The other day at church my pastor said something that has really stuck out in my mind for the last few days. He said, "Grace is not when God removes the pain, but when he walks through the pain with you." I thought that this was such a good definition of grace. I have realized more and more as I get older and I learn more about life that every sin or mistake you make has consequences that come along with them. Whether they are big or small, they are still consequences.
I like this definition because even in the midst of your sins God bestows grace upon you. This doesn't mean that he makes the pain of your consequences go away, but that he walks beside your through that pain, comforting and guiding you along the way.
Anyways....that's really all I have to say about that. It's a powerful one sentence statement that sums up a lot about grace. :)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
married friends and ham
It's so fun having married friends that live in the same city as us. The newly married Kristen and Joey came over to our apartment last night for a dinner of Ham, mashed potatoes, dressing and rolls! My awesome boss gave everyone at work a big ham for Christmas as a gift. Blake and I had just put it in the freezer and were waiting for a time to get it out and eat it. It was so big that we just kept putting it off. Yesterday morning I was thinking, you know, we should have Kristen and Joey over to help eat that ham. :)
So over they came and quite the feast we had. Now it was a spiral cut, pre-cooked ham, but I had still never cooked a ham in my life. So I was a little concerned at how it would turn out. And while the honey glaze did boil over the pan a bit and burn in the bottom of my oven (annoying to clean), we did still have a pretty good meal.
I absolutely love cooking and love entertaining friends, so it was a perfect evening! And now we still have quite a bit of ham to show for it. It was a 6 pound ham and we ate about a fourth of it last night. So needless to say, Blake and I have been trying to come up with recipes for this next week that include ham in some way. :) Today for our Sunday lunch I made a big egg, ham and jalapeno quiche. It was soooo yummy! :)
Other ideas include: potato soup with ham, pizza with ham and maybe some kind of beans and rice that have some ham in it for flavoring. Feel free to give us any ideas that you might have. We will be working on the ham for a while. :)
So over they came and quite the feast we had. Now it was a spiral cut, pre-cooked ham, but I had still never cooked a ham in my life. So I was a little concerned at how it would turn out. And while the honey glaze did boil over the pan a bit and burn in the bottom of my oven (annoying to clean), we did still have a pretty good meal.
I absolutely love cooking and love entertaining friends, so it was a perfect evening! And now we still have quite a bit of ham to show for it. It was a 6 pound ham and we ate about a fourth of it last night. So needless to say, Blake and I have been trying to come up with recipes for this next week that include ham in some way. :) Today for our Sunday lunch I made a big egg, ham and jalapeno quiche. It was soooo yummy! :)
Other ideas include: potato soup with ham, pizza with ham and maybe some kind of beans and rice that have some ham in it for flavoring. Feel free to give us any ideas that you might have. We will be working on the ham for a while. :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Happy Birthday Dad Gager!
Happy Birthday Dad! Hope you're having an absolutely wonderful day! We are sorry that we cannot spend the day with you, but know that we love you and are thinking of you all day long!!
Love,
Blake and Katie
Love,
Blake and Katie
Sunday, January 10, 2010
weddings, weddings, weddings
I just realized yesterday that by the end of this year I will have either attended or photographed at least 6 weddings this year! I love weddings so I am pretty darn excited! :) We attended/photographed our good friend Kristen's wedding on January 2. I say attended/photographed because Blake and I attended and I photographed. :) Then last night, January 9, we attended our other good friend, Amanda's, wedding. They were both absolutely beautiful and such special occasions.
Next on the list of weddings is our friend's Seth and Jennifer's that will be in March. What a super fun and blessed year this is already turning out to be! Speaking of blessings I mentioned in my last post that I would post at least once a month about blessings that are happening in our life. I want to start out the year with a few blessings, that though are not new for the year, are huge blessings none the less.
First we are so blessed to be living in Waco with a job for me and law school for Blake. While at times we wish that we had more money than we do, we truly are blessed with what we have. We have a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food on the table every day (including some extra sweets from time to time :) ), as wells as 2 working cars and tons of different gadgets and things that are just extra perks in life! I have also been extremely blessed over the last few month with the growth of my photography business.
With all of this I can't help but praise the Lord for our lives as they are now. Everyone always tells us that one day we will look back on the first years of our marriage when we are poor and just have each other and will miss it greatly. I can see why because I am loving every minute of it! So until next time....what are your blessings for today?
Next on the list of weddings is our friend's Seth and Jennifer's that will be in March. What a super fun and blessed year this is already turning out to be! Speaking of blessings I mentioned in my last post that I would post at least once a month about blessings that are happening in our life. I want to start out the year with a few blessings, that though are not new for the year, are huge blessings none the less.
First we are so blessed to be living in Waco with a job for me and law school for Blake. While at times we wish that we had more money than we do, we truly are blessed with what we have. We have a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food on the table every day (including some extra sweets from time to time :) ), as wells as 2 working cars and tons of different gadgets and things that are just extra perks in life! I have also been extremely blessed over the last few month with the growth of my photography business.
