Clay Speaks Out About AI

I am not typically a dedicated American Idol watcher. However, this year two contestants caught my attention and I was hooked! I am thoroughly pleased with this season's winner, Kris Allen.

Let's pray that he would remain strong in his faith and use this title to shine the light of Christ in Hollywood!

Though I am pleased with the winner, I am very displeased with the way the judges handled themselves throughout the season and I thought former neighbor and Idol contestant Clay Aiken (Clayton as I knew him long ago!) made some great points about the show on his website. Here are some excerpts....

"Now that it's all over, and for the record.... I couldn't be happier about the way AI ended this year. I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative. It's usually a matter of taste, right? But Idol is not always a matter of musical taste only. It's about the person you like. From what little I saw, Kris seemed likable. (That's not to say that Adam isn't just as likable as anyone.. maybe more so... I don't know) When Ruben and I were standing next to each other every night (many years ago) you had two equally talented, equally unlikely, equally unpolished contestants.... so it really was a matter of taste as to who was voted for. While some may argue that one of us was hyped more than the other, I don't feel that was the case. However, this year, there was an obvious bias. Not even having watched the show, I can tell you that I was WELL aware of the bias from the judges as to who should win. In my opinion, that is awfully unattractive. I don't think I am alone.

I think many voters got sick of being 'told who to vote for'. I think they voted AGAINST an American Idol that has, for four years now, been more about the slick productions and polished contestants than it has been about finding the raw talent that it did in its first three seasons.

Those votes for Kris were also votes to return the show to its roots of finding 'real' contestants with undiscovered talent and giving them the chance to grow and shine. They were votes that said 'we're tired of seeing contestants who already seem to know it all'.

It's now up to American Idol to decide if it will finally REALLY listen to the folks that keep it on the air."

Central Asia, here I come!

Some of you know that I have been praying for the past three months for an opportunity in the Fall to go to a specific country in Central Asia. I do not want to mention the name here for security reasons for those who are career missionaries in this country. I am so excited to report that I have joined a team from a church that is near to my heart (and my house!), Open Door Baptist, and I will be flying out in November. As it stands right now, the team will leave on November 6th and return on November 14th. I plan on trying to find a way to stay in the country just a little bit longer and visit with some dear friends.

The focus of the trip is mainly ministering to the families that Open Door has sent as missionaries. We will be providing the couples with a retreat and teaching time while taking care of their children. The trip will also involve fellowship with Asian believers and prayer walking.

One of the reasons I am so interested in this particular country is that I am in the middle of the Journeyman application process with the International Mission Board and I think this is where I would like to spend my 2 or 3 years if I go overseas. I am excited about the opportunity to see it before I commit that much time!

I will not be sending out support letters this time and will be attempting to pay for the trip on my own. However, I will not stop you from giving if you have the means to give and God lays it on your heart! :) Let me know if you would like to support us and I will give you more information.

My main request from you is that you please keep our team in your prayers as we prepare for the trip. Specific things you can pray for:
- Two more people to complete the team
- Team unity
- We would be a blessing to the missionary families
- We would be sensitive to what God would have us share with the couples in the teaching time
- God would provide the means to finance the trip
- God would prepare our hearts for the work He has set out for us

More updates and requests to come in the future!

Making Singleness Better

My good friend Josh posted a link to this article on singleness on his blog: "Making Singleness Better." Tim Adeney looks at why singleness is not often experienced as better. What I love about this article is that it is actually mainly addressed to the church as a whole and how we can better minister to single people. I really enjoyed it and will quote the short encouragements that he does direct specifically to single people here at length:

"I would like to offer singles two brief encouragements that, at first glance, might seem contradictory.

Firstly, don't take advantage of all the freedoms of being single. In Paul's day, everyone was embedded in a community. These days, no-one is. Marriages and children force this kind of settling upon us to some extent. So if you are single, I think your life will be more rich and joyful relationally if you can manage to welcome some of this settling—for example, by finding long-term accommodation, by making long-term financial plans, by committing to a few relationships (including relationships with families), by committing to a community group, by finding a few ways to serve, and so on. Such measures won't be forced on you, and even though, in your 20s, they may seem restrictive and redundant, by your 30s, they may be lifesaving.

Secondly, do take advantage of the freedoms of being single. Certainly get more done if you can, but don't just get more done; get stuff done that couldn't be done if you were married with children. For example, one of my friends works in Australia, but has family in the US, so every Christmas, she relocates to New York for a couple of months and works from there. However painful singleness may be, it still has its discrete advantages. Utilize them. If a friend in another city needs help, get on a plane and visit them. If you have a passion for serving the poor, run and live in a boarding house. If you don't like cooking and can afford it, don't cook; catch up with a different friend each night for dinner. And married people: please don't be jealous."

Pray with confidence

I was challenged at work last week when my co-worker exhorted me to “pray with confidence.” There is something I feel like God has been putting on my heart for the past few months. I have been praying about it, but I always add in my prayer, “if it would be in Your will, God.” My co-worker urged me not to pray with hesitance. He said that if God was really the one putting this thing on my heart, then I ought to pray with confidence that it would come to pass. He encouraged me to pray until God says “no.” This is not an arrogant confidence. This is praying for the desires of your heart and trusting and waiting expectantly for God to work. It actually exposes your trust and faith in Him more than anything else. Why do we always tend to pray with such hesitance? Why are we so surprised when God answers our prayers? He delights in answering the prayers of His people! Of course He will answer! It may not be the answer we expect, but we are guaranteed that He will answer. I will pray confidently until God answers, knowing that if His answer ends up being “no,” it is for my good and ultimately His glory. His plan is ALWAYS better than my own plans for myself! This is my challenge for you – pray with confidence!

