Housewarming/Birthday Party: Everyone's invited!

Hello friends!

We moved to Arkansas this summer! We're renting a house on the campus of Ecclesia College, where we're both working. Keith is the new soccer coach at Ecclesia & Lindsay is working in Financial Aid.

We wanted to open up our home to old friends & new friends to see our new place & celebrate Keith's birthday (8/26). We understand that most of you from back in Illinois won't be able to make it, but we still wanted to extend the invitation. :)

PRESENCE as PRESENTS: no gifts please!

Shalom!

Lindsay & Keith

He is here.

A thrill of hope

A weary world rejoices

BFF Planning Committee.

We're having another BFF weekend, this one at Christin's in Peoria. We just had a big planning session for Keith's & my FIVE YEAR BASH this summer.
July 10th weekend.
Get ready.

A new little miracle.

Welcome to the world, Marlo Valentine!

Congratulations, Jensie & Andy!

Could this beautiful little baby be real??

Planning my trip to KC...

I'm in!

I made the cut: I am in Eagle Eye!

I'm now on imdb.com, and someone mentioned me in a review.

It's been so exciting and strange...

"And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

Today I acted in a feature film.

Today went so well.

And they want me back tomorrow.

"We're definitely going to want you back tomorrow."

That wasn't planned. They want me back tomorrow.

So, in the scene: Shia's sketching the picture of me as we exchange a series of (flirtatious) glances, and then after a while I'm the one who gets off the train, not him. So I'm leaving the train, he hands the sketch to me, I look at it and say "What about the rest of me?", he says "Next time.", I get off the train, give him one last look & smile, and cut.

And partway through shooting, Shia writes his character's name and a phone number on the sketch. So now my character has his character's phone number. And they want me back tomorrow.

Pray for me.

I just want to be faithful with whatever God has for me.

I just want to love him and bring him glory and love people.

I am just in awe of what is going on.

The Crossing Macomb.

I've been waiting in anticipation for The Crossing to finally open here in Macomb. It's a church plant out of Quincy, IL, and they have been working on their Macomb campus for over a year now. They bought the old Thompson Food Basket building at Jackson & Wigwam (see above) and have given it an extreme makeover. Yesterday was their first service.

I am thanking God. It is a new, fresh addition to the body of Christ here. I worshiped uninhibited in spirit and in truth. I was taught the word of God in a powerful, pertinent way. I had communion with my brothers & sisters. The leaders felt genuine. The people were excited. I'm thanking God.

Keith was at a soccer game @ MSU yesterday, and he won't have a Sunday off for another few weeks, but he is so excited to check it out as soon as he can.

My prayer is that this new addition to the Church in Macomb will bring a fresh movement of the Spirit, and that it will not be about The Crossing but the glory of GOD. As we sang in worship there yesterday, "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." The Crossing is new and different and fresh and young for Macomb, but I pray that they will be unified with the rest of the body and that we would all work together for the glory of God.

"Not to us, but to your name be the glory."

The end of a great weekend.

*sigh* It was a really fun, full weekend in Chicago with Natalie, Charity, Nate & Mere. Tons of walking around the city, concert in Millenium Park, fireworks at Navy Pier, going to Nate & Meredith's church...

Tomorrow: print job with Elise Bergman, a local designer who makes beautiful dresses. I met her through Meredith.

Elise is giving me one of those beautiful dresses. :)

Then I have to go to a "rehearsal" for Elite's huge 25th Anniversary Celebration. The party is Thursday night, and apparently they're parading us around on stage in front of 900+ people (many of whom are big deals) for entertainment & promotion. So we have to go practice that...

I'm now at Marcus' for the night and am hoping to catch up on some sleep.

Keith is at home and is leading worship for Teen Week at Argyle, which started tonight. Next weekend is Andrew and Sharon's wedding, which we are both standing up in. :)

I miss Keith. But by God's grace I have been doing well emotionally for the past few days.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

xo

Happy Anniversary, Us!

We were wed three years ago this day.

Photo by Natalie Waymack

What an amazing three years it's been. Marriage just blows my mind. What a gift.

Stay tuned (for another couple of years) for details about our big Fifth Anniversary Bash!

I'm a ramblin' man.

I got home yesterday morning from my four days in Chicago....exhausted from a late, wonderful night with Meredith. I went straight out to my parents' to see them off for their 30th anniversary Alaskan cruise. I then had a couple of hours at home before Young Marrieds' Fellowship hosted by Jason & Ginger.

Keith and I were about to get to bed at a decent time when we started reading aloud together The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. 50 pages later, we went to bed too late. We got up relatively early (7:something) this morning (still very exhausted) to get packed and head to Bloomington-Normal. Today was the beautiful wedding of Michael O'Brien and Erin Simpson. Keith got to go the driving range with the guys when we got over here, and I got to buy a new pair of shoes because I forgot mine. I got some fabulous blue wedges at Target for like $13.

The wedding was in a place called Funks Grove and absolutely gorgeous. It was out in the woods. The pews were enormous logs. The alter was made from small logs. The table with the guestbook & programs was a huge stump. The trees formed a ceiling with sunlight filtering through over this small forested chapel. Just gorgeous. A little warm today, but totally worth it. The reception was very fun, too. And indoors, so a little cooler. We got to hang out with my UIC BFF, Sharon, and her fiance, Andrew, who is one of Keith's BFFs (but he would never call him that) and the twin brother of the groom. (BTW, Sharon & Andrew met at our wedding...and now they're getting married. We feel like proud parents.)

Also at the wedding we saw Evan & Ronni, whom I haven't seen in years. And we had a great time with them. We hung out with them from after the ceremony through the whole reception. For anyone who knows this part of our history, you know that tonight I am feeling a huge sense of resolution. Tonight I am feeling closure in a very large, long struggle. Tonight I am praising God. Tonight I am feeling f r e e d o m. I keep having those deep, happy sighs.

So now we're back at Dave Rawlins' where we're staying. We're hanging out with Dave & his little sister Mindy. I've been hearing about how some of Dave's friends in high school *cough-Meredith-cough* would beg Dave to take Mindy with them to go do girl stuff and then try to get her to spill some coveted information about the secret life of David Rawlins. Has anyone ever heard of this?

My little sister, Ali, is with our big brother Marcus in Chicago for the weekend (as Mom & Dad fly northwest and set sail) and then we'll be staying with her at my parents' house for the week. We're meeting up with Marcus tomorrow afternoon somewhere on I-55 to make the trade. Then...Keith and I may just have to take her to Chuck E. Cheese's, since she had to miss out on that for her birthday this year. (Actually, Keith just is using her--he's the one who wants to go.) (Which I can understand, I mean, it is where I celebrated my own 15th.)

Tomorrow morning we're going to church with Dave. Then maybe Monday morning I will get to sleep as long as I want and get fully rested again. As long as Ali doesn't wake me up.