LOVE

Love It’s a four letter word that holds so much power, hope, joy, desire, and frustration. We, as young girls, watch movie after movie where the example of what love is shown. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after. That’s what we think love is- happily ever after. This desire to find that "happily ever after love" doesn’t go away as we get older- no the desire grows even more. We look high and low for love. Sometimes we get so desperate to have it, we create relationships of “love” to fill that void. WE WANT LOVE!! We desire to be loved. We want someone who will cherish us. I search high and low for that tall, dark and handsome prince who will ride up on his horse, sweep me off my feet and rescue me! But my Prince Charming didn’t look like that. Instead He came to me- a son of a poor carpenter. He wasn’t rich nor was He popular. He didn’t go to college. He didn’t even have a steady job. No horse for my prince- He rode a donkey. I get so caught up in my search for "happily every after prince" that I forget about the Prince I already have in my life. My prince loved me so much He came to earth as a human. He gave up fellowship with God to endure excruciating pain FOR ME. He hung on a cross with nails in His hands and feet FOR ME. HE was mocked, persecuted, and abandoned for the sins that I committed. That is love. He sees me for what I am. He knows everything about me- every human flaw, every ill thought, every angry word, every lie…. And He still loves me. That is LOVE.

Beautiful

The King is ENTHRALLED by your beauty. Psalm 45:11

I have always loved that verse! I quote it because it sounds good in certain situations but I have never study that verse very closely! As I was preparing for the princess party talk this verse immediately came to mind.

Enthralled- I had absolutely no idea what that word meant so I had to look it up! The definition of enthralled- filled with wonder and delight, to captivate, to enchant! We know that when the verse says King we know its talking about Jesus. Now read that verse again.
The King is Enthralled by your beauty.
Replace the word enthralled with the definition of enthralled.
The King is captivated by your beauty.
The King is delighted by your beauty.

The KING is enchanted by YOUR beauty.

Are you catching what I am throwing at you- the King, not just any king mind you but THE KING is enthralled by your beauty.

The King is enthralled by your beauty- you are beautiful!

That’s hard to believe sometimes isn’t it? When you compare yourself to other people- you make this list in your head of all the things you think are wrong with you- my hair is the wrong color, I’m too big, my nose does not fit my face, these ankles are soooo not attractive- etc. I know I am so guilty of this.

Psalm 139:13-14 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

I want you to focus on these verses- You created my innermost beings, You knit me together. Now the psalmist is talking to God so let’s replace You with God. God created my innermost beings. God knit me together. I don’t know if you know this or not but God is perfect. Everything He creates He did so perfectly. He created us perfect. He did not make a mistake on you- you were made wonderfully. Now I’m talking about our appearance- Im not talking about the fact that we are sinners (because we are sinners and we as humans are not perfect in that sense). But you were made wonderfully. You are the way you are because God has a purpose for it!

You are beautiful.

November 1st - 3rd

So Ive been seeing a lot of "what I'm thankful for" blogs and I got blessed reading them so I decided to join in and share some things that I've been thankful for these first three days of November!
Monday-
I was especially thankful for Perspective! I love getting the chance to gather together with my fellow college folks and just worship our Heavenly Father and fellowship with them!!

This may seem petty and weird but I am thankful for arts and crafts! I cant tell you how many times a week I pull out the coloring book, paintbrush, modge podge and just loose my mind in some art!!! I love it!

I am thankful for hugs! I am such a girl for this- but a lot of times when people hug me I have to fight back tears because I feel so loved!! :)

Tuesday-
I am thankful for friends sending me texts messages to say they are praying for me! That is so very uplifting and encouraging!

I am thankful for God using ordinary people in an extraordinary way!

I am thankful for Physical Therapist who are willing to go the extra mile and squeeze you in to their BUSY schedule!!

Wednesday-
I am thankful for the faithfulness of Antioch's youth kids and their desire to grow closer to God!!

I am thankful for friends who call you up and ask you to go to Chapel with them!!

I am thankful for friends who will walk to Starbucks with you on a rainy day just so you can get some hot chocolate!!!


I am so blessed! I am thankful that I am so blessed that I had to force myself to limit the thankfulnesses :) to three a day!!

