susan was there...




mom and dad were there...
tommy was there...
toilet paper was, um, EVERYWHERE!
probably about a million bajillion people were there....
Auburn was (and is and always will be) the place to be and the bajillion folks were all at cracker barrel the next morning when we wanted to eat a peaceful breakfast... imagine waiting 45 minutes at 10 am ???

WAR EAGLE anyway! There's nothing like the Auburn Family.

tiger walk with none other than my fantastic white house girls!
here are some more of them...jeannie, rambo, laura beth
me and my beautiful sister, Grace toughed it out in the [bama] section...



More to come...

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Katie B |

you know why i think total grace freaks everyone one out?
because i think living in total grace is also living by total faith. B-l-i-n-d. f-a-i-t-h.

so, there isn't always a blue-print to life. there can't be! you never know what's to come... if this winter will be a cold one, if you find out life changing news or you are in the clear for a while... the "plan" is fluid: moving and changing. it's one thing to prepare- another to plan and bank on something.

there isn't always black and white. see, we like black and white and love the law because then we can follow what WE know to do instead of depending on Father for what He wants us to do, and that's faith. Following the law and living life in general without faith is as filthy rags (i wont say on here what those rags are but they are really really gross and filthy). Our own attempts at righteousness are gross compared to what He wants to do through us: and if it's in faith it shows forth as gold.

I think He wants us to live in total dependence on Him... Lord what would You have me do. Lord what is your heart for me in this moment.

It's still about RELATIONSHIP! (that's abiding, right? remaining in His love! JOhn 15)

Now don't make a law out of this!
"I have to brush my teeth in faith, oh i don't think I did it. God i'm so sorry- aah!"
To me that comment sounds like I am having faith in myself to have faith. Kinda backwards. Kinda focused on my performance. You have to realize (I have to believe this too) that the measure of faith we have is even a gift from God (we have RECEIVED it from Him alone) and we couldn't have it apart from Him. Faith and trust facilitate relationship... and that is ultimately what He wants!

If I am in a relationship with someone, one of the worst feelings is to not feel trusted... another close second is for the other person to not believe in me, or not to think that I would come through for them. A relationship is so incredble when you share life- the little and big things and to can depend on the other person to support you, guide you, feed your ideas, like how you think, make you smile. See, God does this for me! It's just taken years for me to surrender and give up my own gross efforts to let Him do it and Him live gently and uniquely through me.

If life becomes more about "being right" or "doing the right thing" then we've missed the point. It's about a relationship, or should I say, THE relationship! There's a grander bigger story!

Well how do I know what to do? Well the doing is a result of your BEING.
Being in His presense and Hearing Him
Being who He has called you and declared you: Holy, Righteous, Blameless in Christ alone
Being a branch attached to a vine that is more powerful and fruitful than you could ever be alone

Just BE.
Just trust God and that it's not about doing the right thing (there's no Life in checking off a list but there is in a living, breathing relationship!)
so you can be someone (because as a believer you already are those things),
but you do things because it's who you are created to be... it's natural.

Oh there are so many rabbit trails to take from Here but I have been so excited about How God works and How He simplifies things for me.

I CRAVE a blue print for my life because it's easy and because my flesh is to want to take over and be in control instead of yielding all power and decision to Him. I wanna make plans and look to those but lately i find Him letting me just dream. Today He wants to stir my passion and affections for Himself. He wants me to sit [rest] and feast and not worry about the dishes, ha, or the scale.

I dream and think but I dont make plans. It's not time and I can rest in that because Life in me will clue me in when it is time. The question is:

Katie, Will You WAIT on Father to lead the dance... Repent of your foolish idea that You are in Control, Yield to His beautiful plan Believe that He alone is good and Stand firm by the Grace and Power God alone gives still waiting on His "yes" and His "go ahead" yet all the while savoring the moment where You just get to dream.

Well today is a day to dream
Tomorrow? Who knows! But I live on total grace where GOD DOES IT and I am so convinced that any of my own effort coming out reminds me of how incredibly needy I am. It's scary but it's freeing because I relinquish that false sense of security where I think I control my destiny to Him who has had it all along. And it's just better that way.

I'm off to dream with the greatest Dreamer that ever existed...