Hey! We're in the throes of moving and so the blog will be a bit on hiatus until...
Check back mid-August!
31 July 2011
23 July 2011
Conversation without Words
It's been a little heavy on here lately - rightfully so with the move and all, but still. This is just a fun bit from the concert we went to last night at the Tabernacle. We heard the John Butler Trio - a fanciful, funky, hippie jam band with roots in banjo and appalachian picking. To say that these guys are immensely talented would be an understatement and they put on a great show.
All that to say, I dont know if he loves Jesus, but he has the love part nailed. He gets it. He has this song, titled Ocean, he introduces with this:
"This is a song that says everything I believe about the world and Australia and you and me and the future and love."
Ocean is an instrumental.
It was a conversation without words and it was beautiful. And if you listen to it - it's a happy, complex song - you'd pick up on his worldview. And as I'm thinking about this, hearing it live last night, I think, how amazing would it be, if we - if I - approached life in the same way: conveying our worldview without words but in a way that all nations hear it and receive it.
That could change everything.
{PS. John Butler also said things like we were a love generator and that the energy in this place is electrifying... He also may or may not have used air quotes around the words "their reality" in reference to the matrix we're escaping as we create our own reality... He discussed world politics, religion, honored the soldiers of all flags, and pretty much covered everything in a few short hours. He closed with an attack on big oil saying they need to get their needles out of the arm of beloved Australia and get their fix elsewhere, as they seek to draw out the life blood of mother earth for profit. Just sayin'. But last night rocked.}
22 July 2011
Our Story: London, Part 3
"Let them give glory to the Lord and declare His praises in the islands [UK]" - Isaiah 42:12
We just wanted to be sure, that if anyone hears anything about our story, they know one thing: God made it all possible and deserves all the glory.
God made provision for us financially.
God created community for us in London.
God gave us prayer people, direction, and guidance—He spoke to us through Joshua 3.
God made a way for us and proved Himself faithful.
We just happen to be the grateful recipients of His relentless love.
So now you know the details – well, the basics, at least – of our impending move to London, why we’re going and how it all worked out.
We just wanted to be sure, that if anyone hears anything about our story, they know one thing: God made it all possible and deserves all the glory.
God made provision for us financially.
God created community for us in London.
God gave us prayer people, direction, and guidance—He spoke to us through Joshua 3.
God made a way for us and proved Himself faithful.
We just happen to be the grateful recipients of His relentless love.
So now you know the details – well, the basics, at least – of our impending move to London, why we’re going and how it all worked out.
20 July 2011
Understanding
Spiritual Warfare. There are two things warring in my heart, vying for my attention and belief. In which will I choose to daily place my faith?
Understanding: I understand that the beginning of wisdom is admitting: I don't know. I did a whole study on it. According to both the Old and New Testaments, when we admit that we don't have all the answers, we turn our gaze outward seeking truth, we open our minds to God's wisdom and look outside ourselves for insight. This is where wisdom begins. It takes coming to this realization for our hearts and minds to be malleable enough for God to mold with His wisdom - it's a beautiful thing.
Feeling: I feel completely lost. Incompetent. Naive. Inexperienced. Too young. Wrong. Constantly. From the VISAs to the money and budgeting - even to the idea and reality of moving and setting up life on a new piece of earth.
Understanding: I understand that this is exactly where God wants me, that He can teach me things through this season unlike He can in any other. I know that this dependency on Him creates in me an intimate connection with God that I cannot experience apart from it. I am convinced that even in the midst of all these otherwise negative emotions, there is so much more going on here, so much more of the story - my story - being written. There are subtleties that I do not want to miss in the name of self-pity and lamenting.
Feeling: I feel like a little girl. I am old enough but not experienced enough. I have knowledge, but know enough only to be dangerous with the idea of change - not the actual change itself. I am a walking contradiction and am hyper-emotional.
