Joyful

Less than three weeks. 

There are less than three weeks until we birth this baby.  (confused? see previous post here!)  All my babies were big - Jake was close to 9lbs - but this one is gonna be HUGE! 

We are so overwhelmed that God would allow us to plant his church here in Erie.   Our partners, The Association of Related Churches and Cedarcreek Church in Toledo, OH, have been huge assets in helping us navigate this journey.  This is by far the hardest thing that we've ever done! 

My heart is so full of the possibilities of what the Lord is going to do through Elevate Church!! 

But can I be honest?? 

My house is a mess, my kids are eating junk, I'm exhausted, I'm scared, I feel unorganized and I hate that...

But I am also so joyful!! 

Joyful for the outstanding team that has surrounded us and carried us through this season in our lives. 

Joyful for our amazing families that have supported us from a distance, praying, and sending check after check after check, tangibly pouring into this ministry. 

Joyful for a place, a church, where I can finally, without hesitation or reservation, invite my friends!!! 

Joyful for my three little boys and their willingness to try out various different churches this winter - all while being "super spies" and tellling us what they liked about various children's ministries. 

Joyful for my husband who listened to God's call on his life and is praying without ceasing while working his tail off. 

And joyful that I get to be along for the ride.

"...upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."  Matthew 16:18

Our basement, bless it's heart



The sheer amount of wires in this room is insane.

Our kitchen table

Our kitchen counter

Our makeshift church office

A random chair with a wheel and carabiners, of course

Our floor




And besides my house being completely unrecognizable, we're also doing crazy things. Like sticking green putty in peoples ears. 

 



7 years, 9 months, 25 days

That's how long it had been since we'd seen our great friends Todd & Renee. The last time we saw them was on their wedding day!!   And now we've added 5 kiddos to the group.  We reconnected this summer but this last weekend we were finally able to get everyone together.  And it was so fun!  Todd & Renee are the type of friends who you can pick right up where you left off with - - we laughed the same way we used to in our little Broadwater apartments in Orlando!

We met at Mr. Kringle's in Tower City which is in downtown Cleveland.  Check out the pictures below...   such a fun place.  Can't wait to get together again!

Lab coats on - ready to go



Getting their imaginations going

Creating

Making snow

Professor Jake

Peyton, Jake, Wade, Campbell, Park

Renee, Todd, Colby, Kristen

Love laughing with these guys!!

Looking at the Christmas tree

Jake & Campbell

Computer Problems

So my computer died. 

My wonderful husband is replacing my hard drive.

I'll be back soon!!

Who doesn't love Chick-fil-A?

Chick-fil-A has also been a favorite in the Atkins house.

When we moved to Erie we were so excited that there was a stand alone restaurant in town because is in Toledo the only one was in the mall. Where else can you get sweet tea with a smile and a "my pleasure!"

Near the end of October the following was posted on our local Chick-fil-A Facebook page.

Do you know someone who deserves a surprise party with 30-50 of their closest friends at Chick-fil-A? Chick-fil-A Erie is interested in honoring several special individuals by scheduling a FREE NIGHT of CHICK-FIL-A for up to 50 people in honor of them and to celebrate them! If you know someone who deserves to be crowned the Guest of Honor, please send their story and why they deserve to be crowned a Guest of Honor to 01879@chick-fil-a.com.

I nominated Colby and he was chosen to receive a wonderful night of encouragement surrounded by our closest friends! He was been working so hard lately and I just wanted to hit pause for a couple hours and just let him know how much we all love him and support him. And I wanted it to be a surprise.

Guess what? I TOTALLY pulled it off!!

He had NO idea :)

 The telltale sign of surprise... the scratching of his head

Our orders were taken at our tables.... tablecloths, printed menus, waitresses, and even desserts!!

Friends!

 Some of the kids!

More friends!!

 How AMAZING is Chick-fil-A!!!! 

 Thank you everyone who made this night so special!!!  We love you all and couldn't do any of this without you!

                

Colby and I are so excited to announce that we will be planting Elevate Church in Erie, PA in early 2012. For the past 4 years Colby has been working as the Lead Pastor of Epic at First Alliance Church. We are so thankful for all that God has done in our hearts and lives as we have had the opportunity to serve there. God has used this experience to develop the gifts and the vision He has placed in our heart to help us understand what it takes to plant a life-giving church that will reach people who are far from God.

In August of 2007, God placed a vision and passion in both of our hearts for the City of Erie and we have been planning and preparing ever since. “Elevate” comes from a passion to lift God up in our city and to reach the spiritually restless with the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. We believe that no matter where you are on the journey - God wants us all to take that next step and experience life on another level.

Our anticipated launch date is 2.12.12.

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is pastor appreciation month.

Have you *appreciated* your pastor?  (I have...wink, wink!)

