Checking In Real Quick from Waco

Well I am just shy of living in Waco for two weeks, and I have loved my time here so far. I was excited about the move but I had no idea how much the Lord would allow me to enjoy this new unexpected city!

To say its been a whirl wind would be an extreme understatement! I am still moving into my apartment and would love to put up some pics of the apartment but it is still a work in progress… but I did take a couple of the living room the first weekend on my phone to post on twitter so those will be at the end. I cannot say enough how much I LOVE my new loft! I mean the Lord has given me the perfect place even down to the little fixtures! He really is better to us than He should be! If I could have designed my own loft I would have designed this one!

My job has been just as great! I am working at Baylor University as their Director of Strategic Partnerships, in the office of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships. I started right before our big meeting week (this one) and thus it has been a crazy last week., but that’s just how I like it: Busy and challenged.

I have been seriously impressed with Baylor University and all they are doing there. They are truly taking the Great Commission seriously and its exciting to be a part of the team that is working to help more people realize all that is going on here! I could have you here for hours talking about just a few of the programs I’ve been blessed to hear about.

I’m keeping this one short (I’m sure you are glad about that) but wanted to check in… I will try to post more soon! Especially when my apartment is set up.

Oh! And my sister cut my hair! I have been wanting to do this for a long time and we were watching Friday Night Lights and I love "Tami Taylor's" hair and my sister was like you can do that... so she did... So what do you think is it Tami Taylor?

Here is "Tami Taylor" or Connie Britton and mine below... thoughts?

Here is my apartment during unpacking process...

This is the my living room...

I have been blessed to work in some incredible historic buildings and my current office is no exception... Like I said the Lord is so much better than He has to be!

This is one of the views from my desk!

Who Say's You Can't Go Home!

So as y’all know I left out on this journey to find “What’s Next” a little over three months ago. I knew the Lord was calling me out I just did not know where, so any opportunity that came my way I threw my hat in the ring and asked the Lord to sort it out. I knew where I wanted to go and that was leaving Texas again for a while, I looked in Atlanta and had a blast with some old and new friends, and then spent a week in Nashville praying the Lord would allow my next step to take me there.

The thing I have come to love most about the Lord is His willingness to allow us to explore and search Him out. Wandering in this case I do not believe was out of His will but exactly what He had asked me to so that when He presented to me what the next step would be it would be after He had given me ample time to explore what I saw as personally desirable locations. So after maybe almost 2000 miles on the road He has brought me to a place not even a hundred miles north of my hometown. And I am pumped about it!

As I was driving out of Nashville (the city I wanted to be in the most) the Lord allowed a conversation to take place about an opportunity at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. The job itself couldn’t have been more perfect but I had to ask; as a single gal in her thirties who loved the city was Waco the right place to be. And I LOVE my family please don’t hear me wrong in that but I am a independent gal (sometimes to fault) and I like being out and about exploring and so I didn’t know if I wanted to be so close to home. Well I had about 12 hours in my car after that where the Lord worked on my heart and as I pulled into my apartment complex in Houston in the middle of the night I was convinced this was where the Lord has called me. And I was excited about it! (He is so much better to us than He has to be!)

So I started a long interview process that actually began the next day and did not finalize until this past Wednesday. In that time my lease was up in Houston so I moved back to my hometown with a childhood friend, then in with my brother and sporadically in with another friend from DC. This independent always has a plan girl was humbled because I needed to rely on those around me and I had no plan or timeline to work with. Through this time at home though the Lord has done so much not just in my life but also in some lives around me. Believe me this road has been for me! But its cool to see that He will use it for others as well. If I listed all the Lord has done we’d be here forever and they are not all my stories to share in this public forum but please know they are jaw dropping and even bring tears to my eyes now thinking about it all.

God’s timing is always right and His ways are always for our good. He is the best thing to ever happen to me and the only good that lives within me. He is it!

