Outside In

     Tonight as I was washing the dishes, I noticed that I tend to wash the outside first, and then the inside, and I was reminded of the time Jesus scolded the pharisees for washing the outside of the "bowl" and not the inside. It's an accurate picture. I wash the outside of the dishes first because it's easier. The outside usually doesn't look too dirty, so I just give it a quick swipe before the real work... the outsides of our lives are easier to give a quick swipe too, aren't they? Not just that, we want to look pristine and perfect on the outside because we're afraid of being judged. That fear isn't unfounded either, because you will be judged. I will be judged. There's always going to be somebody, maybe in your church, or your family, or among your friends who is going to judge you when you don't look like you've got it all together. Sometimes, if you don't have a pristine outer life, people are going to go so far as to say your faith isn't real, and you're a hypocrite. So no, I'm not going to tell you "Don't worry, you just feel this pressure to have it all together, when really nobody expects that of you." cause I'm not about to lie to you. Some people will turn on you faster than lightning. Here's the thing though... we don't have to live in fear of their judgments. The Psalmist says "The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" ~Psalm 118:6 Choosing to work on your heart, and the inside of you is a scary thing, because when you're working on your heart first, your outside life is going to a mess. Let's be honest, we're always learning and growing, and if we focus on that growing, our outside lives are always going to be a bit of a mess. We don't have to fear the judgments of man though, because God is with us. When we surrender the idea of looking perfect on the outside, God can begin to truly work on our hearts, and change us from the inside instead of us trying to maintain a perfect exterior and hope the inside comes along with time. So let's let go of this, and stop washing from the outside in (this need not apply to the dirty dishes sitting in your sink) and let God work on our hearts, and change us on the inside. Be messy, choose to not always have it together, and above all, just be real. It's not a sin to appear less than perfect. In fact, our weakness showcases the might and glory of God!  "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9  So please, stop fighting this losing battle, and allow His perfect love to drive out all your fear, and give Him control of your messy life, holding nothing back. "For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose." ~Philippians 2:13

                                                   ~Katie Stone~

You are Strong

    You are strong. Strength is not measured by the number of times that you fall, only the number of times that you decided to get back up again.

Faith is not numbered by what you have accomplished, but by what you believe in your heart

You are one of the strongest people your friends know, and if you need a minute to lay down on the ground, then let them lay there beside you and tell you that your strength is found in Christ alone. That nothing in this world can stand against Him, and that the battle of the kingdom of heaven is what we are all fighting.

That's how it goes. When the lightning flashes, the thunder isn't far behind, and the rains are gonna pour down, cause that's the way of things. But what's the promise?

What promise comes after that storm? It is the promise of hope and a future. It is the promise of provision from God, and it is the promise that you may fall, and suffer, and be betrayed, but there is One who will never leave your side. There is One who calls you worthy. There is One who wipes away your tears, and does not let you wander the night alone

And He is the One! He is the One that will make your heart sing

He is the One who will make every suffering worth it

He is the One who has called you His own, despite every shortcoming, and has loved you enough to die so that you may live.

He is perfection, can you imagine how hard it must have been to live on this earth among such sin and darkness? How it must have broken His heart? He was scorned, and He was beaten in the most horrible ways, and He was hung on a cross and died. He did it for you. You were once the unworthy scum of the earth, but the day that God Himself declared you His? That is the day that He made you worthy! He gave you a crown, and a worth that nothing in all the universe can ever take away.

He is God! And He chose you! He loves you! He died for you! He is always beside you, and He will never abandon you.

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." ~Psalm 23:4

"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?

Whither shall I flee from Thy presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there.

