Chains: Are You Paralyzed?

We all have chains.  They come in every size and shape, but at the end of the day they are there, holding us back from the full life God has for us.  Take a moment and picture it.  Imagine going through a full day with heavy chains clutching your arms, your legs, your waist… imagine dragging those shackles as you get out of bed, make breakfast, go to work or school, do the laundry, or pay the bills.  Everything is harder with chains, right?  It wouldn't take long before many of us would get angry and throw them off!  As a matter of fact, I doubt most of us would get through breakfast before tossing the heavy clanking metal aside so we could be free.

Unfortunately, many of us carry chains twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  They are invisible, but their effect is still just as strong in our lives.  We are weighted down, slugging through the daily tasks of life, fighting this invisible force that keeps us from being the best that we can be.  How can we be happy if we are weighted down with chains?  The truth is that chains PARALYZE us.

So the question for today is this: What are your chains?  

What is the silent heaviness that you drag with you day by day?  Here is a look at some of the most common chains that we carry around…

1. The Chain of Financial Fear

Debt.  Past due bills.  The kids' college tuition.  The mortgage payment that just isn't in the bank account.  Student loans that just never seem to end.  Credit card debt that is more than we can afford to pay.  Financial chains can paralyze us in life.  We feel helpless to escape our situation and completely out of control.  Everything we do in life is hindered by the fear that financial ruin will cause us to crumble at a moment's notice.

2. The Chain of Physical Illness

Disability.  Cancer.  Heart Disease.  Migraines. Diabetes.  PCOS.  Infertility.  Fibromyalgia.  Arthritis.  Physical illness can make every little act in life feel like a heavy duty job.  We are weighted down, burdened, and feel beyond help when the doctors have no answers.

3. The Chain of Depression

Sadness.  Loneliness.  A dark cloud that just won't go away.  Depression casts a shadow over our lives and we drag it around like chains across our necks while it strangles the air we so desperately need to survive.

4. The Chain of Insecurity

What if I fail?  What if I'm not good enough?  What if I'm too much?  What if I said the wrong thing?  What if I did it all wrong?  Insecurity is a chain that forces us to stand still.  Again, we are paralyzed, unable to move as the enemy weights us down with the belief that we are never going to have what it takes.

5. The Chain of Doubt

What if God isn't real?  If He loves me, why doesn't He answer my prayers?  Where is God when I'm hurting so bad?!  Doubt is a heavy chain that can make even mundane tasks more difficult.  It is perhaps the hardest chain to shed because so often, we pick it up unintentionally and over time, we let it grow until we are so covered in it that we have no idea how to shake it off.

6. The Chain of Abuse

Beaten.  Scarred.  Molested.  Terrified.  Shamed.  When you have faced abuse in any form during your life, you automatically have a tangle of chains to deal with.  For those who faced abuse as small children or for many years, the chains have been there so long that we don't even recognize them anymore.  They are a part of our daily garments and often, we use them as a shield to keep others from coming too close to the hurt that is deep inside.

7. The Chain of Bitterness

That friend who turned away.  The child you lost.  The co-worker who lied.  The church member who betrayed your trust.  The spouse that cheated.  When bitterness sets in, it locks so tightly that we can't see past the hurt and anger.  Chains of bitterness effect every moment of our lives, even the moments that go unrecognized.

8. The Chain of Stuff

The 27 pairs of shoes stacked in the closet.  The clothes we haven't worn in years.  The books we keep but never read.  The untouched clutter in our closets.  The carload of stuff we brought home from Wal-Mart. It's not wrong to have stuff, but when stuff has you, the chains set in and suddenly you are paralyzed beneath it.  Many, many, many people carry the chains of stuff without having any idea that they are weighted down at all.

So that's a quick look at some of the common chains that we carry.  Tomorrow, we'll start delving into them in more detail and talk about how to shed the chains and find TRUE freedom in Christ.  If you are paralyzed in the chains tonight, allow yourself to catch a glimmer of hope.  The One who holds the key is just waiting for you to hand him the lock.

