Start of June 2011!

It's been a few months since I decided to put aside my blog...BUT after a conversation this weekend..I AM BACK! Blogging to me is a way to share, to express your thoughts, prayers, and views on life! Well, after a short sabbatical I have decided to share my process of daily discernment as much as time allows!

So where are we! I have to say these past five months of my life have been quite the journey! A journey with smooth roads, a variety of speed bumps, and forgiving pot holes! Soo how are WE!! Robert is loving GA Southern! I am continuing to serve alongside the high school youth at Covenant while tackling the joy of Hebrew! I have to admit..I like it! Studying Hebrew is allowing me to read scripture in an entire new context of the early writers of the Old Testament. By the end of this summer I hope to walk away with tools to translate and a deeper understanding of our Scriptures. All who were instrumental in me pursuing a seminary education- I can't say thank you enough! I have loved every moment!! cheers to 4 more years!

We are still enjoying two homes! Home in Charlotte and Home in Statesboro! The communities of friends we have been surrounded by during this time of commuting has been astonishingly beautiful!!!

I stopped blogging for a few months so that I could focus my thoughts in my personal prayer journal. In my journal since Feb. my reflections are centered on the little big topic of forgiveness!!! Fun and scary word!
So what is forgiveness? Why forgive? I have learned over the past year that forgiveness is something people don't like to talk about much less conquer! I was in that same boat until I challenged myself to look within myself and ask...how do I need to forgive myself? Who do I need to forgive? How do you offer authentic forgiveness or even ask for it? It has been fascinating looking all aspects of forgiveness right in the face! I have embraced old friendships and worked to make them new; I have looked myself in the mirror to see how I can better be a disciple of forgiveness; I have been able to extend forgiveness! What I have learned and strive to continue to hold dear...Forgiveness sets you free! Bob Henderson (head of staff) did a forgiveness sermon series early winter...he said through forgiveness you choose relationship! you choose hope in a joyful future over an incident! I love it and am trying to embrace forgiveness daily! Not only are we called to choose forgiveness as a Christian community but we are called to choose relationship! We are freely given the gift of faith and invited to be in relationship with our God, therefore, we have the privilege to participate in relationship with each other by the grace of God! Yesterday evening, I was on a boat ride with the fam! The breathtaking sunset, the cool GA breeze, and the joy of family, I was grinning from ear to ear with happiness! Not just surface, cheesy happy...but the type of happiness that you feel in your soul - joy - the kind of happy you want to shout out and cry at the same time because of the blessings around you! Don't get me wrong, with happiness comes some of those pot holes I mentioned earlier, but happiness that is deep and centered in our Lord is unbreakable! It is through forgiveness, relationships, and happiness that I have experienced God this past spring!

So there you have it! you are up to date!!! I pray for Hannah as she is over seas doing misison work this summer! I pray for all the hartsville, Dahlonega, and charlotte youth who have graduated or are about to graduate from high school! I feel old!! Prayers for Baby Finley, Baby Murray, and Baby Sam!!! I also pray that I will continue to be a forgiving person even when its hard...to know our God forgives and we are called to as well! Thankyou sweet Jesus for the gift of forgiveness because I have the most beautiful relationships!!!

Embracing 2011!

Life is a journey! A journey of faith! Faith is a gift from God! God loved us first! First and Foremost we are to praise God! As 2011 has gotten off to a beautiful beginning I have decided to return to the spiritual discipline of journaling.  I have discerned blogging as journaling and enjoyed sharing how I have and am experiencing God. However, I have decided to reunite with my personal journals and go back to my private journal. I have seen God's grace more than ever in the past few months and I am reflecting and praising our God for every glimpse of Heaven on earth! May you find ways to reflect and praise this day!

Blessings to you! My last blogging journal for now on "It takes two". I love you fam, friends, and you too babe!
~ one grateful servant

An 8th Grade Speech!

Hello my name is Robert Burnside. I would like to tell you about my family’s tradition of going to the beach for the fourth of July .Every year my family packs our bags with the anticipation of heading to the beach. We have been doing this for as long as I can remember and I look forward to it every year. I have so many good memories, even a few bad ones, but none the less I still love it.


