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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

There's No Place Like Home


I went back to my home church this last Sunday.  I really miss the people there.  Lucas and I made the trip down to be able to say goodbye to some great friends who are moving.  When I found out that their last Sunday at the church was this week and knew I had to go.  We loaded up the dogs and took off to get down there for the 10:45 service time.

When we pulled into the parking lot (after dropping Fletcher and Jack off at my parents house) I walked in the front doors to be greeted with hugs and smiles from all my dear church family.  The last time I was at a service at the church was Easter, six months ago!  I felt like I was back home amongst family.  It so strange how being gone for so long makes you realize just how much you do miss things that are familiar and safe.

I made my way back to the youth group room to see the students and was so excited to see everyone there, and I think they were just as excited to see me.  As I made my way around the church before the service I was constantly greeted hugs and encouraging words.  I felt how much the people of my church loved and cared for me.  I was even asked to drum with the youth group again that afternoon, which was one of the best things ever!  I miss playing drums with those guys.

I can totally understand how Paul felt when he longed to see Thessalonians in 1st Thessalonians 2:
17 But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.
 I know that my leaving home was what I needed to do, but I still have a desire to be home with my family.  But that longing is good, and I didn't leave them behind, I brought First Baptist with me.  As I reflect on my time with my friends back home I want to echo Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3, and pray it for the people of First Baptist:

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

fbcphilomath.org

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I am slowly going crazy

 
I loved this show as a kid...this is kinda how I'm feeling right now!

I realized that I haven't posted anything in a REALLY long time!  Boy, that must mean I'm super busy with work, which is very true.  I've been so busy, in fact, that I have hardly had time to do important things like doing the dishes, cleaning my living room, and grocery shopping (I'm out of popcorn...gasp!).  Why have I been so busy?  Good question.  Here is a quick rundown of all the things I have been doing that has taken all of my time.

Pretty sure I was on my death bed...
Boy, I was pretty sick this past month!  I got a cold that wouldn't go away.  I even missed a day of work (which I never miss work) because I was just not feeling well.  But now, finally, I'm starting to feel better.  I'm able to breath again, not coughing all day, and haven't used any cold medicine since last Friday! Being sick just makes everything more difficult.

Designers Beware...
Over the past month or so I have been learning how to use the program Photoshop.  It's a very awesome, yet extremely complicated, program.  If you have ever attempted to use Photoshop without any training, you might understand how this could be very frustrating.  There are so many different buttons that do a whole wide range of different things.  While I would say that I'm much more skilled at Photoshop now, I would NOT say that I am proficient at Photoshop.  But I'm excited to continue to use it and learn more about graph design (something that when I was in High School I had actually thought about doing).

Worship...
I have been helping with two different worship groups; one with my church and one with PDXCru.  I was practicing every Tuesday night with my church group (playing the drums) and then Wednesday evenings leading worship for DWTNCRU (PDX Cru's weekly meeting) playing the guitar.  It had been a while since I had played my guitar and lead worship, but now that I'm back to playing on a consistent basis I'm feeling pretty awesome about it, and look forward to it every week.  We're seeing awesome things starting at DWTNCRU and I can't wait to see what God keeps doing.

Retreat from the city...
I got to be a part of the PDXCru fall retreat, leading worship.  It was fun to get out of the city and see something new and smell super fresh air!  I couldn't have asked for a more awesome way to spend my weekend (except for maybe Lucas coming).

Life in General...
Life has just been crazy.  My car has been broken into (which means I have trouble sleeping...gotta keep watch), we've gone to the pumpkin patch with Lucas' family, and my grandma came up to visit.  All in all, well besides the whole car thing, I've been busy, but it's all been worth it.

Although I have been too busy as well, I've now had to let some things go, which is good.  And I want to be able to spend more time with Lucas, the dogs and, most importantly, the Lord.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Here, There and Everywhere!

I know that a lot of the time when I talk about my job I end up talking about raising support.  It's just part of the deal when you work for a non-profit like Cru.  But it not just staff that needs to raise support.  My whole summer pretty much revolved around support raising.  It was pretty crazy. Here's a look into what my summer assignment was.

Officially this summer I was assigned to "Summer Project Operations."  What this means is that I was here to help out our various summer project operations directors by processing income, i.e. student support. Some people think that this sounded like the most boring job possible.  And if I told you that what I did was got the mail, opened it, recorded all the checks (scanning and entering into a spreadsheet) then mailed them to our world headquarters it might actually sound INCREDIBLY boring.  If it was for anything else it might have been, but it really wasn't. 

How is this tedious task of check wrangling not boring, you might ask?  Well, when you get to see how God provides for people who have the desire to serve Him, it brings joy.  It is something that is so hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced support raising.  I've seen the Lord provide funds for students in weeks of beginning the process as well as the Lord leading people in a different direction.  It helps to remind me if I'm diligent in my support raising the Lord will provide.

So, whats so great about looking at all the support coming in for other people when I'm struggling to get the last bit for myself?  I got to see students go all over the world!  They did things that I can't do.  I'm in Portland, not in Australia, East Asia, the Middle East, or Costa Rica.  I'm in Oregon, not in Alaska, Tahoe, or Colorado.  But the students I interacted with were in all those places.  I got to see and hear about the Lord working ALL over the whole World!  Not many people get to experience that as part of their job. 

Matthew 28:19-20 says:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
 I'm one person who has responsibilities here in Portland, but by serving as an income processor I was able to help fulfill part of the Great Commission.  It's such a blessing to be a part of something that big, something that huge, that name of Jesus got to go to so far.  It's awesome.

Would you like to be a part of something so far outside yourself that it feels so amazing to know that you just get to be a part of it?

Monday, August 29, 2011

Is It Worth It?

