steps...

Steps of change...

Adjustment...

And hurry were painted quickly...

As we prepared for the smalls to arrive...

Early in the day.

Too early...

For Faith's house to be pulled together.

My heart was thankful for surprise calls of willing helpers.

Oh... how I was thankful.

The crew was spread out and everywhere...

Working fast and furious...

It was a high need situation.

They saw and fully entered in.

With finishing touches being made...

Pathways to joy being primed...

Working shoes getting lost in the shuffle...

I clanked quickly in different orange kicks.

Offering our best to ready Faith...

Until we heard the long-awaited knock.

Joy exploded...

Giggles gushed...

The answers I had prayed for had arrived...

Pastor's job...

Our new home...

Togetherness.

The smalls were overjoyed...

This mama said an extra prayer of thanks for her tender prince...

Who seemed delighted by his new house...

When just days earlier he had decided he didn't want to move.

It was a big moment.

I was happy.

I was tired.

I was heavy with thought.

We gave a tour of progress...

Showing them their shared spaces...

And...

Secret spy places...

Just for little boys...

With struggling hearts.

Even in joy...

I know what it is like to struggle.

Often...

I would like a small cabinet to climb into and hide.

Yes...

This day was a long awaited dream come true...

But it also marks new learning...

Lots of new learning.

As Pastor headed back to work that night.

Smalls cried.

I felt scared.

New rooms for smalls...

New sleeping set ups...

Different toilet situations...

NEW...

I know...

Not a big deal but it felt big to me.

Change... often a beautiful thing.

But it tempts me to return to fear.

Claiming truth over this season of learning...

Returning to faith's truths...

His perfect love casts out ALL fear...

Even my crazy fears!

Remembering there is always deep joy and confidence...

When I keep my eyes fixed on Him who is invisible.

Still much to learn...

Taking it one step at a time.

Eucharisteo

Each morning at The Rose...

Filled with many "get to's."

Rooms still bare...

Needing assembly...

Story floors...

Leading us down hallways to more projects...

More importantly... on my heart... a deadline.
The smalls would be arriving in about a day.

As floors continued to be finished...

And sisters...

Guided by The Light...

Scribe hidden truths back into Faith's foundation.

Painting hope back into lifeless places.

MANY moments...

My heart is overcome with emotion...

My faith feels fragile.

Thankful that unlike treasures...

He lets me bend...

NEVER BREAKING.

With unfinished work everywhere.

I pause...

I remember...I mark our territory...

With something stronger than just adding a name...

With emotions high...

I mark the messy with something more true than feelings...

Thankfulness...

Grace...

Joy...

Yep... 

Right in the middle of construction.

Seems crazy to most to hang anything....

With completion still days away...

Yet it felt right to motion forward...

To embellish our broken backdrop with beauty.

And though not one room was finished that day...

I am learning to keep focus.

To keep singing my song...

Right in the middle of "the undone."

Some days...

Trickier than others...

But... I do so love Progress.

May my heart always be found...

Singing songs of Eucharisteo.

wait

It was dark when I finally arrived at The Rose.

Doing what I had longed to do for so many months...

I turned the key and walked in.

This was a big moment for me...

Awaiting me was a gift...

Marking time.

Stirring up in my memory...

All the minutes and hours that have been counted down...

Leading me to this very moment.

This season...

In which I was born to sing...

The new song... 

That has been placed in our hearts.

As I sat in the semi-dark...

Waiting for Pastor to join...

Papa reminded me that He has been busy in the hearts here...

Creating room in the hidden spaces of others...

Affirming affection...

Forming family.

Shortly after my arrival...

A woman that leaks love and Joy...

Brought care and sleeping items.

Her presence...

Marked connection...

The best gift of all.

A warm hug and a smile...

From the King.

I was so thankful.

We slept in our kitchen that night.

Seems important that the first room we received rest from...

Is the very place intended for the hungry to be fed.

The light of morning came early...

There was much to do and my mind was ready.

A team of love showed up to help tackle all that needed to be done.

SO SO SO much to be done.

Under beautiful skies...

We unloaded our belongings from one box....

To another.

With too many projects going on inside...

The house...

And my heart...

I remained a lady in waiting.

Projects were EVERYWHERE...

As was...

The help.

Family love from Knoxville and Dayton joined forces...

Ministering to Faith...

Ministering to me.

As shelves of support were getting new faces...

And... the Smalls' floors were getting new traces.

No area of Faith was left unmarked.

Pastor's heart-work...

Months of planning and preparing were finally coming together...

Under one roof.

And though this was my view from every window...

A lifetime of story yet to be unloaded...

I had to wait.

Wait for foundations to be prepared...

So that new steps might lead the path...

For our family to stand firm on more of His promises...

And DECLARE...

Who He is...

Singing His song of Goodness on all the walls of Dayton...

And the WORLD.

Moving is big time...

Leaving family is hard...

Being invited into new family is sacred.

Waiting... forever a part of my story.

Singing today...

Tired...

But singing.

Waiting and wondering...

What awaits me in the next box.

messy joy

It's been awhile...

Life has been pretty much insane since we loaded up...

Packing all that we have been blessed with...

Saying our final farewells to Ridgegate.

As the rain held off and then came hard...

We drove off in a haze towards Faith.

It was a long...

Hard...

Confusingly sad drive for me.

I was tired.

I was happy.

I was sad.

I was cranky...

I was joyful...

I was everything...

I was a MESS!

Much has happened in the 9 days since moving day.

MUCH!

Projects...

Demolitions...

Introductions...

Unpacking...

Reuniting...

Connecting...

Painting...

More painting...

Laughing...

Crying...

Fun...

Frustration...

More frustration...

Heart-knitting...

Extreme thankfulness...

Extreme fatigue...

Messy joy.

Today...

We carved out space.

Sabbath slow... long overdue.

SO...

Against everything in me...

We sat in the midst of the mess...

To make more messes.

Providing a canvas...

For "Glory cloud" art.

Ahh....

The Sabbath.

A day for a different kind of painting...

A day for different kind of tools...

A day for a different focus.

As crafting took place...

Our new subject glowed...

Brighter...

And brighter...

Until it consumed...

All other loves.

Today...

I don't just enjoy the thought of Sabbath...

I NEED SABBATH REST...

Smiles filled with Sabbath Delight.

Which means...

I must allow the tiny hands in my home...

To play...

To create...

To get messy.

Much like my little artist's work...

Joy is birthed in the process of the mess.

And much like Faith...

Starting out with what feels like nothing but wads and messes...

Eventually...

Becomes...

Heaven's playground.

Where strangers are ministered to...

Just by the touching...

And we all receive a little healing...

From the colors that are being blended.

The eyes...

Largely important when keeping the insides healthy and bright.

My job...

It's an important one.

One that goes deeper than just unpacking...

Box after box after box.

Nesting...

It is a high calling.

One that starts with a single twig...

Looking much like a jumbled mess...

But to the mama and her babies...

It is sacred space...

Where messy joy is birthed.

These last days have been long... hard... and some of the best.

Remembering today...

To keep my number one...

Number one.

To the glory of God ALONE.

That is our burn...

On Ridgegate...

At The Rose...

It is MORE of Him...

That we are painting on and in our hearts...

With messy joy...