steps of faith.

The second I stepped foot in Christ Fellowship during our interview last June, I knew I wanted to be a part of what God is doing here. By the end of our week of interviews, Clint and I both felt confident that he'd be a great fit on the team. The following week, we prayed and talked and were in agreement we'd accept the job if it was offered. It was a huge move, but there was complete peace in our hearts because we knew God was opening the door and going before us.

During all of that excitement and dreaming, imagine our shock when the offer was less than we were expecting. Much less. We'd made the decision that I'd continue to stay home with the kids wherever God took us next and, in my mind, there was no way we'd be able to live in South Florida off of the salary offered. As soon as I got off the phone with Clint when he told me what happened, I burst into hot, angry tears. I was furious at God. How could he open this door, get us excited and confident about our journey, and then slam it in our face?

In the midst of the anger and disappointment, I felt God speak to my spirit, "I didn't close the door. You're the one trying to do that."

We prayed and we prayed that God would change the offer. We countered and talked and budgeted and worried. I tried to get a budget together that we could do more than survive and I just wasn't seeing it. It just didn't seem to be enough.

In the end, God didn't change the offer. He did something even better. He changed our hearts.

We decided to trust His promises in scripture and take a step of faith, into the seemingly impossible, and definite unknown, even when it didn't make sense. Matthew 6 came to life for us. We decided to seek His kingdom and righteousness and trust that these things-- our basic needs-- would be given to us as well. We couldn't worry about tomorrow and what it would bring. Just take it one day at a time.

And real talk, y'all... it's been hard. REALLY hard. There've been times we have had less than $20 in our account, the gas light is on in the car, we have hardly any food in the house, and still have days until we get paid again. It can be frustrating, embarrassing, and not always a lot of fun.

But the good greatly outweighs the bad. God is faithful to His promises. In some miraculous way, God has met every. single. one. of our needs. Be it a "random" check in the mail, friends throwing together a last minute dinner party with leftovers out the wazoo they send home with everyone, gifts cards we forgot we had, or an offer of a ride somewhere, we've never been without anything we need.
God has blessed us beyond measure. He's truly blessing our stewardship efforts and obedience. With the help of far more financially savvy friends and God's crazy way of working, we were able to pay off over $8,000 worth of debt in under 6 weeks. In a time when we're bringing home considerably less than we ever have, God provided a way for us to become debt free! It allowed us the breathing room we desperately needed. That only makes sense through God's power.

Beyond the trust and faith I've learned to put in God, He's used this season to teach us that life isn't all about money or the stuff it can buy. Life is simpler now. We have lots of dates after kids go to bed, lots of dinner and games at friends houses, and lots of evenings spent at the beach. Life may be simpler, but we are filled with more joy and peace than they ever have been. Knowing we're where God wants us and it is a place we LOVE is worth every penny pinched. Clint and I each say at least once a week that we can't believe we live here and get to be a part of CF and all God is doing there. We're choosing to find our contentment in HIM, not a number in our bank account.

I say none of this to brag on us or anything we've done "right". Literally all we've done is take step after step in a crazy path the Lord has led us on. He's done everything else. Faith can't be conditional. If God is calling you to do something, do it. Even if it doesn't make sense. Even if it's scary or unknown. Even if you don't think you can. Do it. And prepare to be utterly amazed at how the Lord will bless you in ways you never imagined.

3 tips to enjoy the beach with littles

We've been in Florida for almost three months. In those three months, we've been to the beach WAY more than I figured we would've. We aren't huuuuge beach people (we burn way too easily), but I feel like we're finally getting the hang of it. I'm definitely no professional, but I'm learning more each time, so I figured I'd share some tips here!



