mark + ange guinn

What a whirlwind the last two weeks have been.  Mark and I have been doing some major sorting and packing, as we’ve decided to move from our lovely (and spacious) house into one large room in a house with some friends.  We’re really excited to be paring down and taking another step towards moving overseas; excited to be living the Simplicity we like to talk so much about.

A single friend of mine was recently saying how it stinks that you only get hooked up with nice things for a home if you get married.  Otherwise, there’s no shower and it can take a really long time to be able to buy those things for yourself.  And I started thinking about what Mark and I are doing (I know – how self-centered…) and how it feels like we’re almost undoing our shower.  We did have a shower – 3, really – and we’re not getting rid of everything, but we are giving up a substantial amount of the things we’ve collected.  Sometimes it feels scary, like we’ll never be able to get back to the spot we’re in right now.  And sometimes it feels exhilirating, like we get to start over and don’t have the weight of so much Stuff to carry around with us. 

Would you make a move to a smaller space?  What would be the things you’d really want to take with you?  How does it make you feel just to think about it? 

It’s such an easy thing to talk about, and a seemingly crazy thing to actually do.  What do you think?

The longer I walk with God the more I like Him and the less I feel like I can predict His actions. He is the most surprising, loving, and competent leader! We transitioned out of pastoring a small church plant at the end of December and this week I got to watch with joy as my successor took his place. It’s crazy how you can have two months of discomfort and uncertainty and then all of a sudden, everything changes – sometimes in one week or even one day.

I’ve come to think of it like when you throw a little kid up in the air or pretend to drop them and then catch them. They love it and it creates warmth and connection. Psalm 107:23-32 has become a meaningful passage to us as we step into this new phase of life, and I think it describes this process. We get warmth and connection with the Lord as He leads us through these situations, and I LOVE following Him.

So this is a joyful day for me. I get to see the church I’ve loved and cared for in good hands – I’m SO excited for Danny and Nicole to come down – and I get to see the Lord Jesus leading His Church and caring for us. It gives us hope as we continue to step toward Northern Ireland.

Please pray with us in this time. We feel like this is an important time to ask the Lord to open those doors. Hopefully we’ll have some news soon.