-Amber

P.S. Take a minute and listen to this song... 

Something New

I can't believe it's already January 8.  The past couple of weeks have passed in a blur.  It has been so busy with work, finding our routine again with homeschool, and most of all with Josh's recovery.  Things are going well though.

Josh is making progress each day.  He had a little setback over Christmas.  I think he just got really worn out after a full week of having company here, but it was oh so good to see everyone!  He's back on the uphill climb now, slowly getting more energy each day.  His pain has increased a lot this past week as his muscles are healing and the nerves seem to be coming back to life.  Thankfully, he has been able to manage it really well and is only needing to take any kind of pain medications at night.

Ally and Walker are doing great.  They are getting back to their old routine and enjoying the day to day fun of homeschool.  Ally is asking to take dance lessons so I'm trying to find a dance school somewhere nearby.  This spring, hopefully Walker can start playing sports through our community rec center.

Church planting is still always on our hearts and minds.  God has been opening some amazing doors for us and we are excited about what the future holds.  We have been blessed with some amazing ministry friends and we are going to a new church that was started a little over a year ago.  We're excited to plug in and get back to doing what we love most... loving Jesus and the people who don't know Him yet.

This week, I'm going to do a special blog series called "Chains Will Fall".  I want to invite you to check in here through the week to journey with me down the road to freedom.  Our church is starting a 21 day Daniel fast tomorrow morning and I've decided to write about something really important during that process.  I'll share my story and I'm hoping many of you will share yours too.  Come back tomorrow and we'll get started...

2011: The Year We Did Hard

I have been trying to think of a way to sum up 2011 in a blog post and there are so many different things I could say.  Perhaps the best way to phrase it is to say this was the year we did hard.  2011 brought things I wasn't prepared for, things that I never believed I could have walked through.  Truthfully, I couldn't have if it wasn't for God and His unending patience with my confusion, complaining, and occasional rants.  Most of all, it was His love and grace that brought us through the year and saw us into 2012 with great hope.  Let's look back...

January 

January began with a snowstorm.  There was sledding, snowmen, hot chocolate, and memories that will last a lifetime.  The kids had a nice break from school and we enjoyed our wintry wonderland together.

February

When February rolled around, I was completely immersed in our adoption process.  We spent most of February doing fundraisers, assembling legal documents, and sending it all to Belize while we hoped and prayed for a quick referral of twins.

March

March brought lots of busyness with ministry.  I think this was the month when something started shifting for us.  God was calling us towards something new and we struggled to discern where we were headed while we balanced a full plate of meetings, activities, and outreach events.  We also had both of our dads in the hospital with heart problems during this time.

April

April brought Easter, the school concert for Ally and Walker, and some more big decisions for us as we were seeking each day what God wanted us to do.  April also saw Josh struggling with some tiredness.  He was wearing down quickly from what we thought was purely stress.  Of course, the next month told a different story.

May

May was a game changer.  Josh's dad was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  The pieces started colliding into one big horrible picture of why Josh might have been feeling so bad, having high blood pressure, and struggling every time he climbed the steps.  After a local diagnosis confirming that Josh had HCM, we were send to the Cleveland Clinic to find out what exactly this meant for the future.  

May was terrifying.  We made the best of it, even taking in a baseball game in Cleveland (seen above), but we were struggling.  HCM meant two things: 1) Josh had a high risk of sudden cardiac death and 2) It was time to stop putting off all those things that we assumed we could do later in life.  On our way home from Cleveland, Josh declared that it was time to do what God had been urging him to do.  We would plant a church.  Josh felt sure God was sending us to Wilmington.  They loaded him up on heart medication and we hoped that would be enough.

