big moves.

well.  it's official.  at the end of august i will be moving to NASHVILLE, TN and i could not be more excited.  a lot of people have asked what i will be doing there so i thought i'd blog some insight into this big move.

a few months ago a dear friend of mine, haley george, told me she and her wonderful roommate were leaving charlotte when their lease ended to move back to nashville and in passing she said "you should come too"... and that got my wheels turning.  "why not?" was all i could think.  just one year prior we had been in nashville and i thought while there "this is a city i could see myself living in."  now a year ago would i have thought i would be making this announcement?  NO WAY!  this idea of moving started so organically with a "why not?" to something that has been pressing further and further into my heart... further into my hopes and fears... further into my desires to know my God greater. 

you may remember this post from a few short weeks ago where i wrestled with my comfort zone and the abundant life i believe is just outside of that.  i believe this move something that the Lord has set before me that will stretch me, that will grow me, and that will bless my soul in more ways than i can begin to imagine.

i currently do not have a job lined up, but have started the search.  i've worked a great job for the last 9 years in the insurance world, but my heart and passion did not lie in my full time work.  my hope and dream is that the heart, passion, and talents the Lord has given me can be used in my daily work.  this is what i'm searching for in nashville.  want to hire me? 

i'm very excited for new friends in nashville and cultivating the few friendships i have there.  i will miss SO many aspects of life in NC as my life here was really, really good.  my family and friends will be missed greatly.  this move for me is so bittersweet, but i press on... leaving something really good for something that i believe in my heart will be greater.  Jesus is calling me to step out in great faith and i'm saying YES.  an emphatic YES at that.

my prayer for a long time has been romans 8.  i pray my love for Jesus is multiplied, that i learn how to reflect Him to all those around me, that i learn to love well, to trust well, and truly lean into His promises for my life.

yes.  nashville is a big move, but i'm adventurously expectant.

::this resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!::  romans 8:15-17 {the message}

{life abundant... outside my comfort zone}

com·fort zone

noun

{a place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.}

if i'm completely honest with myself,  i don't just like my comfort zone, i love my comfort zone.  it's like a big cozy sweater or a comfy blanket that i can pull up to my chin and just snuggle there.  sometimes this is okay, but a lot of times it's just not.  not with what i believe.  i don’t think God called me here to be comfortable, but i do believe He put me here and now “for such a time as this,” for a purpose and for His glory. 

"my love of Jesus changes my view of the world.

only when i love the man who brought peace and

good will to all men, will i be able to effectively love

the world.  it is a love that radically changes, radically

restores and radically continues in the hearts of all

those who choose to die to self and live in Christ."

-t. b. laberge "God, grace, & the Gospel"

in the next few months, i will be making a big, scary, yet exciting decision for my life that is SO far out of my comfort zone that honestly there are days that i am absolutely TERRIFIED... and i realize it's because i am scared to leave my comfort zone.  fear of the unknown makes me want to run back to that big cozy blanket of my comfort zone and hibernate there.  no bueno.  like the quote states above, i believe that my love of Jesus changes my view of the world.  it changes how i see things, it changes how i make decisions, and it changes me.

the song "oceans" by hillsong has been one of my favorites over the past few months.  when i was in haiti this past february it began playing as i was walking down the aisle at church to take communion and it almost brought me to my knees.  the music and depth of lyrics in this song  just hit me to my core every. single. time.  i can't help think the reason that it has become so popular is that it has struck a chord deep in the heart of believers. 

we long for deep purpose and meaning. 

we want more. 

more than the comfortable lives we are choosing to live.  

{oceans}

"you call me out upon the waters.

the great unknown where feet may fail.

and there i find you in the mystery,

in oceans deep my faith will stand.

and i will call upon Your name

and keep my eyes above the waves.

when oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.

for i am Yours. and you are mine.”

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

let me walk upon the water wherever you would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

that my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.

as believers we know this life can be hard and that the world is not operating as God intended, but we also know that Jesus has overcome the world.  i want more of the God of the universe, more of the life abundant that He promises when we choose Him…  yet my comfort zone that i have created is so “safe” and comfortable, that i am tempted to run back to what i know and what is easy.  sometimes stepping out to serve God is absolutely terrifying and so very uncomfortable, but i have no doubt He meets us there!

a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hearing author Allison Vesterfelt, author of “Packing Light,”  speak at CharlotteONE and she said something that has stuck with me ever since.  in short, she quit her teaching job, sold almost everything she owned, traveled to all 50 states and wrote a book about it.  she chose a path not frequently traveled of making sacrifices, pursuing her dreams, and walking away from all that she knew.  she chose to walk away from the comfortable, but less than fulfilling life she had created to pursue something she knew was greater.

she said “I wish I could say that it was easy.  It wasn’t.  It was hard, but I never felt so close to God in entire my life than I did during my journey.”

Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it abundantly.  i wonder if we don’t experience life in its fullness because fear paralyzes our steps.  fear paralyzes our faith.  i wonder if the song "oceans" actually became a constant prayer in each of our lives.  how might our lives look different?  how might our lives impact the Kingdom of God?  how might our joy and fullness of life abound if we just chose to trust Him and step out in faith?

i truly do believe that life begins at the end of my comfort zone, but i am also choosing to believe that in the scary, hard moments that lie ahead…outside of my comfort zone… that the God of the universe and the lover my soul will meet me right there.  that he will stretch me, grow me, and that he will develop my faith in who He is and that the love He has for me will abound and overflow into every aspect of my life.

where are you choosing to be comfortable today?

are you willing to seek God and step out to where it’s scary?

let’s do it friends.

let’s allow Him to take our feet farther than we would ever wander on our own accord, into a life so far outside of our comfort zone, yet so full, abundant, and full of Jesus.

i leave you with paul's prayer from ephesians.
"for this reason i bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family on heaven and earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory"
ephesians 3:14-21 

cheers to hard choices and to seeking the abundant life!

{aw}

{it's a love haiti relationship}

"i have learned that something happens when one makes herself available to God: He starts moving in ways no one could imagine. God began doing things in me, around me and through me as I offered myself to Him. I began each day saying, "Okay, Lord, what would you have me do today? Whom would you have me help today?" And then I would allow Him to show me. I would like to say that I had all kinds of great ideas about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I would like to say my ministry was born out of a carefully thought-out plan. These things simply aren't true, though. I was walking through life one moment at a time, blown away by what God would do through me if I simply said yes."

-excerpt from "Kisses from Katie"

i said "yes" and i have fallen in love...

with Haiti.

i know i haven't blogged much this year, but i'm going to make it a goal of mine next year to start writing again.  i've experienced and processed A LOT this year and haven't shared most of it here.  now instagram may be another story as i feel like that's been my mini blog for 2012, but i miss writing.  i miss dumping out what's floating around in my brain and processing it through the art of "wordsmithing."

i was blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to go to Haiti THREE times this year and i'm going back in February to take another team from my church.  the first opportunity to say "yes" to Haiti presented itself earlier this year, seemingly out of nowhere and without hesitation i jumped on board and said "yes," and this seemed to happen for july and november too.  each trip was not in my "plan" per say  but the opportunity arose and out of obedience i said "yes" and i was beyond blessed..  each time that i traveled to Haiti this year, the experience was uniquely different, but one thing is for sure...i developed a love Haiti relationship.  (you can thank MOH for that fun statement.  i even have a tshirt that says it... or maybe 2 :)

i love Mission of Hope and am grateful for the vision God has given them to serve and come alongside the people of Haiti.  it has been wonderful to gain an understanding of the Haitian people and their beautiful culture.  their seemingly slow pace of life, deep community, amazing worship even in the tough circumstances...  and the kids!  oh the kids, i love the kids.  they come out of the wood work when we head into different villages and i love it.  they're so open just to love on you and play with you even when we don't speak the same language.  

i'm so excited for this journey the Lord has me on and i can't wait to spend more time in Haiti in 2013.  for now here are a few photos from my time spent in Haiti last month.

my morning view every day.  beauty, beauty, beauty.

  glorious!!!  that's the ocean and the mountains ya'll.,  another one of the phenomenal MOH views.

 our team touring the MOH Bercy campus where MOH has a school now, but will eventually be home to a resort that MOH has plans to build that will provide Haitian jobs and an elderly care facility as well.

 the church in leveque that will be finished soon!

  my wonderful team.

 we had a wonderful work day in the warehouse putting together new chairs and cleaning.  the warehouse will also be home to all the MOH offices as of January 2013! can't wait to see it all in action when i head back in Feburary.

 i got to make CHALKBOARD SIGNS for the warehouse aisles. seriously?!?  what a blessing to be able to be crafty in Haiti.

 ya'll... Haiti is BEYOND beautiful!

 playing a little kick the can in one of the villages.

 nothing like being invited in to a family's home and them cutting down coconuts for all the blancs (aka white people)  one of the best experiences hands down.

 His promises remain.

 the team painting houses in leveque.

  heading into another village. glad i'm not afraid of heights!

 patty cake is most definitely universal.

 precious lovies.

 a happy new homeowner in leveque.

 me and my mama with this sweet ray of sunshine. (yes my MOM got to come!!  so grateful)   Jesus just leaked out of this little lady as soon as she walked by.  the smile on her face was unmistakable and i hate we didn't get that in a photo.  what a blessing she was.

