Beautiful Lengths

Not long after we got married (wow, almost four years ago!), Mason agreed to grow out his beautiful curly blonde hair to donate, only if I would grow mine out as well. Apparently his hair grows much faster than mine, mostly because I got regular trims to keep it looking good, because he cut his off about two years ago and donated it. About the time he was planning to donate to Locks of Love, I saw an advertisement for a new donation program called Beautiful Lengths by Pantene. Intrigued, I did a bit more research and decided that Beautiful Lengths was where I would make my donation, and I strongly encouraged Mason to do the same.

Both are fabulous hair donation programs, but while Locks of Love is geared toward donating hair to “financially disadvantaged” children who lose their hair to medical treatments from any diagnosis, Beautiful Lengths hits home for me a bit closer. Pantene launched Beautiful Lengths in order to collect hair donations in order to make wigs for adult women who lose their hair to chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. I think that both programs are noble, but I was especially drawn to Patnene’s program because of the audience – adult women fighting cancer.

For those that may not know, I was 22 when I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. I did not undergo traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and thus did not lose my hair, but I did have to battle for my life through medical treatments, and I wasbattling cancer. I was 24 when my mom was diagnosed wtih Breast Cancer, Stage 3A. She was well over the 18 year old age limit for Locks of Love. (But not by much, right Mama!?) She did lose her hair, and she was incredibly brave about losing her hair. She elected to have her head buzzed when it began to fall out and she decided not to wear a wig – but she is an anomaly in having chosen not to wear a wig. While my mom was battling for her life, I knew of 3 additional women, personal friends, who also were battling cancer and also lost their hair. They wore wigs.  One of them recently passed away.

It’s women like myself, my mom, my Nana, my aunts, Jenny, Rhonda, Mama Lynn…the list continues. It’s because of those women that I chose Beautiful Lengths.

It was an emotional decision, but one that I was proud to make. I had never had hair so long, and it honestly grew on me. I was attached to it and used to the easy styling involved, so making the cut made me anxious. I went to see Joyce, my longtime friend and hairstylist, and totally gave it all over to her – let’s do this! After nearly five years of not having short hair, I had nine (9) inches chopped off. Joyce herself a cancer survivor, was very encouraging of me as I continued to grow it over the many, many months. And she also helped me to pick out just-the-right-style for my new, short do. She didn’t want to be in any of the pictures, but below you’ll see a documentation of her fabulous work! Thank you for your work and attention to detail, Joyce.

I chose to “make the kindest cut of all” and I encourage you to do the same. Mason has done it, too. If you are thinking of making a hair donation, I encourage you to strongly consider Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths. Go read some of the stories on the blog, look at the pictures, read about the involvement of the Entertainment Industry Foundation…and consider making the kindest cut of all. While you may miss your hair, you won’t regret it. That’s a promise!

here goes…

 

  

  

the obligatory pre-cut picture

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

  

  

  

almost ready to make the cut

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

…all gone…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and beautifully styled by Joyce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is for you,

Mama, Jenny, Rhonda, Mama Lynn (Nancy), Nana, Claire

…and all of the other women battling…

kids make me laugh

So this weekend we’ve gotten to spend time with some pretty cute kids…and one on the way. It’s been pretty fun to observe and think about the future with kids, but at the same time stop and think that I’m glad that I don’t just yet have kids. Not that I don’t want them…I’m just thankful for life where we are right now.

I’ve decided that kids make me laugh.

A lot.

First, there’s the one on the way. He’s growing pretty fast and making his mama pretty excited. And he apparently speaks through his daddy to those on the “outside” world. Mostly right now he’s just growing and kicking a good bit, but I’ve decided that if he’s anything like his dad, he’ll make me laugh all the time when we’re around him. Oh, and did I mention that he’s going to be one good looking kid? Yeah, can’t wait to meet Cashew in a few months.

