Asking…
June 16th, 2010 § 0
Whew. Laundry put away. Best feeling ever. Sitting here with a glass of water, taking advantage of this hour on Huron Blvd. before the traffic will start to get nuts. Nick and I just got home from everywhere… if that makes sense. On May 23rd, we left at 5am to caravan with about 50 college students to Myrtle Beach, SC. We were there for two weeks, then headed up the east coast to visit some friends and family along our way home in DC and NYC. After our mini-road trip, we are home in Minneapolis!
Throughout the past month, I have felt the Lord prodding me to ask him for very specific things, to trust him to give very specific things. Being at the Summer Training Project with students was in two words: Refreshing & Awakening. I went to a project as a student four years ago, and it was really sweet to be back there over the past few weeks and reflect on the Lord’s incredible faithfulness to me in that time. There were situations and sin in my life four years ago that I thought would always hold me captive… and four years later seeing God redeem what I thought I was enslaved to forever…seeing him flood his healing love all over me… such a sweet reminder that I am cleansed pure by his blood. It was awakening to the reality of the gospel and the reality of my need for it.
The whole two weeks prodded my heart to pray. Seeing God’s tangible faithfulness encouraged me to consider that this summer is not just a season to rest, but it’s a season to ask God to do very specific things in my heart. As I’ve been pondering… (I may be the president of that)… I have decided to claim this verse for my summer and pray that the Lord would bear these fruits within me. Psalm 62:1-2 “For God alone my soul waits in silence, from him only comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” Knowing that circumstances in my life will always be changing, my feelings will always be changing, relationships will always be changing… it bids me to pray for the grace to fix my eyes upon the unchangeable God that I have. The ‘I shall not be greatly shaken’ part pierces me. I am shaken so often, but have already seen the Lord be faithful to me over the past month to bring a constant reminder that he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow… and even though that sounds so simple- its transformed the way I think about my life. We listened to a Tim Keller sermon on Hope from Eph. 1:15-23 and he said something that gripped me, “The way you live your life now is entirely based upon what you believe your future will be.” It made me think, the way I REACT to my life now reveals that I often live without a fixation on eternity. I live like the best things are now… when the truth is that death for the believer means entering into the fullness of all pleasures forevermore! If I believed that, I think that my reactions to all of the ch..ch..changing going on around me would be characterized by something more like…contentment, joy, assurance of the greatest pleasures yet to come… Like I said, the past few weeks have been so awakening to reality!
Nick and I (along with our students and staff team) are studying through Philippians this summer. I don’t know how God has done this considering my struggle with consistency, but he’s woken me up each morning in the past month to go through about 2 verses a day… and its been so small but so rich! I’ve really enjoyed God speaking so directly to my heart in it (which I often don’t believe he can do). Philippians 1:27- 28 says “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that weather I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” After browsing through my Matthew Henry commentary (which I highly recommend!)… I was wondering… what is a manner of life worthy of the gospel? Henry’s observations included that a Christian life should include: 1.conversations about the gospel 2. Belief in gospel truths 3. Submission to gospel laws 4. Dependency upon gospel promises 5. Faith, holiness, and comfort.
After reading on, I felt pressed by the phrase ‘striving side by side.’ Not even the call to strive, but the greater reality that the faith of the gospel is WORTH striving for. I observed that Paul exhorted the believers to strive SIDE BY SIDE… there is a closeness of life that is to be shared among believers…
So it prompted me to pray with joy and expectancy that God would transform me into a woman who:
Believes gospel truths. Submits to gospel laws. Depends upon gospel promises. Strives side by side with others for the sake of the gospel.
I know I’m standing in square one as I pray…but that’s ok I’m learning. Its ok to come back to square one over and over again as a believer… in fact, I think that’s a part of learning my dependency upon the sufficiency of Christ.
David sings in Psalm 63:5 “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.” Interesting that he sings ‘my soul WILL be satisfied…’ I am learning so much from his expectant heart.
