500

Sometimes I hear the news and almost lose hope in the world. Between school shootings, ISIS, poverty and war in the world, and the financial situation of our country, it seriously makes me wonder if there is anything good in this world anymore. But as soon as my brain goes down that gloom and doom road, I am almost always immediately reminded, somehow, that God is in control. He has not given up on us, nor will He ever. And today's reminder looked something like this:

500 churches. 500 NEW churches. And all of this has only been in the past 12 years or so, with the bulk of them being in the past 5. Josh and I went to our very first Association of Related Churches (ARC) training as newlyweds before launching our campus in Illinois. We were probably one of 20 other couples, the "training" was more of an opportunity to hang out with other people who were crazy enough to try the same thing, but the people that we met, who were on staff and who had already planted a church before us, well, they're what got us. By far it was one of the friendliest, authentic, most joy-filled, encouraging group of people we had ever been around. I grew up in churches where I mostly felt judged (was I wearing the right thing? Did they look at me and think that I had ever messed up or was I playing the role of perfect daughter/sister/friend/Christian perfectly? Did they know that I went out partying last weekend or did I hide that well enough?), but this particular group of Christians was just so real, down-to-earth, and genuinely wanted to know us... about our hopes, dreams for this church, why we were going to go plant, and what our fears and struggles were. Yes, they wanted to know the good AND the bad, so that they could truly help us and be there for us. Special. That's what these people were.

When we felt that the time had come to plant TurningPoint (about 2 1/2 years later), it was a no-brainer that we wanted to partner with these wonderful people again. And they have been there for us every step of the way... good and bad... to once again encourage us, answer questions, and connect us to other people on this same journey. Real people who just genuinely cared, without an agenda or expectation of anything in return. And with their help, we became number #252 on February 12, 2012. It's been quite a journey, but our church would not be what it is without their help, love, and support. Honestly, I would not be the person I am today without their leadership and authentic love for us! And three years later, we are still growing, thriving, and seeing hundreds of people say "yes" to Jesus and an eternity through our church. Hundreds of people who walk in our doors broken and lost, and walk out filled with hope, restored, and wanting to share this newfound love with others.

Today we are taking a quick trip to Birmingham for the dedication of the new ARC office building, named after the founder of this great organization. The Billy Hornsby Center for Church Planting will see hundreds thousands more church planters come through its doors to be trained, equipped, and sent out in the coming years. And with every church planter, and every new church, I am reminded that there is still so much hope in the world. As a younger generation re-discovers the Gospel, or gets introduced it for the first time, and learns to live a life of generosity, integrity, honor, love, and so much more; for them to find that they are made on a purpose and for a purpose; for others to realize that there is so much more to live this life for than just ourselves- hope springs forth anew. And so I cannot watch the news and be depressed. Sure, there are things that sadden me, and there always will be. I will always have compassion and hurt for the brokenhearted. But I will continue to keep in mind that He isn't finished yet, and His promises are always true, and never broken. 

Today as well celebrate, I am so incredibly honored, proud, and humbled to be #252. I am in awe of what God can do through an ordinary person who just decided that living selfishly and doing life her way was not fulfilling (and wasn't working), and so she said "yes" to what seemed to be a crazy dream of her husband. I am amazed by a God who promises that your past can be left behind and you can be a new creation in Him. He knew my sins and my path and gave me a husband, children, and partnered me in a ministry that I do not (nor ever will) deserve. He makes all things new, and these 500 churches are just the start of the newness that is cropping up all over the country. And they're only getting started...

[Galatians 6:9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Our Marriage Is...

Today we celebrate only four years of marriage. I say only four because when Josh and I discussed this the other day, we both gasped in disbelief that it's only been four years... not because it's been a long, unbearable four years, but because not only has it been incredibly happy and full of abundant blessings, but it has also been so non-stop! In four years of marriage we have lived in three states, given birth to two babies, and planted two churches! We have seen our church plant thrive and grow, we have experienced the loss of my job, and have met more incredible people that we call friends than I could ever ask for. We've lost a few loved ones, traveled to see family all over the place, and spoken into the lives of many future church planters through teaching opportunities with the ARC. If this is what we can accomplish in four years together, there is no telling what more there is to come. We are definitely better together, and I think these past four years shows us that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