Then there’s the one who is 18 months and doesn’t say any words yet because his 4 year old brother does all of the talking for him. He talks up a storm in sign language, but no words yet. I just love how laid back he is…he just waddles around with a big goofy grin. Just as happy as a clam. And he has the most precious curls. Love me some Sawyer!

Finn, Sawyer’s brother, has a knack for saying some pretty darn funny things at the drop of a hat. We got a text from his momma one day that said Finn got a bracelet and declared to me that “Momma I’m as hairy as Mr. Mason.” We’re all trying to figure this one out still, but we get a good chuckle out of it. He’s also the same kid who declared that “God lives in your heart and pulls on it. That’s where the thumping comes from.” How can you not chuckle at that? How can you not eat that up?

Sunday after church we got to see our nephew, which is always quite the treat. He’s almost three and Aidenhas quite the personality…and vocabulary. He has a Carolina Panther’s hat that he wears in about six different ways and he refuses to take it off. He also has a thing with feet and he likes his feet to be happy. Aiden looks at your feet and will quickly tell you if they are happy or not, based solely upon whether or not you are wearing shoes or socks. It’s just adorable to hear him exclaim that “Aiden have happy feet.” We also get a good chuckle from the fact that he has no idea that Mason’s name is actually Mason. We’re all convinced that Mason will forever be “Uncle Fuzz” or “Uncle Fuzzy” to Aiden. The kid’s going to be like 30 before he realizes that Fuzzy is not Mason’s name. It’s funny, but it’s precious to hear Aiden yell “Un Fu” and run with arms up in the air toward Mason. And I’m Aunt Tate or Aunt Tatie, depending upon the day. Could just eat the little guy up!

We ate dinner with our pals H&P tonight and their precious daughter Anna. She’s a stunning 16 month old beauty. Contrary to Patrick’s desires…she’s gonna be a heart breaker. Anna is very verbose and has incredible vocabulary for a child her age. She’s also quite independent and determined. So we’re sitting at the table enjoying dinner tonight when Anna decides she’s done eating and that she’s ready to get down. She runs around the kitchen, opens all of the cabinets and takes out all of the bowls to start cooking. Then, just as quickly she’s sitting on your lap going through all of the sounds that animals make. (Did I mention that she has a very short attention span?) In the middle of going through all of the animals, Heather says, “Anna, what sound does a toaster make?” Immediately she yells, “ning!” Then Patrick tells us that they give her a frozen waffle for breakfast in the morning, so when she climbs in her chair to eat she says, “ning! ning! ning!” every morning. So there we are in the middle of the animals… and “ning!” It was truly precious.

I love my friends’ kids, and I can’t wait for the day I have my own. Kids make me laugh. And they amaze me.

But for the time being, I’ll just enjoy borrowing them and playing with them.

family name game

A local radio station favorite of ours, 89.7 WMHK, does a daily contest called the Family Name Game where they will call out a name on the air and if you or someone in your family has that name, you call in and brag about them and win free stuff. Pretty sweet contest, I say.

This morning as I was getting ready to pack up and walk out the door I heard the announcement that the FNG name for then was Mason. So, I dropped everything and sprinted to the phone. Yes, sprinted. You can hear it in my voice while I’m on the radio. I dove for the phone, ran into the living room away from the radio and waited until someone answered…just hoping that I could get the chance to let the world know just how special my husband is! As if you didn’t already know!

Steve Sunshine (yep, that’s his name) answered the phone and I all but yelled, “I have a Mason!” and the next thing you know, he’s asking me to tell him all about my husband and we won for the day! I could have really cared less about the prizes…they are after all just the icing on the cake…I just wanted to brag about Mason! And I got the opportunity.

If you’d like to hear the radio clip, click here.

And we’ll be enjoying our Family 4-pack of tickets to the Carolina Children’s Home Annual BBQ Cookoff while we listen to the new Steven Curtis Chapman cd. And since we don’t have a family of 4 yet, the parents get to go with.

