God is bigger than me, He is bigger than Philly. He is bigger than my life in Philly.

I was reminded of that on my walk home today. It really encouraged me.

Maybe this is one refreshing thing that I love about travel, and study of history. You see and experience a little bit of what God is doing in other people's lives, or how He has already worked in the past.

His faithfulness is a thread that runs through many aspects of life and culture, from times past to present and, therefore we can know, into the future.

He is good. I got tastes of this on my recent trip to California where, over one week, I caught up with many dear friends. I hadn't talked to some of them in years. In these encounters I got to see:

- how God is inspiring one with creativity and hope for her new photography business and His carefully laid plans for her to enter into counseling school, 

- guiding another's heart through a difficult, uncertain and new relationship, 

- holding one in deep emotional turmoil and showing her His faithfulness through friends,

- blessing another with work, laughter, fun experiences, and joy

- motivating another through her enduring, passionate pursuit of her PA degree so that she can serve many in need overseas,

- and blessing a young, growing family as they continue to stake claim on God's promises and passionately pursue His will for their lives

Each day I got to say, Whoa, God. He is being glorified in each of my friend's lives. He is bigger, He goes beyond. It also reminds me that He is the main player in all our stories.

Reminder of Truth

A beautiful day down by the Schuylkill. A perfect day down by the Schuylkill.

We sat and read for an hour by the sparkling water, enjoying the cool breeze. An amazing August day! Reading aloud - a silly mystery novel we're both enjoying - we soaked in the Goodness and thanked God for the beauty He permits us to enjoy.

Thank you, Lord!  Like every other day, this one is an invitation from God to appreciate how good and great He is, how good the gifts He freely gives. He is in our every waking moment, His presence constant. However, I do not often see or experience each day as this gift that it is. My day today was an incredible reminder to my soul of that Truth... that the gifts are Real! 

Today, I felt thankful for the grass, the trees, our lovely bike ride, for my husband, and... for all that is True [His Freedom, His Love] that I still just faintly - faintly - grasp.

Don't blink!

A little clue as to what we've been up to since my last post? Scroll this post below, and don't blink! You might miss something; that's how I've felt, haha.

July 1st. The big wild wilderness awaits. Out West. It's considered amazing and miraculous by everyone for a reason. Over four days we explored the mountainous passes of Wyoming and Montana with Ted's parents, then convened with all the relatives in small town NE.

Grand Tetons

Old Faithful!

Why hello!

July 13. ESA 40th Anniversary celebration at Eastern University. We are challenged; we are renewed and inspired by thought-provoking and grounded leaders in the Christian world.

July 19-20. Love and weddings. The rolling, forested hills of western Maryland. Root beer floats with our Haitian heroes and friends. Oh, and a pre-anniversary kayak jaunt before coasting out of Deep Creek and back on home.

Bride and Maid-of-Honor

Sadrack, Sarah, and Metchy

Katharine picks up One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and the mental list begins... everything for which I'm thankful; seeing God in the day-to-day, moment by moment... trying to when sometimes I just want a nap. Wondering why I have such a weak constitution.

August 6th. Lee Ann comes to stay in Philly. Office re-decorating and lots of home-cooked meals and forays into Philly's finest (Lebanese, to-die-for burgers,  premiere water ice, Soul & North African, Mexican, Chinese, best earl grey ever.)

Somewhere along the way we get on an Audrey Hepburn kick. It starts with classic movies more generally, Casablanca in the park in the moonlight. Then a regrettable Funny Face, but better Breakfast at Tiffany's and it keeps going...

August 15th. Celebrating 4 years of marriage together. We celebrated with Chinese food and cheesecake.

And finally... a surprise for Ted? More on that later!

water: life

I almost laughed the first time I saw this. We have a plant in our office. In a space without windows, this bit of green adds a lot of life.

After having it for a week or so, this is what it looked like.

It's lovely. It's green. Sure, I hadn't really thought to water it, but I was still appreciating the fact that it was alive. It wasn't brown; the leaves weren't falling off. You can see here that whole thing does have a bit of "droop" to it, but the change from when we first bought it was so gradual that I hadn't really noticed...

