Memorial Day Weekend

 

This weekend was so good for my soul. When we worked at WillowBridge, one of the biggest lessons we both learned was how much we needed regular cycles of rest – true, deep, soul rest, and I knew a few weeks ago that both of us were reaching a point where we needed to take a break before actually breaking. I didn’t have vacation days for the first 90 days of my job, and once I received them, we were hurtling toward Holy Week, which was followed by spring speaking, and this was the first time I had a chance to truly take a day since starting in this role.

                I’m excited that I feel recharged after this beautiful Memorial Day weekend, and I’ll give you a peek into what made it sweet.

                Ryan actually took last Friday off work so he could be at the house for some HVAC work we had done. He and Lexi had a grand time, full of visiting garage sales, fixing something at Mom and Dad’s apartment, and overseeing the HVAC work. I think a day with her dad was something she needed!

                Meanwhile, I took part of Friday and drove my parents to a funeral back in Marion. We had a beautiful day to drive, and I was thankful for the flexibility to be able to take them.

                Saturday was a sweet day for us. You may or may not remember that back on my birthday, I had an extra full day (week!) of work, so we weren’t able to go out to celebrate. Ryan wanted to take me thrifting, so that’s what we did this past Saturday! We looked up some thrift stores and went shopping. (Found some great deals while we were out!)

                We had been given a gift card to Texas Roadhouse, so we enjoyed a super early dinner and had a special jamocha shake dessert.

                (We did our grocery shopping while we were out, too!) Made it home in time for sunset and resting. We declared we had no idea how much we needed that time out until we had it.

                We went to church on Sunday, where we set up the new-to-me lamp I found whilst out thrifting. Isn’t it so Narnia??

                We took a proper Sabbath for the rest of Sunday. We napped so hard, we took a walk, I scrapbooked, Ryan watched the Pacer game…it was great.

                OH! And check out our pretty flowers!

                That evening I did some meal prep, enjoyed a stunning sunset, and took a trip down memory lane from a girls trip I took twenty years ago.

                All I wanted out of Monday was a jammie day, and I got it. I did some scrapbooking and reading, Ryan grilled chicken for our lunch, and I baked some asparagus a couple of friends gifted us. (We even ate outside for the first time. We were bundled up in sweatshirts and blankets, but we were outside!)

                We enjoyed an afternoon on the patio, I watched some podcast episodes, did some laundry, and worked on vacation planning, while Ryan made pretzels from a fundraiser kit we bought!

                After dinner, we went for a walk, watered the flowers and garden, and enjoyed the patio again for sunset.

                It felt nearly perfect, and we are grateful for the way the calm of home filled our souls so we can get back to work today!

New Adventures

 

Good morning, friends! My goodness, this weekend is exactly what my heart, soul, and body needed. The rest has been a gift beyond description. Both of us needed it far more than we realized, and it has been life-giving.

                I’ll tell you more about our weekend tomorrow, but today I want to tell you about a new adventure coming my way this year.

                When I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan twenty-five years ago this spring (WHAT?!) I had zero desire to continue formal education. Some of my friends went straight on to graduate school, but I was schooled out. I’d been in class since I was five, and by that time I was twenty-one and ready for a break. I wanted to experience life without homework. I wanted to see if it was as grand as I dreamed.

                It was.

                Bills aside, I thoroughly enjoyed adulthood. I enjoyed going to work, coming home, and having an entire evening that was all mine, to do with as I pleased.

                Several years later, four of my coworkers pursued master’s degrees simultaneously. They were miserable. I’ve never seen a group more stressed and frustrated in my life, and I declared on the spot, I would never go back to school. I did not want a life that was THAT stressed.

                Never say never.

                Within the last five years, God has been softening my heart toward school. It started when I took some online Bible classes for fun – back when we lived in Kokomo. It wasn’t a degree program, but I learned so much and loved doing it. After that, I realized if I could pursue a degree that meant something to my heart, I’d be willing to do it. I didn’t want to spend the time or the money if it didn’t matter, but if it did, I was willing.

                When I applied for my job at the church, I knew I’d have to do some form of additional education to accomplish the necessary licensing. I had options, ranging from certificate programs to degrees, and I have been researching, wrestling, and praying over this since last December.

                Ryan has been a gem, praying alongside me, encouraging me, and promising to support me in whatever route I chose as the best one.

                When I met with the credentialing committee back in April, they strongly encouraged me to pursue a Master of Divinity degree, and I strongly balked at the idea. The idea of trying to learn Greek and Hebrew completely terrified me, and I was far more content to entertain the idea of a general ministry degree, even if at a Masters level.

