2020

Joyce Meyer writes in  The Confident Woman : "what is good is sometimes the enemy of what is best." You will see that my niece Kenzi shares this philosophy. Life is too short to spend it consuming anything but the best. "Icing on the cake" isn't an added bonus. It is the whole point. The time and energy we put into what is outright wrong for us, as well as the time and energy we put into what is just okay, is time and energy taken away from what is best. EMBRACE THE BEST . Listening to Best I Ever Had by Gary Allan .

"The most important promises are the ones we make to ourselves." ( Mary Anne Radmacher , via Jane Kirkpatrick ) Mary Anne's point is that we bend over backwards for others, rarely taking time to do something just for us, so when we do decide to do something for ourselves we should commit to it. But I read this quote last night and immediately thought: even more so are the ones we make to God, the ones that God puts in our hearts. I also read "promises" as "goals." There are certainly differences between promises and goals, but I think my brain went there because "goals" is something God and I have been wrestling with for a while. When I was in Texas last August one of my co-workers asked me about my goals. Huh? Goals for what? "To live the life God wants me to," I ended up answering, a bit sheepishly. "I guess I've always just lived by whatever God asks me to do." This is true, and it sounds better than sayin...

Lots of things come with expiration dates.  Food has an expiration date. It's good to pay attention to these dates to keep from wasting food or getting sick from eating something that has gone bad. But we also know that lots of food is good long after it has expired with no ill effects. Coupons have an expiration date. Past the date, a coupon isn't going to save you money unless you run in to a really, really generous cashier.  Medications have expiration dates. I have no idea what happens after the expiration date... whether the meds are no longer effective or if it is just a ploy to get you to throw away old pills and buy new ones. But I definitely have expired meds in my cabinet and I'm not afraid to take them.  Drivers licenses have expiration dates. And this is one thing you don't want to let expire. Because if you do let it expire, "even by one day if it is an out-of-state license" according to the State Highway Patrol officer this morning...

Kenzi Marie entered the world at 2 lb. 11 oz.   Miami Valley NICU, February 25, 2009. Tysen, Kenzi, Tessa, and Kaylee with Aunt Katie.   At home in Leesburg, Ohio, May 2009. Tessa, Kaylee, Tysen, and Kenzi on their first birthday. February 25, 2010. Tessa, Kaylee, Tysen, and Kenzi on their second birthday. February 25, 2011. Tessa, Kaylee, Tysen, and Kenzi on their third birthday. February 25, 2012. Big brother Kasen monitors the growth of his sisters,   Kenzi, Tysen, Tessa, and Kaylee, into beautiful 4-year-olds! Recently I had to answer the question: Does God still perform miracles? The answer is a resounding yes! And I know four of them by name. Tessa Nicole Terrell was born first, four years ago today. My very first niece! The nurses in the NICU said if any of the girls were to have the initials TNT it would definitely be this one. She is still our little firecracker, with a huge vocabulary in both English and Spanish,...

Last night I went to the theater--one of the "fancy" ones that charges $10 a ticket so you have the option of buying beer and wine and margaritas in solo cups for another $10--to see  Silver Linings Playbook . The movie (which was fantastic) is about a guy (Pat, played by Bradley Cooper) who goes crazy when he catches his wife in the shower with a history teacher. The truth is he was crazy all along, and once you see his dad (Robert DeNiro) watch a Philadelphia Eagles game you will see where he gets it from. After time in a mental institution Pat comes out with a new philosophy--silver linings. Silver linings--finding the positive or redemptive quality in any given situation--is definitely something I want to embrace. Any doubt about that was put to rest early in the movie when DeNiro shouts: "Embrace it! Embrace it!" Yes, sir! EMBRACE SILVER LININGS . Because Robert DeNiro said so. Just finished the book of Numbers . Instead of complaining about everything...

