The Wenzel Family Blog

Isaiah is born!

2010-09-12T19:49:00.002-05:00

We are finally and officially announcing the arrival of our sweet boy, Isaiah John Wenzel!

Thank you everyone for your love, support & prayers during this wonderful time.

An Update Full of Joy

2010-05-19T08:37:00.009-05:00

High Falls, Grand Portage, MN

Hello! This update has been a LONG time coming. Most of you know that we were in a horrible car accident on December 23rd and lost our beloved Owen. We were injured but have both recovered since. We are SO blessed to survive and even walk out of an accident of that magnitude and it has been a reminder of just how fragile life really is.

Most of you also know that I was about six weeks pregnant at the time and am now about 27 weeks along! Next week I will be starting my THIRD trimester and will be just three months from welcoming our little baby boy into the world! I was incredibly sick 24 hours a day for the first TWENTY weeks. I am so thankful that is done for the most part and I can function again. Let’s just say this winter was a hard one but this spring has been one of joy.

Ultrasound at 20 weeks: showing he def. IS a boy and a profile view of his sweet little body. :)

In addition to all that, Jeremy’s position was cut at Princeton High School due to budget cuts. He was one of many that had to be let go. It was a shock but God quickly provided another job for him. There were tons of applicants and they interviewed seven highly qualified teachers and Jeremy was selected! He will be teaching Civics and World History at Delano High School starting next fall. Jeremy is my one-interview wonder! He has received excellent recommendations from everyone and many students, athletes and parents have expressed their sadness in seeing him go. It was a great and busy first two years of learning for him and he walks away a strong teacher and coach. The only negative about this switch is that he will have a 45 minute drive instead of a 10 minute one- but we are thankful for the job and the school seems solid.

My photography business continues to grow. I have been very busy since mid-March and it seems I will be up until Isaiah is born. My hope is that I can be full-time mom and part-time business owner/photographer. It would be a great balance with my health and desire to not miss much in Isaiah’s young life.

Another big praise is that my mom was offered a job a few weeks ago! After several months of unemployment is this difficult economy, we are just thrilled for her!

Lastly, Jeremy and I just returned from a few days up north in Grand Marais, MN to celebrate our THREE year anniversary- which just happens to me TODAY. We had a lovely time sitting on the beach talking, hiking, reading, and just enjoying one another in a beautiful place. Our marriage is truly better than ever and we love one another so deeply; I know more each day that Jeremy is the one God intended for me and it brings us both such joy to be together. In some ways the last three years have flown by- in other ways, the trials we have seen have made it seem long- but either way, I couldn’t ask for a better best friend to walk life with.

May 19th, 2007. The day I married my best friend- :)

I promise this blog will be revived as we prepare to welcome Isaiah! Much love to all of you! Thank you for your prayers during this difficult winter. We are so thankful to be enjoying a time of sweet and wonderful blessing.

Owen on the News

2009-12-31T11:12:00.000-06:00

A Blessing...

2009-12-08T10:31:00.003-06:00

So this little story started with a facebook "conversation" with my sister-in-law, Ang, yesterday. She mentioned that Chris Tomlin had a concert in Minneapolis last night and that her and her husband were possibly going to his Chicago concert the next day, (today). While I had heard it over the radio for the past several months, I hadn't thought twice about it because it simply isn't within our means right now. But later, as I was writing in a prayer request to the local Christian station- about health for various family members, myself as well as a few other pertinent requests, I asked them to pray for my husband. I asked that he would be blessed because we have a had a very difficult few years as far as circumstances go. I shared that it was our 6 year anniversary since our first date and that if they had any extra tickets to the concert, I would love to bless my husband with a night of music and worship. Even as I wrote it, I didn't think for a second that anything would come of it. It just came out from my fingertips to the prayer- requesting e-mail.
I received an e-mail back saying they would certainly be praying, and asking others to pray, but that they didn't have any more tickets to give. I didn't care one bit- because prayer is really the most powerful and significant gift anyone can give us now. I thanked them and shared my whole-hearted appreciation.
A few hours later, I received another e-mail. They has rounded up 2 tickets for us and we could pick them up at "will-call". I started to tear up instantly- I was so moved. It wasn't even that I love Chris Tomlin's music- although I do. And it wasn't that I was so astounded by the kindness of this women- although I was. It was that God had orchestrated this small blessing. It was as if He said, "Kate, I love you and I love Jeremy. You didn't expect these tickets, nor should you, but I want to bless you with a night to enjoy Me and enjoy one another."
So, Jeremy and I enjoyed the concert and I truly met with God during that time. Our absolute favorite was singing "Amazing Grace" with thousands of others. It was simply beautiful.
But really, this wasn't about the concert. It wasn't about the radio station being kind. It was about God showing such love and saying, "I am here with You. I walk alongside you." I didn't need a concert to bask in this truth- but it was what He decided to use yesterday...

Thank you Lord, for your loving kindness.

Kate

Six years ago today...

2009-12-07T12:33:00.004-06:00

I just realized that today marks six years from when Jeremy and I went on our first date! I wanted to write something dedicated to the love of my life...

Jeremy,

I love you more than you will ever know. When I met you, over six years ago, I knew instantly that you were different from anyone else I ever met. Once we started to "court", my first impressions were solidified- you were the man God intended for me. We have certainly had our share of 'valleys' in these past few years- but walking through those unintended journeys with you has made all the difference. THANK YOU for being you. Thank you for allowing God to shape you and take hold of your life. Thank you for loving me through sickness and health, joy and sorrow...as long as we both shall live. So here is to 60 more years of being best friends, of making eachother laugh like no one else can, and clinging to Christ together when all else seems to fail. Apart from knowing Christ, YOU are the biggest blessing I have ever and will ever know.

Your wife,

Katey

Be All There

2009-12-07T09:50:00.005-06:00

(this picture was taken in November- on a pathway in the woods, just a few blocks from our home.)

Hello friends! Once again, I sit here and realize it has been over two months since my last post. I finished teaching the writing course at Minnesota School of Business and my schedule became much more manageable. Kate Wenzel Photography was busy from May-November but has really slowed down this month.

Jeremy finished up coaching at the beginning of November and it has been wonderful! We have been able to spend a lot of time together and we both love it. We have also been able to hang out with friends and family more. Today marks the start of the 2nd Trimester and Jeremy grows as a teacher with each one; I really believe he does an outstanding job.

We spent Thanksgiving with my family and are looking forward to heading to Milwaukee for Christmas. We have an adorable new nephew to meet and simply cannot wait!

This is a seemingly quiet time in our life and we need that. After several years of medical issues and thus, financial difficulty, we have been looking forward to times of rest. Now that I have a diagnosis- it is about adjusting our life to a place that works best for our little family. I can no longer look at life with the same set of expectations that I had before- but now I appreciate the "little" things so much more. I love going for walks with Jeremy and Owen- basking in the beauty of God's creation. I love watching a good movie, snuggled up by the fire with my wonderful husband. I love getting a long e-mail from a good friend. I love the chance to hold adorable babies at church nearly every Sunday. These are the little things that God gives that make life precious. It really doesn't come down to the house you live in, the car you drive, the title of your position at work or the extravagant vacation you went on...but about relationships- with God, with family and with friends. It is so easy to live a life where you are discontent. Where you just live and forget to live intentionally. So, I am learning the beautiful art of thankfulness- and how it changes the situations of life so dramatically.

I am also being stretched to TRUST God for things I cannot see. To wait patiently for something I believe He has called me to be but not yet; I am speaking of being a mom. Our situation is more complicated than that of a typical 25-year-old couple. With my diagnosis and progression of the illness, we have been told that the window to bear and care for infants is pretty small. We also have been made aware of a condition that impacts our ability to get pregnant quite a bit. All of this is sometimes heart-breaking. But I see His will in this...no, WE see His will in this and are moving forward in obedience and anticipation of what He desires for our lives. I simply ask for prayer. Please pray that I would experience peace and comfort. Only couples who have faced the same circumstance can understand- the longing to be parents and yet the possibility of that not happening on "your timeline" is difficult. Thankfully, others who have struggled through this have been placed in our lives and their wisdom and kindness makes all the difference. I am learning to LOVE the season Jeremy and I are in. I became discontent, wanting to move to that next stage so badly that I was missing the beauty of THIS time. Our marriage is wonderful, our love grows daily and we have a wonderful puppy to make us laugh. We have a great church family and incredible friends....so much to be thankful for! As Jim Elliot, the great missionary, once said, "wherever you are-be all there." I've decided to be "all there" for what God has for me TODAY.

Kate

The Home-Stretch

2009-09-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

Hello beloved! We hope you are well! I am in the final week of teaching the college writing course. Due to the fact I have been working 70+ hours per week for the past 10 weeks, I gave my notice at the college. The good news is- I have an open invitation to come back if I want to at any point. Praise God for options. :)
Other than working, I have been sleeping. No, seriously...that is what my life has consisted of. I have an outstanding husband who has done more than his share of work around the house to keep us running. Thank you Jeremy for being wonderful in more ways than I can count. :) I love and cherish you. You are an incredible man.
I have started reading some interesting books in my spare time ( what spare time again?). :) I've decided to share those on the left hand side of this blog- check them out.
God is good and I have much to be thankful for. More to come in the coming weeks!

Blessings!
Kate (and Jeremy)

ps: Congrats to Karen, Casey, Rachel, Jess and more for your exciting news! We are praying for you and your babies wellbeing during these nine months. :)

From Streams in the Desert...

2009-08-31T09:24:00.000-05:00

Songs of Praise Rise From Affliction
"Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints" (Rev. 15:3).
The following incident is related by Mrs. Charles Spurgeon, who was a great sufferer for more than a quarter of a century:
"At the close of a dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew on; and though all was bright within my cozy room, some of the external darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual vision. Vainly I tried to see the Hand which I knew held mine, and guided my fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of suffering. In sorrow of heart I asked,
"'Why does my Lord thus deal with His child? Why does He so often send sharp and bitter pain to visit me? Why does He permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render to His poor servants?'
"These fretful questions were quickly answered, and through a strange language; no interpreter was needed save the conscious whisper of my heart.
"For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of the oak log burning in the fireplace. Suddenly I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin beneath my window.
"'What can it be? surely no bird can be singing out there at this time of the year and night.'
"Again came the faint, plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to provoke our wonder. My friend exclaimed,
"'It comes from the log on the fire!' The fire was letting loose the imprisoned music from the old oak's inmost heart!
"Perchance he had garnered up this song in the days when all was well with him, when birds twittered merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight flecked his tender leaves with gold. But he had grown old since then, and hardened; ring after ring of knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody, until the fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness, and the vehement heart of the fire wrung from him at once a song and a sacrifice. 'Ah,' thought I, 'when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified, and our God is glorified!'
"Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log, cold, hard, insensible; we should give forth no melodious sounds, were it not for the fire which kindles around us, and releases notes of trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.
"'As I mused the fire burned,' and my soul found sweet comfort in the parable so strangely set forth before me.
"Singing in the fire! Yes, God helping us, if that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before."

Book Club: Chapter One

2009-08-28T14:56:00.004-05:00

I really cannot add anything of value to what the women at GirlTalk wrote this week about Chapter 1. It is a convicting reminder and something that I am facing in my own life right now. Those "good things" are often what distract us from God, our relationship with Him and our aim to glorify Him. Please share your own thoughts - I'd love to have a great discussion going!
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We may run ourselves ragged doing many good things and yet miss what’s most important. Given the incessant “shouts from the misguided cultural sidelines” and our own wayward hearts, we easily become muddled, scattered, confused, and then overwhelmed. We lose the clarity of purpose found in Scripture’s guidance for our lives: both in the creation mandate and the wonderful privileges afforded us through the gospel.
But we must be careful that the good, even the very good, never replaces what Scripture says is most important. We must not try to “win it” in many good areas at the expense of “winning it” in the essentials. We must be clear on what Scriptures says are the priorities of our “position”: our spiritual growth, service in the church, evangelism, love for our husband and children, caring for our home.
We must ask ourselves—what am I spending my strength on? Where does most of my time and energy go? Where am I trying to “win it”? Have I allowed the good (even the very good) to distract me from Scripture’s clear assignment to me as a woman? Am I giving myself to temporal matters at the expense of the eternal? Have I unintentionally wandered from my position? Are there any good things that I need to give up in order to fulfill the role assigned to me in Scripture?
These questions are just to get you started. As you prayerfully consider them in light of God’s Word, He may prompt you with other probing questions that enable you to view your life through the lens of Scripture.
But let me encourage you to take time to evaluate your life and priorities. After all, what we’re playing for is nothing less than the commendation of our Lord and Savior: “Well done, you good and faithful servant.”
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I hope these words were both convicting and encouraging! :)

GirlTalk Book Club

2009-08-11T21:00:00.004-05:00

Hello friends! I am doing a Book Club study with GirlTalk. If you haven't visited there before, I highly recommend it. Anyway, I'm pretty limited for time these days but I wanted to be involved in some sort of study and grow in my understanding of womanly godliness. It's pretty easy to commit to; simply purchase the book on e-bay or amazon and read one or two short chapters a week. Then, stay tuned on the GirlTalk site and even this site for updates and commentary. :) The book is called Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski. ~Kate

His Face

2009-07-27T10:17:00.002-05:00

"Lead me safely on to the eternal kingdom, not asking whether the road be rough or smooth. I request only to see the face of Him I love."

-Valley of Vision, pg. 103-

Summer Update...

2009-07-12T13:07:00.005-05:00

Hello Friends and Family! I hope you are all well! I thought I would write a post and provide an update on our lives. Please know that we love you and pray for many of you often. We sincerely hope you are finding God's grace sufficient and His power is being made perfect in your weakness. (2 Corinthians 13). Below is an abbreviated version of life's newest happenings...

-Jeremy finished teaching two sections of summer school just this Friday. He is now focusing on getting ready to coach again and completing several projects at home. He had a great first year teaching and coaching but I believe he is looking forward to enjoying a month off.

- I received an opportunity to teach part-time at Minnesota School of Business. I will be teaching a Writing Fundamentals course starting July 21st. It is a big undertaking and will most likely be both challenging and rewarding in its own right. If this first Quarter goes well, I have the opportunity to then receive my MBA for free and continue teaching.

- Kate Wenzel Photography, (http://www.katewenzel.com/), is doing great! Word is getting out and I am becoming increasingly more busy with each passing month. It is both a blessing and bit overwhelming as neither Jeremy nor myself expected growth of this degree to occur this quickly.

- We just got back from a week-long vacation in La Crosse, Elkhart Lake and Door County, Wisconsin. During this time we were able to see friends from Christ Covenant Church, visit our college, attend a wedding, spend a few relaxing days at a beautiful resort and have quality time with family in Fish Creek. Even though we enjoyed our time, we were ready to get back to MN to our home and our puppy. :)

- The rest of summer should be both fun and extremely busy. We have our annual Wenzel Weekend in Milwaukee. We cannot wait to see our growing niece Emily- who is over a year and a half now!

- Lastly, we could use some prayer regarding my health. I continue to have varying degree's of pain in my joints, tissue and muscle as well as fevers, migraines and numbness in my limbs. It is both scary and aggravating. The most difficult aspect is waking up each morning with the extreme pain and uncertainty of what the day will look like. Some days are better than others, but the reality of this illness is never far from my mind. It impacts everyday tasks such as opening a jar of peanut butter and trying to lift a neighbor child for a hug. My hope and prayer is that I will learn and grow in my relationship with Jesus through this and be able to help others go through suffering by clinging to God. Life with this is about adjusting my expectations for myself in a given moment, hour, day and week. There are so many lessons to learn- I just pray I'm willing to learn them.

As we say goodbye again, I wanted to post a link to today's sermon at our Church, Glory of Christ. Click here to listen to it. It was a phenomenal sermon that spoke life into my weary soul. I hope you find it as such.

