Finding God in America

Today I miss waking up to the hills and pine forest. I miss the cool morning weather. I miss the peace and quiet.

But this isn’t bad either. After all, it’s just temporary.

That’s something I tell myself often. Because the truth is whether it is a few days, weeks, months, or a lifetime, it’s still just temporary.

A drop in the bucket of eternity.

And seeing things as temporary helps make the hard easier.

It doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s just temporary.

And who knows what great thing God has in store next.

I love being surrounded by art.

Not fine art mind you. We don’t have space for that because our camper is already filled with kid art.

The kind of art that was made with love.

That often has an initial scribbled in the bottom and more often than not, “I love you, mommy” written at the top.

It may make our home more cluttered, but I am also keenly aware that this is a season of life that won’t last forever.

I won’t always have little hands at home making creations all day, every day.

But today I do, so today I will savor being surrounded by art.

Is God only good when life is good?

Or is He truly good all the time?

Even when life is hard and the enemy isn’t fighting fair, He is still there, walking beside you.

Carrying you.

Sustaining you.

All the while being faithful to His word to turn that situation around for your good.

No matter how impossible it seems.

He’s with you through it and working it out for your good.

Every time.

Because He IS a good, good father.

All the time.

There could be a million reasons not to do something.

A million reasons it doesn’t feel right.

A million reasons it doesn’t make sense.

But a million reasons don’t matter in comparison to the one real question… is God asking you to say yes?

That’s really the only question that matters.

Everything else is just an excuse.

An excuse to disobey.

An excuse to step out of the perfect will of God.

I don’t want to live in the land of excuses and regret.

I want to live smack dab in the perfect will of God.

So the only thing to do is say yes to the hard things.

The uncomfortable things.

The inconvenient things.

Follow where God is leading, no matter the cost. Life is better there anyway.

Social media is just the piece of reality that people let you see.

I get a lot of traveling family and fulltime RVer suggested posts.

Breathtaking scenery behind a happy family, all cleaned and perfectly dressed.

Beautifully renovated campers, so perfect that you wonder if anyone actually lives in there.

Who wouldn’t want to live a life that ideal?

But the reality of fulltime RV’ing is a whole different story sometimes.

It means taking a deep breath when you open up the camper after traveling, wondering what might have gotten thrown around or broken while bouncing down the road for hours.

It means spending days driving through construction and traffic and sometimes just plain boring landscapes… often with tired, cranky children who just want to get out and play.

It means learning to walk in love and live at peace with the people you are spending 24/7/365 with… while some days really just wanting space from everyone.

There no such thing as the perfect life… but there is the perfect life for you. Live the life God has called you to, without comparison or regrets.

We don’t thank them enough…

We rent a desk at a coworking space run by a small church plant in Tulsa. The girls and I ran in today to print our taxes.

As we were leaving, I noticed the pastor out front, working on the sprinkler system.

Doing what no one else wants to do, but what needs to be done… at a time that isn’t convenient.

Sounds like pretty much like every great pastor I’ve ever met. Sacrificing themselves without complaint for the good of the Kingdom.

Thank your pastors. Pray for them. Support them. Believe the best in them.

Today and every day.

Because what they do goes so far beyond the words they speak on a Sunday morning.

When no one is watching, they’re giving everything for everyone… for the love of God and man.

Love requires sacrifice

It’s easy to love my kids when they wrap their arms around me and tell me how much they love me.

But when they’re squabbling over the same ridiculous thing for the 5th time today, love isn’t the emotion I’m feeling.

Love requires sacrifice

It’s easy to love my husband when he brings me a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning, prepared just how I like it.

But after when he’s tired and grumpy after a long day, love isn’t in the words that come out of my mouth.

Love requires sacrifice

I can’t claim I love my family well when I really only show them love when it is convenient to me.

I can’t claim I love others if I only show them love when it fits my schedule.

And I can’t claim I love God when I only give Him the time of day when He is doing something for me.

Love requires sacrifice

It doesn’t always feel good. It isn’t always easy.

But it is always a choice worth making.

Because we aren’t here on this earth for our comfort or convenience.

We’re here to love.

For the one who thinks your testimony isn't worth telling...

I was sitting around the table with a group of women recently, telling our stories of how we met Jesus.

Three women told beautiful stories of coming to know Jesus at a young age, and staying right by His side all of their life.

