love thy neighbor- we're working on it:)

 A huge part of my story has been learning how to fully love and be intentional with the people that are considered my neighbors. Jesus tells us to love our neighbor- to serve them, grow with them, be in their lives. For how else do we love them if we don't even have relationships with them?

Kevin and I experienced the most incredible gift when we started becoming intentional about our neighbors. We had moved into a low income neighborhood in Southern California, and we started having families and kids over almost daily. We hosted a Vacation Bible School (VBS) on our porch one summer and saw reconciliation happen in front of our eyes (read here)…we played and cooked and sang with our two little neighbor boys that stopped by every day while their parents were at work, and we became God-parents and hosted baby showers and parties for almost every holiday. We invited all our neighbors to a thanksgiving feast at our house when we cooked our first Turkey, and we had a Christmas sing-a-long complete with a nativity play and Christmas goodies. Kevin and I felt our marriage was so blessed because we weren't just concerned about "us", we were on mission to make others feel loved and welcomed.

So fast forward a few years and we just moved to Northern California. God gifted us with a beautiful little house (which i'm trying to dub "the cottage"), and Kevin and I have had a lot of late-night talks about how we want to spend our time. How we spend our days is essentially how we spend our life, and we want ours to count. A huge priority for us is loving our neighbors and getting to know them on a deeper level. We want our home to be a light that shines with tender grace and loving kindness.

And all this relationship stuff takes intentionality and thoughtfulness, it doesn't just happen. Here are a few things we've tried to do in an effort to prayerfully enter into our neighbors lives in a deeper way…

1.  Chased after neighbors: i'm not kidding, i'm becoming the crazy lady that literally runs down the street when I see a neighbor walking to or from their car. haha, it's hilarious. But in all seriousness, it always makes it less awkward to try to introduce yourself and get to know your neighbors when you first move in. You get a bit of a green light when you can fall back on the excuse of "we just moved in and wanted to meet our neighbors". Last week I chased down my 15 year old neighbor while he was minding his own business and skate boarding. I think I freaked him out, but in no time we were laughing and chatting, and learning more about each other. I want people to know that i'm an open person and am always available to talk. We'll see if that works or not:)

2. Map my neighborhood: Last week I drew up a map of our neighborhood and entered everyone's name I knew so far into their house spot. My goal is to have met all our neighbors and write down each name of everyone who lives there. Names are so powerful, and I want to be able to know my neighbors names and love on them in their uniqueness. I am quite positive I have MUCH to learn from my neighbors, and can't wait to see what they will show and teach me from their life.

3. Invite them to dinner: Kevin and I made a promise that we'd have each of our neighbors over for dinner this year. Food is the BEST way to bring people together, and if all else fails, at least you can eat, right? Next Monday our first neighbor family is coming over and i'm so excited. We're going to eat and then play games. It was really cool because I had mentioned playing games to our 15 year old neighbor, and a few days later his mom told me that he's really excited to play with us. Score!

4. Pray: This is probably the most important one. I so believe that God's desire for us is to be bold in LOVE and courageous in sharing HIS love so that others can meet him and be transformed by his grace. So Kevin and I have set our alarms to go off at 10pm each night so we can pray for our neighbors. Sometimes we do, and sometimes we fall asleep, but we're trying! We pray that our neighbors might meet God in a powerful way. Life is hard, but God gives us hope and comfort and a place in eternity with Him. And so we pray that God will open doors and plant and grow the seeds:)

We are excited to see what God does. He does crazy things when his people pray, so we are expectant. We won't do everything right, but we'll try our hardest to do what God is calling us to:)

I'd love to hear your stories of how you've loved your neighbors:) What a privilege it is to live for a mission greater than ourselves!! Happy Tuesday!

i've seen too much freedom to live any other way.

 the big question since we got home has been where to live. 

to rent? to buy? to stay with Kev's parents? 

oh my stars! how does anyone make these grown up decisions so easily? waahhhh!!! 

it's a question that at times has 

reduced me to tears, 

made me a stalking freak on zillow.com, 

and has forced me to get on my knees and pray to the only one who knows the perfect house for us! 

and in this whole process of figuring out where to live,

i've realized that the deeper question Kevin and I have really been asking ourselves 

is how we want to live. 

and what we've come up with is that we want to live
with purpose. 

