Closing Day (Thank You Daddy!)

Well friends, it looks like it is finally happening! After over 10 weeks of being in SC, but without a home of our own, we are finally closing on our new house TOMORROW! We are so thankful and oh so excited to get settled and become official SC residents. Now we can get library cards, and SC license plates, and have lower taxes! Woot woot! I am so glad to be in a home before my big 3-0 birthday this Friday (more thoughts to come on that fact soon!). I am just so happy, and excited, and thankful! I want to thank our sweet, wonderful, gracious, hospitable friends, the Styles, for hosting us these past weeks. Your basement has been a wonderful home for us, and I will really miss being here! Thank you so much friends!

The biggest thanks goes out to my daddy. My sweet, wonderful, generous daddy made this day happen. In midst of moving from NC and being in this time of transition, my dad stepped up, has taken a leap of faith, and co-signed the loan with us. His trust and faith in us is so apparent, and so appreciated! Again, tomorrow would not be happening without his and my step-mom's generosity. After countless forms, lots of Fed-Ex trips, and tons of phone calls, we are all done daddy! (though they now know the number of hairs on your head!) Thank you for being inconvenienced for our good, and all the while being nothing less than 100% supportive and willing to do whatever needed to be done! I don't think we can say thank you enough, but thank you (thank you, thank you, thank you!).

We cannot wait to get our home settled (and decorated for fall!), host friends and family, and enjoy this wonderful blessing! We will get some pictures up as soon as we can!

Believing it is all from His hand,

~Heather

God is so Good

I am so thankful for all the kind words about my last post. Sometimes things are hard, and life can seem just awful (especially when a lot of things come all at once!). We are never promised an easy road in this life, but we are promised that God will work all things together for our good! And, what a good God we have! He has done great things!

Every night as we lay the kids down for bed we sing a few songs, and one of those is the little chorus, "God is so Good."

God is so good, God is so good.

God is so good, He's so good to me.

My last post was a little whiny in nature, and I am so thankful that I have a God who will listen and be patient with me when my flesh is weak and I need to just vent! Boy, is that convicting to me when my kids whine. God responds to me and my whining with perfect patience, and wow! My response to my kids is not with anything close to perfect patience! Most times, it has nothing to do with patience at all! But, I digress...

Though there are a lot of things going on my life right now that are less than desirable, I have so much to be thankful for! God has done such great things in my life, and I want to be sure to focus on those things as well, if not more, than the other side. Trials shape us, form us, and sanctify us. Trying to focus on how good God is and what He has done and will do for us helps us walk with faith through every season of our lives (good and bad).

Here are some of the good things that God is doing now...

1. Blake sort of has a job! (He is just not working right now) He was hired to be an adjunct professor at a university nearby. I am so proud of him and I know he will do a great job with this! (I 100% believe my husband would be stellar at ANY job given the opportunity to learn and work. He is just that awesome!) He was hired later in the semester, so he will have to wait until the spring semester to pick up some classes. I am thankful for this provision!

2. Momma got a good report today! PRAISE THE LORD!

3. We should be closing on our new house in the next few days! So thankful for the Lord's provision with this home, and really looking forward to settling in and being a SC resident!

4. I'm still alive and kickin'! 30 is only a week and a half away, and I'm okay with that!

Sometimes it is easier to look at all that is "wrong" in our lives, but with eyes of faith we can strive to see all the good and the good God that is there. And, we can be thankful. In the words of those wise and wonderful veggie tales characters, "A thankful heart is a happy heart!" I am thankful for all that God has done, and thankful that He is so good to me!

~Believing that it is all from His hand,

Heather

Are We There Yet?

One perk of where we are staying right now is cable tv! This is something that we have not had for about 4 years, and I am loving it! I am even loving commercials! Crazy, I know. There have been commercials that have made me laugh out loud, commercials that have made me cry, and commercials that have made me think about my life. One such commercial I just saw.

This commercial (not even sure what it was advertising exactly) showed clips of all kinds of children saying, "Are we there yet?" How many times have we said that on trips, or heard that from the little ones in the back seat? Are we there yet...are we there yet...are we there yet???

