Pulling, Ripping, Tearing...Satan

So God and I, we had a really good conversation today :) It was about that nail you see pictured. I have a special place I go when I just want to hear the breeze and watch the bunnies and talk to God without interruption. Often times when I go to 'my place', I find a nail of some sort. The first time I saw a long, rusty, brown nail that was a little bent and twirked and kinda fat. That nail reminded me that the nail that went through Christs feet and hands was even bigger and wider and more gruesome to feel than that. Anyway, I've found a few not quite so interesting nails in my place before, but today, God made this twirly black nail ever so interesting.

At first, I looked at the nail and thought of how when it goes into something, the smooth pattern inside goes away and the curves and twists that are on the nail begin to form inside of whatever it's being drilled into. So the inside of it begins to look exactly like the dirty, twisted nail. I thought to myself how Satan is like that...he digs himself inside of us and eventually we begin to look just as terrible and messed up as he is. We have been formed into his likeness. And isn't that exactly the opposite of Whose likeness we'd like to be formed into?

Next, God brought to my thoughts the idea of how it tears and rips as it goes down. The further it goes down, the more it tears and rips. So I imagined this nail going through flesh, twisting and everything, and as it goes down it grabs piece by piece in different places and tears them off and pulls them down as it turns and it rips things from their origin and pushes them further and further under and before you know it, everything inside of where that nail has gone..is not only unrecognizable, but it's torn and scraped and bleeding. It is hurt, it is in so much more damage than before. The place where it now rests is numb. Now unable to feel the difference between pain and pleasure. It is just a painful filler for a hole that should be filled with something else. Imagine this as Satan driving himself through you, through your soul.

And why do we let him in in the first place? Because we have a little scrape at the surface that we want to be healed quickly. Maybe it's because we don't want anybody to see our broken flesh, we don't want anyone to think that we are able to be hurt like that. Maybe it's because we have a guard up and wouldn't want anyone to know we actually can be hurt. Or maybe it's just the simple fact that we were hurt, it doesn't feel good anymore, and we want to be whole again. We want it to feel better and for the pain to diminish. So, Satan comes along and makes a pleasing proposition as something we don't quite see as Satan. We see it as something nice and wonderful to fill our empty space and clean up our little scratch. So it sits on our scratch, we no longer feel the pain when it brushes up against something, because it's being covered. So it feels nice, having that pain disappear, and we look up and see that there's a whole lot more pleasure where that little shield came from. We look up and see the whole nail towering over us, but we see it as happiness and fun and pleasure, we don't see it as a dirty, twisted, black nail. So we ask it to keep comin', to keep fillin'. We figure that if it made that pain go away then why don't we just fill everything up with it and have a little extra! so it drives down and does it's thing, tearing and twisting as it does. Then we pull it out. And when we pull it out, there is a deep, gaping, damaged hole, ravaged by the prints of sin. If we dropped a pin down that whole, it would probably sound like a thousand oceans, crashing up against the rocks all at once.

I asked God to show me how that applied to me, and what I could compare it to for dynamic. And He revealed to me that, the more I try and fill myself with the praises of other people and the empty acceptance of humans, the deeper my hole will get, and the more torn it will become...for when I pull out all those empty praises, my heart will be hollow. I will realize how fleeting it all really was. I will want to fill it with the True Fulfiller and His pure, satisfying, true, everlasting, forever...love. I pray that you recognize your nail today, or take out the one that has already intruded.

Blessings, Katelyn

Ephesians 3:14-21 and 4:1-16

I would underline and highlight and italicize every word of this just because I love every bit of it so much! It gets me so excited ! But this blog doesn't allow me to color words :/ haha, I hope you enjoy every piece of it as I did. Let me know how I can be praying for you.

Ephesians 3:14-21 and 4:1-16

Prayer for Spiritual Strength
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Unity in the Body of Christ
4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.


Katelyn Marie

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Does This Title Intrigue You?

