So, This is Pretty Cool...

Are any of you watchers of The Voice on NBC?
{we are not}

Did you see Angel Taylor's performance from last week?
{we...obviously...did not}

...let's watch together, shall we?...
{there's a reason for this, I promise}

Wasn't she awesome?
Her voice kind of reminds me of...that one girl...Bjork.
...except not totally weird.


...so why am I talking and posting about a show we don't watch?

Because we went to the contemporary service at church on Sunday....and Angel Taylor was there, co-leading with our regular worship leader, David Dunn...who I believe is also going to be on The Voice!

I sang praises to God with someone who was on prime time television.
Cool.

Oh, Pinch Me!

What could be better than attending a Women of Faith conference?
Winning tickets to it!!!
I was one of many lucky bloggers to win two tickets to the conference in Kansas City, courtesy of Book Sneeze - the same publishing program through whom I review books!!!

I am so stinkin' excited!!!

I've never been to this conference, but have heard nothing but wonderful things about it!
If you've been I'd love to hear about your experience.

In case you've not heard of it before, here's a pretty compelling promo video to explain....

At the conference I'm attending there are a handful of great speaker, entertainers and some amazing musical guests...Mandisa, Amy Grant....hello!!!!

It's going to be a blast!

Women of Faith has conferences all over the country and dates from August through November!
There's a really good chance that one will be near you.
You can check out the 2011 schedule HERE.

A Lesson from Breck

Sometimes the things our children do or say are flat out funny, other times they are insanely embarrassing, and every so often our children teach us how to live.

Over the weekend Breck exhibited the latter.


We were coming home from our church's Easter service. When we were a few blocks from home, Breck asked if I would roll down his window in the backseat. He likes to stick his hand out the window and let the wind carry it - which I think all kids like to do! - so I rolled it down assuming that's what he had in mind.


What he actually did surprised both Seth and I.


Breck shouted as loud as he could out the window:
"God and Jesus are good!!! They love me!! They love you!! And they are good!!!"




He was sharing the Good News with anyone who would listen! 


How beautiful on the mountains
   are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
   who bring good tidings,
   who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
   “Your God reigns!”


Isaiah 52:7




He was not ashamed.


For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.


Romans 1:16






He was proclaiming God's love from a heart filled with joy, not obligation.


I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.


Habakkuk 3:18




I am quite ashamed to say that my gut reaction was embarrassment. Thankfully it was fleeting and I realized that those of us who call ourselves Christians and followers of Jesus Christ should be exactly like this each and every day! We need to be bold and joyful, to proclaim the Good News loudly and unashamed!




Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”


Luke 9:47-48

Breck Says the Darndest Things

While in the car on the way to the store, Seth asked Breck something. 

To which Breck replied "Hold on Daddy, I'm talking to God."

When they got home, Seth told me what Breck had said.

I wanted to know more, so I asked Breck "Were you praying to God or just telling Him about your day?"

Breck told me "Oh, you can pray anywhere!! At church, in your house, in a car, a pirate ship, your bedroom, in a chair, or a boat...anywhere!"

Rowan's Favorite Book

Can you tell what it is?

It's a New Testament pocket Bible!

She LOVES it. 

It's not a children's version either, so there are no pictures...only words.

But she loves it nonetheless.

It's like her keen child-senses know that it is filled with everything she could ever need.

She even takes it to bed, hugging it close to her heart.

I could not be prouder of her!

A New Photo Challenge: Scripture & a Snapshot

I'm bumping this post up as a reminder for those who want to participate.





<center><a href="http://katielloydphotography.blogspot.com/search/label/Scripture%20and%20a%20Snapshot"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5005740786_2337690f81_m.jpg" width="196" /></a></center>

For a while now I've felt a strong need, perhaps an urgency, to stop quietly giving glory to God and to start shouting glory to Him!

I've been praying for a way to do this. And one day I heard a whisper: "Katie, why not make a weekly spiritual photo challenge?"

Hmmm....

Not a bad idea! Awesome work God - thanks!

So, Scripture & a Snapshot was born!

I'd love if you would join me in shouting to the masses about God's grace, mercy and love!!!

You never know who's heart you will touch and who's life can be changed from that!

