Here We Go

   I've had some form of blog since I was 12, and quite frankly I was much better at it back then. I remember quite vividly my teenage Xanga site and how dedicated I was to relaying to my small network of friends and followers of the exciting happenings of homeschooling, household chores, occasional vacations and discovering good music. Ironically enough, my life is approximately 73 times more exciting than when I was 12, yet I never find the time to let my now large network of friends and family know what is happening. No more! Now is the time to revert back to my childhood ways, find time regularly to slow down and remember the things that Jesus has done, and to invite others to worship our Creator with me through the telling of testimony. Because that's what it's all about right?

   Although my precious wife has had several attempts to chronicle the major events of our small family since it's beginning, it was never fully supported and therefore was never able to fully take off. Now, we are in full agreement that documenting our life as it occurs is the most effective way to show gratitude to the thousands of blessings our Father has given to us. It also allows the family we have in Mississippi, St. Louis, and northwest Indiana, to rejoice with us on our journey. Our first several posts will probably consist of a mixture of current events as well as past ones (due to the aforementioned previous lack of blogging prowess).

   So, these are our stories. Me and Allie will be relaying the majority of them because we haven't taught Viva how to type yet (if given the opportunity, you should, however,  get her to tell you a story. You probably won't be able to understand the majority of the words, but rest assured that you will enjoy every second of it). There will be mostly happy stories, but some sad stories. Some short, some long, some medium length... honestly, I'm not 100% certain what they'll look like because I've only thus far experienced some of them. To kick it off, i'll tell the story of how we got here...

   About 10 months ago my wife and I were sitting in our living room in St. Louis, MO praying with some friends. We had been in St. Louis for about 8 months, moving there from Clinton, MS where both went to school. I had been offered a job at a church in a STL suburb which I started 3 weeks after our graduation. (We ran across our graduation photos the other day with a 6 month old Viva smiling with us in our cap and gown... they're pretty great) Through a barrage of circumstances we had felt the Lord calling us away from my job at the church after working there for about 7 months. I looked for other jobs and found a few things that sounded interesting but i didn't have a peace about any of them. Then one night about 10 months ago, as me and Allie sat on our living room floor with our friends, Jesus spoke to me.

   A lot of people get a little weird when I say "Jesus spoke to me." It's a little more normal when we use the phrase "I feel the Lord calling me _____" or "I feel like the Lord is opening a door with _____", but when I say that Jesus gave me specific instructions on where I was to take my family and that His instructions did not line up with any previous form of opportunity or familiar circumstance it can make some people uncomfortable. Does Jesus really speak to people like that? I mean, all throughout the Bible it seems like God has full conversations with people which involve personal revelations as well as specific instructions, but that was before the Bible was written. So now that we have the Bible He surely doesn't speak to people the way He did back then.... or does He?

He does.

I'm telling you right now, as I lay on my living room floor praying with my friends, the God of the Universe spoke to me in the same way in the same way that He spoke to Paul or Moses. I wasn't even asking Him about anything related to what He told me! He was totally off-topic, but it changed the rest of my life. That happens! Jesus can whisper something to you in a moment that can completely change the course of your entire life! So, next time you sit down in your favorite quiet time chair with a cup of coffee or tea and watch the sun bounce light off of the trees or your living room furniture, know that in that moment of silence (or any moment for that matter), Jesus can tell you something that will rock you... Then you just respond!

So Jesus spoke to me that night, and told me to move to Indiana. That's it. We had visited my sister in a small town called North Judson in Indiana the previous summer and although, I really enjoyed our visit, it was short and largely un-impressive. I can say that I did not give North Judson, Indiana a second thought since our 24 hour visit 2 months prior to that night in the living room. But as I knelt in prayer, Jesus brought to mind scenes from our short visit, and the streets of this town, and the church we got a quick tour of, and the pastor who seemed really cool, and as these pictures came to mind He said "Move there."

30 days later, we arrived with all of our stuff in a box truck our friend let us borrow, and since that day, Jesus has provided for our every need... Most of these stories will come from that.

We're excited to share them with you.

-Trey