Friday, October 22, 2010

PICTURE PERFECT

Hi Beautiful People,

Today, atop my balcony, I happened to look upon a young woman sitting at a picnic table next to the water. She was apparently out for a stroll with her dog and stopped for a moment to take in the view. As I saw her, she was in the process of snapping her own picture in her camera. With camera turned around to face her, she captured her image. She quickly turned it back around and viewed what she had just taken. As she hit a few more buttons and rearranged her hair, it was evident she wasn’t satisfied with what she had seen.

Taking a look behind her to be sure her background was perfect, she pulled her hair around to her front and primped a few more things. She re-took the photo and apparently approved of it enough to stand up from her table and walk away from the scene, puppy trailing behind.

We have all taken our own picture and have seen it done by others many times. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this…God just allowed me to catch this brief moment to hear His heart today; to latch onto a simple truth in a whole new way.

It was as this young woman was adjusting her hair, making sure everything was as perfect as possible, that it hit me…we are not satisfied with how God sees us.

So many of us are living our lives as if we are trying to create the perfect picture of ourselves to capture the moment so we can take the image back to God. “See, Lord? It was a beautiful day and look how pretty I can be…are You happy with me? Do you like what You see? Do you now love me more than You did before? Am I worthy of You now?"

Most times, this analyzing spills right over to affect the people in our lives. These questions can begin to contaminate every area surrounding…

Life is not a still-frame photo and we are not images that can be airbrushed, quaffed, or adjusted with our own secret tweaks. We are all broken people and we are all dealing with our own imperfections. No one can see these human flaws more than the One who made every single part of us. We need the Lord’s truth to shine upon us to cleanse, perfect, and transform us. We cannot be changed apart from Him…

“For we [Christians]…worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances—“ Philippians 3:3 (AMP)

Today, let us not strive to take our own “perfect” picture for God. Let us not torque our placement around to find the perfect background setup. Let us not delete the picture of who we are in this moment in order to try to hide what we see. This day is not the “end all, be all” of our story, but it is where we are today. Realizing this, we can then turn and run with all our might into the loving, faithful arms of Christ just as we are. We can bring our cameras loaded with “perfect” images trying to impress our Heavenly Daddy, but this is not what He wants. The truth of the matter is, Our Almighty Father sees us at all times, in all scenarios, whether hair is awry or every piece is exactly in place. He sees us in every way and HE STILL LOVES US.

This God we love and know as Abba, Father, is already proud of us, abounding with love, and delighted over each of His children. He doesn’t want us to airbrush our images or freeze-frame our “got it together” moments and bring them to Him for approval.

Erase the pictures you’ve snapped and saved with Perfection’s eye in mind and just bring yourself - camera still in hand to your loving Creator today. He wants to capture the truly perfect picture of Him just holding you…

In His PERFECT Love,
Katie Marie

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

EXCITING BOOK UPDATE!

Hi everybody!!!

I wanted to update you on the Devotional Book I'm finishing up...around the end of December I will be entering my work into a Women of Faith Writing Competition!!! If my book is the winner, I will receive publishing and distribution through a really great company. My book will be sold to retailers and bookstores AND through Women of Faith through their various outlets, conferences, and events across the globe. Even if I am not the top winner, the publishing company may still wish to pick up the book for publishing and distribution. EXCITING stuff!!!!!

I was just entered into the competition YESTERDAY and already I had an awesome conversation with my personal contact for the publishing company!

Thank you so much for your constant prayers, support, and love for me and all God is doing. It is so encouraging to hear how my writing blesses and strengthens your walk with Christ. He has given me everything I write and I do it all because of Him! From there, I am drawn to share what pours out of me and I pray you are impacted in whatever ways HE desires.

I am diligently working on finishing this book that has been in the works for the last two years. What a celebration it will be when it's finally done and in your hands!!! Please pray specifically that I will be able to finish up the content and editing phases and that every word meant to be included will be...not ONE word more or less!