Note: I am writing this a lot for my own benefit, but I would love to share my thoughts with you.

That has to be the question I have been asking myself almost every day for the past month.  As most of you know, I work for a non-profit called Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru).  Since we're a non-profit we rely on the donations of individuals, businesses and churches to fund our ministries.  While some non-profits have a department that raises funds for the organization as a whole and pays it's employees that way, Campus Crusade is different.  Everyone in Cru reaches out to individuals and churches they know for their funding.

Last year, in order to start working in the Greater Northwest Regional office I had to raise enough support so that I would be able to work and have all of my monthly expenses paid.  This year isn't any different.  I have been spending my summer working on raising the support I need in order to continue working in the regional office, but this has been a slow, painful and emotion filled time.

So that begs the questions: Is it worth it?

Are the sleepless nights laying awake wondering where the rest of the funds are going to come from worth it?  What about the days where I feel like I have failed in my mission?  Are the fears of losing friends and causing strife between family worth raising the funds so I can continue serving the Lord full time?

My answer: YES!

I know that my job IS important.  I know that the Lord WILL provide the support I need.  I know that what I do makes an ETERNAL difference.  I can't think of anything that is more important than what I do and the difference it makes.  Why is what I do important?  I get to be a part of an international organization.  I get to help spread the good news of the Gospel not just in Portland, not just in Oregon, not just in the Greater Northwest, but all the way around the world.   

It is so much fun to see the Lord work all over.  I get to see 600+ students come to Cru Conference every year where they get to learn about serving the Lord for the first time and for their life time.  I get to talk with students about who Jesus is and what he has done for them.  I get to see students spend their summers completely dedicated to serving the Lord and share the gospel all over the world. 

So yeah, I'm pretty sure I have the BEST job and I love going to work every day.  I like being the support system to help Campus Staff spend their time on campus with students.  I like planning conferences and creating videos that can be a tool the Lord can use to draw students closer to Himself.  I just have to trust the Lord that the support raising process is worth the payoff of seeing all this happen, especially when I lose the sight why I do what I do.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Ice Cream Meltdown

Chances are you know me, if you don't, well, I'm sure you're starting to feel like you do if you read this often. If you do know me and we've shared a meal together in the last 4 years you know that it is always a production when I want to eat.  It's not by a choice or me just being picky; trust me, I used to be picky, I'm not anymore. I'm such a bear to eat a meal with because I have Celiacs Disease.

I can't believe that I haven't actually written about this much before, but I don't think I have.  I'm just thinking about it because for the first time in quite a while I realized that Lucas has never known me as a non-Celiac, and this week it became apparent. 

As I mentioned, I used to be picky.  I wouldn't eat so many things.  I hated (and still do for the most part) fish, egg plant and cooked mushrooms, for example.  But now there are things that I didn't use to like that I'm starting to enjoy simply because if I don't eat that, there's not a whole lot else I can eat like onions and cooked tomatoes.  But here is a story that made me feel like a terrible person, but at the same time I find quite humorous.

I asked Lucas to go to the store after he got a haircut.  He went to this place that we have been before that has an extensive gluten free section, which is awesome!  When he got home he started showing me some of the things that he had gotten for me, which included gluten free instant gravy mix! However, he also told me that he got me a surprise, but that I would have to wait until after dinner.  

I couldn't wait to see what he got.  We finished dinner and were watching TV for a bit when he said he was going to fix me my surprise but I had to close my eyes, which I did.  He came back in the living room and put something in my hand and when I opened my eyes I saw an ice cream cone.  

An ice cream cone
I looked at the cone and then I looked up at Lucas and said, "I can't eat ice cream cones." And he had a big grin on his face and said, "These are Gluten Free!"  I looked back at the cone and then back at him and said, "I don't like ice cream cones." 

In that moment I could see his heart sink.  Here was my husband trying to do something super sweet and super nice for me, and I couldn't even accept his gift with a happy heart because just I didn't like it.  He explained how when he saw them he figured I'd be really excited about it because I couldn't have had a cone in over 4 years now.  I apologized for hurting his feelings and explained how when I was little could never eat them fast enough and the cone was always soggy by the time I got to it and so I never wanted to eat it.  

I told him I would try it though.  But then, like a 3 year old, I had to ask how I'm supposed to eat it! I was a sticky mess after just a couple minutes.  But I ate it and the cone didn't taste half bad.  I realized after this happened that there was no way that Lucas would have ever known that I didn't like ice cream cones.  I'd never been able to eat them for as long as he knew me.  How could I expect him to know what I don't like.  He's not my family who has known for YEARS how much I dislike ice cream cones.  

But the ones we had weren't bad, so I'll have to try one again.  It's just helping me keep in perspective how little Lucas and I know about each other even after being married for a year-plus.  We get to keep learning new things about one another and grow together.  I'm excited for what else I learn about him and what he learns about me!

Has something like this ever happened to you before?
What is something awesome/weird that you just learned about someone you love?

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Faith to fighting in less than a chapter

Tonight during my quiet time I read John 8.  I'm not sure if John's writing style is strange, the translation from the original language to English is awkward or if Jesus was just kind of hard to understand sometimes.  But reading tonight, my eyes seemed to open to a section of scripture that I don't really think I've ever paid attention to before.

John 8:31-59

Before this section of scripture Jesus is talking with the Pharisees (as usual) and through his conversation it says in verse 30, " Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him."  But Jesus then turns to these Jews who believe and start to really let them know what they'll learn when they follow him and how they'll be free.  The Jews, in return, reply that they are Abraham's descendants and were never slaves to begin with.