God is Amazing/"I'M DEBT FREE!"

This post deserved two titles :) If you know the reference of that second phrase, then you probably are familiar with Dave Ramsey and his total money makeover. Never heard of him? That's ok, I hadn't either until one of my dear friends agreed to help me develop a budget for myself. I have been living successfully on this budget now for over 2 months and it has been surprisingly liberating! I never knew how much freedom there would be in restricting my spending! Now let me tell you about something awesome God has done. Many of you may have already heard this, but it is just so amazing I must write it down!

When we developed my budget, I had a credit card balance that had 0% interest until July. Normally, Dave Ramsey would promote building a $1,000 emergency fund before paying off all of your debt, but since this debt would not increase if I paid it before July, we decided that would be my first plan of action. However, I had no idea how I was going to pay for it! I knew I would receive some scholarship money and that I would get a decent tax return. I hoped that would almost cover the entire balance. Then I had some unexpected expenses come up and had to use my entire scholarship to pay for them. Yet, by God’s grace, I was still not worried about how I would pay off that debt. Then it was tax time. I picked up my taxes from my CPA and finally opened the envelope that night before going to bed. I fell to my knees as I saw what my return would be. I am ashamed to admit that I typically do not spend much time on my knees in praise to God, but this time it was an immediately reaction. My tax return was going to equal my credit card balance, plus $50 for an extra un-budgeted chiropractor appointment that month, and I even had $3 to spare!

I read this week, “God delights in responding to small steps in the right direction with gracious acts of compassion” (Hill & Walton, A Survey of the OT, 500). I have found that to be so true in my experience with my budget and discipline in general. I have been working very hard on discipline these past several months – discipline in my finances, housekeeping, and even in the spiritual disciplines of Bible intake, evangelism, and prayer. He has gracious responded to my tiny steps in the right direction.

I am not trying to promote a type of “prosperity gospel” here; namely that God will bless you and make you rich if you believe in Him. What I am saying is that God, for whatever reason, in this season of my life decided to bless me in my feeble efforts to honor Him and be a good steward of the time and money that ultimately He provided for me in the first place. Praise God! I stand in awe of this amazing God that we serve and I am so thankful for His gracious provision of my needs!

Fusion Conference 2009

When looking into my spiritual gifts, I never would have included the gift of writing. I love to sing and have great administrative skills, but writing? That's just not me! So when the opportunity came up and it was decided that for my internship I would write a curriculum for a workshop on women in worship leadership, I was a bit hesitant! But lo and behold, God's strength is perfected in my weakness and the curriculum is almost finished.

Fusion 09 is a conference designed for worship leaders and teams, and I have the awesome privilege of teaching a seminar on the roles of women in worship leadership. I will also be presenting to the ladies in the worship ministry at Providence on May 3rd during all three services. I encourage all of you ladies to come to the choir room during one of the services for this helpful seminar of Biblical foundations and practical tips and application! In the workshop, I will address questions such as...

What is worship?
What is worship leadership/ministry?
What are the qualities of a Biblical leader?
What is Biblical womanhood?
What should a woman do in the church?
Should a woman lead worship?

We will also hopefully have the curriculum published and ready to sell at the conference so you can take it to your worship ministries and share what you have learned. I appreciate your prayers as I finish writing, that God will be glorified and I will present teaching that is in accordance with Biblical truth. I hope to see you there!

Trust, Rest, Wait

As I have been praying and thinking about life after seminary over these past couple of months, God keeps putting three words on my heart as a constant refrain - Trust, Rest, Wait. Wait? FOR WHAT?! The trusting and resting would be a whole lot easier if I knew for what exactly I was waiting. Is there something I should be looking for? How will I know when I can stop waiting?

I just finished a great book that spoke specifically to this time of waiting. The title is...well... Waiting by Ben Patterson. Fitting, huh? The first line of the book sets the tone, "I hate to wait. My image of hell is an eternity of standing in line." Hilarious. I think that qualifies this guy to write the book! This book takes the reader through the stories of Job and Abraham and points out things we can learn from their experiences of suffering and waiting. The first chapter focuses on Job's first response to the suffering imposed on him. Patterson writes, "Job, at the very point where God had taken from him, acknowledged that it was the Lord who had first given what he then took. Job was thankful even in great loss. How could he be bitter at God for removing something that was not his in the first place?" (22). What a great reminder! After Job's friends offer many unhelpful thoughts on why Job suffers, Job questions God - he wants justice. He claims innocence and questions why God would not treat him justly. God then steps in and breaks down Job's egotism. This is the point where I was convicted! God reminds Job that that He is the controller of the universe and that Job's problems are very small in comparison: "The great temptation of suffering is to let your pain become the whole world and to start believing that all that ever was, is and will be, is your private hell...there is a great big world out there, a world that is infinitely greater than your suffering" (54). Patterson encourages us to let God "puncture our egotism and remind us of the bigness of the world he rules with love...If God can manage a troubled world, he can take care of your world of trouble" (55).

