while I was weeding in the garden, I kept thinking of Adam and Eve. Weeds are pretty evil. It's like somehow there's Miracle Grow in the rain just for weeds, and since we've had rain several days a week every week since I've been home it's quite all we can do to keep up with them. I wonder how Adam and Eve must have felt when they saw the task before them and how they felt after that first day of toiling. I could be quite dramatic and go on about how sore I am from all this backbreaking work.....but it really had nothing to do with the garden. This is our 2nd week of training our horses with some guidance from Mr. Jones, our neighbor. He told me that there's no way out of it, if you mess with horses much at all, you're eventually going to come off of one..I thought I could avoid this if I was careful. Yesterday was epic fail though. When Abby (the horse) began refusing to go any further as we sauntered down the driveway and kept turning around back the way we came, to my dismay, I thought I could make her mind. Her weight against my will...guess which wins? So I swatted her in punishment. Her response? To begin taking off back toward our house and begin bucking me. I found the saddle horn and thought I could hold it. It was maybe 3 seconds later when I realized I was going to come off one way or another so I'd best let go while I had enough control to push off behind her before she threw me in front of her. I quickly found the ground and got up to see yours truly getting herself off through the highest grass we had. Zach comes out to ask if I'm okay. I felt fine, just angry. So I take off through the field too and Garrison comes up on his horse to catch mine. But then he gets off his horse to chase mine..guess when happens? His takes off too! Smart move Garrison. So now we've two saddled horses in an open field in high grass. Haha, we can't catch them this way yet we keep following them. Eventually we do get them when they've wore themselves out. Abby gets a big lecture, then we ride them two hours with our neighbors just like we were going to do in the first place. In the end, I've won. But this morning I was feeelling rather..immobile. So it is not the garden's fault after all. But I still do not like weeds, especially among intertwined strawberry plants.

I think the work is good for us though. Some short cuts to our work is nice, such as tractors for fields or even tillers for gardens. Man has been very skilled in some of the machines he invents, but I don't think it does man good to turn over all our work to machines. God knew our bodies need hard work to stay fit. That's what I keep reminding myself when I am tired of it. :P

I have finally decided what I would like to accomplish this summer:
So far I have started a study in Job with my brother. Hopefully it will be a good overview of the book before my class this fall.
I am in the latter half of a study in Genesis with a friend. I hope to continue becoming more familiar with the Old Testament.
I am going to encourage more studies and singings and times for our young people at church to get together. I feel like we are not as close and edifying to each other as we could be so I'd like to work on that.
I am working on being content with not having a job knowing that the LORD will provide, and am trying to spend more time with various brothers and sisters from church.
I am working on prayer.
I am working on focusing on others and less on myself.
I am remaining organized as I take summer classes and try to meet deadlines (this is rather difficult at home when there is not a daily schedule!)
I have been visiting our library and will be reading various children's books to compile reports for Children's Literature which I will probably take in the Spring semester or my senior year.
I have obtained a copy of the Abolition of Man and started that today; it looks like it will be interesting. Then I am going to finish Mere Christianity (I started it last fall and never finished).
I am going to slowly collect kitchen supplies to cook my own food this fall. This includes looking through many family cookbooks and cooking magazines for recipes! :)
I am working on being more organized day to day and learning how to prioritize even if I cannot get everything done on my list. I need to be more efficient with time!
I am going to depaperfy (yes, my own word :) my room and bookshelf by turning them into electronic copies, b/c, no, I can't throw them all away!
Oh yeah, and train the horses. This is a rather new thing for us to be doing (even though I did ride in 4-H a bit), but should be profitable and enjoyable as a new diversion in our lives.

Well, speaking of being efficient with time, my time for reflection must rather come to an end now as it is time for other things. :)
I trust that the LORD is keeping you all in His care, and my you be blessed this day.

Ever be thankful to Him, and continually seek Him.
"One thing I have desired of the LORD, that I will seek: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4

(some of this is in my own words as a summary of the points made. Study the scriptures given for further understanding and
if I have misrepresented or taken anything out of context, please correct.)