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take on the wings of the morning, or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there Thy hand shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me!' even the night shall be light about me. 
Yea the darkness hideth not from Thee, but the night shineth as the day.
The light and dark are both alike to Thee." ~Psalm 139:7-12

                                                ~Katie Stone~

Because We Can

We prank people because we can.
HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :P

In the Face of Defeat

There are times in my writing when it would be so easy to quit. To close all my files and toss my flash drives in a box never to be opened. Recently, I lost the flash drive that held 2 half-written novels, and several novel beginnings. This was one of those times I wanted to quit. Desperately. What's the point if fate is going to throw it back in my face? There's another question that came to mind though... what if, by giving up my writing, I never wrote the book that could change someone's life? If God gave me a talent, isn't it my duty to use it for His glory, even when it seems like the world is shouting "You can't!" in my face? If I can make a difference, and if I can praise the Lord in my writing... then what excuse do I have for giving up? Aren't these things so much greater than the challenges I face? So here I go. New flash drive. New story. Keep dreaming, keep writing, keep believing.
For me, this has been my writing. The talent I posses that seems too much like a burden at times. It's not the only talent of mine that can be a burden though. Everything that God has given you, the devil despises, because he despises you and he despises God. We are the warriors of God's kingdom! We fight with our prayers, with our words, written and spoken. With our actions, and our talents; writing, singing, acting, science, discernment, comforting, and any. other. talent. that we have been given by God. "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" 1 Peter 4:10 So yes, sometimes it will seem more of a curse than a blessing. A lot of the time you're going to want to give up, sit down, and stop caring. But when we carry the light of God in our hearts, that light spreads to everything that we do. There is a greater battle than the ones we face in everyday life. There is a battle against the powers of darkness "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 and it's not guns or swords that will win that battle. It's light. It's faith. It's perseverance. So come, weary warrior. Come my brothers, my sisters, and take my hand. Let us join together in this fight. Let us stand when we have fallen, and continue on the paths of light. Let us continue to use the talents we have been given to spread light and glorify God. Let us stand, and not despair. To be fought against means that we're heading in the right direction, because the enemy does not want us to use our God-given gifts. He doesn't want us to shine our lights to the reaches of the earth. So if you are facing opposition, keep going, and pray and persevere your way through! Never give up, because all your talents are needed to fight the darkness and shine the light.

~Katie Stone~

A Tribute to our Teeto

Thomas, it's taken a while for me to gather the courage to write this, but I have things I just need to say, and I think they're ready to come out now. I didn't know you as well as I wanted to. After all, we only just met this past summer. But how long you know someone doesn't determine how much you love them. You were my friend, Thomas, and no matter how long you're gone I will always love you, and I will always miss you. You brought light into the lives of everyone who ever met you. Some days I walked into Nehemiah rehearsal feeling like no one wanted me around, but you wouldn't let me believe that. Every smile, every hug, every word that you spoke was full of light, and life, and love. I wish that you didn't feel like you'd be better off dead, and I've thought endlessly of the ways I could have stopped you or changed your mind. I ask myself why. Why would you leave us? But all of these questions are useless. There is an enemy of our souls who fills our heads with lies and deceit, and I believe that you grappled with him every day. I guess the truth is, you're having a much better time in heaven than you ever did on earth, so we don't grieve because you're sad. You aren't sad anymore, you don't have to deal with any of this world's darkness, because you're up there with Jesus, and I bet He's loving your magic tricks! We grieve because we miss you. Teeto, you brought so much beauty to this earth with your beautiful soul. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. Thank you for your life, and for being a part of my life. You have inspired me to love more deeply, to always show kindness to everyone I meet, and to make everyone feel like they are important 100% of the time. I guess this is just a random collection of thoughts, messy and weird but I think you understand. I know you're having the time of your life up there and I'm so glad, because you deserve it. Do you see the pink in my hair? It's for you. :) Goodbye. I'll see you again one day, when God calls me home.

