Bright and Beautiful Life

Maybe you’re sick of social distancing. Or sick of people griping about social distancing.

Maybe you’re sick of seeing people out without masks on. Or sick of seeing people wearing masks all the time.

Maybe you’re sick being in your house or everyone’s impatience. Sick of all the griping, fearmongering, or being called afraid when you just plain ‘ole feel compassion.

I don’t know what you’re sick of, but I’m almost sure you’re sick of something at this point. It’s been such a strange and uncomfortable time, and more than that, by any modern standard it’s been a long time.

We went almost 77 days with no one but our family and I can assure you that even in a mostly healthy and comfortable environment that’s a long time to do the same thing with the same people every day. (I can hear my wild west settling ancestors laughing at me from here.)

So I get that we are just sick of it. But whether we are sick of staying home or sick of people trying to rush the process I think what we mostly are...is homesick.

We are all longing for the past when it was easy and comfortable, when we could be near each other and sing loud songs in enclosed spaces. Or we are longing for a future when we can see more than eyebrows to determine if someone is smiling or people can lean in to building small businesses again.

What we are really longing for is is time without hurt. A time without tears and insecurity. Where we don’t have to fight so hard against the pain of financial loss or the surrender so deeply to the grief of losing someone we love.

We are homesick for heaven.

It makes sense our natural response would to be strong arm our way into creating that heaven right here and right now. You’ve probably already noticed, that isn’t working. We are all just working against each other.

It helps to name it. Acknowledge this truth: I’m homesick for heaven.

The sheer act of acknowledging it frees us from having to control it, and allows us to surrender it to our Creator. Of course we want to soothe the pain and heal the hurst, but when we understand those feelings as a longing for heaven, we can point people to Jesus. Only in Jesus will we truly find the comfort our weary souls need in order to offer some compassion to someone else’s weary soul. Only He offers forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, and the redemption we crave from this experience. Only He can make all things new.

With that said...we are moving.

Yup, you heard that right.

If you’ve been following along for any amount of time you know that three years ago we begged to buy some land and then proceeded to build our dream house. Exactly to our specifications. Wrap around porches, cathedral ceilings, and a cozy loft library.

But when the world fell apart, we realized somewhere along the way we had ceased to be homesick.

Our home had become our comfort. It was too easy to lay back instead of take a stand. It was too easy to be sidelined instead of walking with Jesus. We had become the rich young ruler. Willing to follow Jesus only if it didn’t cost us anything. If we didn’t have to rock the boat, cause too much trouble. We wanted it all to stay the same.

So we are giving it up to travel around the country for a year or so.

We have no illusions, we don’t expect to find home on the road, we want to feel homesick again. Not homesick for a red barn sitting on four acres, but homesick for heaven.

We want to long for rest in Jesus, long for His presence no matter where we are present.

So today let’s all acknowledge we are homesick. All our fears and frustrations can be committed to the heart of Jesus. Because we aren’t really sick of it all, we are homesick for heaven.

Follow along with our adventures?

For much of the world we are starting to peek our heads out of our homes for the first time in months. We are slowly reopening or at least talking about when and what that will look like. I, like most of you, have mixed feelings about all that.

But that’s not what we are talking about today. Today I want to talk about the apocalypse. Yeah, that’s right, I said apocalypse. Because the Biblical definition of apocalypse doesn’t mean the end of the world, it simply means the revealing. It means the uncovering.

And no matter what you think of this time, it could rightly be called an apocalypse. So before we move forward into the new normal, I think we should take a minute to reflect on what has been revealed. And while this could go in a ton of different directions (don’t get me started on the idols that have been uncovered in this time) I just want to move forward with this one positive questions:

What are you keeping from quarantine?

What good thing has this time opened up in your life that you will hold on to as we move forward? What good thing is God trying to give you out of what has otherwise been difficult and devastating on a whole lot of levels?

For me, I have a few things I didn’t realize I needed until I had all the time in the world to figure it out.

Family Style Meals

For years I had five very small kids. It was more expedient and convenient to simply plate their food and have them come grab plates. In the wide stretches of nothing to do I realized not only is expediency and convenience a not a priority, but while I wasn’t looking my kids grew up and became incredibly capable. So now we all chip in to meal times, someone sets the table, we bring all the food there and pass it around. It’s lovely and slow and so enjoyable.

While I know we can’t do this nearly as often as life starts to rev back up, it’s a practice I’ll be keeping as often as possible as we move on.

