Auwma - Africa Part III

This is a beautiful story of how I obtained my Acholi name. As usual I went into the city of Gulu with my partner. As we were wandering the African streets we came across two women with a baby and small son. We talked with one of the women named Rose de Auwma for awhile and then asked if we could pray for her.

She began to tell us that she had severe pain in her back and hips. The pain was so bad she couldn't walk or stand. My partner prayed for her and she said she felt better. We asked her to tell us exactly how she was feeling. She responded saying that her area of injury was hot and tingling, this was a sure sign that the spirit was moving. 

Then I began to pray for my dear Rose. I placed my hands directly on her hips. As I prayed she prayed right along with me in Acholi. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. When we finished praying she could stand. We prayed again. Rose said she didn't feel better but she felt like there were angels in the room and that more were on their way. We prayed again. When the final Amen rang, she popped her head up and never in my whole life had one word been so powerful. All she said was "watch." She proceeded to walk across the room with no imperfections. She could walk. Rose was healed. 

The funny thing is that right before this my partner had been feeling sick. She asked me to pray for her and I jokingly told her that God had not given me the gift of healing. He proved me wrong within the course of an hour!

After Rose had been healed she decided to give us all Acholi names. She saved me for last. She named me Auwma. I asked her what it meant and she responded saying that it was a family name. It was also her name. She told me that she wanted to gave me a name of honor. She told me that now I am one with her and her family. There is no greater honor. I belong to an Acholi family. Auwma will always remind me of this trip and the freedom that I found. 

Lots of Love, 

Katy Auwma 

Sandra - Africa part II

The first story from my incredible trip to Gulu, Uganda is about a flight attendant named Sandra. Let me begin by describing what the journey to Africa looked like: Take a charter bus from Abilene to Dallas,  fly out of DFW to Amsterdam (I WAS IN THE NETHERLANDS), layover in Amsterdam,flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe, and a Drive in a tiny little bus from Amsterdam to Gulu

It was a long trip, to say the least; however, I absolutely loved it. Amsterdam spoke to my heart. Something about it stirred me even though I was only in the airport. Everything was so green and beautiful, the men were freakishly tall and good looking, not to mention people stare all the time and it is absolutely normal. That is my kind of place.

On the flight to Amsterdam my soul was moved by a wonderful flight attendant named Sandra. Sandra is an amazing picture of servanthood and humility.  She genuinely cared for each person she served. I was sitting next to Jessica and we both noticed her beautiful soul. Every time she came around she would stop at our seats and tell us about her life and testimony, it was powerful to say the least.

As hours passed by I felt an urging of the Lord to write  her an encouragement card. Right as I was about to tell Jessica this, she was one step ahead of me. She too had heard from the Lord and was already pulling out paper and pen. So, we wrote a simple card of encouragement.

We handed it to her as we left the plane. She was encouraged before she even read it. As I was standing in line to board the flight to Entebbe I saw Sandra running up to me. With tears in her eyes, she gave me one of the biggest hugs I have ever received. She told me how much she appreciated it. Her heart was stirred and moved deeply. This wonderful woman's heart was dramatically shifted and all it took was a tiny amount of effort on my part. I pray that Sandra will continue to see the heart Jesus has for her.

As I stood in the middle of an airport, with a sobbing flight attendant,  in a foreign country I realized that we were created to love. Love has the power to connect you to complete strangers from entirely different continents. What if we challenged ourselves to write one encouraging note a day. Sandra was so loving and encouraging you would have never guessed she needed encouragement. Im beginning to believe that those are the people who need it the most.

REMEMBER: EVERYONE NEEDS ENCOURAGEMENT!!

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and prophets hand on these two commandments." Mathew 22:37-40

Lots of Love
Katy

Oh, The Places You'll Go -- Africa Part I

The clock ticks slowly as I sit and wait in anticipation. Not even the sun dared to rise at such an hour as this. As I sit motionless in my house I feel my breath drawing deeper still. Suddenly the loud buzz of my phone stirs me into motion. The time had come, from this point on I would never be the same. A twenty-year old, browned eyed girl was about to leave the country.

I woke, tangled in a mosquito net, to the sound of children laughing. I proceeded to take a shower where I failed to find even the slightest trace of warm water ... this is Africa. I'M IN AFRICA! The trip was a solid thirty-four hours. Let me make known, that spending time in third world countries has never been on the top of my to-do list; however, I am in Love with a God who calls me to do crazy things.  My Father gives me a spirit of adventure that I would surely lack without Him.

As I step out onto the orange African soul I am certain of nothing and ready for anything. No Reservations. No retreats. No Regrets. The adventures that awaited me in Africa were none that I could ever imagine. The people that I encountered, the places I saw, and the God I loved altered my frail sense of reality.