With all of this I can't help but praise the Lord for our lives as they are now. Everyone always tells us that one day we will look back on the first years of our marriage when we are poor and just have each other and will miss it greatly. I can see why because I am loving every minute of it! So until next time....what are your blessings for today?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone!! I can hardly believe that 2009 is gone and done. It seems like just yesterday we were starting 2009 with big events ahead of us like graduation, our wedding, starting law school, moving to Waco and starting my first job! It was a very very good year! I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!
As we all do every year, I was thinking the other day about new years resolutions. I haven't been to successful at actually sitting down and writing some down yet, but I thought I'd share a few that I have for this blog in particular.
1. Create at least 10 blog posts every month. (this is one down for January!)
2. Include more pictures of things that we do. (you'd think as a photographer I'd be better at this)
3. Change the layout and background to fit with the season, holidays, etc.
4. Share at least once a month what blessings are happening in our lives.
5. Make my blog into a book at the end of the year. (That's why I need to stay consistant with my posting!)
That's all I have for now. We will see how it goes. I really want to do more with the blog. I just need to make more time for it.
As we all do every year, I was thinking the other day about new years resolutions. I haven't been to successful at actually sitting down and writing some down yet, but I thought I'd share a few that I have for this blog in particular.
1. Create at least 10 blog posts every month. (this is one down for January!)
2. Include more pictures of things that we do. (you'd think as a photographer I'd be better at this)
3. Change the layout and background to fit with the season, holidays, etc.
4. Share at least once a month what blessings are happening in our lives.
5. Make my blog into a book at the end of the year. (That's why I need to stay consistant with my posting!)
That's all I have for now. We will see how it goes. I really want to do more with the blog. I just need to make more time for it.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
leadership
So I am sure EVERYONE has seen or heard the news about Tiger Woods and the unfortunate mistakes he has made. Like everyone else I was surprised at first. Of course he just isn't the person that you expect to hear those kind of gossipy headlines about. But the more and more this has built up and the more that has been revealed, has made me become more and more sad. Not for Tiger Woods, but for the world we live in.
In this situation I can see so very clearly the pedestal that we put our so called "leaders" upon. It is interesting because at what point do sports stars and celebrity's become "leaders". They never ran for the position and got voted in. They never intentionally stepped up to the role and promised to guide us. Based on their own talents, hard work and determination they simply became the icons we know them as today. And they became these icons because of you and me and everyone in the world who turned on the TV to watch them play or act. Who bought the clothes and items that they were advertising for sponsorship. Those who believed that they were truly the greatest at what they did.
And in the same craze and unbelievably quick admiration and obsession that we create those "leaders" in, we also tear down and reject those "leaders" when they mess up. Now I am not saying that I agree with what Tiger did. And I also believe that when sports stars and celebrity's take on this role that we give them, they should strive to be good role models for the weak minded that obsess over them.
But what I am trying to get across is the very reason that we even found out about his mess ups and the very reason why we even care. It is because of this pedestal that we have put him upon and in turn expected him to be perfect. I have heard all the recounts of when Jesus was on earth and how he did not have a very good reputation among the unbelievers. They didn't "worship" him as we do celebrity's today. They didn't put him on a pedestal and expect him to be perfect. What a shame. For once the world would have chosen a leader who they could worship, put on a pedestal and to their amazement would remain perfect forever.
Unfortunately, we will never choose any one person to be a leader and see a life that is perfect and worthy to be copied. And unfortunately for Tiger, we will never see society fully forgive him and place back in the position he once was. That has been tarnished forever. I pray for him and his family. I pray that he sees the wrong he has done, repents and more than anything is forgiven by those who love him. That more than any of his fame, glory and golfing abilities is what is important.
In this situation I can see so very clearly the pedestal that we put our so called "leaders" upon. It is interesting because at what point do sports stars and celebrity's become "leaders". They never ran for the position and got voted in. They never intentionally stepped up to the role and promised to guide us. Based on their own talents, hard work and determination they simply became the icons we know them as today. And they became these icons because of you and me and everyone in the world who turned on the TV to watch them play or act. Who bought the clothes and items that they were advertising for sponsorship. Those who believed that they were truly the greatest at what they did.
And in the same craze and unbelievably quick admiration and obsession that we create those "leaders" in, we also tear down and reject those "leaders" when they mess up. Now I am not saying that I agree with what Tiger did. And I also believe that when sports stars and celebrity's take on this role that we give them, they should strive to be good role models for the weak minded that obsess over them.
But what I am trying to get across is the very reason that we even found out about his mess ups and the very reason why we even care. It is because of this pedestal that we have put him upon and in turn expected him to be perfect. I have heard all the recounts of when Jesus was on earth and how he did not have a very good reputation among the unbelievers. They didn't "worship" him as we do celebrity's today. They didn't put him on a pedestal and expect him to be perfect. What a shame. For once the world would have chosen a leader who they could worship, put on a pedestal and to their amazement would remain perfect forever.
Unfortunately, we will never choose any one person to be a leader and see a life that is perfect and worthy to be copied. And unfortunately for Tiger, we will never see society fully forgive him and place back in the position he once was. That has been tarnished forever. I pray for him and his family. I pray that he sees the wrong he has done, repents and more than anything is forgiven by those who love him. That more than any of his fame, glory and golfing abilities is what is important.
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