Church Announcements Say A Lot About a Church

I meant to blog about this a couple of weeks ago and just forgot in the chaos that is my life.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a proud "mom moment" however, it wasn't one of my kids that made me proud. It was my Church. I can only assume I feel this way about my Church because I have been there since close to the beginning and have watched it grow since it was a wee little one.

I am sitting there next to a girl who has never been before and who is skeptical about "Church" to begin with and my husband gets up to give the announcements.

Here they were:

Porn Again Christian- the guys in our Church will be going through a book written by Mark Driscoll called Porn Again Christian at The Gingerman Pub on Monday nights.

Santa Rita Courts- We, as a Church, are going to throw a huge backyard bash at the oldest projects IN THE COUNTRY on the east side of Austin. We will be serving this community food, playing a three on three basketball tournament with them, hanging with the kids, face painting and will have bands playing music.

Uganda- We have a missions team that will be going to Uganda for a couple of weeks in the summer. Please talk to Mary Monkton or Justin Hroch about going, if you are interested.

Adopt a Missionary Program- We have a new program that our City Groups will be taking on where each CG adopts a missionary. We email that missionary, commit to praying for that missionary, skype with that missionary, send care packages to that missionary and if we feel called to do so, help financially support that missionary. Basically, we become like a family to them and support them however they need support.

Last week...we had a missional spotlight from the Nixon's who have been helping the Schleuter's love on a group of homeless people here in Austin. They are letting these people into their homes to take showers, eat dinner and help do work around the house. They have started a new ministry called Renew, where they have taught the homeless how to make art out of trash. They are selling them at a booth on Congress at First Thursday. The coffee tables they made were UH-MAZING!! Want one!

I'm sitting there thinking..."this is such an awesome church". The word "porn" doesn't get mentioned in Churches very often and the fact that there is a pretty big group of guys that show up each time Nate goes through this book at The Gingerman, is really really cool to me. It shows that there are men who can get honest with their sin/struggles, share them with other men, and fight that sin together. I love it. I love that my husband doesn't think twice when asked to lead it. It's a pretty vulnerable spot to be in.

The Santa Rita Courts Backyard Bash was AWESOME! We had over 200 people show up and went through hundreds of burgers and hot dogs. We played with children who looked like they'd never played a game in their life. They were giddy over the face painting and by the end of the day, they were painting us! There were 6 year old girls that held Betsy better than I did (I'm assuming they get lots of practice with younger siblings) and little boys that wouldn't let go of my legs when I would try to walk. They were STARVING to be touched, to play games, to have a conversation, to tell you their name. I loved it and am talking with my friend Tara right now about starting a women's Bible Study over there.

I don't know as much about the trip to Uganda this summer but I know the team that went last year said it was life changing. I have seen the video and I wanted to go this year so bad but can't leave Betsy for two weeks yet. Maybe next year!

The Adopt a Missionary Program has been great for our City Group so far. We have a missionary named Heather and she is a missionary among the Shan people. She is AMAZING and her sacrifice in the name of Christ is so inspiring. It has changed the way Nate and I view our lives and our family mission and has spurred many conversations, since meeting her last week, about what true sacrifice is. I am so excited to get to know her more and pray for her as she prepares to return to Myanmar.

I love my Church. And it's announcements.

Begging for More

I had a fun girl's night out last week...for about an hour and a half before Nate started texting me wanting to know "where I was". Betsy woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. (Let's just say they're both up "shoot's" creek if I ever die in a car wreck.) However, that's not at all why I'm writing.

I was challenged by my three lovely friends (ahem...Amy, Hannah and Megan), to update my blog more often. I don't really update it often enough for a couple of reasons: one...my life is rather redundant and two...I had no idea people actually read it. No one EVER comments. It's a good thing I don't find my value in how many comments by blog posts get!

We spent the evening here laughing over stories and sneaking sips of wine from each other's glasses when the person wasn't looking. We got giddy over the idea of starting a book club with each other. Three of us have read the book "The Help" (which you can read about here) and so we are starting to discuss that book tonight over more wine.

So...in light of these girls thinking I have a little bit of talent in the writing department, I have decided to set a goal to blog at least twice a week. I know it's not a lot but it's a start.

Letter to Jessica, Ava and Betsy

So, Mother's Day is coming up this week. It has been a morning of reflection for me as I think about that and what it stands for. It is a day set aside to honor our mothers. Some mothers are definitely worth honoring...and some aren't. My mom is a mom worth honoring mainly for her love for my brother and me. She and my dad raised us in a Christian home and for that I am the most thankful.