I'll be updating you on the competition as my deadline draws nearer. I love you all and pray you are having an especially blessed day with our beautiful Jesus!


In His Love,
Katie Marie :)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

GIVE WHAT YOU GOT


Hi, Friends :)

I went for a walk along the ocean with Jesus today, on the beaches of San Jose, California. As I spent some awesome time loving on my Creator, I was so fed as I felt pulled and tugged on by the tide’s ebb and flow; as I sensed the weight of the waves crashing just beyond the reach of my Asics.

I love walking beside massive expanses of water because I am forced to realize just how small, powerless, and insignificant I am. I am simply a speck upon its seemingly endless shores, and yet, my Heavenly Creator and Daddy knows right where I am; He knows exactly which “speck” I am. I love it – feeling so small and overlookable, and yet, so noticed, validated, and irreplaceable.

As I walked along this morning, my eyes were suddenly drawn to a tiny, whole sand dollar lying on top of a pushed up pile of sand. Looking back on it, I think I was so excited, I audibly said, “No way, Jesus!” (I will never suppress my excitement and thanksgiving when God does sweet little things for me. It’s my praise! WARNING: It’s very addictive, but you should try it!)

Now, if my memory serves correctly, I have only found one whole sand dollar like that in my entire life. Perfect, unbroken sand dollars are very rare to find, and there I was with a sweet little perfect treasure peering up from my chilled hand. It was exciting!

I continued on my journey, and as I was stopped far down the coast by a little inlet, I was blown away to find sand dollars scattered everywhere! Most were broken, marred, dark gray. Some were even still furry due to the little creature’s recent death. But, there were some that were perfect and white, reflecting God’s Glory from where they lay. I picked up as many as I could find and turned to head back.

I passed some sweet little children digging holes in the sand at water’s edge as their daddy admired their work. Just after I passed by, a few sand dollars thudded to the ground as they fell from my pocket. They must have made quite a noise because I even heard them over my Ipod. As I turned to see what had happened, there the little escape artists were, scattered on the sand. I picked them up again and put them back from whence they came, when a sudden urge hit me. I felt led to turn around and give some of my treasures to those little children.

Quickly, I shook off the feeling and continued putting distance between us, but I didn’t like denying the feeling I had. I had a moment of selfishness pass over me, thinking of how I have never found such sand dollars in my life and justifying it because there are so many loved ones back home I’d love to give them to. Yup, it was a classic case of straight-up human selfishness and fear of giving something “important” away. Wow, how silly and trivial, and yet it happens all the time.

Today, I chose to turn these little feet around and shine some Jesus on the people He put in my path. I headed back to the daddy standing by, and asked him if he’d like to give them to his kids. With three in my hand, I bent down to the little girl digging right under me and she picked out her favorite. How perfect the number three was, because she had a sister and brother just up the beach who would love their own sandy treasure to take home.

They thanked me and I said, “God bless you.” I never really got a response to that final send-off greeting, but it didn’t bother me. The Lord reminded me that I was simply doing what He had prompted me to do and the rest was up to Him. After all, those weren’t my treasures…Almighty God is the One who formed each sand dollar and the One who allowed me to come upon them. And who knows the seeds I planted in that tiny act of sandy kindness today? Well, God does, and I think that’s really awesome.

I wish I could say I jump at the chance each time I feel like I’m supposed to do something for or say something to another person…I don’t. Every once in a while, when I just don’t “feel like it," I let the opportunity slip through my fingers. These are the moments I find myself wondering about, long after the chance has passed. I don’t like those kind of "what if's?" Not when they have to do with God and His awesome ways! I don’t want to miss these sweet sand dollar days. I don’t want to pass up that abounding joy I felt as I walked away from those people today. I was so full of His love for those precious ones He created, and I knew I was shining His love upon them.

