Oh the love

What a wonderful day! Today was Micah's first day back to school & Nate was off work...so I got to spend my day with the love of my life. It was fabulous. I can't believe how blessed I am to be married to my best friend. There is no better way to go through life.

Weekend Update

So, I'm going to be blogging over the next few weeks for the sake of Nate. That way if he gets a chance he can read it and be up to date on all that's going on at home with his family.
For those of you that stumble upon here, sorry for the boring updates.

Here's what we've been up to the past few days....

• Day 1, Thursday: We dropped Nate off at the airport then chilled at home the rest of the evening. I was preparing for our women's event, which was the following night, so I was busy cutting verses out and relaxing.
  
• Day 2, Friday: I worked from home. Micah was so wonderful. He let me work most of the day. We took breaks throughout the day to take Zoe for a walk, eat breakfast/lunch, put a puzzle together, talk, color, whatever little 3 year old boys need to do. I was semi-productive when it came to work. I got to talk to Nate for just a few minutes before his flight took off for Tokyo - yay!
  We headed up to the church to prepare for the women's event around 4:30. Micah was a wonderful kid, as usual, as we got ready helping with whatever we needed him to. Papa came to pick him up around 6, which left me an hour to finish up preparation for the event.
  God is so good. I was a little discouraged because only about 15 ladies attended our event. We had to think quick on our feet and scrap the game/activities we had planned because of the size of the group, but we still had a good time. In fact we had the opportunity to spend even more time connecting, so that was great. I spoke for about 15 minutes about the lies Satan tells us and how I combat them. Not sure how everyone else thought I did, but I think it was ok. I spoke and shared what God told me to....so it had to be great. :)
  
• Day 3, Saturday: My momma called, while I was still sleeping, to see what we were up to for the day. She ended up coming over and we hit up the yard sale at our church. Micah brought along his piggy bank and ended up finding a few great deals. Two games for $1.25 and a sidewalk chalk toy for free...can't beat that. Then we headed up to Walmart to search for a new vacuum, because ours doesn't work great. I couldn't decide...so I ended up buying 12 journals for $3 (they were only a quarter each, how could I pass that deal up?)
  We ate some decent Cuban food at a new restaurant then Micah and I relaxed most of the afternoon at home.
  Later in the evening we went over to Nate's parents house to figure out a new software program the church has purchased and eat some dinner. Nothing fancy, just a nice evening.
  
  I still hadn't heard from Nate - at this point I was going a little crazy. I did see online (gotta love technology) that his plane from Detroit to Tokyo had arrived safely as did his plane from Tokyo to Bangkok, Thailand. But I had yet to actually hear from him. (This is the longest communication gap we've ever had....and I didn'tlike it).
  
• Day 4, Sunday: We woke up and ate some eggs, shocker. We headed off to church without daddy - that was weird. An awesome thing happened during the first worship song. I was bummed that I still hadn't heard from Nate but nonetheless I was worshipping....then I got a text from my hubby!!! Again, gotta love technology. Even though the team was experiencing internet and phone issues, he was able to get on Twitter and update his status to send me a message. I felt like my heart exploded - in a good way. I knew with everything in me that he was safe (because my God is that good) but it was such a relief to finally receive communication from him.
  After church Micah and I hit up Walmart again, this time actually getting a vacuum (no more journals), then we spent some time vacuuming the house. Gross - I didn't realize how 1) dirty our floors were and 2) how awful our old vacuum was.
  For the last hour or so I've been trying to get our son to take a rest, unsuccessfully.

Missing my hubby like crazy. The house feels different without him here.

I am so blessed to have a husband who loves me but loves his Saviour more. What a great example he is to his family. Love you & miss you. Hopefully we'll get to talk soon.

Praying for Nate & the group he is traveling with (David, Norris, Todd, David, Keith & Drew). May they be blessed, safe and have a blast. The spiritual warfare is increasing as they are there - but GOD IS BIGGER. Be strong and courageous!

