Greater things are yet to be done

Have I ever put out a prayer request on my blog before? Well, here is one. So the youth group at Manchester will be doing the 30-hour Famine this weekend. We are doing a lock-in for 24 hours at the church, with lots and lots of fun things going on! This is probably the most excited I've ever gotten over a youth event, mainly because I know how great of an experience it will be for everyone involved. I've also never done THIS much planning for an event before. I think I've taken on entirely too much, including giving the final teaching saturday night as well as worship. Teaching and playing guitar being the two of my weakest gifts as far as "leading" any kind of anything in the church. So, I'm on the border line of stressed out currently, and to top it all off I get to starve for 30 hours. I've only had this feeling a couple of times in my life honestly. One of those gut feelings that no matter how much you plan or how much worry you put into it, God is going to blow it up. I feel like I'm going to get a complete slap in the face over the weekend. A bed time doesn't exist, the wake up call for me will be 6am, and no food. Rock on Jesus.

The prayer request part would be for the youth. A couple of them have done a famine before, and others have no idea what they've signed up for. I just want everyone there to be so empitied and to come to realize even a little bit that only God satisfies us when we are. I really want the point of fasting for 30 hours to sink in and for them to understand WHY they are doing it, instead of it just being a weekend of fun. Also pray I don't die. From teenagers, not starving.

New Adventures, Same Company

Lots and lots of cool things happened this weekend. My 2 best friends came up and we discovered a few new things. On Saturday we took the lightrail, which was new to them, to The Mez in Charlotte. The Mez is a place that is overall far too expensive for my liking, but this trip was totally worth it. It's a big movie theater where you sit in really big comfy chairs and eat real food. Good food. I ate gourmet cheese pizza while watching The International. It was a fantastic movie, and the screen was especially big and loud and it was a good movie for that. We even got to pick which seat we wanted when we payed for our ticket. I felt like I was in Hollywood or something. After the movie we went to Starbucks downtown where we got told we were "bad, sexy, and off the chain" by a stranger walking beside us on the street. Never heard that one before, but I think I just found my new favorite pick-up line. After the movie we ate with Laura's family at this really awesome place called Jackson's, that even after almost 5 years in Rock Hill I'd never heard of. We also tie-dyed shirts on Saturday night and since I'd never done it before, everyone laughed at me because I had no idea how to fold it to make a cool pattern. So mine will look interesting im sure. Oh it was SO good to have those girls in town and I wish we could quit life and move to Hawaii together. We mentioned it.

It's time for another quote of the day...this was our leader Kristen, in reference to the book we are studying in Bible Study, Real Sex.

"It talks about Cosmopolitan magazine, I don't have one of those. I have Paula Dean. You don't read Paula Dean and think whoooo! She likes butter."

Noteable quotes of the week

Grace: "That's the thing about NASCAR. It's just whoever gets there first."

Chris: (on my valentines card) "It's been a good college experience with you. Remember that time we flew across the country and missed our flight. yea...good times."

Grace: "I live at 706 Sumter avenue. Did you know that?"
Kerin: "Nope."
Grace: "Me neither."

Me: (referencing facebook chat) "You know how your name comes up above everything you type on this thing? I just noticed it says katie....both times!"
Ktb: "I know! I noticed it last time and I was cracking up for 20 minutes."

Oh who would ever want to be King?

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

This song by Coldplay won song of the year at the Grammy's this week. I've heard lots of people say the song is about various world leaders. Some say Bush, which I kind of laugh about to be honest, others say pretty much every King that lived back in them old days, some say it's about Jesus, and some say Obama. I mean, he is currently the leader of the free world. Honestly when I first heard this song I thought about myself as a Christian. I know I'm not a leader of the world, or a leader of anything, but I do often think that I am of some benefit to God. And I think for me that is the most dangerous spot to be in because the truth is that I'm weak. Not only do I know that but lately I've been really feeling it too. I'm not saying this to express some deep state of depression I've been in cause that's not it. I've just been realizing more and more that I can't do anything without Him. Yea I know I should know that by now, but a reminder every single day helps. Truth is I'm not that cool, I'm not that successful or wonderful or rich and contrary to the belief of those on my particular career path, I will never be those things. It's freakin hard to not live according to your own plans, to not put all your faith into this world, and to live unselfishly. But when I get to the point where I feel completely weak and unimportant and useless, it helps to be reminded that this world isn't my final stop and to have confidence that God is the King and thankfully I have no chance of taking his place. Even though I've attempted it on more than several occasions. Everything that I try to do without him won't work. And the more I try to rely on myself, the more proof I'm left with. durnit.

When you're away, when I'm missing you to death

Unfortunately the weather has an affect on you. Since the day I got back to Rock Hill after my week off for Christmas I've been in a wretched mood. I had no desire to be at home in Gaffney and no desire to be back here and going back to a routine. The joy of Christmas was over and spring felt so far away. For these slow and long winter months, no one is outside and nothing fun happens. The most exciting holiday is valentine's day and that's debateable. But this weekend has been a delightful 70 degrees and sunshine. On saturday Erica and I ate lunch, went shopping, got icecream, and headed to the lake with Ben Gibbard playing on the radio driving down the highway. I felt like everything was new and happy and no one was inside. The sun was the brightest it has been in months and the wind blew with warmth instead of in an attempt to kill you, like every other winter day. I just wanted to be a kid playing outside until it got dark and it was time to go in. Not to be a downer, but this weather won't last for much longer. The groundhog did see his shadow so we have some more cold days ahead of us. I'll try my hardest to fight this seasonal depression in these hard days, but the feeling I got this weekend is enough to look forward to.

You belong with me, not swallowed in the sea

I've been on this Coldplay kick for a few days. I haven't listened to them in a very long while, but one of my favorite songs came on shuffle on my way home the other day. I like to go old school, and their music just slays me in every good way possible.

Most of you know I ran cross-country in high school. I hated most of it, I just did it to get in shape for soccer season. It actually worked. But I used to run about 6 miles a day, and now I'm depressed because I'm so out of shape I can't run to the mailbox. So I'm running in a 5k race here in Rock Hill in April to give me something to achieve. I really feel like I'm always looking for a new challenge, so what the heck, right? My problem with all this is that I work from 9-6 everyday and it's dark by the time I get home. I refuse to join a gym where I have to run inside on a machine and then pay for it. I'm poor and that's dumb. So I think I shall start running on my lunch break everyday. Ok I'm trippin, it won't be every day. I am well aware of my own will power. But most days I will make a valiant effort to run, especially as May gets closer. As a blog reader I expect you to ask every time you see me, "did you run today?" That way I'll get annoyed with all of you and actually do it to make you stop. I'm thinkin it'll work.

That's all the news I have for now. Go Steelers!