Patterson then moves on to the waiting of Abram and Sarai. God promised to make a great nation from their descendants, but they were childless! All they really wanted was a child, but as they waited on God, He gave them so much more! They got a baby that would be the baby through whom God would bless the whole world. Patterson encourages his readers, "Take heart, you who wait! If he is silent now, as he was for so many years with Abram and Sarai, it is the silence of his higher thoughts. He is up to something so big and so unimaginably good that your mind cannot contain it" (65). Waiting involves several active steps though. It is not just sitting around until something happens. "To wait is to journey in faith toward the things God has promised" (70). We must leave the past, including sins and failures, behind us. The present includes going - we live in faithful obedience each day knowing that this is where we are now, but not necessarily where we must stay. The future involves trusting the God who will show us what to do next. Patterson reminds us that "ease and predictability are not among God's promises" (75). When we look to the future, there is insecurity in the unknown - but that is when we must cling to God like never before. When we hold fast to Him, "We will discover God to have been far better than we ever knew Him to be, and we ourselves will be changed" (143).

Wilton Lee Fleming

At about 3:30am Thursday morning, my granddaddy passed away.

I received a phone call on Wednesday afternoon from my dad in Houston that he was sick in the hospital and to go quickly because he did not know how much longer granddaddy would be with us. After a few hours, granddaddy's heart rate dropped significantly and the nurse told us to say our goodbyes. Around that same time, we found out my dad's plane from Houston had been pulled and there would be a delay as they waited for a new plane. That's when I got out the word to pray. Thank you so much for your prayers; they were definitely answered. Granddaddy's heart rate improved and dad was able to board a new plane. All three of granddaddy's boys arrived in time, one driving from Atlanta, and my dad flying in from Houston. Praise God, He made a way! The doctors and nurses said granddaddy would be gone by 5 o'clock Wednesday afternoon and were amazed that he lived as long as he did - I wasn't. I knew so many people were interceding on our behalf and we serve an amazing and faithful God who loves to answer the prayers of His people! My dad and his two brothers were able to spend about four hours with their father before he passed. Praise the Lord! It was a whirlwind of a day as this came on so suddenly, but we know that is how granddaddy would have preferred it. He is greatly loved and will be missed, but praise God that he was a believer and is now at peace.I am also so thankful for the time I got to spend with all my extended family. I love you guys and our time together this week was so precious to me!

New books - recommendations?

Hey guys! I was just looking over my bookshelves (while I am supposed to be working on an exegetical paper of Psalms 1-2!) and realizing how many books I have yet to read that have been sitting there for so long, some for years! I am going to list some of them and what I would love for you to do is to send me your recommendations on which ones I should start with, which ones I should get to eventually, your thoughts on ones that you've read, and which ones are just not even worth reading! I would absolutely love your recommendations here because I am so overwhelmed! And while you're at it, I would love to hear of any other books from which you think I would benefit. So, here it goes:

Out of the Crescent Shadows (Caner)
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
Through Gates of Splendor (Elliot)
Price of Honor (Goodwin)
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret
Revolution in World Missions (Yohannan)
The Five Love Languages (Chapman)
Boundaries in Dating (Cloud)
Love Must Be Tough (Dobson)
Secure in the Everlasting Arms (Elliot)
Calm My Anxious Heart (Dillow)
The Rich Single Life (Farmer)
To Love, Honor, and Vacuum (Gregoire)
When Sinners Say "I Do" (Harvey)
The Feminist Mistake (Kassian)
Feminine Appeal (Mahaney)
Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? (McCulley)
The Allure of Hope (Meyers)
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ (Piper)
Date or Soul Mate? (Warren)
The One (Young & Adams)
The Ten Commandments of Dating (Young)
When Godly People Do Ungodly Things (Moore)
Desiring God (Piper)
Don't Waste Your Life (Piper)
The Pleasures of God (Piper)

I hope you will take a couple minutes just to look over this and let me know your thoughts! Thanks so much for your help!

Music for Healing

Besides Scripture, there is not much that can minister to my soul better than a well-written song about God's love and faithfulness. I've been through some pretty painful experiences over the years and I just wanted to take a minute and share excerpts from songs that have helped me through. May these songs point us to seek God's face and cling to the saving power of the cross.



"Clinging to the Cross" - Tim Hughes w/Brooke Fraser

My soul is weak my heart is numb I cannot see
But still my hope is found in You
I’ll hold on tightly You will never let me go
For Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

Even darkness is as light to You, my Lord
So light the way and lead me home
To that place where every tear is wiped away
For Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

What a Saviour, what a story
You were crucified but now You are alive
So amazing, such a mystery
You were crucified but now You are alive

Simply to the cross i cling letting go of all earthly things
Clinging to the cross
Mercy’s found a way for me, hope is here as i am free
Jesus, You are all i need
Clinging to the cross


"He Will Carry Me" - Mark Schultz

I call, You hear me
I've lost it all, And it's more then I can bear
I feel so empty

You're strong, I'm weary
I'm holding on, But I feel like giving in
But still You're with me

I know I'm broken
But You alone Can mend this heart of mine
You're always with me

And even though I feel so lonely
Like I have never been before
You never said it would be easy
But You said You'd see me through the storm

And even though I'm walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me


"Jesus, I am Resting"

Jesus I am resting, resting
In the Joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings;
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting;
Fill me with Thy grace.


More songs:
"When the Tears Fall" - Tim Hughes
"Great are You" - Downhere
"Child of God" - Vineyard Music
"Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul" - Indelible Grace
"His Strength is Perfect" - Steven Curtis Chapman
"You Carried Me" - Building 429

Trust Vs. Anxiety

Some of you, oh wait, I'm the only one that reads this, let me re-phrase that. :) If you are reading this and have not spoken with me in depth over the last few months, you are probably unaware of some of the battles I have been facing. This more personal post will dive a little deeper into the heart of Kate. :)

Over the past few months, struggles with anxiety have all of the sudden come up out of nowhere. This isn't just minor worry about frustrations or whatever, it is actually a pretty intense lingering anxiety that does not go away. Since I had never felt this way before, I could never really empathize with those who battled anxiety. I never knew the debilitating power of it on your daily living. If you have never felt it, I can only try to describe it... a constant, nagging, unsteady feeling in the pit of your heart and stomach. At times it feels as though you may not be able to take another breath and that your heart may just beat right out of your chest. You can feel your heart beat in your shoulders, your neck, your head; it's the strangest, scariest feeling.

