I’M BACK!!

Hey guys! I’m back and I’m not dead! (which you already know if your following me on Pinterest 😉 )
I haven’t posted in such a long time and my only excuse is that I haven’t known what to post. This is going to be a very short post. If you guys could give me any ideas for “fun” type posts that would be wonderful! (“fun” can mean whatever you interpret it to be)

One last thing before I end this post. I would really like to limit myself on tags and award posts. I feel like that’s one of the only things I’ve posted. They are definitely one of the most fun posts for me to do, but I’m only going to be doing them occasionally. So please don’t get offended if you tag me for something and I don’t get to it. 🙂

I know one of the things I’ll get in the comments is to post whatever I enjoy posting. Though I won’t be posting anything that I don’t want to, right now I’d really appreciate the suggestions. 😀

Thank you so much for being patient with me, and I can’t wait to start regularly posting again!

God bless, everyone!

Q&A

Time for my q&a! With a little twist! I wrote all of the questions on paper, cut them out, and mixed them up in a basket:

Here’s how it’s going to work, I’m going to reach in and grab one, and whichever one I grab is the one I have to answer. I’m ready to get started! Let’s go!

1~ What was a favorite childhood book you had?
Hmmm, I really liked the Junie B. Jones series when I was younger.

2~ If you HAD to get another dog, what would the breed be, would it be a boy or girl, and what color would you like it to be?
If I had to get another dog, it would probably be an Australian Shepherd, (if it couldn’t be a pit) a girl, and I’d prefer it to be black, brown, and white. 😉

3~ Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds?
Be invisible.

4~ Have you ever written/started writing a story?
I have started writing more stories than I can count and have finished 0. 😛

5~ Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
Whisper. Definitely whisper.

6~ The best birthday/Christmas present you’ve ever gotten?
This is hard, but I’m going to say my phone.

7~ How many states have you been to?
2. Yeah I know, not a lot, but I plan to go to a lot more.

8~ If you could make any fictional character or creature come to life, who or what would it be?
I think it would be Gandalf.

9~ If you had to have all of your clothes be one color, what would it be?
Probably purple…

10~ What is your favorite blog?
Sorry, I just can’t decide! There are too many.

11~ What is your favorite bible verse?
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

12~Quick! The house is on fire, and you only have 30 seconds to get the things you need. What are they?
If my house caught on fire, I don’t think it would come to my mind to collect anything. But if I had to get the things I need, they would probably be my phone, Bible, and a camera. (assuming that everyone is already safely out)  Oh, and our thousand books! Just kidding. Although it would be really sad to see them all burn.

13~ A quick snippet of how you came to know God?
Well, I grew up (and am still growing up) in a christian home, and accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 4. Recently (the past few years) is when I actually started to really seek Him and work on getting to know Him better. (Which is what I’m still striving to do everyday)

14~ Have you ever danced in the rain? Why or why not?
Yes. Yes I have. Or I’ve at least attempted to. Need I have an explanation?

15~ What is one thing that you cannot stand?
People chewing loudly with their mouth open.

16~ Would you rather have a missing finger or an extra toe?
Um… extra toe…?

17~Which presidential candidate would you vote for?
I’m not sure, but I think Cruz.

18~ Would you rather be hairy all over or completely bald?
I wouldn’t want to be hairy all over, so I’ll go with bald.

19~ Would you rather be stranded alone on an island or with a really annoying person?
I would rather be stranded on an island with a really annoying person.

20~ What would you think if your family decided to adopt a kid? A boy.
I would think how exciting it would be to have another sibling! Boy or girl, I think my reaction would be about the same.

21~ Why did you start your blog?
Good question! I started this blog because it’s fun to blog, to share about my life and experiences, to encourage the people reading my blog in their walk with Christ, and also to have an outlet for my thoughts.