Understanding: I have this mantra running through my head all day - which is only as often as I need to hear it:
"The destination is set, it's how you get there that matters. Will you take time for others, find joy in the journey, and soak up every moment of your time here? Or will you choose to focus on yourself, how hard it is, how little you know, how ill-prepared you are for it all and miss this precious time that you'll never get back?
The choice is yours."
Understanding: I understand that the beginning of wisdom is admitting: I don't know. I did a whole study on it. According to both the Old and New Testaments, when we admit that we don't have all the answers, we turn our gaze outward seeking truth, we open our minds to God's wisdom and look outside ourselves for insight. This is where wisdom begins. It takes coming to this realization for our hearts and minds to be malleable enough for God to mold with His wisdom - it's a beautiful thing.
Feeling: I feel completely lost. Incompetent. Naive. Inexperienced. Too young. Wrong. Constantly. From the VISAs to the money and budgeting - even to the idea and reality of moving and setting up life on a new piece of earth.
Understanding: I understand that this is exactly where God wants me, that He can teach me things through this season unlike He can in any other. I know that this dependency on Him creates in me an intimate connection with God that I cannot experience apart from it. I am convinced that even in the midst of all these otherwise negative emotions, there is so much more going on here, so much more of the story - my story - being written. There are subtleties that I do not want to miss in the name of self-pity and lamenting.
Feeling: I feel like a little girl. I am old enough but not experienced enough. I have knowledge, but know enough only to be dangerous with the idea of change - not the actual change itself. I am a walking contradiction and am hyper-emotional.
Understanding: I have this mantra running through my head all day - which is only as often as I need to hear it:
"The destination is set, it's how you get there that matters. Will you take time for others, find joy in the journey, and soak up every moment of your time here? Or will you choose to focus on yourself, how hard it is, how little you know, how ill-prepared you are for it all and miss this precious time that you'll never get back?
The choice is yours."
Honestly
I feel I must be honest with you about this whole moving thing in case any of you attempt this same venture.
First and foremost, I know that this is - without a doubt - exactly what we should be doing exactly when we should be doing it.
But this is how it feels: It feels overwhelming. It feels like much too much. It feels like I have been running a marathon since January and can't catch my breath. On monday, I had a list of things to do so long that when Grant (in an attempt to soothe me) offered to just go see a movie, the thought was immediately rejected by my brain. I couldn't do one more thing. Not even a movie.
It is great to be doing this together - with Grant.
It is nice to know that this is not forever - it is a one time thing with a beginning and an end.
It would be impossible without prayer.
It has made me undeniably dependent on the Lord.
It has humbled me in ways I never could've imagined.
It has already made me better.
First and foremost, I know that this is - without a doubt - exactly what we should be doing exactly when we should be doing it.
But this is how it feels: It feels overwhelming. It feels like much too much. It feels like I have been running a marathon since January and can't catch my breath. On monday, I had a list of things to do so long that when Grant (in an attempt to soothe me) offered to just go see a movie, the thought was immediately rejected by my brain. I couldn't do one more thing. Not even a movie.
It is great to be doing this together - with Grant.
It is nice to know that this is not forever - it is a one time thing with a beginning and an end.
It would be impossible without prayer.
It has made me undeniably dependent on the Lord.
It has humbled me in ways I never could've imagined.
It has already made me better.
15 July 2011
Five Minute Friday Link up: Loss
Want to take five minutes with me and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not? Here’s how we do it:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my right side bar}
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt: LOSS
I feel I am in a bit of a season of loss. My Gram died less than a month ago (I've blogged about it on here). We are closing chapters here in Atlanta - which has been our home for our whole married lives! Today marked my last day working with a company I couldn't believe in more - a job I could't have loved more.
There have been many tears.
Much sadness and grieving and letting go - forcefully sometimes - in loss.
But I have come to found something else to be true. Somehow, there is a great comfort in knowing just how much it all has meant, just how meaningful and transformational and soul-touching and mind-changing and eye-opening and heart-stretching. If it hurts that much to leave, if there is pain associated with the loss, it seems that there is much to be celebrated for how much it all has meant - how precious it really has been.