Jill

This post has been a long time coming. I started this post over a year ago and though I don’t think I will ever describe into words just how much of an impact she made on my life -I decided to post it anyway.
To say that God has blessed my life with Godly examples is pretty close to being the biggest understatement of the century! I’ve mentioned a few of those blessings in previous posts and will probably post more! Why? I am so stinking blessed and I have to share!!
I had amazing Sunday school teachers, mentors, and Godly examples. However in this post I want to focus on one of the biggest influences on my life- Jill. Some of you may have known her and others just heard about her. So here is a little about Jill from my perspective!
The first time I met Jill was at So@r. I’ll never forget- she had on pigtails and shorts that were overalls on with a drawstring backpack! I have no idea why I remember that but I suspect it has to do with the overall shortsJ! God used her in a big way in my life and I am so thankful He did!
During the time Jill was my Sunday school teacher I grew leaps and bounds in my walk with Christ! Through her God taught me how to study His word! He showed me how to not just read His word but absorb it and apply it to my life! Jill made us memorize scripture and I’m not talking about “Jesus wept” !!! I’m talking about a whole chapter of the Bible! We kicked, screamed, and complained the whole time but we were better because of it! I cant tell you how many times in high school and college that one of those verses came to mind at the perfect time! Jill kept us accountable in our walk with Christ! Every week in Sunday school she would ask us not only if we did our “Seek the Lord time” but what we learned in it!! She did all that and so much more! The three biggest things that I learned from her are-
1. Passion for Christ- I’ve never seen so much passion for Christ come from one person. Her fire for Christ still blows me away just thinking about it to this day! When she was singing praises to Christ you could see her love and thankfulness for her Savior in every bone! She was the first person I’ve seen dance in a Baptist church!! Her passion for Christ was in every aspect of her life- her marriage, her work, her Sunday school class, bible study, relationship with her friends and her mission work! When Jill was in the hospital they had a blog giving people updates. I remember reading prayers from people who were from literally all over the world! She touched hearts in China, Philippians, Ukraine, Nicaragua, all over the United States and many others!! You spent five minutes with Jill and you knew what she was about- Christ!!
2. Prayer- prayer is such a powerful thing! I think sometimes we forget how powerful it really and truly is! There is something so unbelievably peaceful about knowing someone is praying for you- at least I find it peaceful! This is probably a stupid analogy (and could totally be unbiblical) but when someone tells me they are praying for me it’s like these invisible arms just wrap themselves around me and I just lean in on those arms! Scott showed some excerpts from Jill’s prayer journal and I was moved to tears by how many times I found my name and what was beside it! She prayed for me and so many others! When I saw those prayers of hers I decided my prayer life was just not what it could be. So that is something that I’ve been working on this past few years- I want to be a Prayer warrior! I haven’t mastered it and I don’t think I ever will but I will do the best I can!
3. Legacy- The legacy that Jill left is still impacting people today! There are people that were discipled by Jill that are now discipling others. There are missionaries that are still on the mission field today because God used Jill to encourage and to pray for them. When she passed, it got me thinking about the legacy that I wanted to leave behind! I pray I can leave a legacy that is God honor, glorifying, and loving!!
I don’t want you to get the impression that I think Jill was perfect! She wasn’t! She would slap me silly if I placed her on a pedestal! She wouldn’t have done those things had it not been for God’s love in her! I love her but more that I that I love the God in her and I love what God did through her! She is gone from this earth and though I don’t understand why God chose to take her so young -I know that His plan is perfect.
My life is forever changed by God placing her in my life! I miss her and I still think about her almost if not every day! So many times I reach to call her just to talk about life when I realize I cant! My biggest regret is never telling her how much of an impact she made on my life! I look forward to the day when I will see her again and join her in worshipping our Savior for Eternity!

Grandma Norma

Today is a very special day to me! Today was the day my grandma Norma was born! I don't know how many years ago her birth occurred. She claims around 50 ;) and we don't question her!

As some of you may know I was born and raised in West Virginia! When I was about 5 or 6 my mother had to go back to work to pay for my two older sister's tuition. She got a job as a secretary and I went to stay with Grandma- which was an entire 8 minute drive from my house! Mom would drop me off first, then my sisters, go to work, pick up my sisters, and then me!! We did this for about 4 years. Those were some of the BEST years of my life! In those four years she showed me how to cook/bake. She shared with me the most important ingredient of any recipe is love. She taught me how to pick every kind of vegetable and how to can them! I was heartbroken when we moved 21 hours from her. I don't see her near enough but I do get to talk to her on the phone! I cherish those moments with her on the phone!

I have learned so much from my Grandma! She is one of the smartest women I know- if you mentioned this to her she would immediately tell you she only finished a semester of college. Don't let her fool you- Ive played TV jeopardy with her! Besides I don't love her for her "smarts"! I love her for the God in her.

She doesn't see what I see! She doesn't realize that almost every time I talked to her on the phone she makes me cry because she quotes scripture. She will never understand how she impacted my life by simple doing a quiet time every morning and telling me about it when she saw me! She doesn't understand why I tell her ,every time we talk, that I admire her and I'm so thankful for her and the example she lives! She doesn't realize how vivid the lights she shines for God is! She is oblivious to the impact her servants heart has had on me!

I love her to pieces and I thank the Lord she is my Grandma! I pray that I can be at least half the mother, grandmother, servant of God, and Christian that she is! :)

JOY JOY JOY

I am a different kind of individual. If you've spent any time with me at all you would know this and are laughing at that understated statement. I tend to have a hundred thoughts a minute which results in the most random thoughts ever, I have an over active imagination which results in me visiting la la land, and I generally have a smile on my face.
Is it fake?? Hmm... maybe sometimes but not usually. Do I ALWAYS have a smile on my face? HA- no way! Have I always had a smile on my face? NO!

