Chicken broth and man candles

This guy with perfect teeth actually  hangs out with me

I had to start this post with that. It just made your day, didn't it? You want to sing a song or grow a beard, dontcha?

At our house, we're weird and we love it.

I was seeing all of this unfold on wednesday at our community group, as I was dramatically giving the reasons why all our friends should come visit our house. I should have just shown them the picture above. Sold. Easy as pie.

Instead, it went something like this :

Think fast paced and jazzy

"At our house there will always be coffee and soup. A vat of soup. And I have this candle that smells like sexy man scent. Really, when I told the lady at Bath and Body works that it smelled like my husband, she told me she refers to that candle as the Sexy Man candle. I couldn't resist. You want to come to our house and smell it. You like chicken broth? I will make you chicken broth. And there are tons of warm blankies. Shoes, no shoes..we don't care! The men can smoke cigars and talk about theology around a firepit. Actually, if the ladies want to smoke cigars and talk about theology, that's good, too. Oh, and if you find something you like at my house, I just might give it to you. I don't cook very well, but I know how to bake some brownies." 

Here's the thing, all I really had to say was, "Clarke will be there." It's very handy having a likeable husband. The guy is not afraid to be funny, okay? He made up a song the other night about things that happened in each grade of school. He told two girls that santa wasn't real and their parents buy the gifts. Then, he took them beaded necklaces to apologize. That was just 1st grade, I believe. Ask him about telling the teacher he was allergic to bologna or the time he pierced his ear with a nail, in class, for $50.

My life will never be boring. And it will always be funny.

If you need a laugh, our door is always open.


E & A,
 Jo

Baby love!

Nephews are probably the best gift ever. Holla, ladies!!

let my newness dance all over my..oldness?

 What if I told you within like 3 weeks my husband made the decision that we were going to be part of a new community of believers?

What if I told you that 2 weeks before that I lost my job?

What if I told you that 2 weeks after that the community of believers moved to a new building, and started meeting together on Sunday at 5. 5 p.m. Not a.m.

What are you thinking right now?
I hope you're thinking, "Blessed."

I lost my job just in time to go on spring break with a bunch of middle school kids. My husband and I had the chance to hear their hearts and be in their world for a week. To some it sounds painful.

It was precious. Precious time. God lets us be part of His kingdom. He entrusts us with His word and lets us speak it to the hearts of His precious, precious people. You might not think so, but 6th-8th grade is sweet in all the ways God made them to be sweet. When they're ridiculous, you see sinners just like me. And when you look past that to what God sees in His chosen children, you see all the redemption God has or can pour out on their lives. Precious.

I lost my job just in time for my husband to get a raise. And for me to be at home more often. Precious.

I shut my mouth just in time for my husband to say, "This is where God wants us to go. We're going." Precious grace from Jesus.

We started going just in time to get to know a few and walk into a new place with them.

We gave our hearts to God's people in that community just in time to start having fellowship on Sunday nights. That means we get to spend Sunday morning together, preparing our hearts and cooking and cleaning. Together. Loving on this brand new marriage God has given us. And it is so precious.

22 and without a job is different.
New people are different.
5 o'clock on Sunday nights is different.
Preciously different.

Lord, let your newness in me dance all over my old self and my old situations. Let me see your precious ways.

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