I wrote the following (edited) email to two good friends. One wrote me back with some awesome Scripture to memorize. Thank you and I love you! One said he thought it sounded like David in the Psalms on one of his bad days! That was actually very encouraging to me. I would ask that you pray for me when you think about it. I hope that somehow through all of this, I can be of encouragement to someone down the road!

"My anxiety is pretty intense today. I pray that this is an area in which I will grow tremendously this year. I KNOW that God will prove Himself to be faithful though all of this. He who was powerful enough to save my sinful soul will not just leave me in the dark in this. This may feel like a pretty intense battle right now, but God has already done so much more for me and in me, how could I not trust Him for this? It all goes back to trust. Do I trust Him to be all-sufficient? Do I trust Him to provide for me? Do I trust Him to not give me more than I can bear? 'I believe God, help my unbelief!'

Just read this in my theology text a few minutes ago - 'What we can know for sure is that the God who used the innocent, shameful, despicable suffering of his own Son to reconcile the world unto himself is able to take the shards and broken fragments of our own lives and piece them together into a mosaic of beauty and wonder.' What may seem like a huge trial right now will eventually be beautiful even if it is only because of the growth God brings about through it.

Please pray that I would 'Be anxious for nothing.' That I would trust Him and love the Word more. I was reading in Psalm 4 yesterday where David writes about meditating in your heart. I looked more into the word meditate and found the Hebrew word can also mean 'speak.' What a great reminder to speak truth to my heart. Meditate on the Word and speak truth to myself when the anxiety seems unbearable.

Please continue to pray for me in all this. This is a battle that I think I will be fighting for a while. But it's a good fight, right? Paul encourages me to keep going and fight the good fight to keep the faith. Whatever causes me to draw closer to the Lord, I will gladly endure. Do I pray that the anxiety will cease? Absolutely! But if it brings me into a deeper knowledge and love for Him, then ok God."

Palladium - The New Platinum!

Someone recently called my attention to a post I wrote a LONG time ago about looking for engagement rings. Oddly enough, I have been told by several people to write a book on the subject. I don’t think so! I did decide though that I needed to update my post just a little bit to let you know about this awesome new metal being used in jewelry today. I found an article by David Federman on modernjeweler.com that tells all about Scott Kay’s endorsement of this relatively new metal. Here are some of the highlights:

“Scott Kay is to jewelry what E.F. Hutton is to stocks. So when he speaks, everyone listens. This platinum group metal, he wrote, ‘is going to change the jewelry industry as we know it.’”

“So far, new palladium advocates like Kay trust both the will of God and the hand of man. Here's a look at the case Kay is making for what might be viewed as the kid sister of platinum who, everyone is suddenly noticing, has come gorgeously of age.”

“As Kay wrote in his manifesto to the trade: ‘Palladium is not man-made, fabricated, enhanced, automated, altered, or plated. It is mined, naturally white, and is rare and precious.’”

Compared to platinum, palladium has several advantages:

1. Palladium is less dense. It is 40 percent lighter in weight, which allows designers to make much thicker mountings without them becoming uncomfortably heavy.
2. Palladium is 12.6 percent harder than platinum, making it even more wearable.
3. Palladium is even whiter than platinum.
4. Palladium costs less than either platinum or white gold. "But even if it someday costs as much as platinum," Kay says, "its lighter weight will always give it a cost advantage."
5. Palladium, like platinum, is hypoallergenic. So it’s great for those of us who have sensitive skin or other problems with allergies!

I am pretty excited about this metal; I hope you are too!

Blessed!

I think I have another post on here with that same title. It's so true though! I look back from where God has brought me and I just realize more and more how blessed I truly am! God is good! Even when things are rough, He is still good and still proves Himself faithful. Not only is He good in His giving of blessings, but He is good in that He never lets me stay where I am. He never lets me grow complacent in my walk with Him. I am so thankful for that! Just when I think I am doing ok, He sends subtle reminders of the weight of my sin and draws me back to the cross.

I just had the chance this past week to spend time with a wonderful Christian family at the beach. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by such love for the Lord and for each other. I pray that if God ever allows me to have a family, that my family will be a picture of God's love, as this family has been to me.

Book Recommendation

I have been attending a Discipleship class at Open Door Baptist Church that my good friend Josh is teaching. I just wanted to recommend to you the book that we have been using. It is called Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. What an impact it has had on me and the rest of the class! This book, combined with Josh's passionate teaching, make it so easy to realize the weightiness of the sin in our lives that we seem to daily ignore.

We began the study with a theology of sin. The first night was tough to swallow! I think we all left the room feeling the size of an ant. Then the first sin that we broke down was ungodliness. We learned that ungodliness is so often thought of in the sense of actions and words, not an attitude of the heart. Ungodliness is not just mere sinful behavior, but it is a state of mind. Going about my entire day and not thinking of God except for the 30 minutes I spend in the Word when I wake up is ungodly. My thoughts are not God-ward all day, all the time, therefore they are ungodly. We are about half-way through the study, but here are the rest of the sins that we will deal with...