                Nevertheless, I kept researching programs, and one day, through a fluke, I happened upon a program created for people already serving in ministry. It’s designed to provide the degree in a way that allows for work and family life. That caught my attention, because I am adamant about being able to do my job well and staying present for my biggest loves and cheerleaders – Ryan and Lexi.

                I could do a Master in Ministry OR Divinity, and I still balked at the Divinity degree because of the language study. I met with the Admissions Counselor, and he encouraged me to consider it. I knew Jonathan wanted me to go for it. And as I prayed through this decision, Jonathan preached a sermon about the men on the Road to Emmaus. In Luke 24, the men say (after Jesus left them), “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scripture?” (v. 32). And as I read those words on the page, I knew what I needed to do. I knew I needed to let my heart burn within me – with the desire to learn, and that I needed to trust that God would open my eyes to Scripture, even through the daunting original languages.

                I applied for school – for a Master of Divinity – and waited to see if I would be accepted.

                I was so surprised to find the acceptance letter while at the planning day for our staff last Thursday. It took everything in me not to stand up and do a happy dance right then and there. I took a little screen shot and sent it to Ryan immediately – the best that I could do while in a meeting. I eventually printed it out and had Ryan take a proper picture of the moment.

                Despite all my years of declarations against going back to school, I am actually really excited about this. I am looking forward to learning new things, and I’m looking forward to the ways God opens my eyes to the Scriptures.

Sunday Snapshots: Memorable Moments from the Week

 

Remember last week when I said that every Sunday, we say, “If we can just get through this week…?” I am excited to say that this Sunday, we are just looking forward to the week. And while we look forward to the days to come, you can enjoy some of my favorite memories from the past week!

May I never forget the beauty that was last Sunday’s Dedication Celebration at our church. I’ve always shared with you why it was meaningful to me, but I say again that it was one of the most memorable days.

And after a beautiful day…there was a dentist appointment. I had to have a filling replaced, which went well from a dental standpoint, but it did not go well from a mature-behavior-from-Bekah standpoint. There was shaking and crying and lost mascara. Ahhh, bless. And for most of the day, my face was all funny, my jaw ached, and eating was more effort than it was worth. But I survived!

Lexi got a haircut this week! We were so sad to learn that her groomer switched to a new place (too far away to follow) so I was pretty nervous to see how she’d do with someone new. They said she did great! She came home all pretty with a bandana and everything!

Ryan and I finished the semester of GriefShare we helped lead this spring. It was a sweet final evening with the ladies who spent the semester with us. We are so proud of each of them. They have navigated their losses honestly and courageously, and we are honored to know them and call them friends.

Our staff had a quarterly planning day this week, and we met in a beautiful little shelter. Because summer has not yet come to Indiana, we had a fire in the fireplace while we reflected and planned. It really was lovely, even if the lack of summer weather is a bit maddening.

I took some time off work this week to take my parents to a funeral back in Marion. They did so well, and I was thankful for the flexibility in my own schedule to be able to take that time off to take them. We drove around Marion, looked at where Ryan and I lived (and the aftermath of a fire that recently happened near there), and appreciated the beautiful day to drive!

Yesterday Ryan and I enjoyed a date day, and it was amazing. It wasn’t so much what we did (though it was fun) and more about just getting to be out together for an entire day. We both needed it, and I am quite grateful we had the chance to enjoy it!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

Good morning, friends! I am thrilled to have a long weekend with Ryan…my first time off since starting my job almost six months ago! My mind is ready for a moment of respite, and not having grand plans is the grandest plan of all! The name of the game this weekend is to rest and recharge, and I am here for it.

                While I catch up on sleep and scrapbooks and make grocery lists and have all kinds of fun, here are some links for you!

My friend Jenna gave me the heads up that Karli (of Cooking with Karli) is once again doing her summer baking bingo challenge! She did this last year – and I tried a few of her challenges. It was really fun! You can check out the rules (if you want to try to win one of her prizes) and print the card here! And even if you don’t turn in your card, it can be fun to try some new things this summer. The card isn’t the same as last year’s card! (BONUS: Need some fun ideas for summer desserts? Here you go!)

I think yard lights are everything. Living on the lake has given me a new appreciation for the sheer beauty of string lights and yard lights and pier lights…lights everywhere! Though Rhoda doesn’t live on a lake, she does have a pool and a gorgeous backyard, and this post is all about the ambient lighting she added to her outdoor living spaces. I think the lights that look like fireworks are my favorite!

I’m still loving my simplified wardrobe that I began last year, and I learned so much about the process of creating it from Audrey at Putting Me Together. This week she shared some capsule wardrobe tips – and an invitation to join a “capsule wardrobe week” to learn more. If this is something you want to learn more about, she’s a great guide! Check out her invitation! (BONUS: Katie did a spring capsule wardrobe that I love, and I was especially excited to see I own one of the dresses she featured! Since I thrift most of my clothes, I rarely – never? – have the exact piece featured in a current capsule. But I did buy some dresses at Maurice’s this year, and she has one of the same ones featured in this.)

