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About
Books
- The God Dare
- Growing Great Kids
Podcasts

Blog
- Faith
- Recipe Index
Shop
- Kate’s Store
- Kate’s Favorites
Speaking
Contact

oven dried tomatoes in olive oil with fresh basil and garlic

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Easy and delicious oven dried tomatoes you can make at home!

Oven Dried TomatoesRead More

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When you join me as an INSIDER here at katebattistelli.com, the first goodie I'll send you is a FREE 3-Chapter PREVIEW of my newest book THE GOD DARE, including the introduction, and foreword by my daughter, GRAMMY Award-Winning Recording Artist Francesca Battistelli. More INSIDER surprises to come!

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I've been thinking about Abraham a lot lately. How

I've been thinking about Abraham a lot lately. How God called him to leave everything. All that was familiar, home, friends and family. Risk it all and go to a new place. Trust completely and step out of the boat. Cast it all on Him.

And he did, he up and left everything he'd ever known and simply obeyed.

He discovered "The magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." ('Million Dollar Baby)

"Abraham believed God". For me, those are three of the most powerful words in all of scripture. He believed God. He took Him at His word. He said yes to God's prompting. He didn't argue or equivocate. He just said yes. Oh how simple the word really is! Simple yes, easy no.

But Abraham was willing, willing to risk it all on God. He's my O.T. role model. What I love is, he was 75 years old, probably set in his ways and retired yet here comes God with talk of blessing and stars in the heavens, descendants and giving him a great name. What the heck?

God called out Abraham's deepest dream and promised to do the impossible. And Abraham, simple Abraham, simply believed. I just love that about him, don't you? I always want to maintain that childlike faith that takes Him at His word even when it totally makes no sense to my carnal mind. To remember that although I can't see the end from the beginning, He can.

God held a big God-sized dream with Abraham's name on it just waiting for him to grab a hold and take the first step. He did and in the doing, it all fell into place. It wasn't easy and it didn't come without him first making a mess of it but in spite of it all, every dream Abraham had came to pass. And that's how my God is.

When was the last time you risked it all on God? Radically obeyed even when people thought you were nuts? Are you willing to believe God has a big, gigantic God-sized dream just for you? Are you willing to risk it all for a dream nobody sees but you? I'm with you. It's never easy but it's always worth it!
What’s YOUR God-sized dream? Share in the comments so we can pray and encourage one another ❤️

Doing the common uncommonly. It's what we're call

Doing the common uncommonly.

It's what we're called to isn't it? Doing the ordinary extraordinarily.
The normal abnormally.
The expected unexpectedly.
Doing the common task with unexpected excellence and working as unto God and not unto men.

But each day we're bombarded by routine. We act by rote, not really thinking, not considering our motive or why we do what we do. Most days, if we're honest, we're annoyed by the daily tasks that pile up. The tasks that are expected but often go unappreciated.

Do we wash the dishes/change the diapers/make the coffee/nurse the baby/shop/cook/clean/carpool as an annoyance to be tolerated on our way to the bigger thing, the thing we were really created for? Or is it enough....

Is it possible to live our day right where we are, tasting each moment, savoring the work, satisfied with the season we're in?

Or are we condemned to ever seek, question, complain, fret, compare our lives with some dreamed up ideal we think real life is really about?

This can't be as good as it gets, can it? Oh, I feel you. Some days the grass looks so much greener over there and the common tasks nearly overwhelm with their routine and gray sameness.

But I'm crying out and begging Him to teach me how to:

Change a diaper the way He took a towel...
Serve a meal the way He broke bread....
Love the outcast like He touched a leper...
Honor others the way He spoke to the woman at the well…
He showed no prejudice and no partiality. Kings and commoners, all were the same to Him. His life and His offer to each was always love.

Abnormal Love.

Extraordinary love

Unconventional love.

Unexpected love.

Everything He did He transfigured. Every word, encounter and miracle was imbued with the uncommon. Saturated by the unexpected. He made the impossible possible and impregnated every moment with grace. And He says two simple words.

"Follow me."
Follow me as I live.
Serve.
Sacrifice.
Give.
Love.
Follow me and you will live an uncommon, abnormal and gloriously unexpected life.

Here's my prayer:
Lord, help me to honor you by my actions every day. To make holy the common task and find the divine in each moment.

What's yours? I’d love to hear❤️

Freedom isn’t free. Not by a long shot. My dad p

Freedom isn’t free. Not by a long shot. My dad paid a price his entire life after getting shot in the leg early on in France in World War II.