How often are we like these Jews who put their faith in what Jesus says, but then they think that they're all good because of the fact they are descendants of Abraham?  I think that I have fallen into this trap at times in my life.  I grew up in a Christian home, and sometimes I feel like I've got it all together simply because of the way I grew up, following rules and whatnot.  But I think I'm more like the Jews in this chapter than I want to realize.

I say I know how to live because I'm a part of my family, but Jesus calls us out saying, NO. You're living your life the way your "father," the devil, does. We're sinful people.  We're part of that group who was plotting to kill Jesus. But the blessing is the fact that we have these Jews' story to look at and learn from. They didn't understand what Jesus was saying but because we have their story in the Bible we're able to learn from what they did. How awesome is that!?

I encourage you to read John 8, the whole chapter, so you can get the whole context of what is going on around this dialog with Jesus and these Jews.  It's pretty amazing to see what happens over just the course of just one chapter.  They go from putting their faith in him to picking up stones to try and kill him. Crazy.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

It's Like A Brick To My Face

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:    These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." ~ Revelation 3:1
What a way to start a conference for the over 5,000 United States staff members of Campus Crusade for Christ!

I sat there in shock as Francis Chan began speaking to the staff gathered in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I made the over 1,000 mile trip really to just be there for three things:
1) Find out the new name of Campus Crusade for Christ.
2) Be there for the GNW Regional Day and hang out with the rest of the staff from the region.
3) Be a part of the 60th Anniversary of Campus Crusade for Christ.
Francis Chan Speaking
I never thought that I the speakers of the conference were going to speak straight to me.  I felt like there wasn't anyone else in the room as Chan started his talk.  With great amounts of gusto and passion he started to explain how he hardly ever writes notes about what he is going to speak on, but in this instance he did, then he felt God calling him to speak on something else.  What followed was close to one of the most convicting times I've felt in a while.
"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."
I work for Campus Crusade for Christ.  When people hear that, I think they automatically think I have it all together, but I know the truth.  The vast majority of the time I can fake it and live off of the reputation of  Cru and skate by having people think I have it all together.  But that's when I realized, "Boy Katie, God really knows what's going on, inside."  I started thinking about how God is my job most days, and the last time I had a quite time was....to be honest, I couldn't tell you.

I was dead; spiritually apathetic and tired.  I've lived the Christian life since I was little, not wavering much in following all the rules. But as I listened to Francis Chan speak, what got to me even more than what he was saying was the passion he was saying it with.  It's been a long time since I have seen that kind of passion from a speaker.  His knowledge of God's Word struck me deep, hard and fast; "Why do I not know God's Word like that."  Chan spoke of God as someone who was close to him and someone he had a strong relationship with.  It seemed as though he knew God better than I know Lucas.  How can that be?

One of the things that Francis said was (I'm going to have to paraphrase), "Is God number one in your life, or IS God your life?  When God is just number one you can prioritize him."  It was like, as my friends were saying, a brick was thrown at my face!  I was just joking (and we all know at the root of a joke is a nugget of truth) with them saying how they were tied for third in my life. Lucas was second and God was number one.  Just the day before I was stating the God is just number one and not my whole life.

So what does this mean?  I'm still figuring that out.  I have been praying that the Lord will guide me on what it looks like to have Him be my whole life and not just number one.  For the first time I am feeling excited about diving into God's Word and learning about what he's teaching me.  Even yesterday I read in 2 Peter 1 where it's talking about how through His divine power have great promises that help us overcome the corruption of evil desires.  I read this and thought, "I need to find out what all these promises are the I've been given!" And I'm really excited about learning more what God's got in store for me!

Has God "thrown a brick at your face" recently?
How have you learned from your conviction?
Are you feeling closer to God because of it?

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Road Trip!

I recently went on a trip with my parents down to visit family near San Diego, California.  We drove.  This, however, is not the first time we've driven down there, no, not by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact I can count the number of times I haven't driven down there on one hand...2, but I have been down there well over a hundred times I'm sure!

With that being said, it is 1,018 miles from Corvallis to San Diego, a drive time of about 16 hours and 30 minutes according to Google Maps directions.  My parents and I did it in one day, a long day, but one day, again, not the first time we've done that either.  But along the trip there are key things that I always remember, look for and reminisce about from when I was a kid.  I thought I'd share some of them with you, and maybe a funny story or two.

1) We always stop for gas in Grants Pass, Oregon.  When I was little we went to this gas station that was near the caveman in Grants Pass.  We switched gas stations several years ago, so it's been a very long time since I've seen the caveman, but I still remember what he looks like.  We got off on the exit that he stands at this trip, but I didn't see him.  Here is a picture of him that I found online though:
2) Just as you get into California, there is "The Rusty Dragon."  I don't remember when he showed up, but I don't really remember him from when I was really little (but then again I could have been sleeping, coloring, throwing up...you know, all those things little kids do in the car).  But now he's a highlight of my trip.  I always "check-in" at the rusty dragon on Foursquare as I drive by.  On my way down I didn't get to because I was actually driving (a problem I never had as a kid) but I was able to click this really blurry picture of him on our way home!  The rusty dragon has a rusty cow friend too...but he's near...
3) The State of Jefferson!  If you haven't heard about this, you should look at this: http://www.jeffersonstate.com/
It gives you all the information on the "State of Jefferson"

4) Did you know that the closest In-N-Out Burger on I-5 is in Redding California?  Well, it is.  This is a MUST STOP place on our trips to southern California.  I know exactly how to get there...oh man, I can taste the Protein style Double Double and fries just thinking about it!  Oh...and California now has a law where you have to post the calories for everything...not cool California, not cool.  I didn't want to know how many calories are in a Double Double! This shot isn't from the one in Redding, but from the In-N-Out in Kettleman City, where we ate dinner.  Pretty awesome shot for a cell phone if you ask me!
5) I was born in California, did you know that?  Yep, Sacramento!  Woohoo!  Well, here's a funny story for you.  When I was little I wanted to be a spy, why, I don't know, but I did.  I had a pair of Foster Grant sunglasses that were black with a little red FG on the ear piece that was a circle.  They were my "super special sunglasses" and I would pretend that I could shoot lasers from my sunglasses if I pushed the little red "button" and could save the world...my target:
The "spaceship" that landed in Sacramento, also known as, the giant Sacramento Water Tower just off I-5.  This was always my target of choice.  Even to this day, as I drive by I have the secret urge to shoot down the aliens that have landed...and yes, this was before I ever saw Men In Black.

