Back in the Loop Again!

As I sat down to write this, it feel like it has been forever. Then I realized that it has - my last post was on March 11th - so nearly two months! I am going to go ahead and give the warning here that this will be long. But, please keep reading, because the Lord has done some amazing things in the Brown household the last couple of months, and I just have to share!

When I last posted, we were still in the middle of Corey's job search. As a recap, Corey decided to stop his Pre-Paid Legal Business in December and began looking for a new job in January. Little did we know where this journey would take us.

Although I was working only part-time with United Way, we weren't all that concerned about finances, because we knew that Corey would have a decent residual income still coming from Pre-Paid, so we felt like he had a good couple of months to find something. For anyone that knows my husband, you know that he is a born salesman - as the saying goes, he could sale a "snow cone to an Eskimo." He just has this booming personality and very little fear of rejection - a great combination for sales. So, we felt confident he would find something quickly.

He has always had an interest in medical sales (not pharmaceuticals), but like medical devices. So, that was where he started networking. He also had quite a few job offers while he was selling Pre-Paid (from CEO's of companies he was selling to). So, he started following up with those companies. Let me just say that the Lord's favor was overwhelming. In total, Corey probably ended up with 5 or 6 offers from some really great companies, but nothing seemed to be the right fit. Over the last few months, we constantly felt the Lord telling us to wait. Meanwhile, Corey's residual income was slowly trickling down, so were facing the possibility of surviving off of my part-time non-profit salary as of March 1st.

While Corey is continuing his job search, I am still working two days a week at United Way. I had given my notice the end of November and agreed to work until the end of March. My replacement had already been hired, but a few other positions needed to be filled to keep things running. Well, as the first of March rolled around, we were still two positions short and kicking off a HUGE transition within the organization. To say that they could use another full-time staffer was an understatement. So, I proposed coming back on board full-time, and allowing Corey to be a stay-at-home Daddy until he could find something. My boss was thrilled, and so on March 1st, I jumped back into full-time work and Corey took over baby duty!! What we thought would be a four-week stint turned into 8, because at the end of March, the Lord had still not made it clear what job Corey needed to take. So, we continued to wait.

As April rolled around, United Way work really kicked into high gear as we conducted 17 community forums in one month. I went from working 15 hours a week to nearly 50, and was completely exhausted - hence the reason I haven't posted in a while. But, I felt like I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. Also during April, Corey was in discussions very heavily with two different companies about a job - one was a very large company (over $400 million in sales), the other one fairly small (around $2.3 million in sales), but with a lot of potential for growth and for Corey to help lead them there. For literally three weeks, it was a back and forth - we both felt peace about both of them, but wanted the Lord to show us very clearly which was the right opportunity.

In the end, Corey accepted a job with Down East Protection Systems - he will be head of their Sales and Marketing. We are super excited about what the future holds and the Lord has overwhelmed us with his goodness once again.

I wish I could say that I never doubted the Lord, but I'd be lying. There were many days that I just kept asking the Lord - "why." Here we were jobless and 6 months pregnant, and there was an offer on the table, regardless of how good or bad - it was so hard not to just take whatever came along. But, our Provider knew what was ahead and what he had planned for us - we just needed to be obedient and wait. And talk about timing - Corey accepted the position with Down East on Thursday, April 29th and my last day of work with United Way was April 30th (they had hired the needed staff and couldn't keep me on beginning in May). Only our heavenly Father could have orchestrated it so perfectly!

So, as of yesterday my hubby is back to work and couldn't be happier, and I get to be home full-time with my sweet Riley and in the near future, our new addition, Georgia. As hard as the last few months have been, I wouldn't trade them for anything because the Lord has used them to teach me (and Corey) so much:

• He never leaves us - through every trial he is at our side and with us in the waiting
• He is our provider - no matter how bleak things seem financially we don't have to worry, because he will meet all of our needs (note that says "needs" not "wants")
• The "wants" really aren't all that important.
  
