Our Next Big Adventure

This blog is about the many hats I wear. I'm a pastors wife, mom of a large family, adoptive parent and I'm raising two children with special needs. It's purpose is to share about these different aspects of my life and how they work together. All the while keeping friends and family updated and a mothers heart reflective with the story telling... 

Well... we're entering our next big adventure and I've got a new story to tell. 
Another side of Amy, if you will. 
Church planters wife.

This is story much larger than me, but it's from my perspective. So let me go back a little ways.

Jake has been in ministry for almost as long as we've been together. What started as a passion to be discipled and to know God more, turned into a mentorship with our pastor and volunteering with the Jr High kids. Just before we got married, that grew into part time youth ministry (and part time still working at the steel plant). As our little family grew, that became full time youth ministry and ordination. And Youth Pastor over Jr High eventually turned into Jr and Sr High Youth Pastor and ministry head over the Youth Department. Then pouring into and discipling friends and youth volunteers turned into passing all of it to new Jr and Sr High youth leaders and taking on a new roll of Associate Pastor. (Just before our own oldest daughter started Jr High. Talk about full circle.)

When that kind of personal growth happens simultaneously with a church that grew from 200 people in a school gym to thousands of people on a 150 acre campus, you learn a lot along the way.

And at some point along that journey, The Lord started stirring. Jake began preaching for our senior pastor when he had to be gone. The congregation got to hear what I'd been listening to in youth group for years. A man who has a gentle but fierce heart for The Lord and people. And God started stirring a passion and vision in Jake. I didn't know what it would look like or when it would happen but I knew God was stirring Jakes heart for a specific purpose.

My husband has a gift to teach God's Word. And believes in his core that Jesus called his followers to make more followers. And I'm not just talking about having children-- although we clearly believe in that too. ;) Jake has a passion and gift for discipleship. His heartbeat is to love people well, to make disciples and to teach them to make disciples. All through the vehicle of community and doing real life together.

The last two years have been a wild roller coaster of hearing and not hearing from God, knowing He's calling us out but not sure of what or where specifically, and then a flood of open doors, connections and confirmations. To tell all the details of the last two years and how the Lord called us would be to write a memoir. And some of it is deeply personal. But the Lord is so good. Though we couldn't always see it, He's been busy working, redeeming, pruning, growing and preparing.

But the outcome of our journey is really the beginning of a new one.

God has called us to plant a church in Knoxville.

Whew, it's still surreal to say!!

And He's not just calling us. The friends He's called to go with us... are so much more than friends. They're our people, our community. They're who we do life with. And our passion is the same. To love God and love others, to obey whatever The Lord calls us to do and to go where He tells us to go. And we truly can't wait to see who joins us along the way.

People usually have the same questions, so I'm going to try to address each of them here.

"Why Knoxville?" Well because the Lord said so. :) Jake loves ministering to college kids. And the Lord gave us a vision to plant a church that eventually plants more churches. A college town is a great place to do that, so that's what first brought Knoxville onto the radar. And there have been lots of connections and relationships there. The Lord randomly bringing people across our path... the stories are incredible. Stuff only God can do. And remember that Jake was in youth ministry for years and some of the kids he had went on to UT. The more we prayed and investigated, the more it became evident that the Lord was speaking loud and clear. It's time to take Grace Chapel to Knoxville.

The next big question is, "when?" And that depends on how quickly The Lord moves this process along. Jake has already begun making trips out there to get the ball rolling: following up on connections the Lord has already made, building relationships, and eventually getting some small groups started. (I could cry right now at the goodness of the Lord bringing new people across our path and opening doors.) It was announced to our church this morning and our house goes on the market Wednesday. But each and every step we're committed to seek The Lord and ask Him what's next. This is His thing not ours.