While I have your attention, I thought I’d take a shameless moment to make a plug for both WMHK and CCH. If you don’t already have a radio station home and you want a chance to praise and worship the Lord 24 hours a day, give 89.7 FM a whirl on the radio dial. And if you like BBQ or even if you don’t go out to the State Fair Grounds tonight & tomorrow for some finger-licking-good fundraising. (All non-pig eaters can still support on Friday night with some non-pig dishes.) All procedes go to support the Carolina Children’s Home in Columbia.

There, I’m done. Thanks for indulging me for a few minutes. And way to go, Mason! Thanks for giving me something to brag about.

I love you!

I love this man!

my fabulous husband, Mason

I woke up this morning to hear Steven Curtis Chapman’s How Do I Love Her? on the radio. It’s a pretty powerful song about a man asking God to help him love his wife. As the morning’s gone on, I’ve allowed the song to marinate in my mind and some things have sort of clicked.

I’m a gift person. It’s probably one of my strongest love languages. I love to think of gifts for people, put them together, order them, give them and watch people open and enjoy them.  I also love to receive gifts, but I love to give them more than anything. And my husband is not exempt from this behavior. In fact, aside from my parents and brother, he’s my #1 target! Well, I never quite understood why he doesn’t really get excited about the gifts that I give him. I mean, for Easter he got a round of golf at the Sea Pines Ocean Course and a side trip to buy a new driver, golf gear, and a brand spankin’ new bag. If I actually liked golf, I’d be stoked about such a gift. Don’t get me wrong, he was happy, but not nearly as happy as I’d expected/hoped for or even was to give it to him. Why does he not just jump for joy? (And why doesn’t he give me gifts in return…after all, it is my love language?!?) I just couldn’t get it all figured out, and I was spending a lot of time asking him if he liked the gifts, etc.

Then it hit me this morning, he likes the gifts, but it’s not his love language. (Actually, after being with him for nearly 10 years I still am trying to figure out his primary love language…and will settle for secondary…) Anyway, some conversations over the past few days all came crashing together this morning after hearing this song. I’ve finally realized that I can fulfill my love language needs while giving him something that is beyond invaluable to him, and me. I’m giving him a new type of gift now…prayer.

I know what you’re thinking…you’re in seminary and you’re just now figuring this out!?! Well, to be honest we do pray together and I pray for him too, but not in the way that I know can heal, bring peace, bring comfort, spread love and bring incredible joy. I’ve been doing the “surface prayers” with and for my husband. Today, I begin the soul shaking prayers for him. I will pray with him as often as I can, but more importantly I will pray for him. I will give him the gift of my love for him through prayer.

God has given me a great responsibility in being Mason’s wife, partner, lover. I am to love him with every bit of love I can possibly give, in hopes of him being able to see just a tiny glimpse of the love that God has for him. I am to pray for him and his needs. I am to support him and his ministry. I am to pray for him as he loves me. I am to pray for him as a partner in our marriage. I am to pray for him with passion, desire, love…and expectation.

And I’ve been doing a poor job of it all. I’ve been a less than supportive wife, but a highly expectant one. I can’t be that way. So starting this morning, I prayed for my husband with conviction, passion, love and expectation. I felt empowered and loved when I finished praying for him. And I realized how broken I am at being the wife that he needs. So I prayed for myself, too.

And my new gift to him, a prayer journal. I’ve never in my life kept a journal. And this is not your ordinary prayer journal, this is not a list of people to be prayed for and the date I prayed. Nope. This is a journal of my prayers for him. I have decided that in addition to my regular prayers/conversations with God, I will aim to at least once a week pray as I write a love letter to Mason. My love letter will be my prayer for him…all in a nice neat journal to give to him later.

This is my new gift to my husband, and to myself. I feel great about it already, and I’m so excited to give him such a meaningful and powerful gift. Heck, maybe I’ll even throw in a prayer every now and then for his golf swing…who knows. Either way, I think that this will be the ultimate gift that I can give the man I love more than myself.

