Change in a BIG way!

A lot has happened since my last blog with was, ironically, about change. Just after challenging all of us to step out onto the wings of faith through change, I was given that exact opportunity.

This week is actually my first week as the new Children's Director of Woodlawn UMC in Panama City Beach, Florida.  In the last few weeks, Evan and I have turned our lives upside down and are in the midst of landing them right side up again.  We relocated last Friday and are getting accustomed to our new world (we actually live in a town now and probably resemble The Beverly Hillbillies as we get excited over fast food and grocery stores).  It was very bitter-sweet to leave Sumatanga.  Neither of us wanted to leave the wonderful people and beauty of Sumatanga but we felt a strong tugging for us to take on this new adventure in ministry.  There was A LOT of back and forth on our part in the beginning on if we were making the right decision but we have do doubt now that we have.  God has continually shown us the way and has taken care of things in a way that only He can!  We have been ushered in by the people of Woodlawn and made to feel more than welcome and we can already see some of the fruit produced by the church.  We have been amazed at how quickly we have felt at home and how fast things have fallen into place.  As we begin to serve and be ministered to ourselves, I will update as to what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

The first on the list of awesome God moments found here in Panama City Beach will be tonight:
Tonight I have the incredible privilege to join with my new church family at the county pier and take part of a service where 42 (yes! 42!) people will be baptized in the ocean.  I will be there to pray and encourage the people and I already feel more than humbled to be able to take part in such an experience. I woke up this morning jumping out of my skin with excitement for the people bold enough to say yes to Christ and His spirit and acknowledge an inner change through such a powerful outward sign.  God is doing BIG THINGS in this city and I am so glad he has called Evan and myself to be a part on it.  I have chills just thinking about it!

And, while we are on the subject of change and all the mighty things God can do, please take to prayer all those who were effected by the tornadoes and storms across the southeast last week.  These people have experienced change like they never could have imaged.  It has been incredible to see the outpouring of help and prayer but those efforts cannot stop now.  It will take much more time than any one person or church has to rebuild all the communities and to help such a large amount of people get back on their feet.

Today I ask for everyone out there in media land to pray.  Pray for me and Evan as begin our new lives in PCB, pray for the people of Woodlawn UMC that they would truly feel the spirit of the Lord and His guidance and pray for all those recovering from the tornadoes that they would find comfort and peace in this hard time.

And just for fun: yes, I finally changed the picture at the top of the page.  Wow, we look different!

Seasons of Change

Do you ever wake up with a topic that you can't get off your mind? Today's all consuming thought for me has been on change.

Change is all around us; how can we not notice it!  It was just a few weeks ago that Alabama was experiencing the longest and most snow filled winter I have ever seen. And now, I look out the windows of my home and see green trees and sunshine everywhere!  I can literally watch the changes happen in the landscape day to day.  The pollen in the air today is also proof of change.  This ugly substance that creeps up on us from who knows where will soon, and all of a sudden, bring incredible flowers of vibrant colors right before our eyes (but not before it swells up my face and gives us all a few weeks of sinus disturbance). 

I even notice change as I look around this blog page.  Take my picture at the top for instance; Evan and I look nothing like we did on our wedding day.  In our two years of marriage we have managed to make complete changes to our looks to the point that we have been asked if we are in a witness protection plan (and don't ask. If I told you, I'de have to kill you).  Neither of us were necessarily dissatisfied with our looks but we longed for something different from our norm. You would have thought I had severed a leg the way some people acted when I went from blonde to cherry coke but it was exciting for me. 

So, why is change such a big deal?  Why is everyone so afraid to take a new step, do something different or make a transformation? I happen to love change but frequently find folks who do not come along with me in that line of thinking. I see where change can be scary but it can be so rewarding to take the leap and see what the next season holds. 

As I look around and witness the animals return from hiding, the trees starting their bloom and as my hair gets dyed more often, I still can't help but think that changing isn't so bad.  It was God who created change after all.  It is He who gives us the 4 seasons.  It is God who makes it warm after it has been so cold and cold after it has been so warm.  It is our creator who gives us both the snow of winter and the sun of summer.  If God is in the change, then why be afraid to change ourselves? I don't mean just our hair color but our outlook on life, the place we are, our take on a situation, and dare I say, our attitude for the uncontrollable changes around us as well.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone; the new has come!"

I am in Christ and he has made me new! Exciting right?

The trees are of Christ and they are budding to life before my eyes!

You can be in Christ and become something new and more beautiful than ever imagined! 

Also, Matthew 6:26 says, "Look at the birds of the sky; they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?"

If God will take care of the birds in the air, who are out singing their praises as I type this by the way, will He not surely take care of us as we go through change?  I think He will!

So go ahead, see what changes God has in store for you. See what attitudes can be transformed and what appreciation needs to be given.  Enjoy the spring as it blooms around you and be a new creation yourself! I think I'll give it a shot too!

Denali experiencing the change of season for the first time.

Before and After