Listening

This past Sunday while at a leadership training at South Bay, God showed up. OK, I know that sounds a little silly...because God is omnipresent, always present....but I guess what I mean to say is I shut up and heard Him.
We were learning about listening prayer and responsive reading and what that looks like. This wasn't a totally new concept to me but apparently I had some things to learn.

We had a time where we got to practice this discipline on our own. I got away to a corner of the sanctuary and got on my face, expectantly waiting to hear from God...but not really prepared for what would come. As I read through Psalm 139:17-18, I practiced responsive reading (replying to God's statements, asking clarifying questions, etc) and waited for Him to respond.
Ps 139:17-18 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!"
During our conversation I asked God several questions..."really, you think about me that much?" "What are your thoughts about me?" "What lie have I believed that causes me to doubt that?"

While I was expectant that He would speak, I was blown away when He did. He spoke right to my spirit and answered far beyond what I could imagine, revealing lies that I had believed and replaced them with His truth about me.

I think it is so cool that we serve such an awesome God who wants an intimate relationship with us. He desires to speak to us. How cool is that?

God has done great things for us

Be praying for my family. We have a lot of upcoming events and new ways we are getting involved in ministry...therefore we know the enemy is prowling.

God is doing some amazing things around us & I know that if we let Him, He is going to do amazing things through us.

Just a quick recap of what's been happening in our lives and what is coming up....

1. Nate will be traveling to Myanmar (aka Burma), Cambodia, Vietnam & China to assist with training pastors in these countries exactly one month from today. We are still in need of support - about $4,000 still. Be praying for support, that God would prepare the way for this group of men, safe travels and open doors. Also, be praying for childcare while Nate is out of the country for 16 days. I will need to work and since Nate is our primary care giver for Micah, we are going to need childcare during the duration of his mission trip.
2. I have joined the Women's Leadership Team at South Bay Church and I am really excited about the opportunity Christ has given me to serve the ladies of our church. Pray for creativity, unity of mind and the desire for the women of SBC to connect to one another.
3. Nate has been asked to lead our small groups ministry at SBC. This is a huge undertaking and can only be successful by operating under Jesus. Pray that he will continue to seek God's direction for the ministry, for small group leaders to be raised up and for the people of South Bay to get excited about connecting to each other.

Contemplations

These are just some random thoughts...mainly for me. Some brought about by my friends/family and some brought up by reading through the Word.

- Love. Do I truly love? What does love look like?
- Am I living in the past (past accomplishments, responsibilities, ministries, duties, etc) or am I living for today? Living out the passion, gifts He's put inside of me?
- Am I being the part of the body God has designed me to be?
- How can I live an ordinary life when I serve an extraordinary God?
- Don't just live out of old encounters but expect new ones!
- Live in a way where the things of God invade into your everyday life.
- If you don't love...you fail. (ouch!)

Learning

The past few days I've been learning what a pastor is, what the Word says, etc.
I just listened to a great sermon by Mark Driscoll on 1 Peter 5 titled Humble Pastor. Good stuff.

It's been fun to dig into the Word to discover what God has to say on the matter (of what a pastor is) as well as a little study on Spiritual Gifts.

So....what's your thought on the matter?

What does a pastor look like to you? What is his job? What would you expect out of him?

Be Consumed With The Things of God!!!

Thanks to a good friend of mine, Lora, I have been listening to a new-to-me pastor/preacher...Ketih Daniel. He's an older guy, but man can he bring the word.

As I was listening to his sermon yesterday on Caleb one major theme stuck out to me & just have to share it.

Be Consumed With The Things of God!!!
- Forget allowing your attention to be diverted. Get consumed with what God has for you, what he's called you to....then DO IT.
"Here I am, send me."
- Ask of Him, then receive what He tells/gives you.
- Read, study, memorize scripture. (Keith Daniel is in his 60s and because he asked of God, God has given him the ability to memorize chunks of scripture with ease)

God wants us to be consumed with HIM, His word, and His love. So much so that it's all that comes out of you.