Then, I decided to give it a little water before leaving the office. It's probably about time for that, I thought. When I came in to work the next morning, this is what I found:

A whole new plant! It's spunky; it's spry. Look, you can even see the pot it's nestled in. Whoa, I had no idea the life it had been missing.

And I immediately thought of the connection to my own heart and life. It's amazing how being connected to the Vine and receiving from the Living Water really is our life source (John 4, 14). Going awhile without it, even if we "don't notice" on a surface level (we may think we're functioning "just fine" by our own less-than standards), we will start to wilt.

Again, I had been fine with the way the plant looked before. In my ignorance really, I thought it was "ok." But no, the plant needed so much more, and we need so much more to thrive. True life and breath really is in Him!

(p.s. I realize this post reveals my total ineptness in caring for plants. I'm okay with that! haha. I'm learning. :)

Post-work walks

Just some shots of our post-work walks this past week... More to come later!

It's wonderful to explore some of the trails surrounding our new home together! 

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

human beings that you care for them?
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 8, 24, 19

Redeemed

Redeemed. I've been reminded this week how beautiful it is that we are redeemed in Christ, because of His love.

Ted and I have experienced the faithfulness of the Lord in our lives, and been strengthened by His steadfastness. It hasn't always been clear to us, or written boldly in the stars. Our weak, cataract-ed eyes have kept us from seeing in brilliant colors, only dimly, the vibrant faithfulness of God.

Yet His presence is real. It always has been, and always will be. We may not perceive it, only vaguely,   at times. Yet I am reminded now, this week, that His goodness runs deep. His steadfastness is never-ending.  I'm only now glimpsing the surface, lapping handfuls of water from a river that has no bed.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - 

when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:17-18

First week

The first few days in Mt Airy have been refreshing; wonderful. We may still have half-filled boxes along the floor and no curtains, but that doesn't matter... I love it.

Each day, we have enjoyed a long walk through the neighborhoods and nearby Carpenter's Woods. Flowers and pane windowed porches everywhere.

We still go to Hunting Park every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, and I've had one recurring thought each time:

I am so glad I did not leave this place because I simply don't like it here or that I can't stand the so-called "inner city." Each morning that we have driven in, I admire the people and places that I know well.

Being in these two different spots leads to some striking comparisons. One place currently has the highest crime rate in the city, and the other has the lowest. In one, you're more likely to see the one sign over the other:

The average street corners look pretty different from each other:

In one, kids roar down the busy road on their scooters and throw basketballs over oncoming traffic. In the other, a man holds a glass of red wine and walks his poodle down a tree-lined path. The differences are ... well, laughable! Such unique, wildly divergent places.

Did I mention that one is only 5 miles from the other?!

It's been a fairly mild week for us, settling in. We've rearranged furniture, dusted here and there, but mostly enjoyed these beautiful, new surroundings. We truly thank God for this space and this peace. 

Carpenter's Woods, a 5-minute walk from our new home

Moving day

Why was moving day so much fun?

Was it the endless sweeping, or the running back and forth with boxes?
No.

Was it the early morning Dunkin' run, or putting chairs in the street to find the perfect parking spot for our u-haul?
No. Though each of these things were kind of fun, in their own way.

What made moving day so great were the people who came to help.

Our neighbor, Ramon, was preparing for days to help us. At 8:30am, he was the first to join the effort in assisting Ted. Then his son, Jose. By 9am, who else shows up but our landlord Andres, Tim P, another neighbor Luke, and Chino. The men tackled the jobs at hand, leaving me to dust, sweep, and steal a couple more donuts when no one was looking... ;)

On the other end, I marveled at how quick the work was with so many helping hands. Like a well-oiled machine,  one friend commented. Everyone was flying up and down the stairs at the entrance to our new place with furniture and area rugs, not skipping a single beat. Sure, they had the lure of a 70-degree weather day and presumably better afternoon plans to motivate them to finish, but they also made the choice to be here with us today, and that meant so much.

Oh, boxes!

The donut snatcher!