It's the kind of testimony you don't hear celebrated much.

Maybe because we're afraid our stories aren't exciting enough to share.

There's no dramatic before...

We just walked with Jesus from the first moment we can remember.

Yet isn't that what we want for our own kids?

To come to know Jesus at a young age and follow Him all of their lives?

To love Him and serve Him and be protected by Him?

See, your testimony isn't boring... it's beautiful because it's a testimony of the legacy of faith.

Your before includes those that prayed for you, taught you the Word, and introduced you to the Jesus.

Their story is part of your story.

And it's all part of God's story.

Share your story, because it's a beautiful example of how God intended life to be.

“From the rising sun to the setting same, I will praise Your name. Great is Your faithfulness to me.”

10 years ago I left a temp job I hated, barely believing that God could provide for us without either of us having fulltime employment.

Barely as in Scott had spent months on end trying to convince me that when God said He would take care of all of our needs, He didn’t need my help to do that.

10 years later, God has proven year after year, month after month, day after day just how faithful He really is.

It might not have been an easy road, but He’s always provided what we needed, exactly when we needed it.

Some days in spite of my attempts to “help” Him.

Always faithful. Always true to His Word.

And we could have missed it all had I insisted on doing things my way instead of trusting God to provide.

Those steps of faith God is asking you to take today matter.

The timing matters.

Don’t hesitate for one more minute.

Step out trusting Him. He’ll never let you down.

Every time I look at your face, I see a reflection of the Father.

“Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.” Psalms‬ ‭127:3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Without even knowing it, little one, you show me every day how God loves unconditionally.

Your snuggles and big hugs remind me that God’s love for me is personal. I’m not just one of many; I am His.

Seeing myself through your eyes reminds me of how God believes I am capable of more than I can fathom.

And every day you give me opportunities to love you unconditionally and forgive quickly and often.

To believe you can do things that you don’t think you can.

And to lay my own selfish nature aside and reflect Jesus back to you.

I’m convinced God created kids to show us how we really should be.

We had to switch campgrounds this morning. We’ve been staying at an amazing RV resort for the last week, but they were booked this weekend so it was time to go.

The closest campground with availability was over an hour away.

To be honest I was super grumpy about moving, about yet again packing up our home just to unpack it an hour later in another place.

And to make things more fun, Scott had a meeting with a homeowner this morning so he had to leave once we got to the new campground… which meant the girls and I had to get everything unpacked and settled.

But my kids jumped right in, putting things where they belong, without a single thought about it.

Sometimes life isn’t ideal… but that doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to see the good in the middle of it.

Choose to be grateful for what we do have.

Choose to see each day as a new opportunity and adventure with God.

4 years in to traveling fulltime and sometimes I still have to stop and pinch myself that this is really our life.

“You are way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. My God, that is who you are.”

It always amazes me how gradually the sun rises in the morning.

Out of pure darkness, slowly but surely, the sun starts to make its appearance each morning.

But the day doesn’t go from dark to light like the flip of a switch. Instead it’s like a moment by moment increase.

So often we want God to bust on the scene and turn our situation on its head. And thank God for those times that He does do that.

But so many times His faithfulness can seem so slow to us that you can miss it.

That’s why you need to watch for it, knowing that He is always working behind the scenes even when it doesn’t look like anything is happening.

“Mommy, are we going to stay here for awhile?”

Emily innocently asked as Scott packed up the truck and trailer.

The truth is I don’t know, kid.

Scott is leaving… soon?

For… we aren’t quite sure yet?

And the girls and I are staying in Joplin for… we aren’t sure how long?

I like when God hands us neatly packaged plans, like step by step directions.

But somehow that rarely seems to happen.

Instead our life is more of a call to just follow Him, day by day, moment by moment.

It can be hard to rest in the uncertainty, but the truth is none of our lives are as certain or planned as we like to believe.

At any moment, something can happen that will totally take you by surprise.

But it never takes God by surprise. He always has a plan, even in your uncertainty.

And that’s why we can walk through life at peace, even when everything after this moment seems to be a question mark.

“Lord Jesus, come quickly.”

It’s easy to look at the state of our world and feel like the devil is winning.

To feel like the only way out is for Jesus to come back.

But the truth is that Jesus did come… and He left the Holy Spirit so you and I would be equipped and empowered to be His hands, feet, and mouth on this earth.

