Youth Ministry Update, 3 Years Later

Fall Retreat: Tug of War

This month marks three years since we loaded up all our stuff & moved from Georgia to Mississippi to serve at Redeemer Church in Jackson. It's become a tradition for me & Ryan to take the time each October to reflect on all that God has done in & through our lives while serving here. I wish I could sit down with each of you personally over a cup of hot tea (sorry, not a coffee drinker!) and share with you from my heart how God has been working. But since that's not a possibility with most of you, this blog entry will have to suffice for now.

If I had to briefly sum up the first two years in ministry here, specifically regarding youth ministry, the first year would be exciting. Everything was new, we were fresh. You could call it the honeymoon stage. If the first year was exciting, the second year was hard. The newness wore off, we began to realize the complexity of urban youth ministry, the difficulty of reaching students from different socioeconomic backgrounds & cultures. Frankly, at times, we wondered if it really could be done effectively. Adults have a hard time bridging these gaps, so could we really expect teenagers to be able to do this? This was a question we really weren't certain about the answer to.

The second year, & honestly, half of the third, really brought us to a place of humility, an utter dependence on God, realizing that in our power, yes, this ministry looks impossible. But what I love about the hope of the Gospel is that in Christ we have the power to do all things. I really began to pray fervently for Ryan, that God would give him wisdom on how to run this ministry. He was open about the difficulties he was facing, requesting prayers from others. Those prayers really began to change things.

Over this past summer, Ryan really focused on pursuing youth that he knew would be excellent leaders, those who had a heart for the Lord & just needed a little push to step up & help him lead. He met with them, trained them, & helped them understand the vision of the church & our youth group, which is to minister to families in our church as well as the people of our neighborhood.  Ryan recruited & trained more adult leaders, bringing in a local expert to help train them in how to handle behavior issues that often occur on Wednesday nights at Crossroads (youth group worship service). He created clear rules & specific consequences that are posted in the youth room. I am so proud of all he has done.

The result? It has been an amazing start to this first semester! All of these changes have made a drastic change in the climate of Wednesday nights. The Student Leadership Team has done an amazing job stepping up and leading all aspects of the night. The adults understand their role & feel empowered to speak up if students aren't following the rules. Students who used to have major behavior issues have realized that they've got to "get it together" if they want to keep coming, & the good news is they do want to keep coming, so they're "getting it together". Does this mean there have been no issues this year? Of course not. But all of these structures have really served to create an atmosphere in which these students can really hear the word preached & be given opportunities to serve.

New rules & consequences,
modeled by Quinton

New registration table, run by students
 (with cool attendance IPad Ap to keep better track of visitors)

Ryan & I now believe that not only is a youth group like this possible, it's absolutely necessary! This is what God calls the church to be like, made up of different people, from different walks of life, gathered around one essential thing: the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We also believe that when students leave our youth group, they have the opportunity to walk out the door as pretty mature Christians because they will hopefully learn to see people through the eyes of Christ, not through the eyes of their culture.

We are entering our fourth year here at Redeemer excited about all that God is doing through our youth group. We love these students we've been entrusted with & desire for those who know the Lord to grow in their faith, and for those who don't have a relationship with the Lord to put their faith in Him. As always, we covet your prayers as we continue to serve here.

What Could've Been a Scary Day

I am not an overly dramatic person, in fact, I'm usually quite the opposite, generally pretty even-keel. Now, if you know me really well, you know this is by far not always the case. Seemingly little things stress me out like losing my phone, forgetting my coupons when I go to the grocery store--yes, trivial things often get the best of me. On the other hand, I tend to be calm in what others might consider high stress situations: fender bender, speeding tickets (yes, I admit it), managing special events, responding to tragedies, etc. What tends to happen in these situations is that I am calm in the moment, emotions in check, and able to take care of what needs to be done. The stress/reality usually hits me a bit later.

Tonight I am feeling the stress of what happened (or rather didn't happen) to me & the boys earlier today.