In the next couple of entries I will share with you the individual stories that happened to me while i was in Gulu, Uganda. I hope this preview gave you a taste of what is to come.

A Poem from the Secret Place

Father,

This morning I rise

The clock I despise!!

Your heart I seek 

But my flesh is weak.

I find I'm walking through a dark valley

The trials and afflictions I tally.

However, this suffering is my duty 

For out of ashes is beauty.

My soul aches,

My heart breaks.

The nightmares are real

The enemy came to steal.

The darkness closes in 

But alas! I will not sin!

My God is jealous for me 

Through Him the darkness flees.

My heart will be made whole.

Hallelujah, there is rest for my soul.

Lots of Love,

Katherine E Morrical 

My First and Last love

Recently I received a request to write about my ideas on dating. Some people might say that my views on dating and relationships are radical. Honestly, I hope that they are. I long for them to be counter cultural in every sense. Sorry this one is so long!!!

First, let me give the three main steps in the pursuing of a relationship (alot of this stems from Beltway)

1. Intentional friendship -- This is where it all starts. In this stage the man of the relationship asks the female to enter into intentional friendship. In this stage the two involved are more than friends but are not a couple. There is public one-on-one but not private one-on-one. In this stage there is zero physical attachment. The point of this phase is to get to know the person without drawing out either persons heart. You have multiple people praying into the relationship and listening to the Lord on their behalf.

2. Exclusive dating -- You move into exclusive dating only when you are ready for marriage. Do not enter into it if you are not prepared to commit. I think this is the point where the man asks the woman's father for permission. This is a point of honor. How valuable would it be to know that the man dating his daughter asked for permission before entering into dating. He didn't draw her heart out on any level until he had the permission of her father.

3. Marriage -- pretty self explanatory; however, I think the man should ask the father's permission at this stage as well.

Dating is all about being above reproach.  Romans 12:10 says, "love one another with brotherly affection. out do one another in showing honor." We should be seeking to OUT DO one another in showing honor.

I also believe in purity. Our dating should launch us further into purity and being above reproach. we are called to not only be pure physically but also mentally and spiritually. I believe in abstaining from the act of sex until marriage. Sex was created to be the most precious and valuable gift that we can give to another.

I also believe that we should even go as far as abstaining from kissing. Here is what we must ask ourselves, when has kissing ever enhanced the purity of a relationship? We were CREATED sexual beings. It is not sinful it is just the way God made us. Our culture has lied to us and made us feel guilty for longing for the opposite sex but in reality that is the way we were created. So, physiologically we are not designed to stop once you begin kissing. Honestly, Once the door is opened, we were CREATED to continue until a baby comes into play. Why would we engage in kissing before marriage when we were not created to stop. We are essentially torturing ourselves. We are trying to deny the natural process our body was made to complete.

Also, kissing opens up an emotional connection. I do not want to let any man enter and share that emotional connection with me unless he is my husband. When we kiss someone we are giving them access to a part of our hearts that only our significant other should get. I do not want to deny my future husband a part of my heart.

Women -- We were made to be adored by our husbands. Make sure you date someone who adores you.

Men -- your woman should play the role of intercessor. She should verbally encourage you, not only in private, but in front of other people.

I also think that community is a vital part of dating. Tell your community what is gong on, ALWAYS. This is just another way to live above reproach. Men you need to have a circle of men surrounding you in prayer as you pursue relationships, same goes for women. Without community it is incredibly easy to fall and loose track of the father's heart for purity.

On a personal level, I have never had a boyfriend. My boyfriend is Jesus. He is insanely jealous and consumes all of my time. :) For a long time I struggled with the idea of singleness. I felt like i was an outcast or loser because i have never had a boyfriend. This is a lie of the enemy.

For the past year or so I have felt like the Lord has said to me, "My beloved, you are mine." I have felt a call on my life to share the truth behind dating and relationships. I feel like the Lord has said to me, "walk with me faithfully and you will have a timeless love story. I want your first boyfriend to be your last." How beautifully poetic. I want to wait on the Lord for my future man because i want my first boyfriend to be my last.

Friends, I have seen this model of dating work. People are walking in the truths and purity of dating and it is one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen. In our culture, we let the world and society introduce and instruct young people on sex and dating. STOP IT!!! Christians should be teaching the world about sex not letting the world teach us. The reality is that young people are going to search for answers. My prayer is that Christians everywhere step up and start being the ones to provide answers.

BE RADICAL!!!

Lots of Love,
Katy

"You are altogether beautiful my love; there is no flaw in you."  -- Song of Solomon 4:7

My Soul Sings ... Shabach

PREFACE: This blog might freak out some of my fellow traditionalists.

