At the beginning of 2013, my husband told me that we were going to be leaving the church we had been serving at for almost 10 years. Since he was the pastor, this meant leaving my home….my comfortable, accessible home….., friends that we had worked with and loved for a long time, and our church that we had invested much time and energy in. It was a shock to say the least! As the reality of this move sunk in, I began to think of any perk I could think of to help me transition. I like to make happy lists to counteract sad ones! A season of rest from the ministry for a few months sounded refreshing so I focused on that!
We moved to Tennessee to a farm that my husbands parents owned and said we could live in our time of transition. It was a beautiful and generous offer and we knew of a very good church that we could attend. The only glitch….it was a two bedroom home!! We decided that we would just make the best of it! We have had so much fun at the farm this summer….although my teenage daughter who shares a room with all of her younger siblings would probably disagree with this statement! With the weather nice, the kids really spent more time outside than in, and I enjoyed a summer of mowing our big yard with a riding mower that I could operate with my hands. I couldn’t get the grass to grow fast enough!
There were a couple different churches that showed interest in Jimmy and we have promised The Lord that if He opened a door, we would walk through it. If it was not His will, we asked Him to shut the door so we knew it was His decision and not ours. The Lord has already shut a couple doors for our family and so we thank Him for His direction. We have loved our home church and have enjoyed our time in it. We are so thankful The Lord led us to a loving and Christ-following congregation. I have seen my children grow in The Lord this summer as well as Jimmy and I.
The Lord has opened up doors for our family to continue to serve in ministry in our own church and in other churches also. I had several speaking engagements around Mother’s Day and Christmas…my two busiest speaking times of the year. I absolutely love speaking and sharing the story that God is writing in my life. I am at a slight hold with disability ministry as I am taking advantage of this season of rest and felt that I needed to give myself some time in all areas of ministry to just full back up myself in preparation to give again 100%! Rest is a pivotal component to living a life of serving others.
2013 was a great year of transition. It came in with a lot of stress, uncertainty and fears as I knew we were leaving our comfort zone. However, those times are springboards for greater dependence on God to guide and lead your family, and once again, He did not fail us.
As I look forward to 2014, I am excited. I feel rested. I feel ready. I feel rejuvenated! I have several goals for this year that I want to share with you. I feel a little nervous because I don’t want to say them and then look like a failure! However, I like the accountability that being real on this blog affords me. So, here they are!
🌸 Diet and exercise! Of course that is always on the list! I have really struggled with my weight just slowly creeping on the longer I am in the chair! I am just not sure how to get it off anymore. I did very well with eating all last year. I actually eat very healthy. So, this year I am going to add a strict exercise routine. I am pretty sure my problem is that I am just not burning enough calories. So…we will see!
🌸 Run Roll a 5k!! I have plans already in place for this and hopefully will get to do it with a girlfriend who is also in a chair. I am majorly pumped about trying this and hopefully training for this will help me with my exercise routine. I will keep you updated!
🌸 Write a book! This is the biggie and the one I am nervous about. I have a big plan in my head but I just am not sure how it will work out. I still have research to do on how to make this happen, so if you have suggestions, feel free to leave me any helpful comments!
🌸 Launch a new online business. I am really excited about this venture. I have been working on it for awhile, but took a time out during our rest. It will still be a little while before it launches, but I am looking forward to it!
🌸 Personal family goals that I will keep personal. I have goals for me and each of my children that I want to keep just between me and that one child. I am excited about this and am always looking for ideas to know my child’s heart and keep our relationship close. I always want my kids to know that they are so important to me.
🌸 A new church family to love! Jimmy is talking to another church right now that seems very positive. Once again, we are looking to The Lord to guide us. We are thrilled if it works out, but if not, we trust The Lord to guide us where He wants us. We are excited about getting back in the saddle!
Life is so precious. I am thankful for the days of last year and I am looking forward to the days of this year!! Use each one wisely, bring glory to our Savior, and enjoy every single breath you breathe!
תגובות