Kate with a Twang

Go and Have Mercy

Bear with me today, friends. In the midst of shootings and violence by ICE – that would not be forgiven or forgotten if conducted by traditional police forces – in our nation, I find myself in a period of reflection, prayer, and Biblical reading. I am seeking God’s face and His conviction for myself and for fellow believers.

This post is the result of that reflective time. I’m not sure what this is – a sermon outline, a mediation, a mess of theological thought… but I offer it to you the way it was offered to me: messy, but full of the Spirit and full of grieving and outcry and conviction and, yes, even – thankfully – grace.

“Go and Have Mercy”

Luke 10: 25-37 (NIV)

Excerpt from Luke 10 (but you should go read the full parable):

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Reading Between the Lines:

“Which of these was a neighbor?”

“The one who showed mercy and compassion; the one I didn’t want to be the hero of your parable, because he and I disagree on religious, political, and social traditions, and because we belong to different groups.”

“Go and do as he did, he who you believe is unlike you.”

The Takeaway:

Christlike character is not proven by our uniform or position, nor by our memberships to organizations or citizenships to countries.

Christlike character is proven by our compassion and our faith in action.

Do the words of your lips match the movement of your hands? Do the words of your Bible sit on a dusty shelf, or come alive in the movements of your body each day?

Quotations for Further Reflection:

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” – St. Francis of Assisi

“There are two things to do about the Gospel – believe it and behave it.” – Susanna Wesley

“Let me not only be called a Christian, but prove to be one.” – St. Ignatius of Antioch

“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.” – St. Anthony of Padua

“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” – St. Francis of Assisi

Extra – A Blessing

Today I bought my kids new shoes – not because they needed them, but because I wanted to and I know they’ll get used.

A few years back, I was single-momming it with my little AJ. A single mom, working two jobs, and still sort of struggling. AJ had absolutely everything he needed (because single mom magic is real), including at least two pairs of shoes in his size always – but buying extra wasn’t a luxury I had. Extras came from gifts from loved ones.

But today I bought all three of my boys EXTRA. Just because… Because they’d like them. Because they could make good use of them.

They’re not fancy – they’re Walmart shoes – but they’re certainly EXTRA.

When we put our Walmart bags in the car, I looked at my husband and said, “buying just-because shoes for our kids makes me feel like I hit a mom goal.” He just smiled at me and said “I know.”

Admittedly, in this economy, everybody is still struggling. It’s not easy. But with a partner who prioritizes the same things as me, and with a lot of time and hard work, today was an EXTRA kind of day. And this evening, each of my boys has a new pair of shoes – just because – at the foot of their beds.

My heart feels full. (It really is the little things that aren’t so little at all.)

A Gift in Memory

Last night, I was given the most thoughtful gift I have received in quite some time.

Before I assisted with our Blue Christmas worship service (meant for those grieving through the holidays) at the church I serve, a member of our grief group ran up to me. She handed me a clear bag with a green sweatshirt in it and said in a hurry, “this isn’t a Christmas gift – this is in memory of your cousin. Some of the proceeds go to suicide prevention, and I wanted you to have it.”

The tears pricked my eyes instantly.

I lead our grief group because this special friend, Wayna, is a widow and asked me if we offered anything at the church for those experiencing loss. Together, we got the ball rolling on a grief group. And as she grieves her husband, I grieve my cousin, Rachel, who ended her life too soon.

This is an extremely thoughtful, generous gift. I held the bag to my chest as I hugged her. For one of the few times in my life, I felt speechless.

When you lose someone you love to suicide, you can’t help but wonder what you could have done to help – how you could have loved harder, been more available… the list goes on and on. I have struggled with my grief, which is not unusual, but I have had the unique and immense privilege of walking through grief with some of the most wonderful people who have supported me as I have sought to support them in their own loss journeys, too.

Thank you to my friend, Wayna, for the gift. Thank you for knowing my heart and walking alongside me through grief. I treasure your friendship and this precious gift.

Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs

While it may only be the second week of November, and while that may not usually be the traditional winter-weather season of East Tennessee, yesterday we had snowfall.

My sweet boys were absolutely enthralled by the snow. Here’s a sweet photo of Teddy (age 3) watching the snow come down through our back door onto our porch.

Needless to say, it’s quickly become the season for layers, sweatshirts, and fleece jackets. And when it’s cold, I crave a warm, filling meal for dinner. (Luckily, my husband keeps up really well with the weather, so I usually have a heads up on when to buy hearty foods for cold snaps. So I was prepared for this week!)

