God Is Good

I am not even sure where to begin, there are so many things coming together at the moment; So many blessings revealing themselves.

We finally found a church.  Right before Christmas too, it's been so great.  Not only has it been comforting to know where we are going every Sunday morning, and to know that we will hear a solid Biblical message, but God has made it clear that this is the church that He wants us to be at.  When we first went, I was still skeptical.  The pain of waiting to find a church had taken it's toll and I was cynical.  However, every single thing that we have placed before God or that I have longed for in private has revealed to us the very next Sunday.  Even today, I was wondering again how we would get involved more and we were invited to lunch with a group of people from our Sunday school and the young married group—we had a great time!  I love, love, LOVE our church and I cannot wait to get to know more people there and to get involved.

My college roommates also came over to visit this weekend!  We had a blast catching up and recalling memories from our adventures.  But the thing that hit me the most was how easy it was for us to stop and pray together after talking about fears / frustrations / difficulties that we had.  I miss that! 

It challenged me to try and bring this fellowship to the teachers that I work with.  So many we have discussed some trouble that a student is having or a parent situation that has grown difficult.  We always say something like "well, we'll have to pray about that", but why not stop right there and pray together?

Monday

Father, I adore you,

And I lay my life before you,

How I love you.

Spirit, I adore you,

And I lay my life before you,

How I love you.

Jesus, I adore you,

And I lay my life before you,

How I love you.

Wonderful chapel this morning with Riley Armstrong, wonderful weather, Wonderful God, still tons to do, but God is good and in control.  It's Monday.

Here we go :)

John 15:9

So, today is Valentine's day.
Time for the CLASSIC and totally PREDICTABLE post on the annual V-day.
Cue bragging (sorry y'all)
About a week ago, I got a package from my daddy :)  Chocolate covered strawberries!  Yummy :)  I've enjoyed them slowly—sharing... occasionally, lol.  Finished them off today

Today, I completely forgot about Valentine's day, until I stepped out my door on the way to the bathroom (tmi, I know) and sleepily noticed a small note with a chocolate sucker on it from one of my dear housemates :)  very sweet, and the card was darling.
Now, off to class—to find this lovely rose and a note from my forever valentine—I mean JESUS of course ;)  With the help of Melodie, He reminded us how loved we are, making the class period much more enjoyable

 The rest of the day went pretty well—I got a "Happy Valentine's Day" text from my Supermanman after he got out of school :) He later sent me a text to vent about yucky homework, only to call me a few minutes later... to ask where I was...?
"Wait...? Where are YOU?!"
 Yep, Todd came all the way to the Arborshire to see me, and not just that—he brought me an entire vase of CHOCOLATE! And not just any chocolate, Reese chocolate—yummmmmmy

Not at all what I expected to happen today, but it was so great—thank you to everyone who gave me a hug or provided encouragement.
And of course, day was MADE when I got to spend a few hours with my very favorite young man :)  A very, very good day.

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Doodles in Chapel

We had a pretty good chapel speaker today.  Really challenged us to get out of our comfort zones, and to get the idea that the "mission field" is only in the wilderness out of our head—Urban ministries is a mission field that is just as noble.  Christians are constantly on the mission field.  This is not our home, and we should seek to share with people whenever there is an opportunity!  We should live intentionally, and be open to what God can do in our lives—He's a tricky one :)

Anyway, he had a very interesting face... kinda sad and... old :)  I loved it, so I drew him 3 times (caricatures each time), haha
Not that he wasn't good, I actually really enjoyed listening, he had a good sense of humor and  some great stuff to say—but he also had a great face.

Obviously, I drew this one over my sketches on type layouts for my art show poster... oops!  Enjoy

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"I Try To Be Good Enough..."

This past semester was really rough, and in case you didn't realize it at the time, you can take a look back at my blog posts—all... what? 3 of them? Yeah, didn't even have time to THINK about posting until the semester was over.

But regardless of the stress that has attacked my face with it's favorite weapon: acne; and took so much of my time that I lost weight, and basically made me realize that sometimes, you can't read all of the material or do everything that anyone asks you to do (*pause for deep breath*), it ended very well and all of the hard work really paid off.  Despite the good ending, I am not ready to start this again.