In our kitchen window ;)

Change is afoot: your prayers

Early this month, Ted and I started to look for a new place to live. Back in February, we decided that it would be good for us to move out of Hunting Park, at least for this next season of our lives. It felt big for us to make this decision, so then we started searching and awaiting what God would provide. This past Sunday, we found our new place, an apartment just about 3 miles away :) Praise God!

This decision was a long one in the making. I have been contemplating it for some time. After some good conversations following the Christmas break, we both decided that living in a lower-stress environment would be good for both of us for now. It's a good decision for us, one that will challenge us not to find our value or justification in the things of this world (in this case, how challenging our neighborhood living environment is for us.)

We are going to miss it here. There is sadness in leaving, as in any big transition. Thankfully, we will still be here almost every day, but internally, I know this will feel like an entirely new phase for us. We will now be coming in to Hunting Park from the outside. Some good friends and ministry partners are here. Please pray for our transition, for our new apartment in a tranquil, tree-lined block in Mt. Airy (Philadelphia), and for our rootedness to ever be in Christ!

To commemorate the years we spent in our 4225 home, we made a riveting video "tour" of our space this past Sunday, where so many memories have been made. (And by riveting, I mean kinda boring! hehe.) I've spared you the link and just posted a few pictures from it here. In the bottom photo, Ted is explaining how his love of coffee developed in this home, lol. So you see, you're not missing much by my not posting the video :)  Love you all.

Prayer update

Family and Friends:

A lot has changed since our update 2 months ago, not the least of which is the weather! Today, I (Katharine) am writing you from a cool café in the Fishtown section of North Philly (very "hip," for being overrun by "hipsters" and their cool cafes and eateries!) The sun is streaming in from the glass-front café, and I am loving it.

 

We also have some personal transitions afoot, as Ted and I are looking for a new place to live.Yes, back in February, we decided that it would be good for us to move out of Hunting Park, at least for this next season of our lives (which we see as the next, final year of Ted's fellowship at Christian Legal Clinics.)

 

This decision was a long one in the making. I have been contemplating it for some time (some of you may remember, that a shooting incident on our block last April caused me to question and reassess - in a healthy way - my current reasons for living here.) After some good conversations following the Christmas break, we both decided that living in a lower-stress environment would be good for both of us for now.

 

That being said, our housing/apartment search began 1.5 weeks ago, and there's nothing to show for it quite yet! We told our landlord that we'd like to be out by May 1st, so we have a deadline for our search, but it's not so inflexible that we'll be in a total lurch by then :) Our current housemate would like to continue living in 4225 N. Franklin, so we may stay on another month, by her good graces :) It's a funny situation we find ourselves in!

 

Please pray for peace, for God's provision of a new home - He knows just what we need - and for God's loving Spirit to fill us from the inside out.

 

We encourage you to check/follow Katharine's blog for some more updates/photos. There are many events to report on including: Pro Deo 2013, Drexel Spring Break, and a Winter Trip to Orlando.

 

Our boss, Pete, has his surgery scheduled for April 30th, a one-week hospital stay in Pittsburgh (about 5 hours from here), and an expected 6-8 week recovery time. Thank you for your prayers for Pete and his wife Wendy as well.

 

More stories from the legal clinic to be coming soon!

With all our love,
Katharine + Ted

Pro Deo: 'new friendships springing up right before our eyes'

I had to share this brief reflection from Pete Hileman on our second annual Pro Deo Conference. It was such a rich time. Thank you for holding us in prayer throughout the busy month of March. Indeed, God did wonderful things!

"The Work of God is Happening Everywhere, and Cannot be Contained!" 

Reflections from the Pro Deo Conference (March 22-23rd at Arch Street United Methodist Church downtown)

 By Pete Hileman, Executive Director
(Quotations from conference attendees)

The Pro Deo Conference was wonderful. We had over 40 lawyers, paralegals, law students, and friends in attendance over Friday night and Saturday. We worked hard to pull it off and as Ted, Katharine and I arrived at our offices and unpacked afterward, we were exhausted. But it was that good kind of exhaustion where you are spent, knowing you've served the Lord.