I could not be more eager for this summer. I already feel a deeper awareness of so many areas in me that need refining… but there is already a deep feeling of the sweetness of Jesus in it all. His compassion, merciful heart and encouragement to me have been…just… so stinkin’ sweet.
Resting in his love,
Katie 
Studio Day 2
May 19th, 2010 § 0
Hard work- The kind that makes you sweat, your mind hurts, you feel pressed, stretched, challenged, inspired, full of decision and indecision and… imaginative is somehow always satisfying, no? You get my drift? It is currently 2am on Tuesday night, and I’m vegging on this orange couch At Zach Foty’s Home recording studio. Key word: home. That’s how it feels here. His mom and dad have given their entire basement over to the life of this studio- what a blessing! So far, they’ve been popping in and out with the dogs, and Zach’s dear wife Ali has already spoiled us by making a mid-day run to starbucks. Nick, Zach, Ali and I also sneaked over to Panera for dinner and good conversation. They got married the same time Nick and I did, and they’ve been really encouraging and refreshing new friends. Gotta love when God gives you those in life, right?? Last night when we left…I actually heard… crickets chirping! Coming from downtown livin’, I had almost forgotten that sound. Outside the studio trees hang high over a hidden little pond… this place feels like a haven. Its RESTful. While the dudes set up the drums (which apparently takes like a year…who knew?) I just hung out in the kitchen with Wendy (Mom), Tom (Dad) and Sunny (Little sister). What sweet people! Sunny, adopted from India, just showed me some really cool (and rather stuntish) tricks on her wheel chair. My toes also got licked by their puppy… oh I forgot to mention I got a tour of Mr. Foty’s painting studio- so cool!
What I love about recording here is that I feel like a part of the family and really free to be myself. It also reminds me of my own home I grew up in. I miss that from time to time… the days when I would sit in the basement for hours in the ‘jam room’ listening to my brother’s band while family and friends rolled in and out or sneaking in to play and write all alone. I guess being married without kiddos yet (but someday!!) in a lot of ways is this inbetween stage of life. Its just the two of us (minus our occasional crowds of college students), so I do have my fair share of quiet- which for the introspective writer type like me is a wonderful blessing. But I’ve always love being in homes where there are lots of people coming and going too.. I love the life if breathes.
The guys: Zach (the producer), Nick (My hub a.k.a. the engineer of my life) and Collin(Zach’s cool friend)- just sipped down some energy drinks and Nick just turned to me and went like this: WOOOHHHOOW! IT JUST KICKED IN! Humorous.
So far, I feel really… humbled is an understatement. Coming into this I was feeling tired and coming off of one of the more hectic weeks I can remember. I felt so in need for God to provide grace for this song, so in need to call to mind this verse: 2 Cor 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” I feel surrounded by people who are serving me with their time, their raw talent, their patience… and the sufficiency of Jesus in the places I am deficient. Truth be told, I’m a little dazed that so many people would come together to help produce this song “Recreated.” Its left me learning what it means to let people serve…me, which sounds strange but its a little like the gospel, which does take a stretch of humility to receive- to let the Lord GIVE you himself and all his love… that’s what its been like, to a certain degree. To watch people rack their brains, give energy, to see the depth of care and ear for precision… the willingness to lose sleep… I think its safe to say… there is a pulse to this recording that is full of HIS presence and HIS purpose… all flowing from the well of HIS mercy. I’m so convinced this song is HIS song… pierced by the promises in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means for the believer. So filled with deep hope and belief in the righteousness of Christ on my behalf… and out came this song… which I’ll explain more fully another time… but to be clear: HIS song.
We finished the guitar, intro, outro, scratch vocals and the drums are being added as I write. Loving this song so far enjoying seeing the creativity of my creator in it.
Not sure what vision will develop as we go, but knowing it will come. As we drove here today, Nick and I read Psalm 57 (we love to peruse the Psalms in the car) Ps. 57:2 “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” ..to God, who is Most High… still ringing in my ears… to God who fulfills his purpose for me… anyone else comforted by that small, yet HUGE promise?
