who is coming behind you

I'm in an interesting position because I'm in the middle of the road. There are some areas of my life where I'm just starting a long trek - church planting, raising KIDS, writing, speaking, and living an overall healthy life. There are other areas where I've been walking for a few years - blogging, motherhood in general, marriage, and having a relationship with Jesus. I'm rounding the corner to thirty so there's really nothing in my life I'd consider myself an expert in, but there are things I feel more seasoned in than others. 

One thing I've noticed about women in Christian culture is the way we respond when we're a few steps ahead of someone. There are always exceptions to the rule, but I feel like we are very quick to warn, caution, or even straight up frighten the women who are coming behind us. It's the baby shower syndrome, you know? Or even the wedding shower syndrome these days. You know the scene I'm talking about - some sweet gal with a swollen belly or heart full of romantic dreams is sitting in the middle of the room and suddenly the conversation takes a scary turn. 

"oh just you wait - you're in for a wild ride."
"when you have two kids, you'll understand."
"it's fun for a little bit, until the honeymoon is over."
"enjoy these last days of freedom!"
"these are going to be the hardest years of your life - but they'll be rewarding."

I've been that girl. I've been both girls, really. I've been the scared one opening the gifts and I'm ashamed to say I've been the one trying to warn the sweet lady with all the hopes and dreams. Ladies, WHY do we do this? I'm sensitive to it now because here I am, at the beginning of so many different new walks and I'm noticing the words women have for me. Some beautiful women in my life have used my fresh naivety to speak wild hope into me and it has forever changed the way I want to encourage those who are coming behind me. 

The fact is - someone is behind you somewhere and someone is watching you. Whether it's in motherhood, marriage, ministry, work, your walk with the Lord, or even just the way you dress - someone is behind you, following you as you follow Jesus. And they are holding their breaths waiting for you to turn around and tell them, 

"It's going to be ok. It's going to be great."
"You can do this. Jesus in you is strong, even when you feel weak."
"It might feel hard - but He has equipped you and He will work in you."
"I'll be there for you, every step of the way."
"The best is yet to come."

Who is coming behind you and how can you encourage them? I'm starting with me, refusing to be the ominous lady at the shower - scaring the one who is opening the gift and looking to me with hopeful eyes. 

Let's be the ones, at the end of the road, who are saying, 
"I knew you could do it. 
I knew Christ in you was more than enough." 

I am hope junkie.

Thanksgiving morning, I was sitting in the calm before the storm with my friend Brittany. We were talking about the holidays and the day to come - our expectations and ideas. I realized as I talked that Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday, but maybe not for the reasons you'd expect. 

The past few years I've begun to notice that I'm a really intense hope junkie. I need to know that something can grow, change, shift, or become better in some way for me to function well within it. Those closest to me know that while I'm not some kind of crazy positive sing songy gal, I am an extreme optimist and I like to hope for the best possible outcome until the last possible moment. I think we all know a stereotypical person who "hopes for the best" because maybe they haven't had a whole lot of things not go their way. Maybe they refuse to be realists because it would make them face facts that pain, failure, sickness, and death are there & they can't control what will happen to them. I think my optimism is born out of something different though and it is mostly from seeing hard and pain and seeing God still be good afterwards. 

I don't necessarily fear failure in business or finances because I've already failed at business before. We've lived in poverty and collected quarters for bread for our kid's breakfasts. I don't fear pain as much as I used to because I've wept over my own losses and the losses of those that I love. I don't fear embarrassment or letting people down because I have screwed up big before and needed great grace to sustain me. I think I'm a hope junkie because I refuse to stop clinging to the belief that God cares about all of us, and all of these things. I want to hold fast to the hope that He will make a way, He will redeem, He will conquer, and if all else fails - He will be our comfort when the worst of the worst happens. 

