“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

— Matthew 6:25-27

My husband shared on his blog today about our family’s upcoming transition (you can read it here.)

While we are so grateful and excited for this new season of ministry in Venice, Florida — I’ll just go ahead and say it: moving is for the birds. Change is never easy. Yet, just as the Lord is gracious enough to care for the birds — who are constantly on the move and don’t know where or when their next meal will be — so He is, even more so, with us.

This has become very obvious over the last few years as He has sustained us through the ups and downs and challenges of planting a church, growing a family, sustaining a healthy marriage and homeschooling. And just in our present reality of trusting the Lord in selling our current home and buying the next one — it is during these seasons that I see God’s faithfulness in the small details (like our home being under contract after only three days on the market!) Of course, He was still faithful when our last home took 5 years to sell. Whether days or years, we give Him praise for always providing for us.

I have received a few texts and messages from sweet friends and clients asking how I am doing with this transition and what the future looks like for photography here in Jax, so I thought I would address a bit of that in this post. (Sidenote: If you’re reading this, it means you care about our family and I just want to say, THANK YOU! We do not take this for granted.)

In one sense, I am RELIEVED. Because I can finally breathe normally again. God created me to be someone who wears my emotions on my sleeves and I have been holding my breath about the possibility of moving for a few months now. But there is also a deep sadness to leave a church family that we have been with since it’s very beginning. I have been reading Paul’s long-distance letters to the churches he planted in a whole new light. And if I were to write one to our beloved Chets North family, I’m sure it would sound a bit like this:

“We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.”

— Paul (1 Thessalonians 1:2-5)

For someone who grew up living in the same small town her whole entire childhood — life in the ministry, serving alongside my husband, has been quite the adventure! One thing I have learned is that stepping out on faith looks different for all of us — for some, it may mean staying put when things are hard; and for others, it may mean going when things are good. But often, it just means going when God says go.

These past few weeks (and really, months) have been some of the most emotional for Josh and I. We have spent a lot of time in prayer and counseling, desperately seeking God’s direction for our family. How do you follow God’s call on your life when you see Him working in both directions? How do you surrender to an unknown future when you are secure and confident in how He is working in the present?

These were our questions.

Following God’s call doesn’t always look like a burning bush moment (although, I’m sure most of us would really appreciate if He would speak to us the way He did Moses!) It is often found in small and faithful steps of obedience.

Eventually, these steps of obedience lead us to making tough decisions. But we are confident that God always rewards bold steps of faith. And when we are seeking God daily, we can trust that He will equip and prepare us for where we can serve Him fully, using our spiritual gifts, that will bring Him the most glory.

We only have a short time on this Earth, and then eternity comes. I’m grateful to be walking alongside a man who gets this and reminds me of the mission whenever I get distracted. And most importantly, I’m thankful for a God who knows what we need even before we do. This was His plan all along — and looking back, we can see just how He’s been preparing us for it.

That said, this transition will not only be affecting my family — but my photography business as well! I have already booked all my sessions leading up to our move, and will be taking select Jacksonville sessions in the future based on when traveling allows for it. We still have family in Jacksonville and will be planning to visit during holidays and such so, hopefully, I can still work it out to keep up with some of my families! But even if it doesn’t work out, I have a list of very talented local photographers I would love to recommend.

On a personal (and maybe a bit selfish) note, I am very much excited about moving to the west coast of Florida — where the ocean is a bit bluer, the sand a bit whiter and the sun sets on the beach! Just praying I find my place and make connections in the photography world over there. (If you’re a local photographer in the Sarasota County area, please message me!)

We are very excited about becoming involved with The Bridge Church and the work God is already doing in the community there! Thanks to those of you who have prayed and walked alongside us in our ministry journey. We count it a blessing to have crossed paths with so many of you over the years. And while Paul’s churches only had letters — aren’t you grateful that thanks to social media, you’ll still get a constant stream of pictures of my babies? Just know that I expect the same in return. ;)

October marks the beginning of my favorite time of the year! Holiday goodness around every corner. A pumpkin spice latte and the smell of autumn wreath candles burning in my home is enough to put me in a good mood. I'm a simple gal.

