An Anchor for my Soul

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:18-19

Today was Northwest Community Church's 5th birthday. It was such a beautiful morning of celebration of what God has done in and through Northwest, but also a celebration of who God is. We talked about WHY we, as christian's, can celebrate. 

The music and Will's talk all pointed back to how Christian celebration flows directly from the fact that we have an anchor in this life. We have an anchor that does not shift or come loose. When everything else is shifting or settling, our anchor does not change. He holds. There is no storm too big or wind too strong for our anchor. Our anchor cannot be dug up or made to shift with the current. Our anchor in this life is Jesus. We can stand and celebrate in good times and in bad times because we have a foundation that is sure. 

This idea of God as our anchor settled so deep in me today. This past year has been crazy. We left behind stable jobs, steady income, friends, familiarity, family, routine, "easy." We left those things behind because we have an anchor. We have a God who stays no matter what is going on around us. He stays even when we leave him. He stays when we are scared. He stays when things are good. He stays when friends are made. He stays when relationships begin to blossom. He stays when we get to be a part of life change. He stays when we are tired. He stays. 

I praise my God that he is an awesome, big God who created the world, but I also praise my God for being a God who sees me where I am and who I can truly say is an anchor for my soul. 

This Grace-Passion

This anchor for my soul, - This everlasting hope, - Your grace on which I stand.

And it's where my life begins, - My future held within, - Your grace on which I stand.

Oh, this grace on which I stand, - It will hold me till the end, - Never failing.

And Oh, praise the One who rescued me, - Jesus you will ever be, - My salvation.

And when I'm on the road, - The road that leads me home, - Your grace on which I stand.

And when I see your face, - The only claim I'll make, - Your grace on which I stand.

Worthy is the Lamb of God

Who takes away the sin of the World

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

To receive all honour and praise

We sang this song this morning and it is simply a prayer of thanksgiving and praise and confidnece in our anchor. 

.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

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