The past few weeks have been a little challenging for me. I have felt a heaviness unlike I have felt in a long time. My momma may be pretty sick. My husband has yet to find a job. There is uncertainty about our future living situation. I am about to turn 30 (and I don't know if I am handling it all that well). There are so many things that are in a limbo state, so many things that are uncertain (well, 30 is certain if the Lord allows me to live for 18 more days!). As I watched that little commercial tonight I realized that I am just like one of those kids, crying out, well, more like whining, "Are we there yet God?" I am struggling to have patience. I am struggling to believe that He is in control and knows exactly where we are going and how long it will take us to get there. My "are we there yet" thoughts are dangerously close to becoming, "Have you forgotten about us?"

I have had some wonderful friends remind me of truth during this time, and please keep it coming! God is certainly in control over every single moment (the marvelous to the mundane), but when I have to put feet to this belief I become this little child who just wants to cry out, "Ughhh....ARE WE THERE YET? DO I HAVE TO KEEP DEALING WITH UNKNOWNS? WHY WON'T YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND REVEAL YOUR PLAN ALREADY! THIS IS HARD!" I don't think I know best, not at all. I don't want to have control. I like being a child of God's and following the good shepherd. I just don't like having to endure and wait on Him! (Ohhh...sinful sinful self!)

The best place for me right now is the gospel. Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despised it's shame, and then was seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Jesus did not like the cross. It was hard! It was painful! But, He endured knowing what was to come. He, the good shepherd, laid down His life for His sheep so that we could be with Him for eternity. He trusted the Father's plan, whatever it looked like, and knew the joy that was before Him. And now, the punishment for my sin, the death that I deserved, was taken away at the cross. There is now no condemnation, but Christ's perfection is credited to my account. Scandalous, and beautiful!

I don't know what is going to happen in the days to come. Maybe things will get easier. Maybe they won't. Maybe God's plan will be revealed with absolute certainty, but, maybe it won't. What I do know is that God will work all things together for my good and His glory (no matter what may come). I know that He will provide everything I need according to His glorious riches in Jesus (so I can face whatever comes my way). And I know that I have a good shepherd that loves me and laid down His life for me (so I have hope). My joy cannot be shaken and my hope cannot be taken away due to my circumstances because it is grounded on something that can never ever be taken away. Jesus! I am His and He is mine! That is where I will seek to rest in midst of this uncertain time. And, I am quite thankful that even when my faith wavers, He is ever steady in the storm!

There will always be things that come up in this life. There will be new difficulties to face, new trials to bear, new uncertainties around every corner. I am sure we will all have plenty of moments in this life when we ask God the question of "Are we there yet?" And, I am also sure that it won't be answered in the affirmative until we reach heaven. Until then, I will bring my feeble, faint heart before the Lord, and pray for faith to trust Him always.

Hear my cry, O God,

listen to my prayer;

from the end of the earth I call to you

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I,

for you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me dwell in your tent forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! 

Psalm 61:1-4 

 Believing that it is all from His hand,

~Heather

More than we can ask or think...

I am in awe again of how the Lord is working on behalf of our little group who is hoping to serve the Lord together in South Carolina. Our friends, Jeremy and Natalie, put their house up for sale in Wake Forest in early August, and a little over 2 weeks later, they are under contract and preparing to move! And, to top it off, they were offered more money than they were asking! Eric and Ashley's house is under contract too, and they are looking to be down here soon as well!

The families that were hoping to be down here by the end of the year are either here, or on their way! All of us that planned on selling our homes went under contract within a month of putting it on the market! God is in control, and God is moving on our behalf for sure! I am more and more sure of our move and excited to see what the Lord has in store for us here in South Carolina! I am convinced that Lord is doing something great and that His hand is clearly leading and guiding us.

I am so thankful!


Believing that it is all from His hand,

~Heather

We Moved! And, So Did The Lord!

