Tap, Tap .......

 

Hi, I'm Rachel, I used to blog here......remember me?

 

It is totally ridiculous the amount of time that has gone by since I last blogged. Can you forgive me?

 

So let's just jump right in ok? It has been about 10 months since I last wrote on this page. I hardly know where to begin or even how to fill you in on ALL that's gone on in my life.

 

To sum up a few important things, I will tell you that we moved back in September. We have a new house, new jobs and we love our new town.

Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what you need you know?

 

I pray that there are still some followers out there. If so, give me a holler!

I know so much has gone on with all of you and I promise to start dabbling in the land of blogging again. I truly have missed it.

And what better time to come back on the scene than Christmas!? The best time of year!

 

Every year I make it a point to watch this amazingly cute video portraying our Savior's birth.

 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

 

When Things Don't Make Sense

I was reading my sweet blog friend Stephanie's post today and immediately knew that I had to share the good things going on in our life too.

 

Sometimes I feel like I don't want to be too personal on here. I mean I know this is MY blog, so it's usually about ME, ME, ME, but really this blog isn't about me.

It's all about what God is doing in my life and that's the biggest message I want you to get from this.

To God be the glory.

 

I told you about the time God provided us with a FREE building right?

If you haven't read it yet, I'll wait.

Go check it out here.

 

Amazing right??

 

As you might also remember several months ago, Teddy took a HUGE leap of faith and left his well paying state job to go out on his own and start up a heating and cooling business. Our major source of income gone. We had some savings, but it went quickly. We have some here and there work but not much. I wish that I could say I leave it all up to God and never worry about our bills would be a big fat lie.

I do know that God is taking care of us. In fact people have come out of the woodwork and helped us here and there. We know that God is doing that.

He put dear friends and family in our lives to help us and we are forever grateful for that.

There are months when we aren't sure how the bills are going to get paid, but they do.

I complain about dirty dishes, but it means we're eating. We haven't missed a meal yet.

Even our chickens have started laying eggs again!

God has literally provided us with everything we need and then some.

He allowed us to go to the C3 conference in Dallas, stay in a nice hotel and even drink a few Starbucks!

I mean is He an awesome God or what?!

 

When life starts feeling desperate and you aren't sure which way to go. Look up!

Get out the greatest and most popular book ever written and flip thru the pages.

The Bible tells about His love on every page.

 

God is with us.

He is in this life with us.

He is working behind the scenes, gathering just the right people at just the right time to take care of you.

Don't be frustrated. Be thankful.

Be thankful for the right now, exactly where are you.

There truly is value in your struggle.

And instead of asking "why me?", just ask God to open your heart so that you can see the value in your current situation and thank Him for His works in you because He is preparing the way for us and taking us to great heights.

You can be sure of this!

 

" Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him."

Jeremiah 7

 

" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11: 28-29

 

We are still waiting for the appraiser to finish his paperwork for our building. Our goal is to be in that building before Easter, but God's timing is really what we're going for.

We could really use your prayers and support as right now we are still meeting at the fairgrounds and have to set up and tear down each Sunday. Being in our own building will be such a blessing.

In the mean time we are praising Him for what He has already worked out for us and the fact that we have a building to worship in is amazing in itself.

 

I hope you have a GREAT week!

 

Back Roads Are For Driving

Every once in awhile my man will have an errand and need to go for a little drive down a dirt road somewhere.

And every once in awhile, we just drive down a dirt road because we can :)

I never knew the significance or joy that could be had while driving down a dirt road with your hubby in his old pick up truck.

We sometimes grab a Sonic drink, hold hands and daydream about our life on the farm someday.

There truly is something so wonderful about it.

And don't let me misguide you, our Subaru Outback has made many a trip  down dirt roads too.

A couple of weeks ago after some snow we took such a ride.

I like to really soak in the environment and the scenery.