June

During June, we embraced summer.  We plowed through ministry obstacles with me silently screaming that the stress had to end NOW as I worried about Josh's heart.  We also enjoyed seeing God do some miracles as a few believers we loved started sprouting up in their faith and boldness like our little garden.  Even a small harvest is worth all the toil! God continued to prompt Josh about planting and we started talking about concrete plans.  And that's when we came full circle to Belize, where our babies were waiting.

July

Through a variety of circumstances, we were presented with an opportunity to open a Christian retreat center and plant a church in Belize.  In July, we flew down and spent a few days combing the island that is the human trafficking entry way for Central America.  Things started getting a little confusing... maybe it wasn't Wilmington after all since God had put this right in our laps.  

August

When August arrived, we were still weighing our decisions for the future.  Everything was so confusing and all we knew was that Josh was supposed to plant a church... but where?  Our adoption was at a halt due to circumstances in Belize that we had no control over.  Suddenly everything was a mess.  We took it day by day, anguishing in prayer, spending every spare moment making memories with the kids, and always living with the "just in case" mentality of heart disease as Josh's heart medications had to be increased higher and higher.

September

Oh September.  Josh resigned from the church and we announced our decision to move to the foreign mission field.  We basically detonated a whole series of land mines as everyone went crazy telling us that we were crazy.  Then Josh's heart decided to show off, medications were increased AGAIN, and God basically shut the door completely on our Belize plan.  Now what?  

Just when things seemed like they couldn't get much worse, Josh's dad landed in the hospital for almost two weeks with some kind of unknown illness.  He was rapidly losing weight, couldn't eat, and we really thought he might die.

In the midst of all of this, Josh and I were standing in the kitchen one morning just staring at each other. There were lots of tears, and we were pretty shell shocked.  What on earth was God doing?

Within three days, He showed us the next step.  Josh's dad started getting better and was sent home from the hospital. The calling became clear. It was still Wilmington, or more specifically Brunswick County.  We would go, we would plant, and we would serve.  Belize, our adoption that was still caught up in a broken system, and every unknown would have to simply be surrendered.

So we took a deep breath, had a couple of big yard sales, sold everything we owned except clothes and some toys for the kids, and started packing what was left of our lives in boxes.  There were days when I was ecstatic over what God was about to do and other days when I felt like just crying and giving up.  Brokenness doesn't even begin to describe September.  It was a month of literally having to lay down every plan, dream, idea, and aspiration.  From our home to Josh's health to our families... we had to let go and trust God with every bit of it.  And let me tell you, it was HARD.

October

On October 1, we drove away from everything that was familiar and ended up in a rented house by the ocean.  We unpacked within a few hours and settled in to a new life in a new place.  On the same day, I started a new job working from home with the company I had done freelance work with for two years.  God was meeting needs before we ever knew they existed.  From the second we stepped foot in Brunswick County, God began to show us where He had been at work all along, preparing us and preparing this place.  We were home.  Things were finally good except for one little problem.  Josh's heart medication had to be increased again and this time, he had reached the maximum dosage that it was safe to prescribe.

November

November brought lots of fun with homeschooling, learning more about our new community, and landing in a great church where God very strategically placed us.  We started making friends, meeting people, and fell in love with Oak Island and the surrounding area.  Church planting was constantly on our minds and Josh spent hours reading, planning, and talking to people who could teach him from their experiences.  

Of course, there was some trouble in November too.  Josh's health began to rapidly decline.  And when I say rapidly, I mean that one day he was fishing on the beach and a few days later, he was struggling to even get up and walk around.  I began to get scared for him.  Some days were good and others were terrible.  He got winded walking to the bathroom.  When he stood up, he would stumble and have to sit down to keep from passing out.  He was pale and his fingertips and mouth looked blue.  He seemed swelled.  We called the specialists in Cleveland and they scheduled open heart surgery for January 19, 2012.