Packing for our vacation is a very orderly process. Our SUV is crammed full of bags, food, buggy boards, towels, and our two dogs , Sydney and Abby. It takes us two and a half hours to make the drive to our house at Litchfield Beach. When we arrive, we are greeted by all of our cousins who come running out of the door and down the porch stairs screaming all the way. Once the adrenaline rush has died down we, quickly unload our SUV and head to the beach, where our family tradition of bochy ball, swimming in the ocean and four squares begin. One of my favorite memories is the time that our whole family played four squares until midnight! Another family favorite is covering our trampoline in liquid soap, turning on the hose, jumping and falling all over the place until someone usually gets hurt and our parents make us quit.

My family has many Fourth of July traditions. As I awake on the morning of fourth I can smell the pancakes and bacon being prepared. I head upstairs where my cousin Elie is preparing stacks of pancakes and bacon by the pound, both of which are my favorite! After I have eaten more that my share of each, I head down stairs to help prepare our golf cart for the big parade. This process takes an hour of taping streamers, flags, pinwheels and any other Fourth of July decoration you can imagine to every available spot on the golf cart. We all pile on with cups of candy to throw to the kids and bing a few adults in the head too. Our golf cart is always one of the best and we have even been in the local newspaper.

Fireworks are also a big part of our tradition. My mom and my uncle Ben are in charge of taking all of the kids to buy fireworks. We rush into the crowded fireworks store amazed by all of the different types .The largest one always catches our attention even though we know that we can’t have it. But that’s okay, because the smallest ones in the end tends to be our favorites anyway. Sparklers however are not on my favorites list anymore, and here’s why. When I was around 8 years old my cousin Edward and I had just opened our first box of sparklers. The giant sparklers seemed like a great idea at the time until we realized that they break off and you can step on the still burning remains. Unfortunately my cousin, Edward and I found this out the hard way by both stepping on the hot sparkler at the same time. As you can guess this did not feel pleasant.

One of the most memorable times I can remember is when my cousin Neeley got in engaged on the beach and all of my cousins were in on it. Each one of the cousins held up a letter which spelled out, “Will you marry me?” Of course she said yes and then we had to take 3000 pictures, which is not my favorite thing to do. It is still something I will never forget. The family talent show is always fun and each year we have to come with a new skit.

As you can tell my family is really close and traditions are very important to us. I believe it is very important to spend with your family, because friends can come and go , but family will always be there for you no matter what. Thank you for your time and hope that your family is as important to you as mine is to me.

LOVE YOU COUSIN ROBERT! THank you! I wanted to share your speech with those who read my blog! SOOO proud of you and the young man (o gosh!!!) God is creating you to be!

A Pumpkin and A Children's Sermon

Harvest Time Candles, Fire logs, glass of wine, two pumpkins, and my sister Elizabeth, makes for a beautiful fall evening!! What a treat it was to spend a Fall weekend with my sister! We laughed, we tried to remember how dad taught us to carve pumpkins, we talked about life, our hopes, our dreams...but most importantly we were just together...present with each other knowing as sisters we were side by side! We were side by side peaking through the window as we met our little sisters, Mags and Robs, on Oct. 13, 1989. We have been side by side cheering, dancing, trying to tumble, teaching vacation bible school, getting on mom and dads nerves, and side by side through the good and bad of life's journey and of course she was by my side the day Robert and me said our wedding vows! This past weekend we found ourselves side by side as Bubs and I made our way through a corn maze and photographed Bailey with our pumpkins during our sister weekend!
On Sunday, Reformation Sunday/All Saints Day Bubba and I, side by side, sat in worship together at Covenant Presbyterian Church. This past Sunday I gave the children's sermon as I shared a cross that Gramps (Dad's dad) once wore and a picture of my Great Grandmother Kathleen Neeley (the only one I have of her holding me). I told the children gathered that Gramps and my Great Grandmother were part of the communion of saints that were part of the past of the church who taught us of God's love and grace. Then I invited the boys and girls to look in a bag at a very special saint...when they looked inside they saw their reflection (Mom, a mirror was in the bag!!). I reminded them that they are specials saints of God too, they can be a saint today! As I returned to my pew after sharing a piece of my story through Gramps' cross and a picture of my great grandmother (my saints),...members of the congregation were invited to come up front to place a flower in the vase as they remembered saints who entered the church triumphant this past year. Once again, side by side, Elizabeth and I placed a flower in the vase as we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for Mr. Guy (our grandfather), and other family members and friends who are the saints we remember this day.
So a pumpkin and a childrens sermon... side by side with my sister this weekend was a reminder of God's grace and love through the face of Christ shining through Elizabeth Jean Rentz, my beloved sister!