I never grow tired of seeing the barns and cows in the field. Something I didn't grow up seeing and can appreciate so much more now that I'm not so "citified". :)

Even on a gloomy day our countryside is beautiful.

 

Sometimes a person just needs to get out of their regular environment and into nature.

Something that doesn't always come natural to me, but a much needed break.

 

 

I recently read in my "Jesus Calling" devotional by Sarah Young this excerpt that is so perfect:

" You are feeling weighed down by a plethora or problems, both big and small. They seem to require more and more of your attention, but you must not give in to those demands. When the difficulties in your life feel as if they are closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me. you need to remember who I AM in all My Power and Glory. Then, humbly bring Me your paryer and petitions. Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence. You can learn to be joyful in Me, your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances. Rely on Me, your Strenth; I make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to on the heights."

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

" Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strengthy; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

 

In all of our circumstances, BIG and small, we MUST celebrate Him.

If you are spending only a small part of your day with Him, you will only get a small part of Him.

If you are devoting a BIG part of your day with Him, you will get a BIG part of Him.

 

Take time today to enjoy the small things, because each thing is a blessing, sometimes in disguise.

 

We recently got back from a trip to Texas that literally changed us.

We were so blessed to attend a conference called C3 in Dallas at Fellowship Church.

I will be blogging about that soon!

 

It's cold and icy here in our little corner of Arkansas today.

I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are.

 

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brand New Church Salem- Temporary Home

This past Sunday was our first official Sunday for Brand New Church Salem campus. We met in a building at the fairgrounds instead of my living room.

To say we were excited would definitely be an understatement!

 

We met up at the building on Saturday along with the help of Sonic Happy Hour and a late night pizza run. Because really, what brings people together better than Jesus and food? Can I get an Amen?! :)

 

 

The guys worked hard plugging in wires, connecting this and that, setting up mikes and speakers.

And because we are classy ( and also frugal right now ) we used a sheet for our projector screen. It worked perfectly!

 

After a long day of getting things set up and lots of trips back and forth to our homes and Dollar General for this and that, we hit it hard early the next morning too.

 

 

We got the snack/drink table all set up. And my mom loaned us an olive green percolator from the 70's. Praise God it worked!

Starbucks never tasted so good!

 

And I had the sweetest little helpers who were so eager to stack up the fruit and snacks on the platters. But they were truly most interested in helping with the coffee.

And then once they had poured in the grinds and plugged it in- "Is the coffee ready yet?"

" How about now?"

Love that!

That's how we do it at Brand New Church Salem.

We teach the kids how to brew coffee:)

#futurebaristas!

#trainthemupright

 #notheydidnotdrinkanythatimawareof

 

 

And also because we like to keep things interesting, we made a few calls on our banana phones!:)

Hello!

 

The worship guys practiced (sorry for the blurry picture).

And things really started moving in the right direction.

 

 

 

 

But before all this happened, the devil really tried sneaking in to steal our joy.

 

You see the devil likes to do that sort of thing.
He thrives on darkness and ugly situations. And he really jumps at the chance to kick us while we're down or prey on our weakness and doubts. The devil does not want us to succeed in spreading the love of Jesus. He doesn't want everyone in Salem or any other town for that matter, to fall at the feet of Jesus and get saved from the flames of Hell.

He wants us to sit around in our misery, despair and brokenness.

What a jerk.

 

We were all tired and stressed and couldn't quite see the end picture. Things weren't going the way we thought they should and some of us were feeling down right defeated and ready to give up.

The devil LOVES that.

In fact he was probably giving himself a pat on the back.

 

But guess what?
We serve an awesome God who NEVER abandons us.
Especially when we are down and out and can't see the light, He still shines!

 

Romans 8:31 says it so perfectly.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

 

Psalm 18:28-29

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop;with my God I can scale a wall."

 

We had the upper hand in this situation. We chose to let the devil defeat us in that moment.

We worried unneccesarily.

