nothing without him.

i think i just decided that i like to write first and then title my post after its written. 


praise the Lord for His goodness. my friends, it is SUMMER. and, although I am still living in a dorm due to my job.. I am so excited about this. 


the Lord taught me a little something about myself recently.. i kinda already knew this, but he certainly reminded me.. I do not like myself when I don't spend time with Him and in the Word. 


It is so incredibly evident in my thought life and actions when I am not being faithful to my first Love. Between this past Sunday and Monday, I probably went 24 hours without spending time in the Word and I cannot tell you how crazy my thoughts were. I became full of worry and fear concerning my future and focused on things completely earthly. 


Thankfully, after my last final on Monday my sweet and precious roommate went to the library to study and allowed me the room to myself for the afternoon. It was kinda odd to spend most of my birthday afternoon alone..but it was so very refreshing. Digging in the Word and being reminded of my futile mind without Him was so very beneficial. 


So, that's just it. Living by the Spirit and walking with the Spirit are constant things that cannot be put on hold for finals. for relationships. or any other circumstances. Living by the Spirit is life. and all else follows after. 


Be encouraged. 
This is Paul's recount of his conversion and what Ananias said to him after restoring his sight: ¹⁴"And he said, The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. {acts22}


In his love and grace. 

Excitement.

i just had to put this out there. 


i am so thankful that the Lord is much bigger than my comprehension. 


i am so thankful the His plan for me is just what I could never imagine...


Just THAT much better. 


excitinggggggg!

saywhat.

I just completed the first step in applying for the International Mission Board's Journeyman program...


and I could not be more happy.


my mind could not be less on finals, seriously.


please pray with me as I go through this process the next few months. I want to be obedient in whatever He asks me to do post-graduation. 


If you don't know what the Journeyman program is you can go here and read about it. 
Two to three years of challenging ministry. 


For now, I'm going to go train a fish.... No, really. I have to for a class. 


In His grace.. Love you all. 

^"2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1

i'm astounded by this truth, that He has given us all that we need for life and godliness.. I'm so guilty of not believing this daily. 

^"19So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." 2 Peter 1


He has given us His word, the more sure word.. that we should pay attention to. 


I wish I could kill my flesh daily with this truth. Lord, help me.

here it is.

Beloved friends, 
I haven't updated in a very long time; therefore, my mind is currently running through all the things I'd like to include in this post. Let's see.. I'll just list things in numerical fashion in some attempt to keep my thoughts organized. 


1. My middle sister is pregnant (due June 6) and she has been having a lot of back pains a few contractions lately. Please pray against this and for a safe, complete pregnancy. May His will be accomplished, whatever happens.


2. My other sister is in the ER right now for having some chest pains and she's having to stay overnight. I am trusting the Lord to take care of her. However, this has made me think about this summer and how distant I will be from them. I know it will be wonderful, but at all the same time, bittersweet.

3. These two obviously came first because they have been consuming my thoughts the past hour.
4. I can already tell this is therapeutic for me. :) 


5. man. the LORD is good. I've been reading Acts in my own personal study and it has been SO RICH. the power of the Holy Spirit is so present, so beautiful. To watch the Spirit carry Peter from this feeble man to a BOLD servant of Christ proclaiming His name. WHOA. awesome, for real.


6. Two weeks ago this coming Friday, I talked with my parents about some things the Lord is teaching me right now, namely to trust His plan post graduation (one year away!). I am pretty positive (still listening for His direction) that I won't be going straight to Grad School or Seminary. I was able to share some of the Gospel with them and how it is leading me to trust Him in my every step. This was a VERY HARD step for me. But, the feeling of obedience and responding to what He is calling you to do or say is one that holds much BEAUTY. I'm really looking forward to post-graduation, whatever that looks like. 


7. Before I get ahead of myself, I AM GOING TO BE A SENIOR so soon!! People, people... HOW did this happen? I thought graduating high school was full of emotion, but really....I've never felt pulled in so many directions before--SO EXCITED.


8. Singleness. The Lord is teaching me to cherish and adore my precious time with Him as a single person pursuing the Lord. This is a refining process, most definitely. I'm thankful that I have learned to view being single as a positive thing about myself though. I am happy to be pursuing the Lord, with or without anyone else. He is becoming my All. I'm not gonna say I've got it all together, because I still have moments (and believe I will continue to..) where I wish that I knew what my plan looked like. BUT. I don't :) and this has really taught me to pray for my husband. When I have a moment of weakness or maybe (confession time) jealousy...I have begun to turn to Him in prayer for my husband and for men in general.. to be men. 


Overwhelming!! I'll try not to go so long without writing, so maybe it will be a little less. 


For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 1 corinthians 9:16

"Good News!"

"but the angel said to them, 'do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10)


what GREAT news that after years of waiting, God had chosen this time to deliver His people through HIS SON, the Savior. why would you NOT share this JOY?


"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for WOE IS ME if I do not preach the gospel." (1 corinthians 9:16)


Paul has got it right. We are under compulsion to preach the gospel. It is our duty to preach the gospel. It is nothing to brag about--because all believers are expected to share the good news! Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. Ouch. 


This has been panging my heart recently. Father, forgive my mouth...forgive me of the godless chatter I have participated in more frequently than sharing Your Name. 


The body of Christ needs help in this area. The people around us need the gospel desperately. and we desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us. 


the Lord is cultivating a desire in my heart to apply for the IMB's Journeyman program in the fall--but I do not deserve to go if I cannot share my faith and His good news daily! Lord, give me grace and mercy...stir up this passion continuously and fling open doors around me to share Your Good News that brings great JOY.

endurance

this post is dedicated to the most love-hate relationship i have in my life right now:

running. 

a glimpse into my childhood would show little to no activity, no sports and very little playing outside. what can I say? it took a while for my adventurous side to come out. 

anywho. this led to a very unhealthy mary kathryn. unhealthy, yet satisfied with the way I was. 

so, this semester I decided to change that. running, or attempting to run has taught me so much about myself and definitely increased my intimacy with Christ! (sweet deal, huh). 

I dread it so, so much because my body physically is not used to it. But, when I go and I listen to uplifting, edifying music... I am always rewarded and reminded of Him giving me the strength to do it. I'm currently doing the "Couch to 5K" plan and I'm enjoying it. I like having someone tell me when to run, when to walk, when I'm half way and when my workout is complete! 

One thing I've learned about myself is  my fear of failure. Especially since the little voice in my headphones tells me when to run and when to walk, I'm scared I won't be able to run the entire time. I think God is teaching me that it's okay to not be perfect or maybe excel as much as I want. He is using this to teach me endurance...definitely physical endurance but also a spiritual endurance. I'm in this thing for the long run. (no pun intended.) 

:)