Internal Church Problems: Problems that come from Within
Acts 15:1,24; 20:29,30

Moral issues, materialism, and worldliness will always rise up as problems, even among God's people, as long as we are in this world.
This is why we must be concerned with discerning to truth and exposing error. Sometimes in our own failure to do this we cause
ourselves difficulties and fuzzy lines seem to appear or reappear that were not there before.

The problem of UncertaintyThe claim that we cannot be sure what the truth is regarding many bible subjects.
Hebrews 5:12-14 shows that we must be discerning and perhaps uncertainty is due to a failure to growing and studying His word.
Luke 1:1-4. Things were set in order so that we may know the truth.
2 Peter 1:12. They knew the truth and were established in it.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17. How could one do the reproving and correcting commanded here if the truth were uncertain?
Ephesians 3:1-5. They were to read and understand.
2 Corinthians 1:13. Paul trusted they would understand. So, in other words, they needed to GET BUSY and figure it out!1 John 2:20, 21. They knew the truth.

Why would there ever be the rebuke we see in the scriptures (ex: 1 Corinthians or Galatians) to the Christians about
understanding the word and to get busy fixing what they had been doing wrong?
They weren't to accept brethren in error and the NT doesn't appear to tolerate the excuse of uncertainty.

Reasons we wouldn't understand scripture:
Deuteronomy 29:29. God hasn't revealed it.
2 Peter 3:14-16. We have not diligently studied.
Mark 15:10. Emotions rule reason.
2 Peter 3:5. We are unwilling to understand. (We purposefully keep ourselves in uncertainty, sometimes to avoid facing an issue.)
1 Corinthians 3:1,2. We are carnally minded.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. We do not love the truth.

Uncertainty produces:
Skepticism, emotionalism, and subjectivism.

We must consider where this will lead us if we buy into some of these things. Satan only told Eve she would be like God, but he didn't
tell her where her disobedience would lead her beyond that.

The problem of IdentityWe used to know that we are Christians and Christians only.
We used to know that we are un/non/anti-denominational.
Learn from Ezra's generation. Ezra 4:1-5; 5:11. "You have nothing in common with us."
We have no work to share with those who are not of God.

The problem of PassivityHave we lost our militancy?
Do we have passion and zeal that brings us to action?
Ephesians 6:13-17. "Stand." Do all you can to withstand in the evil day.
Jude 3. "Contend" earnestly for the faith.
Ephesians 5:11. "Expose," have no fellowship with and actively expose darkness.

The problem of ApathyHave we lost our energy and zeal?
1 Corinthians 15:58. Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Don't ask, "Is this good enough?" But always trying to see what more there is to do. Many things you don't HAVE to do,
but you will if you have zeal for the Lord's work. How else will you abound if you are not looking for more to do?
2 Peter 1:5-11. "Abound in..."
Titus 2:14. Zealous for good works because of what Jesus did for us.
Acts 11:19-23. The Lord's people multiplied because of the zeal of some.

Consider earnestly these problem among the Lord's people.

*****************************************************************************************
Other notes:
My great uncle Don Vaughan has been in the hospital due to brain aneurisms and took a turn for the worse today and is back
in ICU. He is a Christian who fell away quite a number of years ago, so please pray for God's will be done and may he recover
at least to turn his soul back to God.

Stephanie T. from my congregation is struggling with pain due to a gall stone and she is pregnant, so this is VERY concerning.

Rorie S. is a little girl from my congregation who is having colon problems and has been in and out of the hospital. She will
have more tests on Friday to figure out what is the matter.

I would also really like prayers as I think through some things in my life and I need to grow closer to God. I have some things
I need to trust Him with and put in His hands and I'm having a hard time doing that. It's so hard to give up something or a
person whom you want most. Since He has granted us choices in life, how do you sometimes discern what may be a matter
of choice and what may be a matter of His will?

Well, one more week to do many things before spring semester arrives once again. So far I have accomplished locating or purchasing all but one book I need and have saved money, I am hoping. :) Oh, and anyone interested in beginner piano lessons on Monday nights? We need one more person to join the class.

