Seeds of Greatness and some r-e-s-t

Well, yesterday was just a really big day.  It started before six, included two church services, a Hawaiian luau, and an 8 hour drive :)  

When we finally fell into bed last night, however, it was exhausted but with very full hearts.

Worshipping with our Seeds of Greatness family was such a gift.

Jerome and Lisa are humble and loving and bold.  Working with them and ministering alongside of them is a gift, and they pour themselves out freely.

A heart of service is SO evident at Seeds, as everyone reaches and and helps SO thoughtfully and practically and continually.

The worship is powerful, and the girls, including Nora, were just loving it.

The men and women there have been hugging us and praying for us and supporting us for TEN YEARS now, and being with them is downright encouraging.  

Finally, practical ministry is just a part of how SoG live...I caught the pastor's son cleaning up a huge mess from a leaky trash bag, someone ran out to our car to grab something Matt forgot, Jerome and Lisa always take the time to find out how we really are and how they can help, some dear friends from Seeds took us to dinner Sight and Sound theater to see "Samson" with the girls (which they ADORED, all three of them)... we were so inspired to carry on...to be faithful...to persevere...to bend the knee.

Matt was able to share a message on God's power in weakness to over 1400 people, and we were so thankful to the way God showed up.  

If you wish you could have been there...this is close:

Watch the service HERE!

Afterwards there was a huge luau complete with a roasted pig and face-painting and hanging out...so fun, and a blessing to see such an emphasis on knowing each other and spending time together.  My sister and her sweet family came, too, and that was a blessing in itself!

speaking is not my thing...Nora wanted it to be her thing.

We left Seeds after three, and drove all afternoon and evening and finally arrived at Nana's house, Uncle Don and Aunt Brenda's mama, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our family vacation of this summer.  

We mostly spent today being exhausted, but being exhausted on the beach is NEVER bad.  

For the record, we became family with Uncle Don over years of visits in Haiti...we are not actually true family.  We didn't grow up together, no blood, nothing like that.

But he has been our brother for a very long time now, and Brenda our sister, and to have them and their mom and daughter and son-in-law share their family vacation with us so that we could have one, and in a beautiful place with Nana cooking and everybody loving on our girls...yeah. So humbling and gracious and beautiful.  

We are able to love and serve and pour out because of His example, and because of the example of so many others of those very transforming things on our lives.  We are the vessels of Him, and we are the recipients, too.   

Every time I am tempted to worry, or tempted to feel alone or abandoned, He reminds me of you, and I am thankful, instead.  

We'll be speaking at Cornerstone Church this Saturday and Sunday, but until then, we're going for a touch of REST.