Each of Bridge's chapters cover one or two "respectable sins":

* general ungodliness defined as a sinful attitude towards God
* anxieties and frustrations
* discontentment
* unthankfulness
* pridefulness
* selfishness with our interests, time, money and inconsiderableness
* lack of self-control in eating, drinking, temperament, finances, entertainment and shopping
* impatience and irritability
* anger, even anger towards God
* judgmentalism
* envy, jealousy, competitiveness
* the sins of the tongue like gossip, slander, lying, harsh words, sarcasm, insults and ridicule
* worldliness shown financially, by our idolatry and in “vicarious immorality,” that is, the enjoyment of watching or reading the sinfulness of others.


I definitely recommend this book! ESPECIALLY if you are reading this right now thinking, "I don't need that!"

New Music

I have found and have been given all of this great music lately that I really love and just wanted to share with you in case you are looking for something new for your iTunes playlist! It's a decent variety, so hopefully you'll see something you might like! Here are a few (very few) of my new (some newer than others) favorite titles and artists in no particular order:


"On a Night Like This" - Dave Barnes
"Set the World on Fire" - Britt Nicole
"God of This City" - Chris Tomlin
"Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul" - Indelible Grace
"Oh the Deep, Deep Love" - Sovereign Grace
"Glorious One" - Steve Fee
"Keeping Me Alive" - The Afters
"Scarlet" - Brooke Fraser
"Don't Worry Now" - Britt Nicole
"Clinging to the Cross" - Tim Hughes w/Brooke Fraser
"Lost!" - Coldplay
"Sovereign Lord" - Southeast Christian Church
"Lucky" - Jason Mraz w/Colbie Caillat
"At the Cross" - Hillsong

Chiang Mai Update #3

Sawa dee ka! (Common Thai greeting)

The first group of students from Southeastern left Chiang Mai last Thursday morning after a piano recital Wednesday night. Most of our piano students played one song they had learned and then some of us played in quartets (shown in picture). We sent our students home with their keyboards to continue learning and hopefully use the curriculum to share the gospel with more people. One of the pictures shows the restaurant where we spent most of our time (Sojo’s). We taught piano in 2 different classrooms that we rented on the third floor of the restaurant.

We had a free day last Friday before the second group arrived, so several of us put our money together and rented a Jeep. We drove north through the mountains and visited several villages. One of the most well known tribes is the Long Neck Tribe. One of the pictures is of a little girl in this village. I plan to do a little more research when I get home to find out more about this people group.

The second group arrived safely last Saturday with no major problems at the airports. That was definitely a blessing! We worshipped together Sunday morning and tried to get to know each other before taking some free time to catch up on reading. Those of us who have stayed for the entire month are responsible for having six books read as a part of the requirements for receiving class credit for the trip. I am still working on that!

We started on Monday studying about Islam. Monday afternoon we visited a local mosque and all of the ladies wore traditional head coverings called Hi Jab (pictured). We found out that there are many reasons for the Hi Jab ranging from protecting the skin to protecting men from having lustful thoughts. We then walked through the neighborhood around the mosque in an attempt to find persons who would be willing to meet with us throughout the week and answer our questions about Islam. I was in a group with two other girls and the first two people we talked to in the neighborhood were both Christians! It was neat to talk to them about sharing the gospel with Muslims and I found out that one of them became a Christian through a college ministry called Campus Outreach and now works on staff with that organization. I was involved with Campus Outreach in college and actually became a Christian through that organization as well. It was a neat connection!

We then met two Muslim women to interview throughout the week. We were able to present the gospel to one of them, Diana, but she said she was still learning about the Koran and wanted to know everything about the Koran before trying something new. Please continue to pray for our interactions with Diana over the next week, as well as our conversations with Buddhists in the coming week.

As I type this, I am lying in bed, sick with a sinus infection. Please pray for a speedy recovery so I can make the most of the time I have left in Chiang Mai.

Thank you again for your love and prayers! It has been great reading emails from some of you; it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that people back home are praying for you! Praise God with me for two more lost sinners saved by God’s grace!

Grace and peace to you, Kate

Chiang Mai Update # 2

This is my second update that I sent out to my financial and prayer supporters! There is so much to say! What a crazy two weeks we have had! Unfortunately the pictures will not upload for some reason, so I'll just have to show you when I get back!



There is so much I want to tell you and it is so hard to condense it to a short enough email that you will want to read the whole thing! This is just a small glimpse into what is going on here in Chiang Mai. I will share lots of stories when I get home, I am sure!

A common phrase you will hear around Chiang Mai is “Same same, but different!” I’ll give you an example: When we first arrived in Chiang Mai we had to recruit students to teach how to play the keyboard. Each time we talked to someone we had to specify “piano keyboard” because they thought we were talking about a computer keyboard. Their response would be, “Same same, but different.” It has become a very familiar phrase to all of us on the trip, to the point where it is a joke: “You wear pant, I wear skirt, same same, but different!” (They do not use any form of the verb “to be” or any junction words)

On Saturday, we went to the Mae Taeng Elephant Park and road on elephants up a river and through the jungle. There were many times I felt my life was in danger! Then we rode on a bamboo raft back down the river and I got to “drive” the raft for a while, as you can see in the picture! Our raft drifted peacefully down the river, but the other group did not have the same experience. At one point in the river, there is a rope stringing all of the way across, about 4 feet above the water. One of our group members decided it would be a good idea to hold onto the rope. He happened to be standing at the front of the raft with 6 people behind him including the driver. He held onto the rope, somehow forgetting that the raft would keep moving, and knocked over everyone behind him like dominos (including one of our professors), then fell into the water taking the driver with him! I wish I could have seen it, I can only imagine what it looked like! Fortunately, no one was hurt and the driver thought it was hilarious.

