be my everything

ever since sunday i've been convicted time and time again by rick's sermon, and the song we sang at the end of the service.

be my everything.

i find myself praying that simple prayer, and yet at the same time hoping that i don't ever need God to be my everything. hoping that i don't ever get to the point where i have nothing else left. it's convicting, and it's hard.

right now, i don't think i could be that pastor in iran. i don't know if i could withstand daily torture, and know that God is my everything, and i need nothing else.

it haunts me.

true, we don't wish that for anyone. it's atrocious that these acts are happening in the first place, but that story haunts me. it haunts me because of what's being done to him, but it also haunts me because i could barely make it through a few years of infertility with my faith intact, and i did not make it through unscathed.

we all have struggles. we all have hurt and deep pain.

but Jesus is there in the hurt, in the weeping, in the deep pain.
he is there in the midst of the struggle.

he was with me for those mother's days when i wondered if i would ever be a mother. yes, i still struggled, but he was there with me, holding me up.
he was there with me, celebrating my first mother's day and keane's baptism.

in the joy, and in the pain. God is still the great I AM.

Lord, be my everything.
because you are everything.

xo,

katie

Hungry Anyone?

I LOVE the new Focus Class format at the 10:30 hour.  If you missed this past week, we discussed the sermon we just heard!  Our pastors always provide us with such a feast of God's Word, I love having time to savor it with my church family and really take the time to let it go from my head to my heart!  It's kind of like a 'spiritual potluck'...  Our pastors provide the main course and each of us bring our own life experiences and insights as the side dishes to make it a very satisfying spiritual meal!

But as I considered that, it reminded me of something that has been on my heart lately... 
I am mom to 4 children, my husband travels quite a bit and it has been a crazy busy spring season for my little jewelry business that I wear all the hats for...  designer, manufacturer, purchasing agent, sales person, marketer, web designer, accountant...you get the picture. 

It's funny, but used to (in my younger days), I could work all day, skip meals and be no worse for the wear.  But lately, if I skip a meal, my blood sugar plummets, I lose all of my energy and my mind feels so foggy. 

But it has struck me that the same is true when I continually skip my spiritual nourishment (which I've been doing far too often lately in all of the busyness).  I'm not a legalist about quiet times and I don't think I have to have a feast in God's Word every day; but, I do think I need to be like the Israelites and go out and collect my daily 'manna' to stay well nourished and well connected to my source of life and joy, Jesus.

Exodus 16:31 tells us what the manna was like...  "it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey."  Wafers and honey...  Yum, what a great way to start the day.  It seems that it was easy to gather, nourishing and sweet to the taste. Maybe that's what we need to consider each morning as we gather God's Word for our day.

What if we took one verse and meditated on it all day?  Or chose a verse for the week, praying through it each morning and asking God to teach us more about that verse throughout the week?  Maybe seeking to learn one new thing about the verse each day?  Or, like many, use a short devotion, written about a verse, as our manna...  There are so many ways to 'gather our manna' each morning.  But we must be intentional or we'll go hungry, lose perspective and become spiritually foggy.     

Our Sunday feast is such a blessing.  But as savory and satisfying as that spiritual meal is each week, I still need to spiritually feed myself throughout the week...  It is an essential part of living the life of a disciple and experiencing the abundant life that Jesus paid such a high price to give us.

I would love it if you would share how you collect your daily manna that sustains you through the day!  And if you have a special devotion that has meant alot to you, please share that also!  One of my favorites is The Satisfied Heart, by Ruth Myers.  What's yours?

Sharla

Discipleship: Easier Said Than Done

We are called to be like Christ.  Quite daunting when you consider who Jesus was and is: caring, kind, patient, wise, long-suffering, sanguine (optimistic, positive), peaceful -- and the list goes on and one (He is God after all......).

In my efforts at discipleship, I feel overwhelmed at times when I realize how far from being like Christ I really am.  One thing that I have been trying for a while, and seems to be working, is trying to improve one thing at a time.  I set micro-goals.  I look at my own life (considering personality traits/flaws, circumstances, stage of life) and determine what one thing I can do better.  I would tell you what I'm working on now, but then I'd have to be super-accountable and I don't know if I'm to that stage of Christ-likeness yet.

So, what's the point?  That I'm a better person?  That I'm nicer to be around?  That I represent God well?  Actually, no.  It is so that God is glorified and the world is a better place.  Being like Jesus gives those around us the gift of seeing a little of Jesus each day -- co-workers, friends, family, neighbors and even strangers.  Who doesn't need more unconditional love in their day?

Your fellow disciple - Cynthia

Faithfulness

Lately I have been thinking about women in chronically difficult situations. Women dealing with long-term illness in the family. Women managing the stress of unemployment. Women whose children have special needs. Women who follow Jesus while facing challenges we may not see.

But sometimes they tell us about those challenges. And what do we do when someone opens up? Do we tell her we'll pray (instead of praying with her)? Do we cringe? Do we quickly change the conversation or gloss over her trouble? Do we think, "Glad I'm not her!"

It's uncomfortable to experience secondhand pain. It's like seeing an open wound. But when someone recognizes how hard something is for us - even when she can't fix it - it means a lot. 

I love that we worship "The God who sees" (Genesis 16:13). He is always aware of our distress. He is our ever present help. He never abandons us.

Do we love each other that way? Do we walk alongside those who stumble and help pick them up? Do we pray with those who have questions but no answers?