So I move into a new place on Wednesday, start a new job the following Monday and I am looking forward to the new path He has set out for me and all the adventures that are to come. I know I will meet people who I will love the rest of my life and will change and challenge me to look more like Christ. I can’t wait for this new adventure! Thank you to all who have prayed for me and walked with me in this season of my life. I am so grateful for your faithfulness… now here we go!

P.S. If anyone has Waco suggestions churches, places to eat or shop please let me know! I am totally new to the area!

Trying to Put it Into Words: The Village

I have thought about writing this post many times since getting ready to leave Living Proof. But how do you put two years of life changing experiences into one blog post that would not have y’all here reading for weeks. Well having been gone for a bit now and processing the past two years I firmly believe that it is straight up impossible so I am not going to try. I am just going to let the Lord lead me in writing and trust what He would share.

So when I was thinking about it, I had to go back to one member of this village who first impacted me when I was 18 years old. I honestly am not totally sure when I first met Amanda, I kinda just remember her always being there when I arrived to college. We pledged the same Christian sorority in college and were placed in the same freshman bible study. I had no idea that this person the Lord had placed in my life would have such a huge impact. My senior year of college I was blessed to obtain a prestigious internship in Washington, DC. Being the only in my family to go to college I was humbled by what the Lord had done and excited to see what He would unfold. But as the days became closer to my departure I was becoming increasingly scared and knew I was going to be out of my element. During finals week I was sitting in one of the main eating areas on campus and saw Amanda. She was getting married that summer and I was bummed to miss the wedding so I went over to tell her I was sorry and we ended up having a conversation that forever changed how I viewed my friend. Through the conversation I told her I was scared and didn’t know what to expect, Amanda calmly spoke truth to me, encouraged me and prayed with me for that summer. After that conversation Amanda became one of the main people I always reached out to in seeking advice when changing jobs. (And when you are in politics that is pretty often)

So of course the Lord would use her to be the link that helped bring me to Living Proof Ministries and the wild ride these past two years has been. Walking into the building I had no idea what to expect, I had just finished 6 and a half years in Washington, D.C. where even our informal moments were formal. And not to mention that my last job had been in the Pentagon, which in case you did not know is a much different world than Women’s Ministry. I knew I would really enjoy working with these ladies but I had no idea of how impressed I would be with the work they did. If you ever wonder about the work that is done at Living Proof Ministries I can guarantee you that those ladies and Curtis put everything into the work they do there. Not just their physical efforts but their spiritual efforts as well. They are the real deal. There is no better way to put it. They love the Lord with everything within them, and they love others just the same.

I have been blessed to work in many team environments where you are all striving after the same goal. It’s invigorating and allows you to build bonds and relationships that are rare. But I can honestly say I have never been in an environment quite like LPM. The Lord brought me into a whole new family that has forever changed my life. I was blessed to obtain some new sisters in the Lord, a brother and a handful of sweet mothers. Watching these women do life together challenged me in so many areas of my life. The Lord used each and every one of them to speak into my life, and bring me to a greater understanding of Him and how we are to pursue Him. My quiet times will never be the same and neither will my prayer life. I truly do not know how to express my gratitude to Him for these lives, neither do I know how to properly explain to anyone what the Lord did in my life through them. The best thing I could tell you is that He used them to bring me closer to Him and fall more in love with who He is and who He can be in our life if we allow Him.

Even if I never see a single one of their faces again (and that is not the plan so don’t get any ideas ladies!) I doubt I will ever get over them. They have affected me in a deep way that is only from the Lord. So before I cry here in Starbucks I pulled some fun pics from my two years to give a small view of my time there.

Amanda, Her Roomies (Maggie, Mel and Bonny) and I at dinner
(I think this is our Sophomore year at A&M)

This was the 15th Anniversary of LPM (and my first full staff picture)

No one celebrates you or your birthday like LPM! This was my first LPM Birthday!

No LPM highlights would not be complete without Starbucks. I grew to love coffee more here and a lot of fun times happened over coffee

And no one goes to lunch like LPM! Everyone together just about everyday trying to fit in one car. If nothing else happens in your day lunch was always an adventure and so memorable.

