Movin' On Up! ;)

Woohoo!  I'm all legit now!  I registered for my own domain and have my very own blog website!  I'll keep this one up so people can read the stories and see pictures from the past two years here, but for new posts you'll need to go to www.stilllearningtofollow.com

My new website will be easier for me to edit and for you to comment on!  :)

Glacier and Whitefish Adventures

This summer has been...beautiful and blessed!  When we left my sister's house eleven weeks ago, my heart was heavy but hopeful.  Saying goodbye to my nieces and nephew is always the hardest!  They grow so fast and change so much...and I know the dreaded "stranger anxiety" will come soon for the one year old, and I'm terrified of being that - a stranger. 

I also knew that saying goodbye for three months would mean missing the birth of my newest niece!  I am now counting down the days until I meet her! (7) !  Although we live in our trailer year round and often travel even when we're technically "home", I still measure our "tours" by weeks away from these precious little ones and the rest of my Seattle friends and family.  That being said, I knew this would be the longest time away for the year and we have yet to go on the road for more than 8 weeks without me having a homesick, emotional breakdown sooner or later.

However, as I said, I was also hopeful!  I knew God had big things planned for this summer and I was anxious to see what He would do.  I knew we would be more stationary than usual, spending three weeks at the first RV park, four weeks at Josh's parent's and then four weeks in Whitefish - that meant some stability which I looked forward to.  I knew we'd be working hard to finish my worship CD.  I knew we were going to many new churches.  I knew we'd get to visit Yellowstone National park for the first time and Glacier National Park several times.  I knew my boys would get to go to horse camp!

              

Of course, our God loves to exceed our expectations - to move in bigger, bolder, wiser, supernatural ways in and through us!

So let me tell you what else happened this summer...

We saw lives changed and people come to Christ!

We participated in authentic, humble worship over and over!

We watched our boys display spiritual growth and Biblical understanding that we had not seen before!

We finished writing a worship song - the first we've written since before my vocal injury!

We finished recording our worship album and sent it off for duplication!

We were blessed with a free multi-site, professional photo shoot! This gave us photos for our worship album as well as our new website - which Josh is working on!

I continue to see God's hand of healing in my heart in an area of personal struggle!

Josh began the process of writing a book!

God continues to provide for our ministry financially!

Our boys have shown significant growth in areas we've been working on and praying through both with their schooling and their character!

Our boys made some friends at the RV park we've been staying at so Noah had a friend to invite to celebrate his birthday with!

We have had opportunities to make new friends and minister to a few individuals during our extended RV park stays!

Our God is an awesome, mighty, generous God!  I am so grateful for His hand in our lives!

Now as we wrap up this trip and head "home" for a couple weeks, I continue to wait in anticipation of all God has in store! :)

 

Pressed But Not Crushed!

Today I am exhausted...depleted.  For someone who talks as much as I do, I desperately crave quiet, peace, and solitude.  Yes well, living in a trailer you can imagine how often I get solitude! Hah! ;)

That's okay, though.  That's what coffee shops and ear buds are for, right? 

Even as I type this though I find myself rolling my eyes at me (yes, I do that) because I know how fortunate I really am.  While some are starving and sleeping on dirt, I can come to Starbucks, order my froufrou latte and listen to The Piano Guys on Pandora while I type on my laptop using free wifi.  Yes, I truly have it rough!  Oh geez (insert another eye roll) I hope that my missionary friends in Uganda and Cambodia aren't reading this...

God has different calls for each of us, though!  I know that while I must keep in perspective the amount of tremendous blessings in my life, God still sees me where I am and sypathizes with my struggles.  He called me here after all!  He understands me and cares about my hurts and struggles.  He doesn't roll His eyes at me.  Thank you, Jesus, for not rolling your eyes at me!

It's been a long weekend!  Full of blessings, ministry, new friendships and fellowship...and lots and lots of people.  So like I said, I'm tired, even weary!

Of course, the Enemy saw that too and is great at kicking us when we're down.  I came to Starbucks for a break.  I found a table in the back corner and turned up my music.  Then I opened up Facebook. Ug!  Brilliant decision, right?!  My hope was to see pictures of my nieces and nephew or hear updates from my friends...but that's not what flooded my news feed.  Instead, I read about Marines being killed, heros being prosecuted, and late-term abortions being encouraged.  My heart wasn't strong enough for all of this today.  The heaviness in my heart was almost unbearable as I blinked back tears.

But God! (I'm praising God now that as easily as I can click open my Facebook, I can also click open blueletterbible.org)

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.

See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd;

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;

(Praise Jesus that's me, carried close to his heart!)

he gently leads those that have young...

"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" 

says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these?

(You did, Oh God, I know You did!!!) 

He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing...

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the tired and weary and increases the power of the weak."

(Thank you Yahweh! I am weary, but you are not!  And you make me strong!)

(Isaiah 40: 10-11, 25-26, 28-29)

You know what else?!  The prince of the air, the enemy of our souls...Guess what?!  He's the LOSER!  He will NOT have the final say!  Do you hear that Satan?!?  This does not end well for you!  You do not get the final say!!!

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, 

and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night,

has been hurled down.

(Hurled Down!!!!)

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea, 

because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short!..." 

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur..."

(Rev. 12:10-12,20:10a)

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, 

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory 

that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, 

but on what is unseen.  

For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.

(2 Cor. 4:16-18)