Glory in the Highest!!!  Creation most definitely reveals God's majesty and Haiti's open skies blow my mind every morning and night!  what a beautiful reminder that God is with us.  

i pray you and your family have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 {aw}

{hopeless wanderer}

as i typed the title of this post i mindlessly typed "hopeful wanderer" instead of the new mumford and sons song title "hopeless wanderer." i think it was my subconscious.  let me explain...

the new mumford & son album "babel" was released today and it just so happens i was at home this morning to meet the time warner cable people.  this morning was a sweet, refreshing time for me.  fall is in the air here in north carolina. the windows and doors in the house were all open while i cleaned and waited.  i juiced, drank coffee, and listened through the new album in it's entirety.  it was glorious.

mumford has blown my mind again and to be blunt i was in DIRE NEED of new music.  new inspiration.  sometimes i feel like my soul connects with music in such an awe inspiring way and this album is just what i needed.  their lyircs never disappoint and one song that stuck out this morning was "hopeless wanderer"...

i've felt like that hopeless wanderer these last few months.  wrestling with my faith, not really knowing where i'm headed or if i'm going in the right direction.  traveling to poverty stricken countries and not understanding the things of this world.  listening to stories of friends lives and hearing choas, love, confusion, joy, hurt, and hope.  fighting my own loneliness and struggling with that unmet desire i have of falling in love. feeling my hope for those desires growing smaller.  that light of hope dimming. feeling called to make courageous decisions and being confident in the direction i was heading.  started walking that path and totally overlooking the unseen road block ahead.  running smack into that road block and coming to screeching halt.  pain.  oh the pain.  begrudgingly turning 180 degrees and making more  hard and painful decisions to go the other direction... all the while clinging to my faith and hope that all is as it should be... with a whole mess of emotions in the midst of it all.  hopeless. to be honest i felt hopeless.  i was a mess. i doubted it all...

then came the gentle and quiet whisper...

"i am with you.  do not fear.  seek me. 

abide in me.  turn to me.  lean on me.  

i love you my child.  i will care for you. 

you have all that you need in me. you lack nothing."

oh the Lord, so sweet.  He is love and of that i have no doubt.  even though days may be rough, they still continue to come and go, and i feel that flame of hope growing again.  the light in the darkness.  there is a new season ahead and i will not let my heart grow cold.  i am begging the Lord to "hold me fast," because how quickly i can become that hopeless wanderer. i am learning as i go to love this sky i wander.  the hard parts of life where God asks me to take one step closer to Him.  i have felt like the "hopeless wanderer" during this season of my life, but i think my soul knows different even when some days i don't feel it.

my soul knows i am truly the hopeful wanderer.

and that is faith.  that is hope.

i'm grateful for a God who is love.

i'm grateful for music inspiration.

i'm grateful for the raw talent that is mumford and sons.

{aw}

{mission of hope haiti :: july-aug 2012 :: gimpy chickens style}

"how beautiful are the feet of 

those who bring good news"

romans 10:15

last week as we walked through haiti with dirty, dirty feet, my sweet friend micah spoke truth to us.  "when i look down at my dirty feet, i can't help but think of romans 10:15." ... and let me tell you our feet were nasty, but i loved it!  i would trade my clean feet any day for walking life in haiti, dirty feet and all!!

i spent the last week leading a small team to haiti, serving and love on the people there through mission of hope.  an organization that is literally empowering haiti to change haiti.  an organziation, following jesus christ, they exist to bring life transformation to every man, woman, and child in haiti... 

MOH has 5 resolutions in how they plan to accomplish the vision that God has given them.

1. Relational Proclamation: Intentionally modeling Christ’s love through relationships.
2. Evangelistic Saturation: Repeatedly sharing the Gospel message in targeted geographies.
3. Indigenous Mobilization: Strategically developing national leaders to carry the vision to the nation.
4. Holistic Transformation: Continuously pursuing God’s physical, mental, social and spiritual destiny for every man, woman and child.
5. Excellent Implementation: Responsibly utilizing all resources and talents to their fullest potential for God’s glory.

...and i got to experience all of that first hand for the last week and what a blessing it was to be a part of that.  we loved on kiddos in VBS, painted houses in the neighboring villages, cheered on soccer games, worshiped together in english, creole, and sign language (what a sweet glimpse of what heaven will be like!)  we lived in sweet community, camp style, eating meals and playing games with about 215 others for the week.

come saturday, not one of us wanted to leave haiti.  God is doing great things in reaching that nation and no doubt in my mind that He has a pretty stinkin' awesome plan up his sleeve in reaching His people that He loves so much. 

i didn't want to leave.

i didn't want that haitian dirt off my feet.

i wanted to stay and do life in haiti.

maybe one day i'll get the chance...

 until then here are some photos from our amazing week!

sweet friends haley and micah. what a blessing they are to me!

 hanging out in MOH 500 in leveque

  morning coffee+the word

 haiti sunrise

 what's better than loving on babies!!

  what an awesome intern, sweet tiffany, and her fabulous mama karen!

  evening on the MOH campus

 the gimpy chickens spending a day at wahoo bay!  

the 6 of us spent the whole week together. 

 what a gift from above. these girls are amazing on so many levels!!

 oh hello crazy storm.

 the GCs "bonswaaaaaa"ing with our fab intern andrew!

 orevwa haiti...

see you in november!

{aw}