When the capacity to connect is all but gone.

 Hello again readers (if anyone is out there),

I have been thinking the past few days about what the different seasons of our lives can look like. I have been surprised at the drastic change in my own capacity to reach out and connect in this season of my life. 

Anyone ever struggled there too?

I find it quite difficult to talk on the phone for long periods of time like I used to. I find it difficult to remember birthdays and other holidays now. 

There was once a season where I stayed on the phone chatting away and I never missed a birthday or holiday. I love birthdays and holidays. 

I find that now when I think about those things it makes me increasingly tired. I feel like I am going to fail to celebrate even before I begin. 

Planning birthday parties for my children is so stressful and taxing. However, I love birthdays and I love celebrating that my loved ones were born. It is so so important to me. Yet, I find myself failing at it.

Remembering important things comes as a struggle, even with my two planners and iPhone calendar. 

What in the world? 

Is it old age? Is it going back to work? Is it cellphone use? Is it emotions?

I do not have the answer. Likely it is a great combination of all of the above.

Are you there too friend? Are you feeling like you are disconnected and have zero energy to find your way back. 

Let's pray together that the Lord will help us in this area...

Jesus, right now we are struggling in the area of connection. We want to connect and reach out and love our people big but we are finding that difficult in this particular season. We know that you know the where's and why's of it all. We ask Lord that you reveal to us the things that we can do better and different. We ask that you be our strength in our weaknesses. We ask Jesus that you speak to our hearts and help us find our way back. Lord, we trust you and we love you and we know that you have our very best interests at heart ALWAYS. So we ask you to lead us and guide us and help us to be obedient. In Jesus' name. Amen

We did it

We made it through a pandemic. Yes, we sure did.

How is it that one day we are living life as usual and the next the world shuts down? How crazy that we took so many things for granted. 

How is it that now on the other side of that, here we are once again taking those same things for granted?

I am so thankful for the opportunity to take the "normal" things for granted. 

However, we will never quite be the same. We have experienced the effects of loss on a grand scale. We have experienced the effects of isolation. We have experienced the effects of mass unknown. We have experienced church from online and from the parking lot.

No, I don't think we will ever be the same. I hope that we have grown and learned new ways to seek the Lord and find Him. I hope we have learned that God is never far away no matter what we are facing. I hope we have learned the immense value of being together in the church with a body of believers. I hope we have learned that we are important to the body of Christ in every season. 

Life looks a bit different. 

Family looks a bit different.

Ministry looks a bit different.

Since I last wrote I have reentered the workforce. I now work in the boys' school in the lunchroom. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I love the work, I love the kids, I love my coworkers, I love it all! 

Our family now looks a bit different. We have embraced some sweet young ladies from our church and have included them into our family and we love them and their families so much. We love getting to do life with this and watching them grow in their walk with the Lord. We are so so proud that they want to be a part of what God is doing in us as well.

Ministry looks different as well. Not only because the pandemic changed us but because I have now stepped into the roll of Interim Youth Pastor at our church. I love what I get to do. I love my kids. I love my youth. I love the families of this church completely. Hubs is still the BEST CHILDRENS PASTOR I have ever known. He is patient, creative, so incredibly hard working and HE LOVES THIS COMMUNITY with all of his heart.

We did it. We didn't give up when the world got scary. We didn't quit fighting to get back inside the church. We didn't quit listening to the direction of the Lord even though it was a bit of a roller coaster for a bit. We didn't stop loving when our hearts were broken. We did it. 

WE did it. God at the lead and us closely following. We could NEVER have made it without HIM. He pulled us through. He has been faithful to be faithful through EVERY twist, turn, ups and downs!

Welcome back to Faith, Family & Ministry! I hope you'll stay a while and share in this journey with me.