December

On December 1, something felt wrong.  Josh looked worse and I had this uneasy feeling that I couldn't shake.  Josh started having chest pain that wouldn't go away.  On December 2, he woke up at 8:00 and called his doctor in Cleveland.  We were afraid he might not be able to wait another 6 weeks on surgery because he was declining so quickly.  I was terrified to let him drive, worrying he would pass out and end up dead on the side of the road.  The doctor was in New York at a conference, but after we hung up I started praying.  "God, if he needs help now, please intervene for him.  Please do something to help the doctors feel urgent about this.  Please get him to Cleveland this weekend if his life is in danger."

Thirty seconds later, my phone rang.  His doctor was calling from the airport in New York and he wanted us on an airplane by sunset.  Josh was admitted at the Cleveland Clinic 24 hours later.  The rest... well, you know what a miracle God did!  After open heart surgery, God gave Josh a second chance at life when he otherwise might not have lived to see his surgery date that is still a few weeks away.

What a Year!!!

No one can dispute that this has been a hard year for us.  As we entered 2012, I didn't even want to venture a guess at what is ahead during the next 12 months.  I only know this: God has been faithful.  All of the trials of our previous years - infertility, miscarriages, Ally's fight with asthma, Walker's time in the hospital, and more - it prepared us for 2011.  It was like God trained us specifically through each previous battle to prepare us for the field we would enter in 2011.  And we were equipped.  

No, we didn't have what it took to get through it on our own.  But we had the only thing that counted - the knowledge that the ONLY way to survive was to curl up tight and lean hard into Jesus while He calmed the storm that was raging around us.  And calm it He did.

So 2011?  Yes, it was hard.  But I have to tell you... it was the year when I learned that above all, God is faithful.  He is worthy of our full trust.  And He is big enough, strong enough, and wise enough to accept our tears, our weakness, and our tantrums.  Because more than anything, He loves us.  That is what 2011 was all about.

Merry Christmas

May your Christmas be full of joy, excitement, hope, and celebration of our Savior! We didnt quite get christmas cards out this year, but please know that we are wishing all of our sweet friends a very Merry Christmas! Now go get your elf on...

Love,
Josh, Amber, Ally, and Walker

You Might Be the Grinch If...

Let's face it.  The holidays are a long stretch of to-do lists, parties to attend, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, and traditions to uphold.  Most of us face a lot of pressure during this time of year.  I know sometimes I feel like if it doesn't look like Martha made it, I've become a failure at all things domestic.

It's easy to fall into the trap of getting wrapped up in the stuff... stuff to do, stuff to give, stuff to get, stuff to bake, stuff to eat, stuff to buy, stuff to wear, stuff to share.  But when we get too mixed up in the the stuff, everything falls apart.

If you have felt like crying in your mistletoe or spiking the eggnog over the past few days, take a minute and do a little self-check.  It could be that somehow in all the hustle and bustle, you have become the great enemy of Christmas.  Yes, the GRINCH.

You Might Be the Grinch If...

1. You are so tired of the cat climbing through the Christmas tree that you are ready to shove it up the chimney.

2. You have been reduced to patting your children on the head and saying, "WILL YOU PLEASE JUST GO TO BED?!"

3. The only time you say, "Ho Ho Ho" is when you are referring to that pushy, crazy woman in the toy aisle who just swiped the last Winter Dream Barbie.

4. After she calls for the 8 millionth time to compare decorations and Christmas dinner menus, you secretly dream of your great aunt's mortified reaction if you gave her what you really had in mind for Christmas.

5. After fighting half a million strangers in Toys 'R Us at 5AM, you are still so scarred for acquiring your kid's gift that the thought of hearing him play with it for the next 12 months makes you nauseaus.

6. You've decided that instead of cooking a turkey for Christmas dinner, you will simply steal your neighbor's.  Sure, it's not exactly nice, but it's a heck of a lot less work.

7. You threaten your kids with "the naughty list" several times a day and have even picked up your cell phone as if you will dial Santa RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE.

8. Christmas carols make you angry.  Can't they play something, ANYTHING other than "Santa Baby" on the radio?!

9. You would rather kiss the dog than your spouse because at least the dog didn't forget to pick up milk or tell the children that they could watch "Rudolph" again after you've already sat through it 17 times this week.

