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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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My friend @katie_m_reid shared some words yesterda

My friend @katie_m_reid shared some words yesterday that totally struck a chord with me. Her husband is a pastor and in his sermon on Sunday he said this, "Our obedience can cause others to step out in faith and be obedient." Today I'm off to do something that I never planned to do in this season of my life.

A few months ago, I felt God calling me to start a book club for the high school girls at my kids' school. I feel such a burden for what teen girls are facing these days. But, when it first popped into my mind my initial reaction was, "NO WAY!" and I came up with every excuse you could imagine.

I'm super busy right now, I'm trying to get another book published, my husband is traveling a lot for work, we're leading a community group at church and, most importantly, I've NEVER led a group of high school girls! But, the nudge from the Lord would not go away so, reluctantly, I asked the school to make the announcement, researched books to use and now, here I am, on my way to the school to sit in an empty classroom and wait to see what happens. I may have one girl who shows up, I may have 10 girls who show up or I may have no girls show up. I'm praying for at least one or two! But, it's not about the numbers. It's about the obedience. That's all I'm called to do.

And I'm sharing this with you because I think Katie's husband Adam is so right. When I see someone being obedient it causes me to pay more attention to those God nudges. When I see them trusting in Him and stepping out in faith knowing that they don't control the outcome, it gives me courage to do the same. So maybe, just maybe, by me sharing my act of obedience with you here today, you will be emboldened to do that thing that you've been trying to push aside. Make that phone call, reconcile that relationship, write that article, lead that small group. Whatever it is, whatever the result, your act of obedience is what matters the most to God.
So, what are you feeling God calling you to? Would you be willing to share it in the comments so that I can be praying for you to have courage and boldness to act on it? It would be my honor to come alongside you.

“After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I b

“After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”
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I’m feeling oh so grateful for a day filled with simple pleasures most especially the sunshine that was streaming through my windows. And even though it showed all of the dusty corners I’ve missed, it didn’t stop me from appreciating its light and warmth. Hope you enjoyed some simple pleasures today too sweet friends! 🌿

Happy Friday friends!! Valentines Day is super low

Happy Friday friends!! Valentines Day is super low key around our house. I picked up everyone’s favorite foods from Trader Joe’s and we’re going to eat in the family room while we watch a movie. There’s no other way that I’d rather spend this day than with my three loves. Now I’m off to make chocolate lava cakes and hopefully they’ll turn out ok since I’ve never made them before. Good thing we have plenty of candy as a backup!

What are you up to tonight?

Anyone else doing a happy dance that it’s stayin

Anyone else doing a happy dance that it’s staying light until past 5 o’clock now?! 💃🏻🙌🏻 It seems like such a small thing and yet it makes such an impact on my soul since I know it means that spring is right around the corner.

What’s a seemingly small thing that made you happy today?

Not sure how it’s possible that we’ve reached

Not sure how it’s possible that we’ve reached this point in life but today...this kid bought his first car!

And out of all of our ‘proud parents’ moments this one definitely ranks pretty high!

He’s worked hard, saved his money (we matched some of his earnings), did a ton of research, read reviews and did ALL of the communication with the seller himself. He also did all of the negotiations on the price by himself and drove a hard bargain! (The sellers were a wonderful couple in their 60’s who were very impressed by our young man.)
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I can’t believe we’ve reached this milestone and if I’m honest I’m being much braver and more excited on the outside than I’m feeling on the inside. 😭 I stand in solidarity with all of you who are either currently in this stage or who survived it and are on the other side now. This isn’t for the faint of heart!!

There is a huge difference between being unintenti

There is a huge difference between being unintentionally exclusive and being intentionally inclusive.

In other words, just because you aren’t being intentionally unkind doesn’t mean you are being intentionally kind.

You see, I think that somewhere along the line we’ve started making excuses. We make them for ourselves and we make them for our children. We convince ourselves that as long as we (or anyone else) aren’t being outright mean that it’s pretty much the equivalent of being kind. But, it isn’t.

Let’s say, for example, that there was a class bully. And one day that bully decided that they weren’t going to torment anyone. They might claim that day as a victory and pat themselves on the back for showing so much restraint. But, is that the same as them reaching out a hand to help someone up? Is that the same as the bully inviting the loner to sit at the table with them? Of course not. Simply being ambivalent, being neither here nor there, doesn’t equate to showing kindness. Choosing to be kind requires more from us. It involves us getting out of our own heads for a moment in order to put ourselves in the shoes of another.

