For real though...

I'm back. I know I took an extreme blog break. For that, I apologize. Life has been quite crazy, and I needed time to figure things out a little before I could share with the world (or really just the 3 people who read my blog!). I'm going to be posting over the next few weeks about all that has happened and all that I've learned. So, buckle up. It's a wild ride. One of my favorite quotes is from C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia series. It so applies to living life with Jesus: "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

Babies and Buhbies

Our wonderful friends and pastors the McGoverns have their second son! Jack Jones is really adorable and the size of a peanut. Okay not really but that's all I could think of when I saw how tiny he is. I forgot how little new borns are. Since I don't have pictures of my own children to post, I thought I would post pictures of the next best thing...our buhbies aka puppies. They really are ridiculously fun. Confession: I miss my dogs when I'm out of town. So, here's a little photo fun for you...


Nadia is a snuggler. She will invade your space and try to snuggle at all costs. If you don't create a "snuggle spot" for her, she just sits and stares at you with sad eyes.


Chloe is our happy little girl. She is so happy that she usually looks like she is smiling at you.


David making the dogs dance. Clearly, the are pleading with me to save them. I did not.


Cuteness.


Chillin on the porch.


At 8 weeks...they have grown so much since then!

I love babies, but for now, I'll just stick to buhbies.

California Love

I have been noticing lately the number of songs created over the years that are odes to Cali. Think: California Girls (Beach Boys), Hotel California (Eagles), California (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers--although there are like 50 other songs by different artists with just the state's name as a title), most recently California Gurls (Katy Perry), and the list goes on. You can literally google "California songs" and come up with pages that are like the top 100 songs about California. It's a little crazy. What other state has so many songs in its honor? You really do fall in love a little bit with the state. We may have our problems, but we are proud of our land, our culture, and our spirit. I may not be a native, but I'm here for life. So, I think I qualify as a Californian now.

I have to say that I like living here. I like that we have like the 7th largest economy out of any country in the world--just in our state. I like that there is such diversity and creativity that flows from our cities. I like that there is a sense of adventure and freedom here--even though some people take this to its extreme. There is so much potential in the people of this state. I'm excited to really see a move of God because Cali is a force to be reckoned. When we get on fire for God, the nation will be watching.

Jesus LOVES California, and so do I.

I was struggling...maybe still am

Hey everyone, this one is just a little stream of conciousness about life right now. It's just where I am.

So, I was really hit last night with a lot of thoughts about my life. I feel like David and I are in a trial that is never ending. I am, most of the time, encouraged and can overcome the heaviness of it. Last night, I just had a hard time. I know we are in God's will to be here in CA, but it just gets tough once in a while. There are only 5 other people who can even understand the intensity of being here and doing what we are doing. (I am immensely grateful for the 5 of you though!) Sometimes, I just want it to be easier, more fun. I know this is totally my flesh, but it gets to the point where I wish we could move somewhere and just join a church that already has leadership in place, where there are tons of people there that are instantly able to be my friends, where we don't have to plow the hard ground because someone else already did it.

I know (because David often reminds me) that the Christians in the book of Acts suffered far more than we will ever suffer in order to grow the kingdom of God. I just cannot seem to understand that or relate to it. I even "know" that people in other countries are facing persecution for believing in Jesus. This, I also cannot really understand. How do you see around your circumstances to the bigger picture? I try to pray about it. I try to ignore it and just go on. I try to think of solutions or work harder to improve. Nothing really seems to help though. I feel like we just have to walk through it. Last night, I got tired of walking. I felt like quitting. I guess I am saying all of this to say--I am in need of your prayers. All I can pray lately that feels authentic is "Breakthrough, God. Breakthrough." Pray that with me, please.

What I've Been Reading...

