July 30- Worship Me in the Beauty of Holiness

One of my favorite things about God is his AWEsome creativity. Sarah Young writes of His beauty and majesty that we get to marvel at and relish in. His Creation. You, me, that tree over there, and the millions of specks that make up the starry night sky. All exist, all live because of God.

I'm going to reference two incredibly gifted people in this entry. One is possibly my favorite speaker to listen to. John Ortberg is so good that sometimes when I clean, I choose to listen to him and not Jack Johnson. If you are at all a fan of God's creation, you must immediately listen to this sermon "Is God Green?"

Here's an exert from that sermon that I just love :

"When you study creation, you study the mind of God. When you protect creation, you protect the work of
God. When you admire creation, you admire the goodness of God. And when you love creation, maybe,
maybe somebody begins the journey of loving the Creator. Our world needs to hear this. This is God's
creation; it's not just nature, it's creation."


Recently I have been on my own creative journey. If you haven't read Shauna Niequist's book, "Cold Tangerines" go online and buy a copy. This book isn't super theological, it isn't dripping with powerful Bible verses, or worship songs, but it is of God because it's the stories that make up a life- her life. Stories with words that pop and twirl and float around in a way that births a desire in me to be a writer! I just got done reading this book and the last chapter talks about the deep value and need for creativity. This is from that book:

"Everyone has something to say. Everyone. Because everyone, every person was made by God, in the image of God. If he is a creator, and in fact he is, then we are creators."

As I have lessened the useless, creative-sucking, distractions in my life, I have come to the wondrous conclusion that God IS all around me. Yes, His Spirit lives in me, in my house, in this world, but all it takes to become IN AWE of my creator is to stop, notice and praise Him for his creation.

I am a creator because I worship the ULTIMATE creator. Amen.

Love you all,

KS




http://mppc.org/series/ripple-effect/john-ortberg/god-green (Sermon)

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Tangerines-Celebrating-Extraordinary-Everyday/dp/0310273609 (book)

July 28th-Let My Love..

One of the best things about our relationship with Jesus is that He doesn't want us to pretend to have it all together. He isn't our boss at work expecting to see our most pristine being presented before him. He wants us, and loves to us bring our real true selves before His feet. Seeing us broken and wounded in our most vulnerable state of being is a sign of trust to Christ that we can be 100% real with our creator.

We have nothing to fear when we step before Christ, because there is no fear in love, and He IS love. Like it says in 1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us." Without his perfect love, we would know nothing of what it truly means to love and be loved, so as we lay our sins before the Lord there is nothing to fear. By nature we are sinners and we all know that, and by trying to close them off and 'hide' them from God is like trying to hide a broken vase from your parents; for awhile you will keep trying to hide it but the guilt inside gets so bad that eventually you just fess up. And that is all He wants in the first place! He wants us to open ourselves up to Him so that we may be transformed through Him. Sarah puts it so well in today's passage; the secret sins we try to hide will slowly but surely begin to control us without us even realizing it, and before we know it we are completely consumed by it.

I have never been one to really open myself up to people, but recently I have made the choice to allow God to transform my heart, soul, body, and mind in hopes that He will seek out and destroy all of my hidden fears and really let His love soak in.

I pray that God is working in the same way with all of you wonderful girls and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grown spiritually with all of you. Thank you all for being so welcoming!

Annie

July 25 - As You Listen

...to birds calling one another, hear also My Love-call to you.

I feel like I've written about seeing our Father in nature many times on this blog. Always reminding us to look for Him in beautiful sunsets and towering mountaintops. Sunday's entry, however, had a couple differences - ones that I'd like to point out today.

The first one I noticed was the point made that Christ not only speaks to us through sights and sounds, but also through thoughts, impressions and Scripture. He is always speaking to us. That sentence alone is mind boggling.

Every second of every day, our incredible Savior is speaking to us. Thinking about this is making me nervous because I am certain that I don't hear or even try to listen to everything God tries to say to me. There are constant distractions that I welcome most of the time. Time to stop that, Katie!