This morning was a beautiful one, so when Levi woke from his morning nap, I decided to take both boys on a walk to our local library, which is literally two blocks away. We had never walked there before, we usually drive, but it was a nice walk on the sidewalk of Northside Drive, a busy 4 lane road in the city of Jackson. Our visit at the library was pleasant, too. When I left I thought to myself how I'm really starting to feel as if I'm a part of this community because I saw & visited with three people who are my neighbors & that I know from our church. We returned home and had lunch at about 12:30.

I didn't know until a few hours later that at around 2:00 that afternoon, a man had been shot and killed, in broad daylight, right in front of the library.

Ryan had received an email about the situation & at first was a little panicked that it might have been one of the two young men I had seen at the library, Scott or Kenyel, both of which have been in our youth group & are really like family to us. Thankfully, he was able to contact them relatively quickly to make sure they were okay.

The identity of the man is still unknown at this point, and when I first heard about this, I wasn't too shook up. This evening is a little different. I have tucked my boys into bed & am praising God that today didn't go differently: that we are all safe & that we didn't have to witness it. But I'm also saddened that someone needlessly lost their life today.

You know, most of the time I honestly feel really safe here, we live on a quiet street, we have a monitored alarm system, but the truth is, living & working in urban ministry isn't always safe. But you know what? That's okay. I know that God has called us to live & to serve here. He is sovereign, & I completely trust Him with our lives.

Thanks for letting me share my story. I needed to get it off my chest, but at the same time, I wanted to praise my Father for His provisions for my family.

My Sweet Levi

This week Levi turned one year old! We celebrated with a birthday lunch with our immediate family & a couple of friends. We're going to have a party with our extended family in Georgia the end of this month while we are in town for a youth pastors' conference. Can't wait to celebrate Elmo style with party hats (per older brother Evan's request) & of course, a smash cake (wouldn't be a first birthday party without it)!

So a little over a year ago, I was a week & a few days past my due date when Levi made his grand entrance into the world. Before he was born, I had a fear that seems laughable now, but was a legitmate concern of mine. I wondered if it was possible to love another child as much as I loved our son Evan. For some reason I was afraid that it wouldn't be the same the second time around. Boy was I wrong! I love this little boy Levi with all my heart!

In case you don't get to be around him much (which is most of you, since he's pretty much always hanging out with me!), let me tell you a bit about this awesome baby boy. Levi definitely looks more like me than Evan does for sure, but I think he's going to have his daddy's outgoing personality. Whenever we're in the grocery store or out and about, he's always looking around trying to catch other people's eye. When he does, he gives them his cutest, big, open mouth smile and waits, expectantly, for their reaction, which, undoubtedly, is a big smile in return. And he's persistent about it! If at first they don't notice him, he tries again, and if that still doesn't work he'll use a cute squeal to get their attention. It really is hilarious to watch.

Other facts/milestones you should know about Levi:
1) He's very snuggly (my favorite thing!)
2) He has 6 teeth already, with 2 more on the way!
3) He's a fast crawler, but not too interested in walking yet.
4) His favorite snack is miniature Goldfish (he gets giddy when he sees the bag).
5) He wants to play with whatever toy Evan has (makes for interesting play times).
6) He loves to scream at the top of his lungs whenever he gets really excited.
7) He loves his family & life in general

What a blessing to have him for a son!

Another year older

I am one of those people who happens to have a birthday close to the holidays. I have often been pitied by those (ahem, my husband) with coveted spring or summer birthdays, but truthfully I've never minded the fact that my birthday is just a few weeks after Christmas. I can probably attribute this attitude to the fact that my parents always did a great job of still making a big deal of my birthday, so I never felt "cheated" out of attention :) (heaven forbid!).  In fact, my mom still makes a big deal of my birthday by having a shopping & lunch out day with me and my sister while I'm home for the holidays. That tradition has become one of my favorite days of the year!

Thankfully, my husband and boys (with Daddy's help of course) still make me feel cherished on my special day. This morning I was treated to banana pancakes (yum!), and have received a present at every meal!