On all accounts it would be easy to just slip right into a cozy little house
and allow the world to revolve around us.
Some people might even pat us on the back and say things like "after living in Nepal, you deserve this peace and quiet".
And we might actually believe that. 

So Kevin and I talk about it.
A lot of late night chats have ensued as we lay in bed.
Conversation that generally follows this pattern:

Katie: babe, where do you want to live? 

Kev: in the "neighborhood"….you?

Katie: ya, me too. 

that neighborhood where we saw God moving,
felt the love of Christ from our neighbors,
and carried each others burdens.

that neighborhood where we saw poverty
but where we experienced people pull together in a communal spirit
like nothing we had never experienced before.

that neighborhood where kids and friend stopped by our house each day,
because community was more important than personal space.

yeah, that's the neighborhood we can't shake...

just last week I got a call from a friend who lives in the neighborhood…

B: can we use your in-laws pool for a baptism?

me: ya…when?

B: um…tonight. Miguel (*not his real name) is recommitting his life to Christ
and wants to get baptized, like now. 

me: yes, absolutely. 

So a group of guys came over that night to Kev's parents house (not to far from the neighborhood). 

Miguel shared why he wanted Christ to be his everything. 

And then they said those words…

"death to sin"

and 

"alive in Christ". 

and I sat there with tears streaming down my face
as I witnessed these boys from this rough place,
embracing Miguel in these manly hugs, tattoo on tattoo.
Speaking words of life over him.
Replacing the lies with truth everlasting,
and I thought why? why would I ever choose to live somewhere else
when I get to witness the living God right here in this place?
Watching one boy, precious in the eyes of God, give his life to the Creator. 

a few days later, another boy from our neighborhood wrote this on his FB status…

When I started high school I was a F student now I'm in the honor roll and with As and Bs getting 100% on my test funny how god helps you. 

 Ummm…can we talk about why this is such an epic statement? 

Welp, because Jesus CHANGES LIVES. 

straight up…from and F to an A. 

And I can choose to position myself in a place where God can use me for his everlasting work,

or I can choose to position myself in a place that goes no where, forever. 

no matter how tempting the most gorgeous areas in Southern California may be, 

God's invitation to love and be loved by our neighbors is in our DNA. 

It's in our DNA because IT IS HIS DNA. 

And if HE lives in us, then we are carriers of this important mission. 

To share the gospel, to live the gospel, to bring the hope of Christ to all around us. 

I've seen too much freedom to live any other way. 

The neighborhood is for us through and through.

i remember...the one month count-down.

  Today in fact marks a month before we move to Asia. 

it's a tad surreal, and I feel almost as though it's not happening. 

as if "i'm moving to asia" is even like a normal sentence to say. 

Yesterday I sat in my living room on the couch, reading and journaling. It was all very normal until all of a sudden it hit me that i'm counting my last days in this beloved janky apartment God has given us this past year. 

{interject katie's teary face.} 

the memories are gifts I will carry with me forever. 

momentos of monday night college bible studies with tea and coffee and laughter.

wednesday night life groups with hugs and tears and worship and depth. 

afternoons filled with playing and dancing and reading and cooking with our little neighbors whom we adore. 

mornings with tea and blankets cuddled on the couch with Abba. 

the most lovely and simple realization came warmly to rest upon my heart. 

that life is community that is lived in the cracks and crannies of our day. 

rarely do I remember anything else but the community, and hardly does anything impact me as deeply. 

i don't remember the days I wasted on facebook, and if I do i'm quite sad they stole precious minutes. 

i don't remember the naps I took or the outfits that took ages to put together. 

but i remember dancing to gangam style with two little boys who had definite swag.

i remember hosting a ghetto vbs on our front porch.

 

i remember when i almost burned the apartment down cooking a thanksgiving dinner for our neighbors.

i remember Kevin holding me in his arms on the couch when I cried

{which was, ummmm, a lot}

and i remember Abba's sweet whispering that i am loved and forgiven while sitting in my green chair. 

very little of my memory holds space for anything else but kingdom work. 

because what is LIFE if we're not ALIVE in Abba's will? 

if we're not living and loving and doing all that we can 

to bring heaven's delights to earth's crumbles?