Today, I woke up not really knowing how the day would go. Just like every other day, I'd shower, get dressed, do whatever I must to be ready to face the world. But, just as every other day, I didn't exactly KNOW what was gonna happen. If I tried to figure out how my day would go, who I'd meet, where I'd go, what I'd eat...I would probably go nuts. If I tried to plan it, it would turn out completely different than I wanted it to, and not only because I'm just a simple human being and planning my every breath is kinda hard...not just because daily distractions and issues will most likely come in and disturb me in the middle of my plan, but because that's Not MY joB. I am not here to be a fortune teller and direct the traffic of mine and everybody else's lives that contact me and vise versa. I would fall apart just knowing that the pressure of my very own life is in my little hands...and only mine. I know others might think this is crazy. Perhaps they would sarcastically quip at me, "Well WHO exactly do you presume IS to take care of your life, Katelyn? Isn't that why we're here? You can't just have a personal Life Genie to carry in your pocket everywhere." Or they might just humorously tell me my life's going down the drain. But I will not fret. I do not mind that others find it silly that I believe there is Another in charge of my steps and where I take them. If I listen to Him, that is.

I could refuse to listen. I could pridefully put myself on a pedestal and presume I have the answers. I might go on well for a while, even. But eventually I'd realize I'm not my author. I'm not my own main character in life. I'm not even the prop master. I am the mix of two others: a very small, supporting role. And an entertained, terrified, amused, intrigued, worried, involved and cheering audience. Someone else is leading me through the lines. Someone else is guiding me through the complicated steps. Someone else is teaching me how to shine in the show, but only that I can shine for Him. This may sound utterly ridiculous to anyone else, but I find such peace and fulfillment from not living for my own, but living for His own. Because by His stripes I am healed, and by His strength, my weakness is made perfect. So, even though I woke up today not knowing what would happen, I knew WHO would happen. In me, through me, by me, with me.

Prayers, Katelyn

Romans 8:18-30

Romans 8:18-30

Future Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.


26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

I know I keep doing these little verses, but I love em!!

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Let your faith heal you :)

Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

Matthew 9:22


Let your faith heal you,
I'm workin on letting mine
heal me too.

1 John 4:18....enough said

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

At the end of the day...no such thing as everlasting. Or is there?

I just saw Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson and Alicia Keyes etc... I don't really have the time or brain capacity to pull off a well written and acceptable enough paragraph containing the contents of this movie, so you'll have to go see it yourself. Unless you don't wanna feel sad for the rich people of upper Manhattan, then it's definately a no for you unsympathetics! But, I can, however, write an idea about the feeling it gave me in my heart. Deep in the pit of my soul...my heart goes out for those of a high, monetary status. And not even just that! But every person who doesn't enjoy the real joys of life. Those of the human race who put their lives into the fleeting, destructable and destructive, 'secretly lonely in their own selfish pursuit of life' stuff. Stuff that could turn into dust with the switch of a scientists button or the snap of a richer mans finger. A more evil scientist and a richer man with more hit men than yourself. More rolex's (or maybe that's out of style...but hey, vintage is in! We shall see...) more ferraris and porsches and diamonds and mistresses than yourself. More bills taking up space in their imported snakeskin wallet. And more emptiness in their souls. A bigger gap to fill. A harder heart to kill. More secret tears to whipe away at night. Or just more expensive pills to ignore those tears. A longer echo goes out through their souls, and it gets bigger every smile they could smile but choose to frown instead. And that will cause them plastic surgery procedures because frowning takes WAY more muscles than smiling and 'of course we wouldn't ever want wrinkles!!' You see what I mean? Every joy they pushed away and farther away from their hearts than I am from home (That'd be heaven.) has brought them to stronger strive to be at the very tip top of every food chain in their very best tip top shape! But those food chains will fall. Those banks will break. Those suits will fade. And the black and white, deeply contrasted lines of deceit will be shown after the fallen, earthly ruins finally reveal that these things won't last. And it's the that you'll wonder why you built your house upon that hill. That you founded your life on sand that could be swept away in the blink of an eye, in the eye of a storm, in the storm of life...in the life that we live. At the end of the day...when you get home and kick off your fancy shoes, sit on your fur couch, click on your expensive plasma screen, drop your leather briefcase, and untie your silk neck tie...you get a phone call. Your dad died...your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend is doing drugs...your sister has been kidnapped...your best friend had a miscarriage...your mom is moving away...your artwork wasn't good enough...you got a D on a paper...whatever makes you sad...it happened. Is your Gucci purse gonna hug you and hold you while you cry? Is your mistress gonna give you a comforting speech? Is your safe full of money gonna bring your dad back? Is your next door neighbor who happens to be a celebrity that you've been name dropping for months..are they gonna sive you a smile that says, "it's okay.." Are your fancy cars and big diamonds or drinking bars and pockets full of drugs going to bring back your sister? Is beating up the kid you have a grudge on gonna get you an A on that paper? No. No. No. No!!! Realizing that life doesn't depend on you and resting in your imperfections and loving to the fullest in case they're gone tomorrow...those things will somehow get you through the day. Finding beauty in pain, a smile in the tears, a hug in the violence, a peace in the fight...simply looking at the glass of life as half full can sometimes be the blanket that keeps you warm. Most of all, remembering that if the world came to an end and you just died...money, drugs, grades, good deeds, sucking up and clothes won't mean a thing. They will die along with you. If it all turned to dust tomorrow...would that still be number one on your list? If you had one last day, would you spend it shopping?