We had our own expectations and weren't fully relying on God.
God is our constant companion! He goes before us to prepare the way AND He walks alongside of you.
There really could never be a more constant Companion.

 

Before the night was over,we came to our senses.

 

" For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lifet you up in their hands, so that you will not stike your foot against a stone."

Psalm 92:11-12

 

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."

Psalm 29:11

 

He has brought us so far and already opened so many doors for us in Salem. And we are not alone.

He surely isn't going to kick us to the curb now.

What we really should have done is stop everything, got down on our knees and prayed to the ONE and ONLY God who is in charge of it ALL.

 

 

 

Are you struggling with something today? Or feeling defeated by life and circumstances?

I want you to know that I pray for each and every person who's eyes read this blog. I pray that somehow, someway it will brighten your day if you need it. Or it will be a resource of hope if you need it.

And if you ever want to ask questions or dive deeper into God's love for you, I would be so pleased and honored to chat with you.
The greatest gift is available to YOU 24/7, 365 days of the year.
And it's FREE.
No strings attached.
Who wouldn't want it?

You can leave a comment or find my email information on the sidebar.

 

For all of you reading this today, I have a small favor with a BIG reward.

Would you pray for our little town? Would you pray for our church who is ready to do BIG things in people's lives and in our town? Would you pray for strength amongst our church and it's leaders? And would you pray that people will flood the doors of our church seeking Him?

 

I am nearly in tears as I type this and think about how far I have come in my walk with God. I am so grateful to have this platform here to share His love with you in this very dark and depressing world.

Thank you for reading my little blog and for praying.

 

You mean so much to me!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Virtual Coffee And A Quick Trip

Hello out there!

 

I'm joining up with the lovely Amy of Lucky Number 13 today.

She's does her Virtual Coffee dates on Tuesday.

You should join us?!

 

 

I'm on my second giant mug of coffee- Starbucks with cream and sugar please, and I'm ready to chat.

How have you been lately? Anything new?

 

Last week my mom and I made a quick trip to the Chicago suburbs to visit my grandparents.

And really, there isn't anything quick about it, but with good conversation, several Starbuck stops and a few pit stops we made it up there in about 10 hours.

And can I just say, it was FREEZING up there!

 

 

Burrrrr!

 

We were so glad to head south and back to warmer weather. Apparently living in Arkansas has made me a wimp to the cold.

 

And it wouldn't be a trip up north without eating @ Portillos.

 

And like the picture says- it truly is THE place to eat.

 

A Chicago dog with everything on it please.

Did you know that an authentic Chicago style hot dog does NOT have ketchup on it?

Instead they have fresh tomatoes along with onion, relish, a big dill pickle, celery salt and always on a poppy seed bun. Yum!

In my opinion it pairs best with a cold root beer. But that's just me:)

And please do not comment on the ingredients of a hot dog. Ok?

Thanks :)

 

When you are in the Chicago suburbs it's easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle. Something I prefer NOT to do anymore.

 

 

But outside our hotel room window was this serene view.

 

 

But no matter where I am, this ALWAYS makes me happy!

Are you with me?

 

And so, that's about it.

 

Oh but wait.

There's this picture too:)

 

Say whaaaaaaaat?!!!!?

 

Happy Tuesday!



Food

We eat it 3 meals a day.

Sometimes more.

While I'm up for oreos or chips or whatever- it's really the REAL food that I crave.

Fresh ingredients, preferrably local, paired with good friends, great coffee.

What more could you want?

 

The hubby and I have been watching a few clips from Jamie Oliver's "At Home" series.

You can You Tube them.

 

Here are a couple of favorites.

 

 

 

And if you're like me and didn't know what a courgette was- don't worry. It's squash!

 

 

 

Where do you get your meal inspiration?

 

Tonight we are going over to some friend's house for Baked Ziti! Yum!

Thinking Of Warmer Days Ahead

The weather here in Arkansas is weird.

One day it will be 60, the next day calls for a high of 30, but will feel like 20.