He always walked with a limp but rarely complained and didn’t talk about it much.

My husband @mikebattistelli’s dad, served in WW II as a tank battalion leader in the pacific theater. WW II ended and then he was recalled for the Korean War.

They fought so we could stay free and enjoy long weekends and grill out with friends today.

They fought so I could write books about Jesus and not apologize for it (and not go to jail for it, either.)

Thank God for our loved ones and friends and neighbors who are willing to fight and die to keep us free. May we never, ever take their sacrifice for granted.

#freedomisntfree #freedomfighter #freedomisntfree🇺🇸 #memorialday🇺🇸 #memorialday2021 #worldwarii #worldwartwo #koreanwar #warveteran

Calling all readers!! 📚📚📚 I’m thrilled

Calling all readers!! 📚📚📚

I’m thrilled to be a part of this amazing giveaway with a bunch of amazing authors who also happen to be #bookies (aka we all have agents with Books & Such)!

40 free books from 40 of your favorite Christian authors! Don’t miss THE SUMMER KICKOFF GIVEAWAY!

Entering is easy - just click the link in my bio for a simple one-click entry.

Open to US mailing addresses only, not affiliated or endorsed by Instagram.

Hey, why not tag a few friends who would also love to win because there will be 3 winners!

You’ll have plenty of books to read, share, and give to your church library if you win!

We are immune to grace. There. I said it. I see

We are immune to grace.

There. I said it.

I see it all around me and in my own life.

We don't extend it to others because we don't recognize it in our own lives or realize how much of it we need every day.

It's by the grace of God we take our next breath.
Have a roof over our heads.
Have daily bread to eat.

His grace puts us in families and communities, relationships and friendships.

His grace heals, forgives, leads and loves.

How dare we?

How dare we complain?
How dare we not forgive?
How dare we take His goodness for granted?
How dare we forget all His benefits?
His grace alone saves us. Nothing we do, no effort of man can save our souls or make us the heirs of the One who created the universe with a word.

Only His blood dripping from the cross of Calvary, nothing else will suffice.

We are surrounded by excess and affluence, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and we actually start to believe we are deserving and entitled to it. We want the gift more than the Giver.
The trappings of Christianity but not the 'narrow road' of dying and walking with Christ.

We forget His grace, the price He paid.

We are pampered, petted and spoiled and think our comfort and safety is something worth fighting and dying for. Lives lived unaffected by His grace.

Everyday I experience the injustice of His unfathomable grace.

He gave everything, I gave nothing yet, He gave it for me. And you.

He loves me, protects me, provides for me and guides me. His requirement? That I:

*Obey Him when He calls
*Forgive any and all who have offended me
*Love the unloveable
*Walk Humbly
*Live honestly
*Worship with deep gratitude
*Prefer others over myself
*Live like His joy is my strength

When we live this way, grace will infect us once again and our immunity will begin to wear off.

Oh, lets be a people marked by the injustice of His grace. Ever grateful and unafraid to lose, to be last, to take up our cross and to love, no longer immune to His amazing grace. Will you join me?

#amazinggrace #graceupongrace #graceandmercy #graceofgod #jesuslover #christianwriter #christianwritersofinstagram #christianwriters #christianwriting #amwriting #calledcreatives #hopewriters

Do the opposite of what the enemy is trying to con

Do the opposite of what the enemy is trying to convince you to do. When he wants you to hold onto offense, let it go and forgive, and instead, serve the ones who mistreated you.

Like the Beatitudes teach us, bless those who curse you, pray for those who despitefully use you.

I heard this phrase years ago and it’s how I like to think of it:
Kiss the stones that bloodied your feet. It’s one of the hardest things we’ll ever do but it will transform our relationship with the One who gave His life for us.

I learned this the hard way and there’s no other way to learn how to “pray for those who despitefully use you” until you’ve been despitefully used!

Offense is a trap. It will suck you in if you let it and you’ll think you have every right to be offended at that person. What they did was so wrong!! And it probably was. But we don’t get to hold onto offense or unforgiveness ever. Not for an hour. We must let it go. We need only look at what we’ve been forgiven and how much sin Christ took on our behalf!

This scripture should make us rethink holding onto offense and unforgiveness: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

So do all you can to forgive and let go of the offense you’re facing today. It’s not easy, I struggle with it, too. But it’s a necessary step if we are going to grow in our relationship to the Lord. Let’s become people who can’t be offended anymore, people who are quick to forgive, no matter the offense. How can I pray for you today?

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