Be A Rest Once More Oh My Soul

Here I am at 9pm on a Friday night, writing list after list,  attempting to calm the anxiety I'm feeling. Finding comfort in the scribble of the pen as it writes a new idea or task of something I can tangibly do. The holidays are just around the corner and some big things have shaken up the plans I had for this year. Anxiety creeps in and I busy myself with what I feel I can control, the tidiness of my house, my schedule for the next few months, the to-dos I "must-do". Then a familiar song comes on my playlist with a comforting scripture. Peace sets in. Thankful for these simple reminders of God's love and deliverance.

Psalm 116: 

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death entangled me,
    the anguish of the grave came over me;
    I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Lord, save me!”

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
    our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul,
    for the Lord has been good to you.

8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord    in the land of the living.

Grow Strong

I have this new obsession. I LOVE plants. I had a roommate in college who really did have an obsession with plants...I mean at one point there was well over 30 plants I had counted in our apartment. I am definitely not anywhere on that level...but it certainly started something in me.

Does anyone remember playing the Sims? Man I loved that game...I really just enjoyed building dream houses and furnishing them. I was never really into making them have lives that wasn’t my thing. But the building and decor..give me all the cheat codes. Whenever I buy a new plant for my home I always get so excited and I think of how the Sims quality of life was always increased when you put in plants.

I have a new appreciation for these beauties. They make me so happy to see them growing and looking all sorts of beautiful.

I am on the hunt for a small stool for the fern to stand on.

I bought a succulent garden and it was on its last leg and two of them have died. I am going to have to replant them. I thought I could save them with some love but they were definitely on their way out.

Do you have any house plants? Share a photo in the comments!

The Gatz's Take Hawaii Part 1

We arrived on Thursday to the lovely island of Kauai. After getting our rental car, where they gouged us a whopping extra $25 a day (that's an extra $175 for those bad at math) we hit COSTCO! I am a HUGE fan of Costco so you can imagine how stoked I was that our first meal on the island was under $10. Naturally I was on cloud nine thinking things were off to a wonderful start. We got all our groceries and made a plan for the week about which days to eat out etc. 

As we left Costco,we walked out into a monsoon! I'm not exaggerating, it was pouring down rain in flash flood fashion. We waited until it died down a bit and end up walking to our car in ankle deep puddles....it was an experience. 

Folllowing Costco we departed for our condo, located thirty minutes away. Checkin didn't start til 4, but we were hopeful that at 3 we would possibly be able to get the checkin process started. We got there and they take down all our information do the inital check in, and let housekeeping know we were there and ready. Just as we were leaving we got a call back from the front desk...our reservations don't start until FRIDAY!!! Keep in mind, it is still Thursday. 

So we hit the road to find the nearest ice cream shop with free wifi. They don't exactly have coffee shops on the island. We were told it would likely be difficult to find a last minute place to stay, due to the Kauai marathon happening on Sunday. We started looking around and just about everyone wanted a little over $250 for the night. After calling multiple places, we tried the Kauai Beach Resort. I explained we were on our honeymoon, and that we had been thrown a curveball regarding our stay for that evening. They only had two rooms available, we went with the more cost effective choice. Once we got to the resort, we found out that due to heavy storms in the area and largely increased humidity, their AC had broken and was only opperating at 40% of what it should be able to do. No AC, not a big deal, the pool was open late and we could go for a late night swim to cool down.  With AC broken down it actually knocked down the price even more, and after retelling our honeymoon dilemma sob story to the front desk attended, she upgraded our room from a garden side room to and ocean side room at no extra cost. We felt so blessed.

At this point we decided that blogging and snapchatting would be a fun way to keep people up to date with our adventures. 

We hit the pools, the hotel we were at had four, plus a waterslide. I was all about the slide.

Time for some beach time!!

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Hittting the beach before we leave. 

Our reaction to the room! 

We made friends with the concierge who booked us an awesome resevation for a fancy dinner and spent the night laughing about everything that had happened.  We finally made it to our condo (see below) and its been smooth sailing ever since...aside from our snorkeling experience. We will post another blog about that one soon. 

Thanks for reading and following along!!

XOXO Mr. and Mrs. Gatz

Up next: Snokeling...hiking...wave surfing

Don't trust Mrs.Pacman

Today I had a bonding moment with Mrs. Packman. I mean we really have a lot in common, moving forward towards a goal but enemies are lurking around every corner. I feel as though every time I am finally making progress and things are starting to fall into place I hit a wall or come face to face with an unexpected and distorted obstacle.

Last week was amazing so many answers to prayer from Austen getting a job and selling his car to miraculous things happening at work. I had a solid 4 days that I really thought that I was going get a nice downhill ride for a while Austen and I were even about to sign a lease for a place to live.

