A mere 365 days out of the previous thousands

Aurelia and I experienced the most surreal realization on Sunday, June 24th. It marked exactly one year since we invited the other couples in our Sunday evening Life Group to attend the Banner Hill Vision Meeting being hosted that evening by Bryan & Jodi Shippey. It was our understanding that the Shippey's would share more details on how God was leading them to Framingham and the MetroWest area of Boston. We assumed the meeting would also provide more specific information on how we could support their ministry (ie, prayer partners, financial support, Blue Bell shipments, etc). Our attendance was a show of moral support for our friends (and my barber... Bryan is a man of many talents, lol)! As mentioned in our earliest posts ["Vacation Turned Vision Trip" and "How This Began"], God had much bigger plans for our "show of support" than what we had envisioned.

Aurelia and I walked out of the meeting having told the Shippey's that we each had separately felt an inexplicable and seemingly insane "feeling" that we were supposed to move with them to Framingham... move to Massachusetts! Born & bred Texans! Not ministers or missionaries... just ordinary folks (we're both registered nurses). We wandered in a daze for a few days... was this a mid-life crisis? Was this some bad Tex-Mex food creating delusions of grandeur? Could God really be asking us to uproot our family and walk in blind (arguably reckless) faith? How could we afford the cross-country move? Where would we live? Where would we work? Are we jeopardizing our family's well-being? Who are we to think we have something special to give or important to speak into the lives of those New Englanders?

On the morning of June 27th, we received the latest installment of daily scripture sent via group text by the legendary Mike "Coach" Meyers. This is what the text said: "Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives! See Jer 1:8. Safest place = center of God's will!" Mike was not aware of the decision we were debating... almost no one was aware of it yet. Of course, God was aware!

“Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. 
I, the Lord, have spoken!”  -- Jeremiah 1:7-8

I think we already knew the decision was clear, but that timely verse of encouragement was just the booster shot we needed to pull the proverbial trigger! We told God "Yes" to whatever was His plan as long as He provided the way... after all He said, "I Am the Way!" Just peruse through this blog to see the unimaginable means & method that God provided "the Way". Today, July 2nd, is now the jumping off point... we stand at the door of the plane, the light has turned green, it's time to jump. But we do not jump into the great unknown or into a deep & dark void! No, dear friends, we leap into the outstretched arms of our Father who will never fail us (Heb 13:5b)... He beckons us to spring from our supposed place of safety & security into our true place of strength and refuge. A mighty fortress is our God. Our protector and our guarantor.

Our house is empty. The moving truck is gone. Tommy has resigned from MD Anderson effective today. Our minivan is loaded (read the incredible story of that blessing HERE). We hit the road this afternoon. We are Faithfully for Framingham. Framingham Here We Come!! #AllIn #BannerHillChurch #LeapOfFaith #NoFearInMyFathersArms

We need a Minivan?!?!

If you read Tommy's previous post, you already know that God has continued to challenge us in this new season of life.  You also may know that we just purchased a Minivan after our Camry was totaled. Why a Minivan? Well, along with all the other BIG news coming from Tommy and myself, we are elated to announce that our family has grown by two little hearts!!  No, I'm NOT pregnant and definitely not pregnant with twins!  Tommy and I have been blessed with the opportunity to take assume custody of my niece and nephew on a permanent basis.  While they were living in a wonderful home with my mother, it was decided that the children would benefit more from living with our family and so, in March, we began the process of moving these two young kiddos into our home with the intention of moving them to Framingham with us this coming summer. I would like to formally introduce both children!



Laura Beth Amann is 6 years old (only 6 weeks older than Alex) and has always had a special place in our hearts!  She is spunky and witty.  Her sense of humor can compete with some of the best and her "tell it like it is" attitude is refreshing.  She is in the 1st grade and is looking forward to playing in "that white stuff on the ground" when we move to the Metro West area.  She enjoys playing outdoors and can keep up with the boys better than most girls I know!  We are so excited to see what God has in store for this little girl with a BIG heart!

Blake Duane Amann is 4 years old and is a firecracker.  He runs, jumps, and climbs on everything and has NO FEAR!! I'm sure we will rack up quite the ER bill due to all the broken bones and stitches he will need as his courage multiplies in the coming years.  He is certainly teaching Alex what it means to be a Texas BOY and they have such fun together... when they aren't fighting.  Shortly after he moved in with us, he started pre-school and enjoys going to "big boy school" just like the big kids!  This little man loves to give and receive affection and when he's having a bad day, a hug will usually improve his mood!




