Year In Review

Talk about doing a 180! A snapshot of our life last year looks nothing like the present. Brandon and I spent the first six years of our marriage working hard to achieve several goals, you know, to get "well established" and set ourselves up for a successful life together: put each other through grad school (check), find our dream jobs (check), build a house (check), drop everything and move (WHAT?!). Okay, so this requires backing up a bit.

The Lord had to whisper to me over the course of a year before really dropping the bomb on me. As I have mentioned before, I do not like change. Period. For me, the process started when the Lord called us to China during the summer of 2008. I had never been more out of my comfort zone; I was off schedule, tired, hungry, hot and sweaty, and for the love all I wanted was a Western toilet. BUT I had never felt so fulfilled, so close to my Creator. It was the first time I truly felt that I don't need anything on this earth to be satisfied.

That fall, Brandon visited the Auburn campus of Church of the Highlands to fill in as a drummer. It was also great to catch up with Pastor Sean, who had been our campus pastor way back when at the Greystone campus. Shortly after the visit, Pastor Sean asked Brandon if he had ever thought about going into full-time ministry. Well...no. Of course, we had always considered Brandon's teaching/coaching job as a huge ministry--one that combined B's two loves: God and sports. And we were so happy that Brandon was finally working at his alma mater. But that January during our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, the Lord continued to reveal to us that big changes were ahead and that we had better get ready. During this time, Brandon was asked to be a part of a new division of the Highlands Leadership Institute, which was 20:20 for adults who have careers but are interested in full-time ministry. So this is when we started asking, "Okay God, what's up?!" Brandon did decide to pursue this even though it was baseball season, which was a hectic time of year for us. It was a great season, but then in May Brandon's teaching contract was non-renewed. Okay seriously, God. What are you up to?

So we told the Lord, "We get it, we'll move to Auburn...just as soon as we sell our house." We felt okay with that...a little crazy, but reasonable. We started driving down once a month, then twice a month, then several times a week to start building relationships. This proved to be very easy because the people here are so amazing, and the relationships we built confirmed that we were supposed to move. We played the waiting game for awhile. But then the Lord clearly revealed to me that we needed to be moved by August. I was sure of it. He even used my dear friend Bonita to plant this into my spirit: Obedience comes before provision. Ouch. So we decided, "Forget the house; we'll just move." Okay, now the crazy had kicked in. I am way too practical for all of this. But we knew we had to. Well, within days of making that commitment, a dear friend approached Brandon about renting our house for a year. Yep, that's right. Provision.

We had two short weeks to pack up our house and move out. So we temporarily moved our stuff into Mamaw's basement and ourselves into B's parents' house. Then I (cue sad sad music) turned in my resignation at work. Remember that the Lord had impressed upon me that we needed to be in Auburn in August? Well guess what else He did. I found a wonderful job through a connection B had made through baseball. When they made me a job offer, I found out that the current OT's last day was July 31st, so they wanted me to start the following Monday--August 3rd. Provision! AND confirmation.

So it was official. We were moving. And now at least one of us had a job! Now we needed a roof over our heads. We found a cute little two bedroom apartment, and oh joy they had one available right when we needed it. We put down a deposit, and of course I immediately started graphing out where our furniture would go (I know--a little overkill for two bedrooms, but whatever.) Well, to make a long story short, that ended up falling through at the last minute. In the meantime, we found the cutest [too expensive] three bedroom townhouse for sale [not rent.] But thanks to the terrible housing market and my convincing husband, we got it! Having two bedrooms was vital since we wanted to have a place for our family and friends to visit, but the third bedroom was "extra," or so we thought! Shortly after that, we found out that we were expecting! Again, provision--even before we knew we needed it.

And the rest is history. Brandon started volunteering at Highlands and began creating a position for himself under Pastor Sean's leadership. We had no idea what would come of this or how long it would take. We just knew that we were being obedient. It wasn't easy; I'll leave it at that. Many of you prayed and encouraged us through this time, and for that we thank you! BUT a few months later, and a lot sooner than we expected, Brandon was brought on staff! So Brandon has spent the past year learning the inner workings of Highlands Auburn, and loving it! We are so thankful for the direction and friendship of Pastor Sean and his wife, Rhiannon. Words could never suffice.

Just as soon as we settled into our new life here, we got another surprise! Pastor Sean was called to a new position, and Brandon was being considered to move into his position as campus pastor. It was so amazing to see how Pastor Sean helped bring forth the calling on Brandon's life, and by doing so he was able to smoothly transition into his new calling of helping plant churches all over the country!

So we are blown away as Brandon is now serving as campus pastor at Church of the Highlands Auburn! Looking back over each step that the Lord so beautifully orchestrated truly leaves me speechless. We have quickly fallen in love with the people of Auburn, and we can't wait to see all that the Lord has in store here. We are humbled to be a small part of His magnificent plan.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20