Blessings,

Kate

2009-05-24T14:43:00.002-05:00

I was having a terrible morning today. The pain was aweful and the exhaustion acute. I was so ill, I was unable to attend church- something that I greatly look forward to each Sunday. Partly because truth is spoken to me and my eyes are lifted up to Him- and partly because of the wonderful fellowship and support that I experience there. I cried hard. I felt so alone, so overwhelmed and thoughts of desperation, of hopelessness consumed me...thinking, I cannot possibly endure this day-in and day-out. I eventually fell into a deep sleep and awoke with a better sense of knowing that through God's grace, I CAN endure- but still dwelling on what I do not have, what I cannot do or what I miss out on due to the chronic illnesses...
Because I had missed church, I wanted to listen to a sermon. I somehow ended up a the Girl Talk Blog...if you haven't been there before- I highly encourage it. Before I knew it, I was listening to the 55 minute talk from a woman named Rachel. Rachel Barkey has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rachel is a wife, a mother of two young children, and she is not expected to live to see her 38th birthday. Several weeks ago, Rachel shared a message with a group of women entitled “Death is Not Dying: A Faith that Saves.”
As I listened...I felt tears well up in my eyes- this time not because I was feeling sorry for myself, questioning God, or focusing on my feelings and circumstances- but because I see the beautiful and transforming power of the Lord in a women with a circumstance exponentially more difficult than my own. I nearly passed by this talk of hers- but I am so glad that I did not- it was some of the best moments I have ever spent. I ask that you would take that time... do it while your folding clothes, paying bills, or washing dishes- just give 55 minutes of this day to listen to what life (and death) really is.

Living to bring Him glory by enjoying Him forever,

Kate

it is well with my soul

2009-04-08T07:26:00.003-05:00

As I sit down to write an over-due update…the sun is just beginning to rise and illuminate the beauty that is the Lord’s creation. Moments like these are precious. Life seems to quiet and your heart seems to still long enough to experience a great sense of peace. With the overwhelming turn of events in the last few months, I am grateful for right now. Because it has been so long, I thought it would be easier to summarize the changes in life over the past several weeks.

- At the end of February, I was involved in a car accident in which the guy who rear-ended me fled the scene. I am still feeling the effects of that day on my back and neck but am trusting I will begin to feel better soon.

- After seeing a Rheumatologist and ruling out other medical conditions, I have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. This explains my severe joint swelling and pain as well as my constant fevers and fatigue. It is a blessing in one sense because we now know what we face…it’s no longer an ambiguous monster, but a disease we can learn about and target head-on.

- Largely due to my medical conditions, we made the decision (at the recommendation of my Doctors) to quit my job as Office Manager at the Chiropractic & Massage Center. Yesterday was my last day and I am now going to turn my focus to Kate Wenzel Photography and taking care of myself medically. This way, I can decide my own hours, take rests when I need to and listen to my body when it screams it is crashing. I hope and pray this will lead to some improvement physically.

- We have found a WONDERFUL Church! The Lord has provided (in His perfect timing, as always), an incredible body of believers that have truly strengthened and encouraged me. The woman of the church have helped in practical ways such as coming to help clean our house every few weeks and providing meals throughout the week of the car accident. Once again, God has shown His amazing faithfulness through His people. We are forever thankful for these new and cherished friends. In addition to this example of working as a body, the teaching is solid and doctrine is held fast. Praise God for bringing us to Glory of Christ church!

- In other news, Jeremy has continued to be quite busy. He is currently an Assistant Coach for Track and was also given the opportunity to teach an extra class after school. Although these things consume his time and energy- they are blessings and he seems to truly enjoy all of it. I am so blessed to have such a hard-working husband. I know he is greatly looking to his upcoming Spring Break and now even more so with his whole family flying in to visit us for Easter weekend!

So as I look forward to the coming months- I am experiencing a sense of anticipation and yes, fear. I am excited to have time to focus on getting the rest, eating the diet and doing the limited exercise that may help me as I cope with RA. I am excited to continue to grow my business and blessed by the fact I have booked many clients for May and June. I am looking forward to understanding all my medical options and selecting the best course. I am learning to be thankful for the small things- like the days when it doesn’t hurt to breathe and the sun is shining, or when my joints feel well and my fatigue lessened enough to enjoy a walk with my husband and puppy. And a good life truly consists of responding to adversities with hopefulness and a clinging to all that is true- not the absence of suffering. Without Christ as my rock and refuge- all of this would be insurmountable. Thankfully, I am His and His grace sustains me.

Thank you for your continued prayers and love, Kate

Blessings

2009-02-10T08:39:00.003-06:00

I don't have time to write long- but I did just want to say that this weekend was an amazing one of fellowship and being spiriturally restored! We've updated our prayers and praises to the right so please check them out! Also, we believe we are getting closer to finding out more specifically what health issues I am facing! Praise God for that!

Thank you for your continued prayers and love!

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians

God's Megaphone?

2009-01-04T23:35:00.001-06:00

I have been reading Elisabeth Elliot’s book entitled Loneliness with a dear friend of mine and several points have really struck me… maybe because of my personal relation to them, or maybe because of the truth they speak- or perhaps both! In the beginning of the book she opens with this, “…as I began to learn about suffering I learned that trusting in those strong arms means that even our suffering is under control. We are not doomed to meaninglessness. A loving Purpose is behind it all, a great tenderness even in the fierceness.”

What beautiful words. What true comfort… to know that while we experience suffering, and we will- because a life with Christ doesn’t exclude suffering but always INCLUDES it- but that while we walk through the valleys, we can take heart in KNOWING that there is a divine purpose in this season. To know that although life feels like utter chaos, there is order in that it is in His sovereign hand. And as I read on, I came to a sentence that I believe God was speaking directly to me. “But a pure faith would be worth far more to God than all the service she had hoped to render if poor health had not interrupted her plans.” It was as if this sentence was written to my soul. It meets me right where I currently am. I so long to serve God in very real ways- short term missions, seminary, woman’s and children’s ministry, ministry to those who are poverty-stricken, foster care, dinners for my husband after a long day of work for both of us, and the list goes on. These are things God has so imparted in my heart- given me such a passion for…and yet I am so incredibly limited in my physical abilities. I find my sinful nature rears its ugly and too-familiar head and I begin to think thoughts that bring no glory to Him. Thoughts of why has he imparted these passions within me if I cannot act on them while so many healthy individuals could care less and yet have all the health to minister in those ways. But I catch myself sometimes and know that asking “why” is pointless- not to mention sinful because it means that I am not trusting His perfect wisdom and purpose. It means I am starting to believe the tempting lie that I know better than my Lord, Creator and King. It is a grievous error- one that I must rest upon His grace and mercy for. And then I read these words from one of my favorite woman authors…words that pierce right to the core of my questions and aching heart. All of those endeavors of servant hood should be done for one reason: to bring glory to my Lord and to please Him alone. And to know, to realize that a pure faith, an intimate relationship that magnifies Who He is… THAT pleases Him more- THAT is the ultimate aim. I am able to do this. I am able to go through the fire of what I consider suffering on a small level compared to the millions who agonize through far worse- and come out with a faith tested and purer than before. If this illness purges the parts of me to allow room for Him to make His home, for Him to be seen, then this sickness in itself is a beautiful ministry- full of purpose and servanthood. Now, unfortunately, I don’t always have this perspective- this “big picture” wisdom. No, unfortunately, I battle real thoughts of anger, frustration, uncertainty and feelings of purposeless and unbelief. But I am thankful that those situations give me the opportunity to turn back to scripture for guidance and truth. I am keenly aware of my feebleness, of my failures, and am constantly humbled by the limitations the illness puts on me and my lack of graciously reacting to these limitations. But I know that He meets me here. He meets me in these times. He knows the WHYs and the Ifs… I praise Him for the reality that His faithfulness is completely unrelated to my own. What a good God we serve. And C.S. Lewis brings a great summation to all of this for me…the man was big on free will which isn’t great but he has a lot of wise and true statements as well… after all, he was human and we tend to miss the mark sometimes, don’t we? Anyway, Clive puts it eloquently:

“Pain is God’s megaphone. He whispers to us in our joys, speaks to us in our conscience and shouts to us in our pain.” While God’s tone and “loudness” most likely remains consistent, we so often are ready to listen while in pain and suffering. The world and its offerings are stripped from us, leaving us with that still, quiet voice that belongs to our LORD.

Are you listening?

Love in Christ, always, Kate

Ps: Even in writing this the Lord gave me a great realization… something that prods at me from time to time but I seem to forget or ignore far too easily; I may not be able to DO some of the ministry I long to, but oh I can PRAY for those that can! I can do that in bed, with no energy to move but only the ability to offer up weak yet sincere prayers to the God of all things. I have long wanted to grow in my prayer-life and perhaps this is the vehicle to start on that. Any thoughts on how you’ve grown in your own prayer disciplines would be wonderful!

Beautiful...

2008-12-19T09:55:00.000-06:00

2008 Christmas Letter!~

2008-12-13T21:00:00.002-06:00

Double Click to View in Larger Size.

Thanksgiving and such...

2008-12-12T22:00:00.015-06:00

Well, I figured it had been a while since we've posted an update or anything. Like most of you, we have been very busy celebrating and getting ready for the holidays! Over Thanksgiving, we were able to go to visit Jeremy's family in Milwaukee for a long weekend. During this time, we celebrated thanksgiving, Christmas and our beautiful niece Emily's 1st birthday!~ Needless to say, it was a packed weekend. :) It was wonderful for us to spend time with family and talk, play games, etc. Unfortunately, I had a serious relapse of my chronic fatigue and it left me in bed for over 24 hours. Thankfully, I have since made improvements. I am learning more and more what my limitations are and sometimes I certainly push myself more than the illness will allow... and that's when i "crash". Overall, it was a lovely time.
Since then we have been working, enjoying actually having time with one another due to the Volleyball season being over for Jeremy and visiting a few more churches. We have narrowed it down to two churches...one in Anoka and one in Elk River. We want to attend each one a few more times before we make our decision but I do believe the doctrine is sound and the preaching good at either one.
My Designs by Kate business has obviously slowed down quite a bit as a result of me not having an indoor studio currently. However, without pursuing any sessions, I have had two people contact me and just completed one session today in Plymouth and will be doing a sports session later this month. I was also privileged to speak in several Economics classes about Entrepreneurship and enjoyed that experience greatly!
I wanted to say another thank you to everyone who prayed for us during the theft situation. Things are finally pretty much all wrapped up regarding the money being refunded, etc. There are no leads as to catching the suspects but I have forgiven and am trying to regain a general sense of security. The whole circumstance was one I wouldn't wish anyone to go through but know that it is unfortunately fairly common.
In all, we are starting to adjust to our new jobs, home, and city... and looking forward to a few days off during Christmas and New Years to spend with family. I'll post a few pics of the weekend at the wenzel's over thanksgiving! More to come later....

Love in Christ and Happy Holidays,

J & K

Owen in his sweater that I bought him for $2 at Target b/c it was hilarious. He wore it for all of about 3 hours. :) Now it's a chew toy.

Jeremy w/ Emily: (this pictures makes my heart melt!)

Is she not adorable? :)

Bathtime!

Emily opening gifts:

Emily and Kate:

Siblings: :)

the girls!

The whole gang...

Update on the Theft

2008-11-12T23:29:00.003-06:00

Hello friends! It has been one week since the theft occurred and things are MUCH better. Since Friday, I really started to sense the peace of the Lord and He gave me perspective and endurance. Thank you for your prayers because I certainly felt them! :)
Today we finally got access to our checking account again and we are still waiting for new credit cards to come. I really didn't realize how much we depend on money to survive...I mean, I couldn't do ANYTHING without my cards or access to any money... we are so in need of those resources to get through our day-to-day lives and it is something that is humbling and forced me to rely more on God.
The police are not acting too quickly to solve this case but there may be some footage of the women as they attempted to use my card at Holiday and Exxon Gas Stations in the area. Please do continue to pray for protection against identity theft and for continued peace.

Thanks again and know that we love you!!!

What Happened....

2008-11-06T09:02:00.002-06:00

I wanted to first thank all of you for your prayers and kind e-mails! Many of you asked exactly how this happened so I wanted to let you know...
Yesterday, I was working my job as Office Manager at that Chiropractic and Massage Center in Elk River and 4 woman walked in. This was at the exact same time that I had 3 patients signing in and 2 patients trying to check out and the phones were ringing. I had never seen these woman before but they seemed to be 3 daughters and a mom. They asked about 15 questions regarding our clinic and insurance. Apparently, one of them snuck around to the backroom where we keep our purses, etc. Although there were 1 or 2 other purses, mine was the only one that was looked through and my license, credit cards, $50 cash and debit card were stolen. Thankfully, one of our patients noticed this woman walk out of the back office and informed me as soon as they had left. By the time I checked my purse, they were gone. Immediately, I called the banks and credit card companies but within 10 minutes they had already spent $1,000 from my checking account on a laptop at Office Max which in about 4 blocks away. There we no camera's and no one saw what they were driving although many of us were able to give a description.
So in a few minutes I am leaving to go back to the Police Station to pick up my filed report, to the DMV to get a new License and to the banks to get new accounts and cards opened.
I feel very violated, scared and mad. I looked at these woman in the eyes and helped answer what I thought were their sincere question and concerns. I gave them my undivided attention and showed care. I feel fearful b/c they have my license and so Identity Theft is a real possibility. They have my address, date of birth, full name and much more. Please pray for things here on out to go smoothly. Please pray for me to experience peace and to not be afraid.

Thank you dear friends and family.

Kate

Owen!

2008-11-03T11:48:00.007-06:00

We have a new addition to our family... Owen. He is our adorable puppy! He is just about 3 months old and is half yellow lab and half australian shepherd! We have had him for over 2 weeks now and he is just adorable! Puppies are LOTS of work but there are great rewards too! Here are a few pics of our little Owen. :)

Our First House!!!

2008-10-10T10:55:00.014-05:00

Well, I am finally posting pictures of our house!! Yay! :) We are truly so blessed that the Lord provided this home. Although foreclosures are sad- for us it was amazing! We were able to purchase a new construction foreclosed home for much less than it is worth! Lord willing, we will be in this home for a long time! Every time I drive up the driveway, I thank God for this undeserved and very much appreciated house!

The Front Door and Stairway to upstairs:

Living Room and Backyard View...

Living Room and part of Kitchen Windows...

Kitchen...

Our Bedroom!!! (this is my favorite room!)

Office/Library: Huge Basement to finish...currently our workout room...

There you go! There are more rooms but i didn't want to bore you with the mud room and bathrooms! :)

We are completely blessed. We want to honor God with this house every way we can.

October Update!

2008-10-09T19:31:00.007-05:00

Hello friends! How are you? Are you enjoying the beautiful fall leaves as much as I am? God's glory is really shown through His creation and fall truly exemplifies it! I have been completely slacking in my "blog duties". I think it's OK b/c I'm not sure anyone noticed. ;) I have been super busy working my job as an Office Manager, working on the Designs by Kate business and going to Jeremy's Volleyball games. We also have had friends visit, Jeremy's parents were here last weekend and my mom comes this weekend! Needless to say, its been pretty crazy. As far as my job goes- I like it sometimes but the hours are really not great. I work afternoons and into the evenings so I usually don't get home until 7 or 8 at night. Regarding Designs by Kate, I have had one Senior Portrait session and have a Children's session tomorrow afternoon. It has been wonderful so far! I really have a passion for photography and then doing various art designs with the portraits. It is fun to enjoy what you are doing and to be your own boss!! I could definitely get used to that! Here are a couple pictures from my first Senior Portrait Session...

She hasn't seen them yet but I will deliver the proofs and ordering packet Sunday night and hope that her and her family love them! I have a lot to learn but I am excited to do so! Other than that, Jeremy has been working 12+ hour days at school teaching and coaching. It is certainly an exhausting job but I think he enjoys it for the most part. We are both looking forward to seeing one another more after the Volleyball season is over. The girls had a great win last week and I have enjoyed being a part of their lives as well. Tomorrow night Jeremy and I are going to the Homecoming Football game. The girl above, of whom I took the Senior Portraits for, is the Homecoming Queen and the captain of the VB team so that is exciting!

In other news, we could still use some definite prayer about finding a church home. We still have not found one that we just love and feels like the right fit so we will keep looking. We both appreciate our beloved church in La Crosse even more now.

Lastly, I thought I'd give a brief health update since it has been awhile and a few people have asked. It has been a year since the brain tumor scare and since I was off of work on bed-rest for three months. I have improved significantly, although am not my normal self and still require an immense amount of sleep. I have to keep reminding myself to slow down because when I have a good day I do too much and then wear myself out. But, praise the LORD I am at about 75% of my normal capacity. I was at about 30% a year ago so I really cannot complain. God has indeed been faithful. I have renewed hope that we can have children and that I can live a pretty normal life. I will probably always require a lot of sleep but if I can function ok, then I am content. Please know that I do need your CONTINUED prayers regarding my health and that it is those prayers that helped both Jeremy and myself get through the last year.