10. You actually forgot Jesus' birthday.

Hang in there, friends!  The cure for a Grinch-like spirit is to be intentional about celebrating Christ at Christmas.  Choose the memories over the momentary to-do list.  Choose to worship instead of wait in line at the toy store.  Choose the contentment, peace, and joy that is only available BECAUSE of that baby that slept in a manger many years ago.

And then, God can even use a Grinch like you or me to get the glory this Christmas. 

30 by 30

So here's the thing.  Today, I turned 29.  All that really means is that I have one year... 365 days, 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes until I am 30 years old.

THIRTY YEARS OLD.

I don't know why, but this seems huge to me.  It probably won't matter one bit in a few years, but for now, I'm hanging on to my 20's for all I'm worth. I have decided that in order to make the most of the last year in my 20's, I am going to make a list.

I've thought about it carefully and come up with 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  I'll document each item here on the blog as I check it off the list this year. So let's get down to business and decide on my 30 things. Here we go...

1. Run a 5K.

This past year has been all about shedding the extra pounds, but I'm ready to take it to the next level.  So this year, I am going to finally do something I never dreamed possible and run a 5K.

2. Write a Fiction Book.

This has been on my "life list" for five years, but I've never had the courage to actually try it.  I will write it this year.

3. Be a Bride on the Beach

If I could go back and do it over, my wedding day would be totally different.  No big church wedding with 400 people watching from the pews.  Instead, I would be in my favorite place with my favorite guy, pledging our love in front of the ocean.  This year, we're going to do pictures on the beach as a family and I'm wearing a white dress, baby!

4. Give a $100 Tip.

This year I want to set a little money aside to bless a total stranger... maybe the pizza guy, maybe a waitress... I don't know who it will be.  But I want to give a $100 tip to someone who doesn't see it coming.  

5. Take the Kids to the Zoo.

They have never been and every kid should visit the zoo!

6. Have a Bonfire on the Beach.

I've always wanted to do this and now that the ocean is right outside the door, I have no excuses.

7. Try a New Food.

I'm typically a pretty picky eater.  I always order the same things at restaurants and I buy the same groceries every week.  This year, I'm going to try a new food that I would otherwise be afraid of.

8. Invest in My Nieces.

I have always loved my beautiful nieces and this year, I want to really invest some time and love into their lives.  Three of the four are teenagers now (tears) and I would really love to do something special for them.

9. Write a Love Letter to My Children.

I am pretty good about writing letters to my husband from time to time, but this year I want to write a letter to each of my children.  I hope this can become a frequent thing where I leave short notes for them to find and maybe even compile a notebook of letters to them as they grow up.

10. Take Josh Deep Sea Fishing.

He would love it and I love him.  Enough said.

11. Stop Biting My Nails.

I know, I know.  I should've done this years ago.

12. Say Thank You When It Counts.

I want to be intentional about thanking people in my life who are special... family, friends, and those who have made an impact on me.  I want to say thank you.

13. Spend a Whole Day Playing.

No work, no laundry, no cleaning.  Just a full day of playing with my little ones and enjoying the fact that they are still little.

14. Share Jesus with a Stranger.

I hope I can do this many, many times this year.  I want it to be as natural as breathing... and not just a half hearted, "God is good!" in the check out line.  I want to full out share the Gospel with someone... or many someone's.

15. Spend an Afternoon Painting on the Beach.

I love to paint, but I have never let myself take the time to move outside with my canvas and brushes.  This year, I am going to do that.

16. Make Homemade Bread.

I've tried it once and it wasn't quite right... let's try it again!

17. Watch the Sun Rise.

I want to get up before the sun does so I can see it make that glorious climb over the edge of the ocean.

18. Play in the Rain.

The kids have to be in on this one too!

19. Listen to Josh Preach in the New Church.

I get more excited about this one with each passing day!