Prayers to you all :)

Nothing

I am nothing without You.
I hold nothing.
I complete nothing.
I finish nothing.
I hope in nothing.
I love nothing.
I forgive nothing.
I live nothing.
I see nothing.
I taste nothing.
I feel nothing.
I reason nothing.
I hold nothing.
I believe nothing.
I am strong in nothing.
I joyful through nothing.
I am faithful through nothing.
I am nothing
without You.

Be the thread of my existence. Be the glue of my life. Be the unification that replaces my justification. Be my atmosphere. Be everything inside it. Be everything that is greater than all of it will ever be. I love You, I feel You, I believe in You. I trust You.

Happiness is a choice :)

I just want to encourage you guys today with a little piece of wisdom spoken to me by a sweet starbucks girl who has no idea how much she has touched me. I went in to get my starbucks and she was sweetly talking to the children of the customer in front of me, goofing around with them and stuff. She was talking to them as if she already knew them and they were being very sweet back, but you could tell by the mothers lack of conversation that they really had never met before and the sweet starbucks girl was just an extra social person. :) So it's now my turn, the girl asks me what I want 'n' such and the whole time has a huge smile on her face. You'd think the girl just got proposed to for marriage! She asks me how I'm doing with a bubbly attitude, to be quite honest this wasn't a better day for me. Now, I don't remember why, but I do remember that this girl just totally turned me out from what I was and how I was feeling. Anyway, my sad little self replied, "I'm pretty good, how are you?" And what do you think the happy girl said? Good...of course! She responded as if she was living in a fairy tale. By saying this, I do not mean that she was acting like she was riding a unicorn and singing melodies of Sleeping Beauty. That would be more like an acid trip. No, by saying that I mean that it seemed as if she was living like none of the problems around her could change her attitude or steal her happiness. As the quote below says, that we carry seeds around inside of us, well her seeds were seeds of joy! And no negative circumstance in her life would ever change that! So, when I asked her how she was, she said, "I'm rockin!" I asked the happy girl why she was so happy and she said, "Well, I have no reason not to be! Happiness is a choice, it really is. People think I'm crazy because I'm so happy ALL the time." Anyway, I hope this girl touches your soul the way she has touched mine :)

Martha Washington
The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go.

Walking into the Forest...and back out again.

So, remember that one post about 'him'? Yeah, well I've gone back and forth between caring and not caring so many times. I've flip flopped from black and white to gray and beige and..it's just crazy how easily people can forget how silly things like these don't matter. It makes me crazy how fast I can forget that little moments in our lives that stress us out or even the really huge ones...are NOTHING compared to eternity in peace with Christ. NOTHING! We get to spend forever in peace with no weeping or sadness or anger, (Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”) So, my heart and I have come to the conclusion that these things (for ex: 'him') or just plain stress and worry of the fleeting things of this world, caring what others think etc...don't have ANY business taking up time that I could be using to glorify God! They have No place in my day! And when they creep up on my shoulder and whisper worry in my ear, I will pray out to God proclaiming how awesome and wonderful He is and how weak these little problems are and I will watch out for them whenever they come upon me (1 Peter 5:8-9 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.)