Well, I should get going but stay tuned b/c I will be posting pictures of our house VERY soon! :)

God Bless,
Kate (and Jeremy)

The Completed Logo

2008-09-29T11:31:00.003-05:00

Hello! Thank you to all those who voted...it helped me narrow it down to Fonts #1, 4 and 5.

I then played around with those fonts a little and added some design work and here is what I've come up with:

I'd love to know what you think! I've ordered business cards and had my first Senior Portrait Session this weekend and it went great!!! Thanks so much for your help and I'll keep you posted!

Help with Font for my Logo!

2008-09-26T13:05:00.011-05:00

Hello Everyone!! A lot of you know I have started my own Photography and Designs Business. Well, I am currently working on revamping my logo and need to pick a new font. Below are 7 choices that I have gotten it down to...but I need your help with the rest! PLEASE take two minutes to look at each font and then vote on the right-hand of the screen for your favorite!
Look just at the font, not at the way the words are placed as that can be changed. :)
This will largely determine which one I go with so take it seriously and remember it is a Photography and Design business when you are voting. :) THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!

To Vote: For your #1 choice: Vote TWO times - For your #2 choice: Vote ONCE.

Font 1:

Font 2:

Font 3:

Font 4:

Font 5:

Font 6:

Font 7:

My Strong Tower

2008-09-12T15:27:00.008-05:00

I have today off which is amazing. However, I stayed up until 2am last night watching a documentary about the events of September 11th. To be honest, I feel as if I have rarely stopped to acknowledge that date for years. The documentary was pretty raw...it was rough footage for the most part and was during the first moments of the terrorist attacks. I was hooked. I couldn't look away for the entire show. It was gripping and real. A few things come to mind today as a result of my viewing this 9/11 show. First, watching the planes slam into the most immense buildings of concrete, steel and metal and then subsequently watching these buildings fall reminded me that NOTHING is safe here. Those were built with the best structural integrity known to man, with the best materials available to build with- and yet a few men were able to take those down, (along with countless lives) in a matter of minutes. This helped me remember the increasingly apparent truth that only God will stand the test of time.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8

As Americans, we get so wrapped up in culture, finances, degrees, jobs and the like that we completely forget how absolutely fleeting all this is. Which is why it makes so much sense to put effort, time and thought into the only thing that WILL REMAIN: God and our relationship with Him, His Son and The Spirit. So why do we allow these futile things to take priority over our Constant? How often do I chose to watch TV or get a little more sleep over spending time reading His Word or praying? This isn't meant to be a guilt trip- but a written reminder to myself.

Secondly, I started thinking of the importance of reflection. Each year, our nation will create documentaries or specials memorializing the tragic events of 9/11. However, how often do we sit to reflect upon the events of life (both good and bad) that have shaped us? In my own experience, I am either DWELLING on past situations or events or completely IGNORING them. Where is the balance and what is the fruit from true reflection?

Those are some thoughts, albeit mundane, that I have been having lately. Feel free to share your opinions.

ON a personal note, we haven't found a church home and could use some prayer regarding our search.

With love, Kate

Our Beautiful Niece...

2008-09-11T10:43:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since we've posted pics of our little niece Emily whom we just adore...enjoy!

Happy Anniversary Gery and Inge!

2008-09-03T11:34:00.002-05:00

Today marks Jeremy's (and mine) parents Wedding Anniversary! I wanted to write about the beautiful marriage they have and the gratitude I have for them sharing that with me. They truly love one another and even when they are picking on eachother its adorable. :) They know one another inside and out and show care by putting the other first all the time. The proof of their incredible love is in the three amazing children they raised- I think that is usually the best testimony of a marriage. I know that Jeremy is the way he is today in large part because of his parents love for eachother and for him. I appreciate them allowing me to see a strong marriage that really does stand the test of time. Congrats Gery and Inge and know that we all love you dearly!

The Cold Winds Blow...

2008-09-03T11:04:00.003-05:00

It has been interesting weather lately- one day I'm sweating like crazy and the humidity is at 80%- the next its not even 60 degrees and I'm freezing. Profoundly deep thoughts- i know. :)

But really, it had me thinking about the changes Jeremy and I are in the midst of. We are very blessed and happy in general- but being the social person I am- I am starting to get lonely. Jeremy is very busy with school and coaching and while I have remained busy with work, house stuff, and people visiting- I'm still starting to get that subtle ache in your heart called loneliness. A friend of mine recently wrote on her blog, “when we’re lonely, it’s not the company we want but familiarity.”

When I read that- I felt like she had written what my soul wanted to express but couldn't. And it is such a true statement! I mean, I have some new friends- but it isn't the same as the people & places that became familiar and my family in the past 6 years of life. What I find as I get older is that I am not quite as resilient and adaptable as I was before. Everything was such an adventure- but now I'm in the "real world" and adventures have to slip in-between working, being a wife, taking care of a house and so on. Not that those things in and of themselves cannot be adventures- but ... well, it's different. I also see that once you're out of college- it is much harder to meet and make friends. You're not surrounded by an inundation of people your age going through many of the same things in life. You also don't have the free time and leisure to hang out for a quick lunch or meet up for a walk in a park for an afternoon. So needless to say- life changes and I need to go back to the one constant thing for comfort- God, and my relationship with Him.

One thing that will help the whole loneliness factor is finding a church. We did visit the Church plant up here and while it was nice - Jeremy and I want to try another before we go back and decide. I don't like "shopping" for a church. It is difficult because there are usually great things and not so great things about each and every church. It is difficult because you go from having friends, knowing so many people and being a part of a very close family of believers to knowing now one, being a stranger and getting accustomed to how things work. Again, it's change.

In all, I know I will be just fine. I know I have to be patient and wait on the Lord to provide a church family and to establish meaningful relationships. But sometimes I would like to skip the waiting part and get right to the good stuff. :) I guess THAT way wouldn't refine my character or challenge me to grow.

That's all for now,
Kate

Our House

2008-08-25T21:11:00.004-05:00

I've received several requests to post a few pictures of our new house. So I am posting a page I designed on the computer for a digital scrapbook of some kind. :)

God has blessed us by providing a foreclosure for us to buy- and thus, afford a BEAUTIFUL home!

We have already enjoyed inviting Jeremy's entire team (13 teenage girls) over for dinner. We look forward to building many wonderful memories here. Hope all is well...more to come later!

Our "new" life...

2008-08-10T15:58:00.003-05:00

Hello friends and family! It has been far too long! We have been in our new house for a little over two weeks- and life is just beginning to get into a routine of some sort. We are truly so so blessed to have such a beautiful home. Waking up to the gorgeous woods in out our backyard is my favorite part. We are pretty much all unpacked- now its just saving up and prioritizing for what to do, update, paint or furnish next. Luckily, we won't have to worry about what to pick or do for a while given that we need to be conservative with the funds. :) We have so much to enjoy- so we don't "need" anything.
We have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to friends in La Crosse and to Jeremy's parents for all their help. It could not have been done without you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to help us! We will be forever thankful.
So the last 2 weeks have consisted of unpacking, organizing, lots of runs to walmart or home depot for needed items, and just a general getting settled that comes with moving to a new state. I (kate) started my new job last Monday and am enjoying it as much as one can enjoy the first week of any new job. My co-workers are very, very nice and the patients are unbelievably wonderful. For those of you who don't know, I am an office manager at a Chiropractic and Massage center in Elk River. I will be working about 30 hours a week which is good as I continue to IMPROVE my health! This week, I will be in Washington D.C. for a big conference which is sure to be enriching for my current profession. I will miss Jeremy and our house to be sure, but am trying to see the positive of getting to go to D.C. and stay in a nice hotel for a few days. Jeremy officially starts coaching tomorrow! He has try outs and then will begin regular practice for the Varsity team. He has been busy setting up his teaching room, getting prepared for the Volleyball season and completing tasks at our house such as hanging up towel racks and watering our sod daily. :) Needless to say, we are officially adults now! No more rent- time to face the music and the mortgage. I have no doubt there Jeremy will be challenged these next few months but also that he will be an exceptional teacher! I am proud to be his wife.
Other that that, we went to Bethlehem Baptist Church last weekend in Minneapolis. While there, we discovered that they have a church plant about 5 minutes from our house! That couldn't be any better- so when I return from D.C., we are going to check that out- and not have to drive the 35 minutes to church each weekend!
I am starting to really miss our church in La Crosse, along with my good girl friends. Any weekend visits are welcome so call or e-mail us if you're interested~!
That is the update- please let me know how all of you are and know that we still continue to pray for you.

In Christ, Kate (and Jeremy)

Goodbye La Crosse...

2008-07-22T08:47:00.004-05:00

Jeremy and I will be leaving La Crosse in just a few days! I think we are ready but it is still strange to be leaving a place after six years. For me, these past six years marked times of growth, challenge, hurt, healing and for the most part, wonderful memories!

Last night, Jeremy and I took a walk around UW-L campus and remembered many special times both together and apart. Some of the best were mud fights on campus after (or during) a hard rain, bible studies with the girls, long talks as Jeremy and I got to know one another, studying in the grass or on a bench...

Revisiting significant spots in La Crosse has made me pretty nostalgic. I think that is a great way of processing us leaving and getting ready to begin another new chapter in our lives. The nice thing is, we have so many dear friends here that we will be able to visit this city that brought us together and largely shaped us into the people we are today. I will certainly miss the beauty that is La Crosse. The bluffs and Riverside hold dear moments for me. But perhaps the most difficult will be leaving Christ Covenant Church. The people within that church are some of the best I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Sunday was a little bittersweet as our Pastor put it. Bitter because we are leaving and sweet because we are going where God desires us to be now. We can only hope to be part of a Church as amazing and Christ Covenant.

However sad it may be to leave, we are equally as excited to arrive in Minnesota and begin our new jobs, enjoy a house and find a new community of believers of which we can grow within and serve. The future looks to be wonderful....

Thank you to all of those who have been a part of our adventures in La Crosse!

Kate and Jeremy

ps: We will not have much access to Internet in the coming weeks so to get ahold of us, call! :)

Remaining...

2008-07-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

The last couple weeks have been completely insane. Two weeks ago our Honda was flooded on Front Street of La Crosse while Jeremy was at work. The water was about 3 feet high and our car wouldn’t start for days. Finally, we called a tow truck and had a mechanic look at it. At first, they thought the damage may be irreversible, but, a day later- the car had finally started again! While our Accord is a bit smelly and sounds a little out of sorts- it is working! The repairs weren’t nearly what it would have been to get a “new” used car. Praise God and thank you for your prayers regarding that situation!

Well, yesterday proved to be another difficult day for the Wenzel cars. I (Kate) took the Oldsmobile to get a needed oil change. Once there, they discovered that the rear struts and springs were broken. According to them and another mechanic we spoke with, this could have been severely dangerous. So, the fact that the Lord let us find this out now and not as a result of a serious accident is huge! Praise God again for that! There were already some needed repairs on this car. The most recent discovery along with the previous issues made it clear that repairing this car with 215,000 miles on it was not a wise investment.

So within two weeks time, we have lost or almost lost both of our cars … within just a few days of closing on our first home! It was easy to panic immediately. It was easy to freak out and forget God’s faithfulness. But one day later, I sit here seeing that once again, He is gracious to His children. Although we don’t have a solution exactly, we are exploring different options and have been offered a car to borrow for this next work week. Time and time again, life has been unpredictable and difficult- throwing one curve ball after another and being as inconsistent as possible. But more importantly, time and time again, God has been constant and good- graciously giving us the strength to endure and revealing His sheer love through His Bride- the Church. Whether thoughtful cards and calls, or a lending of resources- He has always remained. Thus, we remain in Him.

Whatever you may be going through, whether it be sickness, financial issues, loneliness, depression, family difficulties or anything else- stand today on the truth that He will NEVER leave nor forsake you. Just when the bottom has dropped out and there seems to be no other options, no answers or help- His grace shows up and brings hope. Hold tightly to that hope.

In His loving arms,

Kate

Simply Beautiful

2008-07-09T10:03:00.004-05:00

Some of you know how much I appreciate dance. It is a passion that began while i was in Gymnastics and has continued. I wanted to post the dance below because it is one of the most beautiful and moving pieces i have ever seen. Enjoy! -Kate

A Great Review

2008-07-07T11:23:00.003-05:00

Tim Challies offers a thorough review from the perspective of a respected christian blogger and book reviewer.
As he says, this book is becoming "a phenomenon" so as people in this world but not of it, we should be aware and educated.

http://www.challies.com/media/The_Shack.pdf

The Shack

2008-07-07T11:05:00.003-05:00

This weekend Jeremy was lucky enough to see our good friends, the Lickel's. During their time together, Andy mentioned the novel entitled The Shack. While we had not heard of it previously, we did some research and discovered that this book is quite controversial. It is becoming a top seller and is quickly infiltrating our culture. While trying to sleep last night, I randomly thought of some questions that I would love to discuss with you!
First, here is the summary the author provides of the book:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgment he arrives as the shack on a wintry afternoon and walk back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book.

Have you heard of this book? If so, do you think it is a book beneficial to readers or not?

Is it important for us as Christians to research and read the book in order to engage in the culture?

Is it necessary to read the book in its entirety in order to discuss its inaccuracies or can we trust biblical leaders to do this for us?

Do you plan on reading this book? Why or why not?

Cornucopia

2008-07-05T18:45:00.011-05:00

I entitled this entry cornucopia because I don't really have one big thing to write, but rather, several small, possibly uninteresting items to share of various parts of life. I have always liked that word... that and tumultuous were two of my favorite words to use during AP Literature my Senior year in High School. Am I officially a dork? Perhaps.
So, lets start light should we? Jeremy and I have been busy with friends and family the last month. We went to "Wenzel Weekend" in Milwaukee for a long weekend which was enjoyable. There was some "Apples to Apples" going on, as well as just relaxing and getting a tan. Football throwing, So You Think You Can Dance watching and as always, lots of eating went down as well. But, surprise, surprise... holding and caring for sweet little Emily was the highlight for me. :)

Happy Emily:
Tired Emily:

Other than that, we also were busy the last week of June as I celebrated by 24th birthday. It was truly a beautiful week. Jeremy and I did several special things. For one, we went to the bluff and had a picnic of my fav foods. We also went to the Waterfront which is one of the best restaurants in the area hands down. I had a full day of girl time with Jodi and Tressa in which every activity was a surprise. To top it off, Jeremy threw a little surprise dinner for me! So, I was very blessed and it was just perfect to see friends so often before we leave La Crosse. I guess this might be the best place to say THANK YOU for the calls, messages, notes, and cards from everyone!

La Crosse Sunset on 06.24.08 and Jeremy & Kate in the car on the way to a birthday picnic on the bluff.

Jeremy and Kate at the Waterfront Restaurant- La Crosse, June 27th 2008.

Jodi, Kate and Tressa during the full day of fun! Right before taking me to the surprise party!

There are too many more pictures to post all of them from dinner- so I won't. But again, thank you to all that came! I think for right now, i am done with blogging but I hope to be back sooner rather than later. :)

Any topics you readers would like to discuss? Let me know!

The Recent Developments...

2008-06-06T09:58:00.003-05:00

A lot of you may know all the exciting events that have occurred in the last month or so!

Number one: Jeremy was offered an excellent teaching and varsity coach position 25 minutes North of the Twin Cities!

Number two: Kate was offered a great part time position as Office manager and event planner!

Number three: After several trips and lots of stress, we were able to find a wonderful house and are preparing to close on July 25th!

Jeremy will be working in Princeton, Kate in Elk River and we will be living in Zimmerman. God has really blessed us beyond anything we could imagine for this year!

So needless to say, this last month has been very eventful! We are very happy and greatly anticipating this new life we are about to begin, but are sad to leave wonderful friends and a most amazing church family! We could sure use lots of prayers!

Lovingly in Christ, Jeremy and Kate

Update on Emily...our niece!