6) The Grapevine and all the wonders of the LA area.  I always look for Magic Mountain, San Dimas, Disneyland, and when I was really little I tried to keep a tally of all the palm trees...that was impossible, but I still tried. I would sing "I heard it through the grapevine" as we would drive through the mountains on our way.  But Lyons Ave In-N-Out was always the last stop before Grandmas! (but not this trip...it was too late)

7) Ahhh...Grandmas!  We would pull in and all of the familiar sounds and smells would come flooding back.  It really is a home away from home. I don't think I can put into words how being at my grandparents place makes me feel.  It's always warm and cozy feeling, and not because of the temperature but because of the love of my family.  Here are just a couple pics from there.
This was my Grandpa's sign.  I though it was a cool shot.
I'm Picking at night...yeah, it's hard to pick grapefruit with a flashlight under your arm
I Love Southern California!  It makes me feel like I'm safe.  And it's always hard to say goodbye to family down there.  Here's one final shot of Mt. Shasta from the Weed rest area...another must stop. :-)
Do you have a place that you like to go that always brings back wonderful memories? Where?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Puppy Love

Lucas and I got a dog a couple weeks ago.  

His name is Fletcher.

I've had a dog since I was a freshman in college.

His name is Jack.

Now we have Jack and Fletcher.

Our house has become INSANE! 

But I love both dogs for different reasons.

Would it be bad to say I love Jack more?


Let me explain:

Enter: Jack.

As I said, I've had Jack since I was a freshman in college.  I got him in January of 2004 (you can read this if you want to relive the journey I took to get him, it was for my writing class) and he has been my little buddy every since. We've been through a lot together.  He's been there through the all nighters, the heartbreaks, the joys and several VERY long car trips.  No matter what, I always knew that I could come home to an unconditional love that made me feel so special.

Enter: Lucas.

When I met Lucas one of the most important things for me was that he know I have a dog and that he needed to like Jack and Jack needed to like him.  It says a lot about a man how he treats a dog.  Lucas and Jack hit it off right away, to the point that now Jack listens to Lucas more than he listens to me...but that's probably because Jack knows that I'm wrapped around his little paw.  The three of us have been a happy little family since really before Lucas and I got married.  We would do lots of stuff together.

Enter: Fletcher.

Fletcher is one and a half.  He's also a Vizsla.  He is a ball of energy!  I think what I really like about him is how expressive he is, but this is also one of his downfalls.  He's always "talking" to you.  Be it whining, barking, or just this crazy squeaky yawn thing, it seems as though he's always making noise.  He LOVES to play and after last night I'm pretty sure he's a dog surgeon (He managed to take the squeaker out of a toy through one small hole, that I could hardly see).

Enter: Love.


Before Fletcher, I was able to allot all of my puppy love to one dog, Jack.  But now that there are two it's really difficult to share the love.  I mean, if it's this hard to do with dogs, what am I going to do when I have kids?  I want Fletcher to know that I do love and care for him, but at the same time I don't want Jack to think that I don't care about him because I have to split my time and energy between both.  It's also so much easier for me to overlook the "bad" things Jack might do (like not sitting the first time I ask or barking at the doorbell on TV) but when Fletcher does something that I don't agree with I don't feel bad at all when I reprimand him.

I'm really glad this isn't how God looks at us.  He's not just sitting up there saying things like, "Oh, Katie's been at the Christian thing for a long time, I'll let that one slide.  But oh...Little Johnny over there, he's pretty new at the Christan thing, I'd better yell at him."  God has got the "Sharing the Love" thing down pat.  He disciplines us when we need to be disciplined and he's always loving.  God doesn't play favorites.  When we believe in his Son we're welcomed into the family, and not as second class citizens.  It even says in Ephesians 2:
 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I just need to work on realizing that Fletcher is part of my family now, WITH Jack, and that I need to love both dog's equally.  I'm really glad that I get to practice with dogs before I have to deal with kids! :-)

So, what do you think?

Monday, May 2, 2011

I Believe I Can Fly...

 I am afraid of heights, but more importantly I'm afraid of falling from heights.  I tried rock climbing when I was in college and I LOVED it, except for the part where you climb UP the wall. ha ha! The one thing I really regret was the fact that I only made it to the top of the wall a couple times.  But a couple weekends ago, something crazy happened.  Watch this video and you'll see:

This video was taken when I was helping out with my church's youth group AFTERSHOCK at the Disciple Now retreat weekend at Camp Tadmor just east of Lebanon, OR.  This is called, "The Giant Swing."  I'll give you some perspective: You're strapped into a harness, your team pulls you 60 feet into the air, and YOU have to pull a little string to activate a quick release.  This means that have to reach over and cause yourself to plummet 60 feet with just a cable holding you up. 