I was a fairly happy kid- there was no reason for me not to be! I was blessed with two amazing parents who loved me and the Lord! Deep down I knew something was with missing but I couldn’t put my hand on it!! I finally discovered what I was missing- Jesus!! Jesus rescued me and came into my heart when I was 9. I wish I could sit here and tell you that I was transformed overnight but that would be a lie! God used different experiences to reveal himself to me and to mold me into the person I am today! I wanted to write this tonight to share with you the experience I had with joy.

When I was in Jr. High I was still a happy kid on the outside! I mastered the art of genuinely looking fake smile very quickly. I never showed my mother my unhappiness or anyone else for that matter! It wasn’t uncommon for me to cry myself to sleep every night. If the tears wouldn’t wait for everyone to go to bed I would go into the bathroom turn the fan on, grab a towel, sit in the shower and use the towel to muffle my sobs. I didn’t cry just because I wanted to, I cried because I was in pain! Not physically pain but emotional!
My personality is cute and adorable for the first few days but I guess after that it crosses over to the annoying side! That what I was told in Jr. High and part of high school! I had a hard time keeping friends for more than two weeks because they would tell me they were getting annoyed with me! I think it goes without saying but just in case you didn’t catch on- that hurt... ALOT! Now, these people weren’t horrible people and I don’t want you thinking that! I tried my very best to mold myself into this SUPER friend! I wanted to please everybody! I wanted to be loved!

During these years I didn’t have a very solid relationship with God. I knew I was saved but I wasn’t trying to get to know Him better! It was one night in the 9th grade when things started to turn around for me! I couldn’t sleep because the day had been bad! I remember just picking up my Bible and just started to read. I read the story of Job and came across this verse

JOB 33:26 He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.

The verse stuck out to me but the main part I focused on was he saw God’s face and shouted for joy! This concept of joy caught my attention and I looked up the word joy in the back of my Bible and here are some of the verses I found!
Psalms 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Psalm 16:9+11 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I read those and others over and over again throughout the next few weeks! God began to show me two things
1. I was trying to find my joy/acceptance in earthly friendships.
2. He showed me that it is in Him that I receive joy! He died on the cross for me! HE, the Creator of the universe, the conqueror of many nations, A KING loves me!

I still struggle with having Joy in my life! I have days where it is no problem and I have others where I find myself in my room crying again! Spending time with Christ is a must for me to keep the joy in me! Praying for Joy is something else I have to do to keep joy in my life! Sometimes it’s only once a day others its hourly! Another way I keep reminding myself of the joy and happiness that I have found in Christ is by counting and praising Him for my numerous blessings! My joy comes from the Lord! He alone can sustain me!
I’ll leave you with the lyrics to that song Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,Count your many blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,Count your blessings, see what God hath done!Count your blessings, name them one by one,*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.[*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;Count your many blessings—wealth can never buyYour reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,Do not be discouraged, God is over all;Count your many blessings, angels will attend,Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
:)

Love is patient....

My name is Katie. I am twenty-one years of age and have been single for 21 years.
My parents always told my sisters and I that we could date when we turned 16! However, when I actually turned 16 I started looking around and saw that the “pickins” were slim. I’m not in any way trying to put myself down but let’s be real I didn’t have the attention of any guys nor would I’ve been in their top choices! I didn’t mind for the most part- I was busy with school and work! I was content with who I was but every once in a while Satan would sneak in to cause doubts.
I almost dated three guys in my lifetime (even as I type that I cringe- I am such an idiot)! I would like to repeat ALMOST! I praise the Lord He placed people in my life and convictions like you wouldn’t believe that intervened. Now, the three gentlemen weren’t horrible people. They were actually very sweet but there was one thing that was always abundantly clear- they didn’t have a relationship with Christ. I knew that but still I found myself ignoring that. Why? Well besides the obvious reason (Im an idiot) I truly believe it’s just because I wanted something my friends had been experiencing for years- someone who showed interest in them and wanted to spend time with them.
I have a list of qualifications I have for a husband that I made in Sunday school years ago! A lot of those “qualifications” on that list are ridiculous and silly! The first three are of the utmost importance to me!
1. Must have a nurturing and growing relationship with Christ.
2. Must be a spiritual leader in our relationship.
3. Although I’m not expecting perfection (past, present or future)- he must live a life that is pleasing and honoring to God.
Those guys in High school didn’t even make it past number one!
As we all know but sometimes choose to forget – God’s timing is perfect. No, I am not about to go into a rant about how God created a perfect guy for me and someday I’ll meet him and blah blah blah! Do I pray for my future husband? Daily! Do I pray that God has me someone picked out? Sure! I just don’t think that should be my focus or anyone’s for that matter! I am single maybe you are too! ROCK IT!! GET EXCITED!! This is an opportunity for you to get wrapped up in God. Spend your time getting lost in Him- it will make time go by a lot quicker (hehe). We have been given a blessing (until we get the blessing of a significant other) don’t waste it- ROCK IT!!
:)