Just a Thought

I really think that all the bad things that happen in your life are just a motivator for change. Change being you standing up and saying "That's how my life is not going to be."

Distractions.

Distractions. I hate them. I feel like I will continually be brought down by them, but with the Lord, I know I will get through it as long as I keep my eyes focused on him. Its so easy to get caught up in a guy or a hobby or church activities or whatever.
Something came to me today that I randomly remembered hearing one time.
It was something like:
"Don't get so caught up in the process that you forget your purpose."

I think as Christians, we get so caught up in the process, as in the church events and the planning for the events and everything or even just participating, that we forget why we are there doing that. And before we know it, all those events are just events, they aren't anything special. They just end up being the same things over and over and we just get so caught up in them that we lose sight of our purpose, and that is to proclaim God's name!

Think about that :) I totally did today. It hit me hard!

Today

Today was wedding day in the life of Katie King. No, obviously not for myself, but two of my friends. Today really made me think of what love should be like. I mean, I know what kind of love I want, and what I don't but, seeing two people who are really in love looking into eachother's eyes puts it in a whole different perspective; more like a "its better doing, than just saying" thing. If that makes sense. The Lord wants us to be happy, and told have a marriage that revolves around him, that is two people working as a team to get closer to him.
I'll just say it. I love weddings. The excuse to eat cake is pretty awesome, but getting to see the real deal up close and personal is awesome to me. It makes me excited for the day that I will get married. (Not to mention, I've been getting so many great ideas haha!)

But anyways, recently I've been thinking, and just tonight, the second I got into my car, I prayed and thanked God for who I am now, and who I am not anymore. God took certain people out of my life to help me grow stronger in him, and I'm just SO thankful for that. What an amazing God.

Here's a little bit of the song that I sang at Jen's wedding today, which was an awesome pick on her part.

"And as I stand here before you
I can't help but adore you.

Here we stand in this moment now
I give my life
I give my heart this is my vow
To you I swear
And I promise to
Give all I can
All I am
I give to you"

My song forever:

"I've read somewhere statistics show the man's always the first to go
But that makes sense because Iknow she won't be ready
So when it finally comes my time
And I get to the other side
I'll find myself a bench if they've got any
I hope she takes her time
Cuz I don't mind waitin on a woman"

-Brad Paisley

...but for right now, I'll keep waiting for that guy.

Interesting

So, today. hm. Interesting and amazing things happened. Oh and some, well one gross thing.


Well, for the gross thing: I sliced my finger on a knife today. I wish my reaction could have been videotaped. I cut it and even before the pain hit I RAN to my bathroom yelling, oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. Blood gushing, and me crying were the best parts. It didn't hurt, but the funny thing was the reason why I was crying was because I HATE blood and it makes me wanna puke. Oh how lovely. I need cutting gloves or something....

Okay the interesting/AMAZING thing that happened today was that my friend Kevin that I'd been talking to for a long time about becoming a Christian told me tonight that he just recently accepted Christ. He thanked me for my help, and he sent me a Bible verse he said that he saw that reminded him of me, and it was my Hebrews 3:13 verse! TOTALLY a God thing. Praise the Lord, for another soul has been won! :)

I've been sitting in my room for the past 4 hours working on music, and I mini writers block right now. Hopefully some rest will do me good and prep me for some more writing tomorrow!

Dad and I wrote another song last night and I love it! Its way different than anything I have done, awe will hopefully get that recorded sometime this summer! I'm excited! :)

Let It Be

I know Lenon and McCartney weren't exactly role models but "Let it Be" did speak some truth.

"Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, there will be answer, let it be, let it be."

Sometimes we just need to "let it be" and let God deal with our situation. Although the writers may not have written it to be interpreted that way, in a way I am thankful that they did write it. There IS an "answer" even though we may not see it at the time, God does, and he knows what he is doing.

Right now I am going over the study of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" and wow, its just as good as it was when I did it last year. Sometimes I just wish people would give it a chance and not "judge a book by it's cover." The book title in itself seems a bit extreme, but man, its some good stuff. Its purely about pleasing God, and ahh its just so good. So if you think you are up to the challenge, pick up this book. You will not be disappointed!