1. Don't go in the middle of the day.

That may sound like a "duh" kind of thing, but it seriously makes the biggest difference in heat, crowds, and overall moods for everyone involved. I made the mistake of taking the kids right before nap time (like 11ish) and it was awful. People everywhere, crazy hot, and everyone was hungry and tired. Since then, we only go in the morning or around dinner time. If we plan on going in the morning, we're out of the house by 8:00 and normally back in the car no later than 10:30. It's cooler with way fewer people. We've discovered lately that our favorite thing to do is to take dinner and eat on the beach and then play in the ocean for a little while afterwards. It's even less crowded and cooler than the morning and who doesn't like picnicking on the beach?

If you don't live at the beach and are just visiting, I'd recommend going back to the rental house/hotel for lunch/nap and then doing something indoors or the pool during the middle of the day heat. Basically something that's way less work intensive ;-)

2. Only take the necessities. 

I MAJORLY overpacked the first couple of times we went to the beach. Now, I take a towel for each of us, a bluetooth speaker to play music, a sippy cup of ice water, a tent for Ellie to hang out in, and Reuben's floaties. Changes of clothes, snacks, toys, sunscreen, etc all get left in the car and used before/after the trip. It makes it 100x easier to get there when you're carrying way less. I can fit everything (plus a huge king size blanket to sit on) in one Thirty-One Deluxe Utility Tote. If we're taking dinner, I make sure everything fits in a thermal tote. Clint carries that, I wear Ellie, and hold Reuben's hand on the walk. Piece of cake.

3. BABY. POWDER.

We hate sand. Like, hate it. All the rinsing in the world doesn't seem to rid us of it, and with a toddler who just wallows in it, there are parts you can't rinse off in public if you know what I mean. I can't remember where I heard it first, but someone told me that baby powder helps get sand off of you. Guys, it's life changing. A generous sprinkle of it on anything sandy and the sand just falls off. It's magical. We never go to the beach without it!

What's your best tip for making the beach with littles easier?

How did we get here?

(I'm not going to lie. I sang that out loud to the tune of the Paramore song from Twilight. Definitely going to go find that on Apple Music once I'm done here.)

Let's start at the very beginning.

In March 2013, Clint Came down to West Palm Beach (forever and ever known as WPB after this) on a mission trip with the church we both worked at. I was mad that he even went because Reuben was only six weeks old and i was NOT keen on the idea of being home alone with a newborn while Clint got to go to the beach and sleep through the night (even though it was on an air mattress on a gym floor). He called me on Sunday afternoon and said, "Steph, this church is amazing. God is doing something here. I need to be a part of it one day." I said something snarky and full sleep-deprived postpartum hormones along the lines of, "In your dreams. I'm never moving to south Florida. Now get home." Aren't you sad you didn't get to be around me the first few weeks of Reuben's life? I was a gem...

Fast forward a while (well out of newborn stage and into normal life where I can think rationally) and he's applied for a job and not gotten it. He was majorly bummed, but we took it as a God thing and moved on, eventually moving to Knoxville. Clint kept up with some of the guys and kept up to date with what the church was doing and how God was working there. When I was about 37 weeks pregnant with Ellie, a guy Clint had talked to about the first job over two years before called Clint out of the blue and said he was looking for someone to fill a position and Clint's name was the only one God kept bringing up. Filled with hormones again, I brushed it off and said, "Let me get this baby out of me and then we can talk about it."

Nine weeks later, we were on a plane to Florida with a newborn to interview! We knew it was meant to be when we made our 7 week old a duct tape hula girl at our first staff meeting. The rest was history.

I could go on and on about teeny tiny things God has done to confirm this is His will for our lives. The way He's orchestrated everything over the last 2.5 years is unbelievable. Looking back, if I hadn't gotten sick and Reuben had come closer to his due date, Clint would've never been on the trip down here in the first place. Who knows what would've happened?! There are countless little things like that which make my jaw drop. He is so good and His plans are WAY bigger than my own!

While we miss our family and friends dearly, we feel so at home here. The staff has welcomed us with open arms and made the transition down here easier than I ever imagined it could be. We're in it for the long haul. I can't wait to see what God does in and through us down here.

I'm looking forward to sharing our adventures!