Lifehouse 'Everything" Skit

This is basically the story of my life put into a 4 minute drama....Its incredibly powerful and gives me chills, and makes me cry every time.

My New Blog!

I just created a new blog called Kasey's African Adventure. There I will be sharing with you my preparation, and then the stories from my 3 months I am going to spend in Uganda next year. I hope you check it out!! Here's the link: www.kaseyinafrica.blogspot.com

So There's This Boy....

And he makes my head spin around! He can make me smile more than anyone possibly can. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel wanted, desired and beautiful. He loves God with everything inside of him. He's adorable, and really handsome. He's so much fun to be around. He says some of the most amazing things. He's the perfect gentleman...opens doors, gives me his jacket, pulls out chairs, and serves me. He shows his love for God in the way he treats others. He lifts me up when I am down. Lets me know that I can do it and believes in me. He brings out the best in me. He doesn't care about my flaws and accepts and actually likes me just the way I am. He likes me...a lot!! He thinks I worth investing in and being with, more than other girls. He's deep and profound. He understands me more than anyone else and I can be myself around him. I can't get him out of my head. He isnt what I would have imagined (I've always wanted a tall hispanic man), but he is everything I've ever dreamed of. He's probably the most amazing guy I've ever known. And guess what....he chose to pursue me!! It feels so amazing to be pursued, wanted and loved by someone of the opposite sex! I think it was a total God thing and He orquestrated it all. All we ever intended to be was just friends, but apparently God wanted more than that. We're in deep like with each other. We've decided that were going to date, but we're waiting on Gods timing...which He has said when I get back from Africa in July is the right time. Waiting is the hardest part, since we know where we are going and what we are going to be. We're both ready for it though, and really excited! Its gonna be fun, and a new adventure for both of us as we try to figure out what we are doing and how to be in a relationship. We're best friends right now and can only get closer from here. =) He is incredible. He's my boy and I'm his girl...well not officially, but in 6 months! YAY!!! He's a year younger than I am, like half an inch shorter, and completely amazing!

Remembering 12.09.07

Today is the one year anniversary of the shooting at my church in Colorado Springs. I still remember that day so clearly, but yet still cant believe that it has already been a year. I want there when it happened, my family left just about 5 minuted before the first shots were fired. My sister called me, crying almost panicked and saying "Are you okay?! There was a gunman that opened fire at the church! Where are ou guys, are you all safe?" We were at the grocery store, and I remember having a complete emotional breakdown, panick attack in the middle of Albertson's. Even though I wasnt there to experience or see it, it still pierced my heart because New Life is my home, my family and my family was attacked on that day. It still hurts to think of what happened o that day. We had just been rocovering from a hue blow of losing our pastor a year before, now this. We lost 2 incredible teenage girls, Rachel and Stephanie Works....sisters. I cant imagine the pain their famly went through, losing 2 daughters and sisters. But I have seen them grow, heal and listened to their story..seen God work in their brokeness. It is truely a miracle. Everyone asks, "Where was God? Why did this happen?" It happened cause the enemy wanted to destroy us. And God was right there in the midst of the horror and pain. He never leaves us. He used a very incredible woman to stop further damage from happening, we lost 2, and that is so saddening, but we could have lost so many more. It could have been mass murder. But God stopped that. I dont believe that December 9th was the defining moment for New Life, rather, it was the wednesday after at our family meeting. It was emotional. A lot of people spoke, and many tears were shed. But at the end of the night there was an anthem that spontaneously rose up and exploded from our NLC family. They started to play the song Overcome, and it flowed out of everyone there. We were singing, no, shouting, "We will overcome, by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony. Everyone Overcome." It has been our anthem ever since. And we have overcome. These blows did not knock us down, yes they hurt, but they did not destroy us. They made us stronger and like any family, we pulled together and held each other up. We have overcome. It is truely a miracle that our church has survived so much, but God has huge plans for us and greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world. We have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. =)

My New Heart. =)

I went as a leader on a high school retreat a few weeks ago and it was incredible!!! Here's my story of what God did: =)