So Day 2 of this whole new journey! One day at a time… that’s how I like to roll. That’s all for now…more to come, friends.
love,
Katie
Tom’s Shoes
May 6th, 2010 § 0
If you buy a pair of shoes through this organization, Tom’s Shoes, a child in need of shoes will also receive a pair.
Read More about Tom’s Shoes @ http://www.toms.com/?gclid=CPL7hInhzaACFQIhDQodizDgzA
As a consumer, its important to be educated on the products you use and how you buy. Why? Here’s just one devastating reason: This year World Vision has launched a major campaign to highlight child exploitation and human trafficking. They estimate that in the West African Ivory Coast nation alone, over 600,000 children work in cocoa fields in very poor conditions- many of them trafficked into the jobs. None of them are receiving an education. And many of them also do not own a pair of shoes.
So, want to join me in… beginning to live a life of AWARENESS of what we are buying and how its being produced so that we are not financially supporting child labor and the trafficking of children?
Support Fair Labor Practices and learn about what you are buying through Free2Work.
I am happy to report that Tom’s Shoes are made without the labor of trafficked children.
This Week’s Menu
April 19th, 2010 § 1
I’m guzzling down some tasty hazelnut coffee at Panera making my meal plan for the week. As in meal plan, I simply mean that I choose a few breakfast meals, all you need to make a good sandwich, and about 3 solid hearty dinner meals. After almost two years of marriage, I’ve figured out that 3 dinner meals usually provides some great left-overs for our family of two as well as 1 or 2 nights of eating out with students or friends. My hubby would be very proud of my diligent planning today- definitely his strong-point and my weak-spot. But we are a team and figuring out life together!
Have I told you about our new friends, Ali Joy and Zach Foty? Well, they are blessing us in a lot of ways… but right now I am LOVING Ali’s blog. After reading through her page Ali Eats, I was inspired to try some new meal ideas! Nick loves smoothies, and She just so happens to have some really great smoothie recipes! Did I also mention she is training for a marathon while finishing school/student teaching and being a wife- ALL at the same time? GO Ali! And thanks for the wonderful meal ideas!
So Here’s My Menu:
Breakfasts:
1) Green Monster Drink Smoothie
2) Spinach, tomato, basil, feta frittata w/whole wheat toast
3) Oatmeal, yogurt, and blackberries
4) Trader Joe’s Mutligrain waffles
Lunches:
1) sandwiches- Turkey, avacado, tomato, lettuce, pepperjack cheese, and olive oil mayo- Yum!
2) w/a side of veggies and homemade hummus
Dinners:
1)Summery Strawberry Salad w/Chicken
2) Slow Cooker Pork, carrots, potatoes, shallots, w/green beans
3) Spicy Black Bean Burgers w/sweet potatoes and grilled zuchinni
Dessert:
Rasberry Sherbet Icecream w/vanilla wafers… i LOVE rasberry anything.
My mom’s Chocolate chip cookies
Oh… can’t forget snacks!
1) mixed bell peppers and homemade hummus
2) chips and salsa… we are ADDICTED.
3) Kashi seven grain crackers with cheese (My hub loves cheese!)
Thank you Ali for the great ideas!
Off to my staff mtg… then to the store to stock up on these tasty meals! I am grateful for stores to go to, for the ability to buy food, for recipes to eat that are healthy, for so much I don’t deserve…
Love,
Katie
Things To Do Today
April 19th, 2010 § 0
8:30 run
10:00 clean up apartment
11:00 Plan meals/plan week @ Panera
12:45 Leave for staff mtg
1-4 Staff Mtg.
4:00 Grocery shopping, pick up tux at Rosedale for Nick
5:00 Practice guitar
6:30 Double Date w/the hub and some friends! (No cooking tonight)
I confess Mondays are tough for me… I need a plan or else I will want to sleep all day.. anyone know what I mean?