After a year or more of praying, months of planning, weeks of packing, and several hours of driving, we have officially moved and started our life in the Greenville, SC area! It still has not sunk in that we are not just visiting, but I am sure after a little time this place will not only be home but will also feel like home too. We are out in a more rural area, and the trees and country setting are just beautiful! I was driving around on some back roads and thought, "Oh, I think I love it here!" (This coming from someone who cried like crazy leaving my sweet little town of Wake Forest just the day before!) I truly believe that God has knitted this time together and is (in every way) in control. One way that this fact is so clear is what we experienced on Sunday.

The plan we have in moving down this way is to be involved with a small church for a time while we get settled and get to know the community. We want to seek wisdom from the Lord during this time in whether we are to plant a church in this area or be involved in church revitalization. We were in contact with a small church, Living Grace Baptist Church, before we moved and felt like this would be the congregation we would join with for a time. It is a small, rural church comprised of sweet people who have embraced Jesus as their Lord. In a letter written in the beginning of this year, the pastor, Rod Wilton, describes the congregation as "a tiny beacon of light flying the banner of 'Christ is Lord.'" He also calls them a "faithful and loving body of believers." In our first interaction with them, I wholeheartedly agree! Also within this letter were a few prayer requests (the letter was written to folks at a conference that went on early this year).

David Crowder sings a line in one of his songs that says, "sometimes you're closer than my skin," and a few of Pastor Wilton's prayer requests made me feel just like this. Here they are...

"1. Numerical Growth- We have no interest in numbers per-say, but we need encouragement. We truly rest in God's good providence, but we need to be strengthened and we pray, "Lord, send us a couple of families who are mature believers who will serve you faithfully as soldiers of the Cross!" We pray this way knowing that there are mitigating circumstances such as our rural location, and a culturally complex community.

2. New Pastoral Leadership- ...Our three elders agree that a younger man is needed to take this work into the future. There is a great challenge ahead, but a solid foundation had been laid and there is opportunity for making an impact..."


As my sweet friend from college and I would often say....FREAK OUT! I mean, our heart has been to reach out and minister in a more rural context, there are 3 families here now and 3 more on the way, and the men are desiring to either start a church or revitalize. This may be the place that Lord has for us long term, but regardless, this is where He has us now, and I am thankful. I am more confident of this move just about every day and I am thankful for this small little glimpse of seeing His hand moving us and working through the prayers of His people.

Pray for us. We want to follow the Lord and be a light for Him. We want to impact this area for the glory of the Lord. Pray that we will trust Him through every step of the way. Thank you so much! We are excited to see the way He is already moving, and excited to see what He will do in the future!

Believing that it is all from His hand, 

~Heather 

To the Bride of Christ at TCC

Today was the last Sunday at our church. It is so bitter sweet to leave as this church has been such a huge part of our lives over the past almost 6 years. They have been our family, our friends, our challengers, and our encouragers. I learned how to fight against my sin here. I learned how to, and the importance of, asking good questions to get to the deep heart issues. I learned that ministry and life in the body can be really messy and hard, but oh so worth the fight! I learned how to be a mommy, and asked tons of questions to those who have gone before me in the motherhood journey! I learned by example (from many godly women) the beauty of being submissive to my husband and seeking to honor him in word and deed. I learned the importance of church discipline. I learned how to weep with those who weep as we walked through inexpressible grief, and also wept with joy at the beauty of the body in its service to those hurting. I learned that God walks with us and helps us in our times of need. I learned that serving is sometimes hard, but God is faithful to give us all we need. I learned that God is able to do abundantly more than we can ask or think! I learned more about the beauty of the Gospel, and that I need the gospel just as much now as I did when I first believed. I have learned so much here, and I am incredibly thankful for it!

The hard lessons, the good lessons, and every one in between have all led me deeper to this truth....I need Jesus, every single day. I need the Gospel, every single moment! I am incapable of doing this life on my own, and what a beautiful gift He gives us wrapped up in an imperfect package to help us along, the church! I am SO thankful for Treasuring Christ Church. Your faithfulness to help me see and fight my sin and point me to the Gospel has had such an impact on my life! I will forever be grateful for our time here and the ways that you have faithfully loved us and served us.

