His grace

"After all the words and all the ink and all the blank pages painted black with the adjectives of you, one thing is abundantly clear: Nothing I write will ever be enough to sum you up" - T.K. Gregson

It was exactly two weeks ago that Kevin had his heart attack. And it has been two precious weeks of staring at him while he sleeps, cherishing his breath that rises and falls softly on his pillow. Two weeks of being so blood-pumpingly aware of how he is my other half, amazed at all the little ways he makes me feel adored. Two sobering weeks of realizing how life would have looked so different without him, and two weeks of falling before the Lord in awe of his grace.

To be a partner with another human being is a marvelous gift. That God would dream up this inspiring delight of marriage, two humans coming together to love one another and be a gift to the world, is beautiful.

Praying today that God gives you perspective on your relationships. Grace, every glorious, ever tender, and abundantly loving, can pour and be the balm on whatever you are experiencing today.

Exodus 14:14
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" 

you are enough

A few weeks ago I read something so inspiring and beautiful I wanted to share it with you. 

I have been meditating on it all week, reading it and rereading it because it lifted my soul. 

When my sweet lovely sister Lena came to visit me for a week, 

we giggled and laughed our way through a fun photo shoot in the park 

and I thought i'd pair them both together for you on this Tuesday! 

The following words are taken from an article called "You are Enough"

from a blog called Darling Magazine. 

We must choose grace. 

We must choose to take it easy on one another,

 and to be kind to other women.

We must choose to believe that we have something to offer this world 

that no one else can.

You have something inside of you 

that is so unique and so good.

Next time you are tempted to compare yourself to someone else, 

look deep inside of yourself. 

Explore and find out what it is that makes you different, 

what it is that makes you feel special and beautiful and whole.

Draw upon it whenever you are feeling like you aren’t enough.
Let it shine and glow though you.
Take hold of whatever it is you find and don’t ever let it go.

If you are a painter, paint. 

If you are a writer, write. 

If you are a lover, love.

Don’t worry about whether or not someone else can do it better than you. 

No one else can be you, and you were created in the image of a perfect creator.

Don’t allow comparison to rob you of 

your uniqueness, 

your imagination, 

your light and 

your joy.

isn't that so so good? 

when I read it I seriously let out a sigh of relief, 

thankful that even if someone can do something better than me, 

only I can do it the way God created me to do it! 

that we are shaped and molded after the Creator to do what only we can do? 

to love and serve and GO where only HE has called us? 

I think in the end, this quote embodies being brave. 

To step into the treasures Abba has given us, 

instead of comparing and wanting what others have. 

you.are.enough.

i.am.enough. 

we are unique and fully loved. 

and that is grace

flowing down from our loving Father. 

happy tuesday dearest friends! 

love katie 

speak light

"words that do not give the light of christ increase the darkness" 

-mother teresa

words carry weight

that can batter and wound

and equally

refresh and encourage. 

words are not to be taken lightly,

ever. 

i sometimes forget that, and it has cost me. 

some of us have been hurt beyond measure by words. 

long ago I went through a season,

where I was repeatedly hurt by words from a friend. 

gossip, blatant put-downs, humiliation in front of others. 

in that time, my soul of freedom morphed into a sopping mess that quickly put up it's defenses. 

i went from a carefree school girl into a prison of self-consciousness. 

because these words from this friend were personal (often times personal attacks),

 i became conditioned to think that all who teased me were truly making personal attacks on my character. 

and so i began to live out of my wounds

scared that almost anything I said would be wrong, worried that I was somehow offending someone by some action, and all sorts of other small nuances.

my poor spirit analyzing every move I made in hopes that I didn't offend anyone. 

and the wounded often wound. 

for i am no better than this friend, as I too have hurt people by my unkind words.  

out of my own hurt came words that did not bring light, and did not encourage. 

often times I didn't mean for them to hurt, but i'm realizing that we must be so careful with what we utter.
will it bring life?

and in this last season, the Lord has mercifully and most poignantly

pointed out the tandem power of words and grace. 

grace for others when they have wounded us.

grace that will hopefully stop us from saying anything in our pain that would hurt the other. 

grace that allows us to forgive and step out of the festering pain of our wounds. 

and grace for ourselves when we mess up and bring darkness with our words. 

because grace covers all. 

romans 14:19 says 

"let us therefore make every effort to do what lead to peace and to mutual edification" 

words that bring darkness do not lead to peace or edification. 

ever. 

remember that. 

so may we be people who only utter the LIGHT OF CHRIST. 

may we be realists, who despite living with pain, recognize the absolute need for kindness even in truth.

because words of LIGHT bring life.
they are fountains of water to refresh,
ushering JOY anew.

so may our words be filled with peace and edification,

always. 

speak LIGHT today dearest friends, 

love katie 

may it be YOU

happy tuesday dearest friends

there are SO many things I want to blog about this week

my glorious weekend home in northern california, Dingle Ireland, the exciting ways Abba is brimming hope into our neighborhood redeeming despair.

too much I tell you!

but today I was humbled.

I was grounded. 

I was reminded that TIME is our life. 

and CHRIST is our confidence. 

Ann Voskamp beautifully awakens my soul,

"All you have here is one lifetime and time. is. your. life. When you spend time with someone, what you are freely giving away is your life. Do this — this is the way of God. But when you spend time with screens, what you are freely giving away might be your very soul. Isn’t this the way of insanity? Anything stealing your time, it’s stealing your life.

And that pressure you feel? To fit some mold, that very real pressure that’s trying to form you into the image of this crazy, trendy world? Resist it and write this on your heart:

What will keep you from doing much good — is caring too much what others think.

This isn’t only a phenomenon of adolescence. This can be the foolishness of adults.

What would the world look like if Christians didn’t care about keeping up with the Joneses but about keeping company with Christ?

Maybe we’d keep our souls from insecurity and our minds from insanity?

Maybe we could be brave enough to be different, have less and be more, and change the world?"

sweet Jesus, may it be YOU.
YOU that I waste my life on.
that sweet time languishes in your presence.
may reading books to 4 year old neighbors
and taking walks with sweet college girls
and payer with my husband
give way to screens.

because I only have just one life.
may it be YOU.
love Katie 

{visiting my sponsored Compassion child in Kenya}

All things new...

Today is my day of birth.

I love March because to me, it seems to symbolize new life. Buds morph into blossoms, and heaven kisses life into spring. Sweet scents carry, and the loveliest and happiest of all flowers blooms, the daffodil, my favorite.

And every 9th day of March, the sun comes out and warms me deep from the inside:) So much thanks in me for life, and for the people and God who breathe life into me.

Today Kevin and spent the entire car ride to our Perspectives Class reminiscing about the most perfect day exactly a year ago. I spent my birthday in Bali. On a beach. At a water palace. Riding scooters around Ubud. And dreaming, dreaming the best of life with my best friend. Loveliness that is forever etched into my heart.

So this year I thank Abba for the aroma of sweet memories that flood my spirit and remind me that truly, I am loved. Despite my shortcomings and mistakes, GRACE is my birthday gift, a reminder that HE makes all things new. He is making me new. That today, sweet Savior reaches with tenderness and calls me Beloved, and tells me He's glad I was born.

Ah yes, i'm thankful to be alive. Another year to learn, to grow, to soak in HIS love, and to taste and see that

the Lord,

ah loving Abba,

yes

HE is good.

with much hope on this lovely day,

Katie