Last night, I made the absolute easiest warm and cozy meal: Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs!

I love traditional Swedish meatballs, homemade, with hand-rolled meatballs, lots of extra seasonings, and a thick and creamy gravy sauce. But homemade meatballs are a weekend food in our two-income home, a luxury for calendar days that might not require dinner in a half hour.

And so what’s a girl to do when she’s got a half hour to make it?

Cue my Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs recipe! This is designed to be easy, filling, and yummy – for a busy momma hen, wife, and/or working professional.

Here’s the fastest way to a simple – but yummy – Swedish meatball recipe!

Ingredients:

Frozen precooked beef meatballs (1/2 to 2/3 of the package)
2 packets of brown gravy mix
Egg noodles (1/2 to 2/3 of the package)
Garlic powder
Black pepper

First, arrange your meatballs in a baking pan and cook in the oven, per the instructions on the package.

Next, while the meatballs heat fully in the oven, boil water. Once boiling, add in your egg noodles and cook until tender. Then drain the pasta.

Then, make your two gravy packets per provided package instruction. Once it’s to the preferred thickness, add in some garlic powder and black pepper – to your preferred taste.

To assemble, simply layer in a dish or bowl the following: egg noodles, meatballs, and gravy.

Side note: I chose to also serve Italian seasoned green beans with my dish. (These are easy, too – canned green beans, heated in oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings.) This addition is, frankly, because I am a toddler mom and ant to at least offer a vegetable with each meal (not that they always choose to partake in it).

This was so good – my husband and I both enjoyed it – and it definitely gave us that full-in-the-belly and warm-from-the-inside feeling we were craving with the cold weather!

What’re your favorite go-to cold weather meals? Comment below – and bonus points if they are MEGA easy for folks with a jam-packed calendar!

A Positive Perspective

A theological thought for the evening…

It is widely believed that Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in jail, and yet it is often called “the book of joy” by students of the Word. Jail may not seem like a likely place to author “the book of joy,” though, right?

Paul finds joy and spiritual contentment despite being in jail because…

✨ Perspective is everything. ✨

In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul writes:

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish…”

In Philippians 4:8, he writes:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Paul finds joy and spiritual contentment, even in jail, because he is focused on God – on doing his best to shy away from complaint and to run toward praising the good things of God. He shifts focus from negativity to positivity, always focusing on the same concept that James (brother of Jesus) writes about in his own book, James 1:17, which says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…”

Paul and James seem to agree that there is goodness in life, no matter the situational circumstance, because God Himself is good.

The perspective shift from grumbling and complaining to praising and gratitude makes it not only possible, but also probable, that we can and will find joy and spiritual contentment in any situation.

Because perspective truly is everything.

From Impossible to Possible

*Royal Oak Presbyterian Church, Marion, VA*

In Genesis 18, this question is asked: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” And this answer is given: “No, nothing is too hard for Him.”

Genesis, which aims to show us God’s omnipotence, tells us that nothing is too much, too difficult for God – because God is all powerful.

Later, as we progress through the story of faith in the Bible, we find out that God shares power with us through grace.

In Matthew 19, we find out this good news: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God’s power makes things possible for us.

So the concerns that are currently weighing heavily on me? My own solutions and answers may feel impossible right now – but I trust that God will provide power and possibility.

Mexican Lasagna

I made Mexican food for dinner on Tuesday – yes, Taco Tuesday – and I realized as I prepared a favorite easy dish that I may never have shared this one on the blog!

Some call it “taco bake” and others call it “Mexican lasagna.” At my house, we just call it “yummy.”

This is an easy layered dish. You can make it with anything – and you can certainly add vegetables if the humans in your house will eat them (the guys in mine will not). Let me share what I do, and then you can let your mind wander with the possibilities!

I start by browning meat (sometimes I use ground beef but a lot of times I use ground turkey). Then, I add a packet of taco seasoning. You can use whatever brand you like! I usually use ground turkey and low-sodium taco seasoning.

While the meat browns and seasons, I preheat my oven to 350F.

Once the meat is browned and covered well in seasoning, I lay a soft flour tortilla on the bottom of a pan or baking dish. (I do recommend a walled baking dish, like a cake pan of some size, rather than a sheet pan). Then layer in queso, cooked meat, salsa, and shredded Mexican cheese. Add another tortilla, and then all the inside ingredients again. Repeat one or two times. Then, on the top layer, use just cheese.

