
So, I give him a call the other day and he gives me the latest updates… weather, neighbors and the latest project he’s working on. (he fixes up gas engines and antique tractors) He told me that he’s grateful for this past summers projects, that they have kept his mind off of things (he means thinking about my Grandma; he misses her dearly) When he his finished working on these projects and he does not have any further use for them, he sells them. But in the world of today where we use Craig’s List, eBay and Amazon to move our products and make a quick buck-my grandfather uses the good ole Word of Mouth. While he was telling me his story, my mind started to wander-how does the world survive without all these “things” and new and improved ways of communication? Does any of it matter? Or are we just creating obstacles in this life that is as simple as a good ole fashion face to face relationship? Word of mouth… does anyone still use this as their main form of communication? Even in my marriage sometimes our main form of communication is email. Aaron and I both work, so when a random thought comes to mind, we just simply send an email so either of us can put in on our calendar. Don’ get me wrong here, Aaron and I do a good job with communication (most of the time)-BUT… where’s the simplicity? Has it gotten lost? Will we ever get it back?
So I’ll conclude this huge paragraph of thought with this…
My Grandpap doesn’t know about Craig’s List, eBay and all of the other ways we sell things and communicate in today’s fast pace world; nor does he care or want to know. He knows that there is a way to get things done, and for him that way is by word of mouth. For him, it builds relationships.
When is the last time you cultivated a good relationship with just talking?
here are my beautiful babies at the beach! This trip to the beach was so much fun… I’m usually behind the camera; this time Aaron volunteered. ENJOY!