What do we say to someone who is struggling with infertility or mental illness? What if God's answer to our prayers isn't healing but His sufficient grace? Do we remain faithful to our friends through years of struggle? 

These are the questions I'm pondering. I would love to hear what you think.

I've been blessed to be loved well by my sisters and brothers in Christ. I hope you experience that love at StoneBridge. And I hope you pass it on moment by moment to one another.

- Kathryn Truden

don't give up.

the concept of persistence has come up over and over again in my life as of late. sometimes it'd be so much easier to just give up.

plenty of situations are hard, plenty of situations seem like it would be better to walk away, and leave it, and forget about it.

we live in a culture that holds up this idea as normal. it's encouraged.

if there is "seemingly" no way that you can get what you want, it's not worth it to try. if it's old, pitch it. new is always better. it's not worth it to try to fix something when you could just start over. this idea permeates our culture.

the latest technology, the latest clothes, the latest car, an upgraded house, etc. etc. etc.

we chase happiness.

if i'm not happy, i should move on to something else. or someone else. or somewhere else.

persistence isn't regarded as highly as it should be, in my opinion. things that are really great in life rarely come without the need of persistence. they rarely come without any trials, or tough times. they rarely come without difficulty.

good marriages are hard fought. it would be really easy to just give up and walk away, but sticking it out in the tough times - that's what makes it great.
good friendships, really good friendships are forged only when they are tested.
gold medalists don't get to be champions by giving up when things get hard.
they don't give out medals to marathoners because it's an easy race.
no one gets very high on any ladder without encountering difficulty.

to quote tom hanks as jimmy dugan in "a league of their own": the hard is what makes it great.


my journey with God has been peppered with trials, and darkness, and silence, and failures. i have questioned him time and time again. i don't understand why some things had to happen the way that they did.

but those times are when i grew the most. making it through the difficult times, putting the time in, and pressing on toward the goal to win the race set before us - that is what makes it great.

to paraphrase a quote i heard a long time ago - i promise it won't be easy, but i promise it will be worth it.

it's true in our marriages. it's true when it comes to having kids. it's true when you cross the finish line of a marathon. it's true in our walks with Christ.

whatever your struggle is right now,
keep.pressing.on.

xo,

katie

Surprises

Last week I traveled again to California - this time for Steve's aunt's 90th birthday party. I'm thankful for these wonderful relatives with long lives and fascinating stories. We took an afternoon to visit the beach near Laguna. As we walked along, visiting and enjoying the beauty of the ocean, I spotted a water from a blow hole far out in the water. Having grown up on the ocean, I knew it was a whale - not just one but a pod migrating north.

This is a gray whale - one that can grow up to 50 feet long and weigh 30-40 tons. Steve took the picture above, but here is a more close-up photo from National Geographic.

I am always surprised by the beauty of nature - and by how viewing something so awesome and wonderful in a quiet moment can inspire and rejuvenate and remind us of God. He is there when we don't see him, and often surprises us with a blessing or insight when we least expect it. Or just his presence - so beautiful and comforting and refreshing - causing us to worship.  Psalm 104:24-25 says, "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both great and small."
We are also his creatures. He has made us in wisdom. He even knows us by name and surprises us with his blessings.
Barbara Eckroad

You ARE...!

If you were at the Women's Retreat, you may remember a story I told about a piece of pottery that I own.  I would say that it's one of my favorite possessions.  It sits in a prominent place so I can see it every day and remember...

Just to familiarize you with the back story...I found it in a little shop in NoDa that sells my jewelry.  I had always admired this potter's work but I had never met her.  One day when I was in the shop, she was there and I found myself back at her display admiring her work.  A new piece grabbed my attention. 

I picked it up to look at it but it was a little more than I wanted to spend that day, so I returned it, thinking that it would be a great suggestion for a Christmas present.  As I did she said, "I don't mean to pressure you, but if you're interested, it's one of a kind."  I was surprised that she wouldn't make it again, it was so beautiful, so I asked her why.

Her response...  "It was a mess up, the glaze ran wrong, I can't duplicate it."  I picked it right back up and purchased it that day!  It reminded me that my Heavenly Father takes all the mess ups in my life and makes something beautiful from them!

But here's what I want to remind you of today...  When I thought about taking it to the retreat as a visual aid to my story, it occurred to me, "What if they don't think it's as beautiful as I do?"

And then came the quiet realization in my heart...  It doesn't matter what anyone else says, it only matters what the maker and the purchaser say!

And that is what is true for you!  It only matters what your Maker and your Purchaser say about you...  And the best part is, since they only speak truth, it's not an opinion, it's a fact!  So let me leave you with a little of what your Creator (Maker) and Redeemer (Purchaser) say about you!

You ARE the apple of His eye!  Psalm 17:8
You ARE His treasured possession!  Deuteronomy 7:6
You ARE beloved!  Colossians 3:12
You ARE an overcomer!  1 John 4:4
You ARE forgiven!  Ephesians 1:7
You ARE free!  Romans 8:2
You ARE accepted!  Ephesians 1:6 (KJV)
You ARE a Masterpiece!  Ephesians 2:10
You ARE loved with a lavish love!! 1 John 3:1

Do you have a favorite verse that reminds you of who you are in God's eyes?  If so, I would love for you to share it in the comments, or on the Vine Life Facebook page!

Sharla