For the layers, you could also use refried beans, Mexican or Spanish rice, or any number of vegetables or guacamole inside some of the layers for a variety of flavors if your family likes that. My boys are a little more plain Jane, so we don’t currently experiment with other options, but I’ve had different versions, and they’re all delicious.

Once you’ve layered it all and finished the top with lots of cheese, place it in a 350F oven for at least 15 minutes so that it all melts together wonderfully and comes out gooey and yummy!

When serving, cut into sections. (Pro tip: I often cut the smaller tortillas into four sections using a pizza cutter.)

Enjoy a delicious and easy Mexican lasagna!

Let me know if you’ve tried this recipe or something similar! I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Thoughts on Political Violence

It’s September 11. May we never forget…

Often we say “I’ll never forget where I was that day.” But what if we never forgot what it was like to feel empathy and devastation for others we don’t even know?

What if we decided to never forget the way our chests felt hollow as we watched political violence at play, 24 years ago? What we if we decided to never forget the way that we felt, nationally, so crushed as we saw destruction hit us so very hard?

Political violence is never the answer. It wasn’t in 2001, and it’s not today in 2025.

And political violence does seem to be contagious, as we see continued acts of violence against politicians on various sides of the aisle, and against people groups of all types, escalating in our society.

Politically motivated assassinations – whether against democrats or republicans, whether against Melissa Hartman or Charlie Kirk, whether against the World Trade Centers or a church or a school – are wrong, always.

Gun violence against children and teens and teachers – whether you wish it was or not – IS political, too. Our children should feel safe going to school – hard stop. It’s our responsibility to the next generation to make a safe place for them to learn to be citizens and leaders.

A democracy is supposed to allow for free and fair participation of all people as we seek to live in community together; it’s not supposed to allow for permanent silencing of someone or groups of people by the hands of the mentally unwell or the angry. It’s supposed to be SAFE to participate in a democratic republic like the US.

And yet, we’re responsible for allowing political violence to become the norm. We’ve chosen who to grieve based on political party, rather than grieving the loss of any and all life.

As for me, I chose to grieve for all lives cut short and those who personally loved them as they navigate the difficulties of loss.

Pumpkin Children’s Art

Today, as UT football season starts, all of the greater Knoxville area celebrates the unofficial first day of fall. When it’s football time in Tennessee, it’s also autumn – at least to all of us in the 865.

So, in honor of this season, I spent some time with my youngest doing a pumpkin craft while the game played in the family room. (It can’t be bad luck to do an orange craft while Big Orange plays, right?)

My middle son is recovering from an ENT surgery this week, my eldest is on visitation at his biological father’s place, and my youngest woke with extra energy following an afternoon nap. He’s really good at letting us paint his hands at Parents Day Out, so I thought he might enjoy making some artwork together.

Side note: I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here on the blog, I am now Director of Parents Day Out (PDO) at the church where I am also the Christian Education Director.

The first thing I did was paint his hand, then make an orange handprint on a piece of paper. As that dried, I wiped his hand clean, and then I painted his thumb pad. On a different piece of paper, I made several thumb prints.

While I turned the thumbprints and handprint into fall pumpkins, Franklin used a paintbrush with leftover paint on a piece of spare paper to make… “abstract art.” (Hey, he had fun and practiced his hand-eye coordination skills.)

I used brown, orange, and green Crayola markers to turn the paint prints into pumpkins.

For the hand print, I turned it sideways, did a rough orange trace around it, added a brown stem, and then added some green vine. Voilà, a pumpkin! I also added Franklin’s name and the year.

For the thumb prints, I used a brown marker to make stems and a green one to draw vines connecting the pumpkins by the stem to turn it into a 3-row pumpkin patch. I added a title and date. And again: Voilà, a fall pumpkin patch!

These were really fun and my littlest kiddo looked proud when I showed him his finished projects!

Just wanted to share in case you’re looking for a fun fall craft for your little ones – to decorate your refrigerator door or send artwork to out of town grandparents.

Bonus: Franklin’s handiwork with a paintbrush after our print artwork.

Pom-Pom Painting at Home

I had a sweet artsy afternoon with my littles today. These Toy Story loving boys enjoyed painting Rex at the kitchen table together.

Our two-year-old (three in November) is OBSESSED with Toy Story and all things Pixar. He lovingly calls Rex the “Darry-dar” (dinosaur). So this particular selection of painting project was easy as could be!

We just used a free & printable Toy Story coloring page, Crayola washable project paint, a regular kids paintbrush for big bro and pompoms attached to clothespins for little bros.

They had such a fun afternoon! 🎨 (And so did Momma!)