katie rose writes

So, instead of studying Greek (test tomorrow), I've decided to blog. Story of my life. I really do stink at studying. But that's ok, and that is not what I want to write about today. Really, today I am writing, not because I feel like it (whatever "it" is), but because I desire, above all else, to feel like it. That probably made no sense, but that's ok. It makes sense to me. Anyway, so last night at Vision, our BSU president spoke from Mark 1:14-15 & 2:1-12. It was really challenging. Hence, the need to re-examine it by blogging about it. Mark 1:14-15 "Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested, Jesus came into galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." "The Kingdom of God is at hand..." I've always been pretty confused about what exactly this means, what exactly is the Kingdom of God? Well, as I've looked and talked abou...

So, today I drove home. 8 hours on the road. I know that sounds overwhelming, but it flew by! Mostly because I had a lot of Jesus time. I probably looked really strange because I was talking out loud with Him. But I'm ok with that. Cause it was oh so worth it. Because I just talked a lot of things out with Him. About all the running between Moab and Bethlehem. And He brought me back to stay. He renewed me. He showed me the beginning of my Barley Harvest. He spoke over me His plans. And to rest in them. And to rest in Him. I also listened to two wonderful podcasts by David Platt about Ruth. One was called "The Romance of Redemption," and was recorded at Southeastern Seminary. The other was called "Story of Love," which is from this past Easter Sunday. I strongly recommend looking them up and listening to them. Strongly. Then tonight, I had just completed the last major leg of my drive, I got through Chattanooga. And as I turned the corner onto 7...

The past few weeks a few wonderful friends and myself have been going through the book of Ruth. We finished up talking about chapter 2 tonight. But as we began, one of the girls just said that she couldn't get over the last verse of chapter 1. So, we went back and looked at it again before going on. Ruth 1:22--"So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. " My first thought was, Huh? How are we stuck here? I don't understand. But oh did God open up my eyes. This young woman instantly LIT UP when she began to speak. She said that she was realizing this was the beginning of her Barley Harvest. That she has returned from a dark time in the desert, and that she has hope of a new and bright future, set apart by God. The other member of our group was right with me in the "wow" factor, and then she turned to me and asked me about my...

One of the hardest things for me to accept right now is the whole not being in India thing. Which is weird. It's been 5 months. Over that now. And yet everyday, there is still that hunger and that desire to be back there, storying the gospel with the most beautiful people I know. Check out this video to see how God is moving.... And yet, and yet. I'm here. I'm here. Over 17,000 miles away from India. But wherever my feet are, that is my mission field. To proclaim His name. I want my feet to be beautiful, shod with the shoes of readiness to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Let it be, Lord. Let it be.

In light of all we have learned about Jonah the past few weeks, let's take a look at what Jesus said about him in Matthew 12:38-41. "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him (He just got done talking about the day of judgment and how a tree is known by its fruit), saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." But He answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three day and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold (don't miss this), something greater than Jonah is here .'" Alright, so these Pharisees come and want a sign. They want proof. They want to be able to hold the truth in their hands. ...

So, the question I am asking myself and I hope you are asking yourself as well is... What is my response to God's heart? Jonah speaks so clearly of God's heart and who He is. So what's my chapter 5? Jonah's hand apparently hurt to much to finish the story...but it was definitely for our benefit, that we would not just see Jonah as an example--whether his response was good or bad, remains unanswered--but that we would examine ourselves as the example. What do I mean by that? you ask. Well, what were you're thoughts as you journeyed through this time with Jonah? Were you quick to judge him? I know I was. Were you quick to point out all his bad qualities? Me too. That is exactly why that for so long this book has been perceived as a book about Jonah. His bad example, about how we should not act. I was reading in Radical by Platt, and it was talking about the Church and what it should really look like, as compared to the Church in the Bible. And he made the s...

The book of Jonah really isn't about Jonah at all. Have you ever caught on to that idea? Yeah, on the first look, it may look like his story and his disobedience, and his stupidity, etc. But those things are one theme, and they are pretty much a given, summed up in the title. So, that makes them just a tad less important as a more overarching theme that comes up again and again and again in the book. And that theme is, as the title of this post may suggest, God's Heart . The whole book, really, is about God. Jonah is God's prophet, God's messenger, etc. Every moment is Jonah's life is a work of God. This is very easy to miss. I went for 17 years without knowing this, hearing many sermons on Jonah. So, let's take our focus off of Jonah's story for a moment, and focus on God's heart. God's Heart is against evil and desires that evil to be corrected. Jonah 1:1-3: In these few verses, we see God call Jonah..."Arise, go to Nineveh, tha...