 

“I have a refreshed sense of God’s will in my career.” 

We caught a glimpse of how God is using us. We Christian legal professionals are being salt and light throughout the city, in the District Attorney’s office, working for the City Solicitor, in powerful Center City law firms, small firms, solo practices, and public interest legal organizations. We are all races, ages, and church backgrounds.

 

“I was hoping to be encouraged after a long week, and my expectations were exceeded!"

The highlights were many. Elizabeth Hernandez from Place of Refuge spoke of the heart of an advocate and described her love and compassion for the individuals she counsels in North Philadelphia, our neighborhood.  Kesha James, a staff attorney at Legal Aid Services of Southeastern PA, taught us how to help clients going through foreclosures and gave us practical resources we will use at our clinic sites for years to come. Timothy Welbeck, known by his stage name the Red Baron, performed his own Christian rap music with lyrics about pursuing Christ, lamenting the violence in our streets, and even surviving law school. New friendships and communities were springing up right before our eyes.

 

“I have a new mind toward the sensitivities of hurt individuals and my own brokenness.”

 

Throughout, the emphasis was on spiritual formation, how our devotional life leads us and prepares us to advocate. Each speaker shared how they express their faith in their work, and how hard it is. Ted and I shared a segment on the Spirituality of an Advocate and led out in repentance over our self-righteousness (Ted) and arrogance (me), professing the need to be sanctified every morning for our work to be of any benefit. One lawyer friend came up to me after the conference was over and said: “Pete, I expected to receive helpful information for my practice; I didn’t come expecting to be moved to tears.”

Indeed, the work of God is happening everywhere--including in the hearts of Philadelphia's lawyers--and it cannot be contained!

 

 

See our Pro Deo photo album here:

Pro Deo 2013!

 

Birthday

Birthdays are GREAT! Especially when you have a moment to breathe and truly enjoy them. That happened for me on Monday. Thank you Ted Oswald and many friends for making my day so special.

(click for a full view)

Top row, left to right: Friends at Han Dynasty for dinner; the amazing apple-raspberry pie they brought me;  beautiful stationary and candle holder I bought with giftcards from friends! Plus, amazing chocolate from my housemate Janira; church in Chestnut Hill, the neighborhood where Ted and I spent the day;
Bottom row, left to right: Valley Green Inn, a special lunch spot in the woods!; french pastries for breakfast; Bible study love on Wednesday, with games and a strawberry pie made by Wendy!; Chestnut Hill library, where Ted & I found some good reads; inside Valley Green Inn, right by the fireplace, with some mulled apple cider to boot! An amazing 19th c. spot! 

Drexel Law's spring break project

A few pictures from CLCP's week with the Drexel Law's alternative spring break group:

A slideshow design by Smilebox

Also, take a few minutes to skim the blog they produced that week, to hear about what they did. Reading their posts seriously gave me chills, as they describe what some of their interactions from the week meant to them.

Yet again, please be in prayer for this week's BIG EVENTS: the Pro Deo Conference '13. This is CLCP's 2nd Annual conference designed to gather Christian law students and lawyers to discuss the possibilities of working in the legal field to advance God's Kingdom. This is another one of Ted's projects he has been very enthusiastic about. Check out the details for it here.

Details: for Friday's prayer request

Presenter Keith does a role play 
with our host Jonerik

"That was great! I wish more people could hear about this." 

This came from an enthusiastic participant, Jeane, at the close of CLCP's community legal education workshop today. Keith Brown, Esq gave an excellent presentation on wills, estate planning, and trusts. Responses like Jeane's are just what you want to hear after the inaugural workshop of a four-part legal education series to be rolled out this year. We'll be offering the same four-part series at partner sites throughout the city. Many thanks to our host, Cornerstone Community Church in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, for promoting and providing the hospitable space for this special event.

Next up in our Community Legal Education series: Two presentations this Thursday on custody and support, and landlord/tenant law in the North and Northeast sections of Philadelphia.

