Rose of Bethlehem

'Tis Christmas music season, and this has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
Selah's Christmas CD is one I listen to over and over every Christmas.
I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do as we remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Love,
Katie :)

Country Love

This song is kinda country sounding, and if you know me, you know that I'm very strongly against country.
It all sounds the same to me, and I can't stand it when people sing with that twangy voice. It sets my teeth on edge.
But I think this has to be one of the cutest songs ever.
So here's me. Posting a country song. Just this one time.

Love,
Katie :)

Contentment

                                                        Source: Uploaded by user via Katie on Pinterest  

    I know I've blogged about this topic a couple times before, but it's so deep and broad. I keep learning more about it and feel like sharing it with you all.
    I've really struggled with being content in the season of life God has me for quite a while now. I would have good days and bad days. Don't we all? But it truly was a daily battle. I constantly found myself on my knees begging God to provide me with satisfaction in the only place joy could be found: in Himself.
    However, knowing that I should be content in my God and actually being content are kinda different. Watching my friends move on and start new stages of life was devastating and brought a new wave of restlessness and utter discontent. Why do I have to be the one who is always left behind?! When will my turn come?
    But praise God that He does not let us wallow in our self-pity. I was reminded of all that I have and to be thankful for. God chose me. He saved me. And most certainly not based on anything that I had done! This alone should wipe any atom of discontent with my life. It gets better. He also showed me a gentle reminder that this world is not my home. I'm not going to be satisfied by anything on earth because I was created to live somewhere else entirely. However, God has blessed me with many earthly things. I have a wonderful family and a close relationship with my parents. I have a good job that I love. School is going well and am saving lots of money by being able to do CollegePlus! All these things go to show I have no reason to ever complain.
    When the next stage of life comes, I'll sure be ready. But I'm going to enjoy whatever this season has for me because that's where God has me. And that truly is best.

Love,
Katie :)

Christ: Our Everything(?)

This sermon by Paul Washer on the Gospel of Jesus Christ is humbling and it's convicting.
Do we really know Christ? Do we even try to comprehend what He did on the cross?
If you're anything like me, than you most certainly don't.
Yes, I realize that it's 103 minutes long. Yes, I understand that time is important to us nowadays.
But I beg of you, even if it takes you a whole week to listen to this, listen and let God work on your heart.
Be reminded of who Christ is and what He has done for us! How different our lives look in the light of the cross. Is He truly our everything?! Do we seek Him and love Him as we ought? The answer is of course not, but do we run with endurance? Are we running after holy things and loving what Christ loves?
Praise be to our LORD who took the full punishment of our sins and gave us His righteousness. What a good God we serve.
Here's another video by Paul Washer that's only three minutes long. Run after eternal things. Live for Christ.

Love,
Katie :)

The Body of Christ

Here's the group of people I was able to spend an entire week with. These people truly personify the body of Christ. I have amazing brothers and sisters. But more importantly, I have an amazing God.

photo credit to Dr. Nisius

Love,

Katie :)

Silhouette

here's a new Owl City song <3

Love,
Katie :)