Izzy and Alex have taken well to the change in atmosphere and are settling in to having more siblings.  This means less chores and more playmates... what kid wouldn't be happy!  There are certainly challenges, but the good far outweighs anything else.  A lot has changed in the last month for our family but we are confident that God has placed these little ones in our home for a reason and we plan to take full advantage of our time together.  We don't know what the future holds for our new party of six, but right now we are just enjoying our new family unit and look forward to moving forward in our pursuit of being Faithfully for Framingham.

God's Providence: Never Late, Rarely Early, Always On-Time

Where did this journey to Framingham actually begin? A hike upstream towards the headwaters of our lives reminds us of the many cataracts and river forks through which God has already guided us. You should read: "How This Crazy Love Idea Began" and also "Vacation Turned Vision Trip" where Aurelia beautifully details some of the back story for this major life transition... and by "back story" I mean some of the ways that God just loves to show off!

Careful reflection of the past can provide indicators of God's continuing Providence, but sometimes He advertises His Providence as such that no rational being can deny His powerful and perfect presence in the daily minutiae of our lives! The week of March 18 - 23rd, 2018 was just such an astonishing demonstration of John Newton's prayer of surrender: "Lord, what you will, when you will, how you will!" 

As some of you may know our family recently expanded to an even half-dozen (the kids have us outnumbered now!) by taking in Aurelia's niece and nephew (ages 6 & 4). As Kipling would say, THAT is another story... but the point here is that we needed a vehicle that could seat 6 (not just for Framingham but also for immediate use). Aurelia's mom, Julie Ketterman, approached us on Sunday the 18th with an incredibly generous monetary gift towards the purchase of a suitable family vehicle, but that we needed to act on it quickly (within the next week or so). This enormous blessing from God (via Julie's faithful generosity) would assist us in acquiring a vehicle when we were simultaneously preparing to soon purchase a home in Framingham! Aurelia & I were ecstatic and by that evening (Sunday) we had already settled on what make/model to purchase... we just needed to start shopping around for one that fit our budget.

The next day, Monday the 19th, Aurelia was in a car wreck while exiting Interstate 45. She was shaken up but uninjured, however the Camry (our family's primary vehicle which we intended to take to Boston) was towed to the shop for likely several weeks of repairs. Of course, we were very grateful that Aurelia was okay (as were the other 2 drivers involved), but then we realized we were now a 1-car family and it was an older-model car. The car-buying process went into hyper-drive as Tuesday the 20th was spent car shopping until we found a used Toyota Sienna with a price tag in our budget... we signed the paperwork that Tuesday (again, all glory to God and unending gratitude to Julie), but the dealership wanted to "tweak" a few things before we took possession... so we would wait to pickup the vehicle on Thursday the 22nd.

"Suppose you were in a smith's shop, and should see there several sorts of tools, some crooked, some bowed, others hooked, would you condemn all these things, because they do not look handsome? The smith makes use of them all for doing his work. Thus it is with the Providences of God; they seem to us to be very crooked and strange — yet they all carry on God's work." - Thomas Watson (1620-1686)

Wednesday the 21st we woke up grateful for the provision of a beautiful, spacious and reliable minivan soon-to-be in our possession. However, even great blessings don't crowd out all those nagging voices... all those fears still lurking in the corners of your mind! Now we are a 3-car family? One car we don't like but still need, one car we love but can't use, one car we bought but don't currently have? Are we now going to have to drive TWO cars across the country (Camry & Sienna)? Because that sounds like so much fun! Now also an unexpected expense for the deductible of the insurance claim? Arrghh... why has it been so difficult to set aside money for the anticipated down-payment on a TBD house in Framingham? <thoughts interrupted by PING of email alert> Oh look! Our realtor has found a 4 bdrm house in our price range with **GASP** 2 baths (3-4 bdrm houses have only 1 bath up there... its really weird)! The seller has an Open House scheduled on Sat the 24th... if we want a fighting chance in that competitive market we need to put in an offer beforehand. Sight-unseen?! Well maybe we can ask Bryan & Jodi Shippey to tour it with our realtor... oh look, the house is LITERALLY around the corner from where the Shippey's live! Yep, same neighborhood... just two streets away.