From last night's Grey's Anatomy : April: "You shouldn't spread that kind of rumor." Shane: "It's not a rumor. I heard it from Brooks and she heard it from..." April: "That is a textbook rumor!" One of the reasons I'm on this journey to read the Bible during Lent is because it is the primary source. I read a lot of books about the Bible. I write about the Bible. I preach about the Bible. But unless you can confirm those sources with the primary source, they are little more than rumor. I like to read comparative literature to see where our religions intersect. But I'm also easily influenced, so I always pray that God will reveal truth to me. Last night I was reading about the futility of pursuing happiness. The author said the moment we start to pursue something we lose it. He cited examples from several of the world religions. From the Bible he compared this to "Doubting Thomas," the disciple whom Jesus loved, who ...

"Leviticus is the book no one reads," I told my sister last night. It's the book that Comrade Kevin said "bored me to tears" when I shared that I would be reading the Bible for Lent.  So naturally I determined that I would embrace it, find good in it, redeem it for all others out there--after all, it is in the Bible!  It's amazing how much our attitudes affect our circumstances. If I had gone in to Leviticus dreading it, I would probably still be trying to muddle my way through all 27 chapters of "sacrifice this, sacrifice that". If I had determined in advance that there was nothing in it for me, I might have chosen to skip it altogether, since I should be into Joshua and Judges by now! But because I was committed to finding God in these pages, the God who said "I will be your God; you will be my people" (you have to read all the way to chapter 26 before you get to this little gem!), I was actually able to enjoy Leviticus! ...

Remember Bezalel and Oholiab? Don't worry. I bet very few people do. (You were probably distracted by that law about not boiling kids in their mother's milk when God first talked about these two guys.) And yet their work gets considerable coverage in the Bible! In the book of Exodus, while Moses is hanging out with God on the mountain and God is personally carving His commandments into the stone tablets (the tablets that Moses later smashes into bits), God tells Moses to build Him a chest, a table, a lampstand, an altar... On and on for hundreds of verses God uses words to create a blueprint of His exact specifications for each of these items. Moses grew up in the palace and his wife later taught him how to be a shepherd, so I doubt he had much design experience. He was reticent enough when God asked him to lead the people; I can only imagine what he must be thinking now: You want me to build you a what? Carve angels out of gold? How exactly does one embroider? I draw the...

How else would anything get done? EMBRACE DEADLINES .

God led me to preach about forgiveness yesterday.  "But I'm not mad at anyone," I told God after it became clear that this was my topic of study. And doesn't it feel good?!  He said. Don't you always want to have this much peace, this much joy, this much freedom?! And don't you just want everyone to know that this kind of peace is available through forgiveness?! Yes! I burst in to song in the middle of the sermon because I had so much joy in my heart. Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!  We shared forgiveness stories during and after worship, just like Jesus did when He preached forgiveness. There is so much power in our stories! One of the stories I shared was the inspiration behind Matthew West's song "Forgiveness," which he shares in this video...  "It's about a woman who did the impossible,  and made me ask myself if I could do the same..." What would you do? What is your forgiveness st...

I am completely guilty of this behavior. Why? Sometimes I want others to be able to read my mind. Sometimes nothing sounds good and I'm waiting for something to spark my interest. Sometimes I know what I want but I'm afraid it's not going to be what the other person wants. Sometimes I am simply too hungry to be able to make a decision. So, I'll try to be better at only saying "I don't care what we do...you decide" if I really mean it, and when I do care, I will EMBRACE PREFERENCES with both confidence and flexibility. Trying to give up my desire to be perfect, honest, stronger, and smarter, while listening to Everything You Ever Wanted by Hawk Nelson .

Summer. Ohio, 1999. In 1999 while dancing with a cute stranger beside Mirror Lake at the Ohio State University I broke both of my talus bones. Sometimes we wonder why things like this happen, but I know the answer to this one: because God wanted me to have a sister. Long story short, my brother fell in love with the athletic trainer who set me up with my orthopedic surgeon and three years later they were married. Kari became my sister-in-law on that July day in 2002, but through the years she has become much more than that. She has become my confidante, my best friend, my sister. Well worth breaking my ankles for! Today is her birthday and I want her to know how much I love her--not just because she is married to my brother and not just because she has brought five of the most beautiful children into my life, but because she is amazing all on her own, and she is MY sister. With our tickets to see the Reds on opening night... watch out Cincy it is girls night out in April!...