Flier for Thursday's workshop
in Northeast Philly @ OCCCDA

What a week. And it's not over! Ted will be co-leading Drexel Law's Alternative Spring Break trip at our South Philly legal clinic site, the Aquinas Center, during the afternoons and evenings. CLCP and the Aquinas Center are their official hosts! Ted and Daniel Colbert (pictured left) have been working hard to prepare an educational, practical, and hopefully inspirational week for this group of students.

The Drexel group at their first meeting in South Philly tonight!
Click here to read the blog they'll be creating.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Please pray for our legal clinic

This month, we have two special programs we are launching: community legal education seminars and the Drexel spring break trip. We also have our regular, bi-weekly clinics, one "tour" of our ministry, and the second annual Pro Deo Conference. Pray that the clinic (CLCP) will be a place where Christ continually abides, where we will lean on Him, and take joy in the many ways we see His hand at work. More details to come this week!

A year in review

It's pretty amazing for me to look back at this last year of blog posts. One year ago, I was posting about my application for the Reconciliation conference at Duke Divinity School, the dinners we hosted for the legal clinic team, and plans for CLCP's first Pro Deo Conference.

Today, Ted is typing away to promote our second annual Pro Deo Conference, I am trying to decide on drinks and appetizers for our clinic team "debrief" this Thursday, and the themes from the Duke Reconciliation conference still weave their way into my reflections on my life and faith - many of which will be picked up at this weekend's much talked about Justice Conference in downtown Philadelphia.

In between these markers, it's been quite a year. One month after registering for the Reconciliation conference, I witnessed a shooting on our block, while nannying for my neighbor's baby. That sent me on a several month journey that included seeing a counselor and going away more regularly for a day or two at a time to help handle the trauma (Wayne, Glenside, California, Maryland and even a long weekend in Orlando in December.) The Duke conference was thought-provoking and allowed me to hear some key messages from God. It was also great for getting away to a beautiful space, but on the deepest level I found myself wondering, "what does this all mean for me?"

The day I returned from the conference, God blessed us with a housemate, Janira, who is still living with us. Two months later, I decided to quit my nanny job and started to dig into my new part-time job as director of development at CLCP. I continued working Wednesday and Thursday morning's at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church. As a part of my processing journey, I've been asking for awhile what God is shaping me for and what plans He has for me. I am excited for the women's retreat coming up at my church in April, which will center on the theme: "finding our identity in Christ." This syncs with another layer of what God has been teaching me, that who I am is founded in Him; it will never be defined by my work, by others, or outside circumstances.

"Because I live, you also will live." - John 14:19

On that note, I'll close ;)

(Is there something you'd like to hear more about? Say it in the "comments" section below, and I'll write more about it.)

Living well in Orlando

In early December, Ted and I spent a few precious days in Orlando. This came in response to the longstanding invitation of our friends, the Wilcoxes, who made the move from California to Florida about five years ago. I hadn't seen them in that long! This long weekend 'getaway' was also the capstone in a series of mini-retreats that I needed in the wake of the stressers of last April.

God provided the makings for our trip (airmiles + generous invitation from friends + 2 vacation days.) We landed in Orlando on a Friday night, and the rejuvenating time began!

Not only was the time peaceful and quiet (Mike and Joan live in a beautiful, newly developed neighborhood in Orlando, with a papaya tree out back!), but we also saw many amazing sites along the way:

the annual fair at Fort Christmas, 

the town of St. Augustine 

the gorgeous sun at Cocoa Beach,

and real live manatees! 

(Note: the one I'm dancing with is obviously fake. The real ones were in the spring, pictured left.)

 


Intersperse this with some competitive but friendly card games, a moving church service and tour of Pioneers mission headquarters (where Mike and Joan serve), and you have a tiny glimpse of this great weekend for us.

Perhaps most meaningful for me were the times to reflect, enjoy the quiet, and to be ministered to by conversation and the Saturday evening church service we attended. As I went forward to receive communion, Mike extended the cup to me and said, "A painful love gift, given for you." Wow. In that moment, I heard the good news and it swept over me in a fresh way, as if I was hearing it for the first time. I was astounded and moved. I can see even more clearly now how the Spirit was doing an important work in my heart in that time.

Thank you, Mike and Joan!