Sorry its been so long since I last wrote. I was chastised recently about that and decided this would be a perfect time to catch up. Thanksgiving is always a great time to just reflect on the amazing things God has provided. So here's my list for this year:
A new job!!! Yep, I just got a new position at work. I'll be working with our Asia Pacific region (Australia to China to Japan). Its a new level of responsibility (what were they thinking?) and will have some travel and I am excited about the opportunities and adventures I'll have. It feels very grown up to be flying to Asia for work... Bring on the frequent flier miles! Not too mention that recently I've felt a renewed sense of purpose at work. God can use me there even in random conversations with people to speak into their lives. I've started seeing more and more believers and just knowing we have a community there is encouraging.
My fun and crazy family- They always provide much entertainment, love and support. We are a typical family, which means we are not perfect in any means, and we have plenty to work on in our relationships with each other. But they are the unique family God wanted me to be a part of and I am thankful He did. Not too mention there is nothing like hugging a cutie pie niece or nephew to make my day. And there is a new one on the way, HOORAY!!!
My Montavilla Family- I officially became a member a week ago. Though there was a lot of joking about not letting me in or voting for me (You know who you are!). I know they love me and I always feel at home there. There are surrogate parents/grandparents/siblings and children everywhere. It is another awesome family and community of believers that God has provided for me. I can share my life, the good and the bad, and they will support and love me through it. I am also so encouraged by the work God has been doing there in motivating us to get out there and meet people and live for Him. My prayer is that this fire will continue to grow.
The HS Youth Group at Church- I waver on continuing to be a leader and I get pretty tired at times, but God continues to renew my love and passion when I think its at its end. There is nothing like helping these kids move towards a relationship with God that is real and their "own". I am most thankful for how many people are on staff right now. It really helps share the load and keeps me less stressed, which is good for everyone. We are a great team!
My fantastic friends- There are so many of you, I can't even list them all. How overwhelming that is to reflect on. I LOVE people... We truly are meant to live in relationships. They fuel our lives. Whether they are old friends or new they have been used to lift me up and encourage me when I need it most. I am really blessed with the people God has brought to me. Whenever I start to feel a little out of it, or lonely God seems to move someone into my life to meet that need.
Most importantly I am thankful for a God and Savior who is personally interested in my life. He's not about having me follow rules, or appease Him somehow. He provided everything I need to be in relationship with Him. All I have to do is allow it. How beautifully simple... I didn't doubt once that He would guide me in this attempt for a promotion, or that He would lead me in my work with the HS kids. He hears every cry of my heart, and even when I don't understand His ways or purposes or timing I know He is still good. He is incredibly fond of me, and that brings me so much satisfaction and peace. (P.S. the book The Shack by William Young has really helped me with my concept of God this year. Check it out!)
I'm filled to the fullness of Him on this day of Thanksgiving. Here is my prayer for you (italics are mine).
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
11/22/2007
10/06/2007
John got it
This quote in Abba's Child by Brennan Manning just struck me today. It is in regards to John 13:23-25 in which John is noted as the disciple who was reclining against Jesus and being one "whom Jesus loved". It is an intimate picture of a close relationship. There are no physical boundaries. John is totally comfortable and at home with his Lord.
"To risk the passionate life, we must be "affected by" Jesus as John was; we must engage His experience with our lives rather than with our memories. Until I lay my head on Jesus' breast, listen to His heartbeat, and personally appropriate the Christ-experience of John's eye-witness. I have only a derivative spirituality. My cunning impostor will borrow John's moment of intimacy and attempt to convey it as if it were my own."
In the past few years I've developed some wonderful friendships and relationships in which I feel so comfortable and loved that I can lean against those people physically and rest in their love for me. I adore that feeling. But I remember that it was not natural for me to be this close at first. I had to consciously open myself up to be close to those people. That intimacy and closeness is based and rooted in love and trust. We draw reassurance and a feeling of being "at home" in those moments. This is what Christ wants with us. To have us lean against his chest and arms and just feel wrapped in His love and centered in the trust we can place in Him.
What keeps us from this intimacy?
"To risk the passionate life, we must be "affected by" Jesus as John was; we must engage His experience with our lives rather than with our memories. Until I lay my head on Jesus' breast, listen to His heartbeat, and personally appropriate the Christ-experience of John's eye-witness. I have only a derivative spirituality. My cunning impostor will borrow John's moment of intimacy and attempt to convey it as if it were my own."
In the past few years I've developed some wonderful friendships and relationships in which I feel so comfortable and loved that I can lean against those people physically and rest in their love for me. I adore that feeling. But I remember that it was not natural for me to be this close at first. I had to consciously open myself up to be close to those people. That intimacy and closeness is based and rooted in love and trust. We draw reassurance and a feeling of being "at home" in those moments. This is what Christ wants with us. To have us lean against his chest and arms and just feel wrapped in His love and centered in the trust we can place in Him.
What keeps us from this intimacy?