This season right here - anywhere between the time I wake up on Thanksgiving morning and January 1st of the next year, is my sweet hopeful season. Christmas is coming. People are celebrating. The twinkle lights are out and even though this is a season of materialism and buying and gifts, it's also a season of seeing the really beautiful parts of community blossom and materialize. And if all else fails, for most people, if they go around the table and say what they're thankful for, even if they've had the hardest year of their lives or they're in the middle of a battle with no end - they will find a silver lining. They will cling to hope and look in the face of the unknown and believe the best, if even just for a moment. 

For those of us who are in Christ, we know what that is. It isn't hope in humanity or the magic of the season, or the goodwill of man. It's the light of Christ. That He came and He is coming back. That He made things right and is still making them right. It's advent. it's hope. 

I am a hope junkie. 

And I love this season. 

treat yourself in the thick of it

I don't know about y'all, but I for one am completely in love with Jessi's theme for November, In the Thick of It. As a working mom, wife, leader, writer and overall sinful perfectionist I find myself in the thick of it daily, working hard for myself and then realizing, daily, that God's grace is what I need more than anything.

Lately I have resorted to dealing with stress and anxiety via snacking constantly, sleeping instead of exercising, and otherwise not taking care of myself well. I'm not proud to admit it, but I know I'm not alone in these tendencies. I know there are other mommas out there trying to make it all work and sometimes we just feel like we deserve to eat something for all of our hard work. 

First of all, this notion is certainly true at times, we do deserve to give ourselves a little reward for working hard and loving well. But the problem comes when I choose to "treat" myself to something that does NOT do my body good and leaves me anxious or tired or unhealthy at the end of it. That's no treat, and I know it. 

I'm working on redefining the treat for myself. A treat should be something that I don't always have, but I also believe that a treat should also help me to feel better after eating it. Not sick or bogged down, but energetic and ready to keep working and playing. Something that helps me rather than hurts. Something that ultimately brings me closer to God. 

This silky soup is so easy to throw together. It has a truly luxurious texture that I find only comes from making your own pumpkin puree (it's seriously so easy - the canned stuff has nothing on this recipe!). I suggest making a large batch and storing it in the fridge for a fresh batch of soup whenever you want. The crisp apple is a great texture, and the toasted pecans add some great healthy fat and protein as well. 

I hope you guys can enjoy this soup as a way of treating yourself well. Rewarding ourselves in the thick of it doesn't have to be complicated and it can be good for us. Y'all enjoy!

SILKY VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP WITH FRESH APPLES AND TOASTED PECANS

• 2 cups pumpkin puree, preferably from freshly roasted pumpkins like from this recipe
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional; if you're going full vegan maple syrup is a great substitute)
• 2 sweet apples (I love Honeycrisps)
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Combine the pumpkin puree, stock, salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil and honey (if using) in a pot and whisk together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the mixture reduces about 1/4 cup, about 10-15 minutes. Whisk it together again and allow to sit off the heat for a few minutes while you chop the apples. Serve hot with the fresh apples and chopped toasted pecans on top!

missional in the thick of it || part one

Making Disciples.
Missional. 
Church planting. 
Neighbors. 
Prayer and Worship. 
Core Team. 
Pastoring. 
Apostles and Prophets. 
Mission and Vision. 

This is what we talk about in my home. Sure, we talk about blogs and small business. We talk about Montessori and pinterest and scripture prints. But we talk a LOT about church planting being that my husband is a church planter. We've been a part of several church plants over the past eight years, but in June things got really real when we moved to downtown Charleston, SC to plant a church of our very own. Just us and our sweet four kiddos, a lot of grace and some hopeful hearts. 

Over the past few months, a small core team has come around us to start the church with us and the Lord is absolutely moving and working and growing us. We are prayerfully moving towards gathering outside of our home in January (a real live church service!) and we are really excited about the future of Gospel Community Charleston. But for all the talking, praying, planning, and church planting we're doing - it is one of the least things I blog or talk about online. It is a tender spot  for me as we are still doing so much growing and learning, but I want to begin to share some bits of our story and what the Lord is teaching me as we move forward.