Anyway, just wanted to encourage anyone else who might need a little push such as this, keep me reminded so I keep my faith this way!!

Luke 12

I love the verses 1-7 and 8-12

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
12:1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. [1] Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? [2] And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [3] 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [4] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his [5] kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready
35 “Stay dressed for action [6] and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants [7] whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he [8] would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant [9] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” [10]

Just a little excerpt from a weekly e-mail I get :)

True worship should create God-intoxicated people.

Everyone worships. Some people worship money, possessions, popularity, prosperity, or other people. They may not sing worship songs to their bank account, but by the way they live they worship (i.e. give value to) their money.


Worship is not just singing songs in church; worship is a lifestyle that places value on its object. True worship of God means that the one worshiping is placing value on God and putting him at the center of life.

That's what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

Notice Jesus didn't say anything about singing "worship songs." To worship in spirit and in truth means that everything in your life is centered around God and guided by him -- that your choices reflect him, that your actions are directed by him, and that you words are filtered through him.

In short, true worship is such that the one worshipping should be so enveloped and surrounded in the presence (the spirit) of God.

I love it!

Katelyn :)

I want more love and power Lord! I want more of YOU in my life!

Just read or sing this over and over again and feel the depth of His sovereignty and His power and love! It just hit me so hard tonight when I was worshipping with some great people...how badly I want more of Him in my life. Not even like oh, just a little and only sometimes. It's like ALL THE TIME!! I want more of YOU in my life, God but I want more of it 24/7 nonstop-glory-in-my-life!! You are amazing, Lord, thank you for being in my life, you are so powerful!!!

More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.

I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.

More faith, more passion
More of You in my life
More faith, more passion
More of You in my life

I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.

More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.

I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.

I pray His blessings upon you today :)

I hope this touches you as it has touched me :]

DEAR GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more
and do better.

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.


I pray God's peace surrounds you today, believe that He loves you no matter what, Katelyn

Philippians 4:13

So Sorry-by Feist

We don't need to say goodbye
We don't need to fight and cry
Oh we, we could hold each other tight
tonight

These lyrics have been stuck in my head all afternoon, it's really a beautiful song. Relaxing, soothing tune and everything :) Thing is, all I can think about when I listen to it is one guy. I know, I know, don't tell me about it, boys shmoys. It's just kinda lame, and yet mezmerizing, that after all this time, when I think of him, there is still this paralyzed image of him...and I can't be mad at him. I can't think negatively of him. All I think of is the way he used to grab my hand because he loved to hold it, the way he use to kiss my eyes, the little gaze he gave me that says, well, okay it said lots of things lots of different times and it's too much to try and type :) It's just so weird, why does my heart still have this tinge of desire when I think of his face? All I can think of or ever choose to dwell on is the old, amazing 'him' that I once knew. I can only imaginatively 'gaze upon' the good things of 'him'. Considering this as just a good ol' quality that everyone should have; only seeing the good in others, is an incomplete and untrue thought. It would only be labeled as an excuse, and I know if I chose to don it my own, it would only be that. A flittering, decaying, hopeless idea of what really isn't going on. Now, just because I am saying this, acknowledging what I should not do, doesn't mean I do know what to do. But that's the beauty of God being in control :) I don't have a clue, so I let it go. I let it fall through the wind like pollen falling from a flower, gently landing on the soggy, green grass. Until a bird or a little bug comes along and picks it up. Makes sense of the whole thing, defines it. Gives it a purpose, and tells tales of lessons learned from the little dust of pollen. :) God is my little bird, he will make sense of my silly thoughts. He will define my baby heart aches and give them a reason for being. I only call them 'baby' heart aches because...I'm sure a more numerous and brutal pile will accumilate throughout my life. While this one, little pollen baby, somewhat dissapears. And what I will have left of it is the peace of knowing I got through it, I'm alive, and I'm happy. :)