For me personally, people always ask, "how are the kids?" Our 4 youngest don't seem to be affected by it much at all. Their closest friends are in the families that are going with us (again, we do life together) so that helps a lot. And they think a new house sounds like an adventure. Micah and Abby will of course take some adjusting to a new school, but I'm confident that God with supply all their needs according to His riches and glory. :)

Emily is a very go-with-the-flow kiddo and she's taking it all in, focusing on the good. Her best friend moved away several years ago and they still keep in contact so I don't think she has much anxiety about moving away from her friends. Again, one of her closest friends now is going with us as well.

Ashley has been so mature processing it all. It'll be hardest on her, being 12, but she's always known that we go where God calls us and we take nothing for granted. Many of her questions, I have to answer with, "we'll have to trust God for that." And because she's been around the longest, so to speak, she's seen God provide for our family over and over again through the years. I think this will be an opportunity for her faith to be stretched as well.

The current plan is that we will homeschool Ashley, Emily, Mabry and Kate. Unless The Lord shows us otherwise. And I'm walking forward with open hands in that.

We're looking at west Knoxville. You see, Jake. loves. water. If he could chose anywhere to live, it would be on the water. And God is so good... As he was praying about rather or not the Lord was calling us to Knoxville, he realized that the Tennessee River and Fort Loudon Lake run right through the area where He's opening doors. And for me, still being in the Tennessee hills makes me feel right at home. (So note: don't be afraid to ask God for things. Sometimes He calls you to make big sacrifices while simultaneously filling the desires of your heart.) 

Its a bittersweet transition for me. I've lived in Spring Hill for 18 years (with the exception of our first married year in Franklin). I went to youth group in Thompsons Station, prom at Page and Spring Hill High, and graduated here with my homeschool class. I met my husband here, this is where we dated, where he proposed and we got married in Cool Springs. I birthed all 5 of my babies in Williamson Medical and this is where we brought Micah home. Both of our only 2 homes are in Spring Hill. This is home.

Except this isn't our home. Knoxville won't be our home either. Our home is in heaven. This life isn't about setting up camp, its about living for something greater than ourselves. Its about living for Jesus. And He called us to make disciples. He said that people would know His disciples by their love for one another. Home is where we are loving people, reaching the lost and making disciples.

My dream home is up on hill, with a perfect view of the mountains, a lake in the valley, a big front porch, all hardwood floors, clawfoot tub in my bathroom and a screened in porch in the back. ;) I have no doubt that's what the Lord is working on for me in heaven. And if I get a little taste of that on earth, awesome. But until He comes, there's work to be done. People need the hands and feet of Jesus to walk with them through their mess. I need people to walk with me through my mess! My kids need to be discipled themselves and my husband needs me to be supportive of his/our ministry. 

This next life adventure isn't going to be easy. Its probably going to be really really hard. I'm not always going to be up for the challenge. Some days I'm going to loose it and cry in my room for a while. I know this because we've been on adventures before. Not church planting specifically, but... we've seen our share of challenge. But God is faithful to His Word and when He calls (or allows) us to walk through something, He sustains us through it.

In Gods economy, the hard road is so much better than the easy one. It produces fruit in and around us and it Glorifies Him. What more could you ask for?

There's so much more I could say, but that covers most the update from the perspective of our family life. I will update my blog more, now that this is official and I have the freedom to do so. And you can follow the church updates at www.gracechapelknoxville.net 

For now, some prayer points for our family specifically:

~For a smooth transition for the kids

~That the Lord would be in every detail of selling our house

~That we would find just the right house in just the right area of Knoxville

~Stamina for Jake as he travels back and forth until we're there

~Wisdom as we look at schools for Micah and Abby

Thank you, precious friends and family who have loved us so well, for your prayers as begin this journey. To Jesus be the Glory.

My Homemade Cleaners

I have had so many friends ask for my recipes for homemade cleaners. It feels silly to post because they're crazy easy to make and I'm certainly no authority on the matter. But its an easy way to share with my friends, so here it is.