When I enter my brother and sister-in-law's house, I am met with a barrage (" A rapid, concentrated discharge of missiles, as from small arms")  of invitations: Tessa : "Can you put my dress on? Do you want to sit with me? I made you something! Do you want to hear me sing the days of the week?" (All said while holding my hand and swaying.) Kaylee : "Let's play cups!" (Instructions: find a cup, turn it over, hit it with your hand or bang it on a table, sing loudly your favorite song. Repeat.) Tysen : "My turn! I want to wiggle, wiggle, jump!" (This is exactly what it sounds like.) Kenzi : "Come to my room. I want to show you something!" (There isn't actually anything she wants to show me. She just wants me all to herself.) Kasen : "Aunt Katie, did you know..." (Insert random fact he and daddy learned from NPR on the way home from Grams and Gramps' house, or how many levels he has beaten on his video ga...

In December I spoke at Xenia Friends Meeting. I mentioned that I loved the Bible but hadn't been very intentional about reading it last year. Fast forward to the first of this month. I was walking and talking with God, seeking His will for another sermon for Xenia Friends, when He put on my heart to read the Bible--the entire thing--for Lent. The sermon wasn't even about Lent. I wasn't even thinking about reading the whole thing. It just seemed out of nowhere. So I asked, are you sure you don't want me to study trust or forgiveness or the book of John? The whole thing in 40 days? How can I possibly even gain understanding reading that much that fast? A few days later I read a blog by Margaret Feinberg, who was e-introduced to me by a mutual friend of ours last year. Margaret said God was leading her to read the Bible--the whole book--for Lent. She had a reading guide and a set of guidance already created. One piece of guidance was that if you were going to read th...

Yesterday morning someone surprised me. And I loved it. But I used to hate surprises. With my girls at the surprise party in question... minus the boyfriend I wasn't talking to. New Vienna, Ohio, February 1996. My family and friends planned a surprise 16th birthday party for me and I didn't talk to my boyfriend for a week afterwards because he had to lie to me to pull it off. Years later another boyfriend surprised me with pancakes when I returned from an early morning walk with my dog. I was used to fruit and yogurt, so I refused to eat them. Fear leads us to try to control everything, even breakfast, even birthdays. Trust helps us embrace everything, even surprises. I can happily say that this year I am doing a pretty good job of being able to EMBRACE SURPRISES . So far anyway. Listening to Start of Something Good by Daughtry .

You don't have to be a celebrity to waste money on a wedding ceremony, have an affair, or get divorced multiple times in a short amount of time. I've contributed to these statistics, as well as experienced just how many other people don't take their vows seriously. When I first saw the above diagram I wasn't sure if it was trying to say we've already ruined marriage so what's the point in not legalizing same-sex marriage, or that somehow same-sex marriage was going to save the institution of marriage--can we legalize same-sex marriage but not legalize same-sex divorce? Upon closer study I think the diagram is simply saying to not legalize same-sex marriage on the argument that it will destroy the institution of marriage is invalid. Which, face it, we all know to be true. No matter what side of the same-sex argument you are on. You can't destroy something that is already destroyed. Have heterosexuals destroyed the institution of marriage? Absolutely. ...

My horoscope in today's News Journal . At an event I helped plan a couple years ago on the religious needs of different generations, an older gentleman--as old as my grandpas would be if they were still alive--said the secret to his life's happiness was his ability to embrace change--not force it, fight it, or fear it--but embrace it in its own time and its own way, because change is inevitable. In the last year of my life my who, what, when, where, why, and how have all changed. None of the changes happened quickly. None were forced. None were easy--but I did not let fear stand in my way. And I not only lived through it, but I enjoyed the ride. Everything changes in its own time and its own way. Instead of wasting time fighting, fearing, and forcing change, how about we learn to embrace the inevitability of change as a lifelong part of the process of this thing we call life. EMBRACE INEVITABILITY Reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn .

You are going to get an unexpected visitor. You are destined to live a life of prosperity and happiness. Organize your life around your dreams--then sit back and watch them come true. Drink more tea. EMBRACE FORTUNE COOKIES Sometimes they speak volumes. Other times they don't speak at all. Either way, they sure taste good. Eating crab rangoon and mixed vegetables with white rice from Happy Wok .