I love to read. (I also love to watch movies, but I love to read more.) Specifically, I love to read fiction. I have loved it since I was little. Reading for English classes was never a chore throughout school and even into college. There is just something really beautiful about the creativity and eloquence it takes to write a good work of fiction. Since I fly a lot, I have many hours of uninterrupted reading time. It is my "me" time when I can just enjoy something that makes me happy.

When you read, you can imagine your way into times and places that are outside of your reality. I'm not talking about brain candy like John Grisham (although I do like his books). I mean the real art of storytelling that leaves you feeling like you are somehow part of the plot. Good fiction produces a reaction that changes some small part of who you are.

Recently, I have read three fantastic books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (amazing story of a small island off the coast of England and how it survived German occupation during WWII--surprising quite funny), Sarah's Key (a woman's journey of self discovery as she uncovers her family's role in a French Jew's life during WWII), The Swan Thieves (the story of a brilliant but mentally ill painter and his psychiatrist's quest to help him heal). The two WWII novels in a row were a coincidence--very different though and both really well done.

It makes me sad when people don't like to read. So, pick up a book--preferably one of the three above--and read.

I googled Reading Rainbow for a picture to add to this post--come on somebody if you remember Reading Rainbow! Here is the very weird picture that came up. I guess he is SUPER excited about reading?


Nevertheless, props to RR. Way to encourage kids to read through a tv show. Irony.

Good News--All Hell is Breaking Loose

Remnant Church and its leaders would love your prayers right now. We have good news. All hell is breaking loose against us right now--as a body and individually.

I know this seems like a weird thing to say, but let me explain. When we moved to Cali and started Remnant, there were a lot of things in our hearts and relationships with God that were not healthy. We are finally now at a point where we are all living in passionate pursuit of Jesus and His kingdom. God is moving big time in the church's people. Lives are being internally impacted. Satan is getting scared because we are getting ready to breakthrough in a big way.

So much craziness has happened lately that we should be discouraged. The opposite is happening. Every time some new plot of the devil comes our way, we get encouraged. I am smiling as I write this because I know that Satan would not bother with us if we weren't doing anything for God.

Pray for us to be sustained through trial. Pray that we find favor for all of the issues we are dealing with. Pray that we have strength to overcome and endure. Pray for more salvations. Pray for more baptisms. Pray for more miracles. Pray for more healings. Pray for abundant finances. Pray for the right people to join us.

We so appreciate your support. I can't wait to share all of the ways that God comes through. Very soon!

My Vacuum Sucks & an Ode to the Swiffer WetJet

I have been having cleaning problems:

1. I avoid mopping at all costs. Sorry that this is gross, but I'm just being real. I can't get into it. There is no particular reason. In my list of stuff to do, mopping just keeps getting pushed lower because the colors on the floor do not show dirt. Out of sight, out of mind. However, seeing the bottom of my socks get dirty from the inside of my house made me feel like a failure of a house keeper. (Sorry for the full disclosure, but I promise that other areas of my house really are clean.)

2. My vacuum sucks....meaning it does not actually do what it should...which is suck. David and I both vacuumed throughout the week and the dog hair on the carpet just would not go away. It was like we were pretending to vacuum but with a real vacuum.

So, I got fed up.

1. I recently saw a friend using a Swiffer WetJet. It looked fun. So, I decided to buy one. It was actually fun in an OCD way. As you mop, you can see all of the dirt collect on the disposable pad on the bottom of the mop. (Although, the pad on the mop looks like someone got the idea from...well, you be the judge.)



After you are done, you just peel the pad off the Swiffer and throw it away. This kind of felt like cleaning the lint out of the dryer trap. :)

2. I decided we are not so poor that we cannot afford a vacuum that actually sucks...how it should. So, I bought a new one. Eureka! Literally, a Eureka. It was glorious. I vacuumed anything that was not moving--carpet, couches, stairs, tile floors. I thought about going to the source of the problem and just vacuuming the dogs directly, but they have a mortal fear of the vacuum. So, they were spared from my vacuuming zeal.



My house is clean.

The end.