The past couple weeks have been some of the most difficult and challenging, yet inspiring, and transformative moments of the residency so far. The Austin Stone KIDS album release, the Worship Intensive and Collective, and Sawyer and Jahnabell's fall festival birthday celebration. I am definitely learning the importance of working hard and then resting well! The toughest part is being away from Dusty, Sawyer, and Jahnabell, yet I am full of joy because I am serving the body of Christ with my whole heart. And this is not service for the sake of sacrifice, no it's much more than that. The beauty is that I will be able to train up my children with a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Christ. This is by no means because of what I can discover for myself or because I'm smart; it's because, when I immerse myself in His word, prayer and community, God begins to reveal himself to me. This is the fruit I am beginning to see! If I'm honest it's not because I just decided to study my bible, it's because I've been challenged by my brothers and sisters in Christ to do so. The importance of unity and togetherness in the body of Christ has never been so apparent. This is just one of the reasons it is a joy to serve the bride of Christ, and I must do so with my whole heart. In Colossians it says:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Colossians 3:23-24
Here are some photos from Sawyer and Jahnabell's fall festival Birthday party. Dusty did an incredible job putting this celebration together while I was gone all week! (yes there was face paint - wait, I think it was meant for the pumpkins).
After the crazy week and the birthday celebration we decided to take the kids camping for the first time. It was challenging but also a great opportunity to unplug. These photos were taken just before the kids started melting down ;)