2008-06-02T10:17:00.006-05:00

We haven't posted any pics lately of our beloved niece Emily... a few weeks ago we were able to visit Milwaukee for a surprise birthday party for Jeremy's wonderful mom. We had a great time with the Wenzel family and I was able to enjoy sweet Emily for 2 solid days... I was blessed enough to put her to sleep, play with her, go on a walk and feed her! It makes me excited to me a mom someday!

She is such a happy and sweet baby girl! :)

Two Harbors Trip!

2008-05-29T10:28:00.021-05:00

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the weather lately! Jeremy and I returned from our trip to Lake Superior almost a week ago, but the craziness of life has prevented me from getting pictures up sooner. Our trip (or as we call it, 2nd Honeymoon), was even better than we had imagined! We wanted to simply relax and enjoy God's handiwork...and we did! We read, watched a movie to two, went hiking and sight-seeing, relaxed in the hot tub and just enjoyed time away from work and the stresses of life. It was just beautiful and a great blessing! Here are some pictures from our trip!

Here are a few pics of our suite- we were just stunned when we walked in!

This is the view from our bedroom and our deck... I must have enjoyed this view for hours upon hours!

On our deck! We spent lots of time reading, talking and grilling out there.

One of our favorite parts of the vacation was hiking throughout Gooseberry Falls. Kate felt well enough to do some serious hiking for an hour! The picture below is just a small part of the gorgeous falls!

Us enjoying Gooseberry Falls

Jeremy and I at the top of the lighthouse!

Split Rock Lighthouse

This was the incredible outdoor hot tub we were able to enjoy!

Saying goodbye to beautiful Lake Superior was not easy...but we hope to be back someday!

One Year!!!

2008-05-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Today marks our One year wedding anniversary! May 19th, 2007 will always be a special day for us- memories of family and friends, the Lord's gracious presence, the beautiful (and hot!) sunny day, riding in the carriage and the beginning of a life-long love. ( Jeremy thought of that last one, I am quite impressed now!) Today after work we celebrated by watching our wedding video, looking through our photos and eating our year old wedding cake.

People always say that the first year of marriage is a difficult one... and it was. However, it wasn't difficult for the reasons many couples would usually cite. We enjoyed adjusting to living together, learning to be more selfless, discovering the good, bad and ugly of our habits and personalities and sharing our lives together. It was hard because of health issues- but it was better because we were married- able to help carry one another through those tumultuous times. In some ways, it's as if we have only been married a few weeks- in other ways, it seems like we've been in each others lives forever.

We decided to each share some of our favorites from this last year ... and to continue to reflect beyond this blog. We've enjoyed creating the tradition of daily (sometimes only weekly) walks... sharing in the beauty of nature as we share ourselves. We've enjoyed reading in bed each night and praying together before drifting to sleep. We have enjoyed the companionship of living with your best friend, and sharing in the joys (and sorrows) together. We have loved the fact that our house is a home when we live together. And we have enjoyed struggling through life together; being tired and crabby, and yet still able to laugh at our stupid jokes we have together. One thing about a marriage is that even if you feel nobody else understands or cares about what you are going through, you always have at least one person who can relate and hold your hand and be there for you. And that is what has made our marriage good this first year; not because things have gone great, but because our God has faithfully brought two broken people together, in order to bring himself glory by persevering because of His goodness. And this is the true point. It is a humbling and confusing fact that our spouse is the second most important relationship we have in our lives, and that in heaven, our main relationship will be solely with God. And God has made himself known to us in our marriage, which is all we could really ask for.

Lastly, we thank all of you who have been a part of this past year- we so truly appreciate your support, prayers, wisdom and friendship. Tomorrow we are off to Northern Minnesota- specifically, Two Harbors, for a few days of relaxation and quality time to celebrate our One Year Anniversary! :) Pictures are sure to follow!

In Christ we stand,

Jeremy and Kate

Long time- No talk?

2008-04-14T09:18:00.002-05:00

Hello dearest friends and family! I know it has been a while since we've written. Time seems to be flying by yet going slowly- does that make any sense to anyone else?
I have been working a lot of hours - which hopefully after this week will go back to normal so I can rest more and continue to be healed! Jeremy has been working a lot of hours as usual and applying for tons of jobs...please do continue to pray for that!
So, nothing to exciting I guess for the wenzel's right now- a lot of praying, trying to be patient about what is next. This is a time of purposeful waiting.
We ARE looking forward to a lot of fun things coming up! My (Kate's) Dad, Step-mom and siblings are coming for a visit in about 2 weeks (we haven't really spent time with them since THANKSGIVING!). In May we are going on a 4 day vacation to Two Harbors in Northern Minnesota. Mid-May also marks our ONE YEAR! And in June we have a fun Wenzel Weekend in Milwaukee! There are sure to be more but I cannot remember everything at this time!
Well, I will stop boring the few readers we do have- more to come when we have SOMETHING to say. ;)
We love you all!

Praise!

2008-03-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Praise our LORD for His faithfulness. Some of you know that my mother-in-law, Kate’s Mom, has been looking for a full-time job for a few years now- and facing some tough times financially. Finally, this week she received a job that not only pays well, but provides her with full insurance. This happened right after we talked to her about trusting God, and that He is faithful to His people. That day, she surrendered everything to the Lord and felt a great peace. The next day, she received the call that she got the job! For those of you who knew about this situation, thank you for your continued prayers. For those of you who did not know, take some time today to thank God for how he takes care of all the needs of His covenant people.

-Jeremy

Emily's Collage!

2008-03-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

I made this for little Emily as a thank you to Ang and Alex for having us for a weekend in Chicago... and I thought I would post it now that they have received it and show you again how sweet she is! :)

Thank you for your prayers as my fever is gone and I am starting to feel better! :)

-Kate

New Prayer Requests!

2008-03-12T01:36:00.001-05:00

Check out a few new prayer requests to the right and thank you for your support through prayer! :)

We love you!

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
- 2 Corinthians 1:11

Chicago!

2008-03-12T00:42:00.012-05:00

Here I am- unable to sleep due to a bit of a fever- and ready to post some pictures from our weekend trip to Chicago to visit friends and family!

Jeremy and I were able to spend some quality time at the Art Institute. This is one of my favorite Monet's.

The infamous "bean" at Millennium Park.

We were able to spend some time with one of our best friends, Chad!

Two of my favorite men in the world!

A HUGE reason we came was to see this LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY! Our Niece Emily is adorable!

Kissing her while at our fav chi-town place- Flat Top!

Who knew bath time could be so fun!?

She started teething while we were there- so anything and everything near her went in her mouth! :)

Happy sweet girl! We love her SO MUCH!

Overall, it was a blessed visit with Jeremy's sister, brother in law and our little Emily as well as Chad, and his wonderful girlfriend! I was again reminded of what an excellent daddy Jeremy will someday be! :) It was also fun to be in a different culture with a more varied people group than La Crosse has.

We praise God for the people He has so graciously placed in our lives! We love you!

- Kate and Jeremy

Body Image: The Truth

2008-02-21T12:16:00.004-06:00

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:13-16

As we continue to look into the issue of body image- we must begin by reading Psalm 139. For within this jewel of scripture we find truth about our body. Our Lord and Creator was there- in the beginning. We were an embryo, unformed and shapeless- and He in His sovereign power and intimate design, formed and shaped us as the Potter shapes the clay. We know that all God does is perfect- and His creation of our figure is certainly no exception. Thus, I know each time I criticize my body or despair of my appearance, I am calling into question God’s perfection, plan and sovereignty. This is nothing short of sin. I often read this Psalm in times like that- to realign my thought life with the Word of God.

Another set of verses that speaks directly to us regarding this issue of body image is 1 Peter 3:3-4, " Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

It is important to note that as Peter speaks of the braiding of hair, gold jewelry and clothing it is not speaking specifically of these things but as a warning against a preoccupation with outward appearance. Just as the culture Peter wrote to during the first century, so to our culture is obsessed with appearance and excess. Now, many women I have spoken with in the last few years will talk of their ever-controlling emotions. I, too, have unfortunately believed the lie that my feelings are too strong for me to overcome. Whether these emotions are about relationships, our walk or body image- the truth remains the same: God’s word is truer than anything I feel or experience. If we do not get to a place where we believe this and stand upon this, the reading of God’s Holy writ will not be as effective in conforming our thought life to His. I say ‘not as’ because God does promise that His word will never return void.

With all this as our base, I would say that in my experience, Body Image at its root is more of an issue of contentment than anything else.

"Two women looked through prison bars, one saw mud, the other saw stars."

While this is a simplistic illustration- it does show the power of perspective. All of our perspective and thought life must be filtered through the Word of God. This is the only thing that is true, unchanging and unfailing. Other's opinions, the culture and our own thoughts will shift, change and inevitably, fail. Contentment is a huge topic that we could discuss for weeks- so I am going to try to summarize it in a paragraph. Personally speaking, God has been working this issue through my heart for the last few months. While I will not pretend to have any prolific thoughts, I will say that God has unveiled my eyes to see that nearly every hardship or struggle is founded in the state of discontentment. With this, is it possible that those hardships can be transformed into joyous sanctification through finding contentment? Paul certainly stressed this!

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. - Philippians 4:11

The Greek word for content is eudokeo. This can be defined as: think it good, choose, determine, decide to do willingly. What would it look like if we accepted the lot and portion God has given us in all facets of life and thought it good? If we willingly chose joy over want? This is not the way of our world today- especially in America! And so, as Linda Dillow writes in her book, Calm My Anxious Heart, "We become what we think- our thought life, not our circumstances, determines whether we are content." One powerful tool in being "transformed by the renewing of our mind" is to memorize and meditate on Philippians 4:8. A wise friend of mine suggested this when I was facing some serious anxiety and it proved to be a great help! Another way to think of contentment is as accepting God's sovereign control over all of life's circumstances. What joy I experience - and true peace - when I accept God's ordained plan for my illness right now. When I stop fighting my Lord and start resting in HIS ways- the ONLY way that is good and right and perfect- the way that will bring Him the most glory. And so I hope you have seen, as I have, that CONTENTMENT is the issue we must pray over and meditate upon. A poor, as well as an enflated body image will be resolved when we learn that contentment alone is in Christ Jesus.

The writers of the blog "GirlTalk" have some excellent thoughts to share on this very subject:

You see, women believe that physical beauty will make them happy, successful, popular among the women, desirable to the men – so they pursue it with a fury! Physical beauty, however, does not deliver as advertised. Proverbs 31:30 reveals the falsehood and the futility of this quest for beauty: Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain. Even if every girl did "feel beautiful just the way she is," it wouldn’t bring her true joy or lasting happiness or solve even one of her problems. Truth be told, what we all deserve is not to feel beautiful but rather to be condemned to hell for sinfully seeking to attract the worship of our fellow creatures instead of living to bring glory to God. God did not send Jesus to this earth to die so that women could get over their self-esteem problem and feel better about themselves. No, He sent his Son to die to rescue us from our sinful, futile quest for physical beauty and to reveal to us the satisfaction that comes from knowing God—whether we are beautiful or not! What freedom and hope is found in Christ! We don’t need to feel beautiful about ourselves to find happiness! In fact, we’re better off not even thinking about ourselves. Rather, God has offered us in Jesus Christ forgiveness, hope, freedom from sin and a joy that never ends.

What wise words and a biblical perspective on physical beauty!

To close, I want us to reflect on all that we have learned though God's word and the wisdom of others who have hidden God's word in their hearts! I know for me, the process of writing this morning has been both very convicting and revealing! Our role now is to live this out- is to share this with the women in our lives and to begin to contribute to setting apart Christians from the culture. This starts with being changed individually and then lovingly sharing it with those God has placed in our lives. Because as Ligon Duncan bluntly states, "Someone is teaching women principles of womanhood. Is it the church, or the world?" (J. Ligon Duncan & Susan Hunt, Women’s Ministry in the Local Church).

Being refined by the Father, Kate

Jeremy's Sermon- God's Faithfulness!

2008-02-06T16:40:00.000-06:00

You can find the audio of Jeremy's sermon on God's faithfulness at the link below. I am so incredibly honored to be the wife of this man and am thankful the heart God has blessed him with shows throughout this sermon.

Audio of Jeremy's Sermon 2/3/08

The Passing Time

2008-02-02T20:27:00.000-06:00

Hello! Sorry I have not continued the series on Body Image/Beauty in Christ. We will continue that eventually... the internet was down for a few days, Jeremy has had full reign on the computer in preparation for his sermon tomorrow morning and life in general is often too busy to hop on here and write.
We are well overall and I am enjoying my new job. It is a challenge everyday physically- but a great blessing emotionally and spiritually to be able to assist others in their own health struggles. It has proved to be a great ministry as well! While talking to a friend the other evening, I mentioned that I am blessed in many ways through this illness, (although often that is hard to see!). One of these ways is that I have to rely on a God in a very real and physical way each and every moment of every day. I am constantly made aware of my fragile state and my need for God's grace and goodness. As a woman in my 20's, I know without a doubt that I would not be able to rely on Him this way if I was healthy. I may not know Him so intimately as the Comforter and Sustainer like I do today. I relate with elderly people far better and have a heart for those who have chronic illnesses of all ages. The enemy often greatly succeeds through isolation, discouragement and hopelessness in people with long- term sicknesses...and now i can use my own past and current experiences to help minister to those physically (and often emotionally).
We love you and will be posting Jeremy's sermon when the audio becomes available at our church website.

-Kate

Stay Tuned...more to come regarding Biblical Beauty

2008-01-24T10:41:00.000-06:00

I plan on continuing this series tomorrow but wanted to let you know that I have updated the praises & prayer requests section to the right! Thank you for your faithful commitment to praying for us and please don't hesitate to contact us regarding your own praises and prayer requests.

“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 35:4

True radiance and beauty comes from a heart that knows the Creator of beauty. Just a thought.

Love in Christ, Kate

Body Image: A Video

2008-01-21T10:43:00.000-06:00

Many of you have perhaps seen the Dove short film that is linked below. I encourage you to watch it again and remember that most of these women we find ourselves struggling to measure up to- have been dramatically changed and altered.

Body Image: Part One

2008-01-19T20:26:00.000-06:00

I have had interactions lately with other woman in my life regarding body image. While this is a common area of struggle for women, it seems that in the last week the Lord has brought it to my attention through various avenues. The four ways God has surfaced this issue are:
His Word
Personal thoughts
Friends asking for prayer in this area and
Popular culture
To begin a discussion regarding this, I want to first be a little vulnerable myself. I am someone who is not in any way immune to feelings of physical inadequacy. I have battled this for several years in various degrees. Sometimes I will go days without thinking about how I look or comparing myself to another. Other times, I find myself dwelling on it several times an hour. I haven’t kept careful track of why it is inconstant like this but my guess is that it relates to how diligent I have been in reading the word, being in prayer as well as how much I have given in to the inundated cultural portrayal of "beauty". If we as women stop to think- we will realize that this is an ever-increasing battle. As information becomes more available via technological advances, and our dependence on them more evident, we are all the more exposed to worldly and unrealistic ideas of beauty. In a given day, I may see this portrayal in commercials, billboards, magazine covers, Internet sites, TV shows, movies …the list is really endless. This inundation is putting such impractical expectations on women’s appearances that even Hollywood is competing against itself. While I have intentionally stopped reading magazines that only cause more struggle within my heart and mind, I admit, I sometimes fall into the trap of my e-mails interface page. Yahoo will have the big entertainment stories of the day- with pictures and enticing headlines that sometimes to succeed in drawing me in. What I find are articles and pictures about who looks fat, who is aging, and who is still measuring up to the standard of beauty through starvation, botox and plastic surgery. Suddenly, 50 year olds look like 30 years olds and the 30 years old must look like teenagers again. What an appalling topic for our culture to obsess over! What a futile, fruitless quest for fulfillment! And yet it seems to only be getting worse and unfortunately, easier to be snared into. Isn’t it ironic to see children today dressing as adults and wanting so much to be "grown up" while the adults are doing all they can to get back to that youth? And so, the need for Christian women to intentionally abstain from cultural influences that may cause us to struggle is HUGE! It is nearly impossible to all-together avoid this within our world, but it is possible for us to greatly decrease the impact it has on us through paying closer attention to what we allow in… less of this world and more of His Word. I think I will stop for today… but I will continue this topic over the coming days- Please feel free to share how you have been impacted by our culture and why you think our world- mainly America, is so obsessed by how we look. I will not pretend that any of my thoughts about this pertinent subject are profound- but they are prevalent. I will end with a verse I often remind myself during times of struggle:

Beauty is fading and charm is deceptive,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

Fallen off the face of the earth!