A highlight was a road trip to and from Austin in a 15 passenger van and lots of rain, I was blessed to drive for Di's daughters wedding. It was a blast!

This was the Village (minus Curtis and Amanda) in Israel, a trip I will never forget

This picture was one of the most stressful times in my LPM days... sitting in front of the group and Beth teased me that I was going to need to find Obidiah... oh the pressure. I still flinch when that book is mentioned.

Even everyday tasks are a blast at LPM! This was when the ladies spent all morning putting together some furniture and then moved it up in the tiny tiny slug! (I also had to get a pic of the slug in there! No tribute would be complete without it)

No one celebrates like LPM celebrates, I have so many memories from all sorts of celebrations with them. This was our Christmas party this past year.

The Road! Traveling was one of the duties I loved best for so many reasons. One small one was we usually had a lot of laughs on the way back! This was the day of Beth's heroic actions that saved many people in the Atlanta airport from slipping and falling.

I wish I had a picture of all the event coordinators at Lifeway! A unique group of women who I will miss just as much! Life on the road with them was always a blast! This is Paige (IGoM) and I in Seattle, she rallied to take a late night ride to the 1st Starbucks and the Fish Market for me!

Ron was equally as much of a blessing to me. A lot of laughs and a lot of business!

This is typical Rich... That's all I am saying!

This was Beth and I at the last LPL I traveled with her to.
The Lord sent me out on a strong Word from Him!

Travis and the Praise Team. Again no words for how much of a blessing these folks are. They have ruined me for worship with anyone else. They are gifted and bring you into the Lord's Throne Room like no one I know.

I had to bring this to a close with one of Amanda and I. This was a fun moment at the Christmas party for so many reasons!

The ladies who were there my last day sent me out like this, standing shoulder to shoulder. I am crying even now sitting in Starbucks remembering this. I have been blessed to serve along side them these past two years. And I know if ever I need these ladies for anything, I need to just call. I love them so and will take them with me where ever the Lord brings me from here.

Nashville

Well I am bad at this blogging thing is all I can say! But I always intend to do it! There is a lot to catch you up on but I would hate to jump over my week in Nashville during my last road trip. (Which side note to say my car hit 50,000 miles this week in 2 years! So if you did not know by now you can tell I love to be on the road!)

So after a couple of days in Atlanta and lots of fun with friends I jumped back on the road for one of the most beautiful drives to Nashville. If you ever get the chance to drive that route I highly recommend it! It was breathe taking and peaceful. I kept trying to take a picture of the mountains next to the valleys or the water but there was just never a safe way to get one so alas you will just have to imagine it.

I pulled into Nashville late on Thursday saw a few friends for a bit and then hit the hay! Friday was filled with some fun meetings and catching up with friends for the most part. I was blessed to attend a silent Good Friday Service at The Village Chapel that really made you stop and take in the day and think. Which we all should do on that fateful day, without the cross we could never get to Easter Sunday.

Saturday I spent most of the day studying and laying low at a local Starbucks. The draw to this Starbucks, a former college student who I had the pleasure to pour into is a barista there. I had not seen in a year and a half so it was a true blessing getting to hug her neck and take her to lunch.

Here is my favorite Starbucks Barista, Faith

Sunday we went to the very early service at The Village Chapel and I was extremely blessed to watch the children of the church fill the holes in the cross (from nails that were nailed in it on Good Friday) with daisies. I had never seen this done and it was one of those moments that make you just stop and see the change of the pain of the cross on Friday to the joy of the cross and the empty tomb on Sunday. We had a fabulous Easter lunch that was just the home cooked meal this gal needed!

This is the cross at the Village Chapel as the children place the daisies on it

April, Me and Kelly all dressed up for Easter Sunday. Easter requires dresses and skirts

I stayed in Nashville till the morning of Thursday and the week was filled with lots of old friends and meeting some new. I was blessed to break up the 12 hour drive back to Houston with a stop for lunch in Jackson, TN with Travis Cottrell and his team there at Englewood Baptist Church. We had some great sushi and a lot of great laughs… although I did miss seeing his lovely bride Angela.