I like to eat breakfast food for dinner, and dinner food for breakfast. I also like to eat breakfast food for breakfast and dinner food for dinner. Why? Because food is food and food is good. Why would I wait until Sunday to wear a dress if I want to wear one on Thursday? I like to wear dresses when I'm sitting around the house and when I'm driving. I also like to wear dresses to weddings and to church. I like to dress business casual at the office. I also like to dress business casual when I take my nieces to McDonalds. I like to wear sweat pants when I workout and when I sleep. I also like to wear sweat pants to Wal-Mart, the video store, and the mall. I like to wear t-shirts with dress pants and t-shirts over my dresses. I also like to wear t-shirts with jeans and jeans to church. Why? Because clothes are clothes and clothes are good. I like to sleep in my car and on friends' couches. I like to sleep in tents--I really, really like to sleep in tents. I also like ...

Happy Birthday Bob Marley! Birthdays bring people together. Birthdays make people happy. Birthdays are about love. Let's get together and feel alright... EMBRACE TOGETHERNESS .

Embracing life--really living--became a longing for me at 21, hence the Chinese symbol for "live" permanently added to my being in 2001.  Tomorrow I turn 33. My parents and I were discussing this "milestone"... Mom : Thirty-three is my lucky number. It was a great year for me, and it will be for you. Marilyn Monroe was at her prime ( Some Like it Hot ) when she was 33. Dad : Thirty-three was a hard year for me. Jesus died when he was 33, and look at all that he did in his lifetime. I didn't feel like I had done anything when I turned 33. Mom : You'd had three kids already! Dad : You had a good year because of Marilyn Monroe. My parents, though drawn to very different figures in history, were pulled by this need to be alive, to live, to experience the fullness of life, to make use of their gifts and callings, to make an impact, to leave a legacy. I am too. Whether I go by zombie apocalypse when I am 33, or rapture at 103, while I am here I ...

In Cuba the government regularly performs "blackouts", shutting off electricity to the entire town to remind the people who has control. Who controls your life? Baseball stadium, Puerto Padre, Cuba, 2004. The Ravens were up 28-6 early in the third quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday when the stadium went dark. During the 34 minutes it took to get all the lights back on, the announcers said this was just what the 49ers needed to get back in the game. And they were right. The niners came back to score 17 unanswered points after the blackout, and only ended up losing the game by three. How many times in my own life have I experienced a "blackout" -- long stretches when I've been forced to stop, or couldn't see clearly to make my next move, or blew a fuse because I'd been trying to do too much -- and it ended up being exactly what I needed? Time to rest, re-group, make a new plan, re-evaluate how many different plugs are connected to the same outlet and...

Kasen's winning smile! February, 2013. My nephew won the lottery...I mean an ice scraper...at a pancake breakfast this morning. Part of his joy came from this being an unexpected gift. He thought we were just going out for pancakes. Who knew there would be prizes involved! Part of his joy simply came from hearing his name called over the loud speaker. Part of his joy was in not being left out. Two of his sisters had already won prizes. Part of his joy was in what he won. Face it, an ice scraper to a six-year-old is like battle armor...a sword to slay the snow and ice that threatens to overtake windshields everywhere. My joy was in being reminded to celebrate our victories. No matter how big, no matter how small. Be they mine or be they yours. EMBRACE WINNING . Listening to Billionaire by Travie McCoy .

Beth Moore has been teaching on affliction for the past several weeks on Life Today . Her key points include: Affliction makes you feel alone. Affliction appears in Scripture to describe: physical pain (Job), childlessness (Hannah), rejection (Hagar), betrayal (Jacob), etc.  With affliction comes submission--we have the choice to submit to what burdens us, or submit to God. James writes: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:2-3). There is no better way to discover where your loyalty lies than to go through a trial. Who do you run to when you hurt? Who do you talk to when you experience rejection and betrayal? Who do you submit to when you feel forgotten and alone? EMBRACE AFFLICTION as an opportunity to submit to God, or realize you haven't been. Let Him refine you. Discover that He is able to meet your needs, heal your hurts, carry your burdens. A...