Redecorating

 Not long ago I was visiting a friend’s home for the first time. When I walked through the door, I was struck by a “this-is-new-but-oh-so-familiar” feeling. While my little ones played in the basement, my girlfriend and I sipped coffee, exchanged kid stories, and prayed together. When Maggie’s tired cries drown out our conversation, I gathered my things to leave. As I walked downstairs to help Joshua pick up the toys he’d discovered, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been in that basement on another occasion.

Before I left, I asked my friend if she knew who had previously lived in her house. She mentioned a family for whom I had babysat decades ago.  A rush of memories flooded my mind as I looked around the room with new eyes. Ahh, yes. Just add some floral ’80s wallpaper with a coordinating border on every wall. Switch out the nuetral tan carpet for a hip country blue and toss some puffy balloon-style valances on every window. Scrape away the crisp white woodwork and expose the dark wood underneath, and suddenly I’d recognize my surroundings without a doubt. If I could scrape off twenty pounds and add some shiny silver braces to my coffee-stained teeth, I’d fit right back into the scene.

As a kid-loving girl of thirteen, I had proudly clocked countless hours of diaper changing and happy dancing in that familiar house. I had rocked a precious newborn in a mauve cushioned rocking chair that had sat in the living room where my friend and I just sipped coffee. And I had carried a weary preschooler down every step to her basement bedroom where my own three-year-old had just played. New yet familiar. Different but the same.

Perhaps you’ve felt that way, too, as you’ve walked around my blog lately. Maybe you dropped by last week and wondered if you were in the right place.Where did the old look go? What happened to the treasure box, the earth tones, the photo of that exhausted mom in the black sweater?(ahh, yes, the one where I’m 36 weeks pregnant with my 5th child- lovely!) This new place feels familiar, yet different. 

If you’re an old friend or a new reader, WELCOME to my NEW HOME on the web!  I hope you’ll take  time to wander around a bit. If you do, I think you’ll find that despite the new look, you’ve landed in a warm and familiar place. With the help of my friends at Tekeme Studios, I’ve updated the decor a bit, added on and painted the woodwork (or background to be more accurate). But if you take a moment to check out the new pages, you’ll notice I’m still digging for treasure and sharing the extraordinary jewels I find in the ordinary moments of motherhood. I’m still looking to Jesus to fill my soul and hoping to spill a little faith onto yours in the process. Most importantly, I’m still praying that the words I splash across these pages will point readers to the Fountain of Life. 

Speaking of fountains, that’s the new decor around here! I’ve traded in my treasure box for a fountain in hopes of capturing my heart’s cry. I believe The Overflow better communicates the essence of my ministry as a mom, a speaker, and a writer. If I’m not careful, daily life can drain my joy. My laundry baskets may never be empty, but my soul sometimes is. When all is said and done, I don’t want my minivan to be the only thing crammed to capacity. I want a soul that’s filled to the brim, too. I want to live the life Jesus dreamed for me when he declared, “I have come that (you) may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). As I do, I hope to splatter my world with joy and leave puddles of faith in my wake. I hope you’ll join me!

Today’s Splash of Hope: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me…just as the Scripture says.” John 7:37, The Message