Today I am 31 years old (safely still in my EARLY thirties) and I cannot adequately express how thankful I am for the blessings in my life. I have an incredible, loving husband, two adorable sons, a wonderful extended family, supportive friends, and an awesome church family. I don't deserve any of these blessings but am so thankful that my heavenly Father has chosen to give me so many wonderful gifts.


Speaking of wonderful gifts, here are two of mine (taken at Nana's house at Christmas):

2nd Anniversary Part 2: Ministry Update

Keeping true to my word in posting Part One, it's time for an update on some of what's been happening in ministry at Redeemer over the past year.

Providential Enounters Revisited

Some of you might remember reading on our first anniversary last year about our very cool encounter with James Meredith, local civil rights leader who integrated Ole Miss in the 1960s. We met him at a local community barbeque, and long story short (read last year's blog for the whole story!), I felt compelled to invite him back to Redeemer for a church service and also to visit our Sunday School class that was studying the book When Helping Hurts, which looks at how we can better serve the poor. Well, imagine my shock when just a few weeks later, who should show up in Sunday school but Mr. Meredith himself?! I pretty much had a little heart attack. He continued to attend our class for several weeks and eventually became a regular attender of worship as well.

Now I want you to understand that I really wanted to write about this way before now, but I felt that it wasn't my place. That might sound odd, but after getting to know Mr. Meredith a little better, I could tell that he was very private about some things, his spirituality in particular, and I felt I needed to respect that privacy. I could tell that God was working in his life, but I didn't really know how much until an interview with Mr. Meredith was published in the Clarion-Ledger, Jackson's local newspaper, last spring. In the article, he expresses how he had wrestled with God his whole life, but finally made peace with God last December. How amazing is that? That happened during the time he was atttending Redeemer, and since he said it himself in the media, I don't feel like I'm overstepping my bounds to share it with you. How cool that God used our church to minister to such an important man in Mississippi's history!

Moving Up & Out

Another really exciting thing happening at Redeemer is our building expansion. We broke ground last spring and should be finished the first of the year. Our building occupies one city block, so architects had to be creative in how they designed our expansion. Basically they built a new shell over our existing sanctuary, then knocked down the interior walls. Our new sanctuary will seat double what it does now, which will be about 650 seats. We are also adding additional classrooms & nursery space. The cool thing is that we're continue to grow despite the construction zone and being crammed into our Fellowship Hall as our temporary sanctuary.

The side of the Sanctuary (note the missing walls!)

Living behind the church while this is going on has been an adventure for Evan for sure. Almost every day I hear the request, "Mommy, let's go look at the tractors!" or "Can I ride on Cranky (the name of the crane in Thomas & Friends)?" Many times we even pray for the tractors. While it has been fun to watch the building going up, I certainly won't miss the noise or layer of dirt on our cars when they're finished!

The back of the church (what we see from our house) and all the bricks about to go up!

There are many, many more cool things happening here at Redeemer, but those stories will have to wait for another day. We count ourselves very blessed to be a part of such a special body of believers.

2nd Anniversary Part One: Feeling Settled

It's hard to believe, but this past weekend marks two years since we moved to Jackson, MS, and we can honestly say it's definitely starting to feel like home now. When I was growing up, I moved every two years until I was in middle school. I remember my mom saying that the two year mark was when you just started feeling really settled, so it was always hard to leave at that point to begin anew elsewhere (although it was always a fun adventure, too). I definitely think she was right. We are feeling settled. We love our church, are developing some great friendships, and we have several favorite restaurants (which isn't hard to do with all the great local spots!), a sure sign of being settled, right?


When we first arrived in Jackson, we moved into the church's "intern house" (so named because ministry interns and their families had lived there before) thinking it was just temporary until we sold our home in Atlanta. We even packed our belongings into two categories: things we need right away, and things we'll unpack at our next house in Jackson. Little did we know that the Atlanta housing market would continue its downward spiral, and we would be left with no choice but to rent our house and remain renters here in Jackson.