As of today, three people that we know of have accepted Christ as their personal savior. Two of them are two of our piano students. One of our team members (Josh, in the picture) found someone who wanted to learn how to play guitar, so he bought a cheap guitar and decided to teach guitar lessons instead of piano lessons. I personally have two piano students now (Mae and Kanokkorn) and both are Christians (Mae is pictured with me). Please pray that I would be encouraged by the opportunity to disciple two sisters in Christ. For some reason I have been disappointed that I have not had the opportunity to share the Gospel with unbelievers. Everyone with whom I come into contact is a Christian! Praise God that there are this many Christians in Chiang Mai. I know I will meet non-Christians when we enter into the last two weeks of the trip. We will not be teaching piano anymore and a new group from Southeastern will join four of us that are staying when the group that is currently here leaves. The last two weeks will consist of 6 credit hours of classes and evangelism through interviewing Buddhists and Muslims. Please pray that I would be bold in my interactions with Buddhists and Muslims over the next three weeks.

Please also pray that I will be able to swallow chicken, rice, and unidentifiable spicy stuff for three more weeks! I don’t know that I can stand it much longer! I guess I should be thankful for the food. Please also pray that my stomach would get used to the different diet as well. Some days have been a little worse than others, but overall God has blessed me and kept me relatively healthy.

Lastly, please pray for the Chiangmai Life Church. It is a small Chinese church where two of our piano students attend. We were able to attend church with them this past Sunday and they provided a meal for us after we worshipped with them in English and Chinese. We led a few songs and sang English while they sang Chinese, and then they led a few songs all in Chinese. One of our team members then gave the sermon and another team member, who is from Malaysia originally, translated for him. Please pray for their church growth in this Buddhist nation.

Thank you for your love and prayers!

First Chiang Mai Update

Wow, as I write this post, everything is in Thai! The only thing English on this page is what I am typing. I hope that I am familiar enough with this site to be able to post everything even though I can't read the buttons! This post is actually an update that I emailed out just a few minutes ago. I am posting it in case someone doesn't get the email but wants to see what is going on in Chiang Mai! Here it is:

Greetings from Chiang Mai!

After 4 straight days of traveling, being delayed in Raleigh for one day, leaving 5 of our group in Raleigh with a canceled flight, and spending an extra day in Bangkok, I am finally in Chiang Mai! Praise the Lord! We had so many problems getting here that Northwest booked us on a US Airways flight with business class seats from L.A. to Tokyo and Tokyo to Bangkok. The seats were AMAZING! God definitely had His hand in delaying us a day and separating our group in order to give us excellent flights to Chiang Mai! We felt so loved and blessed! When I first stepped on board the flight from L.A. I saw the seats and immediately took a Dramamine to make sure I stayed asleep in those plush seats. I ended up sleeping for 7 hours straight and completely missed the fruit plate, salad, braised beef short ribs in port wine sauce, twice baked cheddar potato, fresh steamed veggies, and caramel cheesecake. I was so sad! Anyway, enough about the flight.

Please pray for one team member that is very sick. We rushed her to the emergency room in Bangkok the first night we were in that city. Her eyes were so red and swollen that she could barely open them. She was in such intense pain that we forced her to go to the hospital. The doctor looked at her and said, “ooo.” Haha! He said it was probably a “bacteria infection” and gave her antibiotics and eye drops. We then went to the hospital again in Chiang Mai and she was diagnosed with Pink eye and Tonsillitis. Please pray for her healing and the rest of the group’s health as Pink eye is so contagious!

We arrived in Chiang Mai and only had 1 student that had previously signed up to learn piano from us. So, the first day we were here we went out to local malls and recruited students to teach! I just started teaching my student yesterday and it was a lot of fun! The purpose of teaching piano is to use the curriculum our professor wrote for us that has Scripture throughout in order to share the Gospel with our students. It turns out my student is already a Christian! At first I was excited for her, then I was bummed that I wasn’t going to get a chance to try out the curriculum, but then I realized I had an opportunity to encourage this sister in Christ and disciple her while I am here. I talked with Ed (one of our professors) about this and he said it could be very important that I be here to encourage her. He tells us often that to be Thai is to be Buddhist. It is very difficult to live the life of a Christian among Buddhists and for me to be here as a sister in Christ encouraging her and exhorting her to be bold in her faith is just as important as leading someone to Christ. I am very excited about this opportunity that I have to disciple a sister from another country. I pray that I can be an encouragement to her and maybe even help her be bold in her faith to her non-Christian friends and meet with all of them to help her lead them to Christ. That would be so neat!

Please continue to pray that our team would reach out to this city handing out Gospel tracts and forming relationships with our baristas at Starbucks while we are teaching our students and building relationships there as well.

Thank you for your prayers!

My Soul's Sufficiency

I have had so many thoughts running through my head as I have been spending an unplanned extra day in Raleigh before my flight tomorrow.

I am still going through phases of ups and downs in dealing with my grief. At times I just break down in tears, but then there are times that God is so gracious to give me peace. I just pray that God's will be done in my life whatever it may be.

