not your average home tour, part one.

I've got nothing against blogging home tours if that's your thing. 
You know what kind I'm talking about. Where you show off the loveliness and sweep the rest under the rug or into the closet. 
But since my blogging motto has always been, "less of a trophy case, more of a coffee date", I tend to stay away from that kind of thing. 


But I have a dilemma. Far away friends who want to see our new home. And a genuine gratefulness that I want to share. And talented friends who have contributed to the beauty here that I want to promote. 


And thus, we get. 
Not your average home tour. 


I promise to only post real-life, taken at 6:30pm during the witching hours pictures. And to sweeten (or sour?!) the deal, we've loaned out our nice camera - so it's only iphone pictures today. I'll go bit by bit through the house, starting with the only room that's about 90% done. 


I'm excited. 
There's nothing more than I like having a friend over for coffee. 
So come on in, and look around. 

Come on in! We're playing dollhouse. Up those stairs are our bedrooms, and over here - here's my nana's infamous gold couch. 

You know the first time Nick visited my nana's house, he fell in love with that couch. Over time, I think he slipped her bribes for it. Either way, when she moved out this past November, she made sure he knew it was ours. I am usually as obsessive about the pillows being lined up as she was, but I'm tried to keep it REAL for you. 

Over there, there's my nook. That chair, suitcase, cubby - all of it was just sort of donated/gifted/picked out of the trash since we moved here. I feel like it completes this house. And just behind that is the up-the-stairs-art-wall.


The only part of this room I haven't finished is making one of these shades/lanterns for that hanging bulb. Hoping to get to it this weekend. 

Here are a few of my favorite pieces. 

My scripture art by Carrie. 

Glory's silhouette by Lindsey. 

Naptime Diaries India Indiana print (typo, oops)
Arrow painting by Hello Hue
commissioned Arrow piece by Worship Artist

Oh, and back to the cubby. Did I show you the cubby? It was getting thrown out our church and Nick brought it home. He kept telling me he had something I was going to love and sure enough when I saw it, I kissed it. Literally. 

But the cutest part of the room? 
Well, we know that takes no explanation. 
:) 

Part two up soon!

Thanks for stopping by! 

front porch people.

**pictures in this post taken by my sweet friend Kayla who was visiting this weekend**

Sometimes I attempt to be so creative or so careful with my words that I'm downright confusing. So if I haven't made it clear, 
I'm really thankful to be where we are. 

The kind of words I want to be careful with are ones like these: "we are really overwhelmed with the grace and goodness in our life right now. we're in a season we've longed for, for quite a while". Here's what I don't want people to hear: "we have a ton of money. we have a ton of answers about our future. everyone loves us and our kids are perfect and we get plenty of sleep and our life is a like christian novel with no conflict". That would be absolutely be the non-truth. 


The real truth is - we're really thankful for God's grace and where He has us right now. Here are some examples of what I mean: 
- We spent the last few years living in homes that were tiny or dirty or way out of the way. Now, we're in a house that fits all our stuff and all our kids and all our friends. 
- We're really thankful for where we are financially. The Lord is providing for us so creatively and in ways we never even dreamed of and while we don't have bookoo bucks or two cars or extravagant dates, we're finally at a place where we've learned that the Lord ALWAYS provides and that money is a very small trapping of this world that brings us no happiness or lasting joy. 
- We've spent the last few years feeling quite like we were in a holding pattern of ministry. One that was really beneficial for us. In each and every way the Lord held us, we learned and we grew and we soaked up what we needed to. But you know we were itching. And now, it feels like we have some freedom to walk in the ways He's gifted us as we closely watch and learn in the areas we still need much growth. 

For example: when you have a heart that is itching to minister to people and to share the gospel with your neighbors, it's quite hard to do that when you don't really have neighbors because you live a little bit in the middle of nowhere off a busy road. 


But now. Here we are. 
With everyday problems and no perfect solutions.
But we're finally front porch people. 
We're learning that the Lord always provides and He always releases in His perfect timing.
And try as we might, we just can't bear to come in from our front porch. 
Because we live on this precious street with these people who are precious to Him. 


If you're in the holding place, smile and bless Him today. When He lets go, you'll know you served as faithfully as you could where you were. You'll be thankful you didn't curse your tiny house with the broken toilet everyday when the Lord moves you on. Because then you would've gotten in the habit of believing that you DESERVE things, when you really only deserve death and destruction. Instead, when you have a functioning toilet - you'll just about sing the hallelujah chorus each time that bad boy flushes. 