Add in a sprinkle of ice and snow and it can make a person go nutty really.

 

And what it really does it make me long for the warmer days when things start to bloom and farmer's markets are buzzing again, the windows can be thrown open in celebration of fresh air. Blankets and warm candles are put away and out comes the sweet, citrusy smell of being alive.

 

It's funny how towards the end of the season I start to get a wanderlust for what's coming next.

And I don't mean to do that.

I really do try and be ok with the "right now".

 

So here are some random pics that you might have already seen long ago to get you in the mood for warmth.

 

Picked from our garden.

Hubby makes the bon fire, I get the coffee ready. We're a good team like that.

 

I can almost taste the juicy goodness of these fresh peaches from the summer!

Peonies are my favorite flower. The end.

Fresh strawberries.

Garden fresh corn on the cob was made for grilling over an open fire.

You can thank me later :)

 

And of course how could there be a post about warmer days without including tomatoes.

Jam for days.

 

But the most important thing, not matter what season we're in is this:

 

What I've Been Up To Lately

Hello Wednesday!

 

The week is half way done, but I just thought I would tell you a little bit about the fabulous weekend we had in Eureka Springs.

As you probably remember from this post and this post back in March of 2012, we LOVE Eureka Springs. We honeymooned there, twice, and try and make it back there as much as we can. Which usually ends up to once a year.

So when our church decided to have a staff advance for all leaders in Eureka Springs, I started packing my bags!

 

It was awesome!

 

And we stayed in the Crescent Hotel which has a spooky reputation for being haunted.

 

 

Despite my hubby's hopes of seeing or hearing a ghost and a claim that the air conditioner turned off in the middle of the night when in fact it was never on in the first place, I didn't see/hear any creepy activity.

Thank goodness!

 

And the view from our shared balcony was beautiful!

 

We felt so blessed to be there with our friends and church family. Since we are part of a satellite church, we don't "see" everyone on Sunday. It's easy to forget that there are people on the other side of the screen worshipping right along with us.

We absolutely love our Pastor and the church we serve.

And we know that 2013 will be a BIG DEAL for our little town.

 

We had some down town before our first session began on Friday night, so naturally we spent it sipping mochas overlooking the historic Basin Park.

 

 

Good grief I love that place!

 

Is there anything better than a great view, good conversation and fabulous coffee????

 

We are feeling so blessed to be part of this all and knowing that God has been forming our lives for such a time.

It feels so BIG.

And yet we know we are small in the scheme of things.

Something that I took away from the sessions we had with our guest speaker Willie George from Church On The Move was this:

God will not do what man can do.

Sometimes it's your turn to move.

God takes care of the Supernatural while we take care of the natural.

 

Whoa.

 

That was HUGE to me.

 

God gave us hands and feet and a brain and sometimes we need to get over ourselves and JUST DO IT.

What is  God asking you to do lately?

Are there answers you are looking for but not receiving?

 

Maybe it's your turn?

That Time Someone Gave Us A Building

Oh Hey There!

I'm that girl that used to blog a little more frequently- remember me? :)

 

Since I'll be linking up with Amy over at Lucky Number 13 for Virtual Coffee today, I encourage you to go get a beverage of your choice and get settled in.

 

I'm about to tell you a story that is going to be talked about for years to come in my little town.

 

I don't know where to begin, so let's start a few years ago when the hubby and I started dating and got engaged.

No this isn't a love story, but well, sort of it is.

You see long ago the hubby and I knew  that we were called to ministry. We didn't know the details, but we knew that God was preparing us. So the hubby filled in at  a few churches, preaching on a Sunday or helping out with Sunday School, but we still were not certain. We prayed and prayed, we even thought about going to another town to be the youth leaders, but nothing felt quite right.

Fast forward to January 2012.

We had been looking for a good church to settle in with and hadn't yet found that in our town.

We felt led to try out Brand New Church in Mountain Home, which is a town about 45 minutes away from our house.