• What you think may be the right path for your life really may not be - the Lord makes our paths straight, so we should look to him for direction

I am sure there is more, but for now that's all I've got! For now our trials are over, but believe me I won't get too comfortable, because you never know when the Lord is going to bring another one around the corner.

Lastly, just a special note of thanks to everyone who has been praying us through this - we could feel them lifting us up, so much appreciation!!

The Lord's Perfect Timing

As much as I love blogging, I never seem to be able to find the time to do it! But, miraculously, I have found a few minutes to share!! You see, most of my evenings are spent with my hubby, once we get Riley to bed. We are early to bed and early to rise, so our short time together in the evenings is precious, and I hate to spend it blogging. But, tonight I am flying solo, as Corey left this morning for 4 days. It's tough being away from him for so long, and this time especially, because we won't even have any phone contact! It will be the longest we have ever gone without talking:(

Corey has gone to Colorado for a four-day Men's Retreat. His birthday is coming up at the end of this month and this was my surprise birthday gift to him. Many of you may be familiar with John Eldredge, who wrote the acclaimed book "Wild at Heart". Many of you women may be more familiar with the book his wife Stasi wrote, "Captivating". Well, The Eldredge's put on a series of Men's Wild at Hearth Retreats and Women's Captivating Retreats in Colorado at Crooked Creek Ranch. Because of the high demand, the selection process is done by lottery. I have tried a few times before to get Corey in one of the Men's retreats, but was unsucessful. But not this time - and it was totally because of the Lord's perfect timing. The lottery opened up last fall, and although the timing wasn't the best for us financially, I prayed that Corey would be accepted if it was the Lord's time for him to go. A few weeks later I found out he was accepted. I had one week to reserve his spot with payment. Not only would this be the biggest financial decision I had ever made without Corey's input (since we've been married), but it was also only about four weeks before Christmas, so we were up to our ears in gift expense. But, I felt the Lord leading me to move forward and trusted that he would provide.

I had no idea then, how perfectly timed this trip would be for Corey (but, I have a feeling, the Lord did:) As I have shared before in previous posts, Corey has been looking for new job opportunities, pretty much since the beginning of the new year. He has been self-employed for the last two years selling Pre-Paid Legal Services as an employee benefit. Although he found success with the company, he didn't find happiness. For most of the end of last year, he was discontent, and made the decision at the turn of the new year to actively pursue something different. So, he really started seeking the Lord for his purpose, direction, and next step in his career. He has had lots of opportunities come his way, but still doesn't feel like he has a clear direction from the Lord. As this week began, Corey had four different job opportunities, in four very different companies, and no idea what he should do next. Not to mention the financial pressure he feels to provide for his family.

And now in light of all of this, he gets to go on this amazing trip this week. I mean, does the Lord know what we need, exactly when we need it, or what!! I absolutely love watching our Father work so intricately in our lives - his love for us can be seen so clearly in how involved he is in every little detail!

I have been so excited for Corey all week, because I just know that Lord is going to rock his world this weekend!! I can hardly wait to talk with him on Sunday and hear about all that the Lord has done! Please keep him in your prayers as he is away from us and travels back home on Monday!!

Playing Catch Up!

It is amazing how fast time gets away from me. My goal is to post at least one blog a week, but that never seems to happen. So, I am going to spend this week playing catch up on all that has been happening in my world over the last few weeks!

Baby Girl #2
On February 1st, Corey and I found out that we are having our 2nd little girl - Georgia Reese! He was secretly hoping for a little boy, but hey they say that the third time is the charm - so we have another chance! We are both really excited that Riley will have a little sister - we have already taught her to say her name, although it comes out more like JooJoo than Georgia right now, but she has another 4 1/2 months to perfect it!