First let me say- people have different reasons for making homemade cleaners. But mostly:

-To be healthier for their family

-To be greener for the planet

-To get things cleaner faster

-To save money

I have to admit, my main goal is the last one. Being healthier for my family and getting things cleaner faster tie for second. So if a cleaner doesn't save me money, I'm not going to do it. If two options are the same cost, I'll go with the healthier one, obviously. So if Chemical free is your first priority, you might not be a fan of my homemade choices. Just a disclaimer.

Laundry Detergent.

I used to make the Duggar liquid soap recipe because I've always preferred liquid detergent. But after about a year of that one, I felt like it wasn't quite cleaning as well as I wanted it too. I had to really pre-treat any soiled spots. And who has time for that? Do the Duggars do that? I even wondered if the recipe had a typo so I stopped diluting it by half the last time. And I still felt like it wasn't getting our very dirty clothes clean.

And if you've ever made liquid laundry detergent, most smell great but look like snot. Or egg drop soup. Gross.

I tried a couple variations I found on Pinterest of dry detergent. But have settled into this one. Its not super super natural/organic but its natural enough that it doesn't bother my 5 kids who have eczema or sensitive skin. And it smells awesome. And it cleans great. And like any homemade detergents its still crazy cheap. So. I'm a fan.

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1 (3lb) Container of OxyClean (I use the Kroger brand)
• 2 (14.1oz) Bars of Zote Soap (You could also do Fels Naptha or a Castile Bar. But again, I'm not going for super organic, just cheap and good-cleaning.)
• 1 Box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda (The recipes I tried that omitted this, I didn't like as much. This really cuts the stink that my family emits into their clothing. Maybe that's just us.)
• 1 Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (This isn't totally necessary, but it makes it smell like heaven. Just do it.)

Grate up the bar soap with a cheese grater (and then clean the grater in the sink and rinse really well. Don't put it in the dishwasher. Trust me on this one.) Mix it all up in a 5 gallon bucket. Use roughly 2 Tablespoons per load. 

(Recipe Source)

I've never taken the time to figure out the exact cost per load. But for now I can tell you that it's roughly $30 for all the ingredients and it lasts me for several months. And we do 2-3 loads of laundry a day. (I say we because my oldest two do their own.) 

Over time, with any homemade detergent, I notice that my whites aren't quite as bright. So I dunk them in bhyrdogen peroxide or lemon juice. Maybe even bleach... really just whatever whitening agent I have around. And add in a scoop of my laundry detergent too and soak it all overnight.

Some blogs I found link all these ingredients to Amazon. But I'm not doing that because I can always find these things cheaper at Kroger than on Amazon. I'll leave your deal finding to you.

Fabric Softener

I use Distilled white vinegar.

*crickets*

That's seriously it. If you want you could add essential oil. Like Melaleuca or Lavendar. But I just use straight up white vinegar. No it doesn't stink (everyone always asks that), my laundry just smells like the super clean/flowery detergent. And its crazy soft. And I don't need fabric softener sheets. Sooooo yeah. That's it. Moving on.

All purpose cleaner

Now when I say all purpose... I'm not messing around. I use this for literally. everything. But I might add some extra "helpers" depending on what I'm cleaning. In a spray bottle combine:

• 1 part water
• 1 part distilled white vinegar
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• 1 quick squeeze of dish soap (Dawn works great but I've used Seventh Generation too)
• essential oil of your choice

Add the dish soap last or it will bubble up as you fill the other ingredients in. If you use essential oil, you'll have to give it a shake each time before use.

For the essential oil: I do Onguard during flu season. Right now I'm doing Purify. Grapefruit is also a good one and smells really clean. Technically, if you use a citrus oil, you should use a glass spray bottle and I do not. I'm a rebel like that.