Here is a link to a great post on 5 ways to appreciate your pastor.

I feel strange posting this as a pastor's wife but since this is our last week at Epic I thought it might be okay.  :)  My hope is that our friends and family who don't live in Erie will read this and think about their own pastors.  Whether you go to a huge church and your pastor doesn't even know your name or a small country church - - I'd put money on the fact that each of your pastors feels the same - - any type of encouragement would mean the world to them!   Think about dropping them a quick note and let them know that you are praying for them....  and then do it!!!

Push

Today has been a big day.  One of those huge, life altering kind of days.

This morning Colby resigned from being the Lead Pastor at Epic.  We are beyond grateful for our time at Epic/First Alliance Church.  Our prayer is that God continues to work through the Epic service and move through those of you who faithfully attend.  We are asking God for big things for you guys!!

In 2005, months after Wade was born, we first felt God’s push on our lives.  Most people say that God “called” them into ministry…  he had to push us!   We had been volunteering at our church in Toledo – helping with the youth group and Colby was also singing on the worship team.  Within a month or so that church lost both its Youth Pastor and Worship Pastor.  Colby was offered both jobs…  Push #1.

In 2007, three months after being hired to be the Worship Pastor at Epic, God pushed again.  The weekend that we were permanently moving our belongings out of our home in Perrysburg , OH and into a rental in Erie, PA we found out that the Lead Pastor of our new church plant was resigning.  Colby stepped in and took on the role of Lead Pastor as well as Worship Pastor…  Push #2.

One thing that we have learned is that God's voice is loud, clear, and undeniable.   He's pushing us again and it is crazy exciting.

Push #3.

To be continued…….

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Colby!!!  Your boys & I love you so much.  I have a feeling that this year is going to be the best one yet!

Rearranged Part 2

So guess what?

We can't sell our house.

We tried to do it by owner for awhile. Then we listed it with an agent.

No bites. Literally, nothing.

We live in a new development. We were the second house built and Phase 1 of the development is complete now. Right around the time we decided to sell, construction began on Phase 2. Most people desiring to live in our neighborhood are choosing to build a new home... and I get that - it's what we did!

So Colby & I also sat down and took a hard look at the numbers and created a spreadsheet - well, I created the spreadsheet. :) When we compared the amount of money we would have to spend in order to move *commission, closing costs, moving expenses, new home closing costs, money to get new home livable, etc* to the amount we thought we could save each month on a lower mortgage, it was going to take us between 4-5 years to recoup the money spent.

Our desire is to live more simply and be able to give more freely. We thought we had a plan and once again it's been rearranged. And we're okay with that! This experience has taught us that it's okay to step out in faith and try something - even if it doesn't work.

So send your Christmas cards to the same address ~ we'll still be here! :)

Easter 2011

Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you not to lie - because one lie leads to another??

So first of all we tell our boys that some strange bunny delivers candy and hides eggs on Easter.

Then we have to make an amendment to that by telling them that the Easter bunny comes to the houses of pastor's kids on Saturday morning to spread out the workload or some such nonsense. (Since Colby is not home on Sunday mornings!)

So here's some pics of our Saturday morning fun and after church on Sunday.

Warning

A couple weeks ago Wade & Jake sang in the service at First Alliance as well as in Epic with their Sunday School classes. I'm never in the FAC service but that morning I decided to sneak over and watch them sing before they came and sang again for us at Epic.

Boy am I glad that I did!

Some friends of ours shared the video below with us. They were filming their beautiful daughter, Hannah, and happened to catch what happened to our poor Jake. (Thanks Shepards!)

Watch for Jake at the end... first row... guitar shirt...warning, it's so sad!!



Isn't that horrible??

Don't feel bad if you watched him fall more than once. :) We have. Actually Jake loves to watch it over and over.

The man who picked him up actually tried to put him back up on the steps! Thankfully he was rescued by our friend, Shelly, and she brought him to me. His lip was busted wide open and he even bruised/scabed on the outside under his nose.

When I told Colby what happened after he was done speaking that Sunday his first question was, "Did anybody laugh at him?"

Warning #2 - don't mess with Colby's boys!

Rearranged

Have you ever rearranged a room? Ever moved the couch over there? Or put the chair on that wall? Maybe tried the bed under the window? Sometimes throwing in a new accessory makes a huge difference. Sometimes removing a piece helps.

And after you're done it's like seeing that room with a new set of eyes.

Same room.

Just totally rearranged.

That's the best way I can describe my heart lately.

Rearranged. God's moving some stuff around. I'm seeing things through new eyes. And Colby is right there with me. To be honest he was there before me.

It all boils down to one thing. Money. Do you know there are over 800 verses in the Bible dealing specifically with money. Why? I think it's because God knew how important money would be to us and how tightly we would hold on to it.