22~ If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
It would be really cool to have the power to snap, and the room your in cleans itself. (Yes, I’ve seen Mary Poppins)

23~ What are your favorite names and what do they mean?
I really like the names Hazel, Iris, and Holly. They don’t necessarily have formal meanings, because they’re all named after plants. 🙂 Well, except for Iris, (which is also a plant) which comes from a Greek origin meaning rainbow.

24~ Would you rather always lose or never play?
I would rather lose all the time than never play.

25~ What is your middle name?
My middle name is Deanne

26~ If you could travel to any foreign country, where would you go and why?
Either New Zealand or France. New Zealand because of it’s beautiful landscapes and hobbit houses and France because I’ve always wanted to visit Paris and see the Eiffel Tower .

27~ Have you heard of ATCs?
No, I haven’t. But I wouldn’t mind at all if you told me. 😀

28~ Dark side or light side?
Light side.

29~ If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
See question 26 above. 🙂

30~ What would be the first thing you would think if an adorable stray dog showed up at the door?
If it’s adorable then the first thing I would think is “Awww!”

31~ Would you rather forget who you are or who everyone else is?
I would rather forget who I am I think. It’s a tricky question.

32~ Do you like being a big sister?
Most of the time.

33~ Dwarves or elves?

34~ What’s your least favorite food?
Crab. 😐

35~ Tips on allergies?
So, in case you didn’t know, I’m banned from eating gluten, dairy, corn, and sugar, which can be challenging. I’m not sure that I have any helpful tips though.

36~ What’s your perfect pizza?
Fluffy crust with toppings of pizza sauce, bell peppers, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, olives and pineapple. And if we’re going to imagination land where I can have cheese, then cheese too.

37~ What is your life verse? Why?
The same as my favorite one (question 11) because it reminds me not to be anxious and to praise and trust in the Lord. (which is something I’m working on)

38~ If you could have any animal you liked, what would it be?
I know horses are a lot of work, but I think it would be fun to have one. Either that or a bunny.

39~ Would you rather have an elephant trunk or a giraffe neck?
Neither. Not an option? Okay, a giraffe neck.

40~ Who is your favorite singer or band?
It changes every time I tell someone. Right now it’s Casting Crowns.

That was the last question. Thank you everyone for giving me these questions! They were so fun to answer! And also, congratulations if you actually read this whole post!

God bless!

~Katie

Which question/answer was your favorite?

I Need Your Questions!

Alright everyone, I’m doing a Q&A post! But to do that I need questions. So if you’d be so kind as to give me some, that’d be great!
I’m fine with personal questions. Well, as long as your not asking for my address…
Anyways, you can ask me questions by contacting me here or commenting on this post. Ask as many questions as you like!

Thanks everyone, and God bless!

~Katie

Where I Stand On The Subject Of Gay Marriage

Okay everyone, this is going to be a very controversial post. I don’t believe that gay marriage is okay. I know where I stand, I just never posted anything about it before because I could never come up with the right words. But then I found Maggie’s post ‘A Few Reasons I Heartily Disagree With Gay “Marriage”, which has all the words that I originally couldn’t come up with. Anyways, she wrote this post as a response to another post called “Love Wins”. Here’s what she said:

“Hey, I found your blog through http://bananaandbear.blogspot.com/, and I was just looking around here a little and came across this post, not surprisingly, since it’s the second to newest.  😛

I wanted to comment just a few things that I disagree with you on, but please don’t think that I’m trying to be mean or anything like that.  I respect your opinion as a fellow human being made in the image of God.

1.  God’s Word does not have any contradictions in it.  It was breathed out by God to chosen men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it therefore has no errors in it, in it’s original text.  Translations may have some grammatical errors and such, but the original writings have no error whatsoever.  Indeed, there are many instances where it seems like there are contradictions, but if you dig deeper into to original meaning etc., there are none.

