Best friends

God designs such beautiful friendships, but the one I'm currently most amazed about is the one that God has clearly put together - and kept together - through the past five years. And it has me asking God why He chose to bless me with this friendship. I am so thankful for Alicia.



I met Alicia during the fall of my sophomore year in high school when she was visiting her aunt, who happened to be one of my close adult friends from church. Bonnie had always told me about her niece Alicia who lived in Missouri, and she thought if we ever got the chance to meet, we'd get along great. Boy, was she right! It was just one of those God-things. And ever since, Alicia has been one of my closest friends. The craziest thing is that I lived in Louisiana (and now North Carolina) while she's lived in Missouri (and Kansas). We've only actually been in each other's company three times - twice in Louisiana, once in Missouri. And yet, God has really held us together and given us the ability to always pick up right where we left off. It's really beautiful.

Take for instance tonight, we just picked up right where we stopped several months ago when we last talked. And to hear what God has been teaching her and the work He has been doing in her heart encourages me. I am so thankful. We can talk for hours and never run out of things to say or do.

The funny thing is how different and yet alike we are. But I firmly believe the reason our friendship has worked is that we are both constantly trying to put Christ at the center of our lives. I just love that she's the person I can most be myself around...I really think that's the markings of a best friend.

We have a LOT of fun together...


Crawdaddin' (AKA catching crawfish with your hands in a river)


We eat the same foods.


We can be super silly together.


We go glowbowling.


We get matching (fake) tattoos.


And at the end of the day, God knows we need each other...so He keeps bringing us back. And in talking with her about the future, I know that God has a plan. A good plan that will bring us good AND Him glory. I know that when I let go of my life and my plans is when God will work and move. And I know that one day, Lish and I will live closer together because we've always wanted to raise our kids together!

"A true friend is the gift of God, and He only who made hearts can unite them." - Robert South

Public schools are the battlefield; Teachers are the good and bad guys; and Kids are stuck in the middle.

I just watched a documentary called Waiting for "Superman". It's about America's public school system. I knew some of the facts already; some were quite alarming...I mean, even the ones I knew already were alarming. However, the whole time I watched this, I couldn't stop thinking about how that makes me want to do Teach for America even more.

I have so much respect for good, hardworking teachers. You know, when you think back pre-college, those few teachers who pop into your mind because they obviously love what they do and made you love it too? Well for me, a handful of teachers come to mind. Growing up in Louisiana (last time I checked, third worst school system in the country), I was very blessed to attend private school through eighth grade and then one of the best public high schools in the state. But I saw and heard about those schools in inner city New Orleans that were failing...the ungodly dropout rates. The crime rates, the poverty...another story for another day, though.

But in high school, I had several great teachers. The funny thing is that two of them taught my two lesser favorite subjects - English and Social Studies - but they love what they do and actually were able to get me excited about the classes. My other favorites taught math and science, which have always been my favorite subjects, but after my experiences with those teachers, I just knew I wanted to go into the math or science field. They really helped me find my passion for those areas. But the great part is that the other teacher who impacted me the most never actually taught me at all - well "teach" in the formal, in the classroom, setting. She was the advisor for the service organization I was involved in. But what she helped me find was possibly greater than what any of the others did for me...she helped me find my passion for serving others. She located my heart for serving and loving on people. She taught me what "servant leadership" means. And she really cares about my life.

Honestly, other than teaching me coursework, the other reason these teachers left such a huge imprint on me is that they care about my life. And I say care because when I go back to visit, they ask me a slew of questions, everything from classes to boyfriends to family...They know me, and they remember me. They know my brother and ask him how I'm doing. They even remember things about my family they've never met. Really, they care about my well-being and success and happiness.

This is what inspires me to be a teacher...at least for a couple years with Teach for America. I want to get involved in kids lives and consequently in the lives of their families. So many of these children come from broken homes, bad neighborhoods, and rough backgrounds. But I'd love to attempt to show them a glimpse of hope, to give them something to work towards. They need that. They need education because, really, it is the only way out of the lives they're in right now. And I want to just love on these kids - the "unlovable" - and get to know them and their families. And it's an incredible missional opportunity!

I truly believe that education is the way to improve the future of our country. If it keeps spiraling downwards, then the young men and women our schools are spitting out will keep decreasing in quality. They won't qualify for jobs because they won't be capable of learning. And really, if huge percentages of kids are dropping out of high school, they have no hope in America. I want to show them hope. I want to be one of those great teachers who actually help improve the educational system, who actually loves my job and wants to see kids succeed.

Really.

And props to Whitney who is actually doing Teach for America for the next two years. I get so excited for her because she's getting to "live the dream", so to speak.

The most frustrating thing about this whole documentary was the teachers' unions and tenor. We can't fire bad teachers. So really, it's just like socialism where no one has any incentive to work any harder than anyone else because everyone gets paid the same. Yes, there are teachers who will put 110% into their jobs no matter what the pay-off, but we should be able to fire those who don't do their job right. The unions - the teachers who are in this for the kids, supposedly - are what's actually getting in the way of educating out children. We need to get back on track. Being the world's superpower, we really should have a more solid education system to support that.

But really, it's not just that our school system is broken, though it is. Our whole world is broken. And although the man in this documentary laments that Superman isn't real, which means that no one is coming to save us and be the good guy and push all the bad guys away, I know that there really is this hero - Jesus. He's coming back one day and will save us, redeem us, restore us, and fix this broken world. As Michal put it, there will still be learning, but there won't be bad, lazy teachers. It'll be great!