BE where you are!

Tap, Tap, Shuffle Shuffle, Tap Tap Stomp! Yes, steps to a new tap dance I started learning last night! Imagine…10 years out of practice, a pair of tap shoes off ebay, and a willingness to dance again! I was thrilled! Yesterday evening I walked in the door of a dance studio ready to embark on my newest adventure of tap dancing after being out of practice for way too long! As the class proceeded I found myself totally immersed in the dance steps, embracing the routine, and letting my inner child dance her heart away. I found myself only thinking about making sure my feet were moving with the beat of the music and I lost myself tap dancing across the floor. I was truly there, truly present.

Today I took my first steps into Jernigan Hall on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte as I journeyed into orientation for fall semester at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Dean Currie elegantly shared that indeed these may have been our first steps in the classroom at Union Presbyterian Seminary ready to achieve a Masters of Divinity -  but they weren’t our first steps along our faith journey. A seasoned student share what all she had learned thus far in Seminary. She simply said, “BE where you are! When you are here studying the History of Christianity…be here! When you are at your child’s soccer game…be there! When you are at your job…be there! When you are catching up with a friend..be there! When you are with your family…be there!” She was saying…be where you are, truly present!

Life moves quickly. Time doesn’t slow down. Each of us has opportunities in our 24 hours of the day to be present: To be present with our vocations, to be present with our families, and to be present with ourselves. If we truly look at who we are and who God is calling us to be, I feel God is inviting us to be authentic, to be where we are, to simply be the child of God where God is calling us to be whether in job, relationship or in the silence. I pray I will practice being where I am in the days to come! From learning dance routines in tap class, facilitating a bible study, spending time with my husband, accompanying young people on their faith journey, enjoying time with loved ones, to reflecting on what it means to be a disciple, loving with my whole heart, and striving to be a servant leader…My prayer is that I am in the moment!

What I learned this Summer!