I'd rather plan my wedding and do other fun, girly things!

Anyway, it was a rough few months (until December, which was GREAT), and this song (and one other that I will share later) seemed to pop on the radio whenever I was having one of my "how on earth am I going to do all of this??" panic moments.  A great reminder that I am not on my own.

Hope you enjoy it, I sure did :)

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Being Held Together

In this video, Louie Giglio, spoke on the wonders of God, showing how small and insignificant we truly are as human beings.  After comparing the earth to a golf ball, and giving examples from our world today to show the size of the stars that the majority of us are not even aware of, Giglio went on to share how truly amazing it is that a God so powerful would make each of us specifically, and would carry us through the trials of life.  The same God who created the vastly powerful stars, so much bigger than we are even able to understand, also created the smallest cell in our bodies, and the atoms that make up those cells.  Louie Giglio ended by sharing the awesome representation of God’s love for us in the Laminin protein cells(image below)—the powerhouse cell that holds our bodies together—that forms the shape of a cross; a sign that could not be clearer to Christians if it had been in the shape of a heart. 
I have seen part of this video before, but I was energized by the opportunity to see the entire speech.  I am continually struck by the vast size of the planets.  I cannot even imagine something as large as the sun, but the fact that our sun is so small in comparison to some of the smaller stars is mind blowing.  When I think about such size, I can only relate it to how I feel when I look down from a high building.  I am small, I am insignificant, and I am so thankful that God is in control.  I cannot help but wonder at the contrast—that a God who created stars that are too large for me to even comprehend, is the very same God that took care of every minute detail of the human body and existence here on Earth.  The Laminin is simply the icing on the cake.  For the past several years, I have considered cloud formations and beautiful color in the sky to be a special “love note” or sorts from God—similar to the rainbow—a reminder that He loves me and He takes delight in the things that I love.  The Laminin is the same thing for me—if God had written “Katrina, I AM here, I AM holding you”, it could not have been more clear (though it would have been a little more shocking).

Thankful

Saw this quote and it blew my mind:

What if you woke up today, and the only 
things you had were the things you thanked 
God for yesterday?

wow.  Sounds like I need to be more thankful—even for the little things, like fingernails, and clocks that work.

He's a Wit

I spent quite a bit of Tuesday evening in deep thought.  I really have been blessed in so many ways, but there is always a time when the reality of money (or lack-thereof) will cause me to muse—and not necessarily in a good way.  The frustrating part is when I have nothing to do in order to earn money, and have made endeavors to continue making money—like earlier this week for instance.  I had contacted all of my clients for my while-not-at-camp summer jobs, and did not get a single bite.  Nothing.
So after talking it over with mom, I took the college loans, the upcoming bills and all other fast approaching expenses and I told on them.  Yes, I told God on them—it's His battle to fight, not mine.  I spent that evening in prayer over the high priced demands on my life, and soon felt better about it.

The next morning (Wednesday) I checked my Arborshire Email to find some unread message—holding my breath, I secretly hopped that they were from my clients, but alas, they were not.  In fact, they were all from the school.
Bummer.
So I skimmed through the weekly announcements, few of which applied to me now that I am not on campus and clicked through other writings—only to stumble upon an Email from the Student Development office.  Oh, how nice.
I had received an unexpected grant for $1000!!!  "Please reply if you would like to accept."  Is this a trick question...?  Umm, yes, I would love to accept the grant!
I had filled out an application for the grant in April and had completely forgotten about it—I had no expectation of getting it, so after I wrote the essays and sent it in, in completely slipped my mind.

Yes God, you are very funny.  Letting me sit and think and think, just waiting for me to hand it over lock, stock and barrel before telling me about this.  So funny ;]

Sun...?

