Grab your latte (or tea or hot chocolate) and press on in, it’s time for our monthly coffee date!
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that Jesus is really kicking my butt. No matter where I encounter him — in worship on Sunday morning, in my new small group over coffee, or at an amazing women’s conference –He is telling me the same thing. Slow down. Unload. Remove some chairs. I had a bit of a breakdown a few weeks ago and I’m convinced that Josh thought I was crazy. I had reached my tipping point and everything was overflowing. My calendar was too full, my to-do list was to long, my mind was full of worries, and I was feeling overwhelmed. He helped me see some areas where I needed margin and helped me identify a few others I could eliminate altogether. I’m working to say no more this season. To stop feeling guilty about disappointing other people and start focusing on where God needs me to be present. Wish me luck.
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I’m leading a Bible Journaling workshop next month. The women’s ministry of a local church approached me about speaking at their women’s retreat and I’m a little nervous. I am meeting with their leaders over coffee (how ironic) this week, to get a clearer picture of their expectations for our time together. I am so excited about sharing my heart for art worship and praying that God would use me to draw other artists closer to him.
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I just remembered why we love small town life. Sometimes the long commute and proximity to the nearest Target (25 miles) starts to make me bitter. I let myself get caught up in all the reasons it’s a pain in the butt and I ignore all of the daily blessings. A few weeks ago, our alma mater celebrated Homecoming week and if you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you know that we just love Homecoming to pieces. The girls had theme days at school every week and we had the best time coming up with new outfits for them to wear. For the first time ever, we didn’t keep them home from school on Friday because neither of us could take off work. We usually walk downtown for the parade, but they opted to ride the bus with their friends and experience it from a different perspective this year. We skipped out on the alumni tailgate (we just have too much going on right now), but we did have a fantastic time at the high school football game later that night. Ella is serving on the newspaper staff this year and is writing an article on the Homecoming festivities. I’ll have to report back on that, because she is SO excited.
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that our house is under contract. It’s a little surreal to say that and even though we’ve been working towards that very goal for weeks, I’ve been hesitant to say it outloud or share about it here. We aren’t scheduled to close until the end of the month, but things are moving swift and without hurdles. The buyers are a young couple who love our old home and we are so excited to pass it onto someone who will love it as much as we have! I mentioned last week that we are making some repairs and updates around the house and that is the only thing left between us and a firm moving date. I am torn between being over-the-top excited and so very anxious, but I’m trying to relax and enjoy these last few weeks in the rock house. I have a tendency to be anxious and overthink important decisions, but God’s hand has been so evident over the last several weeks, so I’m trusting Him in every detail and decision. I hope to have few more details to share with you soon, but until then I covet your prayers for a very smooth transition.
I’m joining Amber for another month of her Coffee Date link-up. If you love warm drinks and sharing with friends, you should join us there next month!