Would you like to join me today in praying for Mason?
Today is a prayer for joy…

God of all love, I ask you today to fill my husband with your love and joy. I pray for him today that he would have happiness and joy. I pray that his heart would be filled with your love, and that it would overflow into his being in the form of joy. So often in the mundane of our lives we get bogged down in the demands of work, ministry, school, home-ownership, etc. We get bogged down in the stuff that can very quickly rob us of all joy. Especially when it’s time to pay the bills and such. Lord, be with Mason today and fill him with joy. We know that you do not promise us an easy road in life, but you do promise to be our companion and to meet our every need. My husband’s need today is joy, and an abundance of your love. I ask that you would grant him that as he goes about his day today…and every day. I humbly and graciously thank you, Lord. I thank you that I can come to you and pray on behalf of my husband and know that you hear my prayers. Thank you for your love, your peace, your joy, your faithfulness to us. And thank you for my husband, Lord. All of this I ask in your Son’s name, Amen.

My Mama

In honor of Mama’s Day (yes, I have a Mama and not a Mother), I want to give a “shout out” to my totally awesome Mama, Candy.

I didn’t always feel that she was “totally awesome” because I went through the typical teenage years of thinking she “totally sucked”…only to find out later that it was really my attitude on life that totally sucked. Go figure, I was a teenager in high school after all. Now that I’m an adult and have a life of my own and realize just how difficult it is to make grown-up decisions, I have a great love and respect for Mama. She’s truly my best gal pal, and I’m so thankful that I have her.

It’s a really comforting thing to know that Mama is not too far away, and to also really miss her when I don’t get to see her or at least talk to her throughout the week. I live a spoiled and very blessed life! What can I say??

While I didn’t get to spoil her like I would have wanted for Mama’s Day, I did get to see her at church and enjoy lunch afterward. I just love sharing things with Mama, and I was so happy that she was able to be at church on Sunday morning to see “my youth” lead worship for Youth Sunday. We included a special mother’s day tribute video, and we also had one of our juniors (and one of Mama’s Montreat house kids) preach. It truly was a special treat. I felt so proud to be a “youth mama,” as they affectionately referred to me yesterday, and even more proud to share them and their leadership with my Mama. It was a special blessing, and I think Mama would agree.

Mama and I have a very special relationship…the friendship I asked for when I was in high school but was very quickly told would never happen since she’s my mother and not my friend. Boy, I’m glad we outgrew that stage of life. I truly cherish when I get to spend time with her, and I’m so thankful that she’s back to her healthy, happy, silly self. I’m also thankful that my Mama and I have a relationship where we speak truth in love to each other. Me more so about her fashion decisions, she about her concerns for my sanity over life decisions concerning school and work.

And of course, who doesn’t need a regular pedicure partner?!?

I’m so thankful for my Mama’s love and care of me. Her card yesterday said that I learned about myself from watching her…and it’s all true, and I’m so proud to say that I’m her daughter. I love you Mama. Thank you for loving me!

Gracious God, you have given me an abundance of blessings starting first and foremost with the family you gave to me to raise me. I am so thankful that you picked them to raise me, to nurture me, to love me, and to teach me all about you. I thank you all the time, but especially today for my Mama. She is an amazing disciple of yours, and I am honored to have her love me with the love that you give her to give to me. Thank you for allowing me to be her daughter…and thank you for allowing her to love me, even through the difficult years.

I thank you for her heart, that you are burning inside and that she shares her love of you with everyone. I thank you for her desire to serve your children even through the mundane tasks of organizing meals and washing laundry on a church trip. I thank you that she cares enough for each of your children to pray for them and love them in visible and tangible ways that they may see.