So as I close this chapter of my life, I do not regret the giving. 

the giving of our home, our time, our life and our hearts. 

we didn't do it perfectly, 

Lord knows we failed 

and sometimes we just locked the door and hid when the kids rang the doorbell a million times. 

but in our experiment of giving so that community could thrive,

we won. 

God's gift to us came in the breaking down of our individualistic tendencies. 

painful at times when all we wanted to do was ignore everyone and watch Downton Abbey.

But the breaking happened 

so that His love seeds could scatter further and longer.

I learned that community is the soil in which those love seeds are planted.

We can't plant seeds if we're a hermit. just a newsflash. 

and even though I cry about leaving behind my little babies in the neighborhood,

I don't have to worry, because the seeds are sown,

and Abba's the one who will water and grow them anyway.

so my babies are in good hands. 

and that's what i remember.

the community.

the giving.

the love seeds.

and the God who cares enough about all of it to shower down grace.

wherever we may go. 

and that gives me great joy as we move. 

because we can't move anywhere out of Abba's realm.

thank God. 

love Katie 

a house full of love

"a home is a house full of love" 

Tonight after a long and lovely day in the glorious sunshine, Kevin and I collapsed on the couch and snuggled up. 

February already! I can't believe it. 

looking around, I started noticing how many signs of love are strewn across the house, 

and my heart radiated. 

love is what makes a home. 

and of course not just love items,

but real.live.love. 

that we give each other, 

and we pray we give those around us. 

here is a glimpse from our home the last few days....

{our fridge}

 {cd from the vbs we held at our house this summer}

 {handcrafted heart made in thailand}

{jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness"}

 {engagement picture in a field of flowers}

 {tribute to my swedish heritage...otherwise known as a straw heart from ikea}

{cuddling love}

{lovebirds and my parents on their engagement, 31 years ago!}

 {love banner, and peace dove}

 {last night our life group hosted a mini-vbs for the kids in our neighborhood. We played games, shared the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water, complete with a sweet skit, sang songs, and shared dreams! it was beautiful...so much love filling our home.}

 {when i saw one of the kids today, he ran up to me with a huge hug, and said "katie! i had so much fun last night! so.priceless.}

 {small groups and sharing dreams}

{cuddle time}

may our homes ever be FULL,

overflowing,

brimming,

blossoming,

singing,

shouting,

spilling,

love. 

sweet love. 

happy february sweet dearest friends! 

love katie 

time is life, and a new beginning for me

time.

i think about it a lot. 

how much time is filled and brimming busy with chaos

that i forget to

stop

enjoy and 

savor. 

it's like we're all running around in madness trying to stuff as many activities into our calendar,

and then we are so drained of energy that the busyness is not enjoyable but just distressing. 

Ann Voskamp says 

"hurry always makes us hurt...hurry empties our souls." 

so yes. I think a lot about this. which is why I had this epiphany last year that I wanted to be Amish, and it was my goal. 

but guess what? 

I didn't raise any barns and I didn't make any Amish friendship bread or wear a bonnet. 

but slowly, ever slowly, i made changes to soak in time. 

Kev and I made a vow that our home would be filled with relationships. 

we got rid of tv, iphones, ipads

because we wanted all attention on our guests, not on a distraction. 

so as I read chapter 4 of "1000 Gifts" by Ann Voskamp, I was steadily reminded that time is life. She says

"They say time is money, but that' not true. 

Time is life.

and if i want the fullest life, i need to find fullest time" 

this past year I was overcome with a yearning, almost aching

to be more present. 

especially in my neighborhood. 

I had kids texting me all the time to hang out, and as our busy scheduled filled,

i constantly was trying to cram small spaces to deepen my relationships with these precious kids. 

clearly, very cleary

i felt Abba calling me to consider leaving my job at Empowering Lives International. 

leave? i love my job.

I get to mobilize people here in the US about what God is doing in Africa! 