I can already tell how different things are going to be for the 2nd child, based on how I am with this pregnancy. Last go round, I knew exactly what week and day in my pregnancy I was - now I sometimes I have to check the calendar! Also, as soon as I found out that Riley was a girl, I had registered for everything - bedding and all - within one week. This time, I have barely thought about it! I'll get there soon enough!

Motherwise Bible Study
The first week of February, I started a new Bible Study called Motherwise at Covenant here in Greenville. Can I just say that it is awesome!!! I don't attend Covenant and it has been a great way to meet mothers of all ages and really seek the Lord about how to become a better wife and mother. Apparently there are multiple studies in Motherwise (they did Wisdom for Mothers last fall), but for this semester we are doing the Freedom for Mothers study. It's quite funny because I thought this study was going to be all about learning Biblical parenting skills which would then lead to Freedom!! But, oh how I missed the big picture. Ultimately, Freedom for Mothers is about realizing that nothing we do - work, marriage, parenthood - can be done well apart from Christ. The reason we struggle is because we are trying to do it all ourselves, instead of laying it all at the feet of the only one who can! For the past three weeks I have had several a-ha moments! The first of which was the following: "Jesus did not come to help me be a mom. He came to do it for me" - WOW!!! Now this is where freedom really is!! My prayer is often, "Lord, help me do this" or "Father, help me do that" as if he is my assistant or something!! I should be asking him to fill me so completely that he actually is me!

I am sure there will be much more to share as the study progresses, but for now I will stop there!

Prayer Requests
This week has been one filled with sickess in the Brown household. Last Friday, Riley came down with a 24-hour stomach bug that she then passed along to me! I spent all day Sunday sick on the couch. We thought we were in the clear, but then Corey got sick with the same stuff on Wednesday. Luckily, we each only had it for 24-hours! Once we had that behind us we thought we were in the clear, but now Riley and I both have colds - runny nose and coughing. She has been a champ - handling it better than me!! I won't complain much though - this is the first sickness any of us have had all year!! So, we are just praying for speedy healing!

Also, continue to lift up Corey's search for jobs! He has a lot of open doors (thank you Father for favor), but we need discernment about which one to walk through and when to walk through it!

For now that will be all, but I promise to not let as much time pass before my next post! Blessings until then!

In Every Season

Can I just begin by saying that I absolutely love worshipping Jesus! I grew up in a Methodist church singing hymns and can sum up my thoughts about church in one word - BORING :) It wasn't until I truly committed my life to Christ at 22 and began attending a spirit filled church, that I realized what true worship could be like!

Don't get me wrong I love hearing the message (Pastor Mike is awesome), but something about worship just stirs my soul! And, it doesn't hurt that we have a truly amazing worship team! And today they sang one of my favorite songs that goes something like this:

"All of my life, in every season, you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship."

We have sang this song numerous times, but today it really resonated. For the past few months, Corey has been in a state of uncertainty with regard to his job. He has been working for Pre-paid Legal Services for almost two years now, and has been very successful, but is really unhappy. So, he has been seeking the Lord for the past few months about what to do next. Having not really gotten any direction, he decided to begin a 7 day water fast last Monday, hoping to really press in and hear from the Lord about where to go from here. I joined him by fasting television (a water fast doesn't work too well for a pregnant woman:) Unfortunately, as of this morning, we didn't have any more clarity than we did a week ago, and Corey was feeling a little frustrated when we arrived at church this morning. But, when this worship song began, you could see the weight of his decision lifted off of his shoulders, and it was quite emotional for me. It was so clear to us both that no matter what season we are in our life, that our God is still God, and we should worship him and praise him, regardless. Our Lord is limited by nothing, certainly not time. So, we left church rejuvinated to continue in our prayer for direction and trust that God is God, even in this season of uncertainty, and that he will provide an answer in his timing, not ours.