I wanted to share this story with you today, not because I’m a Sand Dollar Superhero, but because I am a simple human, living my life out for Jesus. I wanted to show you how I struggle to love as He does, and how I wrestle daily with following His ways instead of my own; how heavy it can be to carry my will over His! I want to help you as I learn it’s much better to put Him in the driver’s seat from the beginning, instead of waiting until you’re broken down at the side of the road, calling out for a rescue (spiritually speaking).

My prayer today is to get myself out of the way so Christ can step in and take over. I want to shine His light until it permeates even the hardest of hearts. I want to be His hands and feet today, no matter what “treasure” I have to give away. That’s all I want to do…shine Jesus and be His “little helper.” If He’s given something to me and asks me to give away, then I better doggone do it! I trust Him to take care of me no matter what.

Even as I sit here at the kitchen table where I’m staying, I realize how blessed I am. I am pouring my heart out to you, listening to the ocean roar and waves break outside in the company of 11 more little sand dollars God’s letting me take back home. What a sweet, awesome God we serve...

Join me, and give what you’ve got today :)

"Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8

In His Beautiful Love,

"Sand Dollar Katie Marie"

Sunday, October 10, 2010

"THANK YOU, JESUS"


Here's my heart poured out for you today...

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” Psalm 50:14-15

"Thank You, Jesus." These three words have been whispered, proclaimed, sobbed, screamed, and spoken more times than any human could ever count. They have been prayed in complete silence as tears stream down a face and they have been forced out in faithful worship amidst great pain and trial. Today the incredible woman of God sitting right next to me whispered them. There I was, seated in choir during church, head bowed in prayer, as the pastor led us. Even in prayer, I was caught off-guard, moved, and rattled to the core by her praise.

You see, this woman just recently lost her husband in a sudden tragedy, leaving her a devastated, unprepared, unequipped widow and single mother of beautiful triplet daughters. Without question, she has been through more pain, faced more questions, devastation, and loss than my mind could ever fathom. All of this, and yet the words she chose to whisper today were, "Thank You, Jesus." Complete second-nature to her, I doubt she even realized they slipped out.

These sweetly hushed messages of thanks moved from within her tender heart, out through her praising mouth, up to Jesus Himself, and throughout the heavens. I believe her praise will ring through eternity. Much smaller in scale, she also happened to rattle the cages of my heart. Suddenly, I was finding myself even more in complete awe, love, and sheer wonderment of this Jesus, my beautiful King...

At that very moment, through this amazing little vessel of God, I was experiencing a new face of Christ. I was coming to know Him in a whole new way. I realized immediately that even those who have experienced deeper pain and loss than I could ever imagine, were exceedingly fulfilled and joyful because of Jesus and their relationship with Him. Clearly He is our fail-proof Savior.

After all, after just traveling down the roller coaster of sudden widowhood and back up the unforgiving hills of life, amidst painful vacancy, this daughter of God still whispered thanks to her Christ. While trudging through the desert of loneliness and loss, she has still chosen Jesus to be her companion this very day. He is her all-in-all in every way possible. Today I was infinitely blessed to share the company of such a woman; a woman who freely proclaimed, “Thank You, Jesus.”

These three precious words hold such power, such promise, praise, worship, hope, faith, trust, peace, joy, and comfort. These three have passed through the lips of children in their Sunday schools, through the mouths of moms and dads as they watch their grown child move out into the world, and through the widow’s mouth whose life is now held together only by the peace Jesus gives her that passes all human understanding. They are whispered by the woman standing with hands raised despite her recent diagnosis of cancer, the one riddled with sores upon every surface of her body, and even the parents who have warred the pain of holding their precious child who was taken to Heaven far too soon.

Though we have each been placed in a world broken and decayed by the presence of sin, we who know and love our Savior, continually find ourselves saying, "Thank You, Jesus..." This thanks flows out of the deepest part of us, for only Jesus knows what He has done for us, who He is being for us, and what we are going through. We can't help but thank the One who is carrying us in His Mighty arms through the flames and trials this very moment. He is the perfect Healer, Protector, and Lover of all…

Jesus is the Universal person to all people. He fulfills all roles and heals every wound man could ever come to know. He is the Father to the fatherless, Mother to the motherless, Husband to the widow, Friend to the friendless, Brother to the one who has lost their only...I could go on and on. He knows our every need and steps into each role that echoes with vacant silence.

