Thursday Thirteen…one day late

In honor of being homethe past two weekends, here are 13 of my favorite things of home.

1. Madison; we got our first little Shih Tzu my junior year in high school. She is our dainty little queen and I miss her trusting eyes when I am not here.

2. Morgan; we got her in my sophmore year in college and while we are not supposed to have favorites, she is mine. She may not be as dainty as Madison and sure she is a little chunky, but that is what endears me to her.

3. The openness of that house. The living room just goes on for days. I never realized how big it is, but after six months of 538sq ft. it looks BIG!

4. The easy and playful banter I have with my Moma and my sweet brother. I get their jokes and their senses of humor and they get mine.

5. The familiarity of the terrain.

6. Being in the presence of my whole family at the same time.

7. Lazy Saturday evenings with friends, family, and steak! Yumm!

8. The sound of nothing but crickets. Just say no to delivery trucks!

9. Sitting around the kitchen table on a Sunday afternoon with my family, laughing till I cried.

10. The couch…it is so comfy!

11. The weather…last Saturday it was chilly and overcast. It was just one of those days that was perfect to curl up on the comfy couch and watch a sappy Hallmark movie.

12. I get to be Kathryn in every way that counts.

13. Even when I’m wrong and crazy they love me!

Move That Bus!

If you ever want to see two women running crazily down the street, get a bunch of people to start screaming the title! That is what happened when a friend of mine and I were walking across the street to the site and all of a sudden we heard screaming and then “Move that bus! Move that bus!” We took off, thinking we were about to miss it, only to get there to find they were just practicing and getting video footage and then we stood there for 3 hours. It was GREAT!

The house is amazing and supposedly it is the biggest house they have ever done at 6,000 sq. ft. Eleven of my apartments could fit into that house! Now that is perspective.

Here are some pictures from last night and today…

Look at that assembly line of Sears bags!

There’s Paulie! 🙂

And Ed!

Hopefully I’ll get some more pictures up here later but at the moment I am beat.

 

 

Another Part of Saying Good-Bye

On Friday I did what I’ve been dreading…I got a Florida license. I drug myself down to the DMV and I made it legal. I am now a legal driver in Florida as well as a registered voter. The woman who was helping me asked me for my Georgia license and I asked her if I would get it back and she looked at me funny and said, “Ma’am, you can’t have two licenses.” Well, as I handed it over to her I started to cry and when she handed me my Florida license I thought to myself, “I’m really moved!”

As I shared this with my neighbor he said, “Aww, you’re a real Floridian now.” I quickly told him that I certainly was not, that I would always be a Georgia Peach and no piece of plastic would ever change that.

Simply one more part of saying good-bye.

Then this morning at church the Lord reminded me of my feelings of disconnection with the Body of Christ and He made it very clear what I was to do about it. I was to become a member of First Baptist Church of Orlando. Thus began an inner dialouge that went something like this…

“I want you here, baby girl!”

Lord, I know, but Edgewood is my Home!

“I know, and Edgewood will always be your Home, but I want you here, now!”

But, what if Edgewood stops sending me their weekly newsletter. I can be an active part of this church and not be a member. Why do I have to do something so permanent so early.

“You have been here for five months! I want you here…just do it! Don’t think about anything but that. I want you here!”

So, instead of arguing any further I went to the front and I met a woman named Donna who walked me through the process. She was so great and patient with me as I boo-hooed my way through my story.

For 24 years I atteneded Edgewood. 24 years worth of laughter, tears, growth, songs, friendships, Sunday School classes, Bible Studies, choir practices, Praise Band practices and the list could go on and on. Edgewood is as much my home as the house I shared with my parents and my sister and brother, and they will always be my family. But facts are facts and the fact is, I am not in Columbus, GA anymore and I need that Home and Family here in Orlando. I am a relational being and I need relationships here. I need laughter, tears, growth, songs, friendships, Sunday School classes, Bible Studes, choir practices, and Praise Band practices here.

For some reason this is so much harder than I thought it would be; moving my letter of membership. Somehow it feels as if I am betraying the church of my youth by becoming a member of First Orlando. I think that is what the enemy wanted me to believe so I would continue to feel disconnected but I know the sound of my Abba’s voice and it was clear this morning.

Please join me in prayer that I would find a place of my own in this enormous church. That I would force myself out of my comfort zone and plug into the singles ministry and the music ministry. It is so hard to do this when you are by yourself and it would be so easy for me to remain a wallflower and get lost among the masses, but I know that is not why the Lord wants me at this church. Please pray that I am brave enough to find out why He wants me here.

Half the Fun

Okay, so in the last 7 minutes I have had 7 visitors to my blog and not one single comment was made and while that is not overly shocking, there is more. A couple of days ago I had 127 different guests pop by and I only had about 5 comments made the whole day.

You people need to start saying hello! Besides, that is half the fun in blogging.

My First Trip to Disney!

Can you believe the entrance to this place? I mean, seriously…it’s like it’s own little, er I mean, hugantic (props to Randy) compound!

