Signs of Spring and Other News

Hello again, blog friends! Today in Columbia we had our first taste of spring. The tempererature was in the mid-seventies, and it was bright with sunny, clear skies outside. This, following a week of highs in the 40's, was enough to put me in a spring state of mind. On a walk with Finlay I took a few pictures (below). The scenes I photographed reminded me of a few lines from a Nichole Nordeman song that I've loved since college: "And what was frozen through is newly purposed, turning all things green. And so it is with You, and how You make me new with every season's change, and so it will be, as you are re-creating me summer, autumn, winter, spring."

These lines called to mind something that Nick and I have been discussing, and that we've been learning about in our Sunday School class, Abraham. How do I get Abraham from springtime? Well, you have to follow me for a minute. We know that God is always faithful to bring about his promises, just as he was with Abraham, and just as he does each spring when he brings new life from that which appeared dead. Even when we're not sure how he's going to do it, like Abraham was with Sarah's barrenness or when he was called to sacrifice Isaac, we know that as long as we follow His direction, He will fulfill what He has begun in us. The important lesson we have learned from Abraham is to trust in God's faithfulness, always striving to have that "Here I am Lord" attitude.

This brings me to my next point. Texas Ex-Pats will be going through some changes in the months and weeks to come. God's next big step for us is Nick's deployment to Afghanistan. This mission of Nick's was prayed over continuously for months before it came about. We know that Nick has been truly called to it.

God has always been faithful to get us through whatever He asks of us, and it is with this in mind that I'd like to give everyone a closer glimpse into what life is like during a deployment. I think of this a bit like a prayer journal. If you keep one over an extended period of time, you can see how your needs are met perfectly. Because I am confident that God will provide for us I'd like to share all this with you. In keeping with this new theme, I'll be changing the title and design a bit, when I get around to it.

I hope you all enjoy coming along for this ride with us! Oh, and if you have a suggestion for a good place to get a blog theme, please send them my way. Thanks!