2008-01-10T10:58:00.000-06:00

Actually, no we haven't but by the lack of activity on this blog, one might assume so!
Inspired by Kyle Borg, I thought I would write briefly why we haven't written lately...
Kate started a new job and thus is off her three month break from working...
Jeremy is spending every free moment (when he is not working his 60 hours) applying for teaching jobs and beginning to prepare for his sermon at CCC on Feb 3rd.
Kate has been feeling a little bit better as of late, thus allowing them to hang out with friends more! PRAISE GOD!
And lastly, sometimes, I just don't have anything to say! Imagine that! :)

Hope all is well and thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Kate

ps: shout out to DP for reminding me I DO have a blog and SHE ( if not anyone else) reads it! :)

Resolutions: Part One

2007-12-31T14:09:00.001-06:00

Today is New Years Eve Day... and tomorrow marks January 1st, 2008. It is a day when millions of people set goals to lose weight and not drink more than 3 cups of coffee, to work out 5 times a week and call grandma more often. Usually, the first few weeks are full of success and motivation, but by March most have all but ditched their "sacred" resolutions. Perhaps it is because these are more temporal goals and things we often rely on our own futile strength to accomplish. Below is a list posted on desiringgod.org that offers some more eternal resolutions...

1. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.
2. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death when he said: "There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendor, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing."
3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence, but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.
4. I shall not turn my life into a thin, straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.
5. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.
6. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their "divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic" existence.
7. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the "child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder."
8. I shall follow Darwin's advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.
9. I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, "fulfill the moment as the moment." I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.
10. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

-These were first given to John Piper by his professor, Dr. Kilby.

I don't know about you, but these resolutions would challenge me to change in many ways and fully rely on the Lord for that change to occur from the inside-out. I hope it gives you some 2008 resolution ideas!

Happy New Years Eve!!!

Kate

Good News!

2007-12-27T15:12:00.000-06:00

I wanted to let everyone know that God so quickly answered our prayers to provide me with a part-time job! PRAISE GOD!!!! I will be the Office Manager at Signature Chiropractic Center starting next week! Please pray that the transition back to work would be smooth as both Jeremy and I adjust. I will be working 27 hours a week which is a little more than we were looking for but with God's grace and strength we are praying that I will be able to handle it.

THANK YOU for all of your past and continued prayers! We love you!

Kate (and Jeremy)

A Light Unto My Path

2007-12-27T10:28:00.000-06:00

Last Friday, as Jeremy and I traveled to Milwaukee to celebrate Christmas with his wonderful family, we drove through very dense fog. At certain times throughout our drive, we could barely see 10 feet in front of us! It gave me such a sense of uneasiness. We weren't really in control, and had to go slowly, trusting that the road would be there to meet us.

Later that night, as I lie in bed praying, I started to think about how relevant the fog is in my own life. Now, more than any other time in my life, I cannot see what lies ahead. In college, we knew (for the most part) that we were going to return for another two, three or four years. That we would live in that city, work part time and go to school to complete our degree. Then, we looked forward to our wedding day... and the plans of going to seminary the following year. All of it seemed to lay out so wonderfully before us. But we know as Christians that we never really know what lies ahead...whether it be 10 years, 10 weeks or 10 hours from now. God Himself says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord," (Isaiah 55). Truly, we cannot bank on anything but the Lord. No matter where we go, or how significant the changes in circumstances are, we must KNOW that He is before us. In fact, Psalm 139 reassures us, "You hem me in, behind and before,and lay Your hand upon me." What a true comfort. And so, Jeremy and I face a future that to us in like the unpainted canvas. The wonderful thing is, the Lord is the most magnificent artist and already has the painting planned and formed.

Thus, I learn another lesson in truly surrendering MY plans and MY ways, which are so futile, and cling to His sovereignty over the life He has graciously bestowed upon me. Although I seem to be walking on a path so dense and clouded with fog, I know that He provides sight for me to see one more step in front of me...and that is truly all we need. In His grace and mercy, He provides guidance and strength one step at a time through His holy word and the holy spirit. Similar to the sign in the picture above, He lets us know that He will never leave nor forsake us.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way - Psalm 37

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119

Thankful for His faithfulness,

Kate

Elf Yourself

2007-12-20T16:20:00.001-06:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1624163901

Click on the link and be amused. :) Happy Christmas!

The Process of Elimination...

2007-12-20T10:05:00.000-06:00

The following is an e-mail I sent out today...I wanted to post it in case I missed a few people. Please notice we have also updated our prayer requests/praises to the right of the page. Thank you for all your support! :)

Dearest Friends and Family,

I hope this e-mail finds each of you doing well! Christmas is just a few days away and often that means the busyness of preparing for the festivities. I am praying all of us would be able to slow down enough to remember what this season is about...Christ! :)

I am writing to let all of you know that I just had my last specialist appointment today. I saw the Endocrinologist. He was thorough and gave me a very comprehensive look into my case and explained everything we've ruled out...which includes, a brain tumor, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other diseases. That is all wonderful, reassuring news. However, it leaves us with a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am thankful that we finally know WHAT we are facing...with confidence from dozens of medical tests and numerous specialists that it is nothing else. Of course, it is difficult as there is really no cure or substantial treatment for CFS. Typically, people do eventually get better...but it take years- anywhere from 5-20 years for recovery. Clearly, I am in need of family and friends who are willing to stick with me through this. Who will help me fight the things so often associated with CFS and be there in the long run. :) I am thankful for all of you and for all of your prayers. We see no need for me to go to Mayo Clinic at this point as the tests are clear as to what it is not, leaving us with this diagnosis.

For now, I am going to let this sink in. I am going to do all i can to remain positive and Jeremy and I will take a look at what our life can be now with this diagnosis.

Lastly, please feel free to check out this comprehensive website to get a better idea of what we face and how to help us: http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/

With love and Merry Christmas Wishes,

The Wenzel's

The Kingdom vs. The American Dream

2007-12-13T16:06:00.000-06:00

In this life, we are inundated with things that seek to distract us from the Lord and take our affections...there is no denying this. But what is at the heart of this issue? The fact is, each day is a daily struggle to not be torn between this world and our Lord. Afterall, we cannot serve two masters. John Piper answered this question succinctly and accurately on his site yesterday.

What's the difference between living for the Kingdom and living for the American dream?
The essential difference is, What are you trying to make much of? Do you want to make much of Christ in the world, or do you want to make much of yourself, your business, or your family? What are you passionate about seeing exalted, praised and enjoyed?
I want to put that central because if we don't ask the question day by day–What am I going to make much of today?–then we will gravitate towards making much of the same things that everybody around us is making much of, like sports teams, food, or a new computer program. None of these things are sin unless they become the thing that we're driven by.
The difference between a Kingdom mindset and a worldly mindset is the King. What place does the King have? Is he central in our affections, our vocabulary, and in what we want to see happen at work, church, and in our leisure?

Piper suggests this is a constant bending of our wills to His. We cannot do this on our own, for we are far too depraved to do anything good like that! But through His grace and how He ministers' to His chosen through Scripture and our prayer life, we are better able to central our affections upon whom they belong... Christ.

Kate

My favorite Song...

2007-12-12T10:28:00.001-06:00

This is Derek Webb singing Deliver Us. It isn't his best version but it is all I could find...ENJOY!

Deliver Us-Behold the Lamb of God

Our enemy, our captor is no pharaoh on the Nile

Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand

Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet Lord, we're bound

Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land

Deliver us, deliver us

Oh Yahweh, hear our cry

And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay

These shackles they were made with our own hands

Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to giveS

o Yahweh, break our silence if you can

Deliver us, deliver us

Oh Yahweh, hear our cry

And gather us beneath your wings tonight

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem

How often I have longed

To gather you beneath my gentle wings"

The Chief End

2007-11-27T11:36:00.000-06:00

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
-Westminster Catechism

How does one enjoy God?

How do you personally enjoy God?

Happy Thanksgiving Indeed!

2007-11-25T20:20:00.000-06:00

We have a special announcement! We are now onkel and tante (uncle and aunt) to Emily Muresan!!!! She was born Thanksgiving morning at 6am. Angie, Jeremy's sister, did a WONDERFUL job from what we hear. :)

We had lots to be thankful for this thanksgiving!!! :)

Congratulations Angie and Alex!!! :)

Sweet Little Emily Sleeping....

Praises...

2007-11-19T10:02:00.000-06:00

So often, I write about the trials of being ill and such. I wanted to write today about the wonderful weekend I had...and how thankful I am for having a few days where I felt decent and was able to be with people I love being with!
Friday was excellent...I got to go to Nathaniel's Birthday Party and hang out with great people...
Saturday was quiet, but I did a lot of Christmas shopping and didn't pass out while doing it!
Sunday I enjoyed church, had a nap that was three hours long and actually refreshing this time!
After that Jeremy and I enjoyed a great dinner with Rachel and Kyle and then went to Life Group where we discussed a great section of scripture and learned a lot.
All in all, I was able to be social...something I truly enjoy! I praise God for blessing me with a great weekend and wonderful people to spend it with. I know that the coming days may bring more exhaustion and weakness, but for a time I was able to feel almost normal! :)

Love you all!

-Kate

Where we find ourselves today...

2007-11-15T12:15:00.000-06:00

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is well! I appreciate the e-mails and calls I've gotten requesting a new update. Thanks to everyone prayers...I need them and can feel them!
This last week was pretty rough. I got a cold with fever and this impacts me more than "normal" people as my Doctor said. Yes, I am abnormal for all of you who hadn't figured this out yet! I am just starting to feel a little bit better now.

I went to my general Doctor on Monday and she referred me to more specialists and I am going back to one I have seen in the past. All together, I have 4 Doctor appointments with 4 different Doctors coming up. I am still clinging to the hope that they will find out what is wrong with me... and soon! After those visits, we are going to head to Mayo if no diagnosis is made. I am thankful for my husband being so patient and supportive during all of this uncertainty.

My days now, are the least busy I have ever been...by a vast amount! It is crazy to go from a life of college, wedding planning, being involved in many clubs and working to ....well, being a wife and focusing on taking care of myself. It has been humbeling to say the least. So often our identity is based on WHAT we are doing, not WHO we are...not until all of it was stripped from me have I fully realized this sad truth. An average day for me is e-mailing, sipping on green tea, watching a movie, reading a lot, hanging out with a friend if I'm up to it and enjoying the evening with my husband. This would be lovely if I was not feeling utterly exhausted and ill.

Well, I will end with a wonderful set of verses Tressa pointed out to me recently...how applicable!

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
-Isaiah 40:28-31

Much love, Kate

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

2007-11-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

Today is Jeremy's 23rd birthday! I wanted to write to him and express my love for him on this special day...

You are the greatest blessing that our wonderful God has ever bestowed upon me besides the cross. Never did I imagine I would have such an amazing husband. You are my best friend, you are my husband, you're my love, you're my help... you are so many wonderful things wrapped in one. I thank God for you Jeremy. I thank God for who you are and who you will grow to be. I thank God for these past 4 years you've been in my life, and these past 6 months you have been my husband. No matter how difficult the day, you brighten it by being you.

I look forward to growing old with you. Happy Birthday to the love of my life... Happy Birthday Jeremy!

Your wife, Katey

ps: you also happen to be the most handsome man I have ever seen.... :)

Reviews of the John Owen Book!

2007-11-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

We will begin Thursday, November 15th with Chapter One.

“The editors of this volume have worked hard to make Owen’s unrivalled insight into the Christian’s inner war with sin accessible to all, and the result is truly a godsend.”

-J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

“To read Owen is to mine spiritual gold. Unfortunately, as in mining, reading Owen is hard work. Now, Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor have made Owen’s work accessible to modern readers while still retaining his unique writing style.”

-Jerry Bridges, Navigators Community Ministries Group

“With brilliant editorial efforts and insightful introductions by Kapic and Taylor, John Owen’s magnificent treatises on sin and sanctification have been made available for a new generation.”

-David S. Dockery, President, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee

“Sin is tenacious, but by God’s grace we can hate it and hunt it. John Owen provides the master guide for the sin-hunter. Kapic and Taylor bring together three of Owen’s classics, clarifying them in simple ways—but all the substance, the careful, hounding arguments are still there.”

-Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.

“John Owen understood how the gospel makes us well. Three cheers for Kapic and Taylor for introducing a new generation to Owen’s peerless works.”

-Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, S.C.

“John Owen is a spiritual surgeon with the rare skill to cut away the cancer of sin and bring gospel healing to the sinner’s soul. Apart from the Bible, I have found his writings to be the best books ever written to help me stop sinning the same old sins.”

-Philip Graham Ryken, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

“No writer has taught me more about the dynamics of the heart and the deceitfulness of sin than John Owen. Read this book carefully; it will help you understand your heart and experience God’s grace.”

-C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Gaithersburg, Maryland

The Book Club - Overcoming Sin and Temptation

2007-11-03T11:26:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that there is a great online "book club" that will be starting in about a week and a half.
Click the link below to join me and many others in reading and discussing a Classic together!

www.challies.com/archives/reading-classics-together/reading-the-next-classic-together.php

Who's with me? :)

Kate

An Invisible Giant

2007-10-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

I am feeling very frustrated today. I talked to my most recent Dr.- the Rhuemotologist - and she conveyed that 12 out of the 14 blood tests I recently had were normal. Two were highly abnormal. Both my sed-rate and my c-reactive protein were very elevated. I was actually relieved at first to hear that we finally found SOME type of answer. Only it turned out it isn't much of an answer after all.
The elevated blood tests aforementioned are usually linked with cancer, leukemia or different auto-immune diseases. The Rhuemotologist then said they could not do anything more in her department and that I should ask my General Doctor which specialist should help me now. So I feel both in the dark and frustrated because I will be on to my 5th specialist now. We just want to know WHAT we are facing and WHAT can be done about it, if anything. I feel as if I am battling against an invisible giant.
Please pray that the Doctors would have wisdom and a drive to find out exactly what is going on. Please also pray for peace as we continue to play the waiting game.

My husband shared his experience in meeting his FAVORITE music artist of all time below. It is both cute and amusing to read. :)

Yours, Kate

Meeting Mr. Webb

2007-10-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had a wonderful experience that may not ever be topped in my life!!! Just Kidding. Maybe having kids someday will top this. :)

Anyway, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Derek Webb and speak with him for about 20 minutes. Just Derek, my wife, and me. What a wonderful gift my wife got for me!!!!! Anyway, we were able to watch a concert from about 15 feet away, then we were taken to a back room deep into the basement of the concert hall, wait about 15 minutes, and then the man himself came back to talk with us!!!! Here is a picture of me waiting anxiously, and very nervously.
Sorry this is somewhat blurry, I think Kate was excited too.

Anyway, he came down and brought some waters for us (waters that he actually had on stage... I'll be honest, I am not throwing the bottle away!) and just sat down and talked. Now, if anyone knows me they know that I am awful at meeting people, much less somebody who I consider famous and I respect ALOT. Anyway, my nerves definitely got the best of me, and I really did not too much to say to him when he came down. I mean, my mind was racing, but my mouth was speechless. Luckily, my wife is a good talker (haha) and picked up the slack, thanking Derek for taking the time for us, and telling him how much I love his music, etc. Derek was very nice and down to earth. He did not act like this was a huge distraction, did not act bored by speaking with us, and seemed genuinely thankful and humbled that I liked his music so much. We talked about his new baby boy, his tattoos (I told him that me and Lickel used his "Sola's" tattoo for evangelism in the dorms the past 3 years-- probably crept him out). He told us he was a "church history buff," which I found both ironic and amusing that we shared that interest. After talking to him for about 15 minutes he had to get going, since he had a 16 hour bus trip ahead of him. We walked up the stairs and he told us to email him the next time he comes into town, so we can hang out again (something I am sure he tells lots of people, but I obviously liked the idea-- maybe we can be friends!!!). Next time he is anywhere near where I am, I will invite him out for coffee or dinner, anything really. I would like to pick his brain on theological doctrine and social ideas. While we were walking out I finally got to ask a question that I had wanted to ask him for some time, "What kind of church do you go to?" The answer was great, "PCA." He found the way right to my heart. He goes to a church in the city that is Presbyterian in their doctrine, but not too traditional in their service. They find that to be the best way to reach the people in the area. We had one last quick conversation about how doctrine is more important than structure in the church, and said another quick goodbye (shook his hand for about the 5th time of the night) and left giddy as a school girl.