Future.

Rejection. Its what we all feared when we were young. Some may still fear it.
I've come to realize in my many failed relationships that I don't want someone that is like that in the aspect of Christ. So many guys are so afraid to truly show their colors; to stand out, to be real, to be vulnerable. Maybe that's why I haven't found that one that's really "wowed" me yet. And you know what? I'm totally okay with it. Patience in waiting is the best lesson that God has ever taught me.

I bring it up because its my hope for the future. Its amazing to think of what's yet to come and where the Lord will lead me. And the best thing is that I don't have to worry. :)

I was driving home to Nashville today and heard this song. Just before it started the radio announcer stated that this song was good for any prospective husbands. To me this is a prayer of a real man that is not afraid to be vulnerable. I love it.

"So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone"

-Sanctus Real
"Lead Me"

The Future.

I am so happy that the Lord's plans are different from my own. Had I followed my own ways, I know I wouldn't equal even a fraction of how happy I am now. Its just amazing to think that through it all, though all the things that I never thought I could get through, all the things that never seemed like they would work for good, HAVE in fact worked wonders in my life. Through MY weaknesses he is strong, through my faults he supplies lessons that have taught me so much over the years.

Finding God's will is more about just finding an "open door." Not every opportunity that is put before you is from God. If it is an opportunity that takes your eyes off the Lord, then it is not an opportunity from God.

From what I was studying this morning, it says to look for God's activity rather than the "open door." It says to look for God's activity and to go where he is at work.

Love So Amazing.

Love. Hm. There's so many variations of it these days. For me, the word has been so misused in society that I can't help but doing air quotes when I refer to it in that light.

Its outrageous how caught up we get in the world; in tv shows, magazines, other people, etc etc., that we start thinking that this modern day definition of "love" is true. Girls settling for much less than they deserve is what really hurts my heart. Relationship after relationship, they find a guy that treats them a little better than the guy before but never as good as they SHOULD be treated. The world says, "you need a boyfriend now!" and they make the detrimental mistake of listening, never truly taking the time to get to know themselves outside a relationship, without someone that they can hold on to. Girly romantic movies were what always did it for me. I would get caught up in the story, sweet and amazing, and would always be crying at the end because I didn't have that "happy ending" or that "amazing guy." That was my escape. Getting caught in the love story; loving it while it lasted, but by the end I would be brought back to the depressing realization that it was JUST a movie. That's what girls these days need to realize. There is a difference between movies and real life.

This is one of my favorite quotes from Joshua Harris's well known book, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye"

"The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and
romance play, and as we watch, the world says, “This is love.” God takes us to
the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, “This is
love."

Waiting seems to be the hardest thing. That was the hardest thing for me. Thinking that God had a plan for me and that area of my life that I just had to be patient about; gosh that was so overwhelming. But I can tell you this for sure: All of the little on and off 2 week, 3 week, 1 month "relationship" flings I was involved in could never amount to the fullness I have in Christ right now. Those relationships would just leave me unfulfilled, empty, and seeking more companionship, that was obviously not with Christ.

I'm really not going to lie. Giving up all of that stuff and fully submitting to the Lord was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life. Not that I have ever smoked but I see it as the equivalent of what quitting smoking would feel like. (Like that new nicorette losenge commercial where the shark comes up and bites the man's arm, then they exclaim how much quitting sucks...haha) I will just say; it sucked, or at least I thought it did at the time. That was only because i knew nothing else. This, just like anything else that's new to someone, was in fact very strange to me. I kept going back thinking, "hm I wonder what it would be like to go back, and blah blah." That was Satan. I kept getting this constant thought in my mind of "You're alone, how pathetic." Satan again. I started getting more into the word, and established a quiet time every morning that I have grown so accustomed to, that I can't go one morning without it. I love that time so much.