But as you can see from the video, I did it.  I try to see what God is teaching me through different events that happen in my life.  I had to think about this one for a week, but here I go:

God has got us from the start.  When I would rock climb, I would get about 15 feet up the wall and start saying to myself, "Did I tie the knot right? Is my partner belaying correctly? Is the carabiner up on the top strong enough to hold my weight?" I would talk myself out of climbing any higher.  With the giant swing I sat at the end of the cable the whole time, I knew from the start that it was going to hold my weight.  We need to believe that God is there from the beginning, even before things get scary, he's holding us up.  And God's ALWAYS got his eye on us; he doesn't get distracted.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are there to support and lift us up in hard times.  My friends were the ones who pulled me up the 60 feet.  I didn't do any of the work, they were the ones who did it.  When I got to the top, they supported me as I prepared to swing.  Your fellow believers are there for you.  Like we learned at Disciple Now; you need the body of Christ to help you live a resurrected life.

You've got to let go and trust that God is going to catch you. You reach over, pull that quick release and trust that God's got you.  It can be hard to let go, to have things out of your control, but when you decide to follow Jesus, he asks you to let go.  The only person that can let go is you.  YOU have to pull that string, YOU have to let go and give up the control of your life. YOU need to trust that God's got you.

Sit back and enjoy the ride! If you listen really closely to the video you can hear someone in the background say, "I though she was scared?" Yeah, I was scared!  I even asked the guy who strapped and clipped me in, "How many people have died on this thing?" But once I released and trusted the cable, I was able to enjoy myself and have a little fun and even let go and relax(I did the "Lazyboy" move)! It was great and very freeing. 

The crazy thing was, I had an urge to go a second time too...HA! :-)

How have you trusted that God will help you Soar?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Sciuridae...esquirel...skiouros - aka SQUIRREL



I really like squirrels. I think that they are fascinating!  It is one of the things I miss the most now that I'm no longer a student at Oregon State.  If you're a student there, or have ever been to OSU, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  The squirrels there were so friendly and EVERYWHERE.  They would run up to people, but never actually let you close enough to touch them.  Anyway, Squirrels are the one thing in my life that seem to be a constant.

That may see strange, but here is what I mean.  Some of my earliest memories growing up are when I lived in a city called McMinnville, and I remember seeing the squirrels run along the telephone wires outside our house.  Then when we moved I remember seeing some (not nearly as many) at our new place, but then when I started attending Oregon State, my love for them grew.  I like any type of squirrel too: grey ones, brown ones, ones that live in the ground and the ones that live in the trees.
This is Matt's Squirrel

You might be wondering why I'm writing about this.  Well, they have been coming up even more now!  First of all, one of my friends at work, Matt, has a little squirrel that sits on his desk.  His name is "Matt's Squirrel" (and you can follow him on Twitter) and he loves the book Imaginary Jesus.  This little guy has been everywhere, he helps us out in the office and even enjoys lunch with us.  So that's one reason.  The second is my Youth Group AFTERSHOCK back home has "Squirrel Moments" to the point that we put them on a shirt! Or maybe it's because Matt (the same guy I mentioned earlier) says I like squirrels because it's sounds kind of like my last name.
 
(This is a squirrel moment)

No, I like squirrels because they are curious and dedicated.  Two qualities that I find enduring.  We have a bird feeder in our back yard, and so far I think the squirrels have eaten more of the food than the birds.  We've tried lots of things to keep them off the feeder, but they still find a way to get to the food.  Even now, they're picking up the seed that falls to the ground.  They can run up the tree with my dog Jack right on their tail and never miss a beat.  I wish I were like that.  I wish I were persistent when it comes to things I want to see happen.  I often try once, fail and give up.  Squirrels don't do that.  Plus, I like their big bushy tails! ;-)

I looked up squirrels on Wikipedia and realized that one thing that squirrels do is help to plant trees.  That's right, they are one of God's foresters! According to the Wikipedia article, Squirrels have trouble finding food in the early spring because all of those nuts that they buried earlier are sprouting and growing.  Plus, how does a squirrel remember where they put all of those nuts?

Here are a couple videos of just how smart squirrels are! Enjoy!




I think we can learn a lot from squirrels, even if you don't like them.  Here are a few things I've learned:
1) Be persistent - God created us for a purpose and if we give up we might be missing out on something great!
2) Be sure to plant - We're called to plant God's word.  You never know, maybe some of those seeds we plant will sprout and grow, which is awesome, even if we don't get to receive the benefit.
3) Balance and concentration are important - If you take your eyes off of the branch you're leaping to you might miss and fall (which isn't so bad if your a flying squirrel).
4) Having a big fluffy tail is awesome!

Do you like squirrels? What's your favorite animal that you learn life lessons from?

Monday, April 11, 2011

So, There's This Boy...


All last week Facebook was reminding me that my anniversary was yesterday (Sunday, April 10th) which is all well and good, but how could I forget the day that my life completely changed?!  I actually found it quite humorous that it was giving me a warning for an entire week that my anniversary was approaching, I mean, they don't even give you that much warning for birthdays.  It's usually just the day of that it says, "Hey, its 'so-in-so' birthday!"  Well, maybe Facebook is trying to create a world where no one forgets things like anniversaries.  But whatever...

Anyway, "So, there's this boy..."

I don't know how many times I hear these words!  It's kind of fun and exciting because I know where the conversation is going to head.  Here I am, an experienced married woman (HA!) giving advice to lots of different awesome women!  But I think it's funny that most of the time it starts of with those exact same four words, "So, there's this boy..."  Now, if you're reading this and have said those four words to me, thank you for feeling safe enough around me to talk to me about it...I really do appreciate that you value my opinion ;-).

I think that I'm so excited when people (especially girls) want to talk to me about relationships because i remember sitting in those exact same shoes.  I remember back in 2007 when I sat down with my VERY good friend and said, "So, there's this boy....His name is Lucas."  When I hear those words I hope that they'll find the love that I have found in Lucas. 

But often times not too long later (in some cases anyway) the "So, there's this boy" turns into..."AHHH!!  I hate boys!"  Which gives me the opportunity to minister in a different way.  I can be the comforter and the person who sits and listens as often the tears come. 

