A drop of faith

I want to share a portion of a devotion from Dene Ward that humbled and inspired me:

"That reminds me of a woman 2000 years ago who understood the value of leftovers. Her little daughter was demon-possessed, so ill she could not travel, but her mother had heard of someone who might be able to help, who even then was in hiding from the crowds on the border of her country. It took a lot for her to seek him out, first leaving her sick child in someone else’s care, then approaching this Jewish rabbi, a type who had either reviled or ignored her all her life; but a desperate mother will make any sacrifice to save her child.

"Sure enough, even though she addressed him by the Messianic title, “Son of David,” he answered her not a word, Mark 7:22,23. Still she persisted, and this time she was insulted—he called her a dog. Oh, he was nicer about it than most, using the Greek word for “little pet dog,” kunarion, rather than the epithet she usually heard from his kind—kuno, ownerless scavenging dogs that run wild in the streets, but still he made her inequality in his eyes obvious.

"This woman, though, was ready to accept his judgment of her, Even the dogs get the crumbs, sir. Moreover, she understood that was all she needed. This man, whose abilities she had heard of from afar, was more than just a man, and even the tiniest morsel of his power was enough to heal her child, even from a distance."

Do I have enough faith to believe that even a drop of God’s power and strength could change everything in an instant? I like to think so, but is it true? I’m doubtful that it is. I put God in these boxes that limit him based on my worldly tendencies and inclinations. Why? Because I am short sighted and weak. I do have short and very sweet glimpses of God’s hugeness and it’s those brief moments that keep me coming back for more.

Lately I have really been struggling with the purpose of my recent challenges and struggles with parents but this put it in perspective. Am I humble enough to accept God’s plan for my life, even if it’s not what I expect or want? I haven’t been. I’ve been saying that I know there’s a plan in all this but have really struggled to lay down my frustrations and confusions over everything. Have I approached God with contentment and confidence, knowing that if God wanted to and needed to He could change the circumstances in my life that seem to be a thorn in my side? Nope. I want to accept the circumstances of each moment with complete contentment knowing that God designed that moment for me. That it is his best for me.

I pray that you move through today with such confidence and hope in the same God that the desperate mother sought out.

Open...open...open

Do you remember those old K-Mart commercials where the lady stood at the window and repeated "Open, open, open" until the store opened to customers? Well, the open I'm talking about isn't quite the same. I've been listening to this song called "Open Me" by Shawn McDonald. I've had the CD for several years now but it wasn't until last week that this song struck a chord in my heart. The lyrics follow:

"Would you open up my eyes so I can see? Would you open up my ears so I can hear? Would you open up my mind so I can know? Would you open up my heart so I can love you more?

"I want to serve You, my God. I want to give you everything. I want to serve You my king, I want to serve you my Lord, I want to give you everything.

"Here I am with my arms open wide. Asking for You to come up, up inside. Won't you make me new? Won't you make me true? Jesus, Lord, won't you make me like you?"

I've really been wanting to want Jesus more--kind of funny, wanting to want. Sometimes I struggle with even having the desire to want Jesus more. Do you? When I really break that thought down and try to picture what wanting Jesus more looks like, it's then that I get stuck. (That's usually what happens when I try to figure God out.) But this song really put it in perspective for me. Yes, I can want to want but I need to seek God out to help me see him, hear him, know him and love him more.

From the inside out, from the roots up, I want to become more like Jesus. I know my actions, attitude and words don't always portray that (not by God's standards they don't) and that is why I praise God for his mercies that are new each day. For his patience that has no end in sight. For his desire for me. It blows my mind to know that God wants me.

Anyway, this post is a bit off. I pray you honestly want to be more open to having God in your life. Like the crazy K-Mart lady--don't you just want to kneel at Christ's feet begging him to open up to you? To pour himself into you? To make himself known to you? Ask him to open you up.

Obedience

Obedience. What images or thoughts does that word conjure up in your mind? It makes me think of my parents. Or my nieces and nephews. Most often I think of this word as it relates to parenting. That makes sense then that God desires obedience from us, his children. It's an interesting concept that has been brought up several times in thoughts and emails over the past week.

In all of our relationships, God demands that we live in an obedient manner to him. We are to be kind, no matter what. We are to forgive, no matter what. Bottom line, we are to consider others' needs before our own. We are to love, period. There is no "except when" statement in any of these. We often get in this pattern of thinking that asks "what about me then?" Or, "how long am I supposed to do this?" God's answer is a resounding, "FOREVER." We are to love, serve, forgive, and be kind forever. Regardless of the reaction or reciprocation of those around us, we are to live lives in pursuit of God all the time. God doesn't say, "I only want you to love this person as long as they are nice to you." God wants us to love forever, regardless of the actions of anyone around us.

A friend from church emailed this audio clip out from a marriage counseling session. The topic is obedience as it relates to marriage but the concept of obedience forever can be applied to every area of each of our lives. http://www.chris-bence.com/temp/Marriage.mp3

Mi Casa es Su Casa

You asked for and now you have it....only five months later! Check out mi casa!!!