I get to hear stories of transformation daily! 

but then it became so evident. 

as i looked out into the wounds and pain of my neighborhood

i saw that the gospel must take root, alive and active. 

the good news that FREEDOM is available for all. 

that Abba calls his people out of darkness and into light.

it hit me like a ton of bricks that I wouldn't be true to my calling if I didn't step out to be a messenger of this 

good 

news.

and not just to share it once and run away,

 but to live it alongside these friends i love. 

because discipleship isn't just a one time deal.

it's TIME. 

it's daily walking,

surrendering,

and battling together. 

so friends, i quit my job. 

as of december 31st, i will not longer have a desk job

but a love job. 

as in i get to love as jesus loved, 

and roamed 

and told stories 

and cried

and struggled

and celebrated when those who were lost became found. 

i'm not sure if kev and i will have enough money. 

but i'm realizing this. 

time isn't money. 

time is life.

and the only way to live it is soaked in thankfulness 

when i am thank-full

i am time-full. 

pray for me dearest friends.

i'm scared

and pretty unqualified,

but when we are called to create time for others,

we are called in the right direction. 

i am sure of it. 

because jesus was. 

enjoy your weekend! 

love Katie 

Emily from Meme & He
Tara from A Brew of Blessings
Allison from A Nestful of Love
Kristen from Love, Done Simply

open house

it's funny how often time we compartmentalize our lives.

there is work time, play time, ministry time.

and it's really quite silly, to be honest. 

i look at jesus.

to him, it was all one. 

just time. 

to be. 

{JT sitting on Kev's lap for hours while we had company. so many hours in fact that he passed out and slept in kev's arms. too precious}

shouldn't ministry, or mission, be inched into the very fabric of every walking moving breathing moment we have? 

jesus, 

the one we pray we model,

seemed to always do his best work in the most human of circumstances. 

in his walking, in his drinking, in his eating. 

jesus needed water and sat at a well. 

hello woman at the well!

boom, 

miracle,

her life is transformed,

her town hears the gospel. 

and all because human jesus needed a drink. 

there he goes, using his humanly needs as a chance to love and share freedom. 
literally.  

{one night after Bible study, a few students stayed around to talk. So we made waffles, cause that's the normal thing to do, right? }

the divine happens to 

occur along the way. 

unexpected. 

{chef jojo helping me make peach cobbler. seriously, how can you resist that face?!?}

some really wonderful people wrote

"{these moments} will seem like interruptions, but if you begin to look for God's fingerprints in your day and in every relationship, in every coffee shop, in every conversation you have with your neighbor, there's a good chance you will begin to see God's incarnational presence" 

incarnational.

"to take on flesh"

and so we pray that we take on the flesh of Christ. 

the one who was never in a hurry,

never shooed anyone away.

but was an open house to 

the hurting, 

the broken,

the lost,

and the deprived. 

all along the way. 

a few weeks ago,

i ran home from the gym, and being that it's been hotter than the blazes this Fall,

i was a drippy mess. 

new neighbors moved in below us, and as I headed down the path towards our house, a man walked along side me that I didn't recognize. 

"hi" I beamed, "i'm katie, I live above you"

"francisco" came his reply with a smile. 

"do you have a new baby?" I asked with curiosity at the cute squeals and cries I had been hearing. 

"yes, do you want to meet her? come on in..."

now i had a to-do list longer than life, AND was making puddles from all my sweat. 

but this was a miracle- an invitation to do life with my neighbors. 

i walked in, and looked around. 

there she sat, proud mama and sweet baby. 

carmen and victoria. 

i washed my hands (and arms too!)

and held victoria for 45 minutes while I chatted with Carmen. 

despite our varied life stages, we were kindred spirits. 

i left feeling SO alive and inspired. 

this. 

this is why i moved into the neighborhood. 

to incarnate the love of Christ in relationship. 

movement towards Christ on a journey with others. 

i'm so glad my busyness didn't affect the spontaneous. 

christ owns time, and as his daughter, i have it. 

lots of it. 

so may we walk and talk and love as one. 

no compartments.

just one big open house. 

so may we surrender our time to Abba's

and may he stake a sign,

that boldly proclaims

"OPEN HOUSE"

on our home

and more importantly our hearts. 

and may the fine print read, 

come in

come in

for there is always room in the kingdom.