2.  God clearly states in the Bible that it is sinful and punishable by death to be a homosexual.  You mentioned that nowadays, it would be socially unacceptable to burn someone at the stakes for that, and that’s true, but it is because Jesus has already paid the price.  He paid the price for our sin by His death on the cross.  If we repent of our sin and turn from it, we have life, but those who will not turn from their sin will be cast into the lake of fire.  I don’t mean to be snooty or anything.  But that’s what will happen to those that don’t put their trust in Jesus and turn from their sin.  Continuing to live as a gay without even a desire to kill that sin is basically telling God that He can’t tell you what to do (I’m saying you generally, not you personally).

3.  “Loving freely,” as you put it, is not actually loving freely, because it is going against what God has ordained, so it is really imprisonment, whether it feels like it or not.  It is so freeing to live in the light of Christ, no matter how hindering it seems to the world’s eyes.  The world’s vision is clouded because they don’t have the light of Christ – they are living in darkness.

4.  I am totally against discrimination [as the word is used today].  It is not looked on favorably by God at all.  However, I do think it is very important that we address this issue with gays.  Not get in their faces and force them by violence to give up their sinful practices.  Our job is to love them the way Christ loves, and then by that, lead them to Christ, by His grace.  It is never an option to discriminate against them because of their different beliefs.  As for the blacks and whites marrying thing you were talking about, I do not believe that is wrong.  What’s wrong is when someone has any sort of romantic inclinations toward someone of the same sex.

5.  In the Bible, women are NOT seen as inferior.  A lot of people make that mistake.  As my old pastor said, Christianity is the only religion where women and men ARE equal.  People get tripped up because men and women have different roles.  Equally important roles!  When Paul says in Ephesians 5:22, “22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything,” he’s not saying that a man can make his wife do whatever he wants because he rules over her.  No, he is to love, care for and guide her in the same way that Christ loves the church.  In fact, right after that, Paul says, “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.”  The husband is not to rule over the wife like a slave master or something like that.  He is to care for her, love her, so that he is continually improving her, and cleansing her.  In turn, the wife is to submit to him as to Christ.  The husband should love the wife in a way that makes the wife love to love him!  The same goes for the wife – that she should love him in a way that makes him love to love her!

6.  People are not “born gay.”  It is a choice to go against God’s law, whether or not it feels like it.  God created us male and female, with the “instinct,” if you will, to be attracted to the opposite gender.  That is God’s perfect design.  When one tries to go against that, they are breaking God’s law.  In addition, when you support this in any way, you are breaking His law.  Going back to His perfect design, men and women are not the same!  He created us different, with different strengths and abilities!  It was His plan that men be attracted to women and vice versa.  It is right and good for that to happen!  It’s true that we cannot control our race, gender, or things we were born with.  We are born either male or female, and we cannot change or control that.  But we can control our thoughts.  Being gay is a brain thing, not a genetic, out-of-your-control thing.

7.  Yes, as Christians we do strive to love unconditionally, but that does not mean that we let people wallow in their sin!  That is not loving them!  Loving is hard to do sometimes, and it takes guts.  When you claim to love someone by letting them “believe what they believe,” and not bothering them about it, what you are actually doing is letting Satan get a firmer hold on their soul.  You are bringing them closer to eternity in hell.  That is a scary thought.  True love would be to bring their sin to their attention so that they may turn from it and turn to God.  Jesus loved us unconditionally by dying for our sins – when we hated him!  He didn’t say we had to do anything to earn His love, He did it willingly.  He didn’t love us by just letting us wander wherever we wanted.  That wouldn’t be love!

I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean to go this long.  I just wanted to point out a few things I noticed that I [heartily] disagree on.  The things I said weren’t really in any particular order.  And again, please don’t take this as offensive or mean.  I want you to know where I stand, just like you want people to know where you stand.

~Maggie “

I think that her response was very mature and polite, which is why it was so hard for me to come up with the right words. You can read Maggie’s full post here. Note that I am not trying to cause controversy on my blog, nor am I trying to tell you what to believe. But I had to post this because of how perfect Maggie’s response was and because of how strongly I feel on this subject.

God bless you all!

~Katie