Through those hard times in my life that I felt like I had no one, and that I felt I was nothing without a guy, I know 100% that that was Christ teaching me that he was the only "guy" that I needed! And its such a great feeling to know that I am complete with him. He is my other half.

Just to clear some things up girls, I'm not saying don't date. I'm simply saying that you need to learn to live without it for a season of your life, and spend that time with Christ. Relationships are good if they lead you to a better knowledge of Christ and enrich your relationship with him, and keep you on the right track, but gosh its so much deeper than that. I could go on all day about how a Godly relationship should be but I will save that for another day.

I just know that he takes certain times of our lives to teach us things so that eventually our will will line up with his. This precious time IS a gift from God. You may not see it in the beginning, but if you keep on the straight and narrow, you will eventually see that taking this time and focusing on God, rather than "when is that "one" going to come" will not only benefit you spiritually, but will also revolutionize your whole outlook on 'dating'. I can tell you from my perspective that I have honestly never been happier in my life since I decided to wait on the Lord's timing, and not my own, giving it all to him. :)

"Choosing to quit the dating game doesn’t mean rejecting friendship with the
opposite sex, companionship, romance, or marriage. We can still pursue those
things, we just choose to pursue them on God’s terms and in his time."
-Joshua Harris
I Kissed Dating Goodbye

God's Will

Recently, we started a new study in Sunday school talking about finding God's will for your life. This past week, what we talked about on Sunday has really been spiraling around in my head.

God's will. We want it! Or we say we want it. I guess the churchy answer is "I want God's will for my life." I've said this many many times! But sometimes we get so caught up in our own will that we are just simply saying that statement, and not actually taking the steps towards doing it. I've recently pinpointed this weakness in my life. Its like I "wanted God's will for my life" but if it match up to mine, then I would try my best to make it happen; MY way.

Ok, take this for example; you know how everyone tries to find the shortcut to everything? Living in this fast paced world, everyone wants to get things done quicker, get places quicker; quick and easy! Have you ever cut corners on things or taken a short cut? Did it end up taking either twice as long or not turning out the way you wanted it to? Like trying to take 12 bags of groceries into the house at once so you don't have to make another trip? Or cutting across the grass instead of walking on the sidewalk, even though its pretty much the same distance? Yeah that's how it is with God's will! You have to be willing to wait for the good things that he has promised and put forth the effort to get to that point by studying his word. It may not be as quick as you want it to be, but GODS timing is what's best, even though we may have to wait a bit longer than we would like. Cutting corners only equals out to cheap thrills that aren't gonna last for long. Pleasing for a little while, but they will soon die out.

I challenge you instead of taking the short cut, you will seek the Lord. Don't just ask for his will and go about your old ways hoping for a "sign". Surrender to his will; letting him know you will do everything in your power to get to where he wants you to go.

I love you guys :)

In Love.

I'm in love. In love with the morning. In love with being able to get up in the morning and talk to the Lord, and just enjoy the early hours of the day. The Lord has made me a morning person. That's for sure. I'm the girl that's always 100% awake at 4:30 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. haha. I never believed I would be that girl, but I am! It's crazy the things you'll do when you love someone.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

Lord, you alone can rescue, you alone can save.

Another Day.

Another day, another memory, another thing to thank God for!

I love how the Lord is teaching me new thing every day. I look back on how I used to be and I'm simply astounded by how much I have changed within the past year. The anthem of these past few weeks for me has definitely been much like the old hymn "The Longer I Serve Him":

The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

Today was a baseball cap/t-shirt/exercise pants/chai tea/breakfast for dinner day. Very non-traditional, like myself. lol.

I couldn't help but think about the verse where Jesus is washing his disciples feet, and they are pretty much dumbfounded as to why he is doing this, since he is the King of Kings. They thought it would have been an insult to Jesus, but Jesus WANTED to do it.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

John 13:6-8

After letting these words sink in, I believe it is completely apparent that he is saying that unless you let him wash you clean, you will not be his. This is all the more reason to believe that you CANNOT do it on your own. Its so easy to think "I can fix this; I can do it on my own," when in reality, anything that you do within your power will not be half as good as what it would have been if you would have let Jesus take the wheel of your life.

