I’m eager to introduce you to Catie Crump on our Spotlight Blog Series today!
I met Catie on the set of War Room six years ago. As the wardrobe assistant, she spent many hot North Carolina summer days getting the entire cast fitted for their roles. During our 12+ hour shifts, she filled every space she entered with fun energy and memorable interactions. Since then, her life has been full of many peaks and valleys that have led her in new and unexpected pathways.
Today, Catie owns Nancy Cates Bakeshop, a quaint and cozy shop that is named after her baking inspiration, her Grammy, Nancy Kate. I’ve gotta tell ya, her cookies are AMAZING. I eat them as often as I can and order them for friends and family regularly! She ships anywhere in the country and her packaging is as mouthwatering as her cookies!
Enjoy getting to know Catie and her huge heart for the Lord in this week’s Q & A. Then consider ordering a gift box of goodies for someone in your life who needs a little sweetness delivered to their door. Before you go, please leave a comment of encouragement below or on Instagram @nancycatesbakeshop.
Bless you today!
Priscilla
- If you could describe this season of your life in one word, what word would it be? Why?
Sweet. Not only because we are a bakeshop filled with cookies and other baked goods, but during this season of my life, that is how the Lord has been revealing Himself to me. He gets sweeter and sweeter with time. I genuinely never realized that I wanted to own a bakery, but the fullness it has brought to my life was something I would have missed out on if I hadn’t listened to His sweet tender whisper. Just the revelation that He knows me and my heart way better than I do, and that he handles it so tenderly, is so sweet to me.
- In terms of your career, before you knew you would be _______________, you almost . . .
I spent the majority of my 20s working as a stylist assistant in Nashville. I worked under a dear friend, Anna Redmon. We worked on music videos, commercials, movies, and more. I loved it so much. We worked on a film called “War Room.” Working on that film changed my life. I formed several deep friendships (ahem Priscilla), and realized how much I loved styling and getting to be creative. If I hadn’t met my husband and moved to Texas, I would most likely still be working as a wardrobe stylist.
- In what ways do you ensure that your career path serves the purposes of God and encourages His people?
When we got a word that we were supposed to open a brick and mortar bakeshop (previously run from my home), I knew that the only way it would work, would be to fully surrender it and dedicate it to Him and His Kingdom. The building is from 1896, and we had to completely renovate it. We spent hours and hours filling the building with prayers and worship. I knew that it would be so much more than just a bakery or cookie shop. Nancy Cates Bakeshop is a place where people enter the door and encounter Him and His heart. Yahweh shifted my business plan to be fully His. Each day I have to surrender it.
From the get go, when I let my foot off the gas and let Him do it, it actually grew and became something I could never have created. Yes, I want my cookies to be amazing, my employees to be trained well, and I definitely do not want to go broke, but when I work from a seated position of rest, and let Him move and guide, I see His glory in my little bakeshop in the middle of Aubrey, Texas! It’s more than a bakeshop; it’s my heart. Every meal that goes out, every cookie that gets shipped, every coffee that gets poured is prayed over. I have seen people walk in the bakeshop feeling heavy, and leave with hope. That is not something I could ever try to produce on my own. It’s only through Him and His presence in Nancy Cates Bakeshop.
- Fill in the blank. I am not a very _____________ person.
I am not a very timid person.
I go for it, and go all in. When I do something, and fully commit, I don’t mess around. I’m passionate and a go-getter. My dad has always called me a “mover and a shaker.” This has not always been beneficial for me. God bless my husband Jared for helping to rein me in at times! He is my balance, my slow and steady. I’m learning how to not exhaust myself with doing it all and striving to make things happen. A friend has taught me that there is a more excellent way. Rest.
- Name your biggest strength and your biggest weakness? How has each served you as you’ve fulfilled your purpose?
I always hated when someone would ask what my biggest strength was. I struggled for years trying to figure out what my strengths were, but I was looking at it all wrong. This year Yahweh revealed to me some of the ways He was using me and my strengths. I feel that I have a way of making everyone feel welcomed, important, and special. I love people. Genuinely. Each person that enters Nancy Cates is fully loved on and cared for – it’s not a show. It’s a real, authentic expression of my heart for people, whether I’ve known them for years, or five minutes.
Naming my weaknesses comes way easier to me, ha! I am a perfectionist. I always have been, to a point where it was debilitating. I used to allow it to run my life, but through grace I’m able to navigate it and use it rightly. Four years ago, I would have never thought I could run a bakeshop. It would not be perfect enough (according to my false standards) to open the doors. Praise God for His gentle correction of that! I had to let my people-pleasing spirit go. As long as it’s good enough for Him, I will be alright.
- When is the last time you laughed so hard that it hurt?
The last time I laughed until it hurt would be about five days ago. The high school girls that work at the shop have been teaching me how to do TikTok dances. Y’all. I am terrible. I have never felt so old! I cried laughing. I have totally learned not to take myself so seriously!
- What has been the most difficult season in your life? How did you get through it?
A little over four years ago, during our first year of marriage, my husband and I were hit with many adversities. During the first month of our marriage, we faced the death of a loved one, job loss, grief from moving, and deep depression. This wrecked our marriage. We isolated ourselves, and things quickly went downhill. Within six months of our marriage, a divorce was filed. We were both lost, completely codependent, and in search of something that only the Father could fix. We spent years drinking and fighting away the pain of our pasts, but Yahweh wanted to heal it ALL. Things got very very, very, ugly, and after a few DUI’s between the both of us, we finally got to the root of the issue.
We spent six months in intensive counseling, dealing with our pasts and deep-rooted pain. We fought for our lives and for our marriage. Everything was stripped away, and we learned our beloved identity.
We are now about to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary! We have never been more full of life. We are an example of the Lord’s lovingkindness. He is our restorer. We had to go through so much ugliness to fully be able to receive the beauty He has lavished over our little family. He is good. He keeps His promises 100 percent of the time. He takes what the enemy meant to steal, kill, and destroy, and turns it for so much good.
- If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to be gentle and patient with yourself. It’s okay to not have it all figured out. His timing is everything. Growth and maturity doesn’t happen overnight. You are worth waiting for the growth.
I struggled for years trying to understand this simple truth.
- If you could make three wishes and there were no limitations on what you could request, what would you wish for?
If I had three wishes with no limitations: (1) I would want to be a mommy. (2) I would want to own a house with several acres, filled with chickens, dairy cows and more. On the acreage, all of our family and friends would own houses too. (3) I would want to take a trip to Italy with my husband, full of eating adventures, cooking lessons, and no jet lag!
- If this were your last year on earth, what would you want to spend your time doing?
If it were my last year on earth, I would want to spend my time with my friends and family. I would want to spend time on our back patio playing guitar and singing with my husband. I would want to spend time chasing Samson, our 75 pound Dalmatian. I would also want to teach as many people as possible how to make the best chocolate chip cookie ever!
*These blog interviews are designed only to be fun, informative and introductory. GB Ministries has varying levels of familiarity with each participant so their presence here does not equal our endorsement of or full alignment with theological doctrine or political perspective.