20. Fish on the Pier Until Midnight.

I love fishing, especially on the pier.  So this year, I want to spend an evening doing just that.

21. Talk to a Friend From my Childhood.

Since we moved a lot when I was a kid, I haven't really stayed in touch with many of my friends.  I want to look up one of these long lost playmates and reconnect.

22. Revisit Lake Louise.

My college buddies know what this one is all about.  This was a place all about young love, broken hearts, big dreams, and an even bigger God.  I want to go back and I want my 3 best friends from college to meet me by the waterfall.

23. Buy Groceries for a Family in Need.

I want to help out a family who is struggling this year.

24. Spend a Long Weekend in the Mountains with Josh.

I would love to find a remote cabin up in the mountains and hide away for a few days.

25. Buy a Golf Cart.

Sure, it's weird.  But it's definitely on the list.

26. Take Ally Away for a Girl's Only Weekend.

I have always wanted to do this and she is old enough to really enjoy it now!

27. Climb a Lighthouse.

Can you imagine the view from the top?

28. Make Cookies for No Good Reason.

Who needs a reason anyway, right?!

29. Take a Spontaneous Road Trip.

I don't care where we go.  Let's just hit the road and have an adventure!

30. Get a Tattoo.

My mother is going to call me in 3, 2, 1...

*hanging up the phone*

The point is that it's never too late to be what you might have been.  So who is it that you have always wanted to be?  What is it that you've always wanted to do?  Comments are open so we can dish this thing out... 

29 Reasons I Love Josh

Dear Josh,

Today you turn 29 years old. I missed your first birthday by 24 hours because you beat me into the world by one day. When we were babies, I know that God saw you and already had big plans for your life. I am so thankful that He chose me to be your sidekick... What an honor. Although there are millions of reasons why I love you, for your 29th birthday, I made a list of 29 things that I love most.

1. I love your passion. I have learned in our years together that you are physically unable the think small. Your passion fuels every dream into something huge.

2. I love your sarcasm. Snarky doesn't even begin to describe you. Ha!

3. I love your kindness. Every stranger you meet is treated with such compassion and tenderness.

4. I love your selflessness. When we were in Cleveland, despite all that you were facing, you were always worrying about me... Whether I slept, whether I had something to eat, how I was feeling. There isn't a selfish bone in your body.

5. I love your heart for the lost. You can't help telling people about Jesus anymore than you can help breathing. It is just part of who you are. I smiled when you were admitted to the hospital and you had told that nurse that you loved the Lord Jesus before she knew what state you were from.

6. I love your bravery. I watched as you literally faced death and you were brave... So, so brave.

7. I love that you refuse to complain. Not one single time since open heart surgery have you complained despite a ton of pain.

8. I love your willingness to follow Christ anywhere. People thought we were nuts when we sold everything and moved to Oak Island, but for you it was insane that they didn't understand. You were just following His call. I love that about you.

9. I love the way you are with our children. Firm, yet tender and never afraid to admit when you made a mistake. To see a grown man apologize to a four year old for getting frustrated too easily is rare, but that is you.

10. I love your drive to plant a church. God has given you an incredible vision and burden and I am confident that this is all going to happen beyond what you have even dreamed as the pieces start to come together over the next year.

11. I love how your smile.

12. I love that you hide from cameras despite the fact that I am obsessed with capturing every moment on film.

13. I love how excited you get when you watch football.

14. I love the way you cook spicy noodles!

15. I love your tender heart and how you are soft enough to feel what others feel.

16. I love that you are uncompromising when it comes to missions. Your love for the "least of these" has caused you to face a lot of persecution in ministry at times, but you never backed down when it came to helping people that others deemed "unlovable".

17. I love the way your eyes light up when you watch someone play an incredible piece on the electric guitar.

18. I love that you can be silly.

19. I love your raw honesty and the fact that you refuse to look, dress, or act a certin way just because that is what the world expects from a pastor.