Carry me Jesus
Carry me through
Oh, Jesus, rinse me
Rinse me full through

I don't at all know
I'm questioning what
I do and don't know

Whether or not
You give me a clue
Whether or not
You say that it's true

I'll always love you
I will stay true
I'll always love you
You hold me right through

My issues will fall
they will fall like the dew

Jesus, You love me
I know that You do :]

Pushing away the choking vines †

Are you having a bad day? Are you feeling pressured to be perfect..do everything right? Feelin' like ya just don't measure up to the expecttations of others? Think that other guys life is a breeze or that other girl has it all together..why don't they like me? Feling like life is unfair...thinkin' if there really was a God He would make life easier, especially for someone TRYING SO HARD TO PLEASE HIM. I'm sure theres a shoe in there that slightly fits..

I capitalized the "trying so hard to please Him" part because...I believe that's one of the biggest burdens in anyones life. It gets even worse for a Christian because we all of the sudden have this CrAzy idea that we can somehow measure up and make Jesus believe we're perfect. Yeah...right. Doesn't happen people. God made us IMperfect so we would need Him. He wants to be wanted. He wants to be sought after and desired as The King of the universe. If we were perfect, life was easy & we were good at everything..who would we think to ourselves.."I really need that guy in my life.." We wouldn't have anybody to rest in. We wouldn't have anyone to say to us "I love you no matter the grade on your math test, my child, now relax in my love." Shoot...I like having the peace of knowing that I know NOTHING. I am a little ant and God is a huge, gorgeous, black F-250 (what do you mean is that my dream car..? Course not..;]) towering over me. HE IS IN CONTROL. I AM NOT. I love it!!!! I don't HAVE to TRY and sustain my life alone and deal with it in spick and span form (I said try because...we could never accomplish it no matter what we tried.) I just want to leave you with this...stop trying to be practically perfect...you'll never get anywhere. God loves you no matter what. He'll be there at the end of the day, in the morning when you wake up, at lunch time while you're eating your P.B.J., when you get home from school and you're tempted by lust or negativity or whatever pushes your temptation buttons..He's THERE. Don't let it freak you out..or maybe it should..maybe it'll convict you! Who knows..either way, one of my insane all time favorite verses says this, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10) Serve God with everything in your whole being! PRAISE HIS BEAUTIFUL NAME AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS!!! Sing His GlOrY WiTH YoUr EvErY bReAtH! HE IS THE MESSIAH! HE Is Yahweh, He is friend, He is lover, He is protector, He is Father...He is there. You're gonna spend eternity with Him in a perfect heaven...so what about English 101?


Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:14

A Cry for Freedom `/* ~/* *\'~

The flower is sleeping
With a tinged and sorrowful glow
She wishes for The Sun again

She wishes for The Sun
To shine on her face

She wishes for The Sun
That she may be filled with grace

She wishes for The Sun
So she will wilt no more

She wishes for The Sun
That it may open her petals
Now fallen and weak
From hurts and anguish
She could never extinguish

She feels a glimmer of hope
As The warm Sun begins to rise
But the clouds quickly cover
Her hope for a smile

This facade will continue
Until she realizes...

If only she would ask The Sun
It would shout away the clouds


me:.

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 1Peter 5:5b

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to humble yourself to walk with your God. Mic 6.8

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, SHOWING ALL HUMILITY TO ALL MEN. Titus 3.1 3.2

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. 1Pe 5.6 5.7

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4.10

Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I must humble myself as the little child who came when Jesus called in order to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Mt 18.4

If my people, who are called by my Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2Chr 7.14

For everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

We should humble ourselves before God and let Him search our hearts and confess our sins, rather than exalting ourselves in the presence of God. Lk 18.14

When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. Pr 11.2

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Pr 16.18 16.19

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him; he is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Jn 7.18

At any kind of social gathering where you are invited take the lowest place. This is one way to humble yourself.

Humility recognises that "I need God".

Recognize when people follow that it is only because they see that God is with me. Keep the attitude, "I need God".