Two years later, I am attacking the second group of boxes. All this week, I am taking advantage of cooler mornings to vigorously prepare for a fall garage sale to rid us of superfluous things, realizing that less really is more. It's amazing how we've adjusted to a smaller space! Our home here is a small 3 bedroom, one bath (yes, that was an adjustment!), built over half a century ago as a part of a GI neighborhood (now known as Broadmoor) for troops returning from WWII. It's really a cute house with lots of charm, and it's right behind the church. Ryan literally walks to work every day-you can't beat that for a commute!

This new found enthusiasm to simplify and settle in more in our current home comes from many conversations as of late that Ryan & I have had. God has been working in both our hearts to really develop a love for this community where He has called us to serve. Broadmoor is the neighborhood where many of our youth, and almost all of Redeemer's tutoring students, live. We have recently become involved with a new neighborhood association and are getting to know more of the people who live here.  Since we live in the neighborhood where we serve, we often have some of our students stop by to see us, visit, and in some cases, stay for dinner :).

To say that God is working in our hearts concerning the neighborhood should lead you to believe that we weren't so fond of it in the beginning. To be perfectly honest, I was leary of living in Broadmoor when we first moved here because it was quite a change from Hanarry Estates (our old neighborhood) in Lilburn. I certainly didn't feel as safe when I went on walks by myself with the kids due to wandering dogs and random men walking around. In fact, I just stopped going without Ryan or a friend. We often hear of break-ins in our neighborhood, and for the first time in my life I live in a home with an active security system. I could also tell you a few interesting stories involving cops, missing criminals, etc., but that's a whole different post.

Despite these differences, Broadmoor does feel like home now (and don't worry, the street right behind the church is safe and pretty quiet too!). Ryan & I believe that this time we spend living in the community we serve is a gift from the Lord because we are able to better understand those He has called us to minister to. I am currently reading Generous Justice by Tim Keller, which is incredibly practical for our current ministry. Keller does a wonderful job of showing how God's generous grace should lead us to care for the poor and help to bring justice to those in need (I won't even try to explain how Keller makes the argument because he's much better with words than I am, but if this topic interests you at all, READ THIS BOOK!). One of the ways he says true transformation of communities happens is when people actually LIVE in the community with those they are trying to serve. Now I realize this isn't always practical for everyone, but it's cool how God has provided us this rare opportunity. I'll leave some of the ministry details for how this is working out practically in Part Two...trust me, you'll want to read it to see what God's been up to here in Broadmoor!

Elusive Green Grass

Lately I've been struck by how easily I can slip into feelings of discontentment, despite how blessed I know I am. One minute I can be enjoying being home with my boys, thankful that I don't have to miss a minute of their rapidly changing lives, and the next, I find myself wishing I had an additional purpose in which I could interact with adults and be affirmed of my work. Both states of mind feel completely real and compelling to me at the time. How is it possible to swing from one perspective to the next so quickly and frequently? Am I suffering from a mommy-brain induced schizophrenia?

Deep down, I know the answers to these questions. It's not limited to the time and place of my life now. Honestly, this has always been a struggle for me. How often have I thought, "if only I had ___ (fill in the blank: more time, more friends, more money, a better class of students, a job, children, no job, etc.), then I would be happy"? I know this thought is a lie that the evil one uses to cripple us. The truth is that nothing satisfies my longings for happiness but an intimate relationship with the Lord.

So why do I still struggle with this when I know the truth? Ah, it is the age-old mystery of the battle of the flesh and the spirit. I know that because I am a believer of Christ, I am no longer bound by my sin, however since I am alive in this world, my old sin nature is still a temptation for me. So what's the cure? How can I possibly remain content in a world that is every moment telling me I need something else to be happy (all you've got to do is turn on the TV or read a magazine to see that, folks!)?