Though I am far from home and all those I love, and though I walk the blind path of faith, stepping constantly into the deep unknown, I still joyfully and recklessly proclaim, "Thank You, Jesus..." After all, He is my All-in-All. He is my mom, my dad, my brother, sister, best friend, future husband, my Savior, and my King. He is my Everything.

To sum up today, I conclude one thing...Christ is too awesome to describe. He is unspeakably good. There aren’t enough words to proclaim who and what He is. He is inescapably beautiful, mighty, awesome, powerful, and praise-worthy.

Though we have each been forced to crawl through wastelands of pain, loss, anger, and question, we can’t help but lift our hands, hearts, and lives in total abandon. We lift our thanks in sacrifice, praise, and worship to Him who gave His very life for us. Though we are at a loss to describe Him, and fumble with the title to behold Him, the words still escaping our lips are those that rattled and wrecked me today: "Thank You, Jesus…"

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50: 23

Thursday, October 7, 2010

NOT IN VAIN


"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

This verse has really gotten me thinking today...

I am such a driven person for God and have such an intense calling on my heart that I overwhelm myself at times. I have such a desire to work hard for Him and touch lives with His undeniable grace and beautiful salvation. I work, work, work...Today I've realized I am doing much more work than I even realize!

Even when my days don't allow me to sing, work on my book, write to you, practice guitar, or pen a song, my days are not in vain! Nothing that has filled this "unproductive" day has been a waste and not a moment of my time slipped away without great accomplishment. I'm tapping into the truth that even the tiniest of things I do in a day are great and meaningful when I do them out of my love for Jesus. At the end of any day, no matter its roadblocks, u-turns, or traffic jams, I want to settle into Christ's rest and peace. I want to lay my head upon my pillow hearing the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Wow, this JUST hit me as I'm writing...we are the Lord's workers; His servants. What do servants do? They do the work needed to be done at that very moment. They take care of whatever is on the docket without question or complaint. It is their job and their task. They do these things because they are indebted to or employed by the one who has given them the list of "to do's." This is awesome! It's not just our Life's Purpose that matters to God...it's in the little things we do in His name that show Him how much we love and want to serve Him.

Every single thing you do in your daily life, if you do it for Christ, is not in vain! Take this down to the very simplest of things: when you wash the dishes, do it for Him! As silly as it may sound to you, think of Him as you're doing them. When you fold your loved ones' laundry, realize you're doing the work God has put in front of you and asked of you to do in that moment. If He has given you this family and all other things in your day and life, you are at work for Him when you do these jobs! Hopefully in this moment, the thought of fulfilling your "honey do" list just grew a little sweeter in your noggin...:)

Go out and love on some unsuspecting people for Him today, next week, and the rest of your life...your labor and efforts are not in vain, no matter their apparent outcome! Keep saying "Hello" to people you pass on the street even if you feel like a heel when they ignore you. Chances are, they are not used to people acknowledging them so they were either caught off guard or figured you were talking to someone else. Don't worry, it happens to me all the time. :) And remember, when you offer that smile without receiving one in return, you are "taking one" for God's team...I assure you, He does not overlook your effort, and it is definitely not in vain! He'll bless you in ways only He can and only He has planned.

Do all you do, no matter what it is, with the heart intention of working for the Lord. I've been practicing this all morning and already I have found rest, peace, comfort, and purpose in simply existing...I am existing and living this day for Him. I will do what He's put in front of me each moment that passes. I will say the words He's wants me to say, I will write what gives me to write (i.e. I am writing to you now), and I will hug that person He wants me to hug. Today, I will stop and take the time to be there for someone in desperate need of a caring, listening ear. I'm walking out today's jobs for my Jesus.