<slowly shakes head> This has to be a God-thing... this house seems perfect for us and for the kids to be within walking (or sledding) distance to our fellow transplanted Texans... can we really get our hopes up for this? But we still haven't found jobs up there... did I mention we've made almost no progress in setting aside for the down-payment?!

***ASIDE: Down-payment has been a sore subject for Aurelia & I at the monthly "household budget committee meeting". In Aug 2016, we participated in "Financial Peace University" (a curriculum by Dave Ramsey for debt-reduction and financial planning in a God-honoring manner) hosted by our church. A key concept to FPU is the supreme priority given to debt-reduction (almost to the exclusion of anything beyond basic living expenses). Utilizing these Biblical principles and with God's blessing we have paid off most of our combined debt (both cars are just a couple months from being free & clear). However, it is almost counter-intuitive to NOT sock a little (or a lot) away each month towards this massive expense (moving, house-hunting, buy a snow blower) growing ever larger on the horizon. Nonetheless, every time that we have financially stepped out in faith, God has worked it out Providentially... so we remained faithful to the debt-reduction plan at the expense of a savings plan. Shout out to Tyler Rohr, Jim Bankson & Anne Tillman for teaching, leading and encouraging us on the path to financial peace!***

So now look where we are... the seemingly perfect house is sitting there but is it out of our reach? We won't win a bidding war and even if the Seller takes our barely respectable offer (and is willing to wait 3-4 months to close), how for God's sake are we gonna come up with a down-payment in time?!?! Well THAT question holds the answer: "It is not for your sake that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my Holy name." (Ezekiel 36:22) We didn't know all the answers, but as a continuation of this journey of faithfulness on Wednesday the 21st we asked that our realtor and Jodi Shippey tour the home with the intention of submitting our offer immediately afterward. The walk-through would be on Friday morning the 23rd.

Thursday morning the 22nd found me at the dealership waiting for them to bring the minivan around and hand me the keys. I got a call from State Farm regarding the wrecked Camry. I was shocked to learn they were calling it a total loss! Aurelia wasn't even bruised in the accident, but turns out the frame, struts, even steering column had been wrenched and torqued enough to consider the car totaled. My head was spinning... we LOVED that car, it's ALMOST paid-off, why couldn't the CRAPPY car get totaled?! God, why do these things keep happening to us?! <subconscious brain alert: that State Farm lady just said a REALLY big dollar amount> "I'm sorry what did you say? State Farm is cutting us a check for how much?!"

So there I am at a dealership to pickup a vehicle that seats our expanded family and which didn't negatively impact our overall budget. We won't need to be a 3-car family and will only need to drive one car to Massachusetts. What took my breath away: God had chosen to honor our faithfulness in sacrificial debt-reduction by returning to us the full equity of the Camry! We wouldn't have thought to sell it and had we tried we wouldn't have gotten the full value of the vehicle. Only by His omnipotent design could that car be damaged severely enough to be considered a total loss, but in such a way that no one was injured! I was further stunned to realize the timing of events: neither the body shop nor State Farm had contacted us since the accident (aka, there had been no indication this could possibly be a total loss). God ensured we had no knowledge of this payout until AFTER we had completed the car-buying process (else I might have been tempted to use it to purchase more car than we actually needed). He also ensured we were informed of the payout on the eve of deciding whether to make an offer on a house in Framingham... this insurance check would equate to 2/3 of the necessary down-payment!

Thus it was that on Friday the 23rd we asked our realtor for advice on how to make the most attractive offer on the house in Framingham (within our budget constraints). Completely unaware of the news of our financial windfall, our realtor suggested we state in the offer that after the option period we would place an additional deposit in escrow... the dollar amount she suggested was the same amount that State Farm was sending to us! We agreed immediately... when God is cooking up something good just stay out of the kitchen! To make this already long story short, the seller agreed to everything: he asked for a small bump in price (still within our budget), agreed to our delayed closing at the end of June, agreed to the repairs noted in the subsequent home inspection and cancelled the Open House originally scheduled for the following day! The seller then informed us that he was leaving the country and was willing to sell ALL the furniture (yes everything) in the home for just $2000! Yes please!

"But Jesus said, 'My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working.'" - John 5:17

Much still lies ahead in the next 3 months as we prep for this move... next big hurdle: gainful employment for Tommy in the Boston area. However, as we continue to faithfully step out God continues to faithfully work it out for His glory! Aurelia and I can quite clearly see the varying "tool marks" of the different instruments [people and events] which He has used to work on us, in us and for us... He NEVER stops working! He is Faithfully working and we are Faithfully For Framingham.