9/06/2007
452 Insights into my Soul
If you are a You've Got Mail fan you know that quote. This week at work I got this personality profile back on myself and it was uncanny how it really spoke back to me what I think and who I am. I answered only 24 questions and from it I got a 3 page summary of who I am and how I work. How is that possible?! But it seemed extremely accurate.
The program is called Insights and it basically uses four colors to group personality traits.
Red- Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone
Yellow- Involve Me
Green- Show Me You Care
Blue- Give Me The Details
Take a guess... What do you think I was?
Now everyone is a mixture of all the colors, but just in different proportions. But if you guessed my dominant color to be red, you are right. I also have a healthy dose of yellow (big surprise). My next color is blue, but a much smaller amount than I thought. Funny because it fits the "Analyst" jobs I've had and now I realize I didn't really like that piece of the job. Ha, ha, ha. And lastly green, which barely registered on the scale. So sad, I'm not very sensitive or caring naturally, I think I'm better than I used to be though. My tag title was "Director". Yep, I like to be in charge. There were a lot of pieces of the assessment that were really difficult to read. We hate to see our weaknesses or our blind spots, but guaranteed we all have them.
My favorite quotes from my assessment I received:
"Katie needs work that challenges her and holds her attention" - Oh YES!
"I am less interested in principles and theories than new projects and processes" - Definitely! I hated theology at school.
"She can get to the heart of any situation and implement an effective solution." - Bring me your problems and I will always try to give you a solution. ;-)
"She wants to make an impact and accomplish something in life that she will long be remembered by." - Hm... Explains a lot.
"Being respected by her peers is of greater importance to Katie than being liked."- Not so sure about that one, but respect is a big factor to me.
Ouch moments:
"She may unwittingly compare herself with others in the race for success" - bad, bad for the self esteem
"She may lose interest and move on to the next thing, once a job becomes routing or dull" - um, is four different jobs in 7 years a sign of this?
"She prefers to combine creative decision making with limited reflection." - oops, a bit hasty aren't I?
"May resort to dictatorial practices if anything appears to get in the way." - danger!
"Articulate and thinking, she tends to be matter of fact and practical." - i.e. not so sensitive
Since we did this, I've been assessing everyone I meet. They are probably all sick of it already. But it really is dare I say... "Insightful" to know how other people work and how to communicate with them. We are all so very different and to assume that someone else wants to be talked with or worked with in the way we want to be worked with is just silly. So my new motto for a while (because as we know from the assessment I will lose interest in this when it becomes routine or dull) is treat others how they want to be treated. Novel idea huh?
Guess your color and I'll tell you my assessment of you. Hee, hee, hee!
The program is called Insights and it basically uses four colors to group personality traits.
Red- Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone
Yellow- Involve Me
Green- Show Me You Care
Blue- Give Me The Details
Take a guess... What do you think I was?
Now everyone is a mixture of all the colors, but just in different proportions. But if you guessed my dominant color to be red, you are right. I also have a healthy dose of yellow (big surprise). My next color is blue, but a much smaller amount than I thought. Funny because it fits the "Analyst" jobs I've had and now I realize I didn't really like that piece of the job. Ha, ha, ha. And lastly green, which barely registered on the scale. So sad, I'm not very sensitive or caring naturally, I think I'm better than I used to be though. My tag title was "Director". Yep, I like to be in charge. There were a lot of pieces of the assessment that were really difficult to read. We hate to see our weaknesses or our blind spots, but guaranteed we all have them.
My favorite quotes from my assessment I received:
"Katie needs work that challenges her and holds her attention" - Oh YES!
"I am less interested in principles and theories than new projects and processes" - Definitely! I hated theology at school.
"She can get to the heart of any situation and implement an effective solution." - Bring me your problems and I will always try to give you a solution. ;-)
"She wants to make an impact and accomplish something in life that she will long be remembered by." - Hm... Explains a lot.
"Being respected by her peers is of greater importance to Katie than being liked."- Not so sure about that one, but respect is a big factor to me.
Ouch moments:
"She may unwittingly compare herself with others in the race for success" - bad, bad for the self esteem
"She may lose interest and move on to the next thing, once a job becomes routing or dull" - um, is four different jobs in 7 years a sign of this?
"She prefers to combine creative decision making with limited reflection." - oops, a bit hasty aren't I?
"May resort to dictatorial practices if anything appears to get in the way." - danger!
"Articulate and thinking, she tends to be matter of fact and practical." - i.e. not so sensitive
Since we did this, I've been assessing everyone I meet. They are probably all sick of it already. But it really is dare I say... "Insightful" to know how other people work and how to communicate with them. We are all so very different and to assume that someone else wants to be talked with or worked with in the way we want to be worked with is just silly. So my new motto for a while (because as we know from the assessment I will lose interest in this when it becomes routine or dull) is treat others how they want to be treated. Novel idea huh?
Guess your color and I'll tell you my assessment of you. Hee, hee, hee!
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