To do: apply for college next year, lunch dates with people here, organize a game night with friends, study and pray and meditate on some things, finish a book I started, work on a scarf I'm knitting, get over my sickness (I haven't been sick in almost a year!), and I'm sure there's more to do.

You must have had a lot of time if you read this entire thing. But thanks if you did. :)

Have a blessed day, and try to be joyful!
Love, Kaitlin

Most of the psalms in what is referred to as book 4 (Psalms 90-106) are such joyful psalms about the great things the LORD has done. I was noticing how the phrases above ^ are so often repeated at the beginning and throughout these psalms and I was wondering why I do not always feel as joyful as the psalmist does? The LORD has done so many great things and is so awesome and holy Himself; I do not dwell on this enough and it would do me much good to continually read these. I hope it is possible that I may also take on this attitude of such great joy and that I desire to praise and thank God as sincerely. It bothers me that I feel so apathetic most of the time and let things going on at home and in my life get me down. I often think that if I can get away from these situations that are making me unhappy, then I will feel better. But in the LORD should I not find my happiness and contentment? I think so, because the psalmist certainly had many hard times under oppression of his enemies, yet he found so much joy in the LORD most of his days. I am hoping through prayer and continued study my heart will be seeking the LORD more earnestly. Please keep me in your prayers?


Again the time has come for many of us to return to FC. Isn't it crazy how quick these things come? I am very much looking forward to being with many of you again, and to feel the blessing of your strengthening examples and influence in my life. So who's already at FC? Or when will you be leaving/arriving for FC?

God bless you, and LORD willing, I will see you soon!
Kaitlin

Funniest thing I heard today was:
"They stuck us in that room b/c they think we think we are the only ones who eat here."
The preacher had given an illustration in a lesson of which the point was that denominations see members of the church of Christ as a people who think they are the only ones in heaven. This kinda gives the context for this comment he made at lunch today (the restaurant put the group of about 20 of us in a room by ourselves). Sorry, you just had to be there to really get it.

Well, this summer is really wrapping up.
I have really enjoyed it. FC MO camp was one of the best things. You'll have to see my facebook for the pictures that I should soon have up. I was a counselor in the 8th grade cabin, had another try at the duck walk (MO camp initiation :), taught my first bible class, gave my first devo, got to know the camp friends better, and was really challenged by some evangelism studies thanks to Colton and Grady and some other fine young christian men.

Then Thursday night at camp SOMEONE showed up and surprised me. :D I couldn't believe my eyes when Adam was standing there talking to Aunt Leslie and I was thrilled that he got to be there to see camp. The next day we met up on the way home and he spent another two weeks with my family. He came on the Vaughan family canoe trip and that was a great trip (freezing cold springs, mosquitos, campfires, singing, canoeing, rain, tents, all around good fun :). Water wars prevailed through the week and Adam actually jumped OUT of the canoe when I threatened him with a water gun! Getting him back in the boat was interesting. We also caught some turtles which are now in our fish tank.

During the next couple weeks we helped with a teen get together at my aunt and uncles, visited a museum, and got to spend time together. So he had to go home Monday and arrived safely.

This week we are having a gospel meeting with Heath Rogers. We have had quite a few visitors from the community and it's very exciting. Lacy and I also have some Mennonite friends we've been getting to know lately that came and tomorrow night we are having dinner with them and hopefully they will come again...

...well, off to dinner.

Everyone have a blessed week!
love, Kaitlin

my username: wombatbabe_kaitlin

nevermind that. betanast won't keep what you put on it so when they finish it that will be my username.

This is a reeeally lame post, I know, but I will update sometime in the next week. Tune in b/c I think I'll have a project that a lot of you girls might like to help out with for YWTO next year. :) I hope everyone is home safe from FC...I am for a while and then to Illinois I go in 9 DAYS! :)

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms! And happy anniversary to my parents today!

love,
Kaitlin

"Being humble is not about lowering yourself, it's about seeing where you really are."