Here are a few more pictures of us, and I will close with some thoughts.

This was when we were down in the little basement after the concert.

Here is us talking after the show. I am clearly intrigued.

Lastly, a few closing thoughts of the weekend. What a gift my wife gave? Could I ask for anything more? Good luck ever topping this one!

2nd, after spending time with Derek, my huge thought was that he was just a regular guy who has tons of talent. I left with the will to pray for him, that God can keep using his words and mind to touch others, and that he stays a regular guy. If I ever do meet with him again, the one question I would ask him is, what can I pray for you for the next year. I cannot imagine the stress it must be to be a role model to others.

And lastly, I do hope that someday I can speak with him again, and maybe even take him out to dinner or anything. I realize these are pipe dreams, but you never know. God has used his music in amazing ways in my life. Christianity needs musicians like him, and I pray he continues to write his music without fear, and challenges my thoughts and ideas.

Still giddy like a school girl, Jeremy

PS: Just to make sure nobody takes this post too far, I would like to end this with some footnotes I do not love Derek Webb more than my wife or future children (I was just being facetious). Derek Webb is not my idol, just someone I respect. And Derek Webb is not God, just someone who helps me see God a little more clearly during various circumstances in my life.

Stay Tuned...A Post from Jeremy~

2007-10-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken... I did some photoshop magic...

Jeremy will be posting shortly on meeting DEREK WEBB this past weekend! :)

Also, I will post soon about the results from the most recent bloodwork I had. I just want to get some more information first.

Hope everyone is well and keep sharing your thoughts on Halloween from the post below!

Much Love, Kate

Halloween

2007-10-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! The Halloween poll has been interesting! It seems like there is no overall consensus anywhere about this holiday! I was going to write about the origin/history of Halloween and the different arguments that present themselves but I found this article and it was better than anything I could write. I am interested to see what the wonderful readers of this blog will have to say!

Christianity and the Dark Side: What About Halloween? by Albert Mohler
Friday, October 31, 2003

Over a hundred years ago, the great Dutch theologian Hermann Bavinck predicted that the 20th century would "witness a gigantic conflict of spirits." His prediction turned out to be an understatement, and this great conflict continues into the 21st century.
The issue of Halloween presses itself annually upon the Christian conscience. Acutely aware of dangers new and old, many Christian parents choose to withdraw their children from the holiday altogether. Others choose to follow a strategic battle plan for engagement with the holiday. Still others have gone further, seeking to convert Halloween into an evangelistic opportunity. Is Halloween really that significant?
Well, Halloween is a big deal in the marketplace. Halloween is surpassed only by Christmas in terms of economic activity. According to David J. Skal, "Precise figures are difficult to determine, but the annual economic impact of Halloween is now somewhere between 4 billion and 6 billion dollars depending on the number and kinds of industries one includes in the calculations."
Furthermore, historian Nicholas Rogers claims that "Halloween is currently the second most important party night in North America. In terms of its retail potential, it is second only to Christmas. This commercialism fortifies its significance as a time of public license, a custom-designed opportunity to have a blast. Regardless of its spiritual complications, Halloween is big business."
Rogers and Skal have each produced books dealing with the origin and significance of Halloween. Nicholas Rogers is author of Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Professor of History at York University in Canada, Rogers has written a celebration of Halloween as a transgressive holiday that allows the bizarre and elements from the dark side to enter the mainstream. Skal, a specialist on the culture of Hollywood, has written Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween. Skal's approach is more dispassionate and focused on entertainment, looking at the cultural impact of Halloween on the rise of horror movies and the nation's fascination with violence.
The pagan roots of Halloween are well documented. The holiday is rooted in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which came at summer's end. As Rogers explains, "Paired with the feast of Beltane, which celebrated the life-generating powers of the sun, Samhain beckoned to winter and the dark nights ahead." Scholars dispute whether Samhain was celebrated as a festival of the dead, but the pagan roots of the festival are indisputable. Questions of human and animal sacrifices and various occultic sexual practices continue as issues of debate, but the reality of the celebration as an occultic festival focused on the changing of seasons undoubtedly involved practices pointing to winter as a season of death.
As Rogers comments: "In fact, the pagan origins of Halloween generally flow not from this sacrificial evidence, but from a different set of symbolic practices. These revolve around the notion of Samhain as a festival of the dead and as a time of supernatural intensity heralding the onset of winter.
How should Christians respond to this pagan background? Harold L. Myra of Christianity Today argues that these pagan roots were well known to Christians of the past. "More than a thousand years ago Christians confronted pagan rites appeasing the lord of death and evil spirits. Halloween's unsavory beginnings preceded Christ's birth when the druids, in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer with sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking live evil spirits themselves."
Thus, the custom of wearing costumes, especially costumes imitating evil spirits, is rooted in the Celtic pagan culture. As Myra summarizes, "Most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to the old pagan rites and superstitions."
The complications of Halloween go far beyond its pagan roots, however. In modern culture, Halloween has become not only a commercial holiday, but a season of cultural fascination with evil and the demonic. Even as the society has pressed the limits on issues such as sexuality, the culture's confrontation with the "dark side" has also pushed far beyond boundaries honored in the past.
As David J. Skal makes clear, the modern concept of Halloween is inseparable from the portrayal of the holiday presented by Hollywood. As Skal comments, "The Halloween machine turns the world upside down. One's identity can be discarded with impunity. Men dress as women, and vise versa. Authority can be mocked and circumvented, and, most important, graves open and the departed return."
This is the kind of material that keeps Hollywood in business. "Few holidays have a cinematic potential that equals Halloween's," comments Skal. "Visually, the subject is unparalleled, if only considered in terms of costume design and art direction. Dramatically, Halloween's ancient roots evoke dark and melodramatic themes, ripe for transformation into film's language of shadow and light."
But television's "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (which debuted in 1966) has given way to Hollywood's "Halloween" series and the rise of violent "slasher" films. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff have been replaced by Michael Myers and Freddy Kruger.
This fascination with the occult comes as America has been sliding into post-Christian secularism. While the courts remove all theistic references from America's public square, the void is being filled with a pervasive fascination with evil, paganism, and new forms of occultism.
In addition to all this, Halloween has become downright dangerous in many neighborhoods. Scares about razor blades hidden in apples and poisoned candy have spread across the nation in recurring cycles. For most parents, the greater fear is the encounter with occultic symbols and the society's fascination with moral darkness.
For this reason, many families withdraw from the holiday completely. Their children do not go trick-or-treating, they wear no costumes, and attend no parties related to the holiday. Some churches have organized alternative festivals, capitalizing on the holiday opportunity, but turning the event away from pagan roots and the fascination with evil spirits. For others, the holiday presents no special challenges at all.
These Christians argue that the pagan roots of Halloween are no more significant than the pagan origins of Christmas and other church festivals. Without doubt, the church has progressively Christianized the calendar, seizing secular and pagan holidays as opportunities for Christian witness and celebration. Anderson M. Rearick, III argues that Christians should not surrender the holiday. As he relates, "I am reluctant to give up what was one of the highlights of my childhood calendar to the Great Imposter and Chief of Liars for no reason except that some of his servants claim it as his."
Nevertheless, the issue is a bit more complicated than that. While affirming that make-believe and imagination are part and parcel of God's gift of imagination, Christians should still be very concerned about the focus of that imagination and creativity. Arguing against Halloween is not equivalent to arguing against Christmas. The old church festival of "All Hallow's Eve" is by no means as universally understood among Christians as the celebration of the incarnation at Christmas.
Christian parents should make careful decisions based on a biblically-informed Christian conscience. Some Halloween practices are clearly out of bounds, others may be strategically transformed, but this takes hard work and may meet with mixed success.
The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity. Perhaps the best response to the Devil at Halloween is that offered by Martin Luther, the great Reformer: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him for he cannot bear scorn."
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther began the Reformation with a declaration that the church must be recalled to the authority of God's Word and the purity of biblical doctrine. With this in mind, the best Christian response to Halloween, might be to scorn the Devil and then pray for the Reformation of Christ's church on earth. Let's put the dark side on the defensive.

the 30 day diet ...

2007-10-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I have to say that people have got to be praying for me because I have felt a peace that passes all understanding since Tuesday and haven't worried about the car, money stuff, etc.
Thank you for your continued prayers!
I am currently on Day 11 of a special diet given by my chiropractor.
I am only able to eat fruits, vegetables, and brown rice for a month. Last week was VERY difficult but this week, I am starting to feel a little bit more energetic. I am not allowed to eat meat, dairy or sugar at all. And most of the food I do eat is organic. I guess almost 70% of your immune system is in your stomach so it makes sense to try to clense out my system from toxins so my body can perhaps start working better. That would be so nice!
I think this is teaching me some important albeit challenging lessons in self-control.
I've had to resist some difficult things like pizza and such and thus far, have not given in. I am always hungry and never feel "full" but learning that this is ok! :) I think in America we usually eat until we are full and that isn't necessarily healthy either.
Anyway, I would appreciate continued prayer as I have more than 2 weeks left and am starting to really crave CHEESE! :)
Jeremy and I will be going to the Cities and seeing my mom for the first time in over 4 months! I am SUPER excited as I miss her greatly.

Love in Christ,

Kate

What A Day...

2007-10-22T10:04:00.000-05:00

Hello loved ones! We hope you are all very well! I thought it was time for an update. Last Friday, I went to see a rheumatologist. She did various tests and examinations and asked the usual questions. Then today, she had me get about 14 more blood tests dealing mostly with immunology. She will be bringing my health case to the group of rheumatologists tomorrow so I hope and pray they will see SOMETHING to give us some answers. Before all of the blood tests, Jeremy and I discovered my car was broken into, the tire slashed, 150 CD's, some cash and the CD player were all taken.
I feel scared...violated in a way. They took a few pictures of me that were in the glove box as well as our address, etc. It's all pretty surreal. The police took down a report but the stuff is long gone. Now we have to pick up the pieces.
I know it could be FAR worse...but this is truly the last thing we needed. Things are tight already and to have this added to the bills is hard to swallow. Please pray for our safety and that I would feel secure again in our apartment and neighborhood.
What a lesson...another lesson. There is NO security in this world besides through the Lord. Nothing is guaranteed.
Thank you for your prayers... on a positive note:
We were blessed to have Jeremy's very good friend Andy here visiting this weekend!
We are blessed to have friends like Jodi who was willing and able to drive me to the hospital today!
We are blessed to have one another and each of you supporting us in love and prayer!
We are thankful the car wasn't completely stolen or ruined.
We are thankful we are both safe.
We were blessed to have the SUN OUT on Saturday!
Life sure isn't easy. But we are alive and here and we must make the best of it!

In Christ,

Kate
and
Jeremy

Modesty: Post Two

2007-10-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

"Any Biblical discussion of modesty begins by addressing the heart, not the hemline."
-C.J. Mahaney.

I couldn't agree more with C.J. Modesty does being with the attitude of the heart within the woman. He also goes on to define modesty as: propriety; the avoidance of clothing and adornment that is extravagant, showy and sexually enticing.

I believe a humble heart comes before modest dress. Thus, immodesty is a form of arrogance. We are arrogant when we say we don't care how it impacts the men that cross our path, but only our desire to remain fashionably "in". Modesty, in general, protects our brothers in Christ from temptation and sin. We are certainly not to identify with our sinful, worldly culture through our dress. We are, after all, to be IN this world and not OF this world. We are to be distinct from the culture in many ways...among them, our dress. If we think about it, our apparel is a public statement of our heart. What is my wardrobe communicating? What is yours?

Earlier, I mentioned 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Through reading and such, I have learned that Paul is warning woman from dressing and adorning themselves like the culture of the time...the Roman court and the Prostitutes. Context is important here. "Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."
So I don't believe it is necessarily the pearls or the braided hair, but the motivation and the heart behind it. During this time, ostentatious jewelry and braided hear was associated with both vanity and prostitution.

In regard to some of the many comments from the first Modesty post...

I am one who is 100% behind personal responsibility in the Christian life. I believe this modesty discussion is one largely on the shoulders of women. HOWEVER, there IS a place for the husbands and fathers of the women in their life to encourage them when they dress modestly and to hold them accountable when they dress immodestly. If my words in anyway disregarded the supreme importance of woman holding personal responsibility over themselves, then I was unclear. But I see that the body of Christ has dropped the ball in graciously speaking truth and demonstrating Godly care and courage. There is a difference between condemnation and imposing versus giving kind observation and allowing the Holy Spirit to then convict and carry out the good work.
Fathers are to lead their daughters in this issue of modesty. Daughters are to submit. However, much of the time that doesn't occur and the woman is now 20 years old and largely clueless about her impact upon the people in their life.
There is of course, always room for growth. We need to ask ourselves questions. We need to not only trust our own evaluation, but your friends and husband if you have one.

The other issue that arises is self-righteous judgement over those who are not Christian or those who are but newly so.

Lastly, and on a lighter note...I do believe that it is possible to not be fashionably outdated and to be modest. Basically, Modesty and Fashion are not mutually exclusive. It just takes a little extra work and it certainly cannot become our focus.

In 1 Timothy, 2:9-19, Paul insists that more time be focused on spiritual matters then the apparel for the women. Why? Ultimately, because of the gospel. Again, C.J. Mahaney brings this into perspective. Paul teaches every topic in relation to the gospel. As we should. I began with a quote from Mr. Mahaney, and I will end this post with a quote by him, "Modesty and dress and women characterized by good works are the impact of the gospel. That is the transforming power of the gospel."

Health Update for Today

2007-10-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello again friend and family!
I am writing to let you know what is going on lately with my health.
Things seem to be very up and down health-wise. Some hours I will feel ok, others I will be unable to leave my bed due to sheer exhaustion or headaches.
I have been reading up on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and it seems that everyone who has this has gone through the months of unknowing...of test after test coming back normal. Because this is a sickness that can only be diagnosed by process of elimination. I've also learned that CFS manifests itself in different ways to different people on different days. What I mean is...yesterday I was feel the exhaustion and weakness, today I have a terrible sore throat and swollen glands.
Now, I say all this because I want those in my life to understand what it's like on a daily basis. I don't want pity of course, but prayers. Most days, I don't even pray for healing anymore. I need to. In all honestly, a lot of days I am doing OK...focused on what I am thankful for and trusting in the Lord. But every few weeks, there is a dark cloud of hopelessness and being so weary from being weary. Thankfully, it seems to not last more than a day.
Anyway, I have to go back to bed...
I will be getting more into the Modesty Posts as soon as I feel up to it a bit.
Oh! And this friday I have another Doctor appt. with another specialist. I am hoping that there will be some sort of answer to all this.

Kate

I would just like to add a special thanks for my amazing husband, Jeremy. This is not an easy thing for us to bare as newlyweds...but you have never complained and you are so loving and encouraging. THANK YOU for your support and care! You are certainly glorifying the Lord through this and ministering to your wife. :) I love you so much.

Modesty: Post One

2007-10-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

There is a chill in the air that reminds us fall is here and winter is just a few weeks away... it also provides a reason for the girls and women of our culture to bundle up! I have heard several men communicate their dislike for spring and summer simply because of the clothing (or lack of) that women wear.
Just yesterday, a good friend of mine shared that her husband feels that very same way. Walking through a college campus is like a painful test for every man. Eyes to the sidewalk until you get to class. Girls in bikini's all throughout campus is typical. Spending a summer in California only made ME aware of it that much more.
As women, we are inundated with magazines, commercials, TV shows, movies and peers that portray fashion and pressure us to imitate that fashion. Walk through the mall for 5 minutes and it is clear: baring skin is in. It is HARD not to fall into this ... and to imitate the culture that surrounds us.
When Jeremy and I got engaged, I had to personally struggle with modesty. As I went looking for wedding dresses, it became difficult to find a dress that was not strapless or too tight or designed in a way that brought attention to my female figure. I ended up adding capped sleeves to my bridal gown in an attempt to bring more modesty to it. After all, I wouldn't wear strapless shirts any other day of the year, why would I on my wedding day? Around the time I was searching for a wedding dress, Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Louisville aired a radio show about Weddings and Modesty. I encourage you to listen to it.
Now, I am not saying the standard I felt called to for my wedding or for everyday life is the end all, be all...but I do want to raise this issue. Some items that are perfectly modest on a friends body, may not be the case for myself and vise-versa.
It makes me sick when I see little girls... just 6 or 7 years old, wearing clothing that reveals their stomach or mini skirts and heals! This is now an issue not just for women, but for little girls and the parents that allow, and yes, even encourage, them to wear these things! Most of you that read this blog are not parents yet, but we need to start thinking of these issues now. The easy thing to do is to allow your kids to wear whatever they want... to be their friend and not their parent... but is that what the Lord calls us to do? I think not.
Well, I could ramble on for a long time about this... but this is just the beginning post....I will continue to post on this topic in the next week. There are many people, much wiser than myself who have great insight and advice regarding modesty. I hope to include some of their thoughts in coming posts.
Until then, I will leave you with this verse:

Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.
-1 Timothy 2:9-10.