Can you describe God in only ONE word?!

I wonder if we do a disservice to our non-Christian friends, if not to God himself, when we only "advertise" Him as the LOVING God... Jesus loves you! God is Love! "Well John 3:16 says..." Yes, yes God did love the world enough to send his Son... its a well-known verse. God DOES love his children... however, it is a holy love. He also has holy justice, holy mercy, holy wrath... do we see a common pattern? In Scripture a word will be repeated to emphasize its importance (ex: Christ would say "truly, truly I say to you..."). Not that something can be doubly-true, but we get the feeling Christ is really trying to get our attention... the Teacher is rapping their ruler on the desk. What if the word was used three times? Triplified! [my own word]

Change gears briefly with me, but I'll tie it all together later... How would you describe yourself in ONE WORD? Nice? Cute? Moody? Fickle? Which one attribute of God would you pick to describe Him? This is a great conversation starter with anyone who states belief in the God of the Bible. Almost without fail, most people will pick the word L.O.V.E. as the most important, relevant, and complete description of our Almighty Father. I humbly submit that we have unintentionally emasculated our deity! We want a blue-eyed, gray-haired, kindly old granddad-God to sit us on his knee. WHAT?! Did loving Gramps kill thousands of first-born children in Egypt on the night of the first Passover? Did sweet Mr. Rogers order the Israelites to execute every man, woman, child & even all the livestock during the destruction of the Amalekites? You will never hear THAT Bible story told in Sunday School [check it out: 1 Samuel 15]!!

Jehovah-Sabaoth is the fierce commander of the armies of God! Behold, the LION of the Tribe of Judah has triumphed! Lions aren't cuddly or particularly "lovey-dovey"... why do you think they have tall walls, moats and other barriers at the zoo?! Within the allegorical book "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe", a child asked if the fictional lion Aslan was "safe" because they wanted to pet him. Another character answered sagely, "Safe?!? No, he is not safe... but he is GOOD!"

So which one word would I use to describe "Our Lawgiver" (Isaiah 33:22), "Our Wall of Fire" (Zech 2:5) and "Our Purifier" (Malachi 3:3)? Which one attribute most fully depicts "Jehovah, Mighty in Battle" (Psalm 24:8), "The Captain of the Host of the Lord" (Joshua 5:14) and the "King of Glory" ( Psalm 24:10)? I am but a lowly servant of "The Rock of My Salvation" (2 Sam 22:47) and do not presume to have seen the face of "The Chiefest of Among Ten Thousand" (Song of Solomon 5:10). However, there are creatures whose sole purpose is to incessantly and without fail bestow praise & honor upon "The God of the Whole Earth" (Isaiah 54:5). These heavenly beings utter but one word, one embodiment of "The Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2)! Scripture reveals they repeat this singular description THREE times to place extreme emphasis (aka, "triplified")!

Do I have you on the edge of your seat? Shall we take a peek into the throne room of El Elyon (the Most High God)? As you approach the Throne of Grace what one word now springs to your tongue, indeed it pounds within your brain, slices through your body & forces you to lay prostrate and beg mercy before Jehovah-M'Kaddesh? This last name holds the key... can you guess what it is that Scripture and truly all of Creation cries out as being the very essence of our King of Kings?

Tell me what one word rises on the wings of the dawn... tell me who is this God of yours... tell me who is this King of Glory... go ahead, tell me!

She stands alone before God

God has been teaching me a BIG lesson over the last couple weeks.  It all started when Izzy took the stage for her very first dance solo at competition.  She woke up confident, rested, and prepared for what she had to do.  She had worked hard for 6 months leading up to this one moment and she was ready to set the stage on fire for God! I kissed her for good luck, then I went and sat in the audience as my baby girl walked, by herself, into the spotlight and faced the judges.  I could no longer help her.  All I could do was watch. Watch and pray! 

The music started and I watched her face light up!  She was in her element. She was worshiping God through dancing and it was AMAZING to watch.  Then, it happened... She fell.  She fell on a skill that she had done countless times before with no problem.  I sat there and watched as the confidence drained from her face, but being the competitor that she is, she got up, smiled at the judges and continued her dance.  Then, I realized that in the midst of her fall, she had forgotten her choreography.  She forgot the steps that she has had memorized for 6 months. And then, because the enemy doesn't stop attacking after one fall, she fell again towards the end of her dance.  When Satan sees someone doing BIG things for the Kingdom of God, he hits them hard.  He wasn't backing down... he was trying everything he could to bring her down.