So...that's my new goal. Forget getting consumed with silly drama, "church", work, social life, etc.....I'm praying that GOD will be all that consumes me.
- My conversations ARE going to change.
- My thoughts are going to change.
- The way I spend my time is going to change.

I want GOD to be all that comes out of me. Who cares if I "sound churchy" or whatever.
"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." - Well, I'm 'saying so'.

July 4th Celebration

Yesterday was a very productive morning. Nate tackled the yard work(not fun) while Micah and I shopped for things for the party. Walmart was crazy busy. After a bit of resting and cleaning the house, Micah and I went swimming in the rain. I haven't done that in a long time...it was fun.

Kali's mom, Kathy, and her cousin, Mya, came over early last night to talk with Kali on Skype while Brittney and I had to make another trip to the store because I ran out of icing for my cake (which was awesome!).



Chocolate cake with cream cheese icing topped with strawberries and blueberries. yum-o








Nate made dinner for everyone. To me, it was the epitome of an American meal...chicken, mac & cheese, baked beans and collard greens. The food was AMAZING!!!



(Everyone sitting around enjoying the meal)


After dinner...it was firework time. The boys had a grand old time blowing stuff up while the girls and the kiddos played with sparklers and chatted.








All in all it was a great 4th of July, even though two of my girl friends couldn't be here because they are out of the USA.
- - Praying for you girls...can't wait to see you soon.

Back to blogging

I've never been all that faithful with this thing...but I'm going to try again.

Seeking God

Over the next few weeks, Nate & I will be seeking God for what's next in our life. If during the next few weeks you think about us, please pray for us.

Things to pray for:

• that we would seek the heart of God for the next step in our journey
• our family intimacy would increase
• our relationships with our Father would become sweeter than ever
• physical, spiritual & emotional health

What a ham!

Just got Micah's new school pictures. These are the first pictures, posed, that have turned out good since he was a baby.

Exhausted

Today was a truly exhausting day. I am so ready for Nate to come rescue me from work so we can grab a quiet dinner together before heading home to prepare for our high school small group tonight.

Can't wait.

Fabulous Weekend

This weekend was absolutely amazing! Not just the weather but everything about it. God blesses His people - it's true.

As I was sitting at work on Friday, I felt a stirring in my heart. I felt as if He was telling me to "get my house in order". Not like "get in order or else", but just take care of what I've been entrusted with. So I did just that. I listened.

On my way home, I was actually excited about the idea of cleaning my house. How weird?
I got home, I opened all the windows & got to work. Wow! I had a blast listening to music and getting my house in order. Little did I know the blessing that would come from simply being obedient.

When my boys came home a few hours later we were able to hang around and not have to worry about tiding up for our friends that were coming over later that evening.
On Saturday, we got up and headed out for a fabulous family day. It was glorious! I didn't have to think twice about doing laundry, dishes, cleaning - it was freeing. Sunday was much of the same. We played outside all morning, the weather was gorgeous, and went to church. Then a group of friends came over & what freedom came when I didn't have to freak out about if our house was presentable.

Sometimes I tend to feel righteous about having to keep my home in order. That's sounds so bizarre, but stay with me a moment. At times I feel as though it's not fair that I have to worry about keeping the home in order & my husband gets to have all the fun. He gets to be the fun one who plays ball in the yard while I'm scrubbing the toilets. Honestly I'm not sure he ever even thinks about the toilet, except when he's on it. :o) Like God punishes me by placing me in my role. How dare I? What a joy it is to know He trusts me enough to put such a weight on my shoulders. I don't have to be SuperMom (not sure I would look good in that outfit anyway) and I don't have to be like "so & so's wife", but I get to bless my family by keeping my house in order. My actions directly effect the mood in our home. When my husband is able to come home to a clean home it brings peace. Why wouldn't I want to make him feel that way everyday?

It's because I'm selfish. I want someone to do that for me. It's a heart issue. Once I get my heart right & realize God has placed me in the position of a homemaker (like it or not), peace comes. Of course I fight it with all that's in me - - because "it's not fair!" Oh man, let me just think about all the things that aren't fair. Truly, I don't deserve anything but God graciously gives me everything I have. He is faithful to provide as I humbly seek Him.