I was reminded this morning of the power of God's word through our pastor Mike Campbell's compelling sermon on 1 Peter 1:22-2:3. He gave a great illustration that really brought light to my struggle. He said that we often treat reading the word like we're eating Popeye's spinach. We want a BAM! experience in which we are instantly fit and ready to go. Instead, reading God's word is more like a healthy diet, it affects our lives slowly over time.

Thus, the solution for my tendency to become discontent is to faithfully remain in the word, reminding myself of what is true and constant, believing that His word is living and active and able to transform my life. The transformation will take time, unlike the promises of "3 easy steps to a new you" solutions the world tries to sell us. So if you struggle like me to remain at peace with where God has you right now, turn to God's word for a solid foundation. I'll end with a quote from Charles Spurgeon that my pastor used today. Pretty profound, I think:

The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.

1-11-11 Brings a New Decade

I confess, I am not a consistent blogger these days! Be it the holidays, traveling, pregnancy, mommy duties, preschool, church happenings, it seems that something is always taking my time and energy- but alas! It would be a shame to let today, 1-11-11, my 30th birthday, pass by without a thought.

First of all, how cool is the date? I won't live to see it again, that's for sure. Second of all, I hear how great the 30s are (at least that's what everyone older than me has said), so I feel I must give my 20s a proper adieu.

Honestly, as I reflect, my 20s were pretty amazing! If the 30s truly are better, then woo-hoo, bring 'em on!

Below are 11 reasons why I loved my 20s (in order of occurrence):

1. I attended and graduated from Reinhardt College, where I made some amazing friends while I majored in Elementary Education.

2. I went to China twice to teach English and share my faith. This totally changed my view of the world by opening my eyes to a foreign culture and making me aware of how God is working internationally.

3. I met, fell in love with, and married my best friend--the handsome Ryan Dean :).

4. I began a fulfilling teaching career in Gwinnett County, with 5 years at the best school ever, Winn Holt ES in Lawrenceville, where I taught the best students and made many lifelong friends.

5. Ryan and I bought our first home, which we painstakingly and rather enthusiastically painted every square inch of the inside! What a fun time that was! Plus we made some great friends in our neighborhood.

6. Realizing that teaching older children how to read was incredibly challenging, I pursued and received my Master of Ed in Literacy, which transformed my teaching and became my passion.

7. I got to travel to some pretty cool places (besides China): New York City (multiple times), Colorado for some skiing, Peru for 2 mission trips, and of course, the Dunn family annual trips to Cocoa Beach, FL!

8. I became a mother to sweet little Evan!! How do you top that?

9. I began to learn how to serve alongside and support Ryan in ministry with 6 1/2 years at Christ Church in Stone Mountain,GA, and now at Redeemer Church in Jackson, MS.

10. I am about to have our second son, Levi, in less than 8 weeks!

11. Okay...one more...well, I guess I can be thankful for something vain. The 20s means no wrinkles or gray hair (I'm still good on the wrinkles, but those gray hairs...).

So today, I thank God for the past and trust Him with my future. Thirties, here I come!

Learning to Stop & Give Thanks

Far too often, I'm guilty of becoming a slave to my to-do list rather than enjoying the simple, everyday moments in life. When I feel myself getting frustrated with my two year old son for acting like, well, a two year old, it's usually because his behavior is keeping me from getting stuff done. If you are familiar with the story of Mary & Martha in the Bible, I hands-down identify with Martha, the one busy in the kitchen who gets stressed out, then snaps at her sister and Jesus for not seeing that she obviously needs help (I'm sure there have been times when Ryan can relate to the two of them in that situation!). I was born a "doer", and I have to force myself to stop, reflect and thank the Lord for the blessings in my life.

Yesterday at Redeemer, our pastor preached on Galatians 5, living in the battle between the flesh (sin nature) & the spirit (our new lives as Christians), and how we can have victory over the sin in our lives by believing in the Holy Spirit's power and asking him to change us. Then later that evening, we had a special Thanksgiving service in which people gave testimonies as to what they were thankful to God for. It was so refreshing and encouraging to me. I felt that God had convicted me earlier that day of my sin of trying to do too much on my own and not depending on him enough, and then that evening he reminded me of his goodness to me and the rest of his people, and how I truly need him. I left feeling inspired to better foster a spirit of thankfulness in my heart.