Thank you for your part in helping me love and treasure Jesus more.

 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35 

Believing that it is all from His hand,

~Heather

Packing Can Be Fun!

Well, at least the boxes that we need to pack all our stuff in can be fun!

Where we've been, where we are, and where we are going (part 3)

Where we are going...

In just a little over 2 weeks my sweet family will be pulling out of Wake Forest and heading south on I-85 to begin the next chapter of our little life. We are moving to...

Greenville, SC! Well, Greer, SC to be exact. It is not a huge change, which, at this point in life I am very thankful for. (Hey, I finally feel like I am thriving with this whole 3 kid thing. Moving across the country might throw me for a huge loop, and the Lord knows with my 3 I don't need any loops!)

So why Greenville? Why to this area where there are plenty of churches? Why to an area where I recently overheard it be referred to as the "belt buckle" of the Bible belt? Ultimately, because that's where we see the Lord leading us. At first glance it may not make sense, since yes, there are a lot of churches in the area. However, we have prayed and have seen over and over again the Lord opening doors and leading us there.

When we first started this journey we were talking about moving to Montana, Colorado, and discussed how my husband would LOVE to move to Germany or Switzerland. The thought of moving to these places (any place out of my little comfort zone really) was just down right hard. I battled with the Lord about this, but was challenged by a thought from what an old friend had once said....We don't sign up to serve the Lord in a specific area, we sign up to serve the Lord. Period. We follow Him. He leads the way. We can make plans, but the Lord determines the steps. After some conviction from the Word, and lots of time in prayer, I had a great peace about following the Lord wherever He would send us. Not saying that it wouldn't be hard, or that even in myself I would be "happy" about it, but I had peace that wherever the Lord would have us that would be the best place for us. It would be best because it would be His plan and provision for us.

Then came the waiting and praying for more direction and guidance for the men in this group. Then low and behold, Greenville, SC became an option! Really God?!? It is closer to my family. It is still in the southeast. It is familiar! Could you really want us to go there? All signs pointed to yes. So, the first family got their house ready to go, and it was under contract within a month! We were next to put our house on the market, and again, within a month it was under contract! One family decided to rent their home, and the Lord quickly provided a renter! They will be moving down the same weekend with us! There are a couple more families in the process of getting their homes ready to sell, and we are praying for a quick process for them as well! (You can pray to that end for them too!) We have been so encouraged with how things have happened thus far and feel confident we are heading in the correct direction.

Another huge reason for staying in the Southeast is because of the "Jesus Culture." Lots of people in this area go to church on Sunday, say all the right things, but their hearts are far from being submitted to Jesus as Lord. This was me. I wanted Jesus to save me from Hell, but I didn't want Him to be Lord over my life. (Read my story here to see how the Lord changed me!) Everyone wants "fire insurance," so they pray a prayer and think that is all that is needed. But, the Bible speaks to it being so much more than that. The verse that always strikes me when I think of the Bible belt is Matthew 7:21-23,

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

We hope to shine as ones who have been radically changed by God, seeking to glorify Him in all we do, and showing through our weakness and still sinful selves that we have a GREAT Savior. We just want the Gospel of Jesus to be shown. The Gospel says it's not about what you do or what you bring to the table, it's ALL about what Jesus has done. And from that flows good works to glorify Him. We can never ever earn it on our good behavior or deeds. If you have some time, I would HIGHLY suggest you read my friend's post about her heart (which echos my heart) for this area of the country that we are moving to. Check it out here. 

This is just the first step in our journey. We desire to come along side a church for a while and get to know the needs of the community. We will seek the Lord's wisdom in either doing church planting or church revitalization. Either way, it will certainly have challenges. We would so appreciate your prayers in this time of transition as we seek to follow the Lord to South Carolina!


Believing it's all from His hand,

~Heather 

Where we've been, where we are, and where we are going (part 2)

Where we are...