Of course, born and raised in Florida, I have never experienced what a true "fall" looks like. Instead, October is just another warm month with some extra fun festivities! Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, fall festivals... we still get to enjoy all of those fun things. While sweating through our leggings. And praying for an occasional cool morning or evening to enjoy too.

Now that it's October, that also means we have made it two months into our first "officially unofficial" year of homeschooling. And really, it has been one of the best decisions ever. Of course, I still question if I'm doing it right... (because should school be this much fun?) and I'm still figuring out how my children learn best. Especially Micah. I don't put a lot of pressure on Hannah to join us, since she's still only three, but she usually wants to. And though I have tried to stay as structured as possible (by using Sonlight's pre-Kindergarten curriculum and a teacher lesson planner) we have drifted off the "textbook schedule" at times and took a few weeks off in September due to Micah's birthday, Hurricane Irma and going on vacation. But that's the beauty of homeschooling! Life happens, and we can adjust. 

Another beauty of homeschooling, for me, is the spontaneity of it. I love waking up and deciding that today feels like a good day for a nature walk! Which was exactly what happened today.

I printed out a nature walk worksheet I found online that would give them some things to look for while we were on our walk. And then, I improvised and used a brown paper gift bag I found tucked away in our pantry - cut it in half and stapled the worksheet to the front and a ziplock to the back of it for them to collect leaves and flowers that they found. 

They loved to "check" things off the list. :)

We took a break and ate lunch at a picnic bench, and then after our walk, we loaded back up in the car and headed to the local gas station for slurpees! As we drove home quietly enjoying our sweet treats, I thought about all that was going on in the world at large. The devastation that had just occurred in Las Vegas. And how, my children are still too young to really comprehend everything just yet. I felt the weight of the responsibility I am carrying like a ton of bricks. It hit me, heavy.

One day these little people will grow up to be influencers in this world. How do I prepare them? How do I teach them to love and value God's creation? And see very person as loved and valuable to God? A nature walk in October seemed like the right place to start. 

The book of Ecclesiastes says, "There is a time to speak and a time to be silent." And I am certain that I will spend the rest of my life figuring out when to do either. 

I have always regarded Ecclesiastes (along with James and Proverbs) as a book full of practical wisdom. When I am torn on a decision, or don't know what to do in a situation - I often turn to one of these books for help on what is wise. Sometimes this wisdom means confronting the problem and coming face-to-face with the issue at hand. And sometimes, it means stepping away and spending time in prayer, allowing God to do what He does best - taking the issue from my hand.

This has been a life-long, learning process for me. Because my first instinct is always to DO or SAY something. I'm an advocate for injustice. If I believe something is wrong - those close to me will most definitely know about it. 

Yet, while advocating is a good thing - arguing isn't (I even wrote a post on this very topic last year). And especially, for followers of Jesus, this can be damaging to our faith and witness if we are not careful. 

Last week, I made the mistake of sharing my opinion of this election season on social media. Listen to me when I say - it was a mistake. What I thought would just be an opportunity to offer a different perspective for my friends and family on the election - turned out to just be an opportunity for them to have a different perspective of me. Because, like it or not, people associate you with your opinions. Insults were fired and blame was casted - all because of the way I was choosing to vote/or not vote.

It got so bad that I had to deactivate my Facebook account, for fear of receiving another discouraging Facebook message. My heart just couldn't handle it anymore. I'm sure I'll be back eventually, just probably not until after the heat of this election is over.

There's a reason people say the two things you should never discuss are religion and politics. Because when people tie their identity into something - any criticism towards the subject becomes directed at the person. 

And while, for the sake of eternity, I can take the insults about my faith. And for that reason, I will never choose to be silent about what I believe about Jesus.

Politics, on the other hand, is temporary. Not eternal. And my identity and hope will never be found in who I'm voting for. Keeping that in mind, I think this is what Ecclesiastes would refer to as the time to be silent. 

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now, rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:17-18