Pocket Full of Thoughts

• Ha, I so need one of these….
• So excited about this new start because I am totally living out a “second chance” myself: a movement of people that would let radical integrity and radical grace consume them in their life and leadership.
• Took a nap on the couch tonight…so comfy and safe
• No cocoa for brownies….but popcorn when I woke up hit the spot
• New to me, free clothes make my heart so happy. seriously. 2 pairs of running tights and 2 under armor long sleeve shirts (plus, one with the thumb hole things!!! I am so set for running in the minnesota cold….) not to mention a cute tank top, other clothes and a fun bag.
• This looks totally awesome. I miss my bike and I heart Africa.
• Feeling the days slipping by so fast…
• We leave for debriefing and Cape Town on Saturday–what!?
• Why am I still up? Oh right, I took a forever long nap tonight.
• What are you up to?

 

Bam!

If you know me even a little, then you probably know that I tend to think….think a lot.  Sometimes to the point where it gets in the way and puts up walls (not a good thing) and stops things from going from my head to my heart.  The last few days I got all caught up in the thinking.  The heady, here’s what experience tells me.  I “know” the truth, but I couldn’t shake the all over the board emotions ranging from confused to frustrated to happy to disappointed to sad to lonely to okay to everything else.  I bounced around and couldn’t find my footing on the solid rock.

Until today. I sat in class and I tried to pay attention and engage in conversation, but every once in a while my thoughts would overwhelm me still.  Until I heard these words, “Follow Me.”  Funny thing is that we were talking about ministering to youth and I really don’t remember how that fit in and neither does my roomie (I asked her later).  So then, God immediately brought to mind the verse below:

“…what is that to you?  You follow Me!”

My reaction: Whoa. Lord, you are so here.  You are so getting my attention.  Because really.  What is it to me that ___ is doing this or that God is working in that way in their lives.  Even, who is that to me and what is that to you that I’m working in a way you didn’t expect.  When all I need to focus on is following Him then everything else fades away.  Africa fades away. Lindo fades away. Thrive fades away. Hope House kids fade away. Marriage fades away.

Yes, good things and yes, serving is good, but He just wants me to “be.”  He loves me when I’m just sitting on the floor with Him leaning against my bed.  He wants me to follow Him and be with Him.  He wants to step out only on His firm foundation.

“It had opened her eyes to the fact that right down in the depths of her own heart she really had but one passionate desire, not for the things which the Shepherd had promised but for himself.  All she wanted was to be allowed to follow him forever. “Nothing else really matters only to love him and to do what he tells me.” -Hinds Feet in High Places

Monday Musings

• excited to listen to this podcast when it comes out and love some of the thoughts Perry posted already:
  • Love for her intimacy with God…and not just the information she knows about Him!
  • When you focus on what you do not have (a relationship) more than you focus on Jesus and His Word…the result is usually compromise.
  • AND…YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COMPROMISE…EVER!!!  If I could sit down face to face with every single girl I would say the same thing…WAIT for God’s best…it’s worth it.
• had my first “see you in His timing”
  • my heart is already aching at the thought of saying more of those soon…
• hung out with Lindo today….man, that kid is too much fun and I love his family
  • definitely made me smile today
  • working on making a video of the tons of pictures I have of him
  • can’t wait for next week so i can give him a soccer ball and whatever else random I find in town for him…so what does a 5 year old like?

  

• “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.” ht: note
  • The weapon of jealousy will NOT prosper against you because we will CELEBRATE what God is doing
  • The weapon of feeling insignificant will NOT prosper against you because HE MADE YOU SIGNIFICANT when He saved you and called you…your significance comes from your salvation…not from “success” in ministry.
• can’t wait to see this girl.
• asking God to hold me tight tonight and help me fight
  • feeling a bit broken tonight.
  • getting away with Him.
• listening to this guy thanks to his free music. 
  • speaking of music. integrity music and their free song on friday makes me happy

White Chocolate Deliciousness

I spent the night baking!  Finally!  I haven’t been in the mood to bake for so long and I definitely missed it.  I am so glad and my heart is happy that this part of me can be expressed with joy instead of sadness/heartache at remembering times of baking with others.  I love baking, baking with people and giving food to others. I made some brownies for those who watched Titanic and then I made banana bread with white chocolate and brown sugar from the States (woot! the brown sugar here is different…and you can’t get white chocolate in “chip” form here).  I included the recipe for the banana bread below since I think it’s the best and super delicious especially with white chocolate chips.  Enjoy!  Any recipes that you recommend?

—

Banana Bread

5 T butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, 2 egg whites or egg replacer works fabulously!

1 t. whites

1 t. vanilla

1 ½ cup mashed bananas

1 ¾ cup flour

1 t. soda

½ t. salt

¼ t. baking powder

½ cup heavy cream or soy milk

NOTE: These are REALLY good with white chocolate and many people like them with chocolate too, but I like white chocolate.  Estimate how much you want in there.

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the bottom of the loaf pans (2 reg. or 4 small).
2. Beat butter in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Beat well.  Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Add mashed bananas.  Beat on high 30 sec.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add this flour mixture to butter mixture alternately w/cream.  End with flour mixture.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan.  Bake until brown, toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.  Baking times: Larger Loaf pan—1 hour 15 minutes.  Smaller Loaf pan—45 minutes.  (I don’t know if I buy these times…each oven is different and I usually find it needs more time.  Just stick a knife in it and when it comes out clean then it’s ready!!).
5. Cool on wire rack in pan.  Remove from pan after 10 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack.  (Nah, go ahead and eat some after the first 10 minutes…YUM!)