We are currently living life under a bunch of boxes with a very independent, spunky, smart 4 year old who likes to use phrases like "how in the world," "that's weird," and, "I love you mom." We have our hilarious, cuddly, curious little 2 1/2 year old. He is in the stage where he likes to tell the same joke or funny thing over and over trying to elicit laughs from us. One of his favorite things now is to sing row, row, row your boat but to insert this line, "merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life's a spider dream!" Cracks him up every time, silly boy! And then an AMAZINGLY joy filled little 7 month old who seriously smiles all the time! Even if he is crying, he still sort of looks like he's trying to smile. As one friend put it, it's his default emotion, and I love it!

I mentioned boxes. Yep, boxes. Lots and lots of awesome U-haul boxes are patiently waiting to be filled with all our belongings. We are getting ready to close yet another chapter of lives. Wake Forest has been such a wonderful part of our story. It's so hard for me to believe that I didn't love it here at first! The seminary brought us to Wake Forest, (well, the Lord in His kindness and sovereignty to be exact) we added 3 to our family here, have been apart of an amazing church family, and have been blessed by the Lord with friendships that I am so undeserving of and am the better for having. It is such a bittersweet time. I am thankful for the relationships that have encouraged me to be a better wife, mother, and follower of Jesus. I will be forever grateful for this time, for those who have crossed our path, and for all that the Lord has done in us these 6 years.

We had been praying for a long time about the direction in which the Lord would take us post seminary, and the clearest thing for a while was the group of people that we would be doing ministry with. God has knit several families together over the past few years and gave us a burden to pursue church planting/church revitalization together. Once the ball started clearly rolling and a direction was in view, we got our house ready to put on the market. Less than one month later we were under contract! Who does that in this economy other than our Lord! We feel that God has confirmed our plans and is directing our steps to pack up and leave Wake Forest the last weekend of July. I am looking forward to what is ahead, but I am sad for what I am leaving behind....

Super Target...I may seriously cry when we leave my wonderful home away from home and all my friends there!!
Harris Teeter...Super doubles, free cookies, and balloons! (the last 2 my kids will miss most, ok, just the last one. Who doesn't love a free cookie!)
Joyner Park...fun fellowships, great walking trails, and actual old barns for the kids to run and play in. So fun!
Bella Italia...The greatest pizza lunch special on the planet!
The Mall...story time, chick-fil-a, the water fountain, the play ground! Much fun was had on a weekly basis here!

I am so blessed for all the good things that God has given me in my time here. Great experiences and tons of memories that I will cherish forever! I trust the Lord though, and where He leads I will gladly follow.

(see the final post in this series for the where!)



Believing it's all from His hand,

~Heather 

Where we've been, where we are, and where we are going (part 1)

Where we have been....

So, it's been a while. I'm not going to go into all the excuses for not blogging, but I am going to give a little snippet to what's been going on the past year and half (since I last blogged!).

1.  January 2011...Owen tuned one! Blake and I went on a cruise (which was one of the highlights of my life! So fun!).

2. April 2011...Found out baby #3 was on the way. Ran a half marathon (about a week or 2 after I found out I was pregnant. Yeah, I know, I'm hard core!).

3. May 2011...Blake graduated with his Masters in Divinity from SEBTS (he is a well theologically trained assistant manager at Walgreens now!).

4. July 2011...Karis turned 3! Man, time is flying by with that little girl!

5. August 2011...found out baby #3 was going to be a boy!

6. October 2011...I entered into my last year in my 20s...sighhh....

7. December 2011...Nathan William Hollander was born on Dec. 6th via c-section (another one harvested as my husband would say. He's silly!) Entered into the dark time of having 3 kids and felt like I was never ever going to be able to make it as a mom of 3.

8. January 2012...Owen tuned 2!

9. February 2012...Finally felt like I would one day be able to handle being a mom of 3.

10. March 2012...Finally handling being a mom of 3!

11. May 2012...Put our house up for sale.

12. June 2012...Our house went under contract! (Crazy fast, praise the Lord!)

13. July 2012...Karis turned 4! (Did I mention how time is flying with this little girl!)

 So, that's where we have been. Catch me next time for where we are now.



Believing it's all from His hand....


~Heather