How Did We Get Here?

Some are wondering how we got here?  Why did we fly the coup?  Why did we choose to move to Fayetteville, NC?  Why couldn’t we just stay the course and go to another church?

These are all valid questions.  The only way I know to answer them is in two words:  God’s provision.  Melvin lost his job in September of 2010.  We never saw his losing his job coming.  Never.  As a matter of fact, the week prior to us receiving the news, I remember reading Southern Savers blog about her husband lossing his job and thinking how horrible it would be for that to happen in this economy, never in a million years considering that this could be us.  After 20 very long months of continually filling out applications, letting everybody we know that Melvin needed a job, doing our best to constantly surrender to ANYTHING that God would have us do, no matter what it would be, and continually turning up empty-handed, we went with the only door that continued to remain open.  Pretty much that sums it up.  The other 200+ opportunities that opened up, eventually closed for one reason or the other.  To sum it up, God opened up a door that no man could open nor no man could close.

The opportunity with Corporate Chaplains is very exciting in that Melvin gets to love people who would never and maybe will never set one foot in a church.  HE has just taken our passion to reach the unreached a step beyond what we could have ever planned, especially here in the states.  Melvin is a pastor.  He is just no longer employed by a church.  If you haven’t taken the opportunity to check out what Corporate Chaplains of America is all about, their mission and vision, I encourage you to do so.  We are so grateful to be a part of the CCA family.  Melvin is absolutely loving his job and ministry.  He is in his sweet spot.

Please put Melvin on your reoccurring prayer list.  He is one of about 130 chaplains.  CCA has been able to reach almost 130,000 people for Christ in its 16 years of existence.  This is AWESOME and exciting.  Melvin must daily rely upon the Spirit and His drawing work in the life of people.  God will send His people to anyplace where there is but 1 who needs Him.

“Yes!  We will be the ones.  We will not tell you what, how, and where.  We will just obey.  Even if it doesn’t look or seem like common sense.”

Easy Guacamole Recipe

We LOVE guacamole in our house!  When I decided to not use package seasonings any more, I had to take to the internet to try and search out a good recipe that I could make with the spices that I have at home.  I found this recipe and it is fabulous and simple.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large ripe avocado or 2 of the normal sized avacados you can find at any grocery store
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• dash salt to taste
• dash cayenne, chili powder or taco sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Mash avocado with a fork until almost smooth, or until desired consistency.Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. That’s it! Dip your chips and enjoy!

Time Heals Nothing

I was recently reminded of a little cliché that we use in our culture, and that I have heard Christians using a lot as well.  I read it on someone’s FB status about the death of my 35-year-old cousin who tragically passed away last week.

“Only time will heal this wound.”

I KNOW this person was well-meaning and I KNOW that this person does not even believe this, but it makes my hair stand on end when I hear someone say it because it is so untrue.  It really makes me so, so sad.  When there is a tragedy in someone’s life, we do not know what to say, and so in an effort to fill the need to say something, we say the first things that pop into our head, and it sometimes, many times, is the wrong thing.  And sometimes, because we don’t want to say the wrong thing, we don’t say anything which is sometimes just as painful.  So this leaves us at a difficult place.

What do you say to someone who is hurting, someone who has experienced a tragedy, someone who has experienced a loss?

You say:
“I love you.”
“I care.”
“I am so very sorry that this has happened.”

And you give a hug.

And you just hang out with them and be with them.  Many people need this more than anything else.

And you listen.  You listen to their story of despair.

And you pray to the Lord that He will give you ways in which to meet their needs and to be His hands and feet.  I PROMISE you, He will!

And you realize that time will heal nothing.  God is the ONLY Healer.  When we say that anyone or anything else heals, in essence, we are saying that God is not who He says He is.  Period.  God will use time in His healing to make the pain more bearable.  But sometimes, especially at first, it seems that time makes the pain worse, because with time, people move on but you aren’t moving on….because you can’t and you won’t and you refuse to.

I want to close up my post today with a song and video that my mom sent to me last week.  I love MercyMe and I love this song.  It reminded me about this post that has been stirring around in my head for a while now.  It sums this post up so well and for some reason, I can’t get the video to post, so just click the link.  It will take you there.