Pray!

Meet Gugu

Meet Nomfundo

I hold these two girls in my heart and in my arms.  They make my heart happy and I love getting to see them on Fridays at Hope House.  But, there’s a slight problem…they don’t like each other.  They’re in that lovely later elementary school girl age where they fight and seek attention.  Not to mention that Nomfundo recently came to Hope House a few weeks ago so she is still adjusting to the new environment.  My prayer is that the love of Christ would completely overwhelm them and transform their lives, which in turn dramatically changes their relationship.

Anything I can be praying for you about on this Friday night?

Random Question

While taking a shower this morning, I had a random thought and question.  My lovely roommate kindly picked up some shampoo and conditioner for me since I finally ran out and didn’t go into town.  I spent yesterday afternoon climbing and soaking up the sun instead of going to town, which was exactly what I needed.  Anyway, I tried out the new shampoo and condition, smells delicious by the way, and realized that the conditioner instructions said to towel dry hair, put in the conditioner, wait a minute and then wash out.  Normal except for the random part about towel drying your hair and then getting back in the shower.  Yeah…not going to happen.  But here’s the question for you.  Do you follow shampoo and conditioner instructions?  Do you wait that minute? Or do you just do whatever you want? Do you even read the instructions? Okay, that was more of a string of questions, but you get the idea.  As for me, I like to read the directions and I typically follow the instructions.  Not always to the minute, but you get the idea.

Some Songs Just Make Me Happy

Fireflies are out tonight
Air is heavy and the moon is bright
I love this time of year
I talked to you this afternoon
You said you didn’t have very much to do
I said I’d be here
So come on over, come on in, come on by baby
Otis Redding makes me feel good
Dancin’ in the kitchen barefoot
All the windows up, just can’t get enough
Headlights on my front lawn
I guess it didn’t take you very long to decide
To come on over, come on in, come inside baby
Won’t you come on up, come on in, come inside baby
There’s just something ’bout the way

[Chorus]

The way you talk to me
You give just what I need
And when you come around my feet can’t find the ground
I’m losin’ myself like a drop in the rain
You twist me up like a hurricane
I can’t stand up for fallin’ down
So come on up, come on in, I like it when you come around
A minute ago there were a million stars
And now it’s soaking wet out in my backyard
Let’s take cover baby
But you just wanna run around in the rain
You make me laugh like a kid again
Loud and crazy baby
There’s just something ’bout the way

[Repeat Chorus]

Otis Redding by Sara Evans = Perfect lazy song

Shooting Stars

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶as you hold out the word of life…” Philippians 2:14-16

Lately, I crave summer: swim suits, laying on the beach, driving with the music blaring and the windows down, fluffy happy books, shorts and tank tops, flip flops,  going out on the lake, meteor showers, star gazing, looking at the moon, sitting on the deck or dock, and happy summer music.  In response to my craving, I’ve decided that my room is now summer. Basically, I wear shorts and a tank top.  Pretend the heater and the sleeping bag are just for fun and look at the happy summer pictures while listening to happy music.  My heart is extra happy so all of this fits.

Alright, so by now you may be wondering how the verse above fits into all this talk about summer.  Well then, let me tell you a little bit about today.  Today the weather was warm, sunny and perfect.  I wore flip flops, ate delicious pancakes with mixed berries (I love and miss fresh berries like strawberries and blueberries!), walked around outside and read Gone With the Wind.  But the best part consisted of later at night when the stars came out.  Tentative plans to watch a movie were thwarted by other events, which turned into new plans to star gaze by the pond.  To be prepared, I outfitted myself with my sleeping bag, two pairs of pants (one with stars on them of course), lots of layers, a hat, mittens and even socks (I hate socks, but thanks mom for sending me some…though I really don’t need more…I really hate them!).

Needless to say, God blew me away with His creation.  Everything made me smile and soak in the beautiful night.  The moon hid away until the right time when we saw its amazing orangish color and sat astounded at its huge size.  The shooting stars took my breath away and I got sad whenever someone else saw one, but I missed it.  The random conversation took the edge off the rest of the day.  And I’m still pondering which names fit the category of a “cuddly” name.  Yet, through all of this, I return my thoughts to God to thank Him for a wonderful ending to another day.  To ask Him to help me show that kind of beauty and light to everyone around me. To live out the call to shine like stars and take people’s breath away. To glorify His name and live a life full of love in such a way that others see Him.

Because that’s when my heart is happy.

Photo Mosaic

THE PHOTO MOSAIC:

Rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/)
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

The Questions (with my answers):

1. What is your first name? Katy
2. What is your favorite food? White Chocolate
3. What is your favorite color? Hmm…green today
4. Favorite drink? Water
5. Dream vacation? Mountains and beaches
6. Favorite Hobby? Reading, running or biking
7. What you want to be when you grow up? Happy
8. What do you love most in life? God
9. One word to describe you? Complex

Perfect

Step One: Wake up at 6:52
Step Two: Look out the window and see that it’s not raining!
Step Three: Throw on running clothes
Step Four: Go running in the mountains
Step Five: Prayer walk for a cool down
Step Six: Eat oatmeal and toast with peanut butter and honey while sitting on the kitchen counter.
Step Seven: Begin the day
Step Eight: Play with adorable little kids and fall a little more in love with them…
Step Nine: Drive home listening to happy girly country music
Step Ten: Eat breakfast for dinner. Pancakes with peanut butter!