...How about when you're driving and you have the radio turned to K-Love - actually listen! Or do yourself one better and turn off the radio. Just talk to God for the 15 or 20 minutes you're in your car. It's perfect! You're secluded and if people see you talking to 'yourself' you can just be on an On*Star call with Jesus! :)

The key other difference I saw while reading this entry today was that God is present even (maybe more so) in suffering and pain. I think we don't want to see Him there because it's painful for us to watch or maybe we have a hard time realizing that God truly is behind the sorrow in the world. Here's the good news, though! He can take the deepest grief and weave it into patterns of good. We truly just need to trust that He's able and that He's a God that can! Which I'll admit is hard sometimes. Justice is one of the trickiest things about our earth that I don't understand. I'm just thankful I don't need to - God's got that covered!

I apologize for the randomness, ladies, but I hope I find that you all are having an amazing Tuesday! Love to all!!

Hope.

So, I kinda feel like a disclaimer is needed before I write anything, because the subject I am about to write on is one that I am young in. I have not had much experience in this, and a lot of these thoughts are new and maybe not fully developed. Though I've asked God for wisdom, still I am an interpretating human. You guys get the picture :)

I think I am coming to realize that our hope in anything but God is harmful. That sounds harsh to me too, and I even hate the word harsh, but this idea is coming out of a huge battle of pride in myself. I was asking God this morning why following Him felt like I burden to me sometimes - why did I feel like I couldn't do enough and was hanging on by a thread, HOPE-ing to keep on the path of His perfect will and to not mess up. This perspective brought upon much anxiety, too, because I know that I am incapable. God showed me awhile ago that I had not fully grasped the concept of His Grace, and He showed me this morning that I was putting my eggs of hope in the wrong basket - MY basket - and thinking that this was a good, honorable thing. I prided myself in being able to follow God. Sounds like the Pharisees. Ugh.

Amidst this struggle of pride - feeling as though I should not need grace - and disillusionment - thinking that I was more righteous if I was able to follow God without Him each second - and anxiety - getting scared that I wasn't able to do this and that I would mess up - God shined through. My hope has been in myself. My ability and my understanding and my discipline. I think that God's yoke is lighter than that, though.

"I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand."
"Hope [in Me] lifts your perspective..."
"You are reminded that the road we're traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven."
"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:18-19

This verse is so beautiful!!! 'Greatly encouraged' sounds like a much lighter yoke to me. 'Firm anchor..firm and secure' seems nothing like anxiety or the type of hope that I in my humanness can sustain. What a perfectly opposite picture than what I first described as how I was feeling. Instead of feeling like I was underneath the anchor, doing my best to uphold hope in myself, our hope in God and His promises of what is to come gives us stability in our souls.

"When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant." Time to trust in the hope that only our ONE AND ONLY GOD offers us unchanging, forever and ever. It will be enough! He promises.


Love you all!

"not only for quiet time..."

I am beginning to realize that holding our plans loosely- whether it is plans for our day or plans for our lives- is a lesson God will have to teach me again and again. I was just saying to my mom this morning that I think it is funny how God lovingly lets us live with this illusion that we are in control so much more than we are! Really, we don't sustain anything in our lives- not our breathing or our ability to move, even those are God-given gifts every day. So I wonder why it is so difficult for me to stop peering anxiously into the day- or months or years- ahead and try to figure everything out? Sarah is so right, all that planning does tie me up in knots, and when things come out of nowhere and change these plans I find the mess a whole lot harder to untangle than it would have been if I had let God have control the whole time.

"Attentiveness to Me is not only for your quiet time, but for all your time..." I hope this becomes THE defining characteristic of my life.. attentiveness to the Lord. I don't want to keep compartmentalizing my life into "quiet time" and "every other time" because I know I am missing so much by leaving out my Wonderful Counselor. Plans will always change and will always be thrown off, but if we keep our attentiveness on Jesus I don't think we will feel so tangled in knots, but maybe more like we are being refined by fire. And while seasons or moments of unpredictability are never easy, resting in who holds on to us through those times is the difference between feeling lost in confusion and knowing confidently we are growing into who God wants us to be- for His purposes and His glory.

And when everything in us wants to pick up the pen, my prayer is that we could rely on the Author who already wrote the ending.

July 23- I am the LIGHT of the world

This truth is one of my favorites. I imagine myself walking through a deep, dark cave. I have no idea where my next step should be. I desperately try to see the ground below as my mind works overtime to find where my safest step would be. All the while, there is an outstanding, bright light in front of me- shining and captivating-waiting to guide me down my perfect path.