Love in Christ, Kate

UPDATE:
To listen to the aforementioned radio program about Weddings and Modesty, please go here:
http://www.albertmohler.com/radio_show.php?cdate=2006-05-16

Back from the Woman's Retreat!

2007-10-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

I was blessed to be able to go on the Women's Retreat this weekend in Green Lake, WI.

I was very hesitant to go at first due to the cost and the fact that I am not working right now. Also, I am supposed to travel as little as possible...but from the kindness of the church, the financial aspect was taken care of and I was assured it was VERY relaxing. This was very different from any other retreat or conference I have gone to. In the past, there are hundreds of us, going from 8am to midnight with sessions and activities. This was JUST what I needed. It was SUCH a restful, wonderful time with 15 other women from the church! I was the youngest so in a way I had 15 mothers to make sure I didn't overdo it! :)

It was such a wonderful time of friendship, fellowship and reflection! This conference center was INCREDIBLE and just really displayed God's majesty ...from the lake, to the trees.

We stayed in an old Mansion that looks right out to the lake! Here is a picture:

We had this entire place to ourselves... it has 22 rooms! Including enough beds for 20 people and 6 bathrooms, a gorgeous living room with a grand fireplace and a huge dining room table to fit all of us! I will write more in the next few days of some of the lessons learned during this time. Stay tuned! :)

Thank you to anyone who read this... I appreciate your prayers, your love and for reading this boring old blog. :)

In Christ Alone, Kate

Being Real Part 3: Our attempt to answer a great question.

2007-10-04T11:07:00.001-05:00

The following question was asked a few days from the original post on "Being Real":
How would you recommend starting down the path of 'being real'? For someone who has been so hurt, time and time again, even the attempt at trust is like peeling the scab off of a wound that has barely healed. Any scripture/books you would recommend?
from kate:
Three things come to mind immediately. Before we even begin "down the path of being real", we have to stand upon some basics …
1. It is always by God’s grace that we are able to be real. It is our natural disposition as humans to be prideful and want to conceal the truth, to put on a facade, etc. So to begin, we must simply pray for His grace to enable us to be stripped of any need to impress others or camouflage our pain, hurt, etc. I too have been hurt, time and time again in very real, deep ways and am only able to be real because of Him. If it were on my shoulders, I would never share my heart with another human again. Thank God it isn’t.
2.I believe the first step is to forgive those that have hurt you. How can one move on to trust others when there is still unforgiveness submerged within the spirit and soul? Of course, forgiveness can be VERY difficult. This is an entirely different topic and post for another day.
3. Sometimes, we wait until we feel no more pain from our past hurts and wounds before we are willing to trust others. Sooner or later, we discover that the pain never COMPLETELY heals and thus waiting until we are healed is simply unwise. I do not believe we will be entirely whole and healed until we reach heaven. But, God is gracious enough to heal us in profound and deep ways. Actually, great healing can take place IN and WHILE trusting others and being real. It takes discernment, however, to know who is trustworthy…but that comes with time. We can take our time in friendships, and allow the Spirit to guide us as to when and where and how much to share with another.
Lastly, another final note ...while i have not read this book personally, I've heard it is an incredible, healing book that is VERY biblical. It's called Women Helping Women by Elyse Fitzpatrick. You can find it on ebay or amazon.
It's Jeremy here. I have a few other ideas on how to be real.
4. You need to have a firm grasp on scripture, so that you know, that no matter what, your actions fall in line with Christ. Knowing what scripture says, and trusting and holding to that more than you trust and hold onto others opinions of you, is key to being real. Instead of worrying what others think of you, put your faith and hope into what God thinks of you, and how he has redeemed you. The more you study the Bible and keep its precious truths in your heart, the easier it is to allow yourself to open up to others, being indifferent of the consequences towards you.
5. This should go without saying, but you need to forever keep your eyes focused on Christ. After what he has done for you, dying on a cross and enduring unbearable pain, we should be able to endure pain by being real about our lives with others. I truly believe that if you look to Christ for your identity and satisfaction, instead of to others, "being real" will not be a struggle, but it would come naturally.

Thank you for that question and keep them coming as it challenges us to think deeper. I hope that the above was of some help in some way.

A Guest Post!

2007-10-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Abby has agreed to allow me to post some of her thoughts regarding "being real". I thought they were insightful and would be beneficial to share on here!

Perhaps it is due to our American culture that many people find it a struggle to be genuine or “real” with one another. I have discovered, and especially while I was in college, that many of us feel the need to portray a facade to the general public that they have everything under control and that life is dandy. I attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota (the town of cows, colleges, and contentment!), which was a highly positive experience for me. The student body, as a whole, was highly ambitious, extremely intelligent, and involved in numerous extracurricular activities, whether it be music, sports, volunteer commitments, Christian organizations, and so forth. Because the average student was talented, smart, and/or beautiful, I think everyone felt the pressure to DO everything and make it appear that this was normal and easy to do!
I am sure that I am not alone in the experience I had while in college. My guess is that others have stumbled across similar situations in other educational or occupational settings. Society today teaches us that we need to excel, get ahead, and hide any appearance of weakness or fear that lies within. Ultimately, this is human pride that is getting in the way of being real with one another.
Over time, God has humbled me much in this area and a certain, small book in the Old Testament, Obadiah, was what made this most clear to me. Obadiah was a prophet from Judah who announced the coming judgement of the Lord against the nation of Edom. He fortells,
“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground? Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.” (v. 2-4)
Edom held pride in their safety as a city, their wealth, self-sufficiency, allies, and wisdom. As the book of Proverbs also warns, pride is a sure route to destruction, and that is exactly what happened to the nation of Edom.
Although many of us struggle with pride, learning to be genuine with each other is one way to avoid pride and instead put on humility. This is one function of the body of Christ, to mourn with each other, be joyful with each other, pray with each other, and meet the specific needs each may have. This is impossible, or at least highly difficult, with an attitude that is reluctant to be open with others.
The Church could thrive to a greater degree by fostering a community of openness: by forming small group or Bible Studies, by encouraging accountability among its members, and in general practicing the example Jesus set for us in loving one another. And as we strive to become more like our Savior, the words of this song by Helen Lemmel will be reflected in our lives:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the Light of his glory and grace.

Health Update

2007-09-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hello friends and family! I have received a few calls and e-mails from people asking for an update in the health situation.
This week is my official last week of work before my break of a couple months of not working at all. While this is challenging in some aspects, we know it is what has to be done given the worsening of my health and because of several Doctor's highly advising it.
Yesterday I had a spinal tap. It was pretty scary and a painful but God gave strength to endure. In 7 business days, we will find out the results of the tests.
We hope that there is something we are able to treat is found, rather than the no answers that have resulted from dozens of blood tests and the MRI's. We are very thankful however, that we have ruled out tumors, MS, Lupus and other conditions.
Through your prayers, encouragement and love, I have been encouraged lately. I am not losing hope and am trying to trust Him daily.
Next is another specialist on October 19th.
I will let you know if I here anything as far as results. Please contintue to pray for God's peace and provision.
Thank you for your continued love and support.

In Christ's love, Kate

Being Real

2007-09-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I see that Christians have the most difficult time being real than any other people. I noticed this far more in Christian Organizations that I have been involved in previously, not as much currently.

But a recent occurrence brought this to my attention again. I am a real person. Whether that is good or bad...what you see is what you get. I hope and expect others to be the same. Why do we put on facades? Pride. I guess thinking back... I was a pro at putting on a mask. All the trials of the last few years have stripped me of this for the most part. I see no reason, no purpose in acting. We are all fallen, we are all in desperate need of God's grace and help from the body of Christ in someway or another.

How can we glorify the Lord when we are so busy trying to keep this act together, seamless and yet full of falsehood? How much more is God magnified when we are real, honest, and vulnerable with one another?

I have to note there is a balance. We cannot have our hearts be open territory to anyone and everyone. There is a need to "guard our heart". But I believe we can be real and yet still adhere to this wisdom.

I just am drawn to people who are real, genuine and honest. These are the qualities that really represent humility to me. But it does take such an effort after this world's harshness has made us wounded individuals.

From my conversation with two of my good girl friends last night... we see how much of our sin, our pride, our self-pity, our selfishness, etc is remedied by a focus on the Lord, by meditation on His incredible character and truth. It is the reality of seeing ourselves as we are...finite, unknowing, flawed individuals who undeservedly are saved by a infinite, all-knowing Lord.

I'll stop my rambling...

Humbled by my inability to grasp our Great God,

Kate

This is inspirational

2007-09-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, if this little girl can do it, we certainly should be able to!
I hope and pray Jeremy and I will have kids like this someday!

Thankfulness

2007-09-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
-Colossians 1:9-13

I have been thinking a lot about thankfulness. When you go through a bit of a scare like we did this last week, you start to really reflect. One thing I have learned (although perhaps not learned to practice as much as I should), is the importance of perspective and having a heart full of thankfulness. This week I found myself thanking God for each day, despite pain, headaches or exhausting. Thanking God that I can see, hear, touch His beauty. Thanking God for family and friends, however far away or busy. Each day IS precious. Each day is not easy, but it is still one more day I have to enjoy the gifts given by God. I pray that Jeremy and I, as well as all those around us who are going through a difficult time will be "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy..."
It is by HIS glorious might that we are given grace to endure another day, another hour, another moment. This is ALWAYS true, whether we realize it or not. When we go through times of hardship, we actually notice our need for Him, but it is a constant, unconditional need for Him is something that cannot be escaped or avoided.
SO here are a few things I am thankful for in this moment,

for the beauty of the bluffs in my backyard
for Saturdays to sleep in
for an amazing husband who is supportive, godly and humble
for a church family that is so willing to help and exemplifies what it means to care
for friends that called and e-mailed or stopped by this week to physically show their kindness and prayers in action
for not having a tumor (praise God!)
for a few nice hugs and a great prayer from my dad before the MRI's
for safety
for provision for what we NEED, and not for what we may want
for the smell of fall
for being able to take off work for a while to try to make some progress
for books to read
for a Savior that is sufficient to meet ALL my needs.
the promise that "He who called us is faithful, and he will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

I do not know what His plan is with my health and what the future holds, but whatever it is, I must always remember that He is faithful.

As a friend recently challenged me to focus on one thing I am thankful for each day, I too, extend that challenge to anyone that reads this... what are you thankful for?

What we face, how I feel

2007-09-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

I wrote this poem today...it was a relief to find some way, however poor, of expressing what is going on inside me.

The bottom falls through
My arms are flailing,
My head in spinning.
The word alone chokes me.
Tumor
The is the valley
I have become familiar with its sights
I have had to embrace the depths
Often there is only a dim light
Isolation
The silence is deafening but it fights
To take hold
And I long for the noise to press out
To force out
The thoughts that so seek to stifle my breath
Hope
Is this still to be grasped?
I’ve been told there are streams in this desert
But I only see drought.
Suffering of length now, the days are so long
Truth
I must cling to this. The promises stand strong
Even when, mostly when, I do not
I remind myself that my roots are deep within the rock,
Not shifting sand.
Grace
I stare the reality in the face
It appears ugly but endurance will erode this sight
Through Him, my heart is fixated and
there is no separating me from my Lord
Perseverance
Whether resolute or suspended by only a thread
It is Your arms, Your saving arms, I am pulled toward.

by Kate Wenzel

Christ and the OT

2007-09-04T22:26:00.001-05:00

I saw this tonight and thought it relates to some postings jeremy has done regarding the OT and Christ Jesus.... It is from Desiring God.org

We are in the middle of a series of messages called Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. All but one of these sins happened before Christ came into the world. One might ask then: Should we really think of the purpose of these ancient sins having anything to do with Christ who came so much later? The answer is yes. The link between Christ and the Old Testament is more amazing than any of us realizes. Here are a couple general statements about that link. First, Luke said, in Luke 24:27, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” And in John 5:39, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
What follows is a sampling of how Christ is the ground and goal of everything in the Old Testament. Let this litany of Christ’s pervasive presence make you marvel at him and look for him everywhere.
Christ upholds all things (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, all Old Testament events are possible because of Christ.
Christ created all things (John 1:3, 10; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). Therefore, all that exists in the Old Testament is because of Christ.
Christ is one with God (John 10:30; 17:11, 22). Therefore, all that God does in the Old Testament Christ is involved in doing.
All things were created for Christ (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, all people, things, customs, nature, and events in the Old Testament are for the glory of Christ.
Christ is the end and goal of the law for righteousness to all who believe (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:24). Therefore, all Old Testament commands lead to Christ for righteousness.
Christ was speaking through the Old Testament writers (1 Peter 1:10-12). Therefore, all the Old Testament is the word of Christ.
All treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ (Colossians 2:3). Therefore, all Old Testament wisdom finds complete expression in Christ, the one who is wiser than Solomon (Matthew 12:41), who surpassed all the kings of the earth in wisdom (1 Kings 10:23).
Christ is the final high priest (Hebrews 1:3; 2:17-18; 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:5-10; 6:20-8:1-2, 6; 9:11-12, 24; 10:11-14; 10:21). Therefore, all the atoning action of priests in the Old Testament is fulfilled through Christ and their atoning work is ended in him.
Christ is himself the final atoning sacrifice (Romans 3:25; 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:12-14, 25-26, 28; 10:10, 14; 13:12; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10;). Therefore, all Old Testament sacrifices lead to him and end in him.
Christ is greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6; John 1:14; 2:18-22; Colossians 2:9). Therefore, he is “where” we meet and have fellowship with God and see his glory.
Christ is greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41). Therefore, all the miracles of the prophets are surpassed in Christ’s Jonah-like miracle of death and resurrection.
Christ is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18; 3:11). Therefore, all greatness in the Old Testament points to and is surpassed by Christ’s greatness.
Christ is the Yes to all God’s promises (2 Corinthians1:20). Therefore, in him we are heirs of all the promises in Scripture.
Christ is the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16). Therefore, in him we inherit the promise of Abraham.
Christ is the son of David (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32, 69; John 7:42; Acts 2:30; 13:23; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 22:16). Therefore, the covenant with David is ours in him (Isaiah 55:3).
Standing in awe of Christ—from whom and through whom and to whom are all things,P
astor John

Thoughts on Marriage Continued...

2007-09-04T08:46:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, I wrote about Marriage and its refining, sanctifying process. That post is here:
http://thewenzelfamily.blogspot.com/2007/08/marriage-is-growing-process.html

I have heard of a few couples who are working on posting their own advice and am waiting with excited anticipation! Until then, I thought I would share a quote I've read recently.

"We must not enter marriage predominantly to be fulfilled, emotionally satisfied, or romantically charged, but rather to become more like Jesus Christ." -The Sacred Marriage

This is an excellent synopsis of exactly what we, in our culture, fall in to. Perhaps its more of a struggle for woman... but nontheless, it must be addressed. More to come in a few weeks when I am done working for a while and resting.

Jeremy's Book List

2007-09-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

Bible omitted from the following answers except #1. Sorry!

1. One book that changed your life:
Really, only the Bible can boast that title for me. Not to seem all spiritual and all. Although, Soul Winner by Spurgeon DID help me out in my theological understandings.

2. One book you've read more than once:
Lord Foulgrin Letters by Randy Alcorn

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin... a basic EVERY christian should read, which was its original intention.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Panache That Pays- a book about etiquette...whats that?