Recently I have experienced incredible break through in worship. As many of you know I was raised Lutheran. This means that, for me, worship entailed sitting in pews (never the front row) and singing from a hymnal while the organ and handbells guided us along. There was no raising of the hands, crying out to god, praying to god in groups, etc. Am I right?

Recently, I have learned some new things about worship through Discipleship school. There is a difference between worship and praise. Praise is upwards facing, adoration of God, and a celebration. Worship is downward, reverent, and submission to God. I think that my Lutheran upbringing taught me how to worship. They taught me the value in being reverent and submissive to God our heavenly father. I am so thankful for this.

However, like many I found myself caught up in religion. I was a slave to my church. I placed my identity in religion not my heavenly father. During D-school a young man named Brenton came in and taught us the many different biblical ways of worship. At the end of his talk he challenged us to look at the handout and try to engage a form of worship that we had never tried before.

My immediate response was to shut down and refuse to participate. I went home that night and read John 6:16-21 (read it right now if you can). It is the infamous story of Jesus walking on water.  I have read this story probably 3,000,000,000,000,000 but this time it was different. Two things stuck out to me:

1.) The disciples were afraid. I love this!!!! The disciples didn't have it all together. they didn't automatically accept the things that Jesus was doing. Jesus walking on water scared them. This encouraged me. I related it to my struggles with worship. When people yell in worship or dance and do all those crazy things it scares me. I feel fear but so did the disciples.

2.) Jesus SAW their fear and simply responded saying "It is I. Do not be afraid." He didn't condemn them, he consoled them. I feel like Jesus is the same way with me and my fears. He sees that I am afraid and it doesn't upset Him.

So after this revelation, I decided I would pick the thing on the list that scares me the most -- shouting in worship.  The worship form Shabach is found in the Bible. Shabach means to praise the Lord with a shout and a loud voice. I spent several hours asking the Lord if this was of Him or not and came to the conclusion that it was.

The next day during worship I praised God using Shabach. It was a breakthrough for me. After all these years being bound by religion I felt so free to worship the Lord. I Shouted thanks to the Lord and i will never be the same. At the end of the day, worship is about the Lord. It is not about pleasing man or fulfilling some selfish need; it is about giving the Lord what is rightfully his.

I urge you brothers and sisters praise God without restraint for in this you will find freedom at last.

Lots of Love
Katy

"Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall shabach thee." Psalm 63:3

The Beautiful thing about Suffering ...

Recently I have begun Discipleship school with my church here in abilene. I have only had three days of classes but already the Lord is rocking my world.

For the past two years I have been walking through a very lonely and broken place. I have been struggling with feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I am not going to go into details but basically I have had a rough journey; however the Lord is good and has given me so much revelation.

The reality is that God promises not to give us more than we can handle. In my darkest moments I remember crying out to God thinking I couldnt handle anymore and then something else terrible would happen. I used to look at this endless cycle of hardship with confusion and frustration. I was angry with God and yet I continued to faithfully follow him.

I realized this, the most beautiful places are the broken ones. I am thankful that God is continually breaking my heart. All of this brokenness means that God sees strength in me. I have decided to be honored with suffering because it only makes me stronger. God called Job his faithful servant. My story reminds me of Jobs story. I want to be a faithful servant.

In my c3:16 group one of the men was talking about going in to war and how we wouldn't want to enter a war with a pillow for our weapon. Instead, we want a sharp sword. The dark troubling times is when your sword gets sharpened. If I constantly lived on a glorious sunny mountain top with god my weapon would be a soft as a fluffy feather pillow. I am walking through the darkest slums rubbing my sword up against rocks so that i might be prepared for future battle.

Thank you father for my brokenness. You have shown me how strong I am. I am thankful you would trust me to walk through so much darkness and still chase after your light. You are perfect, beautiful, and everything I need in this world.

Lots of Love
Katy

Guard your Ornament

Awkward title? Absolutely. 

Let me explain, a while back I was having a conversation with one of my sweet friends. It was girl talk, so obviously,  we discussed boys and where we were at in our relationship status. Don't get too excited,  the only man in my sight is my boyfriend Jesus, who is insanely jealous and consumes all of my time. 

As my beautiful friend spoke and gave her stories of past relationships and heart break, I could not help but think about how much power men have over our ever so delicate female hearts. This is where I came up with, what might very well be, the best analogy EVER! 

Stay with me on this one. Picture your Christmas tree and the most beautiful ornament on it. I always picture this gorgeous glass bell that hung on our tree. I remember my mom would not let my three sisters or I go anywhere near it because it was insanely fragile. She would take it out and place it on the tree. Once the Christmas season was over, I remember watching her wrap it up in tissue paper and strategically placing it in a spot where it would be safe for the whole year.

