What you don't know when you move ....

..... or get married.

So here's the thing: I have moved numerous times in my life. Each time I have to do all of the same things. It never gets easier, nor do I remember how awful it really is.

I also think:  NO WOMAN CAME UP WITH THIS SYSTEM! There should be ONE place to go in order to change your last name on EVERYTHING! But noooooooo .......... so let's just make a list for fun.

1. SS office
2.Credit cards
3. License
4. Any place where you have any card with your last name on it.
5. Passport
6. Optional:  email addresses
7. Title to your car or  loan

I'm sure there are others I am not even aware of yet. But if this isn't enough, we also have to .........

8. Find a new hairdresser - which, by the way, is the MOST traumatic thing to do.
9. Find a new primary care doc - release forms, new forms .... FORMS!
10. Other pertinent docs by gender - yeah, I said it.
11. Bank
12. Dentist
13. Pharmacy - giving ALL your new information
14. Eye doc
15. Find the DMV - or whatever your new state has decided to call it.
16. Find a new Vet
17. Find the closest Post Office

Oh ..... and most important: the closest Kohls, ice cream shop, Chick-Fil-A and mall.

THAT.IS.ALL.

Is God all we really need?

..... and if so, then why did He create us to need and desire relationships?

I have argued against this idea all of my adult life. I have also never understood it. Some of that is in how I am wired and some is just that I didn't get it. My mind could not fathom that God, whom I can't see or communicate with like a human, was all I needed. 

We are made to need and crave relationships and community. Proverbs talks a lot about friendships and the benefits of them. Ecclesiastes talks about a cord of three not easily broken. Jesus "needed" His disciples to pray with Him. We NEED others ... God has designed that. I think we compare the two ideas and they can't be compared. My relationships aren't God and He isn't like my human relationships.

It has always bugged me when people would say, God is all they need. I look at their lives and think, no kidding sherlock.....you have a home, husband, family, great job, money and friends (maybe not ALL of those things at once, but you get my point). Of course with those things you can say that.

Then I started, over the last 10 years, really getting to know God better. At the same time, developing sweet, godly friendships ..... and more recently, just got married. I can NOW say:  I GET IT BETTER. Don't get me wrong.....I am so thankful for the friendships I have and my new husband.

But I now get it ..... better ..... it is still a work in progress. However, I can't IMAGINE right now NOT having Jesus. Ultimately He knows everything about me, knows what I need, how I feel, my struggles and He will never fail me. I have what I thought would be the final thing that would make me happy and "complete" - a man. (don't get me wrong, he is great!) Only God completes us though, only God truly makes us happy and fulfilled. Only God is completely faithful.

I can't really explain it other then it is the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. It only has taken 30 plus years to click! I am a slow learner, what can I say?

God is all I need. I GET to have other things: a husband, a best friend, a home, family, other friends. BUT, He is all I really need.

Seeesters

 .... not by blood, but by the blood of Jesus.

The last month has been a whirlwind of emotions and activities. From an annual vacation with girlfriends in MI ... to packing a house and selling it ... to getting married and moving.  All things that this girl who likes her "sameness", both enjoyed and didn't. Most people don't like change and this girl is NO exception. 

One thing that has remained steady is the life-long, enduring relationships with these women. We have all been through A LOT of changes in the past two years. In fact, now all of us are in different locations, figuring out new normal's and working on new friendships but also being intentional about maintaining these. Hard stuff.

Not making any applications in this blog. Just being honest about all of the hard changes that will take time to work through; all the new normal's that will take time to form; all while trying to be what God wants us to be as Christ-followers.

I love these woman and I miss them in my every day life. Here's to new norms with you guys ... and working on starting a new annual tradition of meeting up each summer. Intentionality ....

Passing the Baton

Happy Father's Day

As I was thinking about our dad today a number of things came to my mind.....his example to his family:

• He has been a man of great faith.
• He has been a man of prayer.
• He has always sought God's will.
• He loved my mom so well and took such great, sacrificial care of her.
• He loves people.
• He taught us kids to use sport to reach others.
• He has always been a hard worker.

In recent months it has become clear that the "family baton" has been passed on to my brother, Scott. I see the same qualities in him that my dad has had. However, it is a role that he reluctantly takes on. Not because he is not equipped by God's grace, but because it means roles have been reversed ... and that is hard. He is teaching his children, through his and my SIL's example, that it is our responsibility to care for our parents in their old age ... no matter what ... no matter how hard ... no matter how sad ... no matter ... 

He will, and is, passing these same qualities on to his boys (and Lily), who will some day become dads and hopefully, by God's grace, continue passing the baton to the next generation of Huckaby men.

Happy Father's Day to my dad and brother. Love them both.

