6 months in 9 words...

YOU HAVE BEEN MY GOD THROUGH ALL OF IT.

That's the nine words I use to summarize the last six months. I haven't blogged since April and so much has happened since then but that's definitely the best way to summarize it. If you have heard Colton Dixon's song, "Through All Of It" then you know where I am headed in this update. I am so thankful for the JOYS to be celebrated! However, I am also thankful for the regrets to be learned from! That might sound crazy but we grow through our trials and weaknesses and I am thankful for a God who is faithful!!

For starters, I am so thankful for the church we have been a part of the past two years. We started attending Forest Hills on Labor Day weekend 2013.  God is faithful in our valleys. When we started going to FHBC, I was in a pit. We had not had a good year and I was desperate for personal spiritual revival. I had no idea it would come through someone I now consider a hero in the faith. I went with a friend to a Wednesday morning Bible study and that's how it all started! Ms. Nancy just celebrated her 75th birthday. She is a widow, mother, grandmother, cancer survivor, Sunday school teacher, friend, mentor, and student of the Word. Yes, she is 75 and loves studying and teaching the Word! I love her and am so thankful the part she has played in my spiritual development. 

On August 2 Brandon was baptized! What a proud mommy moment! Brandon has always been eager to learn more about God and he has asked many questions about the faith. During Vacation Bible School this summer (on his birthday) he prayed to receive Christ. I was able to sit with him and one of the leaders of the church as he made his commitment to follow Christ. 

Again, I am thankful for the part FHBC has played in our family's spiritual growth.

Starting in the spring Nathan and I led Wiggle Worship. It's a music service for the preschoolers. It's a fun way for us to be involved in the preschool ministry. Starting August 9 we stepped down from leading Wiggle Worship and started teaching 11th and 12th graders. Quite the change, huh?! =) We are excited about our involvement in the student ministry and look forward to the opportunities there. 

I started working part time at the church in May. I am the Preschool Coordinator which is really just a fancy term for the Preschool Minister's helper. Ha! Kimba is our preschool minister and does an amazing job with the families at FHBC. I am thankful for the opportunity to tag team with her in the efforts to reach out to these families. 

Just this week I started teaching at the preschool at church. I am teaching two year olds which is never dull! =) I am blessed to be teaching with a sweet friend and thankful for the sweet families represented in our classroom. Since Brandon and Carson are in school I have Dalton and Easton with me at the preschool. Dalton is a part of the three year old class and is enjoying the routine and structure. Easton is in the one year old class and has adjusted well.

I am still working part time at the Y...yes, three part time jobs...However, I am only there one weekday morning a week unless they are short handed and I go help out. The tough part is that I am there two week nights and Saturday mornings. It feels like a lot with all the other things we have going on but this is just a season. I am confident of that!

I am thankful for God's faithfulness in his provision!!

• He provided in a remarkable way this summer. We bought our first house!

The house buying process is probably the most stressful thing we have done in our marriage but it's all good. We are living in Fairview, TN which we love and even though we have to drive a little further to get places we couldn't be happier with where we are. We are on a 3/4 acre lot which is great for the boys. We have never had a yard and our boys needed a huge yard! We are in a culdesac which is nice and quiet and it's another place for the boys to play. We are located about 1/4 a mile from the boys school which is super nice and convenient. Again, we are blessed and thankful for God's faithfulness!! 

.
You might not be able to read this but it says 187. This is the address of where we lived for two years before buying the house in Fairview. We lived in a townhouse in the most undesireable place to live in our community. When we started renting here we were desperate. We had less than a month to find somewhere to live and in the area we lived in this was an almost impossible task. God provided a place over our heads which turned out to be a place of transformation for me. I learned a lot about myself and God while living here. It was not the most ideal place for our family but it's where God placed us and we grew in our faith during our time there.

The last six months have been filled with reasons to celebrate!! God is so much more than good even when our circumstances scream stress, frustration, anger, sadness, and the list goes on.

As the song goes,..
I have lost, I have won
I got it right sometimes but sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret,
Oh and you have been my God through all of it

Humbled and thankful.



His,
Meg
Zeph. 3:17