Graduation and wedding seasons are upon us, and I thought this post had some really fun ideas for packaging gift cards. Let’s face it: people love getting gift cards, because they can get exactly what they want and/or combine cards to afford bigger ticket items they might not otherwise be able to afford. But sometimes giving a gift card can feel like a copout. Maybe cute packaging will help you feel better about giving a truly great gift!

I read this week that Kay Arthur, Bible teacher and author, passed away at the age of 91. You can read a tribute to her life here. I have often recommended her Precept studies and will continue to do so. What a tremendous impact she has had for the Kingdom of God. What conviction to use my life well just like she did! (BONUS: Another woman using her gifts for the Kingdom? Darlene Schacht of the Time Warp Wife, and she has a new Bible study releasing for the summer – on Nehemiah! If you’re looking for a study, check it out!)

It’s hard to believe, from my perch beneath the blanket, that it will ever be warm this summer…but, of course, I know it will be. Jami wrote a post about keeping your gardens and flower beds looking their best in the heat of the summer. Some great tips to tuck away for when warmth actually arrives.

Learning Our Style

 

When I first launched out on my own after college, my home style was solidly classified as hand-me-down-meets-garage-sale. I don’t say that with an ounce of embarrassment. It’s what worked for me at that time. I didn’t have much income, I had a brand new student loan and car payment, so I happily carted in a couch from the Rescue Mission thrift store and ate my meals off my grandparents’ leftover peach and brown Corelle dishes.

That was twenty-five years ago.

I’ve learned a few things in these last twenty-five years. I’ve learned that I’m grateful for thrift stores and hand me downs, but I’m also excited to learn what I really love when it comes to the things that fill my home. (And some of those things are both thrifted and handed down!)

When I read this article a few days ago, it made me smile, because I realize I’ve done some things right (at least in the eyes of the author) in learning our style.

·         I have found my inspiration in homes around the internet. Bloggers, houses for sale, TV and movie homes – I’ve pulled from a little of each of them. I don’t try to copy what I see, but use them for inspiration so I can create something that reflects us and them.

·         I have discovered our personal style, though I don’t think there is a name for it. It’s a mix of coastal, farmhouse, and cottage-core.

·         I have learned the value of taking my time with this. Home is never done. It’s always a work in progress. I have learned that it’s neither practical nor fun to replace everything at once. Slow collection, clow curation – that’s the key.

·         I have taken a pared back approach. Move after move after move made it easier to let go of things and adopt a much more intentional approach to what comes in the door. I love the quote in the article that says “Give yourself time and space to really hone in on what you love, who you want your home to represent, and how you want that story to be told.” That is exactly what I want for our home.

·         I have learned our likes and dislikes, and I think they’re reflected now more than ever in the way we live in this home.

Maybe that is why home feels more like home than it ever has before. It feels more like us. It tells our story. And I love investing in it by carefully adding and subtracting pieces that reflect who and where we are. I have more ideas that I am excited to implement over time, but I’m not in a hurry to do it.

Whether you rent or own, share or live alone, I hope you love your space, too. I hope it tells the story of who you are and where you’ve been. And if not…what a beautiful time to begin!

Our Dedication Celebration

Thanks for reading along the last couple of days as I shared with you the pieces and parts of my new office space at the church.

Today I want to share with you about our very special Dedication Celebration Sunday, which was a day that meant so much to my heart.

When Ryan and I moved to this area back in 2022, our church was just embarking on the fundraising for this building project, and during one of those services, they showed a video of people in the church gathering around a table…until the table was full and some couldn’t find a seat. We were challenged to make room at the table for everyone.

So as we opened the service to celebrate the completion of this project, we played the video again, and all those in the video made their way to the platform to recreate the scene in real life. But when the part of the video arrived where the table was full, the real-life recreation took over and we added a table and made room for new people.

Even though I was part of the planning team for this part, it was far more powerful in real life than in our heads. I cried my way through that!

The music was celebratory, and I loved it!

Last year on Father’s Day (our last day in our sanctuary before the renovations) I asked the congregation to write on index cards prayers of thanks for all God had done in that space up to that time and prayers of hope for the future. At the groundbreaking ceremony at the end of last June, different people in the congregation read some of those prayers of hope as we prayed over the ground that would hold our new space. And then this past Sunday, I reminded them of the day they write those prayers, and then another group of people read more of those prayers.