We live in a dark world. And Jesus Christ is the only light worth gazing upon all the days of our lives.

I've taken this truth to heart in my own life lately. We all have moments where we feel like we're surrounded by darkness and evil. Maybe it's walking through the city at nighttime by yourself, or maybe it's the scary thoughts that creep into your mind right before you go to bed. Evil is inevitable because of the world we live in. But I've found a new level of security in the Holy Spirit. The power of Jesus- in ME.. in YOU.

Jesus was THE most powerful human to walk this earth. He had every reason to deal with insecurities, give into temptation, live a life of pride, and judge those around Him. And yet, He didn't. He lived a perfect life free from the bondage of sin and in the most unexpected climax of any story... He took the blame, the pain and the heaviness of the world's sin on His own shoulders.

Here's the good news: WE are the light. We are the ones that shine brightly. WE are Jesus to so many that don't know Him. And WE don't have to handle this alone. The Holy Spirit is waiting like a sprinter at the starting block to run through our hearts and transform the way we show Jesus to this world!

Sarah Young writes. "The Holy Spirit, who lives in you, can shine from your face making Me visible to people around you."

So on this dreary, rainy, cloudy day in Crystal Lake, Illinois- (or wherever you may be today) let's take down the walls of US so HE can shine brightly through.

LOVE YOU ALL

KS

Rest In My Presence..

...when you need refreshment.

I know that today's devotional starts out discussing 'rest', but the theme that stuck out the most to me was trust. I don't about all of you, but trust is one of the scariest words in the entire English language for me. Its one of those words that get stuck in my throat a lot and it is not very often that I openly admit that I trust someone. Trust is something, to me, that must be earned. For years, I was waiting for God to prove that He was worth putting my trust in, and time and time again, I would lose my faith or 'trust' in Him when things didn't go exactly my way. More recently I have realized that when things did not go the way I wanted, the result was much more worth while and ended up being the right way. I started to understand that I should and could trust what God was and still is doing in my life.

To get a better grasp of trust I decided to look it up and there are about 24 definitions and uses of the word trust, but the one that hit me most was: a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust. It was refreshing to see that God was used as an example, and in such a way. The definition did not say 'I trust in God', it said 'God is MY trust'. We don't just put our faith in God; He IS our faith and He IS our trust. Not only does He want us to put our trust in Him, he 'delights' in it.

I think as a whole, people need to start seeing God as their trust and rely on Him in any time of need or refreshment. When we get tired, we should relax in His Presence displaying our trust.

In returning to Me and resting in Me you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.

This is all sort of jumbled together and may be hard to follow (my apologies), but as I said before, I don't really know you girls, but I would really love to hear your thoughts and your opinion of trust.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Love,

Annie

Seek My Face...

...and you will find ALL that you have longed for.

We are designed to desire God. Reading this was a deep breathe of relief for me. Despite our humanness and our human tendencies that make us "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love" (from one of my favorite hymns, that I don't know the name of. haha i'm so spiritual.), we are made and designed by God to desire Him. We find our deepest fulfilment in Him. Isn't it cool to know how and where to find our deepest fulfilment? Those who do not know Christ must seek theirs in other things - things of this world that I don't need to name, because we all know them too well - but we who have been blessed to find our Holy Father and have chosen to be blessed by His Presence in us know EXACTLY where to go to feel our deepest yearnings be completely satisfied.

I loved that term "homesickness", because that just communicates to me how comforting Jesus is for us. Being with Him is like being at Home. mmmm. yeah, that's good.

"Do not be afraid to be different from other people. The path I have called you to travel is exquisitely right for you." Ladies, I am NOT good at this. Comparing ourselves and the paths that God has us on can be a straight shot to lack of trust, lack of contentment, and especially lack of thankfulness. I have never been the biggest advocator of the journey to "finding yourself", but I have been learning the peace of being thankful and content in who God has made you to be, not by comparison or the approval of others. UGH! This is not natural. But when we are so disconnected from the approval of others in the world, we are so FREE to live in Jesus the way we were meant to! Free to be transformed and to be taken on a journey through life like no other. Eyes on God.