Wow!

Family Pictures

Our good friend, Paige Kirby, was gracious enough to snap some family pictures for us last weekend. Here are just a few of the pics she took.
The rest are on my Facebook page. Check 'em out...

Saturday fun

This morning Micah & I went to have breakfast with my mom & help her around the house. On our way to breakfast with my mom, we passed by the Temple Terrace Fire Dept, who was having an open house & knew we had to stop by after breakfast. What a great decision. We had so much fun! Micah got to climb all over a couple of fire trucks, see a couple of local bands, make crafts, eat his first sno cone - it was great. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I'm so thankful we were able to stop in. Much better than helping mom clean around the house.

For some reason this morning (totally God), I was prompted to grab my camera before leaving the house. I went picture happy. Here are just a couple of the many pictures I took.

New Bed

My little boy is growing up. Last night Nate put together Micah's new (big boy) bed. It's a bed we have been wanting from Ikea but couldn't justify spending the money. We found the same bed on craigslist for almost 1/4 of the price & we couldn't pass it up. Nate, Micah & Nate's mom, Marsha, went to New Port Richey on Monday to pick it up (what an adventure that turned into).

Last night Nate worked feverishly to get this bed together. I think he was more excited than Micah. He never had a bunk bed growing up so he was stoked to be able to provide one for Micah. Nate finished assembling bed around 9pm last night & the fun began. Micah had so much fun exploring and learning how to climb the stairs! It took him forever to calm down & go to sleep, but thankfully he slept through the night (I was worried about him getting down in the middle of the night half awake) and got down successfully this morning.

Family pictures

Tomorrow is family picture day! The last time we took family pictures was when Micah was 2 1/2 months old. The time has flown by so fast, but it's time. All of the pictures around are house are so outdated. Our dear friend, Paige, is going to get up early with us tomorrow & shoot some family portraits at one of our favorite spots, which conveniently is in our subdivision.

4 amazing years

Over the Labor Day weekend, Nate & I took a mini vacation for to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary (and also to get out of town for the 3 yr anniversary of Hurricane Katrina).

Our trip started off Friday after work with a great 5 hour (or so) drive. We had so much fun just being together as husband & wife. Sometimes I feel bad wanting to spend time without Micah, but that thought rarely entered my mind while we were gone. We left Micah with one of our best friends, who love him almost as much as we do, so we didn't worry about him one bit - which made our trip a whole lot more enjoyable.

After a dinner break in St. Augustine & a walk around the Cracker Barrel store, we hit the road for the rest of our drive. At this point, I took the wheel as Nate was beat. We finally got to our hotel in Savannah a little before midnight. Our hotel wasn't all that we thought it would be, but it was nice & we didn't have to share the bed with a two year old.

Saturday morning we woke up semi-early (for vacation) but didn't really "get up" until around 10. Right away we knew what we had to do. Get to Lady & Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant) as soon as possible. Thankfully we missed the crazy, wrap around the building, line for a lunch reservation and were able to get a reservation for a late lunch. Once we got our reservation we hit the streets, being complete tourists. We walked along Bay Street & the river taking in all of the tourist shops & taking random picutres. We found a cool, old cemetery and had fun walking through taking pictures and reading the old tombstones. After lunch at L&S, we had no choice but to go back to the hotel for a nap. Holy cow, L&S was amazing and we ate way too much. That night we walked along the River, stopping at all the shops & finally ending up a Spanky's, a local eatery, for a late dinner.

Sunday morning, Nate went for a run in the city & found some cool streets that he wanted us to check out later. So once we were ready, we walked down in the residential areas & took lots of random pictures. It was awesome! We probably walked at least 3 miles that day. We ended up on the far end of the city at The Pirate House for lunch. We were told by several people that it was a must. Having been there, I wouldn't tell people it's a must but it was ok. While at lunch we checked out several tour map, trying to decide which tour we should do - - we ended up deciding to scrap the tour idea & hit all the popular spots ourself. While our visits didn't include the history, we had fun. We saw St John's Cathedral, The Waving Girl statue, The Olympic Torch, The Lowe house & much more. It was a great day.

