Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Kind of Friend

There are people who walk into your life for a season. 
And then there are people who make a deep impact. 
The ones who are forever friends. 
You know the kind. 

The kind of friend who asks you to be her bridesmaid; and somehow a journey of sisterhood begins.
The kind of friend who comes and sits with you, and cries with you, when you lose your baby. 
The kind of friend who puts a cinnamon dolce latte on your desk in the morning; or on your front porch and then texts for you to open the door. 
The kind of friend who puts on a cocktail dress and heads to Captain Andersons for a girls night. Just because. 
The kind of friend who cries and screams when you call to tell them you're pregnant ... again. 
The kind of friend who sits in a waiting room for hours upon hours ... upon hours ... waiting for the newest arrival to the family. 
The kind of friend who sits with your 6 day old so you can take a shower and the 6 year old can have some daddy time.  
The kind of friend who moves into an office right beside you when there are better options. 
The kind of friend who introduces you to Rocketman.
The kind of friend who rejoices in your victories; and hurts during your defeats. 
The kind of friend who throws a rock star baby shower ... twice.  
The kind of friend who inherits a puppy simply because they are asked. 
The kind of friend who brings ChickFilA and Krispy Kreme when your one year old is in the hospital with RSV.
The kind of friend who makes this famously awful, yet cute face with you. 
The kind of friend who helps you moves into your new home ... three different times.
The kind of friend who sits outside of Starbucks way past closing time, to discuss potential life plans. 
The kind of friend who calls me first when she is pregnant; so it can give me hope during a dark day.
The kind of friend who stayed up late and then woke up at the "butt crack of dawn" to do yard sales together. 
The kind of friend who invites you to every family function, because that's what feels normal. 
The kind of friend who not only offers to keep your kids, but genuinely wants to. 
The kind of friend who gets me to join a gym and actually go to workout classes with her. 
The kind of friend is so much more of a giver than a taker. 
The kind of friend who cries when we sit down to lunch and no words have even been spoken; simply because she knows what's coming. 
The kind of friend that is an amazing mom, a phenomenal worship pastor, a Godly wife, and a loyal daughter. 
The kind of friend who is a sister to me by all definitions of the word. 
The kind of friend who my heart misses and my soul desires daily conversations with. 

The kind of friend who has a birthday today. 

She is the kind of friend I wish I could be there today to hug and tell her I love her! 
Since distance separates us, these words will have to tell her how much she means to me! 
I miss you more than you know! 
Happy Birthday to the best friend a girl could have! 













Friday, August 3, 2012

Simple Words. Simple faith.

The kids and I were driving down the road this week. 
Normal errands. 
Normal day. 
And my daughter rocked me with a few simple words. 


As she spoke, unknowingly saying words wise beyond her years, 
I simply sat and let the words penetrate my heart and my spirit. 


Then I prayed to have the same reaction and responses. 
Without hesitation. 
Without fail. 
Without doubt. 


Here was our conversation: 


A: "Mom, there is a car with a "Pray for Kennedy" sticker. 
Can we get one?" 
Me: "I'm sure we can. But I don't even know what it's about. 
I've seen that everywhere." 
A:" She has brain cancer, Mom. And they say there's no cure."
Me: "Oh wow, baby. I didn't know that. That's awful." 
A: "But Mom. We know a cure." 


............


And just as quick as the conversation had started. It ended. 


We were almost home. 
And I didn't need to ask her what she meant. 
And she knew she didn't need to explain. 


We DO know a cure. 


Will you join us as we begin to pray for Kennedy? 
Will you simply believe in the cure that enables medicines to work, the cure that guides doctors hands and gives them wisdom, the cure that allows trials to become workable treatments? 
The cure that took stripes on His back for our healing? 


Here is Kennedy. 
She needs a cure. 
http://www.wltx.com/news/article/180599/2/Community-Comes-Together-to-Support-Kennedy-Branham-


http://www.facebook.com/Pray4Kennedy



"But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Thursday, August 2, 2012

If We Get All Technical

If we get all technical ... 


Today is one year that we moved our little family to Columbia, South Carolina to begin our journey as the student & young adult pastors at Christian Life. Our intent was to move into our apartment on the afternoon of August 1st. But with a broken down uhaul on a country road in the middle of nowhere, that had to be hauled by a tow truck to Columbia with the contents of our entire home (irony, right?!), we slept the night at DoubleTree on August 1st and "moved in" on August 2nd! 


As we pulled out of our driveway in Panama City, FL with our eyes as puffy as they've ever been. Our sleep was more than lacking. And our muscles were sore (not from moving - we had oodles of help) but from the tight hugs we've been given and received. 


I don't think in that moment of driving away I fully realized what it meant to leave family and kindred friends. That was probably Gods infinite wisdom of protecting my heart and helping me make the move in a blind faith I'm not sure I've ever had before, or since! 


My husband processes things BEFORE big decisions. I process things AFTER. I tend to think it's Gods amazing way of balancing us out. It's freaky sometimes! 


As I look back over the last 12 months, I am so thankful that God gave us what HE knew we NEEDED and not what WE thought we WANTED. 
Because there were a few days that I wanted to pack my babies and husband up and high tail it back "home". I saw people looking at Easton with raised eyebrows as he would yell at them or he'd attempt to talk to them. I didn't WANT to explain to everyone that my son had a speech development and couldn't talk. I wasn't sure if Autumn would make friends. Heck, I wasn't sure if I was going to make friends! I missed the safety of our ministry we had molded & shaped for almost a decade. I missed knowing history of the church we were a part of. And being a part of the history of the church. I missed a lot. 


And then God would gently give me glimmers of what my heart needed. It was like he was feeding me small doses so that I didn't take it for granted.


In due time, 
He gave me girls who would call out my name when I drove up and give me a hug. 
He gave my son really great big brothers who took time to get to him & his personality. 
He gave us people who at first squinted their eyes as they were listening to us ask them to trust us for a few months, and then one day their eyes were open as they were listening & their heads were nodding. 
He gave us a pastor who feeds my spirit each and every week with a word that the Lord has given him.
He gave my daughter a place she could use her mothering gifts while working in the toddler class. 
He gave me small group co-leads who became just as much my friends as my partners in ministry. 
He gave me a business I can use to get to know women through. 
He gave us a student & young adult ministry who desire for Union to echo in their every day lives. 
He gave my son a school and teacher that has helped him form sentence upon sentence upon sentence.
He gave us a home that I could not have ever dreamed we would own. 
He gave my husband some young men to circle around him and not only help him with ministry but to simply walk through this new life with him. 
He has given us more than I can imagine in a short 12 months. 


I can't even begin to speculate on what the next few years will look like.
But I can tell you that we are looking forward to them with excitement, hope and a passion to reach a city that needs the love of Jesus. 
As our pastor says, he wants Columbia to be a hard place to go to hell from. 
That couldn't be a more accurate cry of or hearts! 
#union #CLA #oneyear #moretocome


14 “You are the light of the world.(A) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.(B) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,(C) that they may see your good deeds(D) and glorify(E) your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16