Chris and I are loving this song, esp after Seth’s version at church today. Yeah, the live version is a tearjerker.

Sometimes I need to be reminded that when I am impatient, bitter, and ready to give up because none of this makes sense, it isn’t fair, and I’m just plain DONE – Jesus simply tells me He’ll be with me through it all.

***Quick aside- I’m looking forward to being able to see this movie, it looks adorable! (Maybe Chris and I can sneak Verity into a matinee in a few weeks!)***

Today’s “sermon” (do we call it that at Evergreen?) was on the woman at the well (from John) and loosely related to being surprised by God. I thought most about Verity – her presence in my life, the knowledge of her existence last August- it was such a surprise in the most unlikely time.

God and I’s relationship as been, and still is, somewhat “through the wringer” this last year or so. There was even times when I really doubted my ability to continue believing in God after how heartbroken I have felt, and my prayer has simply been for the help to get “there”. (I also loved the lyric in one song in the worship time today that said “Thank you for breaking my heart — I now have a strong heart” or something along those lines. Oh, I about lost it. Okay, I did lose it.)

Yep, the Father has an annoying (LOVING) habit of reaching out and pulling me out of my comfort zone, and its usually not in small, unnoticeable ways (like, well, a broken marriage, an addicted/recovering husband, a mirror to show me my own mistakes, and a BABY, to name a few).

And true to form, this week was no different. Most of you know that I live in a community house, a home shared with another family of 3-soon-to-be-4. Much of what sparked our desire to co-house stemmed from, well, you know, you can just read all about it here in case you missed it.

Well, we’ve been here two months and until yesterday I had not met a single neighbor. I was pretty preoccupied with moving and then the pregnancy and then the new baby… I missed a few opportunities, even when Chris walked up to neighbors and introduced himself, (even when ETHAN did!), I still found myself too shy and awkward. I finally introduced myself to the owners of our local coffee shop, though. Baby steps?

Yesterday we passed the same house several times while walking back and forth to the buslines for a few outings. We waved and said hey at the same-sex couple working on their lawn (not uncommon to these parts, they are trying to convert most of their lawn to edibles – like Food Not Lawns). Finally, they totally broke the barrier and invited Ethan over to meet their new puppy. Within minutes we were ushered into their yard to meet the other dog, then into their backyard to see their massage studio (with hopes to turn it into a wellness center), and then into their home to see their DIY rain water toilet flushing system. It was so awesome to be welcomed into their lives and chat with them, and then, low and behold, we were invited to a vegan potluck COMMUNITY DINNER with other area families, hosted at their place a few doors down from us, THIS Tuesday. I could have peed my pants. This was like the “in” we had been waiting/praying for and it seemed to just fall from the sky. This is too easy! I thought.

But I know true, intentional community is probably anything but easy! For me to truly listen to them, hear their stories, invest in their lives, share my story, and continue to break bread with them on a regular basis will be more of a challenge than the initial meet-n-greet.

But it’s a start, and I’m so thankful for God’s surprises.