My reflections today have been mainly on what my role as a mother to Jessica, Ava and Betsy will mean to them someday. What will they look back on and remember about me? We are given these precious children to raise the best we can and it's so hard and such a big responsibility. Gosh, I know I've messed up so many times already and will mess up so much more but the main thing I want them to take away from my parenting is that I taught them about God's love for them. That he loved them so much that he sent his son to die for their sins. I hope they grasp that someday. It's hard for me to grasp, actually, but I learn more about God's love for me every day.

I have written them a letter to share my feelings about being their mom...



Dear Jessica, Ava and Betsy,

I love the three of you more than I could ever express in words so I'm praying that over your lifetime, my actions will show you.

I hope you remember me for always hugging you, telling you how beautiful you are and how proud I am of you. I hope you remember me reminding you that beauty of the spirit is more important than beauty of appearance. I hope you see me strive to model that and not just say it. I hope you will all feel comfortable talking to me when you are going through tough times and that I was remembered for being a good listener, not just an advice giver. I hope you will come to me when you need prayer. I hope you will trust me and feel safe with me.

I can promise you there will be hard times. You will cry over heartbreak, laugh so hard with friends you almost pee your pants, feel butterflies over a boy. There will be times you feel insecure. Times you feel overwhelmed. Times you feel sad. Times you feel left out. Times you will feel confused.

I am dreading the day I see you heartbroken over a boy. Or crying quiet tears in your room over someone talking about you. I'm praying that I will be graceful in how I love you in those moments.

You will most likely play sports, an instrument, sing in the choir or cheer on your school teams. You will have prom to attend. Homecoming. Football games. Parties.

I can promise you that I will love you through all of these things. I can also promise you that I will mess up. But at the heart of it all...I will love you.

I am praying that along with all of these normal things you will experience, that through it all, you are learning to grasp God's love for you and what the gospel means. This is my strongest prayer for you. It is the most important lesson in life.

I pray that one day I am not just your mother but also your friend.

My heart is busting at the seams with love for you three girls.



~Your Mom

My Husband is Cool

Not even a year ago, our family was eating Saturday morning breakfast at Austin Diner (one of my faves) and Nate was tossing around the idea "what would it look like if local musicians could find a way to give of their time and talent to benefit the city they live in?". As he's talking out loud to himself about this I'm thinking "Oh, uh uh, yeah. That sounds great", which could have been translated as "Gosh, I freaking love this french toast."

We had no idea that morning what was in store for us with that question.

Today...meet Music for the City.

This is Nate's baby and I am SO proud of what he has done with this. It started out as just a fleeting thought and has turned into an already respected and sought after Non-Profit here in Austin.

Music for the City has received press from News8 Austin, a front page article in the Austin Business Journal, an article in the Austin American Statesman and many many mentions on people's blogs, tweets and facebook pages.

One of their biggest accomplishments was in January when they threw a benefit concert (in a mere two days) that raised over $17,000 for a rescue center in Haiti called Real Hope for Haiti.

On May 8th, Music for the City releases their first compilation album, filled with austin musicians and the songs they donated to benefit kids in crisis and victims of domestic abuse.

I am proud of Nate and feel blessed to be married to someone who cares so much about people...and a little jealous that he has such great ideas:).

My husband is really freaking cool.

Fashion Blog Phenomenon

There is a whole world of fashion blogging out there and I have stumbled upon it...

I have been quite the little fashion-blog-reader lately. There are a few that I find time to stalk in between projects at work and I'll share them with you in a bit. These girls are creative, talented, fashionable and way too cool...all of which I thought I was but am slowly learning that I'm not. I mean, getting the "best dressed" award at Temple High School doesn't really qualify you as being fashionable out in the real world, does it? Oh, wait...I didn't get that award, Rebekah did. So, I'm not even fashionable enough for T-town? So sad.

I used to think I was creatively fashionable but realize now that picking out the cute dress on the front rack at Target doesn't count. These girls have the ability to accessorize and arrange outfits in a way I can only dream about. Check them out:

www.adoredaustin.com Indiana Adams is in my city group at Austin City Life and is one of the top fashion bloggers in the country (I think)!
http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/ This girl has impeccable style and I love her decorating and cooking tips too!
http://www.kendieveryday.blogspot.com/ Not only is Kendi fashionable but she has me laughing outloud at my desk some days.
http://thistimetomorrow-krystal.blogspot.com/ Just found this one and have really enjoyed reading it.