Without the tears, without the pain, without the beginning and ending, we might not have ever known just the height and width and depth Love could truly be.
So I will be thankful in the midst of loss - not because of it - but because the hurt highlights the healing that has been happening all along.
TIME!
14 July 2011
{excerpt}
This is an excerpt from a message I just wrote. It's been almost a week since I've posted... Sorry! This is my last week working (sad!) and at home we've been up to our eye-balls in paper work, preparing for our move. But I thought I'd post this little excerpt so that you at least have a snippet of my life this week.
"My women's group just recently read For Women Only and discussed the implications in the book and what shocked me most was not the content, but the fact that I had read it before and yet had FORGOTTEN SO MUCH OF IT! I was rereading it thinking,
"OH YEAH! I should do that! How did I forget about that one??!"
So I'm trying to be more mindful of him and his needs and being sweet and expecting the best of him and respecting him and choosing not to argue. My goodness. The world would be a better place if I could be more agreeable ;)
Well, you know how that goes: I treat him better so he treats me better. So we're currently circling cloud 9! Things are great and I feel like we're right where we need to be with each other before this big move. So despite the hectic nature of VISAs etc, I feel calm and grounded.
God is so good to us."
"My women's group just recently read For Women Only and discussed the implications in the book and what shocked me most was not the content, but the fact that I had read it before and yet had FORGOTTEN SO MUCH OF IT! I was rereading it thinking,
"OH YEAH! I should do that! How did I forget about that one??!"
So I'm trying to be more mindful of him and his needs and being sweet and expecting the best of him and respecting him and choosing not to argue. My goodness. The world would be a better place if I could be more agreeable ;)
Well, you know how that goes: I treat him better so he treats me better. So we're currently circling cloud 9! Things are great and I feel like we're right where we need to be with each other before this big move. So despite the hectic nature of VISAs etc, I feel calm and grounded.
God is so good to us."
08 July 2011
Our Story: London, Part 2
God is faithful.
Basically, from September 2010 through January 2011, there was something every single month that we prayerfully considered and took into account for preparing to move to London.
Then we read this:
Just know that when God opens up doors for you to step out and be brave, He takes you, moves you, pushes you, changes you, and loves you.
Do it.
When you get the chance, do it.
If you want the chance, ask for it.
So we continued to seriously ask for it. And in prayer, we hear this from the Lord (ref. Psalm 37:4):
What is the desire of your heart? Decide on that desire. Figure it out. I will give it to you and I will receive My glory in its fullness.
Just after Valentine's Day, a word came to us from Joshua 3 - specifically for me and Grant, right now, in our story. We realize that this is not a message for everyone to live by, but is hand picked to reveal something new to us intentionally. There are several main points that surface and come together in my mind, but “leave their tents” and “get their feet wet” were two of the big ones for me and Grant. I apply online that night. Grant applies in March.
Things start to solidify for us.
"And your many hopes
and your many fears
were meant to bring you here
all along…"
Basically, from September 2010 through January 2011, there was something every single month that we prayerfully considered and took into account for preparing to move to London.
Then we read this:
Just know that when God opens up doors for you to step out and be brave, He takes you, moves you, pushes you, changes you, and loves you.
Do it.
When you get the chance, do it.
If you want the chance, ask for it.
So we continued to seriously ask for it. And in prayer, we hear this from the Lord (ref. Psalm 37:4):
What is the desire of your heart? Decide on that desire. Figure it out. I will give it to you and I will receive My glory in its fullness.
Just after Valentine's Day, a word came to us from Joshua 3 - specifically for me and Grant, right now, in our story. We realize that this is not a message for everyone to live by, but is hand picked to reveal something new to us intentionally. There are several main points that surface and come together in my mind, but “leave their tents” and “get their feet wet” were two of the big ones for me and Grant. I apply online that night. Grant applies in March.
Things start to solidify for us.