The last line in this was like God screaming the word GRACE at me for my longing to make others happy. "However, your closeness to Me will bless others by enabling you to shine brightly in this dark world." Girls, in God's revelation and wisdom, to me this is just saying to God knows how to make others happy and bless them way better than we do. The opposite of a people-pleaser is not a people-unpleaser in God's eyes, but rather a people-blesser. Throwing away the idea of doing things to make others happy is not the answer. But again, it is not US but God IN US. Do you know what I mean? I would love to have some comments back on thoughts of this.

So, to be continued! You are so awesome! Praise God for women of such godly character around me. Love you!!

Jaymee

July 18 - I am Nearer (than you think)

You know what? I think I needed to read the truths of this entry today more than I knew even when I first read it this morning.

-We may sometimes feel alone because our union with Him is invisible.

I've had plenty of nights when it's late and I'm thinking about something that's bothering me and all I can think to do is call someone who hopefully is still awake (and won't mind hearing me vent for a while). You know who's always awake when you are, Katie? GOD IS! The reason my hand always reaches for the phone instead of the bible is because I need that physical reassurance that I'm not crazy. I need to literally hear another voice calm me down. I'm pretty sure another reason why I don't always reach for God's word first is because I know more often than not His word is going to be more challenging and rock my 'figured out' boat of life. Sometimes I'm brave enough to take it but most of the time I'd rather calm down and hope that nothing changes too terribly much.

-The more we are aware of His presence, the safer we feel.

This sentence could not be more true. Any time that I am shaken or feel nervous or frightened, thinking of our Savior does calm me down. I'm realizing as I'm typing this, too, that it doesn't have to be a physical, heart beating faster nervousness. We could be nervous about what is going to come in our future. We could be nervous for a big meeting at work - but becoming more aware of God will truly calm us down. He's got it covered! We don't need to worry about anything.

-(becoming more aware of Him) Is not some sort of escape from reality, it is ultimate reality. He is far more real than the world we can see, hear and touch.

What a beautiful way to look at our world! Being in tune with our Father is true reality. Everything that is tangible is the reality we believe to be real - but spending time with God is true joy and peace and where we should be as much as is humanly possible! I am excited just thinking about how different my life and other's lives would be if we doused ourselves in ultimate reality more often. It would be heaven on earth if I ever saw it!

Let us live our lives focusing on the fact that God is near to us. He is nearer than we even know. How wonderful a gift to have Him by our side, always. Yay, God!! :)

Love all you ladies - have an amazing week!

July 17th - Come Away With Me

You better believe that the second after I read those first few words "come away with me" I dropped my book, closed my eyes, and just took a nice deep breath.....those few minutes were probably some of the most peaceful minutes of my day!

How true is it that many times we "march to the tempo of this world?!" Even if it is running from one volunteer job, to a bible study, and then to meet a friend for coffee because she needs a hug - we still are surrounded by the bustling ways of the world.

I was raised in a BUSY home. None of my family's "busyness" was tedious, it was all fun or brought joy to others, but it just became the way of life. Over the past few years the Lord has really laid into my heart that I need to work on this lifestyle and how to SLOW DOWN. Like Sarah says, when we make time for Him it brings us our "deepest joy." AMEN! Nothing that we are "chasing" when we are busy as a bee can quench that deepest desire!

Just as we desire to have our deepest joy filled, so does our Lord! How he smiles when we spend time with him :)

Let me share one of my silliest, but definately needed, work secrets. We all know work can be not so fun, or lets just say busy. We have little cubbies in our one person restroom at work where people keep workout clothes, toothbrushes, any small thing like that. I like to keep my bible:) When I'm feeling like i just need a time out....yep i'm in the restroom reading the B-i-b-l-e random flip style. Although the scenery isn't the greatest, those few moments in the Word are the best breath of fresh air. With that being said - how do you ladies call for a timeout in the day to spend some time with Him? How do you stop the clock to just breath?!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Meet Annie and Hillary!

Even though I'm still getting to know these two lovely ladies myself-I thought I would introduce them to the rest of you with a picture! Both Annie and Hillary play softball at ASU (Ballers!) Annie, on the left, is a right fielder from Phoenix and Hillary, on the right, is a pitcher from Oklahoma. They were both awesome huddles leaders at FCA camp and their hearts for the girls they mentored was so cool to experience. So- that's a little about them!!