There was a bright moment among the rain during the past few days—actually, it was still sprinkling on me when I took these, but that's okay.  But I wasn't about to sit inside and let the sun go down without at least a 'hello'!  The park was flooded under the trees, so I was able to see some great reflections, so that was fun.  Difficult to capture on camera, especially when I'm distracted by just looking at it!
So I went out and said 'good bye' before heading out on a run myself.  And the birds were in rare form!  Noisy little things, I guess they were as excited as I was :)
God is good, and I think He knows how much I love the cloud formations!

Friends in High (and low) Places

This week has been so long.  I have a ton to do, and I'm just worn out from all of the work that I have to get done—it's a manageable load, but I'm ready to be done with it for a while!
Anyway, today is placing me near the edge and the past 24 hours have been witness to a rather crabby Chocolate Lover!  Not too bad to people, but I feel crabby!
However, God knew just what I needed: I got 3 (count 'em: 1, 2, 3) encouragement notes from friends today.  And 2 of them were from people who had no idea about the show or anything that I have on my plate right now! I'm so thankful
After that I have been so uplifted.  God is so good—He sent me a lot of people this week to lift my spirits when I was feeling low.

I love you too, Lord!

1 John 4:19

I was challenged with this today and it kind of rocked my evening!  Instead of saying "I love you" to God each day, I am going to take a period of time saying: "I love you too".
We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  And while I do love Him, and sometimes I need to tell Him that "first", it is all because of what He has done—He saved me.  He acknowledges me.

And not only that, but in saying "I love you too", I acknowledge in turn that HE LOVES ME!  ((You can't say "too" if nobody says the original!))  He finds delight in me—The GOD of the entire Universe, the One who made me... loves me.  He can see that I do not measure up to what He made me to do, but He loves me anyway.  What more proof do I need?  Is there any reason for me to search for fulfillment or approval from elsewhere?  nope!

He is lovingly holding me, gently pulling away the weapons that I use against myself, assuring me of His continual love.

I love you too.

Brushing Hair for Jesus

If you haven't heard of Beth Moore, then you need to start researching—she is a wonderfully challenging woman of God.  She's honest about her struggles against God, but when she gives in to His will, amazing things happen!  (duh, when God's in it, it will be amazing)  And not only does Beth Moore share her experiences, but they are absolutely hilarious!  Tears streaming down my face, I'm both entertained and encouraged to continue following where God leads—even when it's incredibly random and strange!

But I am so thankful that she is willing to share her experiences and her weak moments with other Christians—it's such an encouragement, and a CRAZY challenge.  Jesus is "the bossiest thing", but He knows what he's doing.

I'm just itching to start the Paul study that mom got me! 

Safe and Sound

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God." (Psalm 84:3)  


Newly added to the list of favorites.  If God places a bird's nest near His altar, then I am convinced we're right there on His lap.  Hold me tight, Lord, here we go!

Artist's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the artistic abilities You have given me. The vein of creativity in me has sometimes been wide as a river, and other times as narrow as a thread. With Your Divine guidance, I ask that You would open my mind and heart to the creativity You planted in me from before I was born. May my art work be an inspiration to others, but more importantly, always be honoring to You.

Amen

Master Author

For my devotions this year, I am reading through "My Utmost for His Highest", by Oswald Chambers. Daily little snippets of simple, yet profound concepts about living the faith and giving everything over to Him. Even if I've "heard it before", Chambers is bold enough to put an extra sting to my shortcomings, and I'm finding myself challenged every day.
I would very much suggest it :)
God has been using it—as He uses everything else, but this rather specifically at the moment. I have found the very topic that I am frustrated with, I am excited about, or that I am musing over within my readings for the day. I love how God works! Not only that, but it also somehow connects with my other readings for the day, and with the sermons and conversations that I undergo throughout the week!
I can't imagine how He manages to work everything out—it is crazy how He is able to spin so many things together, to intertwine lives and encounters so carefully. I am in awe of how vast His abilities are. I can't even imagine trying to organize all of that for ONE person's life—let alone, for the entire world.
I'm so glad He's in charge, and I am not. Though I find myself resisting stubbornly sometimes, I am so thankful that I can lean comfortably in His powerful, compassionate, and loving arms—and allow Him to lead me, to teach me, and to help me to become the woman He longs for me to be.

