Lately

Hi Friends,

November has been an incredibly eventful month in our lives. It’s flown by but time also seemed to stand still on some days.

The first time it stood still was on October 31st when I got the shocking news that the 18-year-old son of some long time friends of ours had died in an accident. My heart stopped and the news took a long time to sink in. He’s the same boy who played with my older kids when they were little. We’ve had so many meals together and long chats after church with his family. I had every expectation of watching him grow up, get married and start a family.

It kind of rocks your world and your heart when your friends lose their son.  We all lost him. He was an incredible young man and he touched a lot of lives. 

We made our way back to Tampa, Florida (where we used to live) to be with his family and attend his service. It was beautiful and special and hard all in one.

I’m familiar with the grief of losing a child. A son. But I didn’t have 18 years with him. The connections that are formed and the way that a life weaves through yours in 18 years is so very different. So, I pray every day for our friends and I know that God is close to them and that He will bind up their broken hearts.

 

While we were in Florida God was presenting my husband and I with an incredible (and scary and big and did I mention scary?) opportunity. It’s a step out of the boat and walk on water kind of thing that is huge and life changing for us. God’s hand is all over it and we are excited.  I promise to share more about this in January when everything is official!!

This opportunity amazed me because I know God’s been calling me to be brave. A few months ago I may have turned it down in a second but I felt courage and bravery rise up and peace. Amazing peace. When God is in something His peace is all over it. We get to say yes to God and be brave and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

Also, this month I spoke at a local MOPS group, which was so much fun. I shared all about being brave moms and I had a blast with those moms of preschoolers (hi ladies, if you’re reading)! Speaking has really become something that I enjoy doing and I look forward to more opportunities to do it.

Brave Moms is coming together behind the scenes and will launch in January! I am very excited to share this new online community with all of you (have you gone to BraveMoms.com to sign up to be notified when it launches?). My passion is to see moms learn to be strong, courageous, be fearless, not dismayed and to know without a doubt that God is with them each moment of the day (Joshua 1:9). This community is going to give you the tools and encouragement to do that.

I may not write quite as much for the rest of the year as I prep for the Brave Moms launch. I’ll be here with a few fun things and surprises though between now and Christmas time. In fact, next week some friends of mine are joining me for a great giveaway that I can’t wait to share with you. I love giving things away! Especially to you, my dear friends.

I did want to share this Thanksgiving printable I made last year. You can print it out and frame it or put it on your fridge as a great reminder this Thanksgiving.

Oh, and one last thing – Have you joined me on Facebook? I often share things on Facebook that I don’t share here on the blog. I love to encourage you throughout your day! So, if you are on Facebook join me and let’s chat some more there. 

How has your November been? Has it been hard in any way? What is God doing in your life to call you to be brave?

If you’d like to pray for and/or support our friends who lost their son you can find out more here. Thank you!