5. One book that made you cry:
The fairy tale book I wrote for my wife for when I asked her to marry me.
or Basics of Biblical Greek because man that is some hard stuff!

6. One book you wish had been written:
Everybody Barfs... so the Everybody Poops series would be a Trilogy. (Kate thought of this!)

7. One book you wish had never been written:
A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren...I think this book is deceptive because McLaren is smart enough to make his theology SEEM like it could have some truth to it. I still can't believe my church from home gave me this book as a High School graduation present! I am just happy that God was gracious to me, in that I did not buy into it when I read it.

8. 10 books you're currently reading:
Calvin's Institutes, Sacred Marriage, Pleasures of God, Lord of the Rings, Urban Ministry, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, The Glory of Christ, etc etc. My wife says I should work on doing ONE book at a time. :)

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Bondage of the Will by Luther. Also, Edwards (all).

10. Tag 4 other readers:

Andy (again)

Kenny Hunt (the Dr.) :)

Abby (again)

Ron (again)

Books of Influence to us

2007-08-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Kyle Borg tagged Jeremy to do this on our blog, but I thought I would as well, (in hopes of getting Jeremy to do it also).

He called it Book Meme but that sounds strange so ... here it is: By the way, The Bible is Omitted from these answers.

1. One book that changed your life:
When I Don't Desire God by Piper. Real, Biblical and Practical.
AND My Utmost of His Highest by Chambers

2. One book you've read more than once:
A Path Through Suffering by Elizabeth Elliot

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Valley of Vision... this collection of puritan prayers is amazing.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Probably Captivating... after I got over being mad, the fact that she writes that we as woman are the "zenith of creation" is hilarious.

5. One book that made you cry:
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is an amazing fictional story based off Hosea that really portrays God's grace in amazing ways.

6. One book you wish had been written:
Any book by Piper, Owen, Spurgeon, Carmichael, etc...all of my favs.

7. One book you wish had never been written:
anything by Joel Osteen or Brian McClarin (not spelled right)

8. One book you're currently reading:
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas...awesome!

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
and The Mystery of Marriage and the Glory of Christ

10. Tag 4 other readers:

Jeremy (my dear husband)

Chad

Casey

Abby and Ron

Velvet Elvis

2007-08-31T09:25:00.000-05:00

I've been growing in concern with the popularity of this book. Please read the reviews below, one by a friend of ours and the other, a professional blogger in the Reformed circle. We MUST be careful with what we read... we MUST make sure it aligns with scripture. Truth is being maligned on every front and we must guard it with all we have, this is what the gospel, our salvation is built on and we cannot lose even an ounce of it or we lose the entire gospel itself. Velvet Elvis is just one example of the chipping away of God inherent word through creating our own, more humanized and relative "truth".

http://synodofsaints.blogspot.com/2007/07/systematics-of-velvet-elvis.html#links

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review-vel.php

Standing on His word,

Kate

Response to Chad about the OT

2007-08-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

A response to Chad….
Hi Jeremy and Kate! This is Chad.So Jeremy, you said that the OT speaks much more about God's character than the NT does. Why do you believe this? Does not Christ speak very clearly about God's character? Since Christ is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3), I was wondering how the OT speaks more pertaining to God's character.

First of all, sorry Chad that it took me SO long to respond to your question. I meant no offense to you. Kate has been asking me to do this for awhile, and I hear Mr. Lickel also wants me to write, so, hear is my response.
Chad, I think this is a great question, and I agree completely that Jesus does show the "exact imprint of His nature" (Hebrews 1:3). As I went back and read what I wrote, I realized that I what I meant to say is that the OT speaks much more exhaustively on certain attributes of God than the NT. The heart of that writing was to realize that we would never have the NT without the OT. So often today we find churches that put no emphasis on the OT, on the wrath of God, on what we are saved from, and on the story of mans redemption (a few topics I think the OT speaks more about then the NT). I know growing up all I knew about the OT was a few stories about an ark and a killing of a giant (usually without getting the point of those stories). Never did I learn about how the OT points to Christ and how the OT shows some amazing things about who God is.
After saying that though, I am not saying that many of these attributes are not reaffirmed in the NT through Christ. One quick example of this is from 2 Samuel 7. David sees the palace he is living in, and the tent that the Ark of the Covenant is sitting in, and sees there is an obvious problem with this. David goes to God and says that he is going to build a house for him. God says (this is paraphrased), "You are going to build me a temple. Ever since I have taken my people out of Egypt I have traveled with them from tent to tent. Never have I asked for anything more than what I asked of them." (verses 6-7). What this says about the character of God is that he is humble. Here is the almighty God, who created the entire galaxy by his fingertip, and he is traveling with a nomadic tribe in a tent, without wanting anything more than those people to follow him. Now of course the NT shows God through Christ as being humble, but Grace did not begin with Christ, it began with the triune God before creation. As Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, "from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." What Paul is saying is that we can know about Christ through faith (reformed people call this doctrine "Sola Fide" or by faith alone).
To close, we as the elect must continue to get to know about Christ through the OT. Believe me, it at times can be challenging. About a week ago I was in the middle of reading through Jeremiah, and I started to forget about the grace of God. There was a lot of anger, and God was about to rightfully destroy the Southern Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was the kingdom that David had begun about 800 years earlier. I am not saying that the grace of God was not written throughout these chapters of Holy Scripture, but I not comprehending them. Anyway, during that time I listened to a sermon by R.C. Sproul about Justification by Faith Alone through Christ Alone (I commend that sermon to all—if you want a copy of it just ask). After hearing that sermon, and a solid explanation of the mercy God has in declaring me just, because of His son’s death, I remembered again that God is merciful with me, a sinner who needs mercy. Therefore, we must consciously study the OT with Christ in mind, or else we will begin to misinterpret it, and eventually try and forget it completely, and some of our wacky theologies ("such as we do not need a literal virgin birth" or "hell is a metaphor not a real place") might gain a stronger foothold in the church. Granted, people can create crazy theologies while using the OT, which is why all of scripture must be used to interpret the rest of scripture. But we do not need to get into that now because that is another post on another day (or month is I keep posting like I have been).
Let me know what you think Chad. We both miss you and look forward to seeing you again sometime soon.
Jeremy
PS- Much of what I just wrote comes from a sermon by Ligon Duncan about preaching Christ from the OT. Anyone want a copy of that as well, please ask.

Marriage is a Growing Process

2007-08-26T19:26:00.000-05:00

The following is a bit of "advise" ...can you call it that? on marriage that I wrote for one of my old friends that is getting married soon. I thought about how much I have to learn, and how exciting that is...but also about how much God has refined me and revealed Himself in just a few months... I would LOVE for those who are married (whether recently or for 50 years) to write their own thoughts.

As you begin your life together and enter a new phase of this narrow path we are on with Christ, I offer you a few tips from my three months of marriage thus far.

1. Pray together every day. Whether you do this in the morning or at night... this will be the foundation of your marriage. Pray for people in your lives, for God's will, specific situations and also, your marriage.

2. Be humble and selfless. This is obvious...all of them are actually, but all of them are essential. Put your husband before yourself in all things. Trust that God will meet your needs through Himself as well as your husband.

3. Trust and submit to your husband. He is to be as Christ is to the church- the head of you marriage. He will and should value your thoughts and opinions but ultimately, he makes the final calls. He has a huge responsibility that I thank God I do not have to undertake. The best thing you can do is love him through showing and living out your respect and trust for him.

4. Enjoy the simple moments together. At first, this is no problem. But with school, or working full time, or church involvements, family and friends and keeping a house or apartment running, you guys will get busy. Go for 15 minutes walks, snuggle before bed, or read a book together, one chapter a week to keep your connection. It is those little, meaningful things that will keep us all "in touch" with our spouses when life gets crazy busy. (and when is it NOT?!)

Love in Christ, Kate

The Floods Came

2007-08-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from about 20 hours after the major destruction near our place. The street next to ours had to be evacuated, cars in our parking lot were ruined due to massive flooding, the bluffs we live RIGHT next to had mudslides, basements right next to us had 3 feet of water and our power was out for over 2 days!
The Lord really protected us and we saw His massive power over ALL things.

One of the smaller trees that was taken out.

Just hours before, many of these cars were flooded.

The Thread Weaving Through...

2007-08-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

In this week’s, (or months depending on how quickly I get used to this blogging thing) entry, I want to tie a few books I am reading together. One of them is the Bible (a few of the Minor Prophets in particular), and another is a book I am reading with my wife Sacred Marriage.
I will start with the Bible reading I have been doing. The last few days I have been able to read Nahum and Zephaniah, which are tiny books in the Bible that most people most likely have not even heard of. If my memory serves me correct, this is the first time I have ever read them. A few cool things I noticed are first, they both, (although especially Zephaniah) are so very gospel oriented. It shows Gods wrath against sin and mankind because of the fall, and then his promise to redeem his people. There is prophecy of Christ’s eventual coming, and it ends in a hope for that day. After listening to Tim Keller’s talk on Evangelism and Postmodernism and his ideas that all theology must be gospel based, I have a new appreciation for these books, and thinking that all theology I stand on must be an exposition of Christ’s redemption in my life.
Now usually when I read a book like Nahum, where God says things like "Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder… dead bodies without end – they stumble over the bodies" (Nahum 3:1,3) my immediate thoughts are how sinful these people must have been to deserve a wrath like this. My thoughts tend to drift into how I have never sinned this badly and deserved this type of wrath. My thoughts are absolutely sinful, because all I really think about is how bad these people were, and how I have never been that bad. I am shown daily how wrong I am in my thoughts, and I thank God for his works of grace to wake me up and show me this, which leads me to the second book I am reading, Sacred Marriage.

It is actually the single best book on marriage that I have ever read, and anyone who is married, or about to be married should certainly read it. It is honest, real, easy to read, and solid in its theology. One thing that the writer Gary Thomas often reminds me in this book, is how sinful I am. My marriage also reminds me of this daily. When I lose my temper, when I cannot control my tongue with my wife, when I act selfishly, when I think negative thoughts, when I fail to lead and love my wife as Christ does His church. It is in these times that I am in an utter state of sin, with nothing but the sheer grace of God to hold me up. God would be saying to me: "Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard." (Nahum 2:13) My sin is just as bad as the people of the Old Testament. Marriage shows me this each and every day.

And this is one of the main reasons I utterly enjoy being married. One thing I have learned quickly while being married is that it is the most sanctifying covenant I will be in on my earthly life (besides the covenant with Jesus obviously). God uses this relationship to open my eyes to sins I have never known before, and He then changes me. Then what is said in Zephaniah is true for me: "The LORD has taken away the judgements against you: he has cleared away your enemies… Fear not, O Zion: let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (Zephaniah 3:15,16-17)

-Jeremy

Pictures from our Honeymoon

2007-08-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

We just got back from a wonderful week at Apostle Islands and then Hayward. :) It was a true blessing to relax, rest and spend quality time together! We started reading "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas ....it is a MUST-read for any married couple! We had many fun adventures including tandem biking, beach going, tubing down a river in the middle of no where in a "River Runs Through It" scene, among other things. The following are some of our favorite photos. :) Enjoy!

Our beautiful B&B in Apostle Islands:

The Sea Caves in the Apostle Islands:

Our view from a restaurant called "Portside":

The amazing Beach on Madeline Island...we biked 10 miles TANDEM to get there! :)

Newlyweds still!

Our home while in Hayward: (thanks Christine!)

We had a BLAST on our belated honeymoon!

Wenzel Honeymoon (finally!)

2007-07-27T09:06:00.000-05:00

Well, we are leaving tomorrow early morning to travel to our honeymoon locations! We will be going to the Apostle Islands for a couple days and then spending about five days in Hayward! Thanks to the kindess of a wonderful couple, Art and Christine, we are able to have a honeymoon! :) We cannot wait and know the Lord's timing is PERFECT as we both so desperately need a restful, relaxing vacation!

See you in about a week! :)

Thoughts on the Old Testament

2007-07-22T17:48:00.000-05:00

Well, after much deliberation and begging from my wife, I am finally going to write something in this blog, since technically it is both of ours.

I was deciding what to write about and thought maybe writing about a sermon I listened to about Jacob and Esau would be good. Then my old roommate wrote about that and caused quite a ruckus, so I will not write about that quite yet. Instead I want to write about a common theme I noticed this past 7 months while reading a "Bible in a year" guide. As any guide such as this would, I began reading through the Old Testament on January 1st, and will be done with the whole Bible by December 31st. I will not even get to the New Testament until October 12th. My whole hope in reading this would be to understand the character of God more (since the OT speaks much more about his character than the NT does), know the story of God’s redemption of his people throughout history (an idea that Calvin spoke a bit about), and get a firmer grasp on the joy that is Christ. I figured that without understanding the Old Covenant better, I could not truly appreciate the New Covenant. Anyway, I am currently reading Isaiah, and enjoying myself thoroughly. One common thread I noticed throughout the OT is how God cares so much that people know him. His glory and name are extremely important. Isaiah 46:6-7 says (this is talking about the Babylonians who make idols): "Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from trouble." After reading this I instantly thought of the Golden Calf incident with the Israelites when they were in the desert with Moses. One thing that is not usually well-known is that the Israelites believed they were making that calf to the LORD. Exodus 32:5 says, "When Aaron saw this [the golden calf], he built an alter before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." Now what do these two Bible passages have to do with each other? God cares immensely that we know Him for who He is. He does not want us to create what we like best about Him. We cannot pick and choose what He is like. Humans must submit, bow down and worship God, regardless of if we agree or disagree that he hates sin. Regardless of whether or not we think God is close minded because he finds homosexuality to be an abomination. God is God; we are not. This is why it is so important to use the Bible to know God. Christians believe that God made Himself known to humans by using words. Since the Holy Spirit was within the men who wrote the Bible, it can be trusted as inerrant truth. To know God rightly we must test everything through the Bible. And once we do that, we can see His glory, know His truth, and worship Him rightly. Not make an idol, which we can call to, and it will not answer us. But know a real God, who is dangerous and dreadful at times, but whose power is used to show us grace, mercy and unfailing love.

-Jeremy

Some fun pictures!

2007-07-19T16:51:00.000-05:00

The following is a brief picture summary of our summer thus far, unfortunately, we didn't capture nearly all the events over the last few weeks...but here is the synopisis. :)

Jeremy's graduation!! May 12th, 2007

The groom kisses his bride at the reception! May 19th, 2007

Kate's high school friends Wedding May 27th in Milwaukee!

Kate and Jeremy the day he preached his first sermon!! June 3rd, 2007

Kate with Jeremy's little cousin Caleb!

Jeremy and Kate at her's cousin's wedding in the Cities - June 9th.

My little second cousin - Logan...he is SO sweet!

Jeremy's terrible sunburn from fishing with his dad all day!

Stay Tuned...maybe someday JEREMY will post on here! :) :)

The Wonders of the World

2007-07-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the NEW seven wonders of the world were named. One of them happens to be Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid. A few years ago, I was fortunate to go to this beautiful place and actually climb the pyramid itself! The year after that adventure, the government made it illegal to climb at all. The following is a picture of Chichen Itza.

After I read an article about these Seven Wonders, I thought about how much they pale in comparison to the wonder and majesty of the Lord. They are beautiful, but not even close to the glory of our God. All of the "wonders" are man-made and are nothing compared to the mountains, oceans, bluffs, valleys, sunsets, lakes and forests of earth. THOSE are the real wonders of this world and those were fashioned by our King, not man. Also, if society thinks those are magnificent in stature and beauty, can you imagine if they really knew the LORD for all He is?!? His Son taking the penalty for us and imputing His righteousness as a free gift for His chosen is the real wonder... amazing!

Just a few thoughts about the current events of our world in relation to God.

Meditating on the Wonder of this fallen world,

Kate

Our First Post Together!

2007-07-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Right now as I type, my husband is laying on the futon behind me groaning in pain from a terrible sunburn he rightly received from being outside for 8 hours on Lake Michigan with no sunscreen. * If you know him at all, you know he is a very pale man typically so he looks like a tomato currently. It is both amusing and quite hard to watch all at once.

We will be writing of more significant things soon...but wanted to at least get started tonight. :)

God Bless you this hot and humid Saturday,

The Wenzel's

*Please note that if his wife would have been present with him on the boat, he would not be in this awful pain and such a bright tint of red.