My heart was breaking for my sweet girl.  I sat in the audience and watched her struggle.  I wanted to run up on stage and tell her that it was going to be ok. I wanted to hug her. I wanted her to know that she was doing a great job and that I was proud of her.  I wanted to make excuses for her.  I wanted to tell the judges that it was early in the morning and she was tired, or ask them to be lenient on her since it was her first competition.  Instead, I sat frozen in my chair, tears flowing down my face, surrounded by other dance moms who felt my heartache with me.

So where in all this is my lesson?  Through this experience, God has made it clear that one day, Izzy will have to stand alone, before her ultimate Judge, without me.  I can make sure she is prepared for her Christian walk, I can teach her what I know, and I can surround her with like-minded people.   I can make sure she has the best teachers, pastors, and friends, but eventually she WILL fall. She WILL stumble. She WILL forget what she has learned.  In Acts 14 we are reminded that "through MANY hardships, we must enter the Kingdom of God".  Not some, not a few, but MANY.  It's guaranteed in our Christian walk that WILL fall, stumble and forget our way. 

What I'm learning is that I cannot help her in these moments. I cannot make excuses for her or comfort her. I can pray for her and encourage her.  I can cheer her on from the sideline, but she has to do it alone. On that final day, when she steps into the spotlight at the pearly gates and stands before our supreme Judge, I cannot hold her hand.  God will not want to hear my excuses.  He will not ask me if she was prepared or if she practiced her faith.  She will stand alone and answer to Him alone.  I can only watch from the audience, praying for her while surrounded by other mama's whose daughters are next. 

Knowing God's Will

        
     One of the most common questions I get asked when I'm talking about our Framingham story is how do I know this is God's will for our family. Usually, I just say "It's a feeling", and then when they give me a blank stare, I say something to the effect of "I don't know how to explain it, I just know". But the more I tell our story, the more I realize that my responses are not adequate. My responses are a cop-out and do not show how faithful my God is to our family. So I have set out to come up with a better answer to that question. 

       In the Bible there are several stories that detail how God spoke to his people.  To name a few examples... 

• Numbers 22:1-35 - God speaks to Balaam through his donkey

• Exodus 3:1-4 - God speaks to Moses through a burning bush

• Luke 1 - God speaks through an angel to Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds  

• In Genesis, God spoke directly to Adam and Eve

     I could go on and on, but you get the idea. In the Bible we are shown how God spoke directly to his people. It's easy to know (not always to follow) God's command and live within His will when we hear directly from Him. It's a totally different story when we are trying to decipher what God wants for us in today's world. Today, we don't get talking donkeys or burning bushes. I've never had an angel come talk to me. Although, if these things were to happen to me, I'm pretty sure I'd head straight to the ER to get evaluated. But, GOD DOES SPEAK TO US!  We just have to know where to listen.

     There are so many distractions that can hinder our ability to be still and listen.  I am often struggling to know if my concept of the will of God is actually just one of my selfish desires.  We are a sinful and egotistical people and we want whatever we think is best for us. It's tempting to justify our personal wants as God's will. Is it really God's will that I eat this third donut? It's a silly example, I know, but this is how most of us think when we hear the term "God's will".  

     There are times when I know God has spoken to me through various methods. A couple years ago, I woke up after having a dream about being a wild goat on the side of a mountain... Weird right? I had no clue what to think. It wasn't until I told Tommy about my dream that he referenced Psalm 104:18 "The high mountains are for the goats, the rocks are a refuge for small beasts." Now, I don't remember what was happening in my life at the time or if this verse helped ease some internal anxiety, but I know that now I remember that dream when I am faced with something that scares me. God is so good to his creation that He designed a goat to be able to seek refuge and escape the enemy on the side of a mountain, a place where the enemy cannot go! If He provides protection to a lowly goat, doesn't He also provide protection for His people? I believe that God used that dream to equip me with the knowledge that He offers protection for ALL of His creation including me.

     Most recently, music seems to be God's method of choice when wanting to break through my busyness and noise. Last week, Tommy and I were having breakfast and discussing how the need to make a home in Framingham makes me nervous since we will be starting from scratch. No family, only a few friends, no HEB or Whataburger even! Then, as if I went deaf, all the noise seemed to stop and I hear the words "Just know you're not alone, I'm gonna make this place your home"! Through all the background noise of a busy restaurant, God needed me to hear those lyrics. I immediately stopped what I was doing and looked up the song. I've heard this song many times but I don't think I ever listened to the lyrics.  