July 16- Self Pity is a Slimy, Bottomless, Pit

The title of this entry was enough to cover my mind with rain clouds. Slimy. Bottomless. Pit. Unless you graduated from Crystal Lake South High School- where the pit was often a cherry place to meet friends in between classes- these three words aren't necessarily associated with the joy and love that comes from our God.

Instead, a healthy fear of our God is brought up multiple times in the Psalms attached to this passage. The Lord has been doing a number on my heart the past year or so when it comes to having a FEAR of Him. The best example I can give comes from my earthly father. Anyone that knows Tom Trayser knows he is the most loving, patient, and caring man. The way he operated as husband to my mom and father to us was (and is) legendary! But there were a few, tiny instances I can remember of truly fearing my dad. The first time any of us talked back to our mom, the first time we crossed the street, or the first time any of us hit our brother or sister with an intense amount of aggression our caring father morphed into an angry, scary, force to be reckoned with. Once at dinner, he shouted, 'WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" and pounded his fist on the table when one of us was being a little brat. To this day- if he even mentions pounding the table, the four of us- now 26, 24, 22, and 19 years old all shutter in our seats!

This makes me think of one of my ALL TIME favorite worship songs, "What Do I Know of Holy" by Addison Road.

"I think I made you too small, I never feared you at all, no. If you touched my face, would I know you? If you looked into my eyes, could I behold you? What do I know of you, who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean? Are you fire? Are you fury? Are you sacred? Are you beautiful? What do I know... What do I know of Holy?"

Every time I hear this song, my self-pity flies out the window because of the MAGNITUDE of our God and how small I am in comparison. Any sorry feelings I have for myself are immediately replaced with an awe and insignificance that beautifully shuffles into the most powerful, loving acceptance I could ever imagine.

Having a healthy fear of our God takes out the pit of self-pity with one, effortless blow! Knowing and believing HE IS who He says He is will bottom out this our self-pity trap and ultimately open the doors of freedom for this life!

So even though this entry started out as depressing... it's actually covered with the all-out, fearing love of a Father that adores us!

Love you all!

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow!

Sarah must have climbed inside my brain recently.

I've got surgery coming up on Wednesday (7/21). I've never gone under the knife before, so I'm a little bit anxious. My dreams have been so vivid lately, and most of them surround this upcoming event.

When I get anxious, it's usually because I feel out of control. I'm not a great flier. Why? I'm not in the cockpit! I can't see where we're going, and I have to trust the pilots to get me to my destination safely. Surgery is a similar experience. I'm under anesthesia, and completely needing to trust the doctor & surgical team to do a good job & get me to the recovery room safely.

God commands us to quit worrying about tomorrow. Commands us! I.e. - when I'm anxious, I'm being disobedient.

My favorite line in today's devotional was "Throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust."
As a jet engine supplies an airplane with enough thrust to hurtle it down the runway to become airborne, so we should use a quick thrust of trust to ward off anxious thoughts.

So, the next time I'm anxious (tomorrow at 9:45am when I'm in a jet hurtling down the runway toward NYC!) I'm going to apply a quick thrust of trust. "I trust you, Lord, in all things, but especially in this...right now."

AMEN!

Keep Walking...

Hey everyone, this is Annie and Hillary and we will be trying our best to fill in for Kacie while she is on her trip to China.

If you have been on your path that God has chosen for you for awhile, you already know that it can be difficult.

The journey is arduous at times, and [we] are weak.

For Hillary and I, we have just begun the journey that He has laid before us and haven't experienced as many trials and bumps in the road that Jesus admits are along the way.

For us, words that came to mind throughout the day's reading were: reassurance, security, and stability.

1) Reassurance- We know the Lord promises great things for our lives but through struggles and hard times it may be difficult to remain confident and keep trusting His word. God is honest about the struggles we will face, but in contrast He also emphasizes the greatness and strength that comes from our daily perseverance. His word is a constant reminder that 'sparkling surprises are just around the bend'.

2) Security- We feel safe in knowing that we are NOT alone on this journey. Jesus repeatedly reminds us that He is with us every step of the way.

3) Stability- Psalm 37:24 "Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand" We know somedays will be harder than others and all we may want to do is give up and give in, but He urges us to keep walking with Him because our path has already been chosen.

No matter where we are on our paths with Him, constant reassurance, a feeling a security, and a strong sense of stability are always things we can't have too much of.