When looking back on all of this, I think about that woman who stood at the altar four years ago and I'm amazed at how much she has changed. Granted, Josh married me for many reasons, so I am obviously the same woman he chose in hundreds of ways, but in so many BIG ways I am so much different. There are things that I never thought I'd do (marry a pastor for one, and move back to Kentucky for another!), challenges I would have never thought I'd tackle, and risks that I would never imagine taking. The biggest rewards in my life has been through these big, unexpected risks, and I thank God for bringing this man into my life, knowing that he was the man I needed to take me on this adventure. With him at my side I have come to understand who I am in Christ more than ever before, feel the overwhelming awesomeness of God's love for me, but most importantly, my eyes have been opened to the fact that I was created on purpose and for a purpose, and my purpose in life is unique to only me. I am useful not because I have a college degree and a career I could pursue, but I am useful to God to grow His kingdom, show kindness, love people, and serve others. I'm not saying that I would've never learned those things if I hadn't met Josh, but I certainly was not on a path in that was taking me that direction before our paths collided. There are so many wonderful things that this marriage has given me, so four years in, here are just a few things that make me smile about it. 

On our fourth anniversary, our marriage is:

• One that doesn't take much work, but it does take scheduling. Our lives are busy and full with two small children and a growing church, so carving out "us-time" is something we've committed to and become really good about. I know it makes a difference.
• Full of laughter... whether it's at each other or at the kids (and it's usually the kid), there are giggles and squeals all the time. There is nobody on the planet that knows how to make me laugh like Josh can, even when I'm trying to be mad about something and don't want to! It drives me nuts!
• Strong. Before we said "I Do," we promised each other that we would never allow ourselves to be in conversations that dishonor one another or publicly cut down each other. Even harmless, sarcastic jokes can sometimes hurt, and so we try to keep that at a minimum. At times it is appropriate to rib on each other in certain circles, but we can now both gauge when those times are appropriate and when they are not. We are a team and present ourselves as a united front and it's always nice to know that we've got each other's backs.
• Based on being best friends. I seriously love waking up to this man every day and cannot imagine my life without him. We often find ourselves bored with no plans, but it's honestly because just hanging out at home with each other is enough for us. 
• Full of challenge- not in an "our marriage is challenging" kind of way, but in a "you could do more" kind of way. If I say, "I should write a book," Josh's response is, "well what are you waiting for?" If he says, "I could probably finish and IronMan," I tell him, "then go do it!" You have to be careful what you suggest around here because big dreams that need to be followed are strongly encouraged. That's why I said "yes" to his dream of planting our church (which was huge for me!) and why we continue to come up with new dreams to see the world become a better place. I hope that is something that carries down into our parenting, too.
• Not without our differences. Especially in parenting, we disagree on things just as everyone does. Finding the right discipline for our children is tough, and sometimes we disagree on their future schooling or activities, even though we're not making those decisions quite yet. People disagree- that's a fact, so no marriage is immune to that. We have house rules for how we handle conflict and I think we do great at solving things without fighting, raising our voices, cutting each other down, or making a small conflict into a bigger fight about something different. Conflict is actually healthy and for us it produces a lot of great conversations where we consider different things that we may not have considered before. And whatever we agree on, we stick to that, again being a united front and keeping our "team" strong.
• Fun! Our family still has impromptu dance parties, pizza and movie night on the living room carpet, and will randomly pack up and go on some sort of local adventure to keep things interesting. We're about to leave for the beach, and I know that will be filled with fun!
• More than I ever thought it would be. Sure, I played "house" growing up and always wanted to be a wife and a mom, but marriage is more than just having dinner on the table at night (which is good since I'm horrible at that!) and making sure his clothes are washed and put away. In my husband I have a friend, a fan, an encourager, a tear-wiper, a really good hugger, a comic relief, an incredible advice-giver, a great father for our children, a handyman, a cheerleader, a risk taker, a teacher, a listener, a dream-sharer, and the list goes on and on. I am not the woman I am today without that man beside me, and I am really proud of the things that we have already accomplished together. When I made my "wish list" of what my husband and my marriage should be, God laughed at it and responded with I have something better. So if you're out there wondering where your Mr. Right is, just know that he's not "the one" if he doesn't blow your expectations out of the water! I had to wait 27 years to meet him, but it wasn't a moment too soon. And I look forward to spending the next 27 plus years with him by my side. Together I think we really can do anything we set our minds to!

