Hey ya’ll,
Thanks for reading and here’s the promised part 2 of the keeping it real post. Our trip to the Emerald City of Seattle was in the making for a couple of months. The main reason we went out was to help support and encourage two of our friends, Chad and Desi, who were helping put on The Display concert at the University of Washington. We had long been looking forward to this trip and having the opportunity to help out/be with them in the middle of everything. However, little did we know going into it just how badly we needed to be there for ourselves as well. It was a week filled with beauty, encouragement, and restoration. A much needed step back from our new normal in MN that provided perspective and refreshment.
Like I wrote about in part 1, we had been experiencing numerous ups and downs with our move. The good pieces outweighed the hard ones, but that doesn’t change the fact that the hard parts were still hard. Homesickness was a large part of this for me. I flew out to Seattle on a Sunday and AJ came on a Wednesday, due to his work schedule. My first day back in the PNW was actually one of my most homesick days. This might seem ironic, but it was odd returning as a visitor. Being there again was delightful, but mixed with a sense of loss… primarily of our community of friends… but the mountains and water was included in that… pretty much all of the “normal” things there, minus the traffic. That will never be missed. Ever.
Community
The week was filled with catching up with our Seattle folks. Part of that included supporting each other with the nitty gritty things of life. This included everything from conversations to cooking and cleaning. Largely, our goal in returning was to free up time for our friends so they could focus their energy on each other, others, and prepping for the concert. Our hearts were all singing. AJ and I love such behind-the-scenes roles and felt so alive. We had lots of time to connect with friends over meals, coffee, runs, and music. The conversations were so beautifully transparent and many things our friends shared with us were exactly what we needed to hear. Some of what we soaked in included…
- When we feel alone, we know that God wants to show us He is with us. When we feel weak, we can know that He wants to show us He is strong. He wants to show us His heart, which is the opposite of any feeling that isn’t good and He’s increasing our capacity to experience His presence in any/every circumstance.
- When God calls us to rest, it isn’t always easy. He’s teaching us to live and operate out of a place of rest in Him in even hard situations. Like Jesus napping in a rowboat in the middle of the storm.
- The winter is when roots grow deep, even though you can’t see change on the surface.
- Even when we don’t feel clarity on what we are hearing God say, we can know that He trusts us. He’s made us new and loves our hearts. They reflect Him.
- God loves us too much to let us have an artificial confidence… like God having Gideon reduce his army to 300. No false confidence, just true confidence in Him.
- There are no voids in nature. What’s emptied is filled right away. Like a pitcher pouring out water, air rushes in. The same is true spiritually. When we pour out and pour out, God fills up and restores again. He’s all about renewal.
- Just like a good coach with an athlete… resistance is needed to develop strength. That becomes a tool to once again increase our capacity.
The Display
Friday night was the concert, The Display. It was incredible to be a part of the birthing of this dream. Essentially, it was a worship night in the middle of UW’s campus. Singing and declaring God’s love, goodness, and heart… together. Unity is really building in the body in Seattle. Churches from across the city and ministries from campus came together to sing and celebrate. It was awesome! Definitely a great event, but also a part of the building momentum of a movement of Love across the city and campus of UW.
Love invaded and there was a distinct atmosphere shift during worship as every hindrance dropped and joy and freedom abounded. People were physically and inwardly healed. Hopeful expectancy grew. It was beautiful. Contagious. That’s how perfect love works… it’s addictive. Satisfying, yet leaves you craving more. God provided everything for this to happen. The list goes on and on, but some cool examples include…
- no rain! It was forecasted to rain all day, heaviest from 6-9 when the concert was. It misted in the morning/afternoon a bit, but then stopped as the band started their sound check. I kid you not, a blue patch opened up in the sky right above UW and remained for the duration of the concert. And less than 2 minutes after it ended, it started raining! One of the stage crew guys said “I don’t know what higher authority you guys are praying to, but that wasn’t supposed to happen.” God is good!
- AJ and I did stage lighting… and had no idea what we were doing. We all prayed about it in the afternoon, for direction on what to do. I went to the hardware store and the guy that helped me had done stage lighting for 3 years! He knew everything. And the stage turned out awesome! The UW staff now want to use the ideas he helped us create.
- The Display team was 100% committed to this dream and is 100% committed to faithfully living as God leads. Chad and Desi charged everything on their credit cards, not knowing how exactly funding was going to come, but knowing God would provide for them and for this dream that He planted. As Chad said, there was “no plan B… no back up plan for rain, funding… and it was all completely paid off within 2 days of the event.” They trusted Him with everything, and that’s what He provided! Faith and trust and boldness are continuing to build as God continues to provide. He’s so trustworthy!
Other Takeaways
During the week, we had lots of time to reflect on Minnesota and what we wanted to see happen. One of the main takeaways was just how badly we needed to surround ourselves with people who were hungry for God and His heart. After all, it is in His presence that we are changed by His love. We felt a lot of clarity on the desire to bring people together who are also craving this. So, we started a little gathering of friends. A house church. No formal structure, just focused on relationships with God and each other. A place where we can encourage and be encouraged as we see God’s heart. Communally worshipping and pursuing life in His Spirit. Together learning to rest in His arms, as loving Him isn’t about striving. Practicing communicating His delightful perspective over each other. It’s beautiful. We’ve had one meeting so far and everyone is excited about God’s goodness and about what He’s doing in our lives and in our town. We want more!
The other main takeaway I had from Seattle was in regards to work. I’ve been working 3 days a week at People’s Organic. It has been an overall positive experience, but it just became apparent to me that it has been interfering with my ability to spend time with my family. And family is why we moved. We could work in Seattle. Jobs weren’t what brought us here. The desire to be with our loved ones did. In this short season, our goal is just to be present and make ends meet.
So folks, the invitation to prioritize with my time what I wanted to with my life appeared. And AJ and I talked and prayed, and took it. I put in my notice and will be done working as a barista there at the end of the month (October). I may end up training their new employees on coffee, but that’s still in conversation. I will be working 1 day a week, for at least the time being, at my mom’s office helping with organization and filing tasks. I might end up doing some other side jobs, too, but I don’t know right now. AJ will be working and we’ll do what we need to do financially, but operating out of fear is not one of those things. Our strategy is to be intentional about listening to what God is saying and be mindful of our motivations.
What we do know right now is our dreams, desires, and intentions for being here in Minnesota. After Seattle, we have a fresh, unified perspective on our priorities and what we feel like we’ve been called to do. Like Chad and Desi talked about, we don’t want to create a Plan B, but trust God to provide for what He’s leading us into/what we feel we are hearing from Him. We know He’s got our backs. And right now we don’t have answers to what all that will look like as far as work, time, etc.
Something that we’ve been talking about lately is the difference between a plan and a strategy. Bob Goff writes briefly about this in Love Does, which helped bring some words to our thoughts around this topic. We don’t have much of a plan at this point, but our strategy is set. We are excited about our upcoming time in MN and aim to live with intentionality. Time and life are a precious adventure. Let’s enjoy the process.
~Robyn and AJ
Backcountry Bakers 