This Thanksgiving we'll be traveling to Atlanta to spend time with both sides of our family (yay!). Although I'm sure there will be times of being busy in the kitchen (I mean, we all want to eat, right?), I want to be purposeful to stop and thank the Lord for the blessings I have received: my loving husband, adorable son, a healthy pregnancy, baby #2 on the way, wonderful families that Ryan & I grew up in, supportive friends, and our new church home in Jackson...to name just a few.

I hope that you will take the time to thank God for how He has blessed you as well. In fact, I'd love to hear what you are thankful for if you want to post it as a comment! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Oh, and here are some overdue pics from the fall festival at our church:

Providential Encounters on our 1st Anniversary

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since our first Sunday at Redeemer Church in Jackson, MS. We have met so many wonderful people, and we look forward to seeing those friendships deepen as time goes on. By the way, I apologize that this entry will be a little long, but I think it'll be worth the read. Let's just say there's some surprising stuff at the end :)...

To be perfectly honest, the past month and a half have been pretty exhausting ministerially speaking. Some of that exhaustion comes from sheer busyness (like the kick off of the tutoring ministry for me) and some of it from the stress of becoming involved in other's personal lives (with both youth and families in our church). Maybe that's why God was especially gracious to us by reminding us of his presence in our lives and church's ministry just this weekend.

It all started Saturday morning with a parenting conference that Ryan organized at our church with speaker Dr. Bill Richardson, a Christian marriage and family therapist, which was incredibly practical and encouraging. We had a pretty good turn out, but it wasn't the number of the turn out that was so cool, it was who all came. Most of the parents who attended were from our own church, but we had some visitors from the community come. Part of our church's mission is to reach the lower-income, African-American community directly behind our church. This is often hard to do, and Ryan & I were thrilled to see visitors from the neighborhood come. One of those visitors happened to be the Parent Liaison for the local middle school near our church. She was so excited about the material presented that she asked the Christian therapist who presented the conference to come present to parents at her school! She also wants to work with me to coordinate tutoring for some of her students. We had been praying for a way to connect more with the community, and God brought our connection to us! It'll be cool to see how that fleshes out.

As if that wasn't enough for one day, God had more up his sleeve. Ryan spent much of the afternoon relaxing (while Evan and I were both napping) and reading his new book Open Friendship in a Closed Society: Mission Mississippi & Theology of Friendship by Peter Slade, which gives a background of a state wide initiative to bring Christians together across racial lines. He happened to be reading the section about the riot that occurred when James Meredith enrolled at Ole' Miss in 1962.

That evening we attended a neighborhood block party with live music and BBQ. We noticed some friends at a table so we walked up and sat down. We also noticed an elderly African-American man with an Ole' Miss hat at the other end of the table. Ryan introduced himself, and do you know who it was? Why, it was James Meredith himself! Ryan was, of course, shocked and told him that this must be providential because he was just reading about his story. The two of them became engrossed in a very long conversation about his experience and his hopes for, as well as his frustration with, his people today. We learned that he had visited Redeemer awhile back, and he said that he had never in his life seen such a thing at that scale (blacks and whites interacting and worshipping together). He said he believes that reconciliation is going to have to come through the local church.

Eventually, Ryan left to take Evan to the inflatable jump castle, and I was left with Mr. Meredith. Something came over me (call it the Holy Spirit!), and I saw him not as a famous person in our nation's history, but as the kind man seated in front of me who had been through a whole lot of trials in his life and needed some encouragement. So I asked him if he had a church home, to which he replied he hadn't since a child, but he did believe in God. I asked him, "do you mind if I ask, why?" (where in the world was this boldness coming from?! You've got to understand that around people I don't know, I'm usually much more reserved!), and he responded, very slowly, "It's complicated, let me think of how to answer that." What transpired was another long conversation in which I listened to his struggles with overcoming judging others and trusting those in the church (seeming to imply particularly white people). A year ago, I might would've found this a bit offensive or off the mark, but after serving in this ministry for a year, I believe God is really beginning to help me & Ryan see the world the way many African-Americans in Mississippi see it--as one in which they do not have as many opportunities or privileges, which often results in hopelessness. We are no longer naive that the effects of the past still hinder relationships between the races. We ended the conversation by me encouraging him to come to our church to see how it is the gospel that is transforming lives, not us or our efforts.