“The Hurt and the Healer”

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Life Is Full of Troubles and Hurts

So, I have had so much on my heart lately, especially today.  My Facebook status just doesn’t cut it sometimes!  ))

As I hopped on Facebook this morning to check my messages, the first status update that popped up was a person from my hometown telling of the untimely, tragic death of an extended family member of mine, Justin Maples, someone who I went to high school with and was in the student ministry where I attended church.  He was a part of our “lunch bunch” every day of my senior year.  It has been a very long time since I have visited with him, probably since we left Cleveland back in 2004 to move to Alabama.  It has been a while.  Since speaking with him last, he has become an officer in the Cleveland Police Department, a husband, and a father of three boys, 5 and under.

As I have been in constant prayer for Justin’s wife, children, mom, dad, sister, aunt, cousins, everyone surrounding the situation, praying for our dear friends, Jason and Kelly, and their sweet baby girl, Emery Kate, who is experiencing the complications of a ruptured appendix in Vanderbilt Hospital, praying for our dear friends, the Kings, whom have had to flee their country of service and are wondering where to go and what to do and if they will ever see any of their earthly possessions ever again, praying for our dear friends, the Vaughns, as they are struggling through leaving their country of service due to a continued struggle with a serious illness, praying for one of Melvin’s fellow chaplains who recently lost a 15-year-old son in a tragic car accident, praying for my sister whom is 35 weeks pregnant with my first baby niece and scared to death that she will not get to parent her here on this earth, and many, many other needs and hurts in which I will not continuing on and on with, it made me think of the untimely death of my paternal grandfather some 37 years ago.  The Reverend Glenn Ledford passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly, the year before I was born.  From every account that has been told me, Pappaw Glenn was a man who was more like Jesus than anyone had every known.  My grandmother has not failed to let each of her 5 granddaughters much of the details of his magnificent life.

As I was praying for all of the hurt today, and pondering the brevity of life, and all of the hurt and pain in the lives of many that I love and cherish, a song that my grandmother told me was one of my grandfather’s favorite hymns and was sung at his funeral, kept running through my mind.  At one point, I had to burst out in song, “It Will Be Worth It All When We See Jesus”.

(1) Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,

We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;

But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,

All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.

Refrain

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

(2) Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,

We’re tossed and driven on , no human help in sight;

But there is one in heav’n who knows our deepest care,

Let Jesus solve your problem – just go to Him in pray’r.

Refrain

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

(3) Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,

We’ll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;

We’ll share the joys of heav’n – a harp, a home, a crown,

The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.

Refrain

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

 

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.   John 16:33

Therapy for the Soul

Since landing in Fayetteville, the Swaffords have been hard at work making our “new” house a home.  We purchased another older home, built in 1975, but in a very, very good school district, the best in the state of NC, and in a very nice neighborhood.  The school district makes no difference at this point but you never know what the future holds so we always buy a home as if we are going to send our children to school the next day.  We were able to purchase in the nice neighborhood because we purchased in the oldest part of the neighborhood and it needs some T.L.C.  Every neighbor that walks by comments on how very excited they are to have us in the neighborhood.  “It is so good to be able to see your house.  Your house has needed some T.L.C. for a while now”  That was a comment from a man yesterday after seeing that we have begun the process of massacring some out of control bushes in the yard.  

One of the special projects that has been going on this past week is planning and planting a garden!  Yippee!!!  My sweetie loves me so much.  He was so very kind to jump right into this project while the time was right, and he was also so great to let the kids be totally hands-on with the whole process.  They enjoyed it greatly and have taken such joy in running out to check on its progress first thing in the morning and such responsibility in watering it. What a fabulous finally to our study of Botany this year!

Gardening is therapy for the soul.  It connects us to the God who created every seed, every plant, every piece of food that we will harvest.  It reminds us just how very dependent we are on Him.  And this reminder we need….every day.   

 

And then there’s kitty kitty.  He LOVES it here.  He and Samson are learning to get along and he is stalking every bird in the neighborhood, just like he is in this picture.  Isn’t he adorable??? 