Hope my list helps me!
Life Lately
April 12th, 2010 § 1
Watching the sunrise on Easter morning! Because a sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free; For God, the Just, is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me To look on Him and pardon me…
Eating Free Coldstone Icecream with students at the U!
- This sweet guy…
- Surprised me with these! I LOVE yellow tulips.
- Especially when I find them in my car! Thanks baby!
- Did I mention he plays the saxophone? Its his hidden talent… but not so hidden on Easter morning. I got to listen to my baby play for all the services… brought joy to my heart!
I am happy to report that this massive pile of laundry disappeared by 12:30am Sat. night. WHEW! That was quite the load off our shoulders! No pun intended
So, that is life lately!
Love,
Katie
Freshman Dinner
April 2nd, 2010 § 0
If you’ve ever been to our apartment, you might not believe me when I tell you that 18 sweet freshman women from the U came over for dinner this past Wednesday night. I would have invited more if I could have fit more… the downside of living in my apartment is you have to draw the line somewhere when only have so much space! Here is the proof! We might have to do this again, it was a blast!
- Can you believe they all fit? A few girls missed the pic…
- Eating my fabulous cooking (of course!) p.s. Cous Cous feeds a large crowd quite excellently along with my mom’s homemade salsa and chicken!
- Who says you can’t use a piano bench for a table?
- These lovely ladies had the luxury of eating at our ‘real’ table. Also the table that traveled with me through all of my years living at the U… wood is peeling off… no biggie, you just gotta be careful not to get a sliver
- It was a cozy night to say the least. I love these girls!
I Love Him
April 1st, 2010 § 0
Happy Spring!!
Today I am really grateful. There is nothing greater than being given the steadfast love of the Lord and His new mercy every morning. In fact, THIS morning. So often, I wake up with such a dead heart… and somehow He comes and melts me. Well, its safe to say I’m being melted here at Overflow Cafe.. physically and emotionally. Physically because its a whopping 70 degrees and the sun is shining here in the otherwise frozen tundra of MN!! (Hence, the Happy Spring greeting)… and sitting outside hearing the water from the fountain is also reminding me of life… emotionally because of the Word. It is NO JOKE. I just can’t believe that every time I open it, I come alive. Is it so strange that God’s own voice resonates with all the longing in my soul? The soul that He made? It makes perfect sense…
As I am reading this morning, I am humbled to tears. Because none of these words would make me come alive if Jesus had not died on the cross. If He was not my perfect advocate, the atonement for all my sin… if He had not come and opened up my mind and my heart, I would remain spiritually dead and unawakened. I would not have a heart of stone turned into a heart of flesh.
I was reading through the Psalms a bit today… and I just leaped in my soul echoing David in Psalm 65:1-4…
“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!”
There is just nothing better than being a daughter of such a worthy, humble, righteous king. I am a welcomed sinner in the arms of God. I am free to be showered with love and affection from Him… oh this is so much more than I deserve. This is so much better than anything else this life could offer.
All I can say today…is… I love Him. I love Jesus. He’s come to such great lengths to rescue me… and it is so sweet to be saved by Him! I am in awe of His gift of life to me… of His steadfast love to such a wandering, lost distracted girl. His humility and selfless love.. If that’s what God is like, I have so far to come in being like him. If that’s what God is like, I cannot help but fall on my face and worship Him alone. I can’t help loving Him today.. what grace. These moments are rare… there are few days where I actually love Him.
Today, I do. All because He has first loved ME. I sinned against God, and He loved me. A pretty lopsided exchange, huh? His love doesn’t make sense, it seems so foolish He would love His enemies… He would love me. I feel all light-hearted in my soul today… what can I say? I’m totally captivated by Him today.
Choosing Gratitude: Terry is grateful for his kidney failure!