I thank you for her strength and her unwavering faith. I thank you that she passed both of these traits on to me, and that she has a strong enough faith to help those who struggle. I thank you that she entrusts her family and friends to your care, and that she reminds us all of that. I thank you that she never faltered in her desire to instill in each of her children a passion for loving and serving you. I also thank you for her deep love and respect of her own mother that she models to her children. Her example has taught us to love and respect others more deeply, and for that I am grateful.

I pray that you would continue to bless her and keep her close to you now and always. In Christ’s name, Amen.

a grateful heart

Wow…had it really been more than a month since I last posted my five simple abundances??

It’s amazing how quickly you can become a pessimist if you don’t stop and concentrate on your blessings each day. Despite it being my “spring break” from classes and I’ve been carefree and have enjoyed life, that’s just what happened to me…I became Miss Pessimistic.

So, I’ve decided that I’m going to try my hardest to keep a grateful heart and keep focusing on the many blessings in my life. So, here’s a celebration of some blessings for “Miss Optimistic”

1. A New Semester. Call me a nerd, dork or whatever but I just love a new semester. I’ll be totally glad when I graduate and don’t have to worry about semesters, but since I’m still in school I love the freshness that comes from a new semester. We start our summer classes on Friday night and we’ll be taking 3 classes on campus on Friday nights and Saturday for the next 13 weeks, but I’m really excited. The books arrived yesterday and I’m finishing up my internship, so all is well. I’m like a little schoolgirl again!

2. Beautiful spring weather. I love the spring…and I especially love that I can be out in it this year thanks to finally discovering Singulair. Last night we took a walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed the slightly cool crisp air. The flowers are starting to bloom in the yard and it looks like this year the magnolia tree is going to be absolutely covered in flowers! Our office party was accompanied by great weather the other night, too. Mason and I sit outside at lunch, and it makes for the perfect walk to the State House to meet Mama for lunch. Welcome Spring, please stay a bit longer.

3. Chocolate. Need I really say more? I didn’t think that I neededto, but I am. Last night we had a dinner meeting at a new tapas restaurant in the Northeast, Mint Julep. The portion sizes were absolutely perfect for me, the prices are incredible, and to make the meal even better…99% of the dessert menu is chocolate. There is only one non-chocolate item on the menu and it happens to be a favorite, too. Chocolate moose,  banana & chocolate ganache cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries and apple pie ala mode. Yummy!

4. Grown up decisions. Mason and I are making some changes and doing research about some “grown up” decisions that need to be made sometime soon. While I was anxious at first, I’m actually kind of excited. I won’t share any more until we know more, but let’s just say that we don’t have a home phone anymore…that’s one of them. (I know, I know. I’m horrible! Teeheehee…) More than being excited about the decisions themselves, I’m thankful and so abundantly blessed to have the resources necessary to even be considering them and the people to steer me/us in the right direction. Now I just pray that God will help us to make the wise decisions when the times for them come.

5. ATL Cardigans. I’m going to second JCG’s post a while back about these and say that they’re fabulous. They go with anything, they’re amazingly comfortable and light, they look great buttoned up or unbuttoned…or partially buttoned, too. They are the perfect length, they wash and dry and don’t shrink. What more can a girl say…except that I have most of the colors and just bought two more on Sunday for $14.00 each. Maybe should have bought the rest of the colors at that price, huh??

6. Friends with wine. On the way to dinner last night we stopped into our friends’ wine store Vino 100 and just said, “I want a good red wine for under $20.00.” Kevin, owner, was working and he asked what kind. In all of one statement and two questions we had ourselves a delicious bottle of wine to enjoy at dinner…and one to take home, too. If you’re looking for a yummy Shiraz, or any other bottle of wine for less than $25.00, I suggest you visit Kevin at Vino 100 and ask him to point you in the direction of the Layer Cake Shiraz. (And remember, in this economy it’s much cheaper to buy a bottle of wine and take it to the restaurant with you than to buy it there. Just ask the Blindfolded Consumer.)

7. A great candid picture!Thanks to our office manager/photographer Yulia, for sharing.

“…the grave is overwhelmed…”

Jesus Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!