The congregation moved outside for the official ribbon cutting…

The staff did a responsive reading dedication together with the congregation.

And then we cut the ribbon!

We celebrated with cookies and charcuterie grazing tables. SO YUMMY!!! People could tour the new space at their leisure, and it was fun to see their reactions.

We are so grateful to be part of this church! We are also excited to see what God has ahead! 

Welcome to My New Office...(Part 2)

 

If you missed it, yesterday I shared the big picture of my new church office. Today I want to show you some of the details and explain why they matter to me so much!

                This clip board was a garage sale find, and I actually bought it from some people IN the church, so that makes it more special to me. Right now, it holds a picture one of the kids drew for me, but I also plan to use it to keep track of projects in process and to leave printouts for people when they ask for a copy of something. (This happens often.)

                The sign below it has a story! Back in April, I saw a picture of a similar sign on Beth Moore’s Instagram. She added this note, “This sign sits at the entrance anyone has to take to serve from the platform of Central Church in Las Vegas, where our LPL is this weekend. I love it so much. Let it be so, Lord.” I loved it so much that I made my own version in our church colors and put it right by the light switch. I want it to be the last thing I see when I leave my office to serve our people.

                In the frame (behind the verse) in this picture is a copy of the last line of an essay I wrote my senior year in high school. Our assignment had been to write about what we would do with our lives if we could be guaranteed we would succeed. I said I would be a pastor’s wife. My teacher wrote below the last line of my paper that I should seek to become a pastor. Why she said that, I will never know. I was beyond introverted at that time in my life. But I found the paper when cleaning out tubs from my parents’ house last summer and, having felt a ministry call on my life by that point, copied the last page. It felt fitting to place it here in this space, because it was the first time someone spoke that over my life.

                The drawing is a sketch done by a friend of mine in college. He drew it of me, and I have always loved it because he saw a spark of life in me that I did not see in myself at that time.

                Two of the three small Bibles belonged to my grandparents and represent my heritage. The third is the New Testament my mother carried with her when she went out on the Sea of Galilee years ago. She wrote a note to me in the front cover, and it’s dear to me.

                The green pitcher is a family piece and reminds me of the message I teach when I share my “Pouring In, Pouring Out” talk. Some of you might have heard that one. The little cross is one I carry when I speak.

                This frame holds (on the left) a photo of my parents and pastor dedicating me to the Lord when I was 2 weeks old. In the middle is my parents with me on the day I was licensed in ministry – 47 years later – almost to the day. And on the right, Ryan with me on my licensing day.

                In this photo is a tiny sign I found in a thrift shop that says, “Don’t follow. Lead.” And the watercolor was painted by a dear friend and prayer warrior in my life.

                The hourglass in this photo is one I wanted to remind me of the quote “Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Every moment counts! And the little wooden “joy” was a gift to me from Char Binkley when she came to hear me speak last month. She has had such an impact on my life, and this little token, hand crafted by her husband, means so much!

                The two coffee shelves on these signs have been mine for years – gifts from friends. The coffee grinder and pour over were anniversary gifts from Ryan this past year. He bought them for me FOR this office, in faith that this job would be mine. (I had not yet gotten the job on our anniversary last year.)

                This “Together” frame was a gift to me from a friend, and I chose to fill it with pictures that are meaningful to my heart. The lamp was a garage sale find, and the coffee mugs and tree came from our home collection!

                The baptism vignette came from my home office. As I support our congregation members pursuing their own baptism journeys, it’s important to me to have my own memory at hand for my heart and to share with them. The other photo is a screenshot from the day I was licensed. I do not ever want to forget the prayers these friends prayed over me.

                The plant is from one of my recent speaking engagements. It’s the gift the church gave to all the women that day. I added a picture of our staff, because I sure love working with them! And the frame on the far right is my “why” frame. These photos represent why and how God has called me to this work. Clockwise from top left: favorite WillowBridge moment (reading devotions to our tenants), my friend, Craig (whose death was a marker in my faith), my nephew, Kirk (whose life and death also marked my faith), and my friend, Michelle (a minister in the Wesleyan church who passed away a few years ago…I am committed to continuing what she set out to do).

                I’ve been asked why there are so few books on my shelves. This is just the beginning! I brought these from home and plan to add more, purposefully, as I go!

                The clock was a SWEET Goodwill find a few months ago. It was brand new! And my shield of faith was a gift from my parents (which I wrote about here) that is perfect in this space.

                The lion art is a photo I took 15 years ago this summer and turned into a piece of art. This one hung in my parents’ home, and when they moved to Swiss Village, they gave it to me.

                The two message boards were Goodwill finds, and the whiteboard came from our house.

                Goodness. I sure love this space so much. Thanks for taking a tour with me!