Adventure

As I was headed to church for MOPs with Bunny in tow this morning, I became instantly amazed at how quickly the world had gone from they barren gray of winter to the neon shock of bright green.  After being in West Texas for 7 years, actually witnessing the seasons changing is still so new for us.  It feels like just yesterday we were headed to church down that very same road as I told Leilani to look at all the beautiful Autumn foliage.  I am amazed and in awe of what changing seasons means in a climate that actually sees all four of them.

As I thought about the greenery and the newness the Spring brings, I thought about how everything where we are now still feels new and exciting.  I also had a revelation about how I have been blessed in the many different seasons of my life to experience living in almost every region of Texas.  We spent 7 years in Alpine and I still wake up in the morning and miss opening my bedroom blinds to see Twin Sisters staring back at me.  I miss Artwalk and drives to and hikes through the Davis Mountains.  I especially miss the people I met there and am so grateful for how it brought MM and I so much closer.  God has placed me 20 minutes from the Texas Gulf Coast, in the Hill Country (Round Rock), in the center of Texas History (San Antonio), and now, right at the edge of the Piney Woods of East Texas. 

Each of these places has come with inherent risks; in West Texas, it was violent afternoon storms with hail, high winds, and sometimes even tornadoes as well as the ever-present threat of a devastating grass fire.  In East Texas, we are at the southern tip of Tornado Alley.  On the coast, I evacuated more than once due to the threat of hurricanes and we were always at the ready for the flash floods brought on by a coastal storm.  In Round Rock and San Antonio, the elevated population meant more dangerous traffic, higher crime rates, and all those other urban negatives you encounter living in cities.  Every place I have been has been tinged with that bit of fear, that risk factor ever-present.  But, in every place God has led me, the rewards have far outweighed the risks.  Imagine the adventures I would have missed out on had I let my fear take over.  And on more than one occasion, I almost did.  I find that is the beauty of God in my life right now.  He has taken me places that were out of my comfort zone and that inevitably allowed for the possibility of fear taking over my life, but at the end of the journey, I never remember those things.  It was only the great adventure I had been a part of. 

MM and I are taking our family on our next great adventure.  For some, it's not an adventure at all, for others, it's an adventure they are opposed to, but for us, it's the biggest adventure we've been on to date.  We know it is where the Lord has led us, and we know it means we have to step up and participate in the adventure and remember every single day that the blessings of the Father far outweigh the risks, whether real or imagined. 

What adventure?

Well....we're finally joining a church in our new locale.

A church that already feels like home.  A church where we know the preaching is straight from the Word.  A church that has a heart for reaching others for Christ, whether in its own back yard, or across the globe.  A church that is less country-club and more CHURCH.  And we know that we are going on our next great adventure, trusting God to guide us to what's next, to who we need to be in Him, and who we need to reach for Him.  We're ready and know that the only preparation we need is to trust fully in Him.

And we're so, so very excited to get moving.