So if you’re looking at the news and thinking this would be a good time for Jesus’s return, just remember that He left us here on purpose… for a purpose.

It’s for us to step up!

“In the secret
In the quiet place
In the stillness
You are there…”

There are moments where this world demands more from us than we have to offer.

Moments where everything seems to be screaming for our attention at once.

And yet if we would just take a moment to get away with God, we’d realize His peace is right there waiting for us.

Created for eternity, living in the temporary

So much of the conflict we feel in life happens because we, as humans, were created to live forever.

But that one pesky decision by Adam and Eve changed everything.

And now we’re eternal beings living in a temporary world… a world where we now have to deal with death, disease, pain, and all kinds of evil.

That was never meant to be part of our story. I think that’s what makes it so hard.

Our spirits crave for a perfect world. Our souls can’t fathom the separation that death brings or the havoc that evil causes.

It was never supposed to be this way. And thank God life in eternity won’t be this way.

But for now, death and evil are part of our daily reality. And there’s no amount of hoping things were different that is going to change that.

The devil is not going to just roll over and play dead.

He’s going to continue to cause every kind of evil on this earth while he still can.

It’s time the church stops hoping for a better world, and starts getting serious about living in the light of eternity.

At the end of the day, getting someone to agree with you politically doesn’t matter. Republicans and Democrats don’t exist in heaven anyway.

But showing your neighbors the love of Jesus so they can come to a saving knowledge of Him does. In fact, that’s all that matters…

Let’s start living life constantly aware that we are not home yet.

My heart is heavy today thinking about members of the Body that aren’t connected anymore.

One of the most amazing things about how God created the human body is that you can, over time, adapt to losing a part of yourself.

But that doesn’t mean that you are better off without it.

Scott isn’t better off without his 2 fingers. But he’s adapted and figured out ways to keep doing the things he needs to do.

Because he has an assignment and it wasn’t cancelled just because of his loss.

If you’ve left a church because you’ve been hurt by something that was done or said (or not done or said), know that there is a hole in that church where you used to be.

And even though it might look like everything is getting along fine without you, trust me, you are missed.

The Lord is calling back His missing pieces to be reconnected with His Body.

The time to come home is now.

God is in the midst of us…

One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to visit all different churches.

We love our home church with a burning passion… it’s the only place on earth that always feels like home.

But it’s amazing to visit churches and see that God is right in the midst of them too.

That He isn’t just contained to showing up in one place, in one way.

That when two or more are gathered in His name, He is there.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of music they like, or what flavor of Christianity they subscribe to.

God is there, in their midst.

Which means that I have no right to criticize how they do church…

Because at the end of the day, church is about glorifying God together. And what right would I have to say someone does that better than another?

Some days are just long, hard days.

Sometimes life isn’t easy, and living in peace with other humans (especially the small humans you helped bring into this world) takes a lot of work.

But no matter how hard days are, there’s never a moment where we think maybe we aren’t meant to be parents anymore.

Could you even imagine letting a bad day or a difficult phase get to you so badly you give up on raising the child God have you?

And yet, so many times we do the thing with assignments God gives us.

“The grace has lifted” is a phrase people throw around when things are hard and they want to move on.

But what if that hard season is just an opportunity to crucify your flesh and lean into God’s grace even more?

God promises to give you everything that you need for life and godliness.

If you don’t feel like you have the ability to continue where you’re at, then you weren’t doing it in His strength in the first place.

Don’t believe the lie that it’s time to move on just because it isn’t easy. Just depend on His grace more and watch God show up in ways you never imagined.

When Scott took me to Tulsa for the first time over 14 years ago, we heard Ms Jeanne Orrison preach a message on James 1 that forever changed my life.

“Brace yourself for extreme joy.”

Her words still ring in my head. Every time life doesn’t go the way we planned and I’m presented with an opportunity to be stressed, it’s those words that God brings back to me.

“Brace yourself for extreme joy.”

Sometimes we get the idea that because we’re following after God, a good God who loves us and protects us and provides for us and blesses us, that life will be easy.

But the truth is we have an enemy who has made it his mission to sidetrack us from our commission.

Because if he can distract and discourage us, he can keep us from doing the thing God has us here for- to live in relationship with Him and invite others to do the same.

Those distractions and discouragement are opportunities to trust Him more, to rely on Him deeper, to become more like Jesus.