So, here is my advice to the, "So, there's this boy..." group:

Take your time...if he's the right guy he'll come to you.  Be sure to pray about him and you, both as individuals and as a possible couple, but ALWAYS keep God in the conversation...OK, you don't have to be one of those couples who is always like, "Hey Babe, wasn't Romans so amazing today!  Paul is..." and that's all you ever talk about, but God should be the foundation of your relationship/

And for the, "AHHH!! I hate boys!" crowd:

Take your time...the right guy will come to you.  Be sure to pray about him and you, both as individuals and as a future couple!  Yes, pray for your future love...ask God to be making you exactly who God wants you to be for him and pray that God will be making him exactly who God wants him to be for you.

That's my advice...you know from that very experience, 1 year married, 25 year old woman (who still acts like a kid!)
This was from our wedding...Two becoming One with Christ (the White sand on the bottom) being the foundation of our relationship     

So, tell me about your boy, girl or your current great dislike of the opposite sex. :-)

 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Daydream Believer

I love daydreaming.  It's probably one of my favorite past-times.  I think it happens the most while either in the car or on a jog.  I'll think about anything and everything; things I think would be fun to do, places I'd like to see, movies I'd love to produce and talk shows I'd love to be interviewed on about the movies I'd love to make.  While some think that this is a strange thing to do, it's really quite normal for me to be talking to myself in the car...I always wear my bluetooth headset so I don't look COMPLETELY crazy.  So I guess this is my theme song???



I think that dreaming is a gift that God truly gives us.  Without dreaming movements like Campus Crusade for Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and even that church that made the movie Facing the Giants, wouldn't have reached the world in the way that they have.  I've been thinking a lot about this because of a book one of my friends suggested I read.  It's called: The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson.


It's a great book about a guy named Ordinary from the land of Familiar; yeah, it's a parable and a story.  The book is about the journey that Ordinary goes on to leave Familiar and go out in the world to pursue his Big Dream given to him by The Dream Giver (God).  It talks about the people trying to keep him where its safe, times of doubt, giants that he must face and fight, and the work of faith through it all. 

This book really, truly touched how I look at aspects of life and the trials I may face while working toward my dreams.  While there were parts that I may not have fully agreed with (if you want to know what those are, just ask), overall I loved this book and would recommend.  It was a super quick read (I'm a slow reader and read it in only a couple days) and well worth it!

I read this book because it was a recommendation from a friend... 
How about you? Do you have any books you think I should read?

Friday, April 1, 2011

Want to walk a mile in MY shoes?

I am not the most girly person in the world, I'll be the first to admit that.  I'm totally ok with it too, but there is one thing that I LOVE that is kinda girly...shoes.  I really like shoes.  Late last fall, Lucas and I went shopping and I found some really amazing Kenneth Cole flip-flops for like $4! 
Aren't they totally cute?
Anyway, yesterday was the first day above 60 degrees so I was really excited about finally getting to wear my really awesome flip-flops!  However, my feet were NOT happy with me!

Don't get me wrong, the foot-bed of these flops are super comfortable, but I don't know if it's because my feet have been hidden inside of shoes since November, but the pretty flowery straps caused super huge bruises on the tops of my feet.  I've heard the saying, "Pain is the Price of Beauty," plus, they are Kenneth Cole...which means that yes...they were designed by a man...need I say more!  Anyway, I told myself, "Suck it up Katie.  Everyone LOVES your shoes, keep wearing them! It'll get better."  Well, it didn't. 

By the time I got home from my day of work at around 7:30, I could hardly walk from my car to the house without tears in my eyes.  I kicked off my shoes, sat down on the couch and watched Modern Family with my husband.  I showed him my feet and he couldn't believe it either.

Well, now what?  I still think these shoes are awesome, but they hurt my feet so much! I wore my super comfortable flops today to give my feet a break, but I think like everything else, what hurts me only makes me stronger, right?  I'll give them another chance in a couple weeks.  I realized I'm really mean to my feet.  Years of running (often times without socks...stupid, I know) have taken their toll that's for sure.  When my feet are unhappy, I'm unhappy, so why do I do this?  It might be like the age-old question, "How many licks does it take to get to the tootie-roll center of a tootsie pop?"




The World May Never Know!

What about you?  Have you ever worn shoes that hurt your feet just because they were cute, or anything like that?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Strengths Found!

 1+2+3+4+5 = Katie!

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been looking at each of my strengths as given to me by Strengths Finder 2.0.  Here is the quick rundown again of my top 5 Strengths:

(The links on each go to the post about the individual strengths)


I think that these strengths are in a pretty good order of how they are listed, as each one builds on the next; well, maybe it should be a pyramid but Belief on the bottom....Anyway, what I mean is that my belief is the base of everything I do.  Not only does it dictate what job I have, but also how I live my life and what I hold as valuable, but then not far off from that is learning more about my beliefs and other things that I find interesting, but all the while, still guided by my beliefs.

Then responsibility comes into play in how I accomplish what I say I will do.  This is in my work and in my personal life, each of which requires learning new things as well as staying inline with my beliefs.  Then comes the harmony; this helps keep me grounded and listening to those around me.  And finally Developer, the one that I'm still developing, but I like to keep others encouraged, but in order to do that I need to listen to them, hold them responsible for their actions, learn about them but still guided by my beliefs.  

One of the beliefs that I thought would be there and isn't:
Competition - I like it when there is a winner and something to shoot for.  