I use this cleaner by it's self for:

~Kitchen Counters

~Kitchen table

~Appliances (its great on stainless appliances)

~Windows and Mirrors (the alcohol makes it evaporate quicker, so there's no streaking)

~Toilets

~Sinks

~Shower walls

~Bathroom floors

~Carpet (yes carpet)

~Fabric couches (unless its permanent marker and I have to bring out the big guns)

~Toys

And for some extra scrubbing power, I use my spray and then sprinkle down baking soda. Vinegar and Baking soda do this cool science experiment thing and foam up when combined. And it cleans really really well. And its not toxic. #winning 

So I do that for:

~Inside the toilet bowls

~My kitchen sink when it gets really gunky (use an old toothbrush to scrub around the faucet)

~Bathtubs

~Shower floors

I used to sprinkle kosher salt on a half of a citrus fruit and use that to clean bathtub rings. It works really good, but I think my spray and baking soda work just as well. And baking soda is cheaper (and faster) than fruit so I just stick with that.

**bonus tip #1: buy one of these and fill it half way with dish soap and half way with vinegar. Leave it in or near the shower and give the shower a good scrub while you're in it. It saves you from that awkward yoga move you have to do to clean the shower while you're dry and end up wet (and sweaty) anyway and have a dislocated shoulder. This is much easier.**

**bonus tip #2: grease stains come very nicely out of clothing when you lay it flat on the table and sprinkle some cornmeal over it and let it set overnight. We don't ask why it works, we're just grateful it does. (Nod your head with me.)**

**bonus tip #3**: I hate baking soda boxes because when I grab them with a wet hand (because I'm cleaning with it) it gets soggy. So I pour my baking soda in a mason jar and use a Parmesan cheese lid (yes they fit mason jars) so I can sprinkle it out easily. Since I use baking soda on so many things, this has been a lifesaver for me.

Mopping

I've got a huge stainless stockpot that I fill 1/2 way up with about 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar and several drops of essential oil. Usually melaleuca. I warm it up on the oven a little and then use it to hand mop all my floors. I just think regular mops leave way too much behind. And I like to clean the baseboards at the same time. Think about how quickly you can wipe down your counters. I move that quickly through a big section of floor and then plunge my rag in the pot again to refresh it. My downstairs is pretty big so if I'm doing the whole thing, I dump and refill my pot once.

Stuff I still use chemicals for

There are some things that I've tried making homemade versions of but never found a recipe that cleans to my liking. 

Dish soap. I use Dawn. Or if our grocery budget is really tight and I need a deep sense of satisfaction from saving 85 cents, I'll buy the store brand of Dawn. I've also tried Seventh Generation and a couple other natural dish soaps and none of them had the same cleaning power as Dawn. And they're more expensive. So Dawn for the win.

Dish detergent. I really wanted to make this work. But everything I tried (including the Seventh Generation tabs and detergent liquid) left a film inside my dishwasher, made my dishes irreparably foggy and made me want to say bad words when I would open up a just-run dishwasher when I had a sink (and counter) full of more dishes that needed to go in.

Jake texted me on his way home from work one day asking if there was anything he could get from the store. At my wits end I said, "Dishwasher detergent." 

"What kind?" 

"Something toxic. With chemicals."

For the love.

Stain remover. I use Shout. My laundry big guns. This is another that I would just love if the homemade version really worked. But I really really really love shout for spaghetti sauce stains, grass stains, marker on the couch and juice on the carpet. Or any other way my family members can manage to stain something I paid for.

Walls. Every home with children should be well stocked with Mr Clean erasers. They aren't "natural" but the store brand ones are cheap and work just as well as the Mr Clean brand. I use them almost daily to clean crayon, pencils and markers from walls, tables and cabinets. Yes daily. Don't judge.

The last thing have not tried but plan to next: homemade pledge. I'm still comparing recipes but I have the ingredients to make the one I want. I'll come back and update this post if I like it. I'm currently using Kroger pledge and it leaves my wooden furniture foggy after a few minutes so... I'm hoping I like the homemade stuff.

~~~

I think that about wraps it up! If you have any questions about any of this or you have a cleaner recipe you absolutely love, please feel free to comment! Here's to a cheaper grocery trip, a healthier family and a cleaner home!!