Sunday night was by far my favorite. While at a store during the day, we asked a local where we should eat. She made a suggestion & we actually followed her advice. We got dressed up and went to Jazz'd, a jazz tapas restaurant. It was something new for us & we were stoked to try it. We couldn't decide what we wanted but we did find two items that we had to try. Then we decided to have our own restaurant tour. :o) We ate appetizers at Jazz'd, then went to City Market to hear a local band play. After a bit, we walked & walked along the River before ending up The Moon River for drinks & dinner. This ended up being our favorite place of the trip - mainly because we spent so much time there. A great band was playing when we got there & 20 minutes later when our waitress finally introduced herself - - yeah, we sat unnoticed in a corner for way too long. But we decided to show her grace & ended up having a blast. Needless to say, we got a lot of free stuff.

Monday morning we slept in & checked out, but couldn't leave without one last walk around & a short shopping trip. We stopped at The Moon River to buy a shirt, Paula Deen's for souvenier's and walked through a square. Our trip home was relaxing.

This trip, our first vacation since our honeymoon, was amazing! I wouldn't have traded it for anything. It was just what we needed to reconnect & relax. It could have been longer but I'm not sure how much longer we could have been away from Micah. We sure missed him but we will totally do it again.

Savannah was amazing!

New Commitment

So, I'm making myself a new goal - blog more.

About what you ask?
About anything we want...how God's moving in our life, our family, our church, whatever we feel like sharing.

Here's what going on in our life at the moment.
Nate only has something like 13 weeks left until he's a college graduate!!! The entire time we've been together, all 6 amazing years, school has been a huge priority. We are both so stinking excited that he's almost done with this phase of his education. So, what's next?? We have no plans, but that's exactly what we're asking God. What do you have for us? Life as we know it today will stay the same (except Nate won't have school/homework/tests hanging over his head). We realize our life is not our own - so what's next is totally up to God. We are merely vessels, willing to go & do whatever he wants.

Micah - man is he getting huge. He's two and a half & totally awesome! He's completely potty trained (even at night). Praise God - no more diapers or pull ups!!! He has developed quite the imagination lately, in a good way. It's been so cool to see him discover new things, pretend & become a great little guy. We're teaching him how to talk to his Father about all things & pray over his life. I'm excited to see the man he's going to be & how he's going to love Jesus.

Me - God has been revealing a ton about His nature lately, specifically as my Father. It's incredible to me that He wants to know me, hear from me. That blows my mind. I think it's because I didn't have a relationship with a daddy growing up so my view of Him in that role has never been sharp. He's been teaching me (through my husband, His Word, other pastors) that He desires to be my daddy. He wants me to crawl up in his lap & talk to Him. How stinking cool is that?!?

Life is fabulous right now. We are seeking God as a family with all we have, following where He's leading & readying ourselves against Satan's attacks.

-Katie

To Truly Hunger

Something that God has poured out onto my soul lately, is the importance of hunger. I have recently realized how few times in my life I have been hungry. I eat all the time, but never really hunger.

This caused me to reflect on my walk with God, and as I am in pursuit of Him, I realized that I have never experienced a soul hunger after God. So my prayer has become, God make me hunger for you.

As this has become my prayer, an amazing thing has occurred...

I got hungry.

And I ate.

God has given me a hunger for him, and an awareness of my need to feast from His banquet table on a frequent basis.

As I feast, my heart becomes aware of the struggle between my flesh and my Spirit, my body truly is at battle, a heart that is created to be connected to God, dwelling in a body that is shaped and broken with sin.

How amazing it is to realize this struggle and begin the process of killing the flesh, to live in the Spirit.

Thank you God, for being my soul satisfaction, for sustaining me where food can never satisfy.

God, grow my appetite for you, and allow me to truly hunger for You.

Starved for the Savior,

Nate