We spent all day at the Magic Kingdom, and when I say all day, I mean ALL day! We got into the parking lot at about 11:15am and we didn’t pull out until 10:00pm. It was fabulous! Can I just tell you, it was the best birthday party I’ve ever been to! I mean these people really went out of their way in the decorations…just look.

Anyway, enough silliness…One of the first places we went was to “City Hall” to get Mike an “It’s My Birthday” button. Everywhere we went Disney folks were wishing him a Happy Birthday. That is always fun!

The rain was pretty good to us, although it did start sprinkling enough for me to break out the poncho. That poncho would later keep the super cold wind from cutting into my skin after the sun went down. Now I am not a wimp when it comes to the cold, in fact there are times when I prefer it to be cold but, come on! It’s just like Florida to not be cold when you want it to and to be cold when you don’t want it to. We found ourselves going on silly indoor rides just to stay warm. By the end of the night, major thawing had to take place.

Okay, time for some more pictures…

Pictures of this castle have never done the structure justice. I squealed like a little girl about a half dozen times yesterday and I believe the first time was over seeing this in person. One of the other times I squealed was when I finally saw Belle. The 24 year old Kathryn knows that at the end of the day the actress takes the Belle costume off and goes back to everyday life but the 5 year old Kathryn still thinks she is the beautiful princess that tames the Beast into falling in love with her. Her love for her father and her purity and strength literally transforms the Beast. It is a beautiful story and it is my absolute favorite. So…when I saw her in the parade, I squealed.

One thing that disappointed me was the lack of Disney characters amoungst the people. I also thought that they would be mingling. But maybe they have to keep them hidden in those secret Disney tunnels for security reasons. Anyway, this is the closest I got to Mickey ALL day.

Speaking of secert tunnels…we went to Tom Sayers island and they have secret tunnels and neat forts and barrel bridges. A little boy could get lost in his imagination there. In my opinion, it was the ultimate backyard for boys and for the occasional adventurous little girl. Well two little boys were definitely making themselves at home there and as Mike and I were emerging from one of the secret tunnels one of those little boys fell from the sky right on top of me. Well, not really from the sky but that is what it felt like. They had been playing on the hill above the tunnel exit. I am so glad I was there to break his fall because if I hadn’t he would have hit his head on the rock that was all around us. I didn’t fall but I can tell that I will have a pretty nasty bruise on my shoulder in a day or two. Anyway, the little boy just got right on up and started laughing. I’m glad he was okay.

Now, onto the rides. There were a couple of Disney staple rides that I HAD to ride and most of them were the rides you associate with Disney World. For example, the Teacups, Dumbo, It’s a Small World, the Magic Carpet ride. Not what you would call grown-up rides. But Mike was a trouper and he humored me. While we were standing in the very long line for Dumbo we met a 3-year old little boy and his daddy. His dad was sharing that it was his first time there and that they were also there with his mommy and his 8-month old brother. He also shared that he wished they would have waited a couple more years before they brought him for the first time. Then I shared with the little boy that it was my first time at Disney World too. He looked at me as if to say,”Sheesh Lady, where have you been?” It was so funny.

My favorite ride there was Thunder Mountain. Nothing super special, just a fun ride! Spalsh Mountain was fun too. It was about 8:00 and freezing cold and there was nobody in line for it and Mike asked if I wanted to go again. So I put on my poncho (it was freezing cold. I was not going to get wet!) and we got on the ride. No one else was in our boat and there was no one in the boat in front of us or behind us. It was so cool! The best part about this ride is the anticipation of what is coming. It builds and builds until you are on the top of the drop and then you just fall. So, once we got to the drop off zone and there was no one waiting…we went again. We didn’t even get out of the boat. It was too cool!

As you can probably tell, I had a blast! Thanks for being born, Mike!

Okay everybody, you have to come visit so I can go back! 😉

 

Thursday Thirteen #3

Taking my cues from Randy, here are thirteen things I’m grateful for.

1. My Moma and Daddy, who I just got off of the phone with.

2. The plane ticket they just purchased for me, so I don’t have to drive home two weekends in a row (weekend 1, I am singing in a wedding, and weekend 2, there will be a conference at home).

3. 3 point Ooey Goey Squares.

4. New friends

5. Old friends

6. Lazy Thursday nights after a long day at work.

7. His Grace that never fails to amaze me.

8. Two little boys in Columbus, GA who will always have pieces of my heart.

9. The purpose that my life has had since I surrendered said life to the Lord.

10. Brand new health coverage! (Moma, I’m a grown up now! ;))

11. Candles

12. The train wreck of “Dancing with the Stars”. Why is this as entertaining as it is?

13. That I am not superstitious and can boldly say that I am grateful for the number 13.

Okay, everybody now it’s your challenge. What are you thankful for?  

2006 Leadership Conference

What a week it has been! On the outset of this post, two things stand out to me the most.

 1.   I love my job!

       and

 2.   I have never been more proud to be apart of Exodus International.

Most of my job this week consisted of running errands, making sure the sessions ran smoothly, and doing my favorite thing in the world…talking and meeting with people, all of which was very affirming and encouraging.

The thing that stood out to me the most this week was that God made room for ME in this ministry…somehow that still leaves me speechless.

