What's Next 2014???

Happy New Year and welcome to the first blog post of 2014!  This past year has been one of the most incredible years of my life and I am still in awe of all that has taken place.  It's hard to believe that 10 months ago we received a phone call that would change the course of our life.  My mom and I had just returned from a day out on our annual Mom/Daughter Florida trip, when Nate called with the news.  After a 3 year wait, we had finally been matched with a 4 month old baby boy in Ethiopia!  Two months later we would get the call that we had been invited to travel to meet him, and Nate, myself and my mom, would jump on the plane 24 hours after that call, embarking on a trip that would go down in the history books as some of the best days ever.  That trip would be the one that would captivate our hearts in a way we could have never imagined and we met and held our son Biruk for the very first time half way around the world.  Almost two months later, on July 22, we would officially start the newest chapter of our married life as our family of 2 became a family of 3.  Those days and memories would remain forever etched in our hearts and minds as some of the most life changing moments we will ever experience.

Fast forward almost 6 months...our little baby boy, the one who was timid, shy and just 4 months old when we first laid eyes on him, is now thriving, very large (like 90% large in height and weight), babbling like crazy, eating food faster than we can put it on his plate, WALKING...yes I said WALKING (as of yesterday to be exact), laughing all the time, smiling in a way that captivates audiences everywhere, and has officially stolen our hearts!  Just yesterday Nate looked at me and said, "Do you know how blessed we are?"  I couldn't agree more, we are blessed beyond measure and the newest chapters of our life story are just being written.

Is it even possible for the year of 2014 to top 2013 for us?  Honestly, I think it is going to be tough, but I also know that God is a God of surprises and a God who continues to leave us in awe of his blessings and wonder.  As I have entered this New Year, I have found myself hungry to know God more.  Over the past three years, as I have wrestled with God, cried with God, experienced joy, experienced sorrow, questioned him, discovered things about him, and discovered an undeniable beauty in the stories he has written, I have realized one thing.  I want to know him more.  I want to know what he has for me next.  I want to know what he is calling me to.  I want to hear his voice.  I want our new family of three to follow him on whatever journey he has for us next.

And so that brings me to "Seven."  Several months ago, I read a book by Jen Hatmaker that was both ridiculously insane and ridiculously intriguing.  The book is about her journey to fight against the excess in her life.  Over a seven month period, she looks at food, clothing, spending, media, possessions, waste and stress, and tries to reduce the amount of each item in her life.  The idea is that when we choose to simplify our life, God ultimately increases in all areas of our lives.  Less of our stuff...more of God's stuff.  To be honest, when I first read it I thought to myself, "I wish that I could do that!"  But, I knew that it would be an extreme way of living, so I somewhat pushed it aside, made a few excuses, and shelved the whole thing.  Thankfully, I have a friend who had read the book and felt like God was calling her to embark on the journey and invited me to do it with her.  After I talked Nate into it, and she talked her husband into it, we made a decision to start January 6th...TODAY.

So what does it entail?  Well, for the first month, we will focus on food.  We are choosing 7 food items and will only eat those items for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The items Nate and I chose are chicken, black beans, apples, sweet potatoes, spinach, eggs, and whole wheat bread,  We have also chose to drink tea during this month.  We have already realized that there will be some events that will take place during the month of January that will not allow us to fully follow our plan, but we are going to do the best we can.

Why are we subjecting ourselves to this project (I know as you are reading this you are probably wondering that...several people have already asked us today).  To be honest, it's more than just a project.  It's more than just a simplifying in our lives.  It's a fast for us.  It's a time period that we hope will draw us closer to the heart of Christ.  The past several months, I have felt a burden for several friends who are distant from God.  I have felt a burden for the teens, and more importantly, their families that are in my youth group...that they would know God and pursue him with everything in a radical way.  I have felt a burden for the church and Christ followers, that we would be a passionate church and a passionate people.  I have felt a desire and longing to know what God is calling me to do next in his kingdom.   And so...we are fasting in hopes that there will be a lot less of us in our lives and a lot more of God.  We are fasting because we believe that God calls us to do so and when we do, he breaks through in the areas of our lives.  We are fasting because we are incredibly hungry to know God and know the story he is writing for our lives.

Last night, Nate and I had the opportunity to attend a church service (at a church across town) dedicated toward kicking off a season of fasting.  As we spent time worshiping and praying together, I couldn't help but  feel expectant about what God is going to teach us.  As Nate and I prayed together and wept tears of joy and gratitude over this past year of 2013, the only response could offer to God was ourselves.  And so...we start a 7 month journey that we hope will draw our hearts and minds closer to his.  And because of that...I know that 2014 may be more than we imagine it to be!

Just for kicks, here is the little guy we get to start the year of 2014 with!