The Summer of 2010...WOW what a journey! Philly, Yucatan, 4th of July, Montreat, Montreat Middle, Seminary Acceptance, Bahamas Cruise, and relaxing days at the beach! WOW! A summer of beautiful chaos! As I traveled by bus, air, golf cart, car, boat, and foot the past two months I have witness COMMUNITY in many forms. At Broadstreet Ministry God revealed Godself through an inner city mission to share God's love and grace to all in the city of Brotherly Love. Through urban gardening, manna food bank, and various other outreach ministries, God is alive and moving through the streets of Philly! I saw community when people from all walks of life, those dealing with homelessness, young and old, those of power, servants and those needing to be served worshipped together with our youth from Covenant Presbyterian! Community. God revealed a similar community in Piste, Yucatan. Our Mexican brothers and sisters extended radical hospitality to our Covenant youth through smiles, song, food, and the opportunity to work together to build the foundation of their church. The children of Piste elegantly shined the love of God through their curiosity and youthfulness. Community.
Like every July 4th, the family gathered for another year to celebrate our country. We had matching shirts and smiles as we decorated the golf cart for the fourth of July parade! During this time I was touched by the intimate community of family. Community. After a week of playing and laughing with the fam, I packed up and journeyed to Montreat! Talk about community..I felt it as soon as I enter the Montreat gate! Old and New friends worshipping together, God truly reveals Godself throughout the Montreat experience. The community I felt this July with the group from Covenant inMontreat is the same community I was able to experience as a young person going to Montreat for the first time. It was such a gift to share that with such precious young people. Community. After a week, I still hadn't had enough of Montreat...next stop Presbyterian College for Montreat Middle School Conference! You would think by now I would be homesick but in fact I was home! Montreat + PC+ a community of many years...it was amazing! Watching 600 middle school youth worship, dance, engage in conversation around scriptures, and so much more gave me a glimpse of what the kingdom of God looks like here on earth. I strive to see God's kingdom each and every day in new ways, to be touched, challenged, and responsive to God's blessings. Therefore, it is no surprise I applied to seminary this summer. I will be attending seminary starting in September for a Masters of Divinity! Talk about challenge, I am scared out of my mind! Yet... I am looking forward to the community I will be able to experience with other people desiring to know God more, to know who God is calling us to be, and to go out and share that with the world, with our communities! I will still work full time at Covenant and on Saturday I will hit the classroom! A little anxious about being a student again.
So this summer I have had the privilege of living in community in various places full of God's sweet sweet grace! I have learned that community is about relationships, fellowship, servitude, openness, forgiveness, accountability, love, and sharing in each others stories through this so called journey of life!
Thanks be to God for all the communities that taught me so much about living the life of Jesus today!

The Home that Built me!

This morning around 930am I was making my way to work...driving, singing, (not talking on the phone!!), and enjoying another sunny day to live in thanksgiving for God's grace all around me! As I was in my own little world (still recognizing stop lights!) I started to tear up...For some reason unknown to me I started  thinking about Dahlonega...more speficially 45 Highland Road S, Dahlonega, GA! Home of the Rentz's! From the front porch, the basketball goal, the fish pond, the junk drawer, the sun porch, the laundry room, the twins room (that was often a hotel, a resturant, a school room, and much more), our girls bathroom with our pretend slip and slide! Memories kept flashing before me...hitting a soft ball and almost taking out an upstairs window...trampoline routines for mom and dad...planting flowers over and over again in front ofthe garage...fish sticks and shell mac and cheese at the bar...the shelves dad put in the laundry room in attempt to organize all us girls...and so many more! I realized that as I get older I am more grateful for the little things! It is my past that allows me to embrace the present with gratitude! A past that built me, encouraged me...and yes most of it took place on 45 highland road south in good ole sky country! It is true that faith formation starts in the home...life formation starts in the home as well! Goodness I can't believe I am saying that!!!! The more I grow as a person, as a wife, as a friend, as a sister, as a daughter, as a disciple I notice that what I believe, what I hold true, what I aspire to be...it all started with a goodnight kiss from dad, a long laundry room talk with mom, a night of catching fire flies with my sisters....The more I serve in the church and get to know young peoples stories and share in their faith journey, the more my faith journey is made apparent to me! From Ms. Mary in Sunday school, to Frank, to Mrs. Green in 8th grade, Rhubarb, Michelle, Big John all loving me, from my family, my parents, my sisters looking up to me, to Ann Stidham at Presbyterian College and Jeri in Hartsville...My faith journey has been molded by incredible people and it all started in the Home that built me!!!
This past week Robert and I were able to take some time to celebrate our First Anniversary (that was back in March!). We went to Wilson and gathered to break bread around the table with the Lane family! I love seeing the Home that built Robert! His parents who provided a foundation of love and affirmation! What a blessing! Then we journeyed to Morehead City where Robert was able to show me where he spent many days on the beach and the resturants he enjoyed growing up! It was such a gift to hear his stories about memories he carries! We even went fishing with his High school principal!
So the song, "the House that built me," I like it...its a little cheesy..but i do like it...I would just change it up a bit...I am not broken but am constantly being shaped, molded, and reconstructed by The Potter! Thank goodness we are the clay!

May we always remember where we came from, may we always embrace TODAY, may we always pray for our future! Thank you Lord Jesus for the Home that continues to Build me!