Home Team

Recently, I read an article about knowing who your "Home Team" is. The premise of this article was that you can't do everything for everyone, nor should you. However, you need to be able to decide who makes that cut off. Now even as you're reading this, some of you already have a person or two in your head. I know when I read the article, I did.
My best friend. The one who has been there over the past 10+ years through thick and thin. The one who has seen me cry over the stupidest things and been the shoulder to cry on when the not so stupid things came along. When she gets married, I will wear whatever she decides to put me in, no matter how terrible I look. When her kids are born, I will drive however many miles it takes to be there. She is definitely on my home team. She might even be team captain. I'm sure you have someone like that, too.
But tonight, the people on my mind are the ones that seem to sneak in. They appear when you need them most. For those of you who don't know, I've gone through some big changes in my life recently. At the beginning of January I packed up all my stuff and moved from Knoxville, TN to Gallipolis, OH. This wasn't part of my plan by any means, but I'm learning that most of the time my plan is all wrong. God led me to this place and I love it. I am the new Children's Minister at Gallipolis Christian Church (Children's ministry also was not part of the plan...) and I could not be happier.
Moving five hours away from the people who you've been closest to for the past year, if not more changes things. This made me evaluate my home team. And for a while I wasn't sure who that was any more for a while. Its a lot harder to invest in someone's life from a distance, right?
Tonight, I got a glimpse of what my home team is starting to look like. You see, there are some people who are only on the team for a season or two. This doesn't make them bad people. They're time is just shorter. My team has lost some people, but its gaining some new ones. This change isn't easy, but it is beautiful. Yet, I am being reminded that while it is harder to invest in a life from a distance, there are those people who still do. Thank you. There are a handful of you in my life and I hope you know who you are. You have gotten me through some of the most difficult times in my life, and you are the shoulder to lean on in this time of change in my life.
So this post is for all of you who have been a part of my home team, whether for a lifetime or only a season. Thank you. You have helped shape me into who I am. And I challenge you. Who is your home team? Who is the person you can call at 2 am? Who is the one who knows which ice cream to buy after a break up or who knows just the right words to say when someone has let you down? Invest in those people. You don't have to be everything to everyone, but for just a moment, you may be everything to someone.

Community

We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race. ~Cicero

I feel like I am in a season of my life where God is teaching me a lot about community. This has not necessarily been a quick or an easy lesson to learn just as building of a community is not quick nor easy. God has blessed me with some amazing communities as I have continued this journey He is leading me on here in Knoxville.
One community has truly been a few different groups of people that have become interconnected in various ways coming together. It is not uncommon to find us out together on any day or night of the week. This could be at one of the many restaurants and business in Knoxville, at the dog park, in one of our living rooms, or (a favorite) one of our front porches.
It is with these people that I am reminded that we were never created to be alone. They are the ones who celebrate with me when things are going right. Sometimes they are the ones who cry with me when things fall apart. When I need to share my ideas or I simply need someone to listen, these are the people whom I know I can count on. These are the ones with whom I can dream big dreams and pray big prayers.
While in some ways I know I have always had people like this in my life, it is different now. We are intentional about spending time with one another. We ask tough and deep questions...ones that we may not know or understand the answers to. These are the people who purposefully get involved in my life and allow me into theirs. Now that I have such community, I don't know what I did without it.
I also feel as though having such community gives me a better understanding of God and the community He desires to have with us. He wants to purposefully be involved in my life and wants me to allow Him to be a part of it.
Just as Cicero said, we were born for community with the human race, to unite with fellow men. I am so thankful that in this season of change in my life, God has not only provided me with an amazing community of people to encourage, support, and challenge me, but He has also invited me to commune with Him.

Small Things

I've been home for almost two weeks now. Its crazy to think that. In some ways, it seems as though it has been so much longer than that. In other ways, I already feel as though the time is flying by. Either way, in those two weeks, I have been reminded that life has its meaning in the small things.

Small things like:
Watching one of my best friend's face light up as she tries on wedding dresses.
Having time to read what I want, because I want to.
Putting up a dear friend's artwork on the walls of my room.
Seeing my sister begin to grin as she finishes cutting my hair, and knowing she did an amazing job (again).
Spending hours at the camp doing whatever needs to be done, because I love every moment there.
Reconnecting with an old friend.
Family shopping day...(I never thought I'd enjoy that)
Youth ministry meetings over wings.
Being reminded that God will provide.
Sitting on my bed with my puppy at 12:30 am, realizing all I have to be thankful for.

You see, while I've been here for a mere two weeks, God is already doing tremendous things. For that I can not give him enough praise and glory. I am so thankful for the amazing people in my life. Whether I am close to them or far away, they remind me every day of the small things. It is these small things that make life worth living. They are the things that bring a simple smile. The small things eventually add up to the big things. And that is what makes everything go on. As I prepare to start my internship next week, I hope to keep seeing the small things. And I hope each day, you're able to see the small things too.