20. I love when you tell the story about the time a lady called you at the church with an emergency and you arrived, only to be asked to kill a garden snake.

21. I love how you are so involved in our homeschool... The way you quiz Ally on her spelling or read them "just one more" Shel Silverstein poem everytime they ask.

22. I love that you cant stand coffee that actually tastes like coffee.

23. I love that you listen to me rant and rave every single time I come home from Walmart. You never interrupt and you always laugh, even when I know you could be doing other things.

24. I love that you push me to write, to paint, and to do all the things that no one encouraged me to do before.

25. I love how you can sing any song that comes on the radio.

26. I love that you are eager to learn from those who are older and wiser.

27. I love that you have some great respect for your dad.

28. I love your Chuck Norris jokes. All of them.

29. I love who you are deep down inside... With all the fears, all the questions, and all the human stuff that you give me the privelege to see when it is just you and me. You are my best friend and I love that.

Happy Birthday, Josh. I love you always.

Slices of Life: Lazy Saturday

Shadow has the right idea.  Happy Saturday!

Enjoying a Beautiful Friday

It's so good to be home.  We're hanging out here at home, occupying the rocking chairs on the back porch and enjoying the 70 degree weather.  Josh is doing well.  Nights are hard because he can't get comfortable, but he slept in the recliner last night and did a little better.

As part of his cardiac rehab, he is supposed to be walking each day and gradually increasing how far he goes.  I was so proud of him today.  I drove across the street and parked at the public beach access and we took a slow walk by the ocean.  The beach here is marked with street signs so you know how many blocks you have gone.  He walked a full block and then all the way back!

We're missing the kids a lot.  They are coming home next week on Friday so they will be here for Christmas.  I'm rapidly trying to get some Christmas shopping done for them.  I ordered most of their gifts online while Josh was in the hospital, but of course, I got an email from Toys R Us that some of the items are backordered and they refunded the order.  So now, I guess I'll be venturing out over the weekend to try to finish some shopping.

Another exciting bit of news is that our families are coming after Christmas.  We were really sad about not seeing our parents for Christmas this year and we were going to miss the yearly family trip with Josh's parents and brothers.  Thankfully, God worked it all out for us and the trip was able to be moved so we can go in a few months.  His parents will be here for Christmas and his brothers are coming in for a few days after Christmas.  My family is coming in for part of that week as well so we'll have everyone here!

Our "Coastal Family" has been amazing since we got home too.  Our sweet friends John and Kim met us at the airport and drove us home.  Kim helped us get settled in and it always makes me happy to have her around anyway! :)  Then last night, we got a surprise when our friends Jason and April brought over dinner.  Yum!  We have been really blessed to have a great church family praying and cheering Josh on here.  It was also really nice to come home to smiling faces, asking how they could help.  What a blessing!

I have definitely learned during this whole process that friendships are best forged in the fire.  Going through something tough is a great way to see which friends are going to "stick".  Some of our old friends were so sweet to send cards and call. Many new friends have gone the extra mile to help and show us that they care.  At the end of the day, it's so nice to just see what a tremendous circle of friends we have gained over the years.

When we moved to Oak Island, I really worried that we would be very lonely.  As we work towards planting a church, I was afraid it would be hard to connect with this tightly knit community.  Let me tell you... God had it all planned out.  He truly went before us and prepared everything.  I don't know that we have ever made friends so quickly as we have in the three months since we have been here.  It seems this is truly home!

So now, we are moving forward with great hope towards the future God has for us.  We are claiming Jeremiah 29:11 and walking day by day towards whatever ministry God puts before us.  We are ready to rock Brunswick County for Jesus!

Well, I need to run to the post office and make some dinner so I'll wrap this up.  I just wanted to take a minute and let everyone know that Josh is doing well in his recovery.  Life is good because our God is great.

Amber

The Chief Surgeon

This photo made me cry.  This is a perfect photo of what I believed the O.R. looked like on Josh's surgery day!