Happy anniversary, Josh. I can't believe it's only been four years! 

Our marriage is... my favorite love story.

Speaking of Plants...

I saw this post over on Honey We're Home and it made me laugh because I have had the same exact post in my head for months and just never took the photos to do it.  You see, she has this plant in her home that seems to survive no matter how poorly it is taken care of, and wanted to know what kind of plant it is. And me? Well, I've been known to have a bit of a "black thumb" and can kill anything that I try to grow, but we, too, have this one plant that was given to us awhile back that can stand up to just about anything.  Meet Laz:

Yeah, poor guy... this is what he looks like most of the time. He goes for weeks without water, even though I see him and think, "gee, I should really water that thing!" And after a couple of pitiful weeks I finally get around to it and without fail, a day or two later, he's back to his perky old self:

Pretty amazing, right? This is probably the only plant we will ever have in our house since I know he can survive my terrible care and has already weathered a move.  After reading the comments on her post I learned that this is a peace lily, which are actually poisonous so I am thankful that I have always had it on top of our china cabinet where no little hands (or mouths) can get to it!

And the name? You might've guessed it... Laz is short for Lazarus, the man that Jesus raised from the dead (which you can read about here). I think ol' Laz can relate.

And speaking of raising from the dead, I wish all of you a very happy Easter. For us who call ourselves Christians, this is far more important than Easter and is the reason behind it all. I am thankful for a God who loved us so much that He sacrificed His one and only son so that my sins could be washed clean, therefore allowing myself to have a relationship with the creator of the universe. If you are in a place where you do not understand the magnitude and wonder of it all, I challenge you to explore this truth this weekend, go to a life-giving church, hear about the love He has for us, and be in the most important and valuable relationship that we are offered. Or if you do know, and know that His love dramatically changes the quality of your life, remember to invite a friend this weekend. Do you know that 1 out of every 4 people invited to church will accept, and the percentage is even higher on Easter weekend? Someone out there is just waiting to be asked, so what are you waiting for?

Happy Easter, friends. I hope you have a blessed, fun-filled weekend!

He's "OSO" Special

March just seems to be getting away from us this year. Between lots of travels, wedding festivities, and the crazy schedules that can come from pastoring a church, our calendar has been full. Thankfully we had the foresight to just have a small family gathering for Jake's birthday this year rather than a full blown party like in year's past. While they were fun and we'll surely do it again in the future, his best buddy is his cousin anyway, so as long as he was in town, Jake would be one happy boy.

 

While we did not have a "theme," the one thing I refused to skimp on was the cake. Growing up, my mom made THE BEST cakes for us... she has a gift. As soon as Jake was born I knew that decorating a special cake for my kids each year was one tradition that would continue. Jake really does not request anything in particular yet (and if you asked him, he'll tell you that it's everyone else's birthday but his!), so I just went with what he's been requesting the most on TV lately.

"Mo Spessy Oso, please, Mommy?"

 

That's "More Special Agent Oso, please, Mommy?" in Jake-talk. Have I told you how much I love Jake-talk? He still uses so many of his own words, even when he knows the real word. I'll be a little sad once he starts speaking in full-on proper sentences. *sigh*

 

But I digress... what's that you say? You don't know who Special Agent Oso is? Yeah, I would not have either a year ago! You can find him on Disney Jr. and essentially he's the "unique, stuffed bear. He's on a special assignment to help a kid somewhere..." Oh sorry, mom-with-a-toddler, did I get that stuck in your head? My apologies.

 

If you're still lost, here's a picture:

Cute, eh? And my rock-star mom just so happens to still have the teddy-bear pan that she used for my Care Bear cake back in 1985... who says hanging onto things doesn't pay off? It worked perfectly:

And Jake? The dude absolutely loved it! He knew who is was right off the bat and then immediately said, "can we cut Oso?" Our growing boy has priorities!

 

Thankfully we made sure it lasted long enough to actually make it to the party where he graciously shared it with his Aunt Mindy who had a birthday last week, too.