Well, now that I've talked about my strengths, what else should I talk about?  Any thoughts?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Potentially There Is Potential


Strength #5: Developer

"You can do it!" Those are words that can either be encouraging or frustrating, and I say them all the time (or at least something like it), or do I?  My fifth strength is called "Developer" which basically means that I like to encourage people to find their potential and try to help them improve.  There are defiantly times where I can see this happening, but unlike my other strengths this was the one I had the most trouble accepting at first.

When I first saw that I was a "Developer" I didn't even know what that meant.  I was very confused by it, because I still think that I'm working on this strength.  It wasn't until I read the personal insights about developer that it began to make some sense.  My developer strength is one of the main reasons I worked in youth at my church and why I enjoy spending time with my discipleship group, I like it when people grow!

What better place for me to work than an organization that is shaped around seeing people develop and grow in their walk with Jesus!  But like I said, while this is a strength, I think it's one I'm still developing (yes, I'm developing my developer strength).  Here is what I mean:

I get excited when people grow and learn, it helps me get energized, but at the same time I don't think I'm all that good at it!  There is a big downside to this strength, I often forget to include myself in those I want to see grow; I become OK with being stagnate.  I'm in a constant tension of not feeling like I'm growing and at the same time being excited about others getting stronger.  The book Strengths Finders 2.0 suggest that people with a Developer strength find themselves a mentor to help them in their development.  I'm working on finding someone to come alongside me too, to help me grow in my strengths and abilities so that I can better equip those that I'm invested in.

Do you get energized when you see others succeeded and grow? Maybe you're a developer too? Have you ever thought of coming alongside someone to help and encourage them as they learn?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Off Key, but In Harmony?


Strength #4: Harmony

No, I don't sing well and if I try to pick out a harmony in a song I quite often fail miserably at it; I'm talking about a different type of harmony.  I've heard that the third child is often the peacemaker in a family...or maybe I made that up because I'm a third child and like to keep the peace.  Whatever the case, it is one of my strengths, to create harmony.  According to Strengths Finder 2.0 when you have high harmony, "You look for areas of agreement.  In your view there is little to be gained from conflict and friction, so you seek to hold them to a minimum." 

When I first saw this come up in my top 5 strengths I was convinced that that fully understood what they were talking about.  I don't like to be the one to make waves, and I hate it when people get upset, especially at me.  But then when I read more about the Harmony strength I realized there is a lot more to it than just relating with others in conflict.  I want there to be harmony in my work too; not just with the people but with how I accomplish tasks.

I appreciate it when tasks and work load makes sense; when it has a starting and an ending and defined steps along the way.  It makes me feel comfortable when I know what I'm supposed to do and how to do it.  That is why when I have questions I ask people who know how to do things, that are smarter than me, or have done it before.  It is refreshing to me that I can follow a step-by-step plan for things. 

One aspect of harmony is I hate putting myself in situations that may cause conflict.  I think that this is why going out on campus to share my faith has always been so hard for me.  I don't want to make people feel upset.  However at the same time, it helps me, because I want to make sure that they know that they are heard.  It's a really tough place.

So, a final though...this is why when I was in college and was in a Market Research class that required us to make cold calls for a phone survey I HATED doing it!  I didn't like to annoy the people I was calling as well possibly make them upset.  I, myself, got very upset and spent several nights crying when I would have to make phone calls. 

What do you think?  
Are you one to make Harmony, or do you like to provoke debate just to do it?  
Do you know someone with harmony as a strength, and do you enjoy being around them or do you find them frustrating?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Just for the "Run" of it

I've started running again.  Mostly just because I've been feeling very out of shape lately and I want to make sure that I stay in great shape so that when the weather gets nicer I can do things like go for a hike, and I want to be able to have the endurance to surf...A LOT! :-)

So, while I run I often think of a lot of different things, but today it was a little bit different.  Since I got out of High School and got an mp3 player (No, I don't have an ipod, itouch or anything that begins with an i) I haven't really run without some sort of music playing.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE running to music.  It's one of the reasons that I would rather run by myself, because that way I'm not ignoring the person I'm running with.  But now that I have a smart phone this has transformed into Pandora playing while I run, which gives me a nice mix of all kinds of music.  Not only do I have music but I also have a GPS that tracks how long and how fast I run.  Before I would have to time myself, then get home and map it myself to find out average pace. 

Today while I was running I changed a setting in my running app.  I had my app, RunKeeper, say when I reached each mile of my run.  Well, this caused Pandora to stop playing, so after a mile and a half I lost music. At first I was really annoyed, but then I started to like it.  Without music all I heard was my breathing and the birds, which helped me to quiet my mind a little bit and think.  It's really hard to run for both fun and a good workout, at least for me anyway.  I ran longer and faster today that I have in quite a while.  But I had to choose, do I want to know how far I'm running or listen to music. 

I really enjoyed running without music again.  I often forget to quiet my mind and just relax and reflect on what the Lord is teaching me.  I've got to remember to His faithfulness and goodness.  God invented running! :-)

So, we'll see if this actually happens, but I'm thinking about trying to run the Portland Marathon in October.  But for now these are my accomplishments:

The 5K Badge from Foursquare
You can click the link under the badge to read more about it. :-)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Responsibility


Strength #3: Responsibility

If you were in school with me and we had to do a group project, I was that person in the class who would almost prefer to do it myself.  Why?  That has to do with my third strength: responsibility.

When it comes to doing what I said, I'll get it done, if I don't...well, lets just say I'd owe you about a million favors to make up for my slacking.  According to Strength Finders 2.0 when responsibility is high you, "take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it though to completion."  I can see this strength really play out a lot in my life, almost to the point where it is one of my MAJOR downfalls in my personal life.