......These are just a few quotes and verses I found on humility. I don't know about you, but I know that one thing is for sure, I am NOTHING compared to the Creator of the universe. I feel dissapointed in other people when I see that they are being self-righteous, putting themselves on a pedestal, floating away because their head is so big, however you want to think of it. And here I AM, being the same as all the 'high and mighty', airhead people I criticize. Thinking inside of how great I'm being, what a great person I am, how great my hair looks, seriously, it's absolutely ridiculous. And the worst part of it all: I'm pretty sure it is THE BIGGEST spiritual barrier I have ever felt between my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The very thing that has been at it's very highest point this past month or so, and I put my pride in the middle of it. I put my foggy, gray pride between God and I. The devil knows that it can so easily separate us from God, he knows that he can so easily slip it in our lives when we think we're being the strongest. And there ya go! Before ya know it your spiritual relationship kinda slips a little, and you don't understand this weird feeling in the pit of your stomach..that something is weird, you might even understand exactly what you're doing to yourself, and immaturely, naively find a way to jusify your idiocy, and continue living in it! But you don't understand why your spiritual fervor is not there! And that's sayin a lot cause I can get pretty flippin excited about JESUS!!! Your very spiritual excitement the thing that should define you, your relationship with Christ and your safety in Him, slipping away? UH OH! Might wanna fix that! Anyway, that's my little confession I guess =) God bless ya'll. You're in my prayers as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Phil. 4:13

Enjoyment In the SImple THings Of liFE =D

So recently Iv'e been experiencing complete joy and contentment through my amazing Jesus. Not just temporary happy moments that numb the pain of everyday life once and a while when you smile and switch back and forth from good days to bad days. TrUe HaPPiNeSs! This happened to me by realizing in my heart, not just understanding in my head, that my worth is in Jesus Christ and I don't need to call to anybody to receive definition through their approval! That God was there when I was born, the first time I skinned my knee, the first time I lost a family member, the first time someone I thought was my friend hurt me, and He will be there for the last time those things happen. He was there ten years ago and He will be there in twenty. He loved me yesterday, He loves me today, and He will love me tomorrow.

Anyway, my point of this really, was to talk about how important it can sometimes be to just find a smile in the small stuff. Like today, I was kinda stressed out, didn't really know why, I was just subconciously letting something get to me I guess, but I rolled down the window in the car, and I stuck my head out and just felt the cool air brush my face. "Thank You, God, for giving me life today. I'm gonna choose to look at this day as a miracle that I'm even alive." That simple moment made the rest of my day just that much easier to handle.

A Prayer To Know The Holy

Lord, I pray that You would promote your children to seek You with an everfervent, unyielding spirit. I pray that You would allow us to humble ourselves in Your presence God. Knowing that You, the Author of our life, are in control. Lord, I pray that we would hunger and thirst for a better understanding of Your heart. That we would thirst to know You and long to live for You every day, in every way. I pray for the church and for your people Lord, that we would earnestly seek to be close to You and honor You with our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Knowing Intimately The One Whom We Praise

"The intelect knoweth that it is ignorant of Thee, because it knoweth Thou canst not be known, unless the unknowable could be known, and the invisible beheld, and the inaccessible attained." Nicholas of Cusa said this. If you don't follow his old english wording he's pretty much saying that humanity knows (or should know) that the image and true heart of God our creator, can't really be attained by our finite minds as humans. We can't really understand who God truly is unless the things that are unknowable could be known etc.. one of my favorite pastors, Darryl DelHousaye said last night in a sermon, "I can't trust what I don't know" and "I can't trust whom I don't know." Saying that, we cannot trust and have faith in Christ's commandments and teachings if we do not study them and know them in our hearts, and we cannot trust this God who is spoken of if we do not know Him and seek at least to try and understand Him. Why would we trust someone whom is unknown? Why would we have faith in the teachings of a man named Jesus whom we have not taken the time to grow intimately close with?

Nocholas goes on to say this, "If anyone should set forth any concept by which Thou canst be conceived, I know that that concept is not a concept of Thee, for every concept is ended in the wall of Paradise....So too, if any were to tell of the understanding of Thee, wishing to supply a means whereby Thou mightest be understood, this man is yet far from Thee....forasmuch as Thou art absolute above all the concepts which any man can frame."