I'm a CPA. Budgets are in my blood. I love numbers. I've always made sure that our financial picture as a family was a healthy one. We don't live beyond our means. We act our wage. We tithe to God's church.

Our "room" looked pretty nice.

But God wants to rearrange it and make it look amazing. And we're listening. Finally.

While we've never made it a priority to pursue the American Dream, I believe we have been by default... college, marriage, good jobs, kids, nice house. But we want to make sure the only thing we are pursuing is our relationship with the Lord.

The one tangible thing that we've decided to do is sell our house. I LOVE our house. We built it. We picked out everything in this house. I love the woods in the backyard. I love the neighborhood. I love God more. We don't need this house. We don't need this much room. We don't need to waste this much money each month on a mortgage payment. Just thinking about what we could do with that extra money has us excited... we want to give more... we want to simplify... we want to raise generous kids.

I love my husband. He patiently waited for me to shut down my analytical thinking and helped bring me to the place where I am right beside him saying, "Yep. Let's do this God. We're ready. Rearrange our thinking. Rearrange our finances. Rearrange our hearts."

And my prayer is that we are continually rearranged.

Everyday.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day Parker Dean ~ To my sweet, precious baby boy. You are getting so big so quickly. If I could freeze time, little man, I would. I love your chubby legs, big belly, and chapped cheeks. I love when you repeatedly drop things and say "uh-oh" in your adorable baby voice. I cherish putting you to bed every night - reading The Fuzzy Bee to you, singing Carolina Moon, and praying with you all while smelling your wonderful, right out of the bath, baby skin. My prayer for you is that you meet God early in your little life and stay close to Him always. You will always be my baby and I will love you forever!

Happy Valentine's Day Jake David ~ To my crazy, outgoing, funny man. You have turned into a little boy right before my eyes. This is your first year in preschool and you love it! You are learning so much and I love how for the first couple months of school you always spelled your name by saying, "J for Jake - A - K - E." This has been your first year as a big brother. You've come a long way from the week when we brought your little brother, Park, home from the hospital and you wanted to put him in the trash. Now you love covering him in kisses and splashing him in the bathtub. You are the light of my life and I pray that God molds you into a man that seeks Him first everyday of your life. I will love you forever!

Happy Valentine's Day Wade Colby ~ To my smart, responsible firstborn. If I wouldn't get thrown in jail then I would probably let you babysit your brothers while your Dad and I went out on a date! I trust you that much!! You are such a great big brother - you know just how hard to wrestle with Jake, you patiently try to teach him to play your video games, and you watch over baby Park so closely for me. You are a great helper. And you are so smart! You are really enjoying Pre-K and I am amazed at how quickly you learn things. This is your first year playing basketball and you've got a great shot. But I'm most impressed at how quickly you learn your bible verses. I pray that you continue to hide God's word in your heart and learn to walk with Him daily. I will love you forever!

Happy Valentine's Day John Colby ~ To my #2. I am crazy in love with you. And I always have been. (And I love how lovey pictures always make you nervous.) You are a strong man, wise father, and understanding husband. The adoration your boys show you is a sign of the amazing job you do each day of being a wonderful father to them. They will have no trouble growing up and identifying God as their loving, heavenly Father because of the outstanding job you are doing as their earthly father. I love how at this point in our story we are on the same, exact page as to some changes we'd like to make in our lives. It's just further proof that we were expressly created just for each other! I pray that you continue to have the strength and wisdom needed to lead me, your sons, and our church. As Christ as our #1 there's no way we can go wrong. I look up to you Colby. And I will love you forever!

And in the words of one of my favorite authors...

I'd like to thank the Lord Almighty who has, for now, blessed me with these.

Sick Days

My poor little dudes are sick.

But I could have predicted this the moment that Colby planned his annual snowboarding trip to Colorado!! It seems that whenever he's gone the troops get sick. But I'm so glad that he is able to get away, relax, refresh and have a manly vacation with his bro-in-law Brooks. His text this morning said it was -34 degrees there. They are going to FREEZE!

Gotta get back to the couch... the boys are saving me a seat.

Christmas Eve

The boys were so excited for Christmas Eve! In addition to the anticipation for the next morning, they also got their Daddy back that night. Colby was crazy busy during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

But all the nights working until 2am paid off because Eve(nt), the Christmas Eve service at Epic, was amazing! I was so proud of our church!!

The best daddy ever

Opening their one gift on Christmas Eve *pajamas*

Wade was a tad excited to get Phineas & Ferb PJ's

Can you tell?

Jake? Not so much. He didn't like his "baby" pj's.

I really didn't think he liked Phineas & Ferb that much. Nice one Kristen.

Park digging in.

We finally talked Jake into liking his PJ's. We told him that they would be Santa's favorite since they had a reindeer on them!

Setting out the cookies. We had no carrots in the house so the reindeer got some lettuce!