How I Spent My Winter Break

So it’s been over 4 months since I last posted. I’ve been sleeping in, enjoying breakfast in bed, soaking up personal massages, attending high-class wine tastings, jet-setting to my private island...just the usual winter break kind of things.

Ok, in reality, life took off for our family. As I mentioned last year, we are preparing to move to Brooklyn, NY to start a church. Maybe you think this is an easy thing to do?

Well, in one sense, it definitely is. We’ve clearly been called to this mission and when God is the one driving the bus, there’s really no stopping it. For the last 17 months, our focus has been unwaveringly centered on Jesus’ work in Brooklyn and we’ve received only encouragement after encouragement to head in this direction. Our sense of purpose and genuine excitement for this next adventure has provided a certain peace in the midst of the hard work of “getting there.”

On that note, though, it takes ALOT to move a family of four to the most expensive city in the union! We spent a little over 40 days this fall researching - typical utility bills, insurance plans (yikes!), average rent costs (triple yikes!!!) - and praying over all these needs. We’ve made lists, instituted weekly family meetings, written newsletters, continued remodeling the house (in preparation for sale), traveled to family out of state, and just started telling our story to as many people as possible. This - all of this - is a joy and a privilege and an astounding challenge.

At the same time, God has been incredibly gracious to us, and that’s why I’m writing again. He gave me a word for this year - a word to meditate on, to ask of him, and to put into practice. Lent just began and I’ve got a little project I’ve committed to. And I want to share how our journey is going, how we are traveling this road from Minneapolis to Greenpoint. 

Will you join me over the next 6 months as I reflect and rejoice (and maybe freak out a bit)? I’d love to know what you want to know about our story, so please leave comments and ask questions along the way. And I can’t wait to let you into the crazy, beautiful, abounding JOY of what God is doing in us. 

My plan is to post a personal story or thought once per week. Then, a second time that week, I’ll post something that’s inspiring me or makes me laugh or is just for fun. I hope you’ll come along!