March 25th, 2010 § 0
Nick and I raise financial and prayer support to work full time in college ministry. One of our supporters, Terry, has been an amazing blessing in our lives. And guess what?! We’ve never even met him! He has a daughter who was apart of a bible study Nick was involved in in California a few years ago… His daughter told him about our ministry to college students, and he felt led by the Lord to become one of our first financial and prayer supporters! We were unbelievably humbled to hear of such a cheerful giver’s deep desire for the gospel to heal and bless the hearts of college students. He has been laboring on our team with us for the past two years. And its true, we’ve never even met him!
Terry was diagnosed with kidney failure and has had to be on dialysis for some time. He recently emailed us an update of his circumstances. When we heard his story, we were blown away at his grateful heart. I thought it was only appropriate to count him as a “guest blogger” on my blog during my series of “Choosing Gratitude.” Be prepared to read about a man truly grateful for things like physical pain, suffering, uncertainty, friends, a God to trust in, and hope. Thanks for sharing, Terry!
Dear Family and Friends,
It was almost two years ago (April 2008) that I wrote you inviting you to Praise God for the gift of uncertainty as I embarked upon the journey of kidney failure, dialysis, and who knows what. I write today to give testimony to the God of all grace, my heavenly Father, whose grace is sufficient, whose wisdom and goodness cause all things to work together for good, who invites us to cast all our anxieties on him because he cares for us, who provides mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). These promises from our Heavenly Father have sustained me these last two years, and he has proven to be faithful to his word and all his promises. Lamentations 3:21-24 has been particularly encouraging and a source of continued hope. It reads:
“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS! The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.”
Nothing could be truer.
While I never thought that God needed to prove his goodness by providing a transplant (“He is good and does good” in all things, Ps. 119:68), nevertheless he in grace has once again acted for my good by providing a donor and and a transplant date at Stanford March 31st, Lord willing. There are no words to say thank you to the many of you who sacrificially offered to be tested as potential donors. It was such a display of the love of Christ, and when Stanford and my dialysis caregivers indicated how unusual it was to have so many people willing to donate (approx. two dozen of you), I simply told them that my family and friends were all Christ-followers and that’s what Christ-followers do — love sacrificially. Christie and I would also like to express our gratitude for every expression of support you all have provided and for the prayers you have all assured me you have made on our behalf. I’m certain that God has answered those prayers with daily grace and mercy through the last two years as well as in providing a kidney through the sacrificial gift of a Christ-follower and good friend, George. They say to let George do it; well George did it … sacrificially.
I concluded the previous letter with the following paragraph, and I conclude this one re-affirming that every word has been proven true over these last two years:
“… as I embark upon this journey of uncertainty, not to grumble and complain about my lot in life, or to curse my bad luck at having this disease, or to ask for your sympathy, but to give testimony to the God who is my heavenly Father and who can be trusted with everything. I want to take my stand in praise of this God while things are their most uncertain so that no one can say that my faith in God is a fair-weathered faith, happy with God when he gives good gifts, but not when the road is rockier. I am confident that whatever happens is for my good and for his glory and I wanted to share this with you all so that you too may praise him with mefor his mercy and grace and wisdom and goodness and sovereignty at all times, and not live in the illusion of certainty, but thank him with me for the gift of uncertainty.
Amen and Amen.
–
Soli Deo Gloria,
TC
We praise the Lord for Terry’s partnership and for God’s faithfulness to Terry. Thank you, Jesus, for giving Terry a kidney transplant and for helping Him trust you through the pain and the unknown future.
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Twitter- katiestromwall: A full day of students! I LOVE my job. Love love love working with college women.
- katiestromwall: Home from our student vision retreat. Sooo fun but sooo tired. I foresee an afternoon nap.
- katiestromwall: I am secretly real excited about my first trip to Cost-Co tomorrow. I've officially grown up now. I foresee buying a large bag of M & M's.
- katiestromwall: Who else thinks this weather is GLORious?! I for one am loving it.
- katiestromwall: Making chili for my hub & his guys tonight after a day of moving in freshman.