Ya might need to read it again, it's all good, so did I. Anyway, this pretty much all saying, in order to trust God and put our lives in His hands and worship Him intimately and live solely and fervently for Him, we must search to know Him as He truly is. We must request of Him to allow us to be brought into the presence of The Holy Spirit and thrive off of that existence and rest in the knowledge of His Spirit. We must know His commands to trust Him, and we must know Him to have faith in Him.

**1 John 1**

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Psalm 34-quickly becoming one of my favorite Psalms

Psalm 34

Of David.

1 [a] I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

I just love this verse for so many reasons! The beginning talks about praising the Lord continually with every word that comes out of your mouth all the time!!! I strive to do that, and I love in verse 3 how it says 'let us extol His name together..' I love that it implies brothers and sisters in Christ praising His name together, being unified by praising the God that we share a love for. I love how it continues to repeat throughout the chapter things like in verse 4 (I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.) and things like verses 6 and 7. The Lord delivers us from our fears and our troubles. He doesn't just take them out a little bit at a time and tease us He delivers US from them. His angels protect us against them. I love in verse 8, "taste and see that the Lord is good." I lovE That!! It's like glorifying Gos by using our senses and then praising Him for them and seeing how great He is through them! It continually repeats that the Lord will help the righteous and the hurting ones who cry out to Him, He will comfort them and help them. He will 'keep our bones from being broken' (verse 20). And the ending is just amazing, it's totally the icing on the cake, verse 22 "The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him." His servants....? Yeah, that's us! He will redeem us! We will not be condemned because we take refuge in Him...and that is THE BEST PLACE to take refuge isn't it? Heck yeah it is!!

God bless ya'll.

answer the questions with, "Because I love Him..."

When people ask you why you still believe in God and follow and love Him when terrible things in life happen..what do you say? When people ask you how you can follow a God who lets people starve and lets people die of cancer and allows children be raped..what do you say? I never knew what to say to these questions...I always figured some Christian answer like, "that's how He gets peoples attention and draws more people to follow Him" would come to me. But nothing that I really believed or felt came to mind when thinking of what to say to these questions asked of me. But today I was thinkin...and I realized..we say we love Christ with all of our hearts right? (hopefully!! ;]) well what do people say love is when talkin about someone in your life when they ask how you know you really 'love' em' and what that means? Most of it is loving someone past their faults, or loving someone no matter what they do to you or anybody else, stickin with them through each and every storm in life, remaining loyal..by their side..no matter what. Somethin like that you would agree right? Well, I think we should have a love for Christ like that when questions are asked of us or even when we ask them to ourselves. "God why did my grandma get cancer? Why would you cause such a godly woman this pain, and the pain to my grandfather having to go through this with her?" You could ask that of yourselves but remember, God has an everlasting love for us...so..we should have such a love for Him. Understand, just like you would if your spouse did something that they KNOW ticks you off..that you love em' anyway! That's exactly what it is...when you wanna say, "Heloootes...why did you do that to me?!? I'm upset now..but because I love and trust you I forgive you." Or "why are we going through a financial struggle right now?" well, it sucks but you stick with your spouse because well, thats love =). So when you ask or are asked why God did something or why He allows this & this & that to happen...say, "Because I love Him...and I TRUST Him." I MADE A CHOICE to love and trust in My God no matter what..and I have a peace in Him. I think that's a good answer. =D


-James 1:12
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who LOVE Him."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps NO RECORD OF WRONGS. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always TRUSTS, always hopes, always PERSEVERES."

Take some time to be quiet today =)

Go away from all the people around you, don't think about what has to be done or what will happen if you don't do it, don't think about what other people have said to you today to affect your attitude. Don't think about what you're doing tonight or if you have time to do it. Sit somewhere you can be quiet...your backyard, your bedroom, your kitchen floor, your closet heck go to your bathroom and sit in the bathtub if thats where you can be quiet. Sit down. Lay your head back. Get comfy =) and just relax...have YOU time. That doesn't have to be selfish, you just might need some time to stop listening to all the noise and stuff in your life ...and be quiet. It's awesome..do it :D

Be still, and know that I am God. //:Psalm 46:10

Not Myself-John Mayer

Suppose I said
I am on my best behavior
there are times
I lose my worried mind
Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?
Suppose I said
Colors change for no good reason
words will go
From poetry to prose
Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?
And I, in time, will come around
I always do for you
Suppose I said
You're my saving grace?
Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?
Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?