*Please don't judge us.. we're new and learning. Thanks for letting us be a part of this experience.

Love,

Hillary and Annie!

I Want You To Experience...

..the riches of your salvation: the Joy of being loved constantly and perfectly.

Well. If this entry doesn't speak to some of my biggest struggles and downfalls as well, I don't know what does. And yet, this entry is telling us NOT TO FOCUS ON THAT. What?

I have the tendency to think that if I do not fix myself - break my bad habits, figure out the right path on time, say the right thing, where the right outfit - that my life will not work out the way that I want it to. Let's see who can find the most things wrong with that statement, shall we?

Okay girls, I am convince that if we do not get this, we will have no way of breaking away from the chains of this world and even the chains that can come with religion. I think that Sarah is pointing out a few things here:

1) We do not need to earn God's love. Never. Ever. So we must stop focusing on trying to earn His indescribable love by looking better or reading the Bible more. Now this idea is kind of confusing to me, because I tend to start thinking, 'Well, but if I read the Bible more then I can be closer to God, right?' This is true, but this has nothing to do with God's love for us. Our feeling of closeness to Him or our resemblance to Him has nothing to do with His love for us. He already loves us. Rest and enJOY that!

2) "When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong." We must go to God with our discouragement. He is much better at fixing it, whether that means fixing us or fixing up a situation. He is better at this than we are, and we are given the privelage of allowing Him to do it!

3) "Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me." Here comes to answer of wisdom of how to get closer and remain close to Jesus: thankfulness. Our God deserves praise constantly, and praise does a crazy thing - it takes our gaze off of ourselves, off of negativity towards a situation or circumstance, and off of hopelessness. God gives us this day so that we can fix our gaze on HIM, and then wait in expectation for His hand.

I think that the trouble that a lot of people (Christians and non) have with this is that it is hard to imagine that God - whom we don't techinically see, hear, etc. - would be able to take care of things. That we would be able to trust Him enough to handle the concerns we have of this world. But it is painted all over the Bible and in people's lives around us that God does indeed prove that He can be trusted with any and everything. And the effect that that sort of trust has on us is not that we suddently feel as though we can sit back and watch TV all day while He works around us, but on the contrary - this trust in God Almighty enables us to go about our days in radical acts of love and boldness, knowing that all is well because our GOD is in control. "I can't" is replaced with "He is able."

Let's fix our eyes on Christ instead of on ourselves and then watch how God gives you everything you need to live for Him! Peace, JOY, wisdom, strength... etc. etc. etc. It is all Jesus Christ, our Savior, and we can trust Him for everything.

(I'm not sure why, but my computer won't let me upload a picture. Imagine a picture of Aladdin asking Jasmine to trust him to go on the magic carpet ride. haha)

love you girls!!

the most wonderful name...

This simple entry is so packed with power! Before I moved from Pennsylvania in May, I went to an incredibly awesome prayer group with my mentor, and was blessed to have 5 mighty women of God cover me in prayer for all of my insecurities, fears, strongholds of sins, and for a rock solid faith in our Savior. The woman leading the group, Lynn, said to me that when I pray, I should be intentional about praying "In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth..." because there is no name that our enemy cannot stand to hear more than that, and no name sweeter to the Lord's ear than his precious son. So, since then I have found myself praying and saying "Jesus..." And when I was in Colombia, I often stopped in the middle of a scary moment or confusing situation and just said in a whisper, "Jesus..."

"This simple prayer can restore your awareness of my presence..." I have found that this statement is so true! There is a calming that just washes over me when I say the most powerful name in History and allow myself to believe that His name is bigger and stronger than my circumstances. I could be surrounded by nothing but unfamiliarity, but feel for a moment like I am somewhere- safe and sound in the Hands of His Name.

I'd love for us all to truly try saying his perfect name all week, then report back with stories of the peace He brings us!

Sending my love and prayers out, Katie

I Need Your Help Today

Sarah writes of God: "I know everything about you, far more than you know of yourself. But I restrain my yearning to 'fix' you, waiting instead for you to come to Me for help. Imagine the divine restraint this requires, 

for I have all Power in heaven and on earth."

In an instant gratification society ("Why is this drive-thru line so long? I want this now...no, I need this now!") we, as humans, are not great at restraint. And, we know so little. About ourselves, about others, about the world.