I do this a lot--I try and take things into my own hands; reminding me of the verse from the Addison Road song that says "How quickly I forget I'm yours" and by taking my troubles into my own hands, I feel overwhelmed. I feel as if things will never get better. Looking back before I was a Christian I just wish I would have known at the time what I was missing. Your life isn't meant to be a story just about you trudging through the sorrows alone, or relying on friends or fake love to make it all better. (Don't get me wrong; friends are good to have; but just to say-some can build you up like the great wall of China and some can tear you down like a rack of dynamite to a building. "You are who you hang out with" could never be a truer statement.)


The valleys of the Christian walk are what really truly build your character. The Lord never said it would be easy; but he did say you wouldn't have to go at it alone. And this verse completely explains that. Something that may make you ask God, "Why me?" could build you up to something you only thought would happen in your dreams.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4

Time to hit the sack. Yall have a blessed day tomorrow, and remember:
We love because he first loved us.

Monday Monday :)

I'm a dork and a half. WOW. So I just sent Coffee Mate a ranting e-mail talking about how inconsiderate they are for having hydrogenated oils in their coffee creamer. HA. Can't help it. It really just frustrates me that a company would be so caught up in themselves and their sales that they would be willing to put their consumer's health on the line. ugh. I could go on forever but I will stop.

Yay Monday. I think it's funny how much I love Mondays in comparison to everyone else. These are my sweet sleep in days. I don't have class til 2:20 and its pretty much amazing.

OK-I must say that I am SO excited about this summer. I can't wait to see what type of mission work the Lord will lead me to. World Changers for THBC was cancelled, so that gives us the chance to minister to OUR mission field here!
I will also be singing this summer for sure at 50's and Fiddles with my dad's band so you should totally come watch. Ask me for directions!

I will also have time to finish my music! That means new music for my music myspace, finally!

But first, I DO have to get through speech class in MAY MESTER. This will be interesting. I can get up and sing in front of people and perform, but when it comes to giving speeches, I am a rambling fool. I'm actually more excited than nervous. I love trying new things/leaving my comfort zone. That's why I love my major. :)

God's so amazing! :)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

New Thing.

This is definitely something new to me, but what I've realized a lot lately is that new things are good. Throughout my life, I've tended to hate change, and lately the Lord has really been helping me get over that, and I am so thankful. (I'm not talking about blogging, haha; other more important things!)

SO--I thought I would share some things I learned today with you guys.

1. Having the guy behind you getting pulled over and not you is amazing, lol. For once I got to be the onlooker tonight, which is unusual for me since I always seem to be the speeder. Since my last ticket that cost me oh, 320 bucks, I'm a bit scared to speed now.

2. Coffee mate coffee creamer has hydrogenated oils in it. Please shoot me. That's like finding out you've been cheated on. Boo coffee mate.

On a more serious note--and even thought this is #3, the number holds no significance; I'm just tired and writing as things come to me from today.

3. Pastor Wes put it amazingly today that we ALREADY have 100% of God. The thing is that when you are a Christian, and you are filled with the spirit, its about giving more of yourself!

Its amazing how God spoke straight to me today. Making me think about how easy it is to say, "I trust the Lord," and rattle off Bible verse after Bible verse, but unless you actually do it, you won't fully experience God. That was my issue, and I know a lot of people struggle with it. Its like when we have struggles, we take it upon ourselves to fix it, when in reality, it would be SO much better to ask for help [from the Lord] and to trust that he will be there.

I needed desperately to give Jesus the keys to the car, because somehow down the road, I started to "lean on MY OWN understanding" which pushed him out of the driver's seat.

Pressing forward :) I'm so thankful for the Lord speaking through him today.

Well, I'm about to pass out. It's about 12:50 am. Yikes. I will not accidentally sleep through another class! So, that means I will be going to bed now :)

Love you guys <3

In Christ-Katie