"And your many hopes
and your many fears
were meant to bring you here
all along…"
07 July 2011
Our Story: London, Part 1
The whole London thing did not just happen. There was a lot of prayer and preparation and listening and waiting.
The Old Testament says over and over again, "Write down and Remember all the Things The LORD has Done for you." We did not want to forget any step of the process [that's my new word]. We did not want to forget all the things the Lord has done, threads He's strung together, doors He's opened and closed, and promises He has placed in our hearts and then fulfilled.
So we wrote it all down along the way.
Sep 2010: Thoughts of living abroad really surface after trip to Italy. I look up everything I can online and we talk about how ACE has an office in London and think and plan—school and work; what options do we have living abroad? We quickly realize that school is the best option to finance the whole thing with student discounts, student housing, and student rates on the Tube and buses.
Sep 17, 2010: A friend announces her plan to live in Scotland for a month on her blog… a pretty sweet idea to us… her reasons for going are simple: seeking, listening, praying, waiting. {she's such an inspiration.}
Oct 2010: We'd kinda been looking to buy a house, but after the 3rd and final house offer Grant’s only comment was, “Does this mean we can’t live in London?” Our hope was still very much alive. And God chose this season to give us wings - the roots would have to wait!
Dec 20, 2010: That same friend, Annie, put words toher our yearnings in this post. I think it’s the best explanation of what we’re looking for, too. {as it turns out, she's going back and we'll be in the UK at the same time!!}
In exactly 30 days, I land inScotland [we've changed it to London here] for an adventure that I have anticipated, on some deep-in-my-knower levels, for so long I don’t even know how to talk about it.
I have so many questions for God. I hope [London] holds those answers. Maybe not the place itself, but the time. The distance. The lonely moments without any of my friends. The quiet moments. The conversations with the new friends I'll make. Conversations with my God.
So I’ll pack my things and I’ll stuff my questions in side pockets, shoes, and other tiny spaces.
I have questions about art.And creating. And worship. And how life is art and how I want to grow in understanding that.
I have questions about my future. Is it [here]? I hope so. Is it [there]? I hope so. Is it some hybrid of the two + more? Is this trip about clarity or deeper longings? I want to know what’s next.
I have questions about God. And me and God. And who we are as a unit, if that makes any sense at all. I want to know Him and I want to know what our next adventure will be.
I have questions about friendships. About why some work, about why some don’t, about why some have to be sacrificed on the altar of God Knows Best. About how to cultivate the kind of community that breathes really great friendships.
I have questions about my dreams. The ones that I shout from the rooftops and the ones that I barely can whisper to my closest friends.
I have a lot of questions. Many of them I am almost too afraid to ask.
In the end,
I hope I don’t have all the answers.
I hope I am not looking for answers.
I hope, instead, that I can no longer contain the questions.
The Old Testament says over and over again, "Write down and Remember all the Things The LORD has Done for you." We did not want to forget any step of the process [that's my new word]. We did not want to forget all the things the Lord has done, threads He's strung together, doors He's opened and closed, and promises He has placed in our hearts and then fulfilled.
So we wrote it all down along the way.
Sep 2010: Thoughts of living abroad really surface after trip to Italy. I look up everything I can online and we talk about how ACE has an office in London and think and plan—school and work; what options do we have living abroad? We quickly realize that school is the best option to finance the whole thing with student discounts, student housing, and student rates on the Tube and buses.
Sep 17, 2010: A friend announces her plan to live in Scotland for a month on her blog… a pretty sweet idea to us… her reasons for going are simple: seeking, listening, praying, waiting. {she's such an inspiration.}
Oct 2010: We'd kinda been looking to buy a house, but after the 3rd and final house offer Grant’s only comment was, “Does this mean we can’t live in London?” Our hope was still very much alive. And God chose this season to give us wings - the roots would have to wait!
Dec 20, 2010: That same friend, Annie, put words to
In exactly 30 days, I land in
I have so many questions for God. I hope [London] holds those answers. Maybe not the place itself, but the time. The distance. The lonely moments without any of my friends. The quiet moments. The conversations with the new friends I'll make. Conversations with my God.