That Dreaded Word

                                                    Source: jojolete.tumblr.com via My Upside on Pinterest

There's this word you see. This word that I dread saying more than anything else. That one word that I put off saying for as long as I can. Yes, you can butter it up or try and make it as happy as possible, but you can't take away that sorrowful connotation. Some of you may have already figured it out.
Goodbye.
We've all heard that saying, "It's not goodbye, it's see ya later." But does that take away any of the hurt that goes along with that? If you're anything like me, it seems to just hide the pain that we all really feel. Just a mask for the hurt and the sorrow we amplify by giving that final hug and waving that last farewell.
I had to do that today. I had dreaded this goodbye all summer. I put it off anytime I thought of it. Busyness kept it off my mind for sometime. This past week was quite a bit calmer and left me plenty of time to think. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily, but those adios's replayed over and over in my brain. I questioned why I had to be the one left behind. Yes, I know God has a perfect plan. Thank goodness for His promises never to forsake us. But oh the thought of loneliness threatened to overtake a thousand times over.
Believe me, that goodbye seemed to almost kill me. One of my best friends for over 14 years is leaving for college. I know we'll always be close friends and sisters due to our bond in Christ. But no more spontaneous Starbucks runs, no more stupid impulse shopping trips, no more just hanging out to watch movies and paint our nails. I'll be driving over to bug her all the time. She'll be so annoyed with me.
And this isn't the only goodbye. Three other of my dearest friends are leaving. Two to begin their sophomore years at college and another to serve for 9 months in a foreign country. I love these girls. I would do anything for them and I have done everything with them. These are my dear sisters in Christ who have been there for me countless times. Girls who I trust and love with all my heart.
Thank goodness for Sundays. The text preached just yesterday included this verse that I shall hold near and dear to my heart as I struggle to make this adjustment: "And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." Matthew 28:30b. The LORD is with me to the end of the age. What better promise could I ask for to cling to? Praise God I have an amazing family and good friends to keep me company. I am blessed with a church who seeks God in everything they do and strives to reach out to every person in attendance.
In just a week's time, I'll be with my wonderful CollegePlus! friends who are diligent seekers of our great God. It will be a time of refreshment and encouragement that will be much needed and met with gratefulness.
God is good. Change is hard, but God remains the same through it all.

Home: A New Favorite

I'd have to say this is one of my new favorites. Phillip Phillips and those awesome harmonies just give me the shivers. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Love,
Katie :)

My "niece"

My family had a precious little visitor at our house last Friday. Brielle Nix is perhaps the cutest baby EVER. I'm maybe a little biased since her mommy is one of my bestest big sisters. But you'd have to be blind not to admit she's adorable in every sense of the word :)

Here's a post showing off sweet Brielle's facial expressions as she celebrated being five weeks old!

Love,

Katie :)

A Quote

                                                    Source: socutethings.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

I came across this quote as I was reading The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller...

"In the imagery describing Christ and the church, we're dealing with male and female, not merely as facts of nature, but as the live and awe-full shadows of realities utterly beyond our control and largely beyond our knowledge." ~C.S. Lewis

Love,
Katie :)

Something To Chew On

"The thing that most consumes your thoughts is your god..."

Love,
Katie :)

"Be Thou My Vision"

Recently I've gotten into the habit of listening to hymns :)
"Greatest Hymns" by Selah has been my top album of choice so far.
"Be Thou My Vision" is by far my favorite hymn of all time.
Here it is as sung by Selah:



Love,
Katie :)

Party Time!

                                                                         Source: piccsy.com via Katie on Pinterest

I have a graduation party in four days!!

I'm giddy with excitement!!
It's coming up so fast and the list of things to do seems to never end!
But it can't damper how excited I am to spend all day with family and friends who have meant so much to me over the years!
And today I'm out to conquer three college credits! Nothing like accomplishing something so you can relax. :)
I hope you all are having a wonderful week!
May you continue to seek HIM in all your ways.

Love,
Katie :)

Check It Out!

                                               Source: booksandnerds.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

My awesome buddy Joel started a blog awhile back and is most definitely under appreciated.
So here's a shout out to my hilarious, random, and creative fellow blogger, JD!
you rock, man!
Go give him some awesome blog love in the form of comments and follows.
He definitely deserves it!

Love,
Katie :)

Blog Love

sending some blog love your way.

I've read a few posts by Natalie, but I found this post really encouraging and interesting.

I think as homeschoolers, we can have lots of misconceptions on the large family vs. small family idea.
India very wonderfully puts those to rest with Scripture.

I have hilarious brothers

My dear friend Beka blogs about the will of God.

And I feel like this somedays...

                                                   Source: silverbridgecoffee.com via Katie on Pinterest

Love,
Katie :) 

Secret Agent Meets Classical Music

Don't tell me this didn't amaze you...



Love,
Katie :)

"Not as I will, but as YOU will..."

This is what God's been teaching me:

                                              Source: Uploaded by user via Katie on Pinterest

 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan for our lives if we are His children. A perfect one that isn't our plan. We must trust Him and follow His leading, even if it's not what we had in mind.  

Love,
Katie :)

Proud Picture

taken at my grandparents house on Easter

SPRING IS HERE!