Well….It’s Time

Well, it is time to roll out the press on the blog again.  I have simply had absolutely no time to write and because of my OCD personality, I had to make it private and “close” it for a time.  That way, I wouldn’t feel the pressure lingering in my mind to post.  It isn’t really pressure to write.  It is just something that is on my to-do list that I really, really want to do and really, really enjoy doing, but sometimes can’t find the time to do.  All that to say, I’m back! 

In the coming days, weeks, and months, I will be chronicling the past several months and how we got to where we are, Fayetteville, NC and also keeping our friends and family updated on our lives.  We are on another leg of our faith journey.    I have so much to say!  I know that is shocking!

Greater Things

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”   John 14:12

I have been pondering the enormity of this verse for the past couple of months.  I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around it.  Really, this verse has blown my stinkin’ mind.  Have I ever saw anyone with my own eyes doing something that I would consider to be “greater things” than what Jesus did while He was on this earth?  Not really.  Not even close.  But He said this from His very own lips!

Oh how I want to be a part of these greater things!  Daily show me Your work!  I want to join you there.  There are so, so many people around me that need a taste of these greater things in their life. 

I recently read a quote from a blog written by a young man serving in a dark and difficult place that was both convicting, encouraging, and inspiring.  Oh how I pray that he will see “greater things” accomplished in his place of service. 

We do need your prayers right now. But please no prayers of pity. We knew what we were doing when we signed up. We came as men, to stand strong and accept responsibility for our actions good and bad, and we came as ambassadors-meaning I didn’t just come for me. I carry the banner of my family, church and my King. I will not be caught running away! This, this is nothing. Those who have yet to hear the good news are suffering far worse. Satan fights on their behalf, hoping they will never hear the sound of freedom. God fights on their behalf that they may be set free. I can only bear one banner. I fight every day for one side or the other.

Hello 2012!

Well, don’t really know what to say about 2011 except it is gone. 

Can’t redo a single day.  Nothing monumental or fabulously exciting happened except living life, one day at a time, abiding in His grace moment by moment, striving to make God EVERYTHING in our life, not just an added ingredient for a “blessed” life. 

As we closed out the year last week, Melvin received the news that the Sears where he has been working will be closing in 30-90 days!  Good grief.  Josiah’s response, “Well.”  Callie Grace’s prepubescent response?  She melted into a complete puddle of tears (who is this child), and said, “I am SO done with moving.  We just got here.  We haven’t even lived her for one month yet!”  Guess we haven’t done a good enough job of expressing the complete temporary nature of this most recent move. 

Unlike so many of the dear, dear people who Melvin has worked with over the past year and grown to know and love, we never considered Sears a career.  But this new set of circumstances puts a definite timeline on the job hunt.  Guess our sabbatical, our MUCH needed sabbatical, is coming to a close.  It has been good.  We have learned a lot about ourselves.  We have significantly deepened our understanding of the character of God. We have rested from the complete drain that we felt after planting a church. 

As I have been thinking back over the past year and reflecting upon the possibilities of the new one, this song has been rolling over in my head because the words are so rich and contains a couple of verses that have become very dear to me and will be my verses for 2012.

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26

 

 

It’s Been A While

Quite some time has passed since I have had time to sit down and throw my thoughts out in writing on this place of rememberance for our family’s journey.  It’s not that I haven’t been thinking because the thoughts of what I would like to write about are there continuously.  It’s just that we have MOVED!  Our hearts are full of gratitude for those that love us, love us enough to pray with us and for us, love us enough to dance with jubilation in our joys and hurt with us and pray with us in our greatest disappointments.  We call these friends our “stayers”, those that have stayed by our sides, even in the ugly times.  After all, isn’t this where friendship is tested, those difficult times, when faith doesn’t come easy, when you have to exhaustingly hold up someone’s arms in praise to God because they no longer have the strength nor sometimes even the faith to hold them up? 

We are still in the midst of an overwhelming wilderness time in our journey, but God has graciously and officially sold our home.  He did not have to do this, but this is one stress off our minds.  There has never been one month where He has not provided, but the sell of our home puts us in a position to GO when He opens the door of opportunity.  It also lessens the financial stress that we have been feeling for 16 months. 