Contrast this with God, who knows everything about us, others, the world - everything! - and instead of shoving this knowledge down our throats, he restrains Himself and waits for us to ask for His help.

Dear Lord, I need your help today. Please forgive my need to satisfy my urges immediately. Help me to see myself, others & the world through Your eyes. As You are restraint (perfected,) please help me to practice restraint. Amen.

^{Matthew 28:18}
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."


Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

July 11 - Worship Me Only

Hopefully this will make sense to you later!

It may seem weird to those of you ladies who grew up in a more biblical church, but I never knew the history of idolatry until this past semester of college. There I learned that they worshiped gold statues of animals instead of our God. Yes, I can see that definitely being idolatry.

But, our generation of Christians have a tougher time picking out what may be an idol or not. I loved how Sarah wrote that current idols won't do any good because they bring about more lust than satisfaction. Ding! Ding! Ding! This sentence and entire entry in particular was an alarm bell for me.

How many times have I went shopping to get over a bad day then came home and remembered why I was upset before the money was wasted and felt sad again? That answer is a lot.

Some examples that I began thinking of don't exactly fit in my life right now but I believe definitely could if I'm not careful - such as, climbing the corporate ladder. This can be so much of an obsession for people that they don't realize they're worshiping the idea of that top level office.

Status is one that Sarah Young mentioned - when some of us maybe think that this new phone will make us happy. Then the next iPhone comes out and THAT one will make us happy now. It's a viscous circle of being the coolest or most current person to your friends and colleagues.

Then God put a thought in my mind, as he always does when our heads begin getting too big :)

I realized that for almost as long as I can remember I've been idolizing the idea of being a wife and mother. I kept (probably keep) looking to the future and thinking, "Man, if I can only get THERE, then I'll be happy." If I have learned one thing from our time with this blog and Jesus Calling it's that God wants us to live through today without worrying about the future or worshiping the idea of it. I'm starting to realize that patience is one of the most difficult traits you need to be a Christian. It is a necessity though! God is so in control of our lives that we need to let go of the reins and let him lead our lives. He knows what he's doing. I just need to keep reminding myself of that :)

Sorry it was so long - LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Relax In My Peaceful Presence

I wasn't even really sure where to start on this entry, because Sarah's entry just had me stuck in pause mode thinking about how many great friendships I have :)

So I started thinking....

.....I really don't know what people do without TRUE friendships, and I really have no idea what people do without a TRUE friendship with Jesus!

I've realized two things this morning.

First, the importance of not taking the best friendship with Him for granted. " When you are real with me I am able to bring out the best in you: the very gifts I have planted in your soul." As great as all my most valued friendships are, He knows my soul.... That's pretty dang sweet!

Second, this entry just reminds me of what my goal needs to continue to be day after day. LOVE LOVE LOVE and LOVE until I feel like I can't anymore. My heart just aches when I think of those who do not have a relationship with Christ. I know the joy that it can bring, and who would not want that?!

Ladies - I love each and every one of you, whether our friendship is new or old! It's great to have such godly women in my life who know how to cherish and maintain TRUE friendships!

July 7- Trust ME in ALL your thoughts.

Wow. God knew exactly what I needed to hear today. For the first time since I planned my crazy busy summer schedule I woke up completely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with how amazing this next month is will to be, but also overwhelmed with uncertainty. At the same time, thinking about everything I need to get done today, errands, packing for a wedding and China, seeing family...etc. I open up Jesus Calling and the first word I read is TRUST.

TRUST me in ALL your thoughts.

Trust - assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone.

Practice thinking in certain ways- trusting me, thanking me- and those thoughts become more natural.

Practice is crucial. I have spent countless hours practicing softball so I can react in a game. It becomes natural. Just like routine plays are performed without even needing to think about them, trusting and thanking God needs to be reflexive and natural.

Reject negative and sinful thoughts as soon as you become aware of them. Don't try and hid them from me; confess them and leave them with me.

God wants to know our deepest darkest secrets and to love us through them.

Go on your way lightheartedly.

(Jesus says) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

This method of controlling your thoughts will keep your mind in My presence and your feet on the path of peace.