Lego's & Lessons

When my third nephew, Deacon was younger, he LOVED putting lego puzzles together! It was something we did together just about every time I visited. As he got older, they got harder and more complex! We have put together trucks, fire trucks, planes, ships, you name it! We would proudly take a picture and he would then display them on his shelves.

Now here's the thing about these lego projects:  you had to follow the directions. ONE piece out of place and the whole thing was ruined. You would have to take it apart at the incorrect spot and go again. The other thing about legos is that lots of kids have great imaginations and can design all kinds of things with legos.

I took a friend's son to the Lego Movie. I feel like I should watch it again because it had so many subtle lessons for life. The idea was that all of these lego people had routines that they followed every day. On the other hand there were those called the "master builders", who had great imaginations and could make anything they could think up. The leader of the land was a guy who wanted everything to be the same, everyone had to follow the "instructions" and could not think, or do, outside of the box. He had workers called, "micro-managers" who would go around and make sure everyone was following the instructions.

His goal was to capture all of the "master builders" and lock them up. The story had been told that there would be one person who would come and be able to save the land from leader. He was called, "the special" - "the most talented, capable person who would do amazing things because he was so special".  He could change everything.

The lego who was "the special" didn't think he was all that much. Nothing special about him. No one noticed him during the day. He did his job and there was nothing about him that stood out. However, in his mind he would come up with all these crazy ideas to build things....like a double decker couch with cup holders (which in the end was what saved he and his friends from certain lego death).

When he would mention his ideas, he was made fun of. No one thought much of his ideas. So he gave up and stopped trying. When he went to save all of the master builders, they ended up laughing at him and he was convinced again that there was nothing special about him. After lots of lego drama, "the special's" mentor said this to him:  "don't worry about what everyone thinks, embrace what is special about you".

In the end, of course, "special" saved all of lego land from the leader and his micro-managers and the land no longer looked like the same "block buildings made with instructions to be followed". Legos embraced being different, not fitting the mold and believing that what made them special was what was on this inside.

Lessons:

1. Think out of the box
2. Be ok with who you are - you are made in the image of God and are special.
3. Don't worry about what others think of you (that's hard)
4. Trying to make people fit into your mold isn't going to work, isn't right or healthy.
5. You are the most talented, capable person and will do amazing things because you are special. You can change everything (through the power of the Holy Spirit and with the gifts God has given you).

This ..... from a lego movie.

With my mouth I will praise the Lord

This morning I was praising Jesus remotely, with a friend, for all the He is doing and has done particularly these past few months, and she pointed me to this passage.

Ps. 66

"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before you mighty power. Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.'

Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him. For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance.

Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. Then you put a leader over us.

We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you - yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble. That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you - the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin n my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.  Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love for me."

About a month or so ago now I was on my way to physical therapy. As I usually do, because these appoinments are early morning ones, I stop at McDonalds for a cup of coffee and a breakfast bagel. As I pull up to the window to pay, the lady says, "your order was paid for by the car in front of you".

I always hear of people this has happened to, but it NEVER happens to me. I was so suprised that it took me a few seconds to get myself together. Now, let me back up some ...

I am a worrier, I panic, I think of all the worse things that can happen, I have every illness there is and I can be a hypochondriac. I know, this suprises most of you! (not everyone!) God will meet a need and then I will still worry the next time something comes up.

As most know at this point, I am getting married. So I put my house on the market and had a plan for how much I wanted to walk away with. It would be enough to pay off my car so that I wouldn't bring that debt into the marriage and still bring a good number of savings into it as well. While I was waiting for my house to sell, wedding costs were adding up as well. I finally found a couple to buy the house and we agreed on a number. However, when the appraisal came in EVERTHNG changed. I went from walking away with 10 grand to owing 12 grand if I wanted to sell. I didn't have the ability to do that and pay for a wedding and so I began to worry about what to do. I was reminded that I have NO control over any of this and I needed to sit back, trust God and watch Him work.

A friend of mine began to pray that God would meet my needs and to provide for Russ and I in unique ways; ways that would point to only Jesus and cause us to acknowledge that only God could have done this. He has. Long story short, I am selling my house for only a loss of about 2500. Today I found out I am being paid to develop my online courses. The amount will allow me to pay off my car and some other things as well, and leave me with a small surplus after the wedding. On top of that, I still have a few more things coming in that will help.

Back to the lady at McDonalds who paid my bill ... its as if God was telling me beforehand, that no matter what happens, He's got my back. I had no idea of all that would transpire with the sale of my house, quitting my job, getting married and how the Lord would meet our needs of the wedding and afterwards. He did (and He will). After this happened, a friend of mine reminded me of the McDonalds episode and that it was like God was telling me ahead of time that He will take care of everything. It might not, and hasn't looked like WHAT I HAD PLANNED or how I THOUGHT IT SHOULD. But God has meet my NEEDS and blessed me over and above those needs. I don't deserve it.

God is faithful, He can be trusted.