We had a free evening during the week and I was able to go to a local restaurant downtownwith many of my new friends. Well, along the way I got to see some of the beauty that is in this city that is my new home.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The speakers this week were amazing and in a way that only God could have ordained, they all flowed with such an incredible impact. Through the speakers I was challenged, encouraged, and convicted. I also found my pastor in David Uth from First Baptist.

However, my favorite part of the week was watching my boss at work…He is so good at what he does and I found myself at several times during the week thanking the Lord that I have a role in his work. Thanking the Lord that I get to come alongside him and support him in his vision and passion. It is such an amazing priviledge to serve him!

And when I think about all of the human reasons why I shouldn’t be here that Satan would love for me to listen to, it makes me even more thankful that our God’s sovereignty rules over human reasoning. 2006 is going to be an amazing year in the life of Exodus I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

More fun pictures from this week…

Updated 1/28/06

Randy shares his thoughts on the conference here.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen words that describe the past four days in Kathrynland…

1. Exhilirating; I love the controlled chaos of the behind the scenes of putting together a conference!

2. Exhausting…in the best way possible.

3. Restful; It may seem like a contradiction with the previous word but check out that bed…by far my favorite thing about the hotel!

4. Convicting; there are several things that I am definitely going to be “walking out” with the Lord in the coming months.

5. Frustrating; Coming home this afternoon I came home to an apartment that had electricity in only half of the rooms and since I only have two real rooms…yeah, you get the picture. I now have my refrigerator plugged into an extension cord that is crossing over my living room.

6. Educational; not only in topic but in experience as well.

7. Relational; I met so many people this week and it was so great to put faces with names and to get to know my new Exodus family. I also got to spend some precious time with some dear friends.

8. Challenging; We were exhorted to get out of our comfort zones more than once this week and I thought to myself…well, I’ve already done that so, not to worry. Well, the Lord pointed out the zones that have already grown comfortable since coming to Orlando.

9. Fun…Fun…Fun

10. Thankful; the power is completely back on! Thank you, Jesus!

11. Adventurous; to get from the hotel to the church we had to take the city bus that runs in downtown Orlando. It was fun and I loved feeling like a big city girl.

12. Contentment; there is not much I can say about this…I just feel it in so many areas of my life.

13. Unity; I have never felt more a part of a group of people, outside of my family, in my life.

 

Links to other Thursday Thirteen’s

1. Randy

 

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Today, churches all over the country observed the sanctity of human life.

My church back home celebrated life with a Baby Dedication service and I always enjoyed those. The daddys and momas holding on to their little ones asking the Lord to show His favor on their little lives. 

At First Baptist of Orlando there was no baby dedication but there was a powerful word from the Lord about why our lives are sacred. Is it the size of the life in question, or it’s level of development? Is it the environment it is in, or is the degree of dependency it has? No. Our lives are sacred not because of who we are but because of Who created us.

13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

Pastor David Uth said something this morning that I just had to write down…”Abortion has been made a political bean bag but in reality, abortion isn’t a political issue at all. We are fighting for the right of every democrat baby, republican baby, and independent baby.” I love the truth in that!

For a year and a half, before I moved in September, I volunteered at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Columbus, GA every Thursday afternoon. As I sat in church this morning I thought of Chrissy, Jackie, and Tiffany.

Chrissy was the first abortion minded girl I counseled. She was 18 and scared and I bonded with her in a way I never allowed myself to with any other girl. By the time she left the center she had decided to keep her baby. She was excited and I was excited for her. The very next day we got a call at the center. It was Chrissy…she had lost her baby.

Jackie was a 17 year old rebellious teenager who grew up in a Christian home. She came in the center thinking she might be pregnant. Even though her test was negative we sat in that counseling room for 2 hours while she talked and I listened. Sometimes I think the Lord sent her in there just so she could talk to someone.

Tiffany was one of the last girls I saw at the center. She was 26 and she was married. That is all I knew when I went in the room and I thought…”This will be a good one, she’s married!” Well she was pregnant with her best friend’s baby and her husband was in Iraq. She was set on an abortion. She already a little boy and since she had already had an abortion years earlier, what was the big deal. Yet God sent her to us anyway. As she left the center, Tiffany gave me no reason to believe that she would keep her baby.

I have no idea where these three ladies are, but I will always remember their names and I will never forget their faces. Chrissy’s excitement, Jackie’s defiance, and Tiffany’s wounded and haunted face. I do know, however, that the God of all Creation holds them in His hands and loves them unconditionally. He has a plan for their lives and I pray that they tap into that plan and the love that He so desperately longs to give them.

This morning I also thought of the sweet ladies that work on the front lines back home. Mrs. Carol, Robyn, Chris, Anne, and Beth…my Thursday afternoon crew. They taught me so much about the Lord and trusting Him through the valleys of life. I miss you so much and I pray God’s blessings on you and yours for the work you do.

 

Photo Friday – “Pink”

In honor of my very dear friend Maria, I have met my first PhotoFriday challenge. 

Smile, Maria…pink is your friend! 🙂

Click here to see what PhotoFriday is all about.