I still can't believe this kid is three... to me he'll always be my Little Sweet Baby Jake.

Old, New, Borrowed... and Blue!

I think I've mentioned before, but in April I am going to be in back-to-back weddings. Not only that, but I am the matron of honor in both, so I have double-duty when it comes to making the time leading up to the weddings special for each bride. On the upside, there are a few small details that I have been able to duplicate, such as fun shower games and printables, but because of this I've had to put off the first of my recaps until both showers had been celebrated. So, even though this was back in January, here's a quick look at the fun we had at my best friend's bridal shower!

If you've ever met Elizabeth, you'll somehow learn very early on that her middle name is Blue. It's a family name and she loves it, and I do, too! Many people call her that, and so it seemed appropriate that we use the very appropriate theme of something old, something new, something borrowed, and of course... something Blue!  The I'm not posting a super-great image of the invitations, mainly because I swiped an image from the Internet and used it for my own design, but you could order very simlilar ones here:

We of course had hints of blue everywhere, but also used lace doilies and decorated with Mason jars to give it that vintage, old feel. I personally loved the way it all came together!

And ohhhhh these cupcakes were amazing! They were a chocolate-peanut butter creation from Annie's Eats. The frosting was to die for!  And how fun is the wine bottle in the high heel? The idea was from one of the other bridesmaids and I do believe that heels and wine were made to go together!

 

As for the food, we kept it simple and purchased finger sandwiches and a vegetable tray from Kroger, served pita chips and hummus, and an easy (yet delicious!) salad made up of field greens and spinach, mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries, sliced almonds, and poppyseed dressing. Delish! And thanks to someone who is much better at mixing beverages than I am, we even had blue sangria! It's hard to tell in the picture though!

 

After everyone had something to eat and mingled a bit, we passed around a notebook for them to write some advice for the bride-to-be, which will be a fun little keepsake for her. And then we passed out bridal shower Madlibs to do with a friend during the gift opening! I always think it's a good idea to have something for the guests to do while the gifts are being opened. I think it makes the guest of honor feel a little less awkward, too, since it's all eyes on her at that moment!

 

 

 

For the Mad Libs, I once again swiped someone else's brilliant design (are you seeing a pattern here) and customized it to fit my needs. But to give credit where credit is due, you can check out the original here.  Once I tweaked it, mine looked like this:

 

 

These were a huge hit, but even funnier was listening to everyone try and remember what a noun, verb, and adjective are! Wow, it's been awhile since we've all been in grammar class!  And as you know, I like to share, so if you ever wanted to use this, just email me and I'll gladly change the groom's name (since I highly doubt she'll be marrying a Dara!) and send you a copy.

 

All in all, it was a great day! I can't wait to stand next to these gorgeous bridesmaids in just a few weeks as my favorite person gets hitched!

 

But even sooner than that, I REALLY can't wait to meet up with them for our Bachelorette Mountain Getaway this weekend! After a week and a half of taking care of sick kids, this girls' weekend could not come at a better time... this mama needs it!  Look out Smoky Mountains, here we come!

 



Celebrating our Bug!

This past weekend we gathered with family and a few friends to celebrate Lilly's first birthday! I was pretty selective in who would be recieving invites since Jake's first birthday was an absolute zoo with about forty families in attendance... yowza! So aside from the other pastor at our church and his family, we sent invites to a few families that have babies Lilly's age- you know, her little friends. My sister, Mindy, designed the invitations and set the theme for the whole party:

And as a sidenote, she does freelance work, so if you're ever looking for design stuff, she's a great option. She has a craft-blog, too, which can be seen here.

But anyway, going with a ladybug theme was fun and easy! Instead of trying to find a lot of ladybug decor, we kind of veered toward red, black and white with polka-dots. And of course our party-girl had to dress for the occasion and I found the perfect dress and shoes... and then majorly failed and did not get a photo! This is the best I have (and if you look REALLY close you can see the ladybugs on her dress and shoes), but I know this outfit will be revisited for her 1-year-old photos soon!

We just did a light lunch with a mostly bug-themed menu: chicken salad sandwiches, ants on a log, Lilly's favorite (yogurt) parfaits, caterpillars-in-cocoons (pigs in a blanket), and Ladybug Chow (potato chips and a giant bowl of Cheerios for the little ones).