***

Here's how to participate:

1. Select a photo.
It can be from your archives or a new shot.

2. Add a scripture verse to it.
Here's a link to a good Bible verse search engine. You can have the scripture on your photo, below it, make a collage - however you want, as long as the two elements are together!

3. Put the Scripture & a Snapshot button in your post.
(You can grab the code at the top of this post.)

4. Go to Katie Lloyd Photography and link up your post.
I'll leave the link list up Sunday through Wednesday.


I hope to see you there next Sunday!
If you're unsure of whether or not you want to participate...I just ask that you'll come by to visit.



This challenge will be hosted on my photo blog.
I know most of my photo friends still come here, so I've posted this on both sites.

365-234: A Quiet Place to Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

The "BFF with Jesus" Ceremony

Last weekend both kids were baptised!
We chose the special baptism service rather than baptism during the regular service. There were about 25 people getting baptised and ages ranged from newborns to adults. Some chose sprinkling and some chose immersion.

I found it especially cool to see the adults making this choice for themselves. There were several cultures/ethnicities represented which made me think of Psalms 86:9:

"All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name."



Both kids did a great job.
Breck smiled a lot. Overall, I think he thought it was pretty cool. We did tell him this is a "BFF with Jesus" ceremony, so that may have had something to do with it!

Rowan also did a good job of staying up there and behaving...

...but she was a bit perturbed about the water on her head.

Update on Our Church Shopping

I just realized it has been 7 months since I posted about our church shopping.

We found one.
It didn't take us seven months, though!

If you missed my first church shopping post, you can read that here.

We started out going to the smaller baptist church for about a month or two. Then we decided it was time to get involved with one of their small groups.
There was no one - and I mean No. One. - who was in the same life stage as us.
Not to say we can't be friends with people who are not, but it's very important for us to connect with those who are.

That was sometime around Thanksgiving.

And we didn't go back.

In fact , we just didn't go anywhere for the remainder of 2009. A series of out-of-town weekends kind of spun us into that rut.

But, a new year brought us back to the search.
We decided to start at COR Methodist (aka: mega church) considering the one sermon we heard was fantastic!

And we've been there ever since.
It is amazing how much they do to make the church family as small-feeling and personal as possible!

We recently finished the Lenten series: 24 Hours That Changed the World. It was a 6 week course on the final 24 hours of Jesus' earthly life. And it was eye-opening to say the least.
I think it is no coincidence that at the time we were particiapting in this course, I was in the midst of reading Exodus through Numbers. I was finding those books somewhat difficult to read, as a lot of it is repetitive and hard to correlate to life today. However, I realized the importance of it and how it directly relates to the crucifixion of Jesus. Let's just say I had more than a handful of "Ah-ha!" moments!

We just started the Alpha course and I'm sure we'll gain something meaningful from it, too.

It sure is nice to finally feel at home!
:)

What Would You Do?

My friend, Tammy, forwards me her daily email devotionals. While they are all good, the one from today really got me thinking. And now I'm going to pose the question to you:


What would you do differently if you knew Jesus was coming today?


My initial reaction was "Oh, I should take a shower and look presentable before my Lord!"
But then I thought about it some more and decided that was a really. dumb. idea.

So I thought even more and thought about things I could do with my family.

But ultimately, I decided that what I would do is very simple.
I would put aside my insecurities of what friends would think of me and I would call a handful of people, all of whom I am quite certain are not saved, and I would do my best to convince them that His death was very real - and it was for them.

That He will never fail them or abandon them.
And that kind of love will never be found on this earth.


