Countless people have questioned us since the recent wild fires in Colorado Springs and shooting in Aurora.  Most want to know how far we will live from where these tragedies took place.  The truth is, extremely close.  Our rental house in Colorado Springs (where we will live for one year to participate in a church planting residency) is roughly 25-30 city blocks from the line at which the fire was finally contained.  The area where we currently feel led to live, love, minister and plant after the residency is complete (Lowry neighborhood of Denver) is roughly 6 miles from Aurora.  Those are the geographic facts.  Now for the more difficult question.  Many have wanted to know if we still plan to go, live amongst tragedy, take big risks…or if we see those as a clear sign that we have misunderstood the call and should reconsider.  The answer, for us, is just as simple.  We have never been more sure of anything in our lives.  God has grown and shaped us so much in the past few years, as both of us have searched and studied His Word like never before, building an intimacy with Him that we enjoy and crave more than ever!  We are heading to Colorado in a few weeks, absolutely certain that it is His plan and His call on our lives.  Though the tragedies are very real to us and affect many people we will soon meet, we see ministry opportunities rather than obstacles.  God did not give us a spirit of fear, so we pray away Satan’s attempts to have fear grip us and hinder ministry.  The shooting is heartbreaking, almost impossible to fathom.  However, it confirms what we already know…Denver is a super sized city with the majority of the population knowingly lost, spiritually.  People out there are questioning and searching for answers in the face of senseless deaths from fires and murder.  God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He has allowed these tragedies for a reason and He gives a peace that passes understanding, no matter the situation.  We pray daily that as we go and do His work and share His love and His Word with the people of Colorado, He will receive all the Glory and many will follow Him and know Him intimately as a result.  He is in control, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and His perfect love casts out fear so His children may live a full, abundant life.  May it be so!

Despite my peace about our call to plant, the long distance move, the need to raise funds, and the many other changes upon us, many of you are full of questions, worry, maybe even doubt. This is an incredibly exciting time for our family, a journey where much is unknown. God has guarded me against fear and worry, which is not me by any means. For me to be calm and peaceful and give Him control of big life changes is all Him…in these areas, I am weak but He is strong. The emotional end of the move is extremely difficult for me to navigate. My connections to my family, friends, church family, and homeschool group run deep. I find myself celebrating the quick, God-ordained sale of our home, while simultaneously grieving the separation from it. My heart bursts with joy when I ponder what God will do through little ol’ me, as He molds me more into His likeness and shapes me into a pastor’s wife and church planting partner. Yet, I weep almost daily (even as I type now), as we encounter some of our “lasts” here in Alabama. I haven’t allowed myself to grieve publicly, fearing my tears will convey a false message of fear or doubt to you…never wanting my misty eyes to falsely convince anyone of you that my heart isn’t in this, that I don’t want to go or am being coerced. My sadness is real. I love deeply and am so blessed to have so many to love here. The call to Colorado is undeniably from God, though. When I heard my sweet children singing last week, the words rang so true…”Where You go, I’ll go. Where you stay, I’ll stay. When You move, I’ll move. I will follow You.” I am confident that God has called us as a family and has gone ahead of us, preparing a way and softening hearts. 1 Corinthians 1 says that if we boast, we are to boast in Him. God has given me a testimony. I’ve been redeemed. I am a new creation. I’m going to let tears fall as they may, hug necks tighter than ever before, praying all the while that I don’t waste one minute of our remaining time in Demopolis. But, when it is time to go, I will hold my head high and march on, following the call of God wherever He leads. I will boast about Him and share the old redemption story, literally shouting it from the mountaintops of Colorado. May He receive the glory for equipping me, Eric, and our children for His work and may the reward for obedience be a great harvest of souls, all while He maintains the ties that bind us to Sweet Home Alabama!