What Makes a Home

The question of the year:

"Are you all moved in?"

My typical answer, "We've got everything unpacked and are getting settled."

But then I can't help but wonder "What does it mean to be settled?"

(Source: A Beautiful Mess)

 I've had quite a bit of practice answering this question, but I'm never all that satisfied with my answer. I mean, all my things are in our house, and I have almost everything where I want it to go. We eat, sleep, and play here. We are basically living in this house, but it takes more than all that for it to really be home-at least for me it does.

A home is all about the people that are in it. Not Jared and myself necessarily, but the experiences that happen with the people in our home.

I found a short quote one time, and it has been my desire for our home ever since:

Lord, help me to build the kind of home where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.

From day 1 of our marriage, Jared and I have said that we want our home to be a place for people. We want our home to be a place where people can come and feel at home. Oftentimes this means picking up before people come over, but it doesn't mean it is spotless. It means taking the time to light a candle, but it doesn't mean having the most expensive candles. It means offering something to drink, even if the only option is water. It means sitting down and taking the time to hear someone else's story.

It takes time to build a home like this. We still have a lot to learn, but what I do know is that a beautiful home isn't about the decorations on the wall, or the food on the table. A beautiful home is about the conversations cultivated on the couches, the problems worked through over coffee, and the lessons learned over a slice of pizza. A beautiful home is found in taking the time to invite someone into your own life even in the midst of the crazy. It is found in being okay with allowing someone else to see you in all your imperfections.

I pray that we always take the time to make our home a place where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.

(Source: The Inspired Room)

.love.
Adrienne

Farmers Markets, Drivers License and Golf Courses

First week in the new place! We both took a week before really starting work so we could get some stuff done, and kind of get settled in. We got all the essentials taken care of like car tag, drivers licenses, and changing the utilities over. We also got to do some fun things!

Our condo happens to sit right on one of the many golf courses over here. So our only real option for taking Gavin on a walk is to the cart path over to the closest park. Well, apparently there is an overabundance of squirrels here compared to Macon, and Gavin has noticed.

This is about a minute from our front door, he dragged me over to the tree after the squirrel went up. We are working on this:)

There is a rather large farmers market nearby that I got to visit on Saturday. It is just so beautiful here. I will try to remember to take more pictures next time. These were the only ones I got.

Also, this is happening:

(if you can't tell from the picture, we just finished our first crossfit workout....yes we are)

And a few more just for fun.

Gavin loves his bed. 

Dog park:)

We have gotten to hang out with some pretty cool people too. I am really looking forward to seeing friendships develop, and beginning to really get to know people both in and outside the church. I continue to pray for strength for both of us as we make this transition. Things are good, but change is always hard. The Lord is being so very gracious, and I know he will continue to do so. He has provided so far so how could I ever doubt him? 

You make known to me the path of life; 

in your presence there is fullness of joy; 

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

.love.
Adrienne

The First Weekend.

The morning after we drove in, some awesome people showed up to help us move into our sweet little two-bedroom condo. It took about an hour to figure out how to fit our couches in the living room, but don't worry- we did it.

And the dog kennel didn't have to go in the middle of the room after all:)

We did finally get all the boxes unpacked and almost all the things hung on the walls.

And we have a sweet little "workshop" off the deck:)

Jared's wonderful parents helped us get started on our unpacking while they were here. They were definitely a huge help!! Wish they could've been here for more exploring than unpacking-maybe next time! We did find some good ice cream and the dog park though:)

The Fincher Adventure has definitely taken a good turn. 

.love.

Adrienne

The Big Move!

A 26 ft Penske truck, 16 hours of driving, 2 days, and lots of people later we made it to Arkansas.

Leaving was definitely bittersweet, but it was also really cool to see our friends really be friends. Whether

they brought us food,

 

fit a lamp into the only box left, 

threw a chair in the truck,

stopped by for a hug,

wiped down baseboards,

or simply sent an encouraging text message,      

we truly felt loved.

And it all made climbing in that truck and driving away a little bit easier. If not easier, worth it.

It's weird looking back on it all now, but I just couldn't bring myself to write this post until now. I could say I didn't have time, but that was only part of it. It has taken a few weeks for everything to kind of set in. We are so excited to be here, and we are so looking forward to see what God is going to continue to do here. We have already seen him at work both in our own lives and in the lives of others. 

Gavin didn't love the move, but he did love sticking his head out the window:) 

Stick around for more updates soon!!

