September 2011

A Bit About The Addy Esco

So my friend got some news yesterday. It was not bad news. It was great news. It was news that we have all been waiting on her to receive. News that would alter life a bit, move her to a place way colder than Austin, TX and get her to where her heart has been for the last four years.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Addy Esco is moving to Wrangell, Alaska.

I’m waiting on that location to actually hit me. I think she is waiting on it to actually hit her. I think that when it does, we shall all have one of many good cries between now and December.

Here is a timeline in a nut shell. In 2004, the Ortiz’s meet Addy (and a bunch of other amazing people who are actually a huge part of this story), we all serve in youth ministry together with Matt and Jenifer Gerald. The end of 2006, we prepare to move to Tonkawa, OK to be youth pastors, Addy moves to Seguin to go to school, the Gerald’s prepare to move to Wrangell, AK to be youth pastors there (have I mentioned it’s an island?). Addy moves back to Austin to go to UT. She suspiciously spends every summer in Wrangell and weeps at the thoughts of returning to the continental United States. The Ortiz’s move to San Angelo to be youth pastors, Addy pursues her Bachelor’s, Gerald’s…they are in Alaska. We move back to Austin to start Revive Church (Addy has known this part of our heart for years), Addy spills the less than shocking beans that she plans to move to Wrangell. Soon after all this, we find out that her move will be soon (insert Tracy not wanting to talk about it…at least we live right down the street from each other). We continue to watch God move…and we all wait together.

Here we are. We have all carried each other in prayer, carried the burdens together, same boat, different seas at times….but all in it together. This will continue. We know the road ahead is unknown…we have learned and will continue to learn together that it is a far greater thing to take the risk and pursue the vision God has seared in your heart than to risk nothing and do nothing.

Addy is amazing… we just don’t know what we will do when December quickly rolls around. Seriously, I think my 3yr old may throw a huge protest!

Alaska is a blessed state…it is home to some of my favorite people on the planet…and it is getting another.

I find myself so grateful for the reality that even though distance sucks…there are friendships that are not broken by it. There is much to be said about friends like these.

Psalm 5:12 – For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

I love when I get to see that shield in the form of other people, lifting each other up, carrying life together….it’s awesome.

I will end this post with this:

“People are worried that if they surrender their lives to God that He will send them to Africa…he could send you to ALASKA” – Jenifer Gerald

Monday…Monday

It’s Monday Y’all

That means I have thoughts from this past weekend. This also means that not all of my thoughts are complete. I should never blog on a Sunday night. I know this now. If I posted what I wrote last week, you may have suggested medication. It was more like 5 thoughts making up one post…a bad and confusing idea. I did save them though…separately. I didn’t do any other writing last week. Thank God for Evernote…

This past week was full. Monday was a day that required coffee…lots and lots of coffee. The week disappeared and what a week it was. Grateful!

This Sunday

It was our 2^nd service! People came!

No one prepared me for the happy dance I would feel coming on when I saw new faces. We expect new faces. We expect to meet new people every week. We are a new church. This is supposed to happen. It excites me when it does. No one prepared me for the actual happy dance when someone came because they got our door hanger. Oh the joys that come from places I never expected. I love it!

Let’s do this again next week!

I’m rather excited about the future, the road that lies ahead, the people we have yet to meet, the stories we have yet to hear, the relationships that have yet to be built…so many things…

Let’s do this! Remembering that with God, all things really are possible!

Today…September 18, 2011

Trying to find the words to blog about the first Revive Church service is kind of a challenge. Not sure how to put it into words. I keep saying that we are overwhelmed in the best possible way. I mean that!

I’ll share some of the details and some of the thoughts. Only some of course because who are we kidding…there are more thoughts than I can write and some of them are on repeat in my brain.

Our first service was not the goal. Today was the beginning of something that started a long time ago. It was the beginning of this new part of the journey. It was a big deal but it was not the whole enchilada. We are just getting started…and we are excited. Let’s do this!

I had a small goal to not have a crazy emotional meltdown during service. I didn’t! The emotions were there…they just didn’t melt.