Love,
Katie :)

A Wedding and Good Friends

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

Elijah and Megan Lofgren.

The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Lofgren was absolutely beautiful.

I cried.

The love that those two have for each other is incredible.

But even though their love as husband and wife is mind boggling, they love the LORD their God way beyond that.

That's what made their wedding that much more special and wonderful.

Megan is a great big sister to me and I simply adore her.

(photography credit to Jason Manion)
there was a joke after Megan and I hugged for the first time after her wedding that we hugged longer than Megan and Elijah's first kiss....yeah :P

(photography credit to Amanda Bridger)

Since Megan is sister to Robbie, who is a CollegePlus student, it naturally attracted lots of CP students.

Some I had met before...

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)

(photo credit to whoever had Amanda Bridger's camera)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

 And I got to meet some new friends too....

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)
Marie was the person I was most excited to meet :D
She surprised me and it was AMAZING!

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)
Emily Kunkel (Robbie and Megan's sister)
she's wonderful :D

(photo credit to Jason Manion)
Joey's a hoot :D he was my buddy

(photo credit to whoever had Jason Manion's camera)
Minion and John :D

We had an all around good time :D

I LOVE my friends so much!

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)
BUBBLE FIGHT

(photo credit to Amanda Bridger)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)
"do it again!"

(photo credit to Jason Manion)
two peas in a pod right there

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to Jason Manion)

(photo credit to whoever had Amanda Bridger's camera)

The wedding was an overall success :D

Congratulations to the wonderful couple of Elijah and Megan Lofgren.

Love,

Katie :)

happiness...in a song

How can you not just grin after watching this? :D :D

Love,
Katie :)

Famaversary

 Say what?!
What on earth is a "famaversary"?!
Well, for any family that's adopted, it means it's the day your adopted sibling came home to a forever family for, well, FOREVER.
It's a big deal.
I love my Meddie sis.
She is my precious little girl and I can't believe I lived a day without her.
She's growing up so fast and I'm SO thankful that God chose us to be her family.
Adoption is such a beautiful picture of what God did for His children.
He reached down into our pitiful existence that was destined for destruction and saved us from utter destitution.
Can I get an AMEN?!
My sister was headed down a path for who knows where.
I know it couldn't have ended well.
She still has memories and consequences from the four years she had in her native country, but we love her more and more each day.
We show her how much Jesus loves her and that He is her only hope.

To celebrate a little, I took my beautiful girl out for some sistah time!

I taught her the best way to eat french fries :D dipped in chocolate ice cream!

My only sister is one of the best gifts God has ever given to me!
He is so good!!

Love,
Katie :)

(enter title here)

AH!!!!!!!! I've fallen way behind on these journal posts! I apologize!
Life suddenly got rather busy as I prepare to leave for Michigan for a wedding this weekend!

That's Megan and me :D :D
She and her fiance, Elijah, are getting married after knowing each other for less than a year!
Is that not so adorable and romantic?!
A lot of my CP friends are going to be there, and it's just going to be a really spectacular weekend!

I watched Peter Furler's latest music video last night, and it gave me goosebumps!!!
so so cool :D

I'm really hoping that once I get home from MI, I can restart doing those journal entries!

Love,
Katie :)

Journal Post 2

3/8/12

Day 4 in Ethiopia

  Sitting under my mosquito net, I can feel Him as I never have before; like I could simply reach out and touch Him. Oh LORD Jesus how I love You. God is REAL. I have felt His presence and seen Him at work. We're in southern Ethiopia now. Everything is dirtier and everyone is poorer than I imagined. It doesn't even seem real. Yet these people live in the dirt with no clothes, no toilet, no beds, flies constantly in their eyes and ears, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, no food, no water, etc. I've seen the real deal. And yet I got to praise Jesus WITH them. I felt true joy radiating from them. I started bawling from the sheer overwhelming feeling of it all. Oh praise be to God! I am so blessed to be here. Trusting God has never been so hard or so sweet. I've had to surrender my fears and my heart every second since we arrived here. And isn't that what God wants from us as His children? Just to completely give up control and say, "I know you got this, God."

Love,

Katie :)