WHY COLORADO SPRINGS FOR ONLY ONE YEAR?  WHY TWO MOVES SO CLOSE TOGETHER?

These seem to be two very common questions these days, and understandably so!  It is so difficult to know who knows what part of the story.

We are super excited to move to Colorado Springs, CO in August. Speaking of, OUR DEMOPOLIS HOUSE IS UNDER CONTRACT!!!  Huge work of God, definite confirmation of this whole journey and another measure of peace for us!  Our time in Colorado Springs will be limited to 12 months, one full year of learning and being part of an established, “successful” church plant.  This is a residency program, designed to be hands-on, intense, daily training for Eric and myself.  During this time, Eric will also work a “secular” job to help provide for our family and to become a part of the community and culture.

Ultimately, though, our call is to Denver, CO.  In October 2011, we underwent an assessment weekend with the Mile High Baptist Association.  They will be our overseers when we move to Denver, but we agreed together that some experience in the trenches of church planting and starting from the ground up was essential, before we jumped in on our own.  Our assessors encouraged us to explore residency options and, after much applying and interviewing, Eric was chosen for the Vanguard Church Planting Residency program in Colorado Springs.  This is a great match because the culture will be much like Denver and will allow us an experience as much like what we will encounter, in 2013 and after , as possible.  The last two times we were privileged to visit Denver in person, God began to lead us specifically to the “neighborhood” called Lowry.  I have included a few pics this time to help you pray specifically.  Even during our time in Demopolis and our residency year, the people of Lowry are our heart and prayer.  Lowry is a neighborhood of approximately 10,000 people and has not one evangelical church!  We are praying for God to already be preparing the hearts of the people to hear, believe and serve.  May He be glorified in the means and the end, for He hears our prayers and loves the people of Demopolis, Colorado Springs, Lowry, and around the world!  May we love like He does and be a privileged part of seeing many come to know Him intimately!!!

Time and time again lately, I have been reminded how fragile life is. Several friends and aquaintances have given birth to babies well before due dates, tragedy has snuffed out life, loved ones are aging and ailing. God has been reminding me daily of how precious life is, what a gift daily breath and life are and how He is the giver of life, worthy to be praised for His remarkable creation!
Ultimately, though, with the breath of life comes responsibility. We are each given many choices to make in the course of life. As a young child, I memorized Romans 3:23 and 6:23 which say, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So if we have all sinned and the price to pay for sin is death, then we all deserve to die without hope. BUT…we can choose our ending bc “God so loved the World He gave His one and only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)! He gave His only Son for me and for you. The Bible says it is God’s will that NONE should perish but that ALL should have eternal life. We must make our own choice whether to admit we have sinned, believe He is who He says He is, and confess Him as Lord of our lives. It’s true, life is fragile. None of us knows how long we will be here. But God made a way, a very sacrifical gift of grace and mercy, available to each of us to live out our days knowing without a doubt that we are His and He is ours. The price He was willing to pay for us was the very life of His perfect, sinless Son.
God has gotten my attention with some fragile lives lately. He has restored my burden for those who do not know Him, do not believe in Him, or know but are missing out on the abundant life in Christ. I am burdened for the people of Colorado, but that’s not all. Many of you reading, who I know well and love deeply, haven’t made this eternal decision or need to be reminded how fragile life is and return to a Savior from whom you’ve strayed. Message us, call us, email us. God’s Word is true and doesn’t return void. May we all be challenged to greater things for His Glory!
“If our God is for us, then what could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?”

Summer is approaching and things are coming together. God is already blessing our obedience to Him and confirming His call to church planting. We have been able to see pictures of the home we will rent for our year in Colorado Springs, and it meets our needs very well. We have worked hard on some small home improvements to prepare our current home for sale. God has generously blessed us with manpower and expertise from family and friends to make these projects possible. We had a very successful 2-day yard sale, which allowed us to update our kitchen appliances and save toward moving expenses. Our school year and tball season are coming to an end, giving us some family time and summer fun to look forward to!
While I am thankful to see God’s plan coming to be, He has been gently nudging me during my quiet time, reminding me that we are not finished with His work in Demopolis. Though we are confident our home will sell before we move and excited about our journey to church planting, we are committed to our current community and church family 100% and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to make the Gospel known or to disciple Christians where we are. I know there will still be personal spiritual growth and Great Commission opportunities this summer. To God be the Glory as He works in Alabama and Colorado simultaneously (and the rest of the world, of course). He promises to “work things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes” and it is true! Everything is coming together!

With certainty, I can say that some of you out there want to look us in the eyes and say, “Are yall CRAZY?”! We can see how some would be thinking that, as we have thought it of others, in the past, who took radical steps of faith and obedience. In fact, honestly, early in this journey I asked myself this on more than one occasion.
However, in countries where persecution of Christians is prevalent, what God has asked of us seems simple and risk-free. But, here in the US, why are we leaving our comfort zone, the Bible belt, heading to unfamilar land, where all financial support depends on the generosity of others? The simple answer is obedience. God, in His own perfect timing, has called us to plant a church in Denver, CO and has confirmed this reality many times over through prayer, scripture, song, and Christian counsel.
I no longer feel crazy, yet it is radical! God has changed our lives radically and is sending us to a largely lost population to share our stories and spread the powerful Gospel. We know He is mighty to save and is preparing a spiritual harvest in CO.
Raising support, selling our home, saying goodbye to what is comfortable to us will be hard, no doubt! But God has given me a “peace that passes understanding”, a peace difficult to explain, impossible to convey apart from Him. I have full assurance He will meet ALL of our needs and love us through each transition. Having this peace has changed the whole journey for me and allowed me to be excited and grateful to be part of His Kingdom work in a fresh, new way.
If you haven’t heard the song, “Something Heavenly”, you should. It describes life for me right now so well. “Whatever You’re doing inside of me, it feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace. And its hard to surrender to what I can’t see but I’m giving into something Heavenly.” Go ahead, ask us if we’ve lost our minds!!! We can’t blame you! But it will give us an opportunity to share what God is up to and “He’s up to something bigger than me, larger than life, something Heavenly”!

This journey has taught me so much about myself already and I know this self discovery will continue. I have asked so many questions of God, Eric, and countless others…some, admittedly out of fear and doubt. God has answered many of my questions through His Word, through prayer and reflection, and through people around me. Eric and I have also read quite a few books full of answers and personal challenge. One book we both read early in this journey was Just Do Something. The Great Commission in Matthew speaks to ALL Christians, commanding us to “go”, “make disciples”, “baptize” and “teach”. God has made it abundantly clear to us that we are to fulfill this command in Colorado, but all Christians are to be doing these things somewhere. His Word also says others won’t know Him unless they hear, won’t hear about Him unless someone preaches and won’t have preaching unless someone goes! Statistically, Denver is a city where the vast majority of people haven’t heard and/or don’t believe. Having travelled there twice in the last 18 months, we feel drawn to make Him known amongst the people of Denver. I think of them and pray for them as if I already know them because the need is great and the harvest is ready. God is already giving me a great love for the people I will meet there, as well as a great burden for lost souls who call Colorado home. Some questions are still unanswered, but others are now crystal clear! We will soon be full time missionaries, Denver will one day be our home, and God will provide for all our needs. Amazing Grace saved a wretch like me and God will use my testimony to reach others for His Glory. As a child, I sang a song with my Mimi and now it is true of me…”I’ll shout it from the mountaintop, I want the world to know, the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on”!