.love.
Adrienne

A Quick Trip Home

Last weekend we made a quick trip home to ol' Birmingham. Both of our families live in Birmingham so we're able to see all our people in one trip! We wanted to see everyone before we moved 9 hours away, ya know? Plus, I wanted to see one of my brothers before he is deployed again. This was my last chance to see him before he leaves.

On Thursday we kind of had a chill day which was nice after all the craziness of the past few weeks. We went on a little run with Jared's dad that afternoon. For those of you who do not know, we are training for a half-marathon that is in like a week, in Nashville. This was my first run in a while because I decided to go and strain a ligament in my foot a month before the race....frustrating- that's all I have to say about that.  So, we ran, then we ate dinner with his parents and then went to a late movie with Jared's little brother.

On Friday, my mom and I got lunch and went baby gift shopping together. One of my good friends was having her baby shower the next day and I needed to find a gift. Then we spent that evening at my parents house with the whole fam-both of my brothers, sister-in-law, the nephews and niece:) And I got to meet James' girlfriend-she's sweet! It was a fun night.

Saturday, I went to Morgan's baby shower that morning. It was so so good to see her and that sweet baby bump! She makes pregnant look real good:) It was also so good to see other dear friends who made it to the shower! I love showers & weddings that bring old friends together!! We got to talk about life and how Jesus is doing awesome things all over the place! I love it!

After the shower, it was time to head back to Mac-town, and that was our weekend! Only a couple more to go before the big move!

.Love.
Adrienne

Distraction-What is yours?

I read this today:

We spend countless hours comparing our things to the person next to us. We measure our family’s success by the wealth of our belongings. We work long hours in jobs to earn enough money so we can spend our lives purchasing the biggest homes, the fanciest cars, the trendiest fashions, the hottest toys, and the coolest technologies.
Meanwhile, we all know it’s not true. We know full-well happiness cannot be bought at a department store.(source)

The article goes on to talk about how our quest for more may ultimately be detrimental to our happiness. All the stuff actually distracts from the things that really make us happy. I've heard this said before, but this little article with the author's anecdote about playing baseball with his son stuck with me. 

I know that things are not important, but I still find myself wanting more things. I know things aren't meant to satisfy, yet I find myself trying to quench my needs with things. I know that things will leave me empty, but I still find myself filling my time with things.

Why?

I don't know that I know the answer for myself yet. I do know that I think this man from this article may be on to something. The more things we own, the more our things own us. The more things there are in front of me, the more likely I am to be distracted by them-its common sense. Take away the things, and the distractions begin to fade away. I should begin to be able to see the things, look for the things, and desire the things that I truly enjoy.

Like Jesus, and reading, and writing, and creating, and laughing, and enjoying my God's creation.

Those things bring me joy.

They bring even more joy when I do them with the people I love.

So maybe, as we pack up our house in the next few weeks I can begin to pinpoint areas of distraction...and maybe eliminate or minimize those distractions. And maybe, as we move across the country, I can begin to free myself from things so that I can see and enjoy life with the people God has right in front of me-my husband, my neighbors, my friends, my grocery store clerk, my barista at the coffee shop, my boss, and the list goes on.

What do you say? Let's finally be free from the distractions of 21st century America, so we can be free to be distracted by the eternal God of the universe.

.Love.
Adrienne

All the Things

All the things that seem to be happening right now-they are just life. But in my head, I tend to make  myself out to be a martyr of sorts each time something else goes wrong.

I read this post yesterday, and I cringed a little bit. The article ends with this paragraph:

When we’ve stared the question in the face — whose approval do you crave? — and done the serious heartwork of renouncing self and exalting Christ, we are free. Free from condemnation (Romans 8:1), free to be fully satisfied in Christ (Psalm 16:11), and free to wield whatever influence we have, however big or small, for the good of our neighbor and the glory of God.

This is my prayer for my life. To see things for what they are, and wield every opportunity-good or bad- "for the good of my neighbor and the glory of God".  I want to be free from the need to feel sorry for myself OR the need to make much of myself. I can take every punch that comes my way, and I can trust that God is still great and his purpose will remain. And I can take every praise that comes my way, and I can freely exalt Christ to the utmost because he is great and his purpose will remain. I pray that this is the story of my life in all the things.

.Love. 

Adrienne

A bit of normal is needed

In the midst of a fairly chaotic few weeks over at the Fincher house, here is some normal.

No matter what is happening to us or to those around us, Gavin is always there ready to play, or walk, or whine until one of the other two happens! What a joy he is! haha!

 There he is, in all his glory.

He came over to join me while I was doing yoga, so I made him take some pictures with me.

He clearly loves it...