A Walk/Jog

Listen, I was never going to be the fitness queen. I don’t particularly like to work out, but even amongst work outs, cardiovascular exercise is the worst. My oldest son, who is completely obsessed with football, got on a workout kick and ended up asking about going for a jog. So I downloaded a couch to 5K app and took off with a couple of my kids. Surprisingly, it actually feels kind of good. It feels like a kindness to my body, and a gift of time with my kids. We only go every other day (I’m not trying to get crazy) so I feel like this is a manageable keep.

Work Flow

I’ve managed to find a good work rhythm and strangely enough? It’s one that would easily fit into what was formerly know as my “regular” life. I don’t expect the new normal to look the same (budget alone will mean less activities, I’m not mad about it), but even at a faster pace I've found a way to get work done regularly. It wasn’t so much about finding the time, but figuring out how much time certain tasks actually take. The more consistently I’ve done them, the more confident I’ve gotten that I can actually get them done in the margins of my day.

Now it’s your turn to reflect on this apocalypse, what has it revealed in you life? Specifically, what are you keeping? Let us know in comments below!

Don’t forget that WORD is available through this week! If you’ve already done the class I’d love for you to share it with a friend or send me some feedback!

Struggle to have a consistent prayer life? Or just feel like you are coming up blank when you try to pray? Our next class AFTERGLOW will be out in just two weeks! Sign up for a free trial below to get the class. (Don’t worry you can cancel anytime!)

Want to know what all classes we’ll have for our premium subscribers?

WORD. Yes and Amen to Every Word of God

This is a class designed to get you in God’s word simply and practically. It will help you know where to start, what questions to ask, and how to know if you’re getting it right.

AFTERGLOW. Powerful. Practical. Prayer.

We will go through powerful models of Biblical prayer to find out how to what it is, how we can lose our baggage around it, and grow close to Jesus through the relational practice of prayer.

THE FACTS OF LIFE. A Bible Study in Genesis 1,2, &3

This will be a summer bible study where we study creation as more than just apologetics, but as the foundational story that sets up the whole story of scripture.

WHOLE AND HOLY. Soul Care for those who aren’t sure

Yeah, but should we even be messing with the self care movement? We will explore Biblical rhythms of care and restoration and how they can apply to our lives.

GREAT AND SMALL FALL: Seasonal Spiritual Discipline Guide

We were made to respond to the world around us and we were made to worship. So how do we do that without getting too drawn into the world or too rigid in our religious...

Hello Friends!

What is keeping you sane in these crazy times? Today on the blog we have Jennifer Lane talking about how her 2019 goal of 200 walks prepared her for what she didn’t know she’d face in 2020.

We all know the research on a daily walk, but have you made the spiritual connection yet?

Listen up above and click below to hear how Jennifer’s experience has shaped her faith in Jesus!

Also have you participated in our first monthly class:

WORD. Yes and Amen to Every Word of God

This class is designed to get you simply and practically in the word of God every day. It will help you know

-Where to Start

-3 Questions to Change

-3 Questions to Ask

-How to know you’re getting it right

Click Below to check out the class!

Hi Friends! It’s Tuesday which means we want to equip you to get a little more of the Light of the World in your world. You can listen or read, but either way, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

It’s a loud world out there friends.

I just flat had to log off of social media and stop checking the news for a few days. Living in days like this is a strange balance of wanting to know, care and develop empathy for the world, but not let it define me.

Here are some thoughts on how we can cut through the noise and learn to love better!

Our first monthly class WORD: Yes and Amen to Every Word of God will be available through the end of the week. If you haven’t taken the class I invite you to click below. If you have taken the class, I’d love for you to share this email, post, or invite a friend to take the class!

The people that left behind pieces of themselves between the lines, making novels the most intimate sort of sharing. People who had genius and brilliance, depth of feeling and merriment inside. All glimpses of a God who values creation and beauty to their overwhelming depths.

What a reflection of love, of beauty, of God lies within these pages, she thought! Pages that become stones of remembrance and stories that become parts of us.

Hello Friends!

This season is intense on so many levels, so I don’t want to rush to silver linings or rush past the grief. However, I do think many of us have been blessed with more time to read and actually, I think snuggling up with a good story can be exactly what we need right now. Often stories can walk us through our whole gamut of emotions and land us in a better place.

Contributor April Payne shares how God has moved through stories in her life. In fact, I suspect it’s just what you need right now.