Control in Chaos

girl staring at sky

I have known it would be my turn to write a blog for a long time now. I have had it on my calendar for weeks. I’ve been praying about it for days. And still, my page remained blank. My mind and soul, however, have not been quiet. So many things have been vying for my attention and creating chaos in my heart. My heart breaks for headline after headline. My thoughts stray to tragedies and injustices. I can’t focus because there is a new calamity every day. I’m distracted by division, finger-pointing, and squabbling. Finally, I felt the Lord say, “Kathryn, just sit and listen to My words and remember I am in control.” So my page is no longer blank but filled with the words of the psalmist. I love the Lord because he hears my voice     and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, […]

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Here I Am

mountains

The stories of Genesis have filled my quiet times as of late. The complexity of these narratives never fails to leave me a bit speechless. How do I begin unpacking the historical context, characters, theology, geography, and original Hebrew definitions while channeling the Holy Spirit to see what I am to learn about God in order to increase my love of Him? A strategy I have employed and have found to be effective is to identify and cling to the simple, revealed truths. I encountered one of these simple but profoundly important truths the other day in Genesis 22. Many would argue that this chapter is one of the most important Old Testament chapters regarding salvation history. It is the chapter when Abraham exhibits a radical humble obedience through his willingness to sacrifice his promised son Isaac when asked to do so by the Lord. In the story, Isaac is […]

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Don’t You See? God’s Design is Everywhere.

bye 2020

What did you notice in 2020 that seemed designed by God? Despite the uniqueness of 2020, God has undoubtedly answered prayers in our families, communities, and in our own hearts. Indeed, God has designed some of this year for our good. For me, in the past several months, I have been inundated with obvious ways God is at work around me. He has given me a lot of merciful clarity and peace on my vocation and about the people he has put in front of me, even in a time where we can’t be around that many people.  In the midst of this, I have been reading Esther with several college women over the past two months. This Old Testament book takes a deeper investigation to see God in the text through the events surrounding the two main characters in the book, Esther and Mordecai. The answers aren’t obvious like […]

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Life Eternal

Just a few weeks ago my pastor, Will Davis, at Austin Christian Fellowship, said something that ignited a desire in me to do an independent study on the word life. A word study is taking a keyword and researching it with a Bible concordance, a book much like a dictionary that defines every single word in the Bible. I use the NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance by John R. Kohlenberger III which not only defines but gives the Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek translation. Studying biblical words with a concordance enhances our understanding of Scripture and brings to life familiar stories and verses. The thought-provoking phrase my pastor said that sent me on a word quest was, “We all exist but not all of us have life.” This statement caused me to seriously consider the question, “Am I truly living in the life-giving power of Jesus?”  The Bible uses the word life […]

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Praying with His Name

I have been thinking about names lately.  Working at one of the largest public universities in the country, I have learned a lot of names since starting my job. In any given week, there are likely to be 400-500 students whose name I am paid to know walking through the halls of the building I work in. One of my favorite parts of my day is walking around, passing students in the hall, and saying hello- calling them by name; asking how they are. I do it primarily because I know how striking it is to me when I hear someone say my name.  “Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” ― Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” I read this book when I was a sophomore in college. A “classic” in the business world. The title always felt a little off-putting to […]

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Get Wisdom

In every season of life, I’ve wanted God to give me clear direction and a clear answer. What should I major in? Should I marry this guy? What should I do with my life? Do I let my baby cry-it-out or would that permanently damage her for the rest of her life? What kind of schooling should I have my kids in? Life is full of tough decisions that the Bible just doesn’t always directly answer. As much as I sometimes wish He would, God doesn’t operate like a magic 8 ball. While God doesn’t always give us the direct answer we want to all of life’s questions, He does give us the wisdom to navigate through life. But how do we get it? If you’re familiar with the Bible, you might know that Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of God – trusting His voice instead of your own […]

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Mythbuster Monday: A Bible That’s Falling Apart Belongs to Someone Who Isn’t

Just because your Bible is falling apart doesn’t mean you won’t. One of the main problems with this myth is that it implies a rewards system for studying the Bible. It says, “If you study the Bible you will have it all together.” The act of underlining your Bible and writing sermon notes in your margins will not make you more righteous or your life any easier.

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Dance Like Only God is Watching

As much as I hate to admit it, I care what people think about me. I do. I’ve lived my whole life up to this point trying to be cool by saying I don’t care. But it’s time be honest with myself; I do. I care what you, a complete and total stranger reading this blog, is thinking about me while reading this.

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