And of course there were cupcakes and a smash cake, decorated by yours truly... one of my favorite things to do:

The decorations were downloaded for free from Smitten Blog Designs, and my lovely friend Laura, who surprised me from out of town, put her crafting skills to work and strung the banner together for me. It turned out super-cute!

We had a small turnout due to babies with fevers and busy Saturday schedules, but Lilly loved the attention, loved being sang to, and as expected, REALLY loved the cake!

It was a special day indeed for a very special girl... I still can't believe she's a year old already (sniff).

On Moms...

I have read so many great posts on motherhood over the past couple of days, and after this weekend, my heart is so incredibly full.  Sometimes in the midst of chaos, I think I can forget what a true blessing it is.  How lucky I am to have two sweet, healthy children.  How incredibly blessed I am to have a mom who is still around and lives nearby.  How wonderful it is to have married a man who has a great mom, too, as well as a grandmother that would probably let me move in if I wanted to.  I often take for granted the fact that I have two sisters whom I see often, who are not only awesome mothers, but such good aunties to my kids.  Then I have a sister-in-law who I miss dearly every single day, because she is my phone call when I need a good laugh... my niece (her daughter) does the cutest darn things.  I have some amazing aunties myself, and now being grown up and having nieces and nephews of my own, I so deeply appreciate them.  My husband works side-by-side with a woman who has such a great relationship with her two kids, both older than mine, and I look up to her tremendously.  One of my best friends has four (yes, FOUR!) and kept her sanity and did a great job with them even while her husband was deployed for a year.  Another new (but already incredibly close) friend here has FIVE... and will bend over backwards to do something for others.  I have friends from blogging, and even though I've never met their children, their pictures and stories make me feel like I just saw them yesterday, and I love "knowing" their kids and what kinds of moms they are.  I have moms in my life with one, two, three, four, and five kids.  I have moms with twins and moms with kids so close in age they might as well be!  I know moms who have lost a child and moms who have prayed fervently that their child would pull through sickness.  I have moms in my life who were not planning on being moms and some that went through great lengths to become one.  When I look back on my life, I have always been surrounded by some pretty phenomenal women, most of which were mothers to their own kids, but still showed so much love and kindness to me.  I think your heart expands in ways that cannot be explained when you become a mom.  Sure your belly grows, but it (somewhat) goes back to it's original size, but everyday I find that I have more love, more compassion, more care, more hurt, more empathy, and more to give of myself to others than ever before.  Motherhood is an amazing gift, not just because it gives us some pretty incredible kids to love on, but because of the ways it changes you.  I can't imagine my life right now without this gift, and I'm thankful for a weekend that allowed me to just stop for a minute, turn off the chaos, and just focus on how special it really is.  And to all of the special mamas in my life, I just want to thank you, too.  You have impacted me and help shape me as a mother everyday.  We're better together, and I'm blessed to be surrounded by some incredibly strong moms who make me want to become a better one.  Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Me and my Mama before my wedding

My mother-in-law snuggling with my Jake

My Nana... whom we miss dearly this year

MawMaw Brenda... kissing on her great grandson

Aunt B and Carol... aunties who love us like our own mothers.  Miss you, too, Aunt B!

Aunt Claudia - one of the strongest moms I know

Aunt Karen and her girls... one of my mama role-models for sure!

My sister Angie and her boys.

My other sister, Mindy, and sweet Adam

My sister-in-law, Ginny, and cutie-pie Baby Skye

Gretchen - our other pastor's wife and a rockstar mom

Cory and three of the five... how does she do it?

Kristen, who has been my friend since high school and our kids FINALLY got to meet a few weeks ago!

Abby: Mother of three (two of which are twins) and rock-star triathlete

My best blog-buddy... hoping to meet your kiddos this summer!

Chelsea loving on sweet Charley... the youngest of her four

There are SOOOO many others and I hope you know who you are, but finding and swiping Facebook and blog pictures took much longer than I thought!  :)  And I certainly hope you don't mind that I stole some sweet moments from you ladies!

And in other mom news... please check my sister's blog HERE for a little update from her.