All in all Nashville was a true blessing and it is a town that truly has taken my heart! If you ever have the opportunity to go I recommend snatching it up as soon as you can!

Travis and I after lunch, was a great pit stop on the drive!

Hot-Lanta!

So I am still working through trying to be good about this again… I have a hard time thinking that anyone really wants to hear more than 140 characters about my life. I’m sitting on a plane right now heading back to Houston and so have a little golden time to focus and just relax. So it has been a full last two weeks! I’ll catch everyone up as quickly and as succinctly as I can.

I made it to Atlanta the next day after 13 hours in the car! I actually enjoy a little alone time in the car and road trips so it was a small blessing until the road became very dark and I realized I had not brought a flashlight with me in case I broke down. So the Lord blessed me with a handful of friends calling to check in on me, which made it seem not so scary! I had the distinct privilege while I was in Atlanta to tour and learn more about Walton Communities. If you are ever called to the Atlanta area I pray you will consider their apartment complexes. They run a legit ministry through their apartments making luxury apartments affordable to single moms and families. They not only do that but then they have an entire bottom floor of one of their buildings at many complexes turned into a after school program for kids that is run by the Atlanta Youth Project. This is not a room with some tables and computers this but an incredible learning area designed just for the kids. They get of the bus a teacher meets them leads them into their grand room and they have a devotional and then start on homework and snacks and much more. I could write an entire post on how amazing this business is they have begun. I was truly inspired by every person I met as they were not concerned with the bottom line of the business but the lives of the people they served.

Also while in Atlanta I was able to stay with one of my best friends from Washington Allison. She has been with me through so much and I laugh a lot because many of my funny or embarrassing stories of DC include her as one of the main characters. She is one of those close friends that you know so well that when you arrive at her house at 1 am in the morning from driving all day she just opens the door and walks back to bed… In a good one but I did give her a little hard time about that! I am so bummed I did not take a pic with her to share here. But most of our time was just spent doing everyday life nothing too crazy…. Except maybe bowling. Her husband had organized a work team outing for them to go bowling so Allison asked if I wanted to come along since she would be the only girl there… So I did and brought my friend Jenn as long as well. (Two things you should know before I go any further is you don’t already…. 1) I am a bit of a germaphob and 2) I have developed an incredible addiction to buffalo sauce! I put it on everything I can without looking too weird.)

So Jenn and I met up with them after having dinner at an unique restaurant called 52 Seasons. Because who likes bowling alley food. But when we get there Allie has all manner of buffalo wings on the table but the kicker is there is no sauce on them its on the side for your dipping pleasure. I tried to remain strong but to no avail, I began eating a wing and realized it was so of the best sauce I had had. Now comes the tough part we began bowling… Germaphob with her hands all over a bowling ball and some of the best buffalo sauce right in front of me… To make matters worse I had no hand sanitizer! I could’ve fallen on the floor and rocked I was in such a quandary. But I pushed through and ate some tater-tots dipped in the sauce and just prayed the Lord would protect me from the bowling alley germs! I could lose my stomach just remembering it but it was worth it!

So I wrapped up Atlanta with an impromptu lunch with someone I met at a conference there in the fall. It was one of those lunches that you look back on and half to laugh with the Lord about. Once Tara and I got to talking we realized how many folks we had as common friends and how much our life was so similar. What was to be a quick hi turned into an almost two hour hang out!

So I wrapped Atlanta up with running some more errands with Allison and then got on the road to Nashville! And I will end today there… no need to keep y’all any longer!

On the Road Again

So I love that almost a year ago I posted on here an update and hoping to be better about updating this bad boy… alas that obviously has not happen because here we are a year later until my next post!