                               ~Love, Katie Stone~

The Blessing of Contentment

Today I want to talk about being content. I believe that contentment is one of the greatest blessings in life, and I am amazed at how many people think differently. My life isn't perfect, and by the end of 2015 I struggled with major discontentment. I wasn't enough, my friends weren't enough, my family wasn't enough, God wasn't enough. I was in a self-imposed state of misery. 2016 came and, at first, nothing was different. Day 1: Discontent. Day 2: Discontent. But as I finished going through my blessings jar (You can see my post about that here: http://aditlohp.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-cup-overfloweth.html ) something began to change in me. I wrote 34 pages of notes on each person, place, thing, or whatever else was in that blessings jar, and I was in awe that in a year that had seemed so terribly difficult, I was blessed in such abundance! That wasn't the end of my discontentment though. Many days following were full of feelings of helplessness and loneliness. One day I could bear it no longer, and late at night I sat down and began to cry, pleading with God to do something, to help me. Slowly, my prayer changed from one of begging Him to take away my sorrows, to asking Him to change my heart. I suppose it must have happened somewhat slowly, because it wasn't until just this evening, as I was thinking about a few things that need done, that I realized I wasn't panicky. I wasn't afraid, or lonely, or angry, or miserable, I was content. I am content. Even though not a single circumstance has changed, I feel so... free. There are many forms that discontentment can take. You can be discontent with your money or belongings (or lack of the money or belongings you want) "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" ~Hebrews 13:5   You can be discontent with your circumstances "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" ~Matthew 6:25-26  There are many other things you may be discontent with, but the Bible says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." ~Philippians 4:12-13
   Next time you're feeling discontent, think about all the ways in which you are blessed, and thank God for them, and then ask Him to turn your heart, and train your mind to be content with your money, your circumstances, your relationships, and your life. To be content is to let go of the chains that bind you.

                                      ~Katie Stone~

Regret, The Monster Inside

         In life, we usually end up having a few regrets, some greater than others. My biggest regret is probably a regret over someone I never got to know. He was the little brother of a couple friends of mine, and he was what I call a beautiful soul. When he smiled, he could light up any room, he was full of kindness and forgiveness. At only 13, he lived his faith every single day. He loved to have fun with his friends, and his joy came from the Lord and not circumstances. A beautiful soul. Late December 2013 he died. It was an accident, he was playing on a rope swing and somehow it got tangled around his throat. By the time his family found him, it was too late. His family and friends were devastated, but they pulled through. Still, I felt guilty every time I comforted someone. Did I really have the right to comfort them when I hadn't even taken the time to know this wonderful kid? Every year late December the regret comes back, and it's a monster. I tears at me and tells me that I'm a horrible person. That I'm selfish and useless, because of one small thing. Regret is not to be taken lightly. If you let it, it will crush your spirit and steal your confidence. A quote from Lion King comes to mind "You can either run from your past, or learn from it." ~Rafiki. Ah, that wise, crazy old baboon. That quote is one of my very favorites, because it can be applied to so much. In the Lion King, after Mufasa dies, Scar tells Simba that it's Simba's fault Mufasa is dead. From then on, fear and regret take over, and Simba runs. He avoids his past, because if he thinks about it, the regret comes back, and all the feelings of uselessness. You can't wallow in regret, it will destroy you. You can't run from your past, it will always catch up with you. But you can learn from every thing that has ever happened in your past. You can't change the past, so letting it determine who you are is a dangerous path of constantly losing your self-worth and climbing down into deeper gutters, because you believe that's what you deserve. Don't. Every mistake, and every shot not taken. Every regret that stains your past is the very thing that enables you to become a better you. Everything you've done wrong is a lesson, so learn it, and let it help you make better decisions in the future. There's a reason I'm posting this today. Starting midnight, it will be a new year. 2016. 2016 is not a new beginning, it not a fresh start, is not a new chapter unless you MAKE it one. So please, let go of your regrets, take up your lessons, and make this a new and beautiful year, because you CAN!!! And remember that in this new year, you can and should make plans, and have hope, but you are not your own master, and greater things are at work. "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." ~Proverbs 19:21

                                         ~Katie Stone~