1 Year Later

So...if it wasn't for me having to work the past couple days, I would have written this two days ago. Sept. 1st was exactly one year from the time that we had an amazing group of friends help us load up and send us off on the next leg in the adventure that we call life. From North Myrtle Beach to Arkansas we went, passing through every states Capital on the way and a year later I get to reflect. At this point last year, I was probably sitting at our friend Brent's place trying to figure out what was next. Sara spent nearly a month working nearly 60 hrs a week until I got the job over at the Buckle. Since that time I've moved on from an great job there, to an equally great, but completely different job over at Arvest Bank in Siloam Springs, which is now where we are living. We have a nearly 3 month old little boy that's pretty much the coolest little guy I've ever met...NO...SERIOUSLY!!! I'm in my third week of classes at John Brown University pursuing a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Community Counseling, I'm loving every minute of it, and I'd take more than two classes a semester if I could balance it all at the moment without driving Sara Crazy! Going back to school has been a shock but also a joy. It's been 3 years since I sat in a classroom, and working the After School Program at Coddington Elementary in Wilmington doesn't count! I realized that I'm going into these classes with a much different attitude than I did when I was finishing up my Undergrad at the UofA. Then, I was just ready to get it done and over-with, now I can't wait for my next class. I look forward to the reading, and the only drawback is that I'm having to balance so many things that I can't truly focus on what I'm passionate about with everything I am. Oh by the way, I'm also assisting in leading worship at our church...another time block that I HAVE to focus on somewhere! Did I mention I have a wife and a son...whew...sometimes I feel like I'm on a tight rope, and I'm only allowed to stand on my little toe, now THATS balance. But honestly, its not that bad. I love where we are, its just been hard trying to figure out how to live here again with the experiences we've had over the past 3 yrs now. Life is completely different in NWA than it was in the ILM! We miss Wilmington, NMB, and the amazing people that we were blessed to share that short time of our lives with, and I don't think our investment into the east coast is done, just have no idea how, when or what God has planned for us. But I can tell you this, we are in NWA for a guaranteed 3 more years, WHY, because that's how long its going to take me to finish school. Now a lot can change in 3 years, just look at our past 3...and I'll leave that up to you to go back and read past posts...it'd take me another year just to put all the pieces together so that you could get a clear understanding of what God has allowed us to experience since we got married! So, as we look forward to what God is doing here, and how different, frustrating, rewarding, challenging and confusing it is, I wanted to look back and tell everyone that we've met in the past 3 years that we love you all! Our hearts are with you in Wilmington, our hearts are with you in NMB, and now are hearts are invested into NWA, but don't think that we have forgotten what you all did for us! With a FULL heart, we pray for you all. God bless those that have blessed us in the past 3 years. Let your power be seen by others as we have seen it, and never stop using these friends we consider family to do the things that you have called them to! God, I pray for strength to be stretched, wisdom to lead, and understanding so that they can guide the people that you have put them in leadership over so that they can guide them to you and your love. We love you all and look forward to the next opportunity we have to visit...which looks like sometime THIS SPRING!!! Can't wait to see what God is up to and to share the same!

Really?

Well, from the title you can see that I'm starting this off with confusion, but trust me, I'm not confused...but you may be after you read this! So...let me begin without going on any rants.

I'll start by posing the question of; "What do you do when you are moving up in management, you're being told that you may be able to basically have your own business within the next several months, you're being trained by some of the most successful leaders in the company, they love you and you're pretty good at what you do, PLUS you just had your first son?" Well, in my case you walk away from it all graciously...and I can't emphasis GRACIOUSLY enough! Right around 9 months ago I was offered a job that I really didn't know what I was getting into. Since that time, I've been promoted, developed, trained, and basically guaranteed that if I stuck with it for the next couple years, I'd be making more money in retail than I ever thought possible, and that's no exaggeration...I can show you the details if you want! It's crazy, right? Who does that...well, I was called to. God opened up the opportunity for me to go back to school this upcoming fall and since making that decision, my heart has completely been occupied with what God is trying to do through me rather than what this world has to offer me.