Precious Moments

Many of you have heard of Miranda Cole—the precious baby who was born after the death of her mother in a horrid car accident. Despite the very weak brain waves, those who knew the family spread the word and thousands of people were playing, Miranda was kept alive for 3 short days. She passed away after the life support was removed this evening.
The story absolutely broke my heart. As much as I wanted this precious child to live, she is now with her mommy and her creator. She is so much happier now, and God has a plan regardless of how we feel.
If you could now lift up her father and family in prayer. Chad, who is mourning the loss of both beloved wife and daughter, needs to feel God's love more than ever. A hard road stands before him and his family. I cannot (and have no desire to) even begin to fathom the pain that they are feeling right now.
But what a legacy—Miranda has made more of an impact for Christ in 3 days than many (including myself) have made in their entire lives. Despite the newly empty tissue box, the confusion and the hiccups that have incorporated various parts of my day, I can't wait to hear what God has done, and will do, through this event. Darling Miranda, beloved child of God, you have completed your mission here—enjoy Mommy and Jesus.
For more background, check out Chad's blog, though I warn you—tissues are required. But praise God for the faith that Chad and his family has—that they are able to trust in Him while still admitting their doubts and working through them.

I guess we really can't guarantee what will happen tonight or tomorrow. Family plans once full of hope seem dashed beyond repair. No, I don't understand—but that doesn't mean that I won't place my faith in Christ still. Despite this event (as well as others that have surrounded it in my life), in Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song... the corner stone... the solid ground... the light of the world...

I love you, oh Lord, my strength
psalm 18:18

The Artist's Prayer

I stole this from my professor, who apparently stole it from Joan Larsen (2008).

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the artistic abilities you have given me. The vein of creativity in me has sometimes been wide as a river, and other times as narrow as a thread.
With your divine guidance, I ask that you would open my mind and heart to the creativity you planted in me from before I was born.
May my art work be an inspiration to others, but more importantly, always be honoring to you.
Amen

I just might have to add this to my morning rutine. My artistic abilities have always been extremely important to me—and losing them, or not being 'good enough', one of my greatest fears. But as I learned last year (and continue to learn), it is when I finally give over my gifts and talents that God can really use them and further my growth.
Creativity has always been my weakness. Sometimes I wonder if I even have creativity as wide as the thread that Larsen claimed was so narrow... I've found myself praying something similar to the second line many times, though hardly as well said. That will always be a struggle for me, but a positive attitude, constant prayer and hard work will go a long way :)
Here's to an awesome semester of growth!

Much Needed 'Snippets'

I love how God works.
Sometimes I don't recognize it at first--actually, I probably still miss a lot of things--but I love looking back and seeing how God placed little things in my life/week/day that helped me get through. This past week felt longer than most (for a collection of reasons), but every time I thought I was about to break down someone gave me a hug, or shared a laugh, or left me an encouragement note. I would not have survived without these little 'snippets' of love, and I am so thankful for them!
The need for Christians to love each other was emphasized again in my life--another reminder to think of others before myself and remember that when I am feeling down (or even if I'm feeling great) there is someone else who needs to be encouraged and loved.
The easiest way to show how much we love God is to love His people.

...He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (John 21:16b)

You could scramble an egg on the sidewalk

Wow, it is HOT today! I was walking to breakfast early this morning and was almost knocked over from surprise by the heat! I usually walk around in the morning with a light sweater--but not today! Even before 9:00 am I was trying to think of something cooler that I could put on instead of soccer shorts and a T-shirt.
It's amazing how powerful God is. The heat of the day isn't even here yet and I am already sluggish and lazy (shamefully so!). The sun is so far away that it takes somewhere around 8 years for the light/heat to reach us. I can't even imagine the power of the sun close up, let alone the God who controls it!

Sunscreen is a necessity today! Drink plenty of water and stay cool

Along Lake Michigan

Nobody can beat God when it comes to breath-taking beauty! This photo is from the SBC counselor trip to Lake Michigan. I wish I could say that this photo translates God's power accurately, but it's just not possible!