...yep, I want you even when you're not yourself. =)

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Y Psalm 150:6 Y

okay, I don't care whats going on in your life, you are in the category of "everything that has breath," so suck it up & praise the Lord okay? Haha, I'm kiddin, you might have something going on where you couldn't even imagine praising the Lord. You are so sad and down that you can't think of anything happy. But sometimes if I'm in a 'feeling sorry for myself' mood, I need some sense knocked into me. I need someone to tell me to stop bein sad about life and remember that I have food, clothing, a comfy bed (mines actually kinda hard) and a God who loves me and even though we can't see the good out of the situatin right now, God doesn't do stinky things in our lives just to do stinky things in our lives. See what I mean? God doesn't leave us in that stinky spot if we trust that He has a plan, no matter how hard whatever is going on in our lives is we have to realize, God is doing this so something better can come out in the end. It might take us forever to realize it but, the sooner we sit up & smile and get over whatever our deal is, the sooner we'll see the goodness God has planned & the sooner we will feel better and life will be easier! (PS- when you smile it sends messages to your brain that you are happy, meaning, 'hello! Smile & it will be easier to be happy;]')
And another thing, satan does not attack the ones who just keep giving in and giving in to his attacks half as much as he attacks the ones who keep getting back up again. The ones who stand up, brush themselves off and say, "God loves me, I'm gonna be okay." Satan can't stand it when he can't get us down. He can't stand it that no matter how hard it gets, we don't give in to him and we let go and let God! So I'm just warnin you, it will be hard. But Jesus hung on a splintery cross while he was bleading to death with his hands and feet holding Him to the cross with nails. I'm pretty sure He can help you next time you feel like you can't take anymore ;).

Your Grace is Enough: Chris Tomlin

I heard this song playing just now & I really just wanted to share it with you, I really wanted you to feel Gods awesome love and power and remember, that His grace is definately enough. We are nothing compared to His wonderful, encompassing glory!


Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me (x2)

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Your grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your grace is enough for me
God i see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me For me

..a brother among you who needs help?..

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Deuteronomy 15:7-8

Just read it again, think about it. Think about what we, today, as Christians do, and how we react when we see a brother (sister) in need.

Not many of us jump to the chance of helping our Christian siblings do we? Eh, not really. I know I could do it more! Lets look at the words the author uses to describe how we act to a troubled brother; hardhearted and tightfisted. Thats kinna harsh huh? I've heard the word hardheaded used plenty around my family and friends but..heardhearted? We're gonna harden not just our minds but our hearts to someone in need? The definition of hardhearted in the dictionary is just this, "unfeeling; unmerciful; pitiless." I don't think I would want anyone to know me as a person who is "unfeeling; unmerciful; and pitiless" to anyone! No matter who they are! And tightfisted. The other word used in the passage. That makes it sound like you're gonna punch somebody! But lets look at the definition; "parsimonious; stingy; tight." Parsimony is like another word for stingy. So as Christians, we treat our Christian brothers and sisters in need by having an 'unfeeling, unmerciful, pitiless, stingy and tight' attitude toward them. Even if we don't all do that...we should try and make an effort to do just the opposite. So that we don't have that reputation =D Just think about it, every time a brother/sister tells you they need help or somethin in life is going wrong, help em! Jump to the chance! Knowing that you are doing what God wants us all to do, knowing that you will be glorifying God by helping a Christian sibling in need! We are making God smile, our friend smile, and ourselves. (I guarnantee you will be happy after helping someone else ;]) So think about it, pray about it, maybe God is revealing the fact that you need to help someone out =) Toodles!

Katelyn Marie

few more audrey quotes =)

“Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future.”

"It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'”

“I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.”