When I sat down with my boss to discuss things, through no lack of trying on his part, I still had to walk away. I have more respect for the Buckle and the people that work there and run that company than you can imagine. As I told him, I will forever be a recruiter for that company! God has something big in store for Sara and I...and now Emery, can't forget him, and I can't really explain it very well right now, but I do know that in the next couple years it will involve getting my Grad degree in counseling, working/living in Siloam Springs, and investing our time in the people around us and in the church! God's got some sort of vision stirring in my heart and its just now starting to take some sort of form, but when, where, how, who with...I'm assuming will all be revealed to me here in the immediate future! So, as I step out of one job this weekend and into another, anticipating the start of school this fall and working on being the best Husband/Father I can be, please be in prayer for us, and I don't mean in prayer so that we will be well, successful, happy...the prayer I'm requesting is one that is quite simple. My prayer is asking God to direct me...and for ME TO LISTEN...so that I can:
1. Lead my wife
2. Lead my son
3. Discern God's plan for our family and the vision He has for our ministry

So, that seems pretty "cookie-cutter," but honestly I'm seeking vision right now...which all plays into my reasoning for leaving a job that in a worldly perspective is perfect, going back to school, and investing in my family more! Love you all who read this and we pray daily for you to seek God in your life to the fullest! We're not supposed to be ashamed of the gospel, so lets live it!

I'm a Dad! Here we go...

Well, if you live under a rock and don't have any connection to the outside world then you are just finding out that Sara and I just had our 1st little boy, Emery Luke Ross, on June 11th, 2011. He weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs 15 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. I do have to say that if you were to stretch his feet out he'd probably be more like 23-24 inches long, the boy has ski's with monkey toes!!! Definitely gets that from me! Check out my or Sara's FB for some pics.

I can't honestly express the range of emotions that have been running through Sara and I over the past week. The feeling of holding my son for the first time was unexplainable...maybe even the entire experience, so I'll save you the babbling attempt at trying! I can say that as a father, husband, and as a guy in general, I've never felt as weak as I have the past several days. I hold Sara and now Emery and I feel like I could life the house if I had to, but when they are in pain and you can't do anything to help, it will eat at you from the inside out. I would have done anything, but there is nothing I can do...other than PRAY...so that's what I did. I didn't want God to fix it, I wanted God to use it, to strengthen us, to be an example to others. I prayed that Sara and Emery would know that I am there no matter what, that I'm not going anywhere and that as soon as there is something that I can do to help, guess who is going to step up, step in, and come to the rescue...ME!!! I want them to have a faith in me as strong as my faith in God, and that their faith in God would far surpass their faith in me...if only I can be an example, and be there for them when they need me, then I'm exactly where God wants me to be!!!

I will tell you that I haven't felt more grateful and more in love with my wife ever. The number one priority for us right now is keeping God the focus of our relationship, and then jointly focusing on taking care of Emery. We have been blessed in more ways than you can imagine...everything from friends bringing us meals, to family taking care of him so that we can focus on us with coffee dates and not to mention an anniversary lunch yesterday! I love my wife with everything I have, and though I may fail some, I will do everything in my power to be a Christ follower 1st, a husband 2nd, and a father 3rd. Those are my priorities and they are NOT changing, everything else in life will just have to fit around those three!

Sara and I have spent a lot of time here lately talking to one another about whats next. For one, I'm planning on going back to school this fall to get my Masters in Counseling-Marriage and Family Therapy. Second, we've decided to take another step forward with our faith in our finances...can I say upping the bar! We feel like God is preparing us for something, but not really sure what that may be, but outside of just having Emery, our life is about to get even more interesting here in the next year. Who in their right mind goes back to school, lives off of one income, and has a newborn all in the same year??? ME...and I'm telling you that God is in control and I know that is where we are supposed to be.

The overwhelming responsibility that I've been given makes me sit back and really question what God has for us here soon. To think I'm having a child and say its all good compared a month ago to holding him, or holding Sara who is holding Emery and seeing it, feeling it first hand, praying for them together as we go to bed, is almost enough weight to feel like you can't move. All in all, I'm confident in knowing that God is the one setting all of this in motion, His plans for us are perfect, and there will be nothing greater than our life together following hard after Him. We're most likely going to be in Siloam Springs for the next several years and I have no clue what that may hold other than getting my Masters, but I do know that things are about to get interesting up in this place, and if you want in, call me, throw me a message, or just come by because I'd love to get a better idea of who is all in for seeing God do amazing things in and around Siloam. We're looking for a community of people to live life with...and we're not about to try and have the community on our own...one son is about all we can handle right now and I don't know if Sara would be up for that any time soon!!! I don't know what comes of this, but God does, and its about time for me to step out and start trying to figure this out a bit more! Love you guys...and THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for the words of encouragement, messages, food, etc...that you have been blessing us with. We can't say it enough!

Life Just Got Interesting!