Having a high responsibility is excellent while at work.  When I commit to doing something, 9 times out of 10 I'm going to make sure it's done, when it needs to be done.  When I do fail to complete something, I'll be the first to admit that I didn't follow through, and usually start beating myself up over it until I'm able to make amends or right the wrong.  As I said, this is great in a work environment, and even when I was in school, however, as I mentioned before, I would be the person in the group project to make sure it got done.  But I often would have my responsibility strength placed on the others in my group as well.  If I felt like some didn't do work or that their work was only half complete, I would pick up that slack, and then inform the instructor to this.  I feel that you need to be responsible for your actions as well.

Responsibility is great, but as I said, it has become a major downfall as well.  For example, when I take on responsibility for a project I might overload myself.  I'll feel an obligation to say, "Yes" to almost anything that comes my way.  This, is not a good thing, because when I inevitably fail at completing all of these tasks I begin to beat myself down, and feel as though I am a failure.

I also will take on responsibility for things that I don't really need to or have responsibility for; this happens more in my personal life. Often times, if there is an issue, or problem at my house, I'll take blame, responsibility, for it, even if it wasn't my fault, or mine to deal with in the first place...but I also think this has to do with my next strength as well, Harmony (but that's for another time).

I need to continue to work on a balance in taking on and dealing with my responsibilities. 

Friday, March 4, 2011

Knowledge is Power

Strength #2: Learner

My Learner strength is really what caused this whole blog thing to be started.  In my post How Strong are You?  I talked about my need to learn new things and how it's started to play out in my job.  But I want to think about this a little deeper.

This is what Strengths Finder 2.0 says about the Learner strength, "You love to learn...The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you." I really find this true.  I really miss school.  Like I mentioned in my belief post, I do value my education, however, it was more the actual act of learning things, sitting in class and being fed information that I miss.  It has taken me a while to accept this strength of mine for what it truly is, learning.  (I guess that's why growing up in a town who's name means "The Love of Learning" was so exciting for me!) 

Being a learner, I have picked up many hobbies and interests, which in-and-of itself is quite expensive, but very rewarding.  I like the mental challenge of learning new things.  Perhaps that's why when I was in high school I chose some of the most technical track events: pole vault, high jump, triple jump and hurdles.  Each of these required learning more than just "move your legs to propel you around the track."  They required hours of honing my technique and skills in order to compete at a level I felt good about.  Maybe that's why Cross Country (while I had been running XC since I was in 5th grade) by the end of my senior year was no longer exciting for me; I felt as if I had learned everything there was to learn about the sport.  You run and try to pass the person in front of you, not much to learn about that. 

Learning has been a big part of my life in general, as I'm sure you can tell.  I have realized that my desire to learn is no longer being fulfilled through school, so I need to cultivate it in my own time, and by disregarding my yearning to learn only plays this strength of mine against myself.  When I'm not learning new things I feel like a bump on log and lazy.

My learning has been showing itself at work a lot lately.  I've been learning how to work in an office, reading books about having an effective ministry, dealing with issues among coworkers, and spiritual things too.  It's been great! 

Here is the downside to being a learner...often times its just learning that is exciting, not always the follow through on what I've learned.  A strength that I don't have in my top five that I wish I did is the Maximizer.  Maximizers want things done the best they can be...I sometimes settle for mediocrity.  I learn things but I don't always apply them to the fullest that they could be.

I have found that being partnered with someone who is a Maximizer is a great way to help with this though.  One of my co-workers is a Maximizer and I love working with her because together we learn and maximize lots of things!

Do you enjoy learning?  
How do you see my learning played out my life?
Do you have any suggestions for things I should learn more about?

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Believe it or not


Strength #1: Belief

My "top strength" is listed as Belief, but what exactly does that mean?  Belief in what?  When I saw this I the first thing that came to my mind was, "Why wouldn't this be anyone's top strength," which goes to show how much belief is one of my strengths.  Let me explain, according to Strenghts Finders 2.0 people with a strong Belief theme "have certain core values that are enduring."  My beliefs and values shape my life and, because of them, my idea of success is often different from others.  This is pretty evident in the line of work I'm in.

If you don't know me well, I'll give a little history on myself.  I have a college education in a pretty interesting field, Animal Sciences as well as Applied Economics and Business Marketing.  I'm currently working for the largest evangelical non-profit in the world, not really using the Animal Sciences degree (except while around the lunch table, we tend to talk about all sorts of farm animals!).  I'm following my beliefs.  I feel that my belief in God and my relationship with Jesus Christ is more important than formally using my 6 years of college education.  While I do find real value in my education, I feel that by increasing the spread of the Gospel among college students and around the world is just MORE important.  Sure, I use my education serving on the operations team (I've spent many hours going through evaluations, thinking about how to market different areas of our ministry, etc.) however, it's not like I'm working for an agricultural industry looking to maximize their profits so that I can move up in the company and make more money.  I could do that, but when I worked selling eggs to grocery stores (just starting out) I felt like I was missing my bigger purpose, to see others know Jesus.

This shapes who I am.  I want to see others grow.  I want to see others learn about God and find peace and understanding.  I want to use the talents I have to pursue what I view as important.  While this is a great strength to have, it can also be a struggle when it comes to some of my interactions with others.

For example, when we go to campus to share the Gospel, I often can't understand how someone couldn't believe in God, because He's such an important part of my life.  I also can't understand how someone can't want to use their talents and abilities to bring God praise, honor and glory!  When I'm passionate about something it's hard to try and stop me from going after it, which can bring issues between me and others if they don't feel that that value/thing isn't worth what I think it is.

Without my Belief I wouldn't be moving forward.
To be honest, I'm glad this is my strongest strength.  It helps me drive forward in my purpose in life: To Bring God Glory!

How about you?  Do you think you have Belief as one of your strengths?
How do you see Belief play out in my life, your life and/or our relationship?

I'd really love to hear your answers to these questions!  :-)

Katie Q.