(portion of Joshua 1:5)

~~~

Would Jesus really, truly care if my hair was washed?
No.

I believe He would care about how I lived my life.
Did I share this awesome and life changing information with others or did I keep it to myself?

"And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives."
Jude 22,23 (NLT)


And then I realized that I should be living each and every day as if I knew Jesus was coming today.

An Update on Jace

I feel a little very weird about updating on the status of our friends' son, Jace. (Courtney & Justin, I hope you don't mind me taking some liberty here!) But, I'm doing this because I have received a handful of emails and comments asking how he's doing. And I'm going to assume there are others out there who are wondering the same thing.

So, I put together a little link-to timeline on Jace's progress.

Here's the story of how Jace came to our friends.

This is an update right after his surgery.

This post demonstrates just how amazing the Lord is!

Like mother, like son.

Whoa, he was hungry.

A 4 DAY recovery?!

Chicks dig scars.


I hope you'll take the time to read through Courtney and Justin's blog, because they are truly amazing and wonderful people, who happen to have some really weird quirks. ;) Mostly you'll laugh, but sometimes you'll cry, and other times you'll cry because of laughter!

Thank you to each and every one of you who took time to say a prayer for Jace! I know his family appreciates it!

And you may as well stick their blog into your reader.
I promise, you will not be disappointed!

Please Pray for Jace!

Our friends' 4 month old son is having heart surgery today.
I ask that you keep this little one in your thoughts and prayers.

You can visit their family blog here.
Especially visit if you need a laugh - Jace's big sis, LC, is quite the comic genius!


*Note* This post will remain at the top of my blog until tomorrow night.
Scroll down for new posts.

Whole Lotta Daisies!

You didn't think I'd only have one photo of these beauties, did you?!



Way too pretty to keep to myself!









Even without color - still pretty!



The one below is SOOC - no editing done at all.



Lovin' the curly stems...





I didn't waste the 30 minutes of direct sunlight we had this morning. ;)




What an Amazing God we serve!
...such an artist!

Literature 2 Life: January Challenge

Ecclesiastes 3:6

Look What the Husband Dragged Home...With a Little Help.

A couple days ago, Seth was at a food show for his job.
When he got home, he came bearing flowers!
Then he went out to his car and brought in a giant cookie for the kids with their names on it!
Then he went out to his car again and brought in a box of food.
And then an even bigger one!

I kept asking how much everything cost. Finally he told me $50, which I was pretty happy about, especially considering the pepperoni alone would have cost $20 in the store.
And then he told me he really got it for free!

No joke.

Apparently at these food shows, the vendors trade goods.
Seth works for a chocolate company.
'Nuf said.


I must note that the timing of this is beyond mere coincidence.

This month we participated in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge and I had set a pretty low grocery budget for the entire month. (although we ended up spending double that amount) As a result, some things, such as meats other than chicken, fresh fruits and bbq sauce were nearly gone. (Seth refuses to use the bbq packets I've hoarded from McDonald's) And to completely replenish those items all at once would have cost a pretty penny. Now we don't have to worry about that. Plus, a lot of this is food we normally would not buy because...simply put, it's beyond our means.

Also interesting to note is that our church put out a call for food donations. I've been thinking hard about how to get the most for our money during this drive. And with this bounty we received, I won't have to worry about stretching our dollar so far it hurts. (of course, I'm still going to stretch it!)

The fact that this abundance comes at the exact right time can only be attributed to God providing for His children.
Yes, Seth brought it home. Yes it was through Seth's job.
However, the Lord worked His ways so Seth could have this job.
The Lord knew what our circumstances would be at the end of the month and He provided.

Now, this isn't to say that if you pray for food, it will show up at your door. I mean, it could, but it's unlikely. What I'm trying to say is that if you put your faith in Him, your worries will be put to rest.



Oh, and those flowers there on the left side of the table were also free...our anniversary was the very next day! ;)


Totally God at work here!

Look What God Made!

Seth was getting his car warmed up this evening, when he came inside and told me to grab my camera. This is what he showed me:



Isn't that cool?
And here's a very blurry close-up:

It's just baffling to me to think that God made every single snowflake, especially considering how much snow we have right now - and each so beautiful, too!

30-Day Giving Challenge

This morning, I saw this post on Keeping the Kingdom First.

It really hit my heart.

Lately, I've been feeling God whispering in my ear to stop being so darned stingy with our money and to start giving. He has blessed us with so much, especially considering Seth was laid off in April, and it's time we antied up.

Last weekend, while walking back to my car (from a bachelorette dinner/party on the Plaza) I saw a homeless man curled up with what seemed to be everything he owned, sleeping on a bus stop bench. I am embarrassed to admit, my first thought as I walked by was "please don't hurt me!" but then I started thinking about the movie The Pursuit of Happyness and my thoughts changed to "maybe he's just down on his luck or a lifetime of wrong choices have led him here."
