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Phony Baloney Faith?

 Some days, if I’m being honest, my Christian life feels a little… phony baloney. Not in the “I don’t believe any of this” kind of way—but in the quieter, more uncomfortable way. The kind where I’m singing in church on Sunday with heart stirred… and then by Tuesday I’m impatient, distracted, and wondering if anything I said or felt was even real. It’s that strange tension between who I want to be and who I actually am. I know the right words. I know the verses. I know how to show up, smile, serve, and say all the “faith-filled” things. But sometimes underneath it all, there’s a nagging voice that whispers, “You’re just going through the motions.” And maybe that’s what makes it feel so fake—not that my faith isn’t real, but that it isn’t as consistent, passionate, or polished as I think it should be. But the thing I’ve had to wrestle with—and honestly, relearn over and over again is that feelings don’t get to be the measuring stick. We live in a world that tells us if something is...
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Weekend Recap: BBQ Edition

 Happy Monday, friends! It has been a great weekend here on the homestead. Carl, Makena, and I worked at our community center's annual barbeque. Makena has recently been voted in on the board of the community center, so we decided we would go and mingle. Yes, you read that right. I made the choice to be social! It's the miracle of May! The ladies of our church also had a bake sale at the BBQ, so I helped with that.  Wrenley found her some popcorn (and Nanny) at the bake sale. She LOVES popcorn (and Nanny)!! Makena helped with the ticket sales My dad, the ticket ladies, and some of our "runners" for the takeout plates. Our cooks! Picking out baked goods can be a hard choice! These are our old neighbors. I snapped this picture as they were pulling in the takeout line. Wrenley wanted to go play on the playground. This is the same tire I used to spin around on as a kid. Carl is always visiting with someone. We tease him and say he's running for mayor :) More visiting ...
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The Mid-Week Faith Check

 Somewhere between Monday's fresh start and Friday's finish line, life gets busy again. The days blur a little. The to-do list doesn't shrink as fast as we hoped. And spiritually, it's easy to shift into "just get through it" mode without even noticing. That's where a mid-week faith check comes in- not as something formal or complicated, but just a quiet moment to check in with your heart and with the Lord.                 Not because God has moved.                                                                                                                        But because we often do.              ...
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Weekend Recap: Busy Edition

 Happy Monday, friends! We have had a super busy weekend here on the homestead. We spent the latter part of the week running around and preparing for Carlie's baby shower. Makena had a vision, but no time because she was busy preparing for her "Coffee with the Curator" segment at the museum on Thursday night, and she also works on Saturdays. That left my mom and I running around gathering decorations as well as food and gifts for the shower. We also cleaned the fellowship hall at church, before we could even decorate. It was definitely a labor of love. Thankfully it did finally rain, so Carl was off to help us. She did an amazing job on the top of what the Grand Pairie is. Here are the pictures I got at the shower: Weekends like this one leave me with tired feet and a full heart. Between the laughter, the conversations, and celebrating Carlie and sweet baby Wesley, it was one of those weekends that felt busy in the best kind of way. Life has a funny way of packing so much...
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When The Pastor Has Favorites

Let's talk about something that happens in almost every church at some point--the feeling that the pastor has favorite members. Maybe it's the people who always seem to be in the inner circle--the ones who get the most praise, the ones whose opinion carry the most weight. If you've been in church long enough, you've probably noticed it. The truth is that pastors are human. They naturally connect with certain personalities just like the rest of us do. Sometimes it comes from years of serving together, similar life stages, or simply working alongside each other in ministry. While that always means intentional favoritism, it can still leave others feeling overlooked or frustrated.  So what do we do when we find ourselves in this position? First, guard your heart. It's easy for hurt feelings to turn into bitterness, and bitterness spreads quickly in a church family. Scripture reminds us to keep our hearts soft and our attitudes humble. The goal is not to win a popularit...
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Weekend Rewind: Catch Up Edition

Hey good friends! Hope you've had a great weekend. We didn't get a whole lot accomplished here. That has been a big problem lately. I have been very unmotivated lately. Just kind of in a funk. I do post a little more frequently on Instagram, but even that has slowed down. Anyway, we had a pretty good weekend. On Friday evening Carl and I went to the farm. We were just checking out the rice they just planted and talking about that if it didn't rain soon, they would have to flush the rice so it would grow. I'm not extremely familiar with this process because it isn't something that happens all that often. In the thirty years Carl has worked on the farm, he has only done it 3 times. We just really need some rain! We took the Ranger around to the reservoir to see how it looked. I am ready to go fishing!   It looks perfect!  A little dirt road therapy Saturday was the laziest day we have had since winter. Carl was off. It was cloudy and dark-ish. The perfect day for just...
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Weekend Recap: Builder Edition

Happy Monday, friends! Hope you all had a great weekend. Our weekend project involved building a wrap-around walkway/porch on our houseboat. You know, just a quick little project. Carl has way more patience than I do when it comes to building things. He measures...and measures...and measures some more before deciding what to do. We make a pretty good team though. I'm always eager to help, even if it is when he says, "hold this while I figure this out." We started around 1 and finished around 5. We were thankful for a nice day. Usually when he gets off early, it is due to rain when you really can't do much.  Here are the before and after pictures: Notice how there is no walkway next to the porch. This is the part that took the longest.  Lots of measuring and cutting! We love it! It will give us lots more room to tie up and hang out! The back end. Makena and I have plans to tan back here while Carl and Trey fish out front! We did all of this on Saturday. I personally th...
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