{story time with JT}

{precious time with our sweet god-daughter}

live as an open house today dear one. 

not a compartment. 

much love,

Katie 

"the word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. we saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like father, like son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. "

- John 1:14, the Message 

a new kind of bucket list...

a few days ago my brain waves were altered when I read Ann Voskamp's blog post entitled

 "How to Live the Really Best Bucket List". 

we ALL have a bucket list. 

admit it. 

there are experiences you are DYING to have, and even if you haven't written them out,

you still long for them. 

Ann begins the impact....

________________________________________________

Oxford Dictionary defines a Bucket List as this 

"a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime." 

Like a number of experiences I hope to have — instead of a number of experiences I thank Him for having?

Why does the list of want-to-experiences continue to grow — instead of the list of thanks-for-this experiences?

Why want more to fill our bucket — when I haven’t thanked God for all the ways He’s already filled my cup?

I don’t want a bucket list as much as I want a poured bucket list. I’m thinking:

The best lives don’t have Bucket Lists as much as they have Empty Bucket lists.

Because the thing is when I kick the bucket, I don’t want there to be anything left in my bucket. When I kick the bucket, I want the bucket right empty.

I don’t want my life to be how I took experiences — but that I gave exceedingly.

That I gave every last drop, that I poured it all out, that I held nothing back. 

Because the way to really live is not to try to fill your life up — but to spill your life out."

{if you want to read the entire post, click here}

___________________________________________________

my heart raced as these words passed through my mind. 

YES, instead of looking to add the next big excitement to my life,

and becoming disillusioned when it didn't happen fast enough,

I began to yearn to THANK GOD for the buckets He's ALREADY FILLED

and filled overflowing to the brim!

and open clenched fists to say,

"pour me"

"pour me out Abba" 

"so that all you've filled in my buckets is given BACK to you"

because isn't that the way of Christ?

blessed to be a blessing. 

poured into to be poured out. 

so as I reflected on this last week, and changed my view of "buckets"

here are the beautiful ways in which I saw God at work in my buckets,

pouring in and then pouring me out....

ENCOURAGEMENT 

this past March, i spoke at a missions conference in the central valley. 

i shared at 5 different churches during the week, and it was such an incredible experience. 

in one tiny little farming town, i met sweet Laurie. 

she is a pastor's wife that loves her flock, and gives and gives and gives till there is nothing left.

because that's how much she loves. 

and when i met her, she was tired, and exhausted and happy to have other women of faith to talk with. 

during the year  my co-worker Diana and I would talk to Laurie on the phone,

and as always, she was loving others till it hurt. 

Diana and I felt the Lord nudging us to encourage this special woman in some way. 

so we planned a retreat for Laurie,

with lots of pampering, worship music, scripture reading, prayer, beach time and yummy food. 

Laurie came last weekend to my house, and Diana and I were given the most special opportunity to love this woman of God. 

we laughed together, and cried together, and fellowshipped in a most divine way. 

and the spirit was there. 

moving. 

loving us tenderly. 

and when we said our goodbyes, i realized it was the best way to spend 3 days of my life. 

loving and encouraging those around me, and being encouraged myself! 

buckets poured out. 

{i was informed that posing with your arm like so reduces arm girth. who knew? now I do, ha}

FUN

many of you remember the VBS Kev and I hosted at our house this summer for the neighbor kids (here)

well, our life group didn't want it to just end with that, there was a hunger to be in deeper waters with these kids. to know them by name and see them regularly. 

so we prayed and felt God calling us to continue hosting mini-vbs's once a month

an hour before we met for life group. 

and last night it happened. 

and it was magic. 

as usual it was ghetto and last minute 

{but isn't that the way of the spirit?}

and we were making up hand motions to kiddie songs we found on a cd laying around our house-

songs that we didn't know the words too but learned fast

 (at least there is something good about repetitive lyrics!)

we told the story of the good samaritan by an impromptu skit,

and broke into small groups and had the kids discuss ways they could encourage those around them. 

and then of course we played games, because what is EVER complete without games? 

i'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

but again, the beauty in being poured out for the KINGDOM

is far far more exhilarating than any bucket list item we could ever dream up. 

so here's to creating a NEW KIND OF BUCKET LIST! 

one in which you are thankful for the buckets He's filled

and ready to pour out His blessing upon others. 

happy happy labor day weekend friends:) 

here's to pouring it out...

love Katie