Moving

Our move is progressing nicely. We are doing things a little differently this time. Since we were able to get the keys to the new place a few weeks before the official move-in date, we have been gradually moving things in almost daily. Since we currently live so far out, we have determined to make the most out of every commute into town, which means that we load up whatever we can carry in the car/truck, take it by the new house after work, unload and put it away, then bring the boxes and bins back to the old house to be repacked that evening.

We have gotten quite a bit moved over already, and we will be finishing up this weekend. It is admittedly tiring to have to commute to work, work a full day, unload a carful of stuff, commute back home, and sort and pack each evening, all the while making sure a husband and dog stay fed and well-tended to, but I know it will all be worth it soon.

I'm SO ready to be closer to work and church! The Lord has been faithful in blessing us with a great little place that has everything we needed and most of what we wanted. He is truly good, and may we all make the time to remember and acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness, no matter how busy our lives may be.

" Be still and know that I am God ..."

Psalm 46:10

Summer

The sizzle of summer heat is not exactly on my top ten list of favorite things - I'm an autumn gal to the core. But in the interest of maintaining a positive outlook on the inevitable, I thought I would make a list of ten things I do like about summer. Without further ado ...

1. The smell of a fresh, juicy peach
2. The soothing hum of a fan in the window at night
3. Fresh berries - eaten alone, over angel food cake, or in smoothies or cobblers
4. Watching lightning bugs in the yard from the front porch (our dog Sheba likes to chase them)
5. Anything David cooks on the grill
6. Getting together with friends for barbecue and watching fireworks on the Fourth of July
7. Indulging in Hawaiian shaved ice (favorite flavor - black cherry/vanilla cream)
8. Iced tea - and lots of it
9. Playing barber as I give both David and Sheba their summer haircuts (different clippers, of course!)

And last, but certainly not least, my absolute favorite thing about summer is ...

10. The anticipation of the cooler temps and the pending arrival of my favorite season, autumn!

Goodbye, Possum Hollow

We are moving! While I am not overly enthused about the the prospect of packing AGAIN and hauling all our earthly possessions to a new locale AGAIN, I am actually excited about this move because of the newness of it all.

A little background ... we live in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area. With a population of 80,000 people, Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas, with the largest being the capitol city of Little Rock. We had the opportunity to move about a year and a half ago to a little house in the country on ten acres. That's right, ten acres of beautiful country landscape in the hills of the Arkansas River Valley. It's quiet, peaceful, and green. Trust me - it doesn't get much more country than Possum Hollow Road in Booneville, Arkansas. Being a country girl at heart, this sounded like a great idea to me, even though it would mean a daily commute of about 45 minutes. That was before gas prices skyrocketed.

For the past several months, we have been paying as much or more than our rent in fueling both vehicles, and I have come to realize that country living loses its appeal if you're not home enough to really enjoy it. So, we recently began the nerve-racking process of trying to find a place closer in to town, where we both work. I prefer not to relive this process, as it was so traumatic, so I'll spare you, my dear reader, the details. Suffice it to say that the process of looking for a new home is not one I care to repeat very often.

We had hoped to buy this year, with the market being favorable to buyers right now, but we have decided to rent a little longer, and continue to build our down payment fund with the money we will be saving on gasoline by moving back into town. We hope to be in a better position to purchase a home within the next year or so.

At any rate, we did find a place this past weekend, and we will be moving over Labor Day weekend. Our new residence is in a brand new subdivision, and the home has only been occupied by one other tenant, for about 3 months. There is a privacy fence around the backyard, so Sheba will still have a place to run around outside, although not being able to see through the fence may prove to be a test of her sanity - she likes to be able to see what she's barking at.

To our delight, we are on the last street in the very back of the subdivision, so it is nice and quiet, and there is - wait for it - wait for it - a cow pasture behind us. I guess I still get a little bit of country after all.

So for the next however-long-it-takes-us to finish getting our little duckies in a row to make a home purchase, we will be hanging out in a brand new place. God is good, and I am so thankful for His abundant provision.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Let It Rain

We have been enjoying much cooler than normal temperatures the past few days, and I must confess that I am absolutely loving it. It never made it out of the seventies yesterday, and it has been raining almost consistently for the past thirty-six hours. It is a slow, gentle, steady rain, the kind that soothes and refreshes both body and soul.

What is it about a cool rainy day that seems to calm me, causing me to want to settle into a quiet corner with a good book, a warm drink, and an hour or so to slip away from the day-to-day reality and lose myself in a daydream?

Whatever it is, I revel in it, this feeling that something simple, quiet and peaceful is just around the corner, that with every drop of rain that makes its way to my skin, I am a little more refreshed - a little less stressed - a little more thankful for simple, everyday blessings.

Thank You, Lord, for

the refreshing showers you send,
both physical and spiritual.

In both realms, let it rain.

Hope

Hope. It's a small word that carries enormous possibilities. Hope sees us through life's darkest moments and promises us that tomorrow has the potential to be brighter and better.

This weekend, the River held our first neighborhood missions outreach at a local apartment complex. The event was called HopeFest, and while we were there to minister hope to the families and individuals who call Boardwalk home, I have come away with a renewed sense of hope in my own heart.

Our hope was that this event would open the door for us to establish a foundation for ongoing ministry to the residents of Boardwalk, and we plan to launch an onsite Bible study there this fall. If you've ever done any kind of outreach or missions work, you know that no matter how grand your plans and sincere your intentions, you can never really know how a people group will respond until you just get out there and do it. The response was very positive this weekend, and we are greatly encouraged. We saw the the beginnings of relationships as some shared their personal stories and lives with us.

One of our own River members, Paul, lives there at Boardwalk, and he has opened up his apartment for the Bible study, which is an answer to prayer, because though the complex manager is very supportive of our efforts to minister to these residents, there is no available meeting space. Paul's offer solves this problem, and we had several people sign up for the study already. The hunger is there - all we have to do is show up and feed them.

There is much more to tell about this weekend than I can share here and now, but one of the things that blessed my heart the most was seeing some of our own River members, who themselves live in similar circumstances as the people we were there to minister to, rising up to step outside of their own difficult situations and whole-heartedly serving others. What a joy to see this new wave of first fruits. These precious people are the reason we do what we do, the reason we have persisted when it seemed that we were laboring in vain and we thought no one was listening. They are the fruit of our lasting hope to see lost, lonely and hurting people found, restored and healed.

"... those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

Isaiah 49:23