Go figure, music is therapy! You would think I know that by now after majoring in music therapy for 4 years, but there are times when I really believe it! It is so neat to see how God uses lyrics of Christian songs to encourage me when I need it. One song that I've been singing in my head over and over again is "Child of God" by Kathryn Scott:

With every breath, with every thought
From what is seen to the deepest part
I offer all that I've come to be
To know Your love fathering me

Father You're all I need
My soul's sufficiency
My strength when I am weak
The love that carries me
your arms enfold me, till I am only
A child of God

With every step on this journey's walk
And wisdom's songs that the soul has sought
I give myself unreservedly
To know Your love fathering me


If I really am offering all that I am to Him, then I have to trust in His plans for me. Even when He does things in my life that I would like to question, I have to trust Him. He has ultimate control over my life. He can give and take away good things as He pleases because either way it will be for my good. My life is in His hands. He consistently reminds me of these verses,

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. " Isaiah 55:8-9



I will still love Him and praise Him in the storm.

Update :)

As some of you saw on facebook, I've been asking for prayers for my heart. Many people have asked me about it, so I want to clarify. It was prayers for my heart emotionally, not physically. Even though a lot of times emotional heartache can affect you physically, and it did. But thank you for the prayers! God has been doing a lot of healing and drawing me closer to Himself through all of this. God was so gracious to provide for me to be able to fly up to NY and spend a weekend with my best friend Patti. It was much needed for both of us actually! I had an amazing time and I'm so glad I was able to go up there....more on that later! Thank you for your prayers also for my preparations for my trip to Thailand. My new passport arrived on Friday! Praise God! We were getting worried about that, but it's all good now!

Now for more serious prayer concerns. Some of you may have noticed if you have seen me in the past week and a half, a large sore on my forehead. When you saw me, I didn't really know what it was. It turns out that it is actually pretty serious. I don't really want to go into the details, but I do need to ask for prayers for healing. Because of this sore, I may not be able to leave the country. That is not good! Most of you know that I leave in less than two weeks for my trip to Chiang Mai. This has to heal before I go, or they will not let me in to their country because of the nature of the infection. Please pray for quick healing as I am looking forward SO much to this trip!

I would also like to ask for prayers for my spiritual preparation. I pray that I would diligently prepare my heart for the people I will meet and prepare myself in the Word so that I will be able to clearly explain the curriculum we are using to teach these students. I also have several books that I have to read before I go! Pray that I would use my time efficiently and read the materials in preparation for the Thai culture.

I can't wait to see how God uses the next week and a half to prepare my heart for the trip and also to see what He does through our teams in Thailand.

Please also continue to pray for big decisions in the next two weeks. The next year of my life depends on this decision. Pray that I would decide on the thing that would most glorify Christ in my life.

Remembering Justin Cope

We will forever remember Justin's big smile and even bigger heart. He was such a great friend, he will truly be missed. My prayers are with the family in South Carolina. It was so great to see everybody Thursday night, I'm so sad that this is what it took to get us all back together, but thankful that we did have a reunion. I love all of you and miss you dearly. I pray that we will see each other again soon under different circumstances. Charleston will always be in my heart!!

Justin Cope
COPE, Justin Justin Edward Cope, age 25, beloved husband of Kimberly Blevins Cope and son of Orben and Vickie Cope of Rock Hill, SC, died Tuesday, June 12, 2007. He was born July 7, 1981 in Chattanooga, TN. He attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, SC and graduated from Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC with a major in music and with Cum Laude honors. He was a member of New Vision, Concert Singers, and the Singing Buccaneers. He was employed at Oakbrook Elementary School as a music teacher. Justin is survived by his wife, Kimberly, his parents, Orben and Vickie Cope of Rock Hill, his brother, Chad of Rock Hill, his sister, Jessica Quinn (Philip) of York, SC, his aunt and uncle, Mildred and Ray Shrum, aunt & uncle, Jane and Ken Shrum, all of East Ridge, TN aunts Helen and Cindy Skiles, of Soddy Daisy, TN, uncles, David and Michael Taylor of Chattanooga, TN. He was the grandson of the late Jessie and June Cope and the grandson of Walter and Irene Taylor of Chattanooga, TN; mother & father-in-law, Ann Marie Blevins and Mark S. Blevins, Sr., brothers-in-law, Mark Stephen Blevins, Jr.(Chelsea) and Gary Lee Blevins, II, and uncle, Billy Wayne Garrett, Jr. The relatives and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Justin E. Cope are invited to attend the funeral service at Cathedral of Praise, Friday, June 15, 2007 at two o'clock. Interment will follow in Dorchester Memory Gardens. Friends may call at J. HENRY STUHR, INC., GREENRIDGE ROAD CHAPEL, Thursday, June 14, 2007 from five until seven o'clock. Memorials may be made to Cathedral of Praise Building Fund, 3790 Ashley Phosphate Road, N. Charleston, SC 29418. A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths. Published in the Charleston Post & Courier on 6/13/2007.

Sign his guestbook here

God is Faithful

Relationships are such a leap of faith. We are depraved humans and will never be perfect in our interactions with each other. We will never "know" the future 100%. We can only trust in what God has laid on our hearts and pray that His will will be accomplished in and through us. We take a step in faith and trust that God will take care of the rest. Relationships are so much work too! Things are not supposed to always come easy. With two sinners entering into a relationship, there are going to be problems and things that the two people will have to fight through. A wise pastor told me this morning that you have about 10 things in your head that you have to work through in your relationship, but really there are about 100 other things that you haven't even thought of yet that you will have to work through! The important part is that you are committed to God and committed to that person and working through whatever it is that comes your way. This is not always easy! It requires SO much trusting in God and tons of prayer. Each step in a relationship is a step in faith. Just take the step and pray that God will honor your faith in Him to accomplish his purpose in you.