If He's already let you go from a holding place, I'm smiling with you today. Let's not get trapped up by anything ok. Let's hold it all loosely. If you're finally a front porch person or a kitchen table person or a enough-food-on-the-table person or a finally-found-the-right-church-for-us-person, let's be really intentional to not move on with our day without thanking Him. For releasing, for healing, for giving. 
For front porches. 

a true story: we're moving to Indiana.

A true story

new Indiana print in our house

part one: great grace

Not everyone knows the whole story. Shoot, it’s a long story. And He’s still writing it. I used to hate this story. I struggled to see Him in it. But the best stories are like that, right? Where all at the end, it makes sense. But praise God, we’re not at the end yet. No where near. God called my husband to plant a church in Boston, named Gospel Community, in 2008. We live in Seattle and I wanted to live in Seattle forever. We kept getting delayed with life, delayed with the condition of our hearts, until in the fall of 2010 it seemed time. We packed up, were sent off by a wonderful community and had the intention of stopping in South Carolina for a few weeks of further fundraising and revitalization. We needed the Lord to move big time, but felt Him pushing us forward. A few weeks in, it became apparent that the Lord was not flinging wide the doors to Boston. There were stress and tears and confusion. So much confusion. There were hard talks about depression and about failure and in the midst of it, we got to experience God’s great grace over and over and over again. The same grace we wanted so badly to share with others, we were desperate for. We came to Columbia, a city we swore we’d never live in again, for a friend’s wedding. And then, the doors flung open. He wanted us here. In a holding place. We stayed.

part two: the best and worst year ever

Columbia was rescue and rest and it was also frustrating anticipation. I needed healing from depression. The Lord healed. So now can we go to Boston? No. Glory has her massive seizures. She might be brain damaged. She’s in the ICU. God straight up heals her. Now can we go to Boston? No. We get pregnant. Pregnant! A fourth baby! We lose the baby. God comforts our hearts in a new way. Can we go to Boston now, Lord? Not yet. We need to really have our faith shaken down, once again – do we really believe that this life is only meant for enjoying Him, knowing Him, and making more disciples? Yes, we do. As best we can. Can we go to Boston? Not yet. One day, in July, Nick and I went on a hiking date. We both felt this urgency to pray together, to ask Him for what was next. We both felt like He’d speak to us on the hike. We ran and walked and held hands and moved in quiet. At the end, we both confirmed. Just wait. He was saying to just wait.

part three: out of nowhere

Throughout the year, Nick had talked on and off with another church planter -  a guy in Fort Wayne, Indiana – the pastor of another Gospel Community.  From my eyes, I see them getting to know one another and I see my husband smiling more and he says there might be something there. Some sweet connection. We might be the same church? Great! Can we go to Boston now Lord? Not yet. We skype with him & his wife. I love them. They’re wonderful. A few weeks later, we find out that the holding place is getting shaken up. Our sweet little rescue of a house has been sold and we won’t be the renters. Nick’s contract at his job at up. He asks if I’d ever consider moving Fort Wayne. I say absolutely not. And almost as soon as I say that, I feel the Lord convicting me and quickening me. This isn’t something to say no to. We skype again and this time, I bring it up, I think I just blurted out, “can we come there?!”.

And we did.

my favorite new print. 

part four: great grace, again.

All five of us pile in a tiny Corolla and drive to Fort Wayne. Before we even reach our sweet new friend’s house, we agree – unless they are serial killers and they don’t want us to come, we’re moving. It feels more right than anything. I think, at best – this is what the Lord wants and it will bring me more joy than I can describe to support my husband. I have no idea how He is about to blow our minds. We love them. Our new precious friends. Our new gospel community. We love the sweet little city. We love the church. We want to be there. To serve with them. To grow with them. To learn from them. And when the time is right, to move on from them and continue growing Gospel Community in Boston. 

So, in two weeks, we're going to move to Fort Wayne, Indiana to serve and be a part of Gospel Community Church. And while it’s random and it was no where in our 3 year plan, it is such an incredible blessing and we are more than thankful to our God who has shown us such great grace. By giving Himself, and by graciously guiding us and growing us in these years, and be moving us along – towards a sweet new gospel community. We'd love your prayers as we pack up everything in the South, say goodbye to friends and family, and get settled in our new community in Fort Wayne.

praying you experience His great grace today. 

Jess