We loved it instantly!

Everyone was so nice, the music was awesome, and they served STARBUCKS! Hello!!!

We had arrived!

We still felt the pull to be a part of ministry so we continued to pray and reall listen for God's direction. All the while, God was still preparing us. Like a good roast in the oven on slow and low.

That was our journey. Slow and low.

We helped out in the kids area and wherever else we were needed.

And as some of you regular followers of this blog know, my hubby left his job at the end of September 2012 to start doing what he had felt God calling him to do. Except he didn't really know exactly what that was, he just knew he couldn't serve the way He wanted us to when he worked on the road and was gone all week.

So we met up with our pastor, and started talking about opening a sattelite church here in Salem, our town. He thought it was a great idea! You see Brand New Church, or BNC, has the main campus in Bergman, Arkansas. And then there are 10 or so other sattelite campuses. Each location has a campus pastor and a live worship band, but we watch the main message on a screen every Sunday together.

So back to our coffee date with the pastor.....

We talked it over some more, he encouraged us to continue to pray and so would they. We all felt excited about the possibilities and knew that God was IN this!

We met up the week after Christmas and decided that this was the right thing to do.

So this is finally it!?!!?? Yes!!!!! A BNC was going to open in Salem and Teddy would be the campus pastor! So exciting!

Now about a building to meet in????

There is an old building here in town that we felt was just right. We knew immediately, along with our worship leader and his wife that THIS BUILDING had to be it!

So we contacted the owners and they said they wanted $2000 a month.

Hold the phone! Say what?

We told them we were thinking more like $700??!!

So they thought about it and called us back................

And do want to know what they said to us?????

Are you still with me?????

OK.

The called back our Finance Pastor and asked him if we would like to acquire the building for  FREE?

FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They needed a tax write off, we needed a church building and BOOM!

Can you believe that!!??

We have felt certain about this all from the beginning, but this was such a HUGE affirmation that God is preparing our way! He is hand in hand with us in this journey.

 

He's doing the Supernatural, while we do the natural.

 

I urge you to not think small in your prayers. We serve a very mighty and powerful God. He is still in the miracle business my friends and nothing is TOO BIG for Him.

Can you imagine what God is going to do in this town if he worked out the details to get us a building for FREE?

For all of you in the area reading this, we plan to have a soft launch mid February and then our Grand Opening March 31, Easter Sunday!

We are so excited and ready to do God's work. We cannot wait to see where He is going to bring us and the people's lives that will be transformed thru this experience.

I will tell you right now, it's already changing my life.

If He is For us, who I ask you, could be against us?!

It's A New Year

So like everyone else, I'm here with a New Year's post :)

And no, I haven't taken my tree down.

Hubby says it has to come down on January 1st.

I say it can stay up all year!

Ok, not really.

Well....maybe yes! Ha!

 

I am reflecting on 2012 and thinking about the year, and the many things that went on with our families. The good, the bad and some ugly. Some very ugly.

 

So I am hopeful about 2013, like I am every year at this time.

 

I'm going to lose one zillion pounds, drink only green smoothies, be nicer to EVERYONE, dust the ceiling fans more often, remember to floss, get oil changes on time, be better about calling people back, etc., etc.

Oy!

I do know that 2013 will be one for the books. I have high hopes and dreams of what is possible with God this year and many more to come.

I'm choosing to claim His victory and LIVE.

 

I will not pass up the fun things to sit this year out on the sidelines.

I want to be THAT girl. The girl that others wonder what in the world has gotten into her?!

 

 

I also thought about focusing on a few words to help me stay focused all year on what's really important.

But then I got distracted and couldn't remember the words.

This isn't going very well is it?

 

So here are a few words I did think will bring in this New Year right.

 

Seek - First and foremost I want to set aside the first part of my day EVERYDAY to seek God.

Thru prayer and Bible reading, I want to make the relationship I have with God #1.