Now picture your heart as an ornament. It is so fragile, so delicate. It is also beautiful. It is opulent, magical, captivating, breath-taking, and the only one you will ever have. Imagine a diamond encrusted heart that sparkles at every turn. Tied at the top, in the most perfect of bows, is an exquisite red, silk ribbon. This beautiful ornament is the most precious gift ever given to you. You alone decide the fate of this heart. 

Every time you enter into a relationship you place your ornament into the hand of your chosen suitor. Once you have given your heart to another, they may do what ever they want with it. In many cases, men will hold the ornament at their fingertips, threatening to drop it at any moment. 

The tragic reality is that many times our ornaments not only break, but shatter. We try to pick up the pieces and glue it  back together; but, we all know it will never be the same once broken. 

Stop  placing your ornament in the hands of the wrong people. 

People often ask me why I don't date. Here is my answer .... because my heart is to delicate to be passed from one person the the next.  I truly believe that if you are patient and wait it out, the perfect man of God will come along. When I finally give my ornament away, I want it to be flawless, in mint condition. I don't want cracks, dents, or glued pieces; however, the perfect man will treasure your ornament, dents and all.  He will take it and place it delicately into a a luxurious box (I like to picture a Tiffany's box). He wont dangle it in front of you; instead, he will place that precious ornament in his jacket pocket, right next to his heart. There it is safe, warm, treasured, and most importantly beating right alongside his own heart. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Lots of Love

Katy 

I saw God Today

I want to share a story that inspired me to live differently today. I'm pretty positive that being cooped up in my room, with no contact to the outside world, due to the snowpocalypse, has driven me stir crazy. SO it comes as no surprise that when i finally got to go to church Jesus boldly showed himself to me through the most unlikely of people. 

I woke up like any other morning, feeling tired, delirious, and blind (literally .... my contacts weren't in). i got myself looking all adorable for morgan and I's traditional sunday morning at Beltway Park, followed by a meal at olive garden and shopping! 

We sat on the upper far right in what morgan referred to as "the nosebleeds." Then, because we both have issues, we moved to the front right. THis is where four unlikely people drastically altered my selfish way of thinking. 

In front of me to the left, were three tall, good looking, buff african-american men. I couldn't help but notice the way they worshipped (i am a people watcher through and through). The three boys had no clue what the other was doing but somehow they all seemed to be moving together as one. They had this rhythm and flow to their movements that was nothing less than beautiful. It was soulful and real. It was altruistic, passionate, and alluring. Not once did they open their eyes, speak to one another, or loose focus. They  were totally engaged in the presence of God. I admired this.

On another row in front of me to my right sat a small little girl. She was, I'm guessing, in sixth grade. Now, Girls can remember their sixth grade year quite vividly because for most of us, we were going through our awkward phase. For example, i had huge harry potter glasses (except not awesome), bangs cut straight across my forehead, hair that fell directly at my chin, and horrible vampire teeth. This little girl was precious, she was wearing an outfit that she clearly picked out herself and had four billion sparkly clips in her hair. 

While Pastor David McQueen was speaking i watched the little girl. She sat still the whole time, adamantly listening and filling in the blanks on the notes. As soon as the answer to the blank popped on the screen she furiously raced to her notes so that she could be the first to fill it in. While my focus waned in and out and i made side comments to both danika and morgan this little girl never once lost her focus. After the pastor spoke we went into worship.

For the first song, the little girl stood very still. She watched the three young men with her big, brown curious eyes. She starred them down taking in every sway, every fluid movement, and graceful beat. Then on the second song she began to dance. SHe started of slow and then soon she was jumping and praising god without fear or hesitation. Every now and then she would stop, look at the boys, and then continue you on in the same way they were. If they were jumping and screaming so was she, if they were swaying slowly so was she. It was a powerful thing to watch. 

The three boys reminded me of the trinity, all completely different but at the same time one. The little girl reminded me of christians all over the world. She was curious and wanted to learn and know as much as she could but at the same time their was part of her that would never understand. i long to have the faith and boldness of this little girl. Her faith, her worship style had nothing to do with her family or traditions instead she just wanted to be pleasing to god. 

I think we all get so consumed with our everyday lives that we forget to stop and take in these little moments. We are called to have a child like faith, one that is curious, one that scribbles down notes with intense vigor, one that listens longing to hear the words of god, one that dances because they are so filled with His love, and one that is so pure from the corrupt ways of the world around us. This little girl and three wise men challenged me to pursue jesus and come before him humbly.


Lots of Love 
Katy

A New Opportunity to Stalk....

“Love is a durable fire in the mind ever burning; never sick, never old, never dead from itself never turning.” 

-- Sir Walter Raleigh