You may be focused on the huge dreams and longings you believe God has for you in the future. Let me encourage you and pull your mindset a little closer to home today - do what He has put in front of you in every moment. Be intentional to do whatever it is for Him, out of your love for Him. You will be absolutely flooded with peace and satiety realizing every single laborious thing you do is actually good use of your time. It's all being counted on the Almighty God's time-sheet; you are on His clock. All of your work is rolling over on a heavenly payroll system so keep working for Christ! Your checks are in the mail and your sweet rewards are on their way to your doorstep this very moment...

Smile!!!!
Katie Marie :)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

LOVE PACT

Hey friends!

I tell you what - I am absolutely amazed day in and out to realize the impact I have on people just by going out of my way to actually care. Man, we sure do live in a hurting world. We walk the soils of "What's in it for me?" and "Nothing in life is free." Sometimes these attitudes work against people like me who just sincerely want to bless strangers with a smile or genuine, "how are you today?" They may fight against me, but they surely haven't stopped me.

Every single day I am given opportunities to shine my Savior's light in both extremely common and very unusual ways. Most days, I just like to wait that extra 30 seconds to keep the door open for someone walking way behind me, offer an extra hand to a person with arms full, or show a stranger how to make "homemade cappuccino" when RaceTrac's machine has gone kaput. On occasion, I'll feel led to share a specific encouragement to someone or take care of a need that wasn't even evident to my eye. After I've filled that need, however, lots of times I am met by tears of thanks for fulfilling a silent prayer only God could have known about. (All glory to Him...I was just the little messenger. :) I'm not perfect and I know I must drop the ball in a million ways, but I must say I have become purposeful to keep my eyes open for the everyday opportunities to love on another.

I challenge you to make a pact with Jesus for even one whole day to shine His light and love in the simplest, but sometimes most impacting ways. Be intentional for this day to step out of your comfort zone, offering your true, heartfelt smile to someone who may never smile back at you. Encourage a stranger you see working hard at their "menial" job. Open your eyes to every beating human heart that crosses your path today.

May I ask you...what makes one person above another, anyway? Is one person more valued because he drives a certain car and wears a button-down shirt to work everyday? Is he above someone who pushes a broom or toilet-brush 9 hours a day? I dare boldly say, "NO!" All three of these people need genuine Christ-filled love and compassion. We are all flesh and blood and we all need each other.

Pay forward what you have been given...share your encouragement, warm hugs, extra hand, your smile, bottle of water (unopened, of course:), and your genuine concern for a stranger's well-being. I do warn you, though; by taking on this Jesus' loving mentality for even a day, you may get some strange looks and stumble across people who are very skeptical or even downright rude to you. You run the risk of offering kindness only to receive bitter hate in return. You might get a cruel remark in exchange for your genuine, "How's your day going?" Is that going to stop you? To me, these are small prices to pay in exchange for all I've been given through Jesus' love and sacrifice. No matter what, I want to keep on loving; you, too?

You may find yourself thinking, "What's in it for me? What about my needs; my hard day?" Think of this...if you put another person's well-being in front of your own, not only will you be doing what Jesus asked of you, you'll be changing this world one heart at a time and eternity will be impacted. The seeds you plant will also return you awesome fruit and blessings. I have experienced this over and over and over! Trust me, God is big enough and caring enough to be sure He sends along another unsuspecting stranger to pour that love right on back to you. :) No matter what you get in exchange for your efforts, know He is smiling back at you, and that's the best smile you could ever receive.

Make a love pact with Jesus to be His hands and feet with all who step into your life today; be His warm smile, kind voice, compassionate eyes, and loving arms. Be God's heart bursting out upon His beloved creation. Who knows? You may just be the only gift they receive this day, week, month or even year. I'll tell you who knows; the God of love does and He's sending you in His place this very day...

Grace and Love,
Katie Marie :)