Every once in a while a song comes along that just completely captures my heart and literally blows me away…or brings me to my knees in praise and worship. Most of the time those songs come from singer/songwriter Chris Tomlin, a man who truly has been blessed by the Lord and uses this blessing to praise the Lord with every fiber of his being. And it just so happens that in doing so he touches the life of millions and millions of Christians and encourages them to also praise the Lord with every fiber of their beings.

Chris’ most recent cd, Hello Love, is yet another one that has struck a chord with me. I’ve been hearing this one song on the radio and I just could not get enough of it, so I suggested it to our band director and Pastor for our Easter service…and they decided that we’d sing it for Easter! Words can’t describe the emotion that filled my heart when we sang this song yesterday… and our worship leader did such a fabulous job leading our band in praise through this song! It was so incredible that I thought I’d share the song with you. (Unfortunately it’s not our band’s version for you to hear.) I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chris Tomlin speaks about I Will Rise

I Will Rise song with Lyrics

Blessings on you and your family this Easter Monday!

i love my brother…

So, Matthew’s in Hong Kong right now supposedly teaching English to a bunch of kids. (I feel sorry for those kids, but that’s another topic altogether.) We barely regularly communicate anymore, being left to the devices of Facebook, Skype and email.

Well, being the loving sister that I am, I decided to play a trick on him…knowing that he’d bite and go into a tizzy.

This is the email he got yesterday:

Yeah. And he bought it…hook, line, sinker!

I LOVE YOU, MATTHEW!!

Campus Ministry: My Experience & Thoughts

Disclaimer: This post is part of my participation in the Presbyterian Bloggers Unite project that will take place the first day of each month. The topic for April 1st – Campus Ministry. Yes, I know that I’m a day late… I hope that you will enjoy what I have to share about this subject. – Katie

I was not involved in Campus Ministry much at all during my four years at USC. I am sad to say this because I was very involved in youth ministry at my church – the church that basically hosts the campus ministry for the University. And to make matters even worse, I was very involved with the campus ministry program at the university where I studied abroad in Australia – Newcastle Christian Students. For lots of reasons, though, I was not involved while I was on campus at USC.

My Experience:

It saddens me to say that I was not involved. Partly because I was selfish and didn’t want to go…at first. But then when I grew out of my “first-semester-of-college-life-funk” and decided that I wanted to go to Presbyterian Student Association and participate, several things happened:

1. I didn’t feel welcomed. I went for the first time on the Seminary night because I was considering Seminary, AND they actually had a discussion topic that I was interested in. So I ventured off…boyfriend in tow because he had been before and knew some of the people. Now, if you know me I’m pretty quiet at first until I feel comfortable…then I don’t shut up. I sat in the corner all night long…I didn’t feel like I fit in at PSA. Everyone knew each other and only talked to each other. Not too many people wanted to

2. The programs were not interesting to me. I was your typical college student. I went to school to truly get away from home. When I did finally get over myself and decide that I wanted to return to my “religious” roots, I had to go searching for something that interested me. The format of PSA was less than thrilling, and the topics were never that great. I mean, what college student wants to go on a Tuesday night after being in classes all day and hear a Biology professor talk about the scientific involvement in Creation? Really?!?!

3. I didn’t like the people. I know, I know…shallow! Heck, I was a selfish college student. I was in a sorority and was used to hanging out with fraternity boys. The people at PSA, from  leadership down to the students, were no fun. In fact, I might even go as far as saying…lame. I’ve noticed over my time working with youth and young adults, and as a presenter for University 101 and other college courses, that the personality of the group/class takes after the personality of the leadership. When the leadership is bland, the group/class is going to be bland. And maybe I’m just crazy, but when you’re trying to grow a ministry to college students, the last thing that you want is for it to be bland. Bring on the E-N-E-R-G-Y!