This is right where I want to be.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 1:79

to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

LOVE

Kace

PS I will be MIA for the next month so if someone wants to pick up Wednesdays feel free to! :)

Comments Aren't Posting on Blog Posts

July 4 - When You Worship Me

I always knew that thanking God before asking for favors or for specific prayers is good. I try to thank him as much as I can (when I remember to do so). But this Independence Day entry really opened my eyes to how important thanking our Father all day, every day.

Sarah Young wrote here that when we worship him in spirit and truth, we join in with choirs of angels. "Though you cannot hear their voices, your praise and thanksgiving are distinctly audible in heaven." Angels in heaven are constantly singing of God's glory - when we do, we're just joining in the fun! We can't hear them, but they can hear us. And I'm guessing that there is some different rejoicing whenever they hear us begin thanking and praising our Father again.

I know July 4th was yesterday, but let's still practice praising and thanking God throughout this day. Whenever we see something brilliantly hopeful - praise our Father for the hope that he brings to the world everyday. When you see something dreadful - praise our Father. It will be harder, I'm sure. But one thing we should all keep in the front of our minds is that our God is an unstoppable God. And he is GOOD.

Love you all! And happy belated birthday, America!

Soak Up the Son

Kristin left me a funny voice mail a couple weeks ago. She was driving on one of the many (fun!) loops in Phoenix & saw this sight...two girls with car trouble who were laying out on the hood of their car while waiting for rescue...as Kristin said "only in Arizona!"

Sarah's entry from July 1st starts out with this word-picture: "I am Life and Light in abundance. As you spend time 'soaking' in My Presence, you are energized & lightened." By spending time with the Lord, we are transferring our heavy burdens to His broad, strong shoulders. And, as is only logical, getting rid of heavy burdens makes us energized & lightened.

But, here's the deal. We have to be willing to fight for this time with our Lord. Wouldn't you think that something that makes us feel so great would be a top priority? But, no...life gets in the way! Sportscenter! Facebook! Emails! That huge stack of unsorted mail! Surfing the net!

I think (for me, anyway) the best and most logical time to put down my burdens & soak up the Son is in the morning...before I starting screwing things up!

Please, Lord, help me to put you first every morning of every day.

Amen

Love you all!

Make A Past Time of Judging

I just want to share with you girls a "my bad" experience I had this morning and what a sense of humor our Father has.

I'm not a fan of being out at the pool when there are a bunch of people. I like to enjoy the quietness and sound of water slapping against the pool edge. SO I thought this morning it'd be great to get out to the pool early and enjoy my quiet time with the Lord there. As I've just gotten settled down and about to open up Sarah, this cute girl comes walking into the pool and starts putting towels on EVERY SINGLE chair around the pool and then leaves and doesn't come back. Umm who does this girl think she is that she can reserve the whole dang pool at this hour of the morning?! Immediately I go into catty girl thoughts....and then open up my book...." My child make a pastime of judging one another, and yourself.".....AHHHH haha you got me Lord, test failed :)

Then as Sarah writes on I begin to feel more convicted. " I am HIGHLY OFFENDED when I hear My children judge one another or indulge in self-hatred." I think that being a woman in todays society makes this extra challenging in itself. But what encouragement the next line holds, " If you live close to Me and absorb My Word, the Holy Spirit will guide and correct you as needed." There will be no room for judgement, end of story!

Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." There it is plain and simple straight from The Man himself. Today the last few words of this verse really stuck out to me too. -Forgive and you will be forgiven!- So often I hear this verse and focus on the beginning instead of the last few words. Forgive, forgive, and forgive some more. IF we're always forgiving there will be no time to judge :)

Sorry this was kind of all over the place girls, i just saw too many points of view this morning! What the quietness of a pool can do ;)

LOVE - Aubs

July 2- Let me show you

"Living well is both a discipline and an art."

And we have the perfect disciplinarian and brilliant artist guiding our every step and stroke.

Pray about everything.

Period.

My ultimate goal and desire these days has been to have an on-going, (pour my heart out, or just make small talk) conversation with God. I feel like that's when I'll be able to fully feel and be aware of His Presence and Peace in my life.

We're heading to FCA Camp this morning and I can't wait to see what God's going to do. I pray for you girls all the time and hope today you can acknowledge our Divine Artist and become freely captive to His way so we can have His Kingdom Come!

Love you all!

Kris