Then, Jared was playing with his amp the other night, and I walk in to this(excuse the large vacuum cleaner in the middle of the picture):

Aren't they the cutest:) 

Well, now you know just how much Gavin rules the Fincher house; at least he's sweet! When nothing else goes right, he always makes us smile!

Thankful God created Gavin to be full of playfulness and beauty, and put him in our life just when we needed him!

.Love.

Adrienne

What's the Story?

Everyone wants to know how we have ended up in Arkansas. And, that's a fairly good question! The thing is though, like I've said before, it's mostly happened because God wanted it to.

Jared got a job in Macon, Ga fresh out of college about 3 1/2 years ago. We got married on January 1, moved to Macon a week later and Jared started his job as a worship pastor at a church running 500-800 on a Sunday. Jared was probably one of the least qualified people for this job, but somehow he got it (God probably didn't have anything to do with that). He was immediately thrown into a job that was a bit over his head, but he sure did meet the challenge, oftentimes exceeding it.

We moved to Macon with no friends except those we had met through the church. We were slow in the friend-making process. We were slow in the fitting-in process. It just took time, but it was good time. It was growing time. Growing time as a couple, but also growing time as individuals. I watched Jared grow immensely in that first year we were married. He fell even more in love with the Lord and with people. God did in Jared and myself what only He could do. He knew we needed those first couple years for Him to wrestle some things from us, to teach us, and to reveal himself to us.

Fast forward to about a year ago. I'm not sure when or how it happened but we began to find our groove here in Macon. We had friends come and go, but now we had found a few good friends who were sticking around. We began to see fruit in our ministries. We began to feel as though we were doing what God had really called us to do. Throughout all this, we've always had a heart for church planting. It's just something we have always kind of felt we would be a part of in one way or another. We weren't sure what it would look like or when it would be.

Fast forward again to around Christmas time this past year (2013). Some of our best friends here in Macon are from Arkansas, Scott & Amilee. Amilee's brother is a pastor at a small church plant in Northwest Arkansas. Scott was going to be preaching at that church the Sunday after Christmas and invited Jared to come play too. You know, just come on over to Arkansas and play on Sunday morning. No Big Deal. We decided to do it for some unknown reason-we were feeling adventurous I guess.

We went and planned a small trip to Branson, MO for our anniversary while we were up there. While we are there, we find out they need a worship pastor, but they are unable to ask someone to come on staff. They don't have the money for a worship pastor but they needed one. Just 2 weeks before Jared and I visited, they had begun praying and asking God to provide someone-they were thinking along the lines of some college kid, not an experienced worship pastor from a fairly large church with a steady salary.

(Cooper Elementary School where Northwest meets on Sunday mornings)

Well, we show up and feel God tugging at us to dig deeper into this. We talk to Will & Sarah, the pastor and his wife, for a long time. We walk away with a lot to pray about. We make our 9 hour drive back to Birmingham, then 3 hours back to Macon and spend the next 2-3 weeks just praying. Individually and together. Just praying. Jared and I have a little different stories during this time, but I'll tell mine.

One morning, I was praying. Just pouring my heart out to God. I told him how scared I was, and how I just didn't know what to do. I had friends in Macon, and a job, and He was doing good things in my life, but was I supposed to let it all go? If I was, I would. If he wanted me to walk away from it all, I would. I just needed to know. I needed an answer. I told God I was tired. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't not know what to do anymore. I said, "God, please just give me wisdom. You say in your word that you give wisdom to those who ask without doubting. I know you will speak to me. Speak to me, Lord." And in that moment, I had peace. I knew we had to go. God had given me an answer. From that moment on, I saw His answer everywhere-in scripture, in songs, in things people would say. Then Jared reads about Abraham in his daily bible reading that SAME DAY. He texts me at work to tell me. We had our answer.

God had called us to Arkansas.

The next month, our pastor began a sermon series through Abraham. God is funny.

(Baptism at Northwest)

That is our story. It's just the beginning. Once we knew our call and we answered it, the waves began to crash. Satan began his work. We would doubt, then we would remind ourselves of God's call. We would get scared, then we would remind ourselves of God's call. We put our stake in the ground-God had called us.

Now, here we are. about a month away from leaving everything we've known for our entire married life (you know, the WHOLE 3 1/2 years). We are headed to Northwest Arkansas to be part of Northwest Community Church. We will go without an immediate promise of a salary. I have a job lined up as of right now. Jared is still looking through a few possibilities, but we are trusting God. We are praying boldly. I know that God will provide. I don't know how, but I fully trust that God will give us what we need. He has called us, and he will deliver.