…Then WHAM! We find out his employment is going to be taking him much further north than expected. Our “somewhere in the middle / yeah an hour commute for each of us isn’t too bad / we are significantly less likely to be shanked in the parking lot / we could still buy food after rent” housing situation was just not as practical as it had been a mere 12 hours before.

Just as I was about to lay on my floor this evening and have a good “Life is hard-I feel bad for myself” cry I was reminded of a verse I had just shared with a student last week.

Matthew 6:33-34:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself? Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Preach Matthew. Preach.

I could sit here and feel sad for myself and think things never go my way, because that’s really the heart issue here if I want to be honest with myself. I could sit on this floor and cry my eyes out and stress about all these things I can’t change. Yet I was just so incredibly encouraged by how much God was showing me provision the last few days. Oh and you know I was singing the tune “God is so good I will always trust him. Haha yeah I never doubted or worried about that, always knew he had it”.

Isn’t it so much easier to trust God when things are going well for us? When we think we can see the game board…when really all we see is what is behind us. Or when look back and see God saved us from something or had something better up ahead.

I love this passage in Matthew, because it leads with “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”. Am I really seeking God? Am I thankful for every trial…in the trial? Am I truly seeking God FIRST before I try to solve problems in my own strength?

I also love how this passage ends “therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself”. If I stress about tomorrows problems I will completely miss the opportunity to be appreciative of how today's were solved.

For example:

Today my boss was speaking with a student and used 2^nd Corinthians 10 to encourage a student…little did she know she was encouraging me too.

2^nd Corinthians 10:4: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

Just as I was starting to get overwhelmed tonight I was reminded of this scripture and what my boss had said “We have been equipped with the strongest weapon…the word of God”.

As I started getting overwhelmed with tomorrow’s worries I almost missed how God was trying to remind me that he has already given me the best weapon.

So tomorrow…or in the next few hours when I start to feel overwhelmed again. I am going to remember this passage and use it as my weapon. I will look to God and be thankful for the problems he has solved and know that he knows all the others that are looming. I trust…him. He sees the whole game board, while I only see the dots in front of me and the ghosts beside me. 

Also this lovely song is relative...and was on my pandora as I finished this post. Enjoy!

July Goals!

Happy July! Where in the world has the time gone? This weekend Austen and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary of engagement! A little over one month until we say "forever together"!

I'm currently in Boise Idaho filling in at my old center and found a few moments to get this blog finished. Shocking I know. I keep telling myself that I want to blog more. I can't tell you how many drafts of blog posts I have sitting in my drive, half written. It is embarrassing.

Given that it is the start of the month and many other bloggers I follow are posting their months goals I thought I would share mine. In reality I am doing this because it was much easier than finishing any number of my "almost blog posts".

July Goals:

1. Blog once a week

    Dear Lord, please let me actually accomplish this, this time.

2. Exercise at least 3 times a week

    With my new work schedule being so inconsistent, my gym time has taken a back seat. But I have a honeymoon I need to be in shape for!

3. Wedding plans

    For the love of all donuts, I need to get my act together. I am the worst bride. My procrastination habits have been amplified through this planning. For example: Look for favors? Naw, I think half writing a blog post would be a better use of my time. COMMIT TO NOTHING!! Friends, I need help.

4. Instagram more

    I love this form of social media and I could definitely be posting more.

5. Continue "Mornings with Jesus"

    A half finished blog post would explain this.

6. Find an apartment/house

   If you know much about the journey Austen and I have been on this past year then you know that this is a serious goal. Two indecisive people getting married means we basically only know we are getting married and going on a honeymoon. Everything after September 20th is a black hole of unknowns.

Hopefully I can get some of these other blogs posted....#bloggoals

XOXO
Kelly

I will endure

Am I the only one who finds being in a season of patience is the time when I am the least patient? I recently moved back to Seattle from Boise and I am finding that boredom does not suit me well. While I trust and believe that there is the right job for me, I would still prefer if I was already working. I am a busy body who doesn't cope with free time well. I am also a planner. If you know anything about me then you know glimmer in my eye (much like the one when I see donuts) when my planner bursting yet organized. I also love having my to-do list prepped the night before so I know what to expect from my day or week. Needless to say, when I walk through seasons where the next day, weeks, or months are entirely unpredictable, I have a hard time.

Despite the endurance this season of my life is requiring, I am still encouraged. I was driving the other day and I was reminded that before I get in my “life is hard” boat I should remember what I am thankful for. Yes, maybe my circumstances aren't the best right now. But if I have learned anything in the past year, it’s that life is constantly changing and everything is temporary. This time last year if I had known of all the trials AND victories I would face in a year I probably would have laid on the floor and cried for an hour…then I would have gotten up had a cup of coffee and said “alright let’s get this started”. Why? Because I wouldn't change anything about the past year. I am so thankful for all the lessons good and bad I have learned. Plus, at the core of all of these lessons there has always been one message, I have my salvation. As cliché as this idea is, it has been reiterated into my heart this past year. As I stated above all my circumstances are temporary, all of them…but not my salvation.

