Bring the Rain

Thank you, Angela, for passing the invisible blog-tour baton!

This past year has shaped my idea of community more than any other.

I don’t really even know how to put it into words, but I was lacking something and I didn’t realize it until I got a taste. I have lots of friends, and lots of good friends. But I don’t know that I would have said I really had a community. For me, community means we are acting as a unit, and that means the good and the not-so-good. It means a friend who buys you a reamer and puts it in your mailbox.

By the way, a reamer is a wooden tool that helps you get juice out of a lemon. And apparently people have heard of this tool. I was not in that category. But thanks to Jenny Acuff, I am the proud owner of a reamer. I love it.

 And I didn’t realize I wanted it.

Heather Whittaker loves me deep and wide. She packs her car up at a moment’s notice for adventures. Even when I don’t tell her where we’re going. And then we laugh our heads off and don’t remember exactly how her cell phone ended up in coke.

 And I didn’t realize I wasn’t laughing enough.

Jessica sends cards. For every holiday celebrated in the modern world. And when I mention casually in a five minute conversation that my heart is heavy over something, she remembers. Really remembers. Calls me to check in. Calls me again and again because she knows (and now Heather and Jenny know. Darn. Secret’s out:)) that I don’t answer my phone when I check out mentally. But I need to.

 I didn’t realize I needed to answer.

I have a Bible study every Wednesday morning, and I love these girls more than I can say. They all have stories. We all cry and laugh and talk and pray and when our car doors close and we drive away, I’m praying for them. I’m thanking God for them. I’m joyful because I’m not alone.

I guess I didn’t realize I was alone.

But I was.

And I don’t ever want to be alone again.

I want to be known. To be loved and appreciated. To be gifted that which I didn’t know I wanted, to be laughing out loud from the deep part of me that hides, to be challenged to do the thing I think makes me weak. And to be in community.

It’s simple, but it’s life-giving. Life-altering. And the most beautiful gift from a Father who longs for sisters to close car doors and drive away loving each other.

Here’s the great news. You don’t need a car, a Bible study group, or any of the other things mentioned here to be a part of community. I am so, so overjoyed to share this video clip with you in the hopes that you will want to join us for a special experience. It’s called (in)RL, and it is brought to you courtesy of some of my favorite community-lovers…the folks at (in)courage. Will you take a few minutes and see if this is something the Lord would use to bless you in your walk?

Great, isn’t it???

So now for the details.

Click here for the registration page.

And here for the meetup page.

And here for answers to any questions you might have.

And now it’s my turn to pass the baton. Check in over here tomorrow to hear some more about (in)RL from our friend Heather Genman Wilson. Can’t wait to see you all there!!!!

See you at the beach house!!!!

*Updated to add that Aarti is going to send a masala dabba of spices to one random commenter from this post!!!! I think that means yummy Indian spices in a fancy dish (based on my love of her show. Which may or may not border on creeptastic). Woo-Hoo!!!! Hello my friends!!!! I have been dreaming and [...]

I am so, so proud of my friend Kelly Minter and cannot wait to dig into her newest Bible Study on the life of Nehemiah. I know how much of herself she poured into the study and believe in her ministry so much. I really hope you all will tune in to this Facebook Party [...]

I have been reading a book that I want to recommend to all of you. It’s called Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, and the idea of it is that we should take these seven opportunities during the day to pause, reflect, and pray. I have just started implementing it in my [...]

I am ecstatic about being involved in Lifeway’s new event, called “Abundance.” It includes fabulous speakers such as Lisa Harper, Kelly Minter, Angela Thomas, Vicki Courtney, Tammie Head, and Jennifer Rothschild {and me!} Hearing the heart behind the vision has convinced me that this is going to be one of those events that people do [...]

It’s hard to believe I am only a few weeks away from my first One-Day event with Women of Faith. In the event that you haven’t heard anything about these, I wanted to tell you a little bit in the hopes that it might be something you could join us for! It’s a much smaller [...]

I am so honored to share this book with you, because I know a lot of you have probably made New Year’s resolutions that have to do with cutting back, budgeting, and all kinds of good stuff. Well, even if you haven’t you are going to want to put this baby in your amazon cart [...]

I was frozen in the Barbie aisle with no relief in sight. Did she say she wanted the one with the red dress or the blue dress? A perky woman passed by and without a care in the world she reached for the winter-dress Barbie, double-checked her list, and threw the doll in her cart. [...]

I cannot wait until Thursday, when I will be driving with my in-laws, Kelsey and the girls to Atlanta to finally see The Story Tour. I have been hearing so much about it (as I’m sure you have as well), and really think it’s going to be one of the highlights of this Christmas season. [...]

One of my favorite games growing up was playing mommy with my dollies. I remember one car my dad had in particular, and the way my favorite doll, Abby, could fit right beside me in the tiny seat. It was perfect. I would buckle her in, smile, and dream about the day that she would [...]

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• Ann Voskamp
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• Big Mama
• Boo Mama
• Jessica Turner
• Kelly Minter
• Kelly Stamps
• Money Saving Mom
• Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• Priscilla Shirer
• The Nesting Place
• Vicki Courtney

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