Taking Inventory

So, this past Thursday was Corey and I's four year anniversary! We started a tradition on our first anniversary of going away for a night or two and staying at a Bed & Breakfast, and we have really enjoyed this! B&B's are so quaint and really have such a different feel than a hotel. This year we stayed at the Fearrington House in Pittsboro! It was spectacular and is so far the best yet! The Fearrington House is a five-star Inn and Restaurant located on 1400 acres of privately owned farm land. They have Belted Galloway Cows and Goats, a handful of specialty shops, which includes a privately owned bookstore with fireplaces! We spent two hours just sitting by the fire with our feet propped up reading books we picked up off of the shelves! It was great!

In addition to visiting B&B's for our anniversary, we also have a tradition of taking an inventory of our marriage. On our drive to wherever we are going, we always share what we think we did well or didn't do well over the last year(s). Now this sounds like the perfect way to begin an argument, but our comments are limited to what we, as a couple, need to work on, not as individuals :) For example, we both agreed that we need to do a better job of praying together. We both make time for individual prayer time, but making time to do it together is something we constantly struggle with. So, this will be at the top of our list of things to work on as we begin another year of marriage. It has really helped us not become complacent and both stay focused on constantly improving our marriage!

New Beginnings

As we embarq on another new year (hard to believe) it has really gotten me thinking about new beginnings. I always love ringing in the new year because it always feels like a time of putting the past behind and starting fresh. And, I can't help but be reminded of when I first came to know Christ! It feels like it was yesterday, when in reality it has been nearly 6 years! Being born again is the ultimate feeling of washing away the old and starting anew. It is such an exciting time - I often compare it to the beginning of a dating relationship! Everything is new, you can't wait until you can spend time together again, you want everything you do to please him, etc. But, just as in a dating relationship or marriage, that newness will eventually wear off and you actually have to begin working at it. I have found the same to be true in my relationship with Christ. It is so easy to become complacent and take my relationship with Christ for granted, and think, "Well, if I miss my quiet time today, it will be okay" or "I'll pray later, when I have more time" - sound familiar? And then, I wonder why I don't feel as close to him. If only I were playing my part!!

So, this week as the new year kicks off, I have a renewed desire to retun to my first love. To return to that same passion and excitement that I had when I first came to know him and to "earnestly seek him" with all of my heart!

The Miracle of Life

It's official - Riley is going to be a big sister!! Corey and I had decided when we got married that we wanted our children two years apart. But, I have always heard that if you want to give God a good laugh, tell him your plan for your life. So, we weren't exactly sure if God's plan would be the same as ours. But, thankfully, he heard the desires of our heart and is blessing us with the miracle of another child!!

I went to the doctor on Tuesday, and it was confirmed. Our next little miracle is due on July 4th - an Independence Day baby!! And, to make this even better, Corey's brother, Clay and his wife Kellie found out they are also pregnant and are due on July 2nd!! I don't think we could have timed this any better if we tried! So, the Brown family will be expanding once more.

But, back to my doctor's visit on Tuesday. I went in expecting the usual - confirm that I'm pregnant, give me a tentative due date, and set up my next appointments. But, that was not the case. You see, when Riley was born, I experienced a cervical tear during delivery. While my recovery was slightly longer than average, I was back to myself fairly quickly. And, since her birth, I really haven't thought twice about any possible side effects. But, now that Baby #2 is on the way, there are some concerns about how my cervix has healed. If it hasn't healed properly or if it is weak at the sight of the tear, there is some risk that it will become incompetent during my 2nd trimester or early part of my 3rd trimester, causing me to deliver prematurely.

So, instead of waiting until 18 weeks for an ultrasound, I will be having them fairly regularly to monitor my cervix. The first of these ultrasounds was on Tuesday and let me tell you it was nothing short of a miracle. Riley and I were able to see this new life, little heartbeat and all, as clear as day on the monitor. And, at this point my cervix is looking great (if that is possible)!!

So, as our new little miracle continues to grow, I covet your prayers over this pregnancy. Specifically, that my cervix would be completely healed and strong enough to endure a full-term pregnancy and that there would be no complications with delivery. I will keep you updated as we progress...