4. Theological discussions. Need I say more? I mean, do you know a lot of 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds that really want to discuss theology on a regular basis? Nope…they all want to know what “this church stuff means for me and my life,” not what some “old theological dudes” had to say about it all. And they really don’t want to have to think THAT much more on a night when they’ve had a full day of classes. I’m in seminary right now as a 26 year old and sometimes…lots of times…after classes I don’t want to have theological discussions. (Don’t sit near me, I might be struck by lightning…)

5. Connectionless. One thing that lacked was a way to connect the students with “host families” in a church family for their time at USC. While I was from Columbia and had a home church and didn’t personally need that, I needed that exact think while I was in Australia. I can only imagine about the thousands of Presbyterians at USC from across the country…no family, no church home…no connections available.

My Thoughts:

When our current campus minister came into his position, he was brought in to basically rescue a dying program. The leadership before him had been even worse than what I described above, and when I was in college he was brand new at his position. As I understand now, PSA has had fairly steady growth, but it is still relatively small compared to other campus ministries at a large state public university with over 26,000 students.

I have seen too many students from local churches who grew up very active in their youth groups and church life go off to college and never once step foot in the campus ministry programs. When I visited colleges trying to make my decision, I always asked about religious organizations on campus because I wanted to be involved. I was able to visit meetings/events of one or two of those organizations at various universities and was very excited about the opportunities available to me when going off to college. While there I experienced enlivening and engaging worship, energy, large numbers, fun…everything you want in a CM program. What I experienced at my school was quite the opposite.

I mentioned that I was actively involved in Newcastle Christian Students at the University of Newcastle. It was a phenomenal experience for me and I’m convinced to this day that God was working on me and my future ministry plans while I was there. NCS was tied into a local church, Hunter Bible Church. I don’t remember exactly how I found out about NCS or HBC, but either way I found it…or, God found me there…and I was immediately connected to host families, Sunday morning worship, Sunday night UniChurch (worship on campus for college students), and small group Bible Studies. The campus minister was constantly a presence, he invited me to his home to get to know him and his family, and he connected me with other families who were interested in acting as a host family to me. These families would take us to and from church on Sundays, we’d all eat lunch after worship, we’d be invited over for random meals at random times, we’d go out for coffee, shopping and movies, and we’d all spend time in fellowship and worship together. THAT is what I needed as a college student…and that’s what Campus Ministry should be all about.

While I’m sad that I was not active at PSA, whether for my own personal selfish reasons or whatnot, I am blessed that God placed me within the loving arms of the Hunter Bible Church congregation during my time in Newcastle. That time has shaped me as a person and a minister. Ministry is at its root about relationships…and that’s what college students need most. Programming is nice, but if the relationships aren’t there – or worse, if the participatns are welcoming new people  into the relationships – then the programming is not being effective.

It is my ultimate prayer, after having worked for a few years with middle and high school students, that we work to develop effective and engaging Presbyterian campus ministry programs. Our teens and young adults are up against some pretty nasty stuff in this world…and we need to be the safe, sheltering, nurturing, loving, relational source to which they can turn while they continue on the journey of life in college.

you have my permission to beat me up

I thought I’d piggy back on Emily’s post about a lack of motivation and echo my identical sentiments: I HAVE NO MOTIVATION TO WORK OUT right now!

I know, I know…the lack of energy to work out comes from the fact that I haven’t been to  a class in say, oh, three weeks. I also know that there is no way that I’m going to get that energy short of actually getting my fanny out of bed and going to workout in the mornings. There is no way I’m getting any exercise in the afternoons with our meeting/event-every-night-of-the-week schedule right now, so the mornings have  it. And to date, my bed’s been the only place getting any quality Katie time.

So starting today my blog-reader friends, you have my permission to beat me up and check on me and harass me – whatever it takes – to make sure my fanny is in the gym! Oh, and ask me about the meals, too.

I’ve even included a schedule of my proposed classes for the week, giving myself two options for Friday:

Thank you for holding me accountable…and accept no excuses!