Hold on, to me as you go // As you roll down this unfamiliar road // And although this wave is stringing us along

Just know you’re not alone // 'Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear // Don't pay no mind to the demons // They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down // If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you’re not alone // 'Cause I’m going to make this place your home     

     God took this secular song and showed me that He knows what is going on in my heart, and that He's preparing a place for me in Framingham that will be my HOME. Not just the house we live in, but the HOME that we can love. CHILLS!!! 

     OK, I know this post is long but I want to give you one more example of a song that might encourage you to be receptive to the ways in which God communicates with you! Before you read the lyrics and see why this song is a song from God, I want you to remember a couple of things. We made the decision to move to Framingham on June 25th and this song was released on August 4th. Banner Hill Church's "slogan" is All In! Part of our journey is that Tommy and I were challenged to no longer live a lukewarm Christian life. I believe that this song was created by God through Matthew West for Banner Hill and those who have bought into the mission of being All In!

My feet are frozen on this middle ground // The water's warm here but the fire's gone out

I played it safe for so long the passion left // Turns out safe is just another word for regret

So, I step to the edge and I take a deep breath // We're all dying to live but we're all scared to death // And this is the part where my head tells my heart // You should turn back around but there's no turning back now

I'm going ALL IN // Headfirst into the deep end // I hear You calling // And this time the fear won't win // I'm going, I'm going ALL IN

     God certainly knows how to reach my heart.  He absolutely knows how to reach YOUR heart too.  You just have to be willing (and brave enough) to listen.  You (probably) aren't going to get a burning bush or an angel, but when God has something to say to you, He will find a way to speak to you!

I don't know how to make friends...

9th Grade

       I have been friends with the same group of girls for over half my life.  I met most of them when I was in 7th grade while we were all awkwardly trying (and failing) to find out who we were.  We went through puberty together. We went through first kisses and first loves together.  We comforted each other's broken hearts and celebrated the milestones.  These women were some of the first to hold my babies.  They stayed by my side when young motherhood threatened my sanity.  My husband is friends with their husbands; my kids are friends with their kids.  I know that this kind of friendship is rare and I an eternally grateful for these women and their presence in my life.  It's strange to me to think that I could be a completely different person had I not make these vital connections all those years ago.

12th Grade

   
        During our trip to New England last fall, I was talking to a women about our new calling while visiting Banner Hill Church.  She asked me what I was most afraid of regarding our move.  While I have a list of things that cause me mild trepidation, having to make new friends is at the top of the list.  I quickly realized that I don't know how to make friends.  I haven't had to do it in about 20 years.  I'm not talking about acquaintances or those people you know from work.  I'm talking about the friends that know EVERYTHING about you.  The friends that don't feel the need to entertain me when I'm at their house.  The kind of friends who come with a sense of comfort that can only be found in those you have known through the ups and downs of life.  Finding this kind of friendship requires a level of transparency and vulnerability that do not come easily for me... or any woman that I know.

2007

     After talking with this woman for a little while, she stopped me and recommended a book called Messy Beautiful Friendship by Christine Hoover.  That night I downloaded the book to my kindle and immediately felt that Christine was inside my head and knew exactly how I felt.  Christine Hoover is the wife of a pastor who also moved their family across the country to plant a church.  While I am not a pastor's wife, the struggles that Christine went through gave me an insider view of my future.  She explained that when we are children, friendship comes easily mostly because we were forced to spend time with the same people day after day, month after month and year after year.  We were in school together, we were in the same after school activities and had the same first jobs.  We didn't have to work as hard to make friendships as we do as adults, they just came naturally.

2011

       As adults, we are busy.  We are wives, moms, co-workers, volunteers and home makers.  When the day is done, it takes everything in us to do the dishes after dinner and the kids in bed before we crash into our beds (or binge in front of Netflix with the hubby).  Then we have to wake up and do it all over again.  No one has any energy to put in the effort that is required to cultivate friendship.  Adult friendships are HARD.  They take work.  Sometimes we expect our friendships to be as effortless as they were when our moms drove us to play dates on weekends.  The problem with this is that many women go through adulthood with little to no true friends.   We are lonely and living an isolated.  This not what God had in mind for us when he created us.  In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 it says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble".  God designed us to live in communities of like minded people who can help us succeed in life.  God knows that the devil like to strike when we are alone with no one to rally behind us on the spiritual battlefield.  
      