A friend of mine reminded me of a verse last night that is helping me through all of this -

2 Timothy 2:13 - "If we are faithless, he remains faithful."

Not that I'm completely faithless, but there are times in the day when I feel so hopeless and begin to doubt that God is indeed good. Praise God that even when I doubt, He is still there and will ALWAYS be good.

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Some of the truths I am claiming right now come straight from this song that we sang today at Providence. I could barely get through the whole song on stage without bursting into tears. What powerful words!


Wonderful, merciful savior,
precious redeemer and friend.
Who would've thought that a lamb could
rescue the souls of men,
Oh you rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, comforter, keeper,
Spirit we long to embrace.
You offer hope when our hearts have
hopelessly lost our way,
Oh we've hopelessly lost our way.

You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace
our hearts always hunger for,
Oh our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty infinite father
faithfully loving Your own.
Here in our weakness you find us
falling before your throne,
Oh we're falling before your throne.

IHOP with Patti!

This morning was my last morning with the Patti until she comes back to visit! We ate breakfast at IHOP before she drove off to spend time with her cousin and then move up to New York. Here are some funny pictures from the morning!

On her cell phone. Typical.

We had the camera set up on top of her car and kept trying to use the timer to take our picture! Haha! These are funny pictures from that experience:



Look at how full the car is!

Waving Goodbye!

Driving off :(

Patti's Birthday

Long overdue pictures of Patti's birthday at The Cheesecake Factory! I got up to tell our waitor it was Patti's birthday, and when I got back they had taken like 30 pictures on my camera! So...here are a few of my favorites.

Patti's Birthday

Patti's birthday was today! Look for pictures from the celebration at The Cheesecake Factory coming soon....

Jessica and John Hardin

The last wedding of my summer and I got to spend it in Charleston! Yay! It was great to return to my stomping grounds, but I was definitely sad cuz I didn't realize how much I missed it down there.

Jessica and John Hardin - August 5, 2006

So happy!

Citadel tradition. They must kiss before the cadets let the newly-weds through. What you don't see in this picture is the painful smack on the butt that Jessica got after the kiss from the sword of the cadet to her right.

I took a cool picture of the cake. I like trying to be artsy sometimes :)


Yes, there was an ice sculpture! Can you see the fruit around the bottom of it? And the giant martini glasses holding the chocolate to dip the fruit in? Yum!


Must have been a funny story, Daniel!


Frances, Me, Emily, and Alex hanging out at the reception. The food was some of the best food I have ever had at a wedding and the decorations were gorgeous!


This made me wanna gag cuz it was so sweet! John joined the live band to sing a song to Jessica. Then he got off the stage to dance with her while he was singing to her. Did you see that, God? Are you taking notes? :)


The back of Jessica's dress. Isn't it gorgeous?!


Congrats to all the newlyweds from this summer! God bless you in your marriage!

Updates?

For some reason, my blog is not updating. Did I go so long without using it that it shut down? I have changed my picture several times and updated my profile, but it still seems to appear the same. I've also written entries....but do you see them? NO! Where are they?

Emily and Todd Bennett

Emily and Todd Bennett - July 8, 2006

Exchanging Rings

He sure went after that kiss!

Mike P. signing the "guest book"

Me and Patti

Even the youngest of attendees had a good time! I got a chance to hold little Elijah for part of the reception, but people kept coming up to me asking questions like, "Awe, how old is he? Is he your first?" Yeah, I decided to give him back after that!

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett

What a waste

No, not just this blog. My life. What a waste. What am I really doing with my life? I'm doing nothing that i wanted to do by 23; i'm working at starbucks, now for really no reason since the biggest reason i started working there was to have benefits; i'm going to seminary for what? i'm in the middle of applying to grad school why? i live with my mom which is a complete disaster, but can't afford to live anywhere else; i thought i was supposed to do career missions in the future, but now really have no clue; not sure if i even really want to do music therapy, but i'm doing it anyway because i need the money; i feel like i would love it if i was actually serving the people that i want to serve, but i can't right now because i'm too busy to do anything besides what i have to do for work; i'm sick of living this life.... for some reason right now it seems meaningless. I know it's not. I know He gives my life meaning. He is the reason for me even living right now. My life is meant to glorify Him. Ok. I know this. But what is it that is going to glorify Him? I have no direction. I have no clue where to go from here in order to glorify Him most. I want to find joy in the purpose He has for this life of mine. I'm not happy. I know He does not exist to make me happy. I am not one of those people who say, "God wants me to be happy." I know that is not His chief purpose. But doesn't He want me to find joy in the things He has designed for me to do? Then why do I not like my life right now? Right now... really for the past year. I feel like I'm doing nothing that I want to be doing. I want to be doing what He wants me to be doing. Is this really it? Then I should be content with it. Is it something else? Then show me!!!! Why is it that the only time I'm really happy is when I'm singing to Him or shoveling concrete in some foreign country for a family that has nothing, but everything at the same time? I love Him, I love music, I want to serve Him through music. I want to serve His people using music. But what does this mean exactly? I need a man. LOL. I need a biblical husband in my life to give me some leadership! Chip, I hope you're working on that list for me! Too bad my heart has been drawn to a man for a very long time and he couldn't care less about my existence! Right now I'm pushing myself in so many different directions, that I don't know which way is up. I just desire that the Lord would give me definite direction for the here and now. I trust Him with my life and my future, and I know that His plans for me are to give me hope and those plans will all end up good in the long run, but do I trust Him with my immediate future?