Well I am sitting in a Tire and Lube center at the Wal-Mart in Marlin, TX in between Ft. Worth and College Station. I love small town Texas and just have to say that Ray and DJ are taking very good care of me here. DJ came in and told me he has never seen so many bible verses in one car and asked b=why I had so many. Then after chatting a bit he told me he is currently supporting his wife, parents and grandmother and they all live in one house he is fixing up himself! He is a pretty solid guy so if you are ever by Marlin, Texas I recommend letting these guys work on your car!

So the reason for the update and car work. Tonight I am finishing up what I am calling my Texas tour. I headed to Austin stayed a couple of days to hang with family take my nephews out to dinner and see my niece Grace be baptized. I then headed to Ft. Worth for my long time roomie and one of my best friends from college Wedding reception. Sara got married in the mountains in Montana this February and not many folks were able to get there so we had a little Texas celebration on her behalf! It was a blast getting to celebrate her and Joe’s marriage and getting to catch up with old friends! I also had a chance to hang out with a couple of old friends while there and now I am driving to College Station to hang with the Phi Lamb girls (DJ just came out and told me my tires needed to be replaced… darn that’s another $260 but I know they needed to be done soon and would rather be safe than sorry when I am out on the road)

So onto what is next for me. The Lord recently led me to head out in search of where He will have me serve next. He has been more than gracious and done amazing things in my career so far. So even though it may seem a little overwhelming stepping out in this economy I completely trust Him and I am looking forward to what He has next. Tomorrow morning I will get up and drive to Atlanta, GA to meet with some friends and see if the Lord opens a door there. I will be there Wednesday and Thursday and then drive up to Nashville to do the same thing there.

These are not the only places I am looking but two that the Lord has continually brought to my heart and mind so I trust Him with those leanings. I truly am super excited and I am looking forward to the people I will meet on the way. Like the chance to meet DJ here at the Wal-Mart. I will do my best about being good and updating things on this blog. It is the best way I have found in the past to keep people I love in the loop! Thank you for your prayers and I look forward to telling of all the great things the Lord is doing!

Me and my nephews (Gabe and Jeremiah) Getting ready to head to dinner

Old Friends are te Best Friends! College buddies Laura, Me, Sara (THE BRIDE!) and Leah

My friend Linnae and I walking around Southlake Town Center

On the Road!

So I promised I would try to be better about this again and alas I have not, I promise this time things are a changing! I have been at my favorite place ever... and that's actually on the road! I haven't been in my home for a weekend in in over a month and will not be here the next month... but I could not be happier!

Was in Tucson and ate a lot of In and Out burgers! Then headed home to Austin and Llano to spend Easter at home with my family! (Funny thing is I have been blessed to be home the last 4 Easters because of all sorts of different reasons but mainly weddings.. weird I had not made it home in 7 Thanksgiving but made it home over half of the years I was gone.) But I digress... It was awesome to be home with the all the nieces and nephews and heard the great news that we will be joined by one more family member this year!!! WHOOP! mu oldest sister Rachuel is pregnant and all the family is convinced Baby B is a boy... I'm still not to sure but I am SO blessed and excited to be an Aunt once more.

Then last Friday I hoped one plane and headed to my second home Washington, DC! I was so blessed to spend 5 days there catching up with friend and some of my favorite college students in the world! That trip is set for a whole other post so check back!

I was able to get back in time for a LPM Birthday lunch and celebration, pretty sure no one does birthday celebrations like the lovely ladies at LPM! I actually paid to make sure I got back in time, because I could not imagine not getting to celebrate with them! So I was in Houston just long enough to empty my suitcase, wash the clothes and then put them back in to head out a day later for Tampa, Florida. It was an amazing event there and like no other I had been able to take part in. The Lord did so much and we were all so blessed! Then I received a double portion and Continental upgraded my ticket to First Class for the way back, and we happened to be on a large plane so our seats pretty much laid flat... so we laid back to say the least!

Will be home for about 5 days and then head out to Atlanta! Looking forward to a great event there but also looking forward to seeing my good friend from DC Allie! Will check back in soon with some pics and more from DC!