The sell of our home on November 30, 2011 went down as another bittersweet departure.  The sweetness came because we know that God is redirecting our path and it is a step in that direction.  The bitter came because we LOVED our neighbors, they are like family to us, because of the time (I HATE moving at the holidays), and because another chapter has closed in the story of our lives.  It has closed with disappointment.  Notice I say disappointment.  There are some in this world and even some brothers and sisters in Christ, that would say it has closed with failure.  The Lord has brought a quote to my heart a thousand times since that fateful night in September of 2010:  “NOTHING that you ever do in faith is a failure!”  Don’t know where in the world I heard this.  I Googled it and came up with nothing.  This quote has changed my perspective on this chapter of our journey.

We left the comfort of our assignment in Huntsville, an assignment that we LOVED and continue to cherish, a people that we loved with all of our hearts, people that were saddened and confused about God’s call and timing, and moved to a place and a task that we believe God called us.  We poured every moment, every breathe, everything into planting a church that God called us to plant.  BY FAITH, we moved here.  BY FAITH, we move on. 

Moving just makes me low.  It is so unsettling.   You would think that I would be a pro at it by now.  But I am not.  The Lord provided a place for us to move.  We are thankful.  Dear friends that were along with us in the journey of planting a church have let us rent their home.  They have recently had a job transfer and have had their home on the market with no lookers for almost 6 months now.  They bought another home in their new city and so it was a double blessing.  We did not have to move but about 3 miles from our sold home, and we pay them enough rent to pay the mortgage.    Melvin and I have kept our same jobs, the kids can continue to play on their soccer and baseball teams, and we can attend the same church.  All of those things are very positive for a family that has no idea where we are going from here.  Trying to keep as many unchanged variables as possible because we may be facing a complete variable change in the near future.  There are about 25 elementary age children in the very small cul-de-sac that we currently live on.  This has made the move a positive one for the kids.  They LOVE having so many other children to play with.  Oh, you know what social misfits homeschool children are?  (insert sarcasm)  The two days that we moved to our new residence were the two days that the flooding rains occurred at the end of November.  The two precious souls that helped us move, we, and ALL of our things were completely drenched.  To say it wasn’t a low week would be a lie. 

And now, we are waiting, waiting on the Lord to open up a door of opportunity.  Those “stayers”, we need you to PRAY!  We are ever so grateful for your true friendship.

Do Not Be Anxious

There are many times when I wonder if the things that Melvin and I do as parents are useless.  I’m sure all parents have these same thoughts about things that they have chosen to devote a large portion of time.  Hold onto your hats.  This is going to sound really bad but I promise it will turn out good.  One of those things that I sometimes feel like we are beating our heads against the wall in is Scripture memory.

As long as the children have been able to memorize, we have been diligently working to help develop a habit of Scripture memory but more important than developing the habit, filling their minds with truth from God’s Word, replacing the LIES of the enemy.  Melvin prays most everyday, “God, we will be faithful to put it in our heads.  Will you move it to our hearts?”

This past week, I had a moment of “Yes!  It’s worth it!  They are getting it!”

I haven’t put this out in writing yet, but we have a contract on our house.  If everything continues to go as planned, the new owners will take occupancy of our home on December 1.  It has been bittersweet.  I pretty well had a meltdown two weeks ago.  I changed my mind.  I love our home and decided after we had signed the contract that I didn’t want to sell it.  After all, we STILL had no place to go.  Melvin pretty much said, “Oh yes.  We are selling.  We have been waiting for 1 1/2 years for this moment and we are selling.  We are going to be ready to go when God says go.”

Last Sunday morning, as I was fixing Josiah’s hair for church,I guess all of the stress of moving, trying to find a temporary place to live, doing homeschool, working, our still having no new direction from the Lord, and trying to be the wife and mom that I desire to be and God wants me to be must have been weighing pretty heavy on me and must have been showing.  I wasn’t being ugly.  I was just being quiet which is obviously shocking to my son.  All of a sudden, he looks straight at me and quotes Philippians 4:6-7.

“⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I immediately got the biggest smile on my face and gave him the biggest hug.  That blessed me more than anything and the biggest peace came over me.  I KNEW immediately that God had spoken to me through my son, through His Word.  Now there is NOTHING better than that right there.