2014

         Moving to Framingham, away from all my current friendships, will definitely cause some personal growth.  I have prepared myself for some lonely days and possibly some tears during this transition.  I have also prepared myself to WORK on making new friendships.  I will open my front door and invite my neighbors into my kitchen and introduce them to Texas BBQ even when there are dishes in the sink and laundry on the couch.  I will make dinner for a couple for church and not worry that my cooking isn't good enough.  I will invite people into my messiness of my life.  I've come to realize that while my friendships in Framingham will be different and will take time and effort to develop, they certainly won't be less important or less life changing.  I believe that God has already prepared the friendships that I will need once we arrive in Framingham. 

   

Vacation turned Vision Trip

 In March of 2017, Tommy and I decided to do a kid-free getaway in the Fall… we considered lots of places: Branson, California, even Mexico. Finally settled on a nice resort in New Hampshire largely because Southwest Airlines had insanely good rates in & out of nearby Boston for the dates of the proposed vacation. Needless to say, we were very excited for our upcoming trip... not knowing that God was going to throw us a curve ball.


A few months later, in June, we were sitting in a Vision meeting hearing about the overwhelming spiritual need in MetroWest Boston. Our friends Bryan and Jodi Shippey had been called to plant a church in Framingham, MA. We went to this Vision meeting as a show of support and to possibly offer a financial contribution to their ministry. Again, God had something else entirely in mind. At the end of the meeting, Tommy turned to me and I knew that he had the same thoughts that I did. We needed to move to Framingham and help Bryan and Jodi plant their church. It wasn't until later that night that it hit us... Our so-called vacation was taking us within miles of Framingham. Ok God, you can stop showing off now.

We decided to continue our vacation as originally planned, except now, we were in Vision mode. In addition to hiking, shopping, sleeping in, eating wonderful food, and enjoying the exquisite scenery, we spent time with Bryan and Jodi. We talked about where we fit into the framework of Banner Hill Church. (On another note, Banner Hill Church has already outgrown their first facility! The need is THAT great!) We took a day to drive around the town and prayed for the people of Framingham. Then exactly 16 weeks after we had attended that Vision meeting about Banner Hill, Tommy and I were sitting IN a meeting of Banner Hill Church of Framingham as part of this “vacation” that God had orchestrated long before we understood it’s greater purpose.


God is good in so many ways. He knew that Tommy and I would need time away from our normal daily activities in order to gain clarity as to what exactly He had planned for us! He loves us enough to allow us to "plan" this vacation to cultivate our marriage, but also uses our plans to help us get a greater understanding of the spiritual need in Framingham.

How this Crazy (Love) idea began...

Shortly after making the decision to move to Framingham, Tommy and I both started to remember things from the past that, at the time, seemed insignificant but in light of our newest calling, proved to be God's way of preparing our hearts to be used for His purpose.

Two years ago, Tommy and I, along with our small group, began a new Bible study based on the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. Word of caution here: If you are not ready for God to radically turn your world upside down, then steer clear of this book... or really ANY of Francis Chan's books. BUT, if you are looking for something more, if your Christian life isn't what you pictured, or if you feel like you are missing something, I recommend that you read this book!

Crazy Love takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotion as you are faced with some tough questions.  Questions like "Has your life changed since becoming a follower of Christ?" or "God gave His all to you, are you giving your all to Him?"  These are the questions that Tommy and I would get stuck on while working on the homework.  Before if we were directly asked about the health of our spiritual life, I truly believe that we thought we were red hot in our relationship with Christ, but it was clear that, at best, we were living lukewarm Christian lives.   This study wrecked us right down to our core as individuals and as a couple.

After coming to this realization, we knew that something had to change.  At the time, we were doing everything a "good" Christian family was supposed to do.   We went to church, we were in a small group, we prayed before meals and we served the church.  On the surface, we thought we were doing everything right.  So we needed to pray and we needed to get into His Word!  We needed to ask God what a red hot Christian life looks like for our family.  And that is what we did.  We prayed for God to make clear His purpose for our family.  We prayed for help as we lit our lives on fire for Christ. We prayed that we would be receptive to His plans for us!  We prayed and we waited!