Household name...

I think the single most encouraging thing anyone has ever said to us about our relationship came from the mouth of our pastor here at Grace.

He said he was excited about our household--about the ministry we could have as a couple.

Now, a lot of folks have been super supportive and encouraging. But I think Pastor Steve--having read our answers to some pre-marriage counseling questions--spoke perfectly to the heart I have for our ministry as a couple.

When I left JESUS Film, I begged the Lord to show me what he had for me here--what ministry (formal or informal) I was meant to be a part of. He didn't see fit to show me then, but lately things are becoming clearer. As I'm learning about being a godly woman (like I've said in previous posts) and as we're anticipating and preparing for our life together, I see how our household can be my ministry.

And that's no small thing, praise the Lord. :)

What a blessing, that I'm marrying a man who sees the value in that, and who is willing to make decisions and even sacrifices to make it happen. When we talk about the potential of moving out of his loft apartment and on to somewhere else (somewhere bigger?), the motivation there is mostly on moving so we can have a better set up for opening our house to people. He sees that as a priority.

He wants to make sure we're getting out and reaching out and not focusing only on ourselves. And that's my heart, too, though my introverted self sometimes needs an extra push to get there.

Even when we were registering for gifts and most all of his being was repulsed by the idea of having such a "complicated" stash of things and more silverware to wash, he endured, at least in part because he knew my goal was to make an inviting, functional home. He even started to repeat my mantra back to me, that this is my ministry and I want us to be able to host people.

So, I'm beginning to see the puzzling puzzle pieces fall into place--my questions about what God has here for me are being answered. And I'm really excited about what that means for our household!