So on days like today, when both the weather and my mood are grey I am reminded that I will always have a reason to be thankful. I won’t be discouraged by the unknown, instead I will practice patience and continue to Praise God and be thankful. Below are two verses that have been a comfort on days like today, because even when I don’t know how to pray for myself, Jesus does.

Romans 8:34 “³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Romans 8:26 “²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

XOXO

Kelly Mac

Walking in faithfulness, and some other things

Since moving to Boise, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores have become my sanctuary. I live at the center I work at which can be draining. If I don’t get out once every day I feel like I’m in the program myself. So bookstores have become a place of comfort for me. As an introvert I get the opportunity to be quiet and left alone with the absence of work at the same time.

In my wanderings of the book stores I continue to hear a quote my youth pastor always said over and over “readers make leaders”. This quote rings so true now for me now. I have been challenged and grown a ton in the last month alone. My new adventure and my new reading habits have been dramatic. 

I am currently reading All In by Mark Batterson. It is amazing and so challenging. It forces you to look at your faith and ask yourself if you’re really following Jesus or “asking Jesus to follow you”. He also asks if we can ever really call the “sacrifices” we make for God true sacrifices if we get so much in return...for example heaven or just the joyfulness we receive for being in God’s will.

On the topic of sacrifices, I can’t seem to get away from Geneiss 22 lately. It has been in almost all of my devotionals. I’ve heard at least 4 sermons on it in the last month, and it was mentioned on the radio after I dropped Austen off after his visit to Boise.

This chapter tells the story of Abraham and his faithfulness to God. A few years after God fulfills his promise to Abraham by blessing him with a son, God asks him to sacrifice his son as an offering to him. Abraham then takes his son up the mountain builds the altar, binds his son up and prepares to begin the sacrifice and then God intervenes by providing a ram to sacrifice instead.

Can we just take a moment to be challenged by Abraham’s faithfulness?

Here is this handsome son whom was promised to Abraham and Sarah. These parents spent YEARS praying for and God to fulfill this what was promised to them. God finally delivers, literally, to a mother who was old and barren. Then after a few years God asks for Abraham to SACRIFICE his kid!

When I think about some of the promises God has fulfilled for me I don’t think I can honestly say without hesitation I could instantly respond to God’s request. And if I did finally manage to respond, I would definitely be stomping my feet up that mountain.

Let’s also not forget the men who were with Abraham on their walk up the mountain. Abraham didn’t disclose to them what God had asked of him. If it were me I would probably spend the three days of hiking asking everyone if they thought it was a good idea. But Abraham knew it was what God wanted and that was enough for him.

When God asks you do to do something for him do you spend you respond with immediate faithfulness like Abraham or do you take hold of your money, children, family, friends, and ask God if wants to take a minute to really think it over. 

Do you seek approval from those around you before you act?

What I take away from Abraham’s story is that God didn’t actually want Abraham to sacrifice his son. He was just testing Abraham’s faithfulness.

James 1:2-4 says:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

God tests us so that we can grow in faithfulness to him.

Moving to Boise was a serious test of faith for me. I left my fiancé, my closest friends, and my home and comfort zone. But now that I am here I am so joyful in the place I am at. I am challenged every day and I’m growing every day. God’s grace in my weakness has been daily and his love has been so apparent in my life. I am so thankful that I get to play the small part I do in the lives of the girls I work with as God writes their story of his grace.

Friends, we serve an amazing God! If you don't know him personally I hope one day you take a peek into his amazing offering to us of his life in exchange for ours. 

P.s. Here are some pictures of my adventures since moving to Boise

Letters from Home

My lovely friend Halona noming on some delicious cookie ice cream sammys

My awesome coworker Shantelle. I love this girl! She challenges and inspires me in so many ways.

That morning I got up early to watch a hot air balloon launch 

Selfies while baking in Idaho...the dang elevation makes it interesting. 

Church Picnic! 

Austen came to visit!!

Sunset at table rock

^^A late night filming/tumblr how to sesh ^^^

I want to become a style blogger on instagram....but only sometimes I actually am stylish. Can realistic, trend following blogging be a thing? I want it to be a thing, its my thing. 

Give me a follow or a like, or a laugh 

@kellycake2

OH! 

Also I have a new roommate that has been here less than a week and we are basically best friends already. 

 We want this couch, can you pray that our boss will let us buy it an put it in our room?

Also, I promise she isn't really cross eyed in real life. 

 Late night shifts with podcasts, smores, LOTS of coffee, deep conversations, and many laughs.

 <3