Our prayers as of late have been:
-Give me a job
-Let Sara start moving towards not having to work so much so that she can focus on her writing and other passions
-Let us find a Life-Giving Church
-Show us why we are here, why we moved back
-Grow us closer together
-Put us in a position to lead others/inspire others

Now, while we are waiting on some of our prayers to still be answered, we have been given a partial glimpse to some of the answers.
-Got a job as an Assistant Manager In Training at the Buckle.(Full-time, benefits, I'd say answered prayer)
-Me getting a job opens it up for Sara to start pulling out of some of the temporary work she has picked up when we moved.
-After next week Sara will no longer be working 65 hrs a week!!! PRAISE GOD
-Started attending Keypoint Church
-Pastor Casey has an amazing heart for the people of this area
-Looking forward to getting plugged into their ministry to NWA and see what God has in store for us through Keypoint
-Sara went to their recent women's SPA NIGHT with Kimberly and had a great time, not to mention a free Back Massage
-Oh yeah, and the morning of the day I got my job at the Buckle, we found out that Sara is Pregnant
-WAIT.......What? God, really? OK, we are stoked!

SO...within one week, I got a job, Sara gets to quit a job, we got to hang out with the pastor of an amazing church, and we found out that we are going to have a little one running around here come May or June 2011...WOW...I've been a bit busy so its been a week or so for the blog, but I asked for God to do some big things and guess what, HE DID! Don't ask for it unless you want him to show up! God is still in the process of doing something cool...and I don't think He's done!

I'm absolutely JACKED UP about what's going on right now, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us as we get more invested into Keypoint Church, more invested into NWA, and prep for a little one!

Love you all, read the first couple chapters of Hebrews and see what God shows you. Comment below with what He shows you and maybe it could help someone else or even me! It rocked me pretty good and I'll share more on that hopefully tomorrow!

Thank You

So...as you may have heard, or for those of you that haven't, we're moving...again! But this time is probably one of our most interesting moves. We're moving back home, or what we would consider home, Northwest Arkansas. God has been pushing us to follow our hearts, and that is where our hearts are leading us, and with some of the confirmations we've had in the past couple of weeks, we know we are going where He is wanting us to go.

The reason I'm asking everyone to read this is because we can't possibly sit down and try to contact everyone that has meant something to us over the past year and a half. From those of you that were there that first couple of weeks we were in Wilmington, to the ones that we have went to church with, to the ones who we have learned to do life with, we have the highest gratitude, respect and thankfulness. It would take us a couple of weeks to contact everyone that has made a difference in our lives the past couple of years and we will forever be changed by the friendships we have made with you all. From the bottom of our hearts, we say THANK YOU and we love and will miss you all, but we will be back to visit frequently! If you are ever in Arkansas, give us a call and we'll treat you to the best burger, fries and shake you'll ever have, and our door is always open for visitors!!!

Heading HOME from Home!!!!

Two weeks later, and we are now less than 20 hrs from getting in the car again and heading back to Wilmington. It had been nearly 10 months since I had been back to what I've always called HOME, and I've learn a ton in my two weeks back. When we moved, we left because the only thing holding us here was comfort. Now, a year after making the decision to move, we realize the only thing we have here is Family. We do miss the area, the landscape, family and friends, but our calling is so much greater and we are so ready to get back. As I've said to some people here, this is what I called home for 22 years, and now I feel like I've been completely disconnected from our world for 2 weeks and I'm HOME! Does that mean home for me has changed...I don't know, but our world is definitely not in Arkansas any more...our family is, but what God has for us is in the Carolina's. We have fallen in love with the people, the church and the area, and now we are just waiting to see what it is that God is calling us to do! We followed faithfully in the move, we've grown, learned, and been ministered in ways we would have never gotten here in Arkansas. So, as we head back tomorrow morning, we look forward to it in ways we never realized. Driving back I remember having the thought of "what if we don't want to go back?" But that is not even part of my thinking right now. My heart has been shifted in ways I didn't realize and I'm so absolutely pumped to get back and lead people to Christ through all that I am and do! God has been preparing us for something great in the most wild roller coaster I've ever been on. We are looking for our place in ministry, we are trying to get out of debt, we are looking to lead people around us in a whole new way, and we are working on our relationships with God and each other so that there is nothing to get in the way of God and His hand on our lives. I was told once, Just follow God and PRAY that you don't get in His way! I'm afraid that getting in His way may be pretty painful, so I'm trying to follow Him and looking forward to having NO CLUE in where that may lead us! God has done unbelievable things in our lives through the last year, and now looking back on our 2 week visit back Home, we are leaving for HOME with a new passion and perspective, NOT TO MENTION ANTICIPATION!!!