Recently I had the incredible opportunity to watch as my daughter put this into practice. You can read the full story over on my blog. And as we lay in her bed that night (she likes to talk with me or my husband before she falls asleep), I told her that I saw what she had done and affirmed her choice before praying over her. As I left her room, I reminded her that it’s never going to be the easiest way to do this life. But, it’s also never going to leave you with a life filled with regrets.

Just think what might happen if we all took this to heart. If we gave up passivity for proactivity. If we approached each day, each interaction with intentionality and a desire to leave people feeling better for having been around us.

I can imagine schools, churches and communities where the investment we pour into others, whether it’s one drop or a bucket full, overflows in such a way that it so deeply reflects the character and heart of God that they will be drawn to Him through us.

I pray it will be so.

We did it you guys!! We made it to FEBRUARY!!! 😅 That means Spring is right around the corner which fills me with hope as the Pacific NW has been living up to its reputation lately with a ridiculously long stretch of rainy days. 😩 In the meantime, I’ll just look at photos from Springs past to remind me that we WILL have sunny days again!

What are you most looking forward to about spring?

I think that for some time now, I’ve assumed tha

I think that for some time now, I’ve assumed that there is a hierarchy within the world of insecurity. Obviously having your insecurities manifest themselves in the form of trying too hard to please is MUCH nicer than having them manifest in not offering a smile to someone. But, who am I kidding? It’s all damaging. It’s all destructive. It’s all ugly. And when your insecurity meets my insecurity, we have two choices. We can either let them duke it out knowing there will be no winners. Or we can overwhelm them with grace and understanding knowing that then there is no way we can lose.

Because it might start about being about their issue and not mine. But how I process those feelings becomes about ME not about THEM.

Are you tracking with me here? I can’t control other people. I can’t change them. But I can change me. I can decide how I will evaluate and internalize those emotions. I can decide whether I will retaliate by being the one to not smile or say ‘hi’ the next time since they didn’t say ‘hi’ to me. I can decide if I will be willing to extend grace and forgiveness. I can decide if I will allow my insecurities to function as a cloud over every encounter in my life.

So, lately I’ve been playing the ‘what if’ game.

What if it didn’t have to be this way?

What if ALL of us realized that while we can’t change THEM we can change US?

What if we made peace with our insecurities?

What if when our insecurities met their insecurities there was sympathy and understanding instead of hurt and confusion?

What if we (gulp) actually acknowledged and even apologized for how our insecurities have wounded others? How they’ve tripped up relationships and made situations more complicated than they needed to be.

Just think what might happen!

I can imagine…

Healing

Reconciliation

Sympathy

Empathy

Peace

Joy

Does this have to exist only in my imagination?

I don’t know…you tell me!

I remember learning in school how many days were i

I remember learning in school how many days were in each month... “Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31 except for February.” But I think they lied. I’m pretty sure January actually has at least 74 days.

Raise your hand if it feels like this to you too! 🙋🏻‍♀️😂🤪

For the first time in a long time (or maybe ever!)

For the first time in a long time (or maybe ever!) I'm apart of a prayer group. It's organized in a way that is really unique and specific to the calling God has placed on the lives of all the members. And I shared something with them this week that I wanted to share with you as well.

I'm currently reading through the book of Psalms. I honestly don't think I've ever read the entire book straight through from start to finish and it has been SO good for me in my current season of life. I've been following a reading plan and the other day I was supposed to read Psalm 23 and I honestly came 'this' close to just skimming it or even skipping over it entirely. It's the 'Good Shepherd' passage so I feel like I've read it or heard it read out loud so many times that there couldn't possibly have been anything new for me to glean from the words. But my 'good student' mentality won out and I dutifully began reading. And after the first two lines I stopped. Because what I read was worded differently in my new Bible (CSB version) than I had ever read before. It said, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I have what I need." I'd memorized it as "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." And obviously it has the same meaning. But there was just something about this new way of phrasing it that caught my attention.

I have what I need.

Friends, YOU have what you need. When we have Him, we have what we need. And my prayer for you is that in every situation and every encounter you will remember that you have what you need in light of eternity even if you struggle to see how your needs will be met here on earth. Our cups are filled to overflowing with plenty because His love and grace are so infinite that they can never be emptied. We don't control whether they are filled up or emptied out. They are always overflowing because He is our portion, our plenty. What an amazing thing it is to know that we have a never-ending fountain of love available to us when we trust in Him. And what a comfort it is to know that we already have what we need.

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