So I’ll pack my things and I’ll stuff my questions in side pockets, shoes, and other tiny spaces.
I have questions about art.And creating. And worship. And how life is art and how I want to grow in understanding that.
I have questions about my future. Is it [here]? I hope so. Is it [there]? I hope so. Is it some hybrid of the two + more? Is this trip about clarity or deeper longings? I want to know what’s next.
I have questions about God. And me and God. And who we are as a unit, if that makes any sense at all. I want to know Him and I want to know what our next adventure will be.
I have questions about friendships. About why some work, about why some don’t, about why some have to be sacrificed on the altar of God Knows Best. About how to cultivate the kind of community that breathes really great friendships.
I have questions about my dreams. The ones that I shout from the rooftops and the ones that I barely can whisper to my closest friends.
I have a lot of questions. Many of them I am almost too afraid to ask.
In the end,
I hope I don’t have all the answers.
I hope I am not looking for answers.
I hope, instead, that I can no longer contain the questions.
06 July 2011
24 Days
We're leaving Atlanta in 24 days.
It's so weird to think that we've been here for over 3 years - Grant's been here for over 4! We have had the very best friends one could ask for and have had a community that is like family in this sprawling metropolis. We have started our careers here, we've started our lives together as young newly-weds. We have found two churches that we have loved and a small group that will forever hold a piece of our hearts.
It has been quite a journey.
But this time is quickly coming to an end. 24 more days here. We're making the most of it, seeing the people we really want to spend time with. Living in the present while making arrangements for the future. We'll leave here July 31st, then spend one week in Augusta with Grant's family and a week in Huntsville with mine. Then, Lord willing and the VISAs come through in time...
We'll be moving to London August 16th!!
We're pretty excited about it. The whole process has been absolutely super-natural. This will forever be a testament to God's grace and power and provision in our lives and we will always look back and say, "Look what God did on our behalf."
The Basics:
Who: Lucy and Grant
What: Moving to London
When: August 16th--??? (we're hoping the UKBA grants us VISAs for 18 months... we're also hoping to extend that later... but we'll see!)
Where: London, England (we'll be foreigners and will have to learn all the lingo!)
Why: grad school and life adventure - why not?!
Grant will be getting his MBA from the internationally ranked Hult International Business School (the international business is 5th in the world, according to the latest Financial Times). I'm super proud of him and pumped to embark on this learning experience together!
I will be getting an MA in Publishing Studies from the City University London School of Journalism (google it. I'm psyched at all the press it's received lately!). So that's about it... just finalizing the last of the VISA paper work and sending it off this week!
Pray for the process.
Pray for our families.
Pray for our future home and community.
Pray for our classes and schedule as we make time to explore our new city and take time for us.
Pray for our marriage, that it would infinitely strengthened through the whole deal.
Pray for our minds, that they would be awakened to school work again.
Pray for our hearts, that they would be opened to new faces, places, and cultures.
Pray for our souls, that they would be completely in-tuned with the leadings of the Holy Spirit and that we would remain desperate for more of Him.
It's so weird to think that we've been here for over 3 years - Grant's been here for over 4! We have had the very best friends one could ask for and have had a community that is like family in this sprawling metropolis. We have started our careers here, we've started our lives together as young newly-weds. We have found two churches that we have loved and a small group that will forever hold a piece of our hearts.
It has been quite a journey.
But this time is quickly coming to an end. 24 more days here. We're making the most of it, seeing the people we really want to spend time with. Living in the present while making arrangements for the future. We'll leave here July 31st, then spend one week in Augusta with Grant's family and a week in Huntsville with mine. Then, Lord willing and the VISAs come through in time...
We'll be moving to London August 16th!!
We're pretty excited about it. The whole process has been absolutely super-natural. This will forever be a testament to God's grace and power and provision in our lives and we will always look back and say, "Look what God did on our behalf."