That’s why we can have extreme joy even in the middle of challenging situations. We know that He is working all things together for our good, and this is just one more opportunity to grow in our faith.

Me: Hey, why don’t you go see how many pine cones you can pick up?

Madeline: OHH that is a great idea!

As I sat and watched the sun come up through our bedroom window this morning, listening to my family sleep and the faint sound of traffic from the highway below, I found myself just so thankful.

Thankful that almost 4 years ago, when people told us it was crazy to travel fulltime in a camper with two little kids, we didn’t listen.

Thankful that when people told us it was crazy to have kids 14 months apart, we didn’t listen.

Thankful that when people told us it was crazy to have a ministry that just follows God and is willing to do whatever to help, we didn’t listen.

Thankful that at the end of the day, following God has always been more important to us than what any man thought.

Thankful that on the days when things were tough and I began to doubt, I have a husband who always points me back to God’s promises.

Thankful that walking out this life by faith has allowed God to create a track record of faithfulness in our lives.

Thankful that our kids get to grow up thinking that following God wherever is normal.

And so thankful that we aren’t alone in that, but we’re surrounded by friends around the world who are living their lives and raising their kids the same way.

We’ve believed a great lie…

… that sacrificing for the Lord means getting up a little earlier to pray.

Or giving in an offering when maybe you don’t want to.

But God doesn’t want just a few minutes of your morning or even your money.

He wants all of you.

He wants your whole day (and your nights too).

He wants your talents, your desires, your hopes, your dreams, and even your hurts and disappointments.

He wants it all.

And really, how can we look in the eyes of our Savior, our good, good Father, and say, “No, that’s too much”?

This kid’s response to pretty much every request lately has been “why.”

It takes all my mustered up patience to not response with “because I told you so.”

But it makes me think about God and His endlessness patience with my endless questions.

How often does He ask us to do something and we respond with “why” or “are you sure”?

As if God wasn’t sure when He asked us…

So often in those moments of me questioning, I hear Him whisper back “just trust Me.”

Because the truth is I don’t need to know the why’s.

They probably wouldn’t make any sense to me anyway.

I don’t see the beginning from the end.

He does.

I don’t know every single person so intimately that I know exactly how many hairs each of them have.

He does.

I can’t promise to provide for and protect every single person that follows after Him.

But He has.

He knows all, sees all, and loves all… and that’s the only answer I really need to my why’s.

God never forces us to do anything. It’s always our choice whether we want to be obedient and follow the path that He has for us, or choose to set out on our own.

Scott and I chose individually many years ago to say “Here I am, Lord, use me.” We made a decision to spend our lives in obedience to His call.

But our kids are along for the ride.

They’re still portable, so they don’t really have much say at the moment. They’re going where God calls us to go and doing what God calls us to do.

Right now that means they make a lot of sacrifices without really understanding why. They miss friends and parks and places from all over the country, and they tell us about it often.

We’ve seen others give up at this point in parenting, realizing how hard the sacrifices are on their kids.

But thank God we also have examples of families that have persevered.

People who have taught us that God gave you both your call AND your kids.

He knows what they need more than we do. He loves them infinitely more than we can imagine.

And He takes care of them in the sweetest ways that continue to show me He’s rewarding their sacrifices.

We know our time here in Oklahoma is coming to an end.

The last few months have been such a good time of rest and reconnecting for us. We love this state, this town, and are so grateful to call it home.

But we spent years fighting making Oklahoma our home. We wanted to be from Colorado… because God lives in the mountains, you know 😉

We pushed and pushed to try to make our way happen… but with one moment of surrender to God’s plan, everything fell into place.

And now I can’t imagine not being from Oklahoma.

It’s always amazing to me how God knows exactly what each of us needs, and when we’ll need it.

We react to life, just seeing things as they happen.

But God sits above time, knowing what will happen long before it ever does.

And being a loving, caring Father, He is able to perfectly orchestrate our lives.

But we have to choose to walk in that orchestrated path. We have to choose to be obedient and trust Him…. And we have to choose to believe that He really does know better than us (pride makes that so hard sometimes, doesn’t it?)

We’re talking about Noah tonight and how the rainbow means God won’t flood the earth again.

Madeline: God still let’s down the rain though
Dara: Yeah but it doesn’t flood like that. We don’t have to get on a boat.
Madeline: No, we just stay in the camper.

Cause we’re southern girls, y’all!

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