1st picture: The front view of my house.
2nd picture: This a picture of the big grassy space that served as runoff storage during a huge storm--the field sits just northeast of my house.
3rd picture: My kitchen...
4th picture: Just to the right of the kitchen sits my dining room...
5th picture: Still rotating to the right is the living room.
6th picture: My backyard--small jungle or what?? I am tackling this task this weekend with my shiny new lawn mower (thanks mom and dad)!

My classroom

Here is the Buckeye Ag Facility in all it's glory. Our building sits just north of the rest of the school , unattached and out of the way. It's nice, I like being isolated (just kidding)! I feel so blessed to teaching in this program and below you will see why with pictures of our greenhouse, tractors, covered arena and livestock pens, and a couple of views of my classroom. I also included a picture of my the most recent bulletin board I did--I was pretty proud of it.

This is the south wall of my classroom. You can't really tell but all my students sit at table to the right of this picture.

Christmas Greetings

“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24

As the end of 2007 draws to a close, this verse reminds me that I should truly consider what great things the Lord has done for me and my family. It is at this time of year that we celebrate the most important thing—the birth of Jesus Christ! I am thankful for the hope I have because of Jesus and the ways that this hope has transformed my life. I pray you too know this great hope—

This entire year has been a transition to teaching for me—I student taught at Pine Ridge HS in Deltona, Florida for 12 weeks last spring. Deltona is a suburb about 45 minutes north of Orlando; I taught under Erin Johnson, a seasoned teacher who taught me much about the art of teaching but most importantly about my own motivation to teach. May was the month that I graduated with my Master’s of Science in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Florida—Go Gators! I figured I might as well retire for a few weeks since I hadn’t been paid for the previous five months and I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a retiree—it gave me plenty of time to say good-bye to the amazing friends and family that I had made during my short two years in Florida.

God is surely generous as He helped me line up a job before I even graduated! I came out of retirement promptly after moving back to Arizona so that I could start my job as one of two Ag Ed teachers at Buckeye Union HS, which is about 45 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Teaching is honestly the hardest thing that I have ever done but I love it dearly. There have been a few potholes, some of them deeper than others, but God has given me a heart for this age group and this topic, both of which I am thankful.

My brother helped me find a beautiful home in Buckeye in early August and I moved in over the first weekend in September. Home ownership has been fun—I love figuring out where I want to hang things and am continually rearranging trying to find the perfect spot for items. The hardest part has been finding time to maintain my backyard and it currently looks like a small jungle—my goal for the spring is to mow it more than once every 12 weeks. What can you expect though when I spend more time in my classroom than in my own house?!

I wasn’t the only one in my family to move this year—both my mom and dad moved into new offices at the beginning of this year. Paul and Gretchen (my brother and sister-in-law) moved their four kids up to Cottonwood and are living in my grandparent’s old house which sits across the road from my parents. My sister, Anna, completed the year of great moves of the Groseta’s by moving in with me after she graduated from the University of Arizona with her BS in Agriculture Resource Economics and Management in December.

God’s blessing upon my life was far beyond what I deserved this year yet He continually showered down more. I praise God for the health and happiness of my family and am eager to start a new year full of exciting changes and new adventures! If you’re ever in the neighborhood, please stop by—I am never too busy to cook a good meal for good friends!

Blessings in Christ,

Katy

When opportunity knocks

2 Corinthians 4:11 says, "For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." This verse is the answer I've been looking for over the past year in my search to understand what it means when I say I want to love God more. I have prayed, read the bible, meditated on, journaled, reflected, and discussed with friends what love is and what loving God more looks like in my life. I have been confused, frustrated and almost afraid of what the answer might be at times. But (the merciful "but") this scripture made it so clear--I am to die to my worldly self (translation: my own needs, wants, desires, justifications, etc.) so that Christ's character (translation: God is love) may be revealed in me.

Hmmph. Well, that seems pretty simple. And it's clear as day in my mind. No confusion, honest. I guess it's time to see if I truly want to love God more because we all know that knowledge without implementation is useless. What am I going to do with this new knowledge?

As I updated my friend Brian on this last night, he shared some insight--oftentimes when we ask for something from God, he doesn't just give us what we ask for. Instead, he gives us the opportunity to demonstrate more effort on our part to become that way. For example, when we ask for patience God doesn't always wave a magic wand and "wa-la" make us more patient, right? Oftentimes He will provide the opportunity to become more patient. Think about it--how many times have you prayed for more patience and then found yourself in the slowest line at the grocery store and behind the slowest car in every lane for the next two weeks? Or maybe you find yourself waiting for an answer for an additional month, or six months. And it's in these moments of opportunity that we find that God is more than enough for whatever it is that we want. He has enough patience, joy, love, grace, kindness, and mercy for any situation that we're ever in. Once we ask for it, we must make the connection between wanting it and knowing that God provides it.

So go on, ask for it. Do you want, to want God more? Do you want more mercy for those around you? Are you desiring more patience? God can knock your socks off if you let him.