Because everything falls into place when you put your Creator first. Everything.

 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

 

Health- I have written posts and babbled on to anyone who would listen about wanting to get healthier. But it was just words. My walk never caught up to my walk. Shameful.

So instead of making this another year that I don't get healthy and take better care of myself, I'm going to make this THE YEAR that I finally kick my unhealthy act out the door, and welcome in the Zumba loving girl I know is hiding inside of me. And I want you all to know, that by the grace and mercy and love of God, this WILL be the year I get pregnant. I am going to do everything possible to make this body healthy and prepare it to grow a baby. I get goosebumps just thinking about that!

 

 

Whole- I don't know about you, but over here at the Jeter house, we have watched one too many Netflix documentaries. Farmageddon, Fresh, Food Inc., Forks Over Knives, and my favorite; Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. (What a title!) So needless to say we are tenderhearted animal lovers and to see and hear and read what REALLY happens to the food we buy from the grocery store is heart sickening to us. Not to mention gross. We are trying to be more sensitive to the food we buy and eat. Eating WHOLE food and not processed. And choosing to make more at home, like breads, soups, etc.We will choose farmer's market over grocery store every time and I will be more serious about gardening this year and putting back our bounty. To this day we still have veggies and squash hanging out in the freezer that were put up when their taste of summeryness was at it's peak. The hubby is a hunter and we also try and find local/organic; sources for beef, chicken, pork, etc. And of course you know about the chickens in the backyard right? Let's not talk about the fact that they are NOT laying eggs though, ok? Spring is coming.

 

"Whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. "

Phillipians 4:8

 

 

Intentional- I want to be more intentional with my time and relationships. I could easily waste half a day or more sipping coffee, reading books, looking at blogs. I want to get into a routine of doing chores/housecleaning/tasks everyday so that I stay on top of things and don't let the dishes/laundry/dust bunnies pile up. It's happened before. Don't judge. I also hope to get in the routine of having the hubby help me with the housework and I will help him with the yard work etc. I think we will both appreciate each other much more when we work side by side and can enjoy a neat and tidy home. And as for relationships, I often text people instead of calling them. And it woudl be even better if I actually had some real face time with them. My life should not be too busy that I can't have real life meet ups with friends and family. Nurturing relationships is important!

 

"Be very careful then, how you live.....making the most of every day opportunity because the days are evil."

Ephesians 5:15-16

 

Simplify- I want to cut out any junk that keeps me from God. Period. You know what I'm saying. Spending too much time with the tv/computer/iPhone looking at Netflix/Pinterest/Instagram. We haven't had "tv" in our house for over 2 years and sure sometimes I miss it. And then when we are somewhere that has cable/dish/direct, I remember why I'm glad we don't have it. Even if you are watching a wholesome show, the commercials and other stuff are junk.

 

Encourage- I want to encourage others on this journey thru life. And I only want to be surrounded by others who are also encouraging. I no longer need to be a part of gossip or any sort of talk that is negative. Especially when it pertains to other people. I want to act and walk in love and let my light shine for all to see. If it isn't beneficial or nice, I'm going to try my best to not say it.

 

" Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Ephesians 4:27

 

 

I could probably think of a few more words to add for this years goals. I'm kind of wordy if you haven't noticed:)

 

Please know that I'm writing all this out for me. I need to be accountable. I am not perfect. I wll trip and fail. I will forget to take my vitamins everyday. I will choose ice cream over broccoli and I will no doubt say lots of things I shouldn't and hurt people's feelings.

But thankfully, I have a loving and forgiving God. A God who planned out my life and knows my every step, my every thought. He is merciful and amazing. And He will help me make my wrongs right, and stand me back up when I have fallen yet again.

Talk about the ultimate insurance plan!

 

When I came across this verse, it hit me HARD.

 

"When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it."

Ecclesiates 5:4-5

 

 

I would love for you to share with me any goals or hopes you have for this year?