Well I went into the saturday night service and God was just there in the prayer meeting in such a powerful way, and I knew He had great things planned for these students. I wasnt expecting anything for myself, we were told to have our spiritual lives right before we went and to be completely there to minister and counsel the kids. I was there to help them experience Jesus and find His love. This weekend no one preached, there was no set sermons..it wasnt a typical retreat. God told Brent "Let Me love them. Let them love me." So thats what happened. No sermons, just God. God showed up in every single meeting we had in power and glory and manifested Himself. I was praying with my students before the service started, crying out to God for transformation and revelation to happen in their lives...I had no idea what God wanted to do inside of me. Worship started to slow down, and with it I began to hear God's voice and to break down and weep. "I need you Jesus to come to my rescue, where else can I go?" He said..."I love you. I forgive you. You no longer have to fear hell or death because I have redeemed you and I have overcome. I love you." I wept. NOt a pretty kind of crying, like a I'm a complete mess weeping and bawling my eyes out kind of crying. One that says I cannot control myself. I mean I've always known that God loves me, but I have never really known it in my heart. It was head knowledge. Its what most people say they know but dont really know. Well the whole room, about 600 people, were weeping and God was bringing revelation. Two hours of worship, weeping before Him and hearing His voice and what He was speaking. God was implanting this deep inside me, giving a revelation of His perect love and forgiveness. I now know that God loves me. Ya know? Jesus loves me this I know...except now I actually really really know it deep inside. It was amazing. We started singing this song "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan (amazing, you should hear it!) but the chorus is "oh, How He loves us so. Oh how He loves us. How He loves us so." Then, "I realize just how beautiful you are and how great Your affections are for me." 600 junior high and highschoolers singing this chorus over and over and really getting it deep in their hearts, it was a beautiful thing! All of a sudden my heart like physically began to hurt, like it was being torn. God was emptying me of all these things holding me back, and of the things I thought were important but are really trivial and God is all that matters. My life was being poured out and emptied and it hurt. It hurt because it was surrender, a complete surrender that was happening on my part. Holding nothing back, I was broken and willing to give it all up. It physically hurt. God emptied me and ripped my heart out. He took my broken, wounded and scarred heart and ripped it out. He worked through issues, He touched it, He washed it, and ultimately healed it and made it whole. As how He ripped it out, for awile I didnt have a heart. It was just me and God, coming face to face with my issues and who I really am and becoming what He made me to be. It was raw, painful and weak. He gave me His heartbeat and love and began to pour back into me. He took away the mess, and gave me His heart and hope. While I didnt have a heart I felt empty and I wept even more because God cut out these wounds and this broken mess and ripped it out of my grasp. I gave Him my heart and pain and He held it. well after awhile, He put it back. This time it wasnt broken, scarred or wounded. It was a new heart that had a deep understanding that God loves me, that He has forgiven me. I'm filled with joy and there is no more pain or heartbreak. I felt God more near to me than I have in a very long time. I dont see my brokeness anymore, God made me whole and complete in His love for the first time in my life I am whole. I in Him and He is in me. His heart in me. He holds my heart and it belongs to only Him; no one and nothing else. No wound and no issue, it is in God's hands...brand new.

Thursday 13~ 7th Edition!

13 Of The Stupidest Things I've Done (some serious, some just dumb)

1. Fallen down on a treadmill and ripped 2 layers of skin off my legs. (o ouch!)

2. Burned myself with oil cooking pork chops.

3. Called a customer Mr. when its a girl, or Ms. when its a guy. (happens too many times!)

4. Cut myself. (not the accidental kind)

5. Told people I love things that hurt.

6. Say curse words in front of my mother under my breath. (God help me!)

7. Fallen up the stairs.

8. Taken prescription drugs when not needed to "numb" life's pain.

9. Eaten missions training food. aka...food that is made to be horrible that you have to eat! (not my choice I was forced.)

10. Gotten a 20% score on a math test. (I'm horrible at math!)

11. When I was 7, I kissed a boy so he would let me play on his playset in his backyard.

12. Walked away from God for about 5 months.

13. Held a grudge. They destroy you, its easier to forgive and move on.

What are some of the stupid things you have done? Or can you relate to any of mine?