Every year after Promotion Sunday, Mr. Bob and I take a break and head to the beach. It’s a time to rest and reflect before the busy fall season begins, especially since the families I serve are adjusting to new school routines and have little time to even check church emails.

Rest involves sleeping until I wake up and reading biographies of the saints who’ve gone before my generation. This year we also enjoyed the stories of the Olympic athletes. Forty years ago we shared the Los Angeles airport with Olympic families coming and going as we passed through on our honeymoon.

Reflecting involves sharing together the stories and answered prayers of God’s goodness and faithfulness over the last year before setting goals for the next year.

My August prayer from last year:

Lord, Creator, Director of my life. As I stand on this beach the sand is wet, mushy, and the waves are strong. As my feet sink they only sink so far because You make the boundaries and I submit myself to You.
By the time we return in a year You will have settled what unsettles us now and I’m grateful. Let me not sin in any of it. Let me please You in all of it. Let me stand in obedience to Your word. Give me the courage of Daniel, the wisdom of Solomon, the hospitality of the Shunamite Woman, and the courage of Peter. Let me remember I now speak as a Paul, I’m to fast and pray like Mordecai, and tell the stories of Your goodness and faithfulness to Your people like Luke so that the generations coming behind me will know the true, real, mighty You.
Thank you for letting me be born at this time. Make super fruitful Your gospel from my little offering.
Give me peace like a river, love like an ocean, and joy like a fountain as You lead me on the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.
Amen

This last year has been the most exciting time in ministry ever!

Our team is on a first-named basis with Panera staff where we first met last December, gathered, planned, prayed, and laughed our heads off. Today I celebrate and submit to a humble and gifted leadership team on fire for the things of Christ, who work hard, and serve with the greatest integrity.

We’ve witnessed physical healings, new and deeper relationships, great outdoor weather providing safe and peaceful spaces for our littles, finances generously provided, and new sacred spaces, Wesleyan small groups, and new community partnerships only the Lord could have led us to.  All miracles. So many miracles!

Messages of life and God’s love taught in a funeral home offered by a generous family. This teacher-not-a-preacher gave her first message from that pulpit on New Year’s Eve and will humbly share again next month. Sharing the hard parts and confetti parts with a prayer partner and the family ministry leadership team who love Jesus and His people with their enthusiasm, ministry of presence, and creative teaching. I’m honored to play in their sandbox.

We’ve also faced open hostility and repeatedly turned the other cheek. I’ve let go of people-pleasing and instead embraced compassion and hope, rooted in a long history of trusting in a great God. I haven’t gotten everything right, and I still don’t. But my mistakes were never out of malice or anger. I’ve submitted to the authority over me, and the Lord has blessed it. Silence or cutting people off isn’t an option because we are called to love our neighbor especially those in the family of God. We serve a God who calls us to sacrifice and trust. He is so good.

All the grandkids are being homeschooled this year, so our Mimiland Fridays might expand. The youngest is enjoying preschool at the local church in our neighborhood. I’m trying to guard my schedule to spend more evenings with Mr. Bob. His partnership, support, and prayers have talked me off the ledge so many times.

This fall will be busy: the New Room Conference, Baby Girl’s birthday, a home LSU game in September, a trip to Turkey in October for Paul’s Journeys with folks from our church, Mr. Bob’s and our #2 son’s birthdays, hosting a Spirit & Truth Conference, sponsoring pilgrims on The Walk to Emmaus in November, and then Confirmation Sunday and Campfire Christmas with Live Nativity in December. January brings the Children’s Pastor’s Conference.

Oh, and there’s gonna be this amazing first birthday party of the church I serve come Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Oh the stories we have to tell!

“So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.” Joshua 24:13-14