Later that night I told Ryan about my conversation with Mr. Meredith, and he couldn't believe how bold I'd been. Neither could I once we turned on the TV to NBC and saw a local civil rights special and a discussion panel of which he was a part-on TV that very night! Can you believe it? Tell me that's not crazy! It was then that I felt a little overwhelmed that I had spent so much time talking one-on-one with a living legend. It was like I'd just talked with MLK, Jr. or Rosa Parks-Whoa! I had to keep reminding myself that it was God who had given me His eyes for a moment to see him as any other man who needed encouragement in the hope of the gospel for himself and his people. I'm humbled that I met him, and I know I'll never forget it. I tell you this part of the story, not to brag on myself (because this was most certainly a rarity), but to boast in Christ. Surely God is working in Mr. Meredith's life even now to give him hope, and he's working in mine to make me unashamed of the gospel.

So, here's to a new year of ministry in Jackson, MS!

When Life Gives You Lemonade

Ever have one of those moments where you want to pinch yourself to see if something's really happening to you? I did just yesterday. I was sitting on a park bench, Ryan's arm around my shoulders, watching Evan play in some water fountains during the cool of the evening, when it hit me. My life is pretty darn good. God has blessed me with a wonderful marriage, a happy, healthy son, and brought us to Jackson to serve Him in a vibrant church we have come to love.

That's not to say that life doesn't have its daily challenges. In fact, there have been times over the past several months where I've fought hard against some sour lemons--homesickness, loneliness, self-pity, etc. But God in His wisdom led the Mom's weekly Bible study I attend to do an awesome five month study on contentment. It could not have come at a better time for me. Now when I feel the pull to become discontent (which can come upon me at a moment's notice!), I just remind myself of Paul's words:

"...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:11-13

I desire to learn to live like Paul did, enjoying the good and enduring the bad that life brings, trusting that God is in control of it all. For now, that means I get to thankfully enjoy some tasty lemonade.

To Blog or Not to Blog? That has been the question!

And I guess the answer now is "yes, I shall." To be honest, I've never really been into blogs until lately. Back when I was teaching elementary school full-time, I had a friend who urged me to create a blog. I looked at her like she was crazy (any teacher out there can attest to this!). A blog? I can barely get classroom newsletters out on time, plus I have a "classroom webpage" that's horribly outdated. I vaguely remember laughing it off as one of the most ridiculous suggestion I'd ever heard. Who possibly has time for that kind of thing?

So what prompted my change of heart? Well, for those who know me, I am now a full-time stay at home mommy (which means my grading of papers has been traded for the changing of diapers). But perhaps the biggest motivation has to do with the fact that almost 7 months ago, we (my husband Ryan, my son Evan, my dog Ike, my cat Millie, and myself) moved away from the Atlanta area to Jackson, MS. You see, now that I'm far away from family and friends, I need more information than Facebook status updates to feel in touch with my loved ones back home. So for those who have blogs, I've become committed followers to keep up with their day to day happenings to feel connected. Thus, I have decided to join the world of bloggers, too, so that others might get to know more about what's going on with us as well.

Just to fill in those who might not know, we moved to Jackson, Mississippi last October as Ryan accepted a position as Director of Youth Ministries at Redeemer Church . So far, we are enjoying it here. The church is wonderful and has welcomed us with loving arms.

My hope for this blog is simple, to share about happenings in our life--through the eyes of a mommy and a minister's wife. This could get interesting : ).