Betsy Grace Navarro

So, I'd like to share a few things about our latest and greatest: Betsy Grace.
I am head over heels for her. I am head over heels for all three of my girls. Each one of them are so special to me and for very different reasons. Jessica and I have a special bond because it was just the two of us for five years. She is mature and wise beyond her years. Ava and I will forever but heads but she is so full of life and hilarious to be around. And Betsy...well...she's a little miracle and a testament of God's grace in my life, Nate's life and in our marriage.

Nate and I have been through things that most marriages would not survive and sometimes we look at Betsy and see grace all over her because had we not persevered through the hard times, she would not be here.

She is quiet, so sweet and has a smile that will light up the room. Sometimes she just looks at me and I almost feel for a second that she gets it. She gets that she is grace and she gets what she means to me.

Here is a note that Nate wrote about her on facebook right after she was born:


Betsy Grace arrived on December 19th, 2009, three weeks early and right on time! She weighs 8 pounds 12 oz, is 21 inches long, and is a mama's girl for sure!

We gave her the name Betsy after Melissa's "gran" whom our entire family loves deeply. We gave her the name Grace because to Meliss and I she is a beautiful picture of just that.

Those of you that know Meliss and I know that our first 5 years of marriage have been a rollercoaster....and not a kid-friendly Disney World kind of rollercoaster.....more like an old carny rollercoaster that comes off the tracks and takes out the dude selling corn dogs and cotton candy......ok......bad analogy.

Our marriage has had some unbelievable highs: the greatest being the births of Ava and Betsy Grace, helping start a church that we love, and the friends we have made along the way.

We have also had some devestating lows...lows that most relationships don't survive...lows that have left friendships broken...lows that have forced us to cling to and belive in something that we have often been close to but rarely understood...GRACE.

To be brutally honest we found out "we were pregnant" with Betsy Grace at a time when we thought our marriage wasn't going to survive...

But we did...were here...she's here....and it's GRACE.

And so it takes a village......

Over the last week we have been reflecting not only on God's grace and Betsy Grace, but we have been blown away by the grace that has come our way through our families, our church, and our friends.

Melissa's family watched our girls while we were at the hospital.

Our jobs gave us plenty of time off work.

Many friends have come to visit.

We were given baby stuff galore....beds, bedding, clothes, changing table, diapers, carseat, and the list goes on and on and on.

We have been loved well by our families, our church, and our friends.Thank you so much. Your friendship and generosity has been grace to us as we welcome Betsy Grace into the Navarro family!

So it has been 7 years since I met beautiful Melissa Jones at The Blind Pig Pub on 6th street. I was a skinny kid with long hair who played in a rock band and she was the prettiest girl who ever gave me the time of day. We would stay at the bar till the lights came up, hit "the Onion" for some late night pizza, and talk for hours....blissfully unaware of what the future would hold...

My how things have changed...

I got a haircut,a job, and am not quite so slender...late night pizza has been replaced with late night diaper changing...and 7 years in we have 3 daughters, 2 dogs, a thousand regrets, and are currently in the market for a minivan...wow!

The pain has been real....but so has the grace!

December 28th, 2009 finds me grateful for the grace that has come my way through the unconditional love, forgiveness, and healing found in Jesus,through my best friend Melissa Jones Navarro,our daughters Jessica, Ava, and Betsy Grace, our families close and far, our church, and friends like you.

Hugs all the way around,

Nate

What to Write About

My brain isn't big enough to sort out all of the thoughts that pass through it on a daily basis. I think about things like: work, kids, Nate, fashion, social justice, how to begin to help the homeless and what that looks like, how to fit in grabbing lunch with certain friends to catch up, outspoken people who take politics too seriously, racism, adopting a child, praying for Haiti to open up their adoption again, reminding myself to pray for friends who have asked for it, wanting people to think I'm funny, wanting my husband to think I'm pretty, not wanting him to think anyone else is pretty, reminding myself we live in Austin, TX where all the pretty girls roam, praying for couples who are going through hard times, how to keep a clean house with three kids and a job, how in the world to keep up with laundry, loving my neighbors, loving my friends, how I need to be kind and thoughtful and encouraging to my husband, how badly I need to lose weight, how I need to be content with who God made me, how to stay home with my kids, how to love my children better, how bad I want that cute pair of shoes, reminding myself I have more shoes than I need and that I can't take them to heaven with me, instilling in my children the command to love others before ourselves...

This is why my head hurts at night.

These are some of the things I'll blog about as they are what's on my mind. Keep checking back...