I made it through praise and worship! Let’s do that again next week 🙂

I loved Ray’s message and so glad that we are starting off Revive Church by going through The Gospel – Creation – The Fall – Redemption – Restoration

Let’s do this again next week!

Our dear friends Pastor Jaycee and Anna surprised us by being here this weekend. I’ll never forget when we first met them. Pastor Jaycee looked us in the face and said “we are your pastors”. We hardly knew each other. They have been an incredible support, source of wisdom and friendship ever since. What a great surprise!

Having Jared and Sarah Bryant and their team in town was an ENORMOUS blessing! They helped us pass out free water bottles, set up, tear down, watch kids, probably learned how to assemble pipe and drape for the first time…whatever was needed. We were so blessed by you guys! Kudos to their girls Zoe and Rhema – pretty sure their cute faces and voices helped us get that water passed out quickly. Thank you!

To all of our family and friends who came out today to support us – THANK YOU! We saw faces we hadn’t seen in a while. I think most of our phones were blown up with text messages, facebook and twitter messages of encouragement and prayers. THANK YOU! I am overwhelmed.

To all of our launch team – you amaze me. I thank God for you! I know that today was not just the beginning of seeing our vision come to pass, it’s also yours. We don’t carry this alone. The highs and lows, joys and sorrows…we are not alone.

Hey Guys – let’s do this again next week!

Counting Down…

Pretty much every thought is consumed with what happens in 6 days. I know it is our first Sunday and there will be many, many more…but this is the start. This is the start of something that began a long time ago.

Our thoughts…time…prayers…conversation…

We are consumed

We are thrilled

We are scared

We are humbled

We are blessed with an incredible core team. I thank God for you. I am in awe of how God has led you here, the sacrifices, the moves, the changes, the willingness, the encouragement, the boldness and the heart to love God and love and serve people.

We believe that God has called us to this and the time is now.

Getting to be in the high school yesterday had me a bit in awe. I loved seeing the transformation of the McCallum High School cafeteria. I loved seeing our team do whatever was needed (and their freakish attention to detail). I loved that first sound check and how it totally gave me butterflies.

You will just have to pardon my countdown as the week goes on. I may post another blog depending on my swing of emotions.

I’m asking for your prayers…lots of them 🙂

Got “That” Feeling…

We launch Revive Church in 12 days. If we are friends or if you follow me on twitter, this comes as no surprise. I officially get “that” feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think about it. The “that” feeling is not bad. The “that” feeling is much more consistent. Now on top of the thoughts in my head, the drive in my heart, I’ve got “that” going on too. I’m alright with that. Years of praying, dreaming, talking, more praying…then the moment where I knew that not doing this was an outright act of disobedience…then more praying, dreaming, talking and praying….we are 12 days out. I feel as if while we are still us, the same people that talked those dreams back in 2007 have had their brains turned inside out and hearts adjusted. God has done a lot in us over these last few years. We have gone through a lot as a couple. If I haven’t said it enough before, I married me a good one 🙂 We have hashed out what is in our hearts and watched as God showed us that in following Him, we aren’t crazy…even when that means changing what we thought was necessary, important…even the things that seemed to be a given.

Have I mentioned that we launch in 12 days?

This past week, I read a blog that rocked me. You can read it here. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to read the revised edition or not. I read the original. I had to go back and clarify that I was not struggling with the same issues but that the post itself drove me to even more prayer. The vision for Revive Church is a joint vision. This is not something my husband felt called to and I’m just along for the ride.

This blog did leave me with a heavy feeling.

I’d shared with a friend my fear. I said that if 5yrs down the road, we don’t even recognize why we planted this church, it is our fault. Then, I read the blog where that is exactly what happened.

My prayer is this – “God if this is the burden you have called me to carry; you will give me the strength to carry it. If this feeling is what will keep my eyes set, my heart willing and serve as the reminder of what you have called us to, then I never want to lose the feeling I have right now”.

I mean it. I’ve been in a frustrated season. I’m not mad about it. I’ve said before I believe it serves a purpose. I’m ready to hit the ground running. God continues to mess us up. I’m ok with that.