But until then, we wait patiently, seeing where God has put us to live out our Great Commission calling, and seeing the brokenness, crying out "Abba, father" with all of creation.

"Thank You" could never say enough...how the Atwood family has impacted me.

The Atwood family.

Trevor, Keva, Micah, Isaac, Chai.

A family I will never forget...could never forget. They have influenced my life more than anyone else outside of my family. And they have radically changed my walk with Christ. As they prepare to move to church plant in Murfreesboro, TN, I cannot help but reflect on the impact they have made on my life and what I've learned from them...

As the college pastor at Summit for my first year-and-a-half of college, Trevor preached some great and challenging messages that God used to convict me and to grow me. But there is one constant, overarching message that I learned from Trevor - the importance of displaying the gospel in every aspect of my life, in every circumstance. Through this family, God has opened up my heart to adoption. Listening to Trevor talk about his sons, their experience adopting them, and watching him and Keva as they raise them, has completely transformed my view of adoption. Through this, God has taught me deeper truths about the gospel. And the amazing thing to me is that adoption puts the gospel on display - and Trevor has so honestly preached this over and over again. Trevor taught me how to read and meditate on scripture, reminding me to read the Bible looking for what it teaches me about GOD, not about what I should or shouldn't do...after all, God is the center of the whole story! And he taught me about life-on-life discipleship, how to love the people around me AND share the gospel with them. He challenged me to become a member of the Summit and made sure I actually did it. And he challenged me to get plugged in to leadership in college ministry. Most importantly, he taught me this concept: to remember and wait - to remember the already and wait for the not yet.

Trevor and Keva together have been a beautiful picture of marriage and parenting for me. I have learned so much about marriage through knowing them and seeing how they treat each other. And I have learned equally as much about parenting from the two of them. As I already mentioned, they have taught me about adoption, and consequently the gospel. They have shown me how to parent, how to love and cherish your spouse even when it's difficult, and how to glorify God through your family.

As I've gotten to really know Keva through the past year of coffee dates, I have learned so much about what it means to be a godly woman. She has been extremely truthful and vulnerable with me, which allowed me to learn from her. She's asked me hard questions and taught me about discipleship...and she's answered many questions for me that I wouldn't have known how to ask anyone else. Keva has shown me the effort that being a mother requires, and the constant pursuit of God that we have to live in. She challenged me to pray about becoming a small group leader next year (which I'm excited to be doing!). She counseled me through some difficult family / college issues this past fall. And she encouraged me to find a discipler and a small group - which led to one of the beautiful friendships God grew in my life this year. She helped me think about friendships and encouraged me about the places God had placed me in to live missionally.

Wow, Micah and Isaac. These two boys have changed my life. Hearing their adoption stories and seeing how they are now Atwood boys - but more importantly, sons of Christ - has been amazing, encouraging, and gospel-reminding. I love playing with these boys. I love how much Micah loves and cares about Ike. And I think it's funny how much Ike pretends like he doesn't like me...as Micah put it, "He doesn't like girls." (definitely a good thing at 4 years old...) I love rolling around on the ground with them and rough-housing because it reminds me of my two brothers. I love playing baseball with them - well attempting, I'm not any good at all. I love it when they tried to teach me about Star Wars and Harry Potter. I love seeing them at church and getting smiles and hugs. And I love sitting in bed with them and reading stories. One of the recent times I hung out with them, I watched them jump on the couch, holding back tears thinking about how much they're going to grow up and how I won't be there to see them. I was reflecting on our times together building sand volcanoes, taking videos on my iPhone (another favorite), and jumping on the couch. And at bedtime, we read the last story in the Jesus Storybook Bible - about Revelation. It talked about the streets of gold in heaven, and we talked about playing baseball and eating ice cream and Micah being able to eat gluten in heaven...and it ends with:

"'I'm on my way,' said Jesus. 'I'll be there soon!'
John came to the end of his book. But he didn't write 'The End.' Because, of course, that's how stories finish. (And this one's not over yet.)
So instead, he wrote: 'Come quickly, Jesus!'
Which, perhaps, is really just another way of saying...
To be continued..."

And we talked about what "To be continued..." means. And I thought about how real heaven is to them and how much they must look forward to it. At the same time, I realized that I need to see heaven as that real too, thinking about it always and actually living my life as if it's real...not just dismissing heaven for another time, another day.

Chai is a constant reminder to me of the gospel. He is a reminder of the hope that we have in Christ and of the groaning and longing of creation as we wait for Him. He is a reminder of this broken world. And as a result, I need to be joining in the "Abba" cry, screaming out to God to fix this place and make everything new. He is a reminder of pain and suffering but joy and redemption at the same time. He is with Christ, which gives me great joy, but at the same time, I'd love to see him here...just another reason to eagerly await the returning of Jesus...

"Does the life you have been graciously given scream the truth of the gospel?"

I am thankful for the time God has given me to get to know the Atwoods and spend time with each member of their family. I am thankful for the friendships I have had with them and for what awaits them in Murfreesboro. I will miss them here in Durham, but hey, we get to spend eternity together...and in the light of eternity, a few years isn't that long...right?

To the Atwood family, I love you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives. I obviously plan to visit you because I miss you already (and you're not even gone yet). But most importantly, I am praying that God uses you to bring the gospel to Murfreesboro, TN...and I'm envious of those college students who get to have y'all around. ;)