Catch Fire Friday with Katie D.

𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓮 is a great friend God placed in my life on purpose and for a purpose, and it has been a blessing to watch our friendship grow! She is a wife, mother of 2 boys, and nurse by trade. Her Catch Fire age was 26, and she remembers it like it was yesterday. Discover more about her testimony and how God transformed her life. Learn about the struggles she faced leading up to the unforgettable moment when she caught fire for the Lord, her Savior, and Redeemer. Now, she lives to praise, proclaim, and promote Him.

What is your life verse and why?

Katie: "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 NIV - God revealed this verse to me while I was in a very dark time. Hearing the words "The Lord your God is with you" was so profound at that time of my life. I still take bits and pieces of this verse with me every single day. The Lord your God delights in you. The one who is going through a hard time in your life. The one whose faith is not as big as a mustard seed.

What is your favorite book in the Bible & why?

Katie: Oh wow. This is a tough one. Psalm. At any given time, I can open my Bible, and God will lead me to pray through one of the 150 chapters, and not once has God not blessed me with the words.

What is your favorite Worship song?

Katie: It is Well by Kristene Dimarco

Do you serve at your Church home? If so, what do you do?

Katie: I do in some capacity, but not fully how I would like to serve. I pray for our Church and the staff daily. I also serve as the wife of the drummer for our Church, as he drums (almost) weekly.

Kelsey: We go to the same Church, and the worship I can attest to is not the same without the drums 😉. Katie, I want you to know that sacrificing time with your husband IS serving the Lord! You are serving the Lord through your sacrifice. Even though it may seem as if it goes unnoticed, it is much appreciated, and we appreciate you! Being an intercessor for the Church IS also serving in powerful ways. You, my dear, are ENOUGH; there are NO small parts in the Kingdom of God! God has created you to be a prayer warrior, and it shows!

In what ways do you praise Jesus?

Katie: The Holy Spirit speaks to me through music. Not in a physical sense, "hearing His voice," but the lyrics. I praise Jesus by how I worship, but lifting my hands in utter obedience, saying, "Here's my heart Lord - I'm yours!"

In what ways do you proclaim Jesus?

Katie: I proclaim Jesus as my Lord and Savior by not conforming to the world around me, whether that is family or friends who do not believe. By not falling into this worldly standard, I am proclaiming that Jesus is the Lord of my life. I will not fall into the pit of sin that comes from speaking negatively about another person, using gross language, or spewing hate toward another human. While I fail some days, I pray that the Lord knows my heart, and when He convicts me of my wrongdoings, He has grace for my repentance.

In what ways do you promote Jesus?

Katie: I promote Jesus by inviting others into our Church and into our home. Both places are where people will be loved and not judged, where you can find comfort and peace, just as Jesus gives us daily.

How old were you when you caught fire for the Lord?

Katie: 26 - I remember like it was yesterday. It was 1 a.m. I was parked in an alley at a bar, chasing my alcoholic significant other with our newborn baby in the back seat. As I sat there staring in the rearview mirror, seeing our sweet little baby sleeping without a care in the world, God pressed on my heart, "Why don't you chase me?" - That following weekend, I went to Church, and the rest is history.

Did you experience a moment in your life when God revealed Himself in a significant way?

Katie: Yes, on my bathroom floor, actually. We were going through our second miscarriage after 6 years of infertility, and in the toilet sat our sweet baby. As I was sobbing, more like screaming to God why this would be happening to us AGAIN. Why would a God who loves His children unconditionally make me suffer like this for a second time? That's when He spoke to my heart, "CHILD, I KNEW HIM FIRST! HE WAS MINE FIRST." It was so profound I just sat there with my hands on my face, stunned. And then a sigh of relief. He already knew our baby. He was already with my baby, and I did not have to fear because our baby knew no fear. Ever.

What keeps your fire lit?

Katie: Prayer journaling. If you had asked me 5-ish years ago, I wouldn't have an answer. I started prayer journaling about 4 years ago. In each new journal, I reflect on what I wrote and prayed about, the events that happened on any specific day, and WOW. We serve an incredible God. By reflecting in that manner, He allows me to see the daily blessings I forget about in a week.

What is your favorite hobby or something you like to do for fun?

Katie: I love reading, listening to worship music, being with my family, and going on adventures. I love being in fellowship with my girlie friends whom God has blessed me with tenfold.

Kelsey: We always have a wonderful time together, and let me say that our relationship has grown so much only by the grace of God because she didn't like nor trust me when we first met. But I am so thankful to have this beautiful, courageous woman in my life. She is one of my greatest prayer warriors and is someone I turn to when the enemy tries to back me up in a corner. Seeing our friendship blossom into what it is today has been a blessing, and I thank God for her daily! This picture, I cherish, and if you only knew the back story and what it took to get us here... well, that is a story for another time.

What advice or words of wisdom do you have for other women?

Katie: Stop comparing yourself to other Christian women. Each of us is unique. Our mindset must be different from the world. Be in your Bible daily, even if it is on audio on your way to work.

"𝒮𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒽." 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝟥:𝟤

Whether you want to look better fit into size 2 jeans, you look around the room and see women with their hair done 'perfectly' - someone needs 𝐘𝐎𝐔 at this very moment to show them the love of Jesus. Not them.

I want to thank Katie for allowing me to feature her first on this new "Catch Fire Friday." It has been a privilege for her to be vulnerable and talk about some dark times in her life, but I know God will use that to bring light to someone else sitting in the dark.

She has helped me grow spiritually in more ways than I can count and has taught me what a godly friendship should look like. We don't talk every day, but we know that when we are in the pits of the messiness of life and need another in our corner praying for us, we will stop what we are doing and go to battle for one another.

I love this woman and her family dearly, as they have become family to my family.

Our sons are the same age, and if we let them, they would hang out daily!

So, help me pray a blessing over her and her family:

‘May the Lord bless you

and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you his favor

and give you his peace.’ - Numbers 6:24-26

If this story has inspired you, it WILL inspire someone else that God has placed in your path, so I encourage you to share this!

God bless.