At that moment, I felt God pushing me to reach into my purse and leave some money...a $10 bill to be exact...He was very specific that night.

But I didn't.

I kept walking.

Would $10 less in my pocket change the life of my family?
No.
Would $10 more in the pocket of that man change his life?
Maybe.

There is a chance he'd have blown it on cigarettes and liquor.
And there's also a chance he'd have spent it on a warm breakfast.

My inaction has weighed on my heart and when I saw the 30-Day Giving Challenge, I immediately started thinking of how we could give generously.

This challenge does not necessarily mean giving away money every day. It could be time or food, clothing or lending an ear for a lonely person. It's about what God is calling you to do, listening to Him and doing it! It's not about bragging and a look-at-what-I-did challenge, but a personal life-altering challenge.


I plan to blog each week about the opportunities that my family has encountered, but will keep what we gave private. Blogging will allow me to keep track of what we've done and how God has changed us for the better, and maybe it'll give some of you ideas on how to help others too!

*

Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Knit or crochet a hat, blanket, mittens, whatever and donate to a homeless shelter
- For those who coupon, share your freebies and stockpiles with those in need. You know you won't use all 30 bottles of that shampoo in your stash!
- Those who enjoy baking or cooking can take cookies to neighbors or take a meal to someone who needs it.
- Visit someone in a nursing home who rarely has visitors. (although I'd call ahead and arrange it with staff first)
- Volunteer at a local food pantry.
- Carry gift cards to various chain restaurants (like McDonald's, etc...hey, they have healthy choices now!) and give those to homeless people on the street.

I'd love to hear what ideas you have rolling around in your head!

Are you up for the challenge?
I hope you'll join me!

*

Psalm 41:1-2
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.

Matthew 6:1-4
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Church Shopping

A new house in a new town means lots of new things - like a new church.

***

Two weeks ago we went to our first "trial" church service - Emmanuel Baptist Church (in case you didn't notice, their website address spells "god for us": www.godfor.us - I thought that was clever!) - and immediately someone was attending to our needs and walking us to the right place for childcare/nursery and making sure we had oodles of information about what they offer (like AWANA and MOPS, both of which I'd love for us to be involved with) and someone even walked us to the sanctuary.
They were very friendly and made us very welcomed to say the least.

When we sat down, we noticed a lot of gray heads...

The sermon was really good and they didn't overdo it on the singing.
(don't get me wrong, I like to sing but our last church had 30 minutes of it! ...a little too much for us.)

And we just happened to pick a great day to visit, as they were having a free lunch!
So, we went to that.
And the pastor came and sat with us! (He had even stopped to chat with Seth in the hallway before service.) I thought that was a nice touch. As we ate lunch and talked, he let us know that their early service was geared more to people our age. So, we'll be trying that service soon!

***

The following week we were out of town.

***

And today we "tested" The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
(whew, that's a mouthful!)

Umm....it's a mega church.
Seth is pretty sure he heard a stat that they have 12,000 members at this one location. We didn't know it was going to be sooooo big! They had crossing guards in the parking lot!

My first reaction walking up was "No way is this going to be for us. Unless it's just one killer sermon!"
And then we walked into the building. And thought we'd entered an airport.
I kid you not. There were big directional signs hanging from the ceiling to let you know where the sanctuary is and how to get there.
As we kept walking to find the "child drop off" we had to meander through kiosks, a coffee shop, an information center, and a gift shop. Just. Like. An airport.

They even had a city police officer there - not a rent-a-cop, but a real on duty police officer.

We found the check in place and got the kids to their rooms. And we were told that the section of the building with the children goes into lock down mode 15 minutes after service begins. And if we need to get our child, we have to use the phone at the doors.
Wow - now that's precaution.

So, we made it into the sanctuary...which was really a performing arts center.
It had stadium seating. With fold down seats. And a very large stage.
Seth made the comment that he has seen less people at a K-State basketball game.
There were 4 video camera operators and someone working the spotlights and dimmers, etc. Apparently, they broadcast online in real time...very "with it", this church.

And then it was time for the sermon.

It was fantastic!

Today it was all about listening for God's callings in your life and to stop saying no and making excuses and just say yes! The pastor gave lots of examples - I personally love examples, I need that real world interpretation - anyway, he used testimonials from people he knows, but also pulled examples from the bible.

I guess they don't have 12,000 members for no reason!

***

So, now we have a tough decision to make:
Go with the smaller (but still big) church and have those "extras" that we can participate in,
or we can attend the gianormous church that delivers a fantastic sermon.
...We'll go to the early services for each and then decide.