The Basics:
Who: Lucy and Grant
What: Moving to London
When: August 16th--??? (we're hoping the UKBA grants us VISAs for 18 months... we're also hoping to extend that later... but we'll see!)
Where: London, England (we'll be foreigners and will have to learn all the lingo!)
Why: grad school and life adventure - why not?!
Grant will be getting his MBA from the internationally ranked Hult International Business School (the international business is 5th in the world, according to the latest Financial Times). I'm super proud of him and pumped to embark on this learning experience together!
I will be getting an MA in Publishing Studies from the City University London School of Journalism (google it. I'm psyched at all the press it's received lately!). So that's about it... just finalizing the last of the VISA paper work and sending it off this week!
Pray for the process.
Pray for our families.
Pray for our future home and community.
Pray for our classes and schedule as we make time to explore our new city and take time for us.
Pray for our marriage, that it would infinitely strengthened through the whole deal.
Pray for our minds, that they would be awakened to school work again.
Pray for our hearts, that they would be opened to new faces, places, and cultures.
Pray for our souls, that they would be completely in-tuned with the leadings of the Holy Spirit and that we would remain desperate for more of Him.
01 July 2011
5 Minute Friday: Link Up
Linking up with Gyspy Mama today with her 5 Minute Friday.
Want to take five minutes with me and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Here’s how we do it:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my right side bar}
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.
It’s a great way to exhale at the end of a beautiful week.
Today's Word: "WELCOME"
go...!
Welcome to my mind, where things shuffle through and flip by in ways sometimes even I don't understand.
Sometimes it's like Six Flags with crazy rides flying by at the speed of light, making loops and twists and hardly pausing long enough to grasp.
Sometimes it's like a rolodex rotating through the same thoughts all day: scripture, I love that dress!, work stuff, where is that in the Bible?, paper work, email, prayer, husband, blog, scripture, where the heck did the day go?, what's for dinner?, joy, work stuff, Grant.
Sometimes it's like a box that I put things into, storing up treasures in a safe place, taking them out and pondering them again and again.
Sometimes it's like a garden, planting things that dig deep, take root, and then blossom - some immediately and others years later.
Sometimes it's like a blog post: descriptive and wordy.
Sometimes it's like a movie, things playing and replaying before the screen of my mind's eye.
Sometimes it's a hot mess, where only a book or silence or a movie (if I'm lazy) can give it the time and space to simmer down, become safe enough to touch and mold and open again.
TIME!
I'm not sure any of that is actually "welcoming"... but it sure conveys how my mind works - scary, huh?
I really enjoy reading the link ups on Gyspy Mama's blog. You should check them out and link up, too!
Want to take five minutes with me and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Here’s how we do it:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my right side bar}
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.
It’s a great way to exhale at the end of a beautiful week.
Today's Word: "WELCOME"
go...!
Welcome to my mind, where things shuffle through and flip by in ways sometimes even I don't understand.
Sometimes it's like Six Flags with crazy rides flying by at the speed of light, making loops and twists and hardly pausing long enough to grasp.
Sometimes it's like a rolodex rotating through the same thoughts all day: scripture, I love that dress!, work stuff, where is that in the Bible?, paper work, email, prayer, husband, blog, scripture, where the heck did the day go?, what's for dinner?, joy, work stuff, Grant.
Sometimes it's like a box that I put things into, storing up treasures in a safe place, taking them out and pondering them again and again.
Sometimes it's like a garden, planting things that dig deep, take root, and then blossom - some immediately and others years later.
Sometimes it's like a blog post: descriptive and wordy.
Sometimes it's like a movie, things playing and replaying before the screen of my mind's eye.
Sometimes it's a hot mess, where only a book or silence or a movie (if I'm lazy) can give it the time and space to simmer down, become safe enough to touch and mold and open again.
TIME!
I'm not sure any of that is actually "welcoming"... but it sure conveys how my mind works - scary, huh?
I really enjoy reading the link ups on Gyspy Mama's blog. You should check them out and link up, too!
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