(Sunday morning worship gathering at Northwest)

More than anything else, we need the support of our friends and family. We need you to pray for us. We need you to pray boldly. We need you to lift us up and remind us of God's promises. We need you to walk with us as we begin this little adventure. Because, the road ahead will be difficult, but it will be beautiful because God uses little people to do big things. I believe he will do big things in all of this.

.Love.
Adrienne

Haiti, Why are you part of my life?

Haiti is on my radar today. We will leave in less than 24 hours to fly from Atlanta to Miami and then from Miami to Port au Prince. From there, we will drive an hour North to Montrouis. In the last couple legs of that trip, we will come face to face with reality. We will come face to face with children, women, men who have been born, grown up, and will die in poverty. Me, one of the richest people on the face of the earth, will try to relate with some of the poorest people on the face of the earth. How does that happen? Why does that happen?

I can't offer them much of anything. Mostly because I'm selfish. Because I have everything to offer them. I have money, I have clothes, I have a house, I have TWO cars, I have a dog who eats better than some of them, I have food that I throw away, I have medicine, I have a job, I have the luxury of quitting my job to follow Jesus, I have Jesus.

What does this mean for me? I'm not sure. But after that reflection above, I realize I have much to offer. Not that I will give away all my things nor could I, but I can offer them life. All those things I have are things, really. They are. Would I still find life abundant in Jesus without those things? I think I could. I hope I could. That's what I want to be able to offer them. Life. Not a "better" life, in the world's standards, but a BETTER life in Jesus.

A life with hope. A life with joy. A life with purpose.

Lord, you are so good. You satisfy every desire and longing of my heart. You satisfy my hunger and thirst. You satisfy me with things I don't even need. I believe, help my unbelief. Help me to take the next 15 hours to relish in your goodness so that I might share that eternal, forever satisfying goodness with people who really desire the water that will never leave them thirsty again. Let me see with your eyes. Let me love with your love. Let me give with your grace. 

 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4: 14-15)

.Love.
Adrienne  

The Cat is out of the Bag...and every other cliche that works here.

 (image source)

Well, as the title suggests, everyone now knows. We are indeed moving, and there's no turning back now. We're not JUST moving, we're moving 800 miles North and West to a small town in Arkansas. And we're not just moving there to move, we're moving there because that's where God has told us to move.

I've always questioned God's call on my life. And by question, I mean I wasn't really sure what it was or if God really does "call" us to do things. People throw that word around, "call," all the time. God called me to grad school, called me to marry her, called me to Africa, called me to start a church...  Every time I hear someone say that I think, "that's all fine and good for you. That must be nice to know exactly what God wants you to do with your life, but unfortunately I don't have that luxury." And honestly, I'd question whether God really "called" them or not...But that was just me being jealous.

So after years of thinking that way, here I am. With a "call" on my life, and a new found faith in my Creator. Let me tell you, it is a true blessing to find yourself called by God. It is a blessing, but it also doesn't mean what I always thought it meant. It doesn't mean I know what I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life; it means I know what I'm supposed to do next. That's it. Just next. After that, I trust that the same God who called me out, will call me forward again because my God doesn't change.

And let me tell you, we are ALL called by God to do something. It's not a matter of whether you're being called or not, it's a matter of whether you're in a place to hear that call or not. And whether God has you where he wants you before he places it on your heart.

Two years ago, we couldn't have heard this call from God for a couple reasons.
1. God hadn't prepared us for it.
2. We weren't ready to answer it.

In the past Three years, God has grown us in so many ways I can't even tell you. And all the things we have been through have been preparing us for this. For this call.

So take heart, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them"(Ephesians 2:10). You were created to do His will and His call. He tells us that "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."(Jeremiah 29:13). So seek him. Seek hard. And you WILL find him. He promises it. And he ALWAYS keeps his promises.

.Love.
Adrienne

A new kind of Fincher Adventure

This blog will begin as a place to document our life journey. We are moving away from friends and family in a few months, and this will keep them up to date. But I have a feeling it will become more than just a place to document. But we will see. 

Let me introduce you to my family. This is me:

This is my best friend and hubby, Jared:

And this our sweet boy, Gavin:

Isn't he just the cutest:) Well, these two guys are real important to me, so they will probably have a lot of face time on here.

Now that we know each other, let me tell you why I'm here. I'm here to share life and to write. So this will be a little bit of both of those things. How that all looks, I'm not so sure. 

Oh, and that "new" Fincher Adventure mentioned in the title?...we're moving 12 hours in the northwesterly direction in a few months. It's a big deal around here. It's scary. It's exciting. And it's happening! Ready or not, the adventure has begun.

.love.
Adrienne