For 10 years, my husband, J.C. and I
traveled with a Christian music group - I was a vocalist, along with
another couple (Stacy & Kay Kay), and J.C. was the preacher. Both
couples had three (3) kids, and we both home-schooled them (our kids are
Risse', Danny and Kristen).
When we decided to tour around the world, we all
climbed into a 15-seater van and hit the road. Along the way, we learned
some valuable things about people. The importance of integrity - saying
what you mean, and meaning what you say - was a huge lesson for us all.
We faced many disappointments, but so many more fun-filled and exciting
times as well.
There were some incredible highlights: Like the time we had to demand a
new room from the hotel management in El Paso, because we found a
gigantic cock-roach under the covers of one of the beds! And the time in
Guyana, South America, where we had to meditate ourselves into a
complete stillness and peace, just to be able to fall asleep in the
unbelievable heat, with no fan or air conditioning. There was the time
we began singing in the town square in Tirgu Mures, Romania, and watched
as a crowd of hundreds gathered. Times just driving in the van as the
kids slept and I could look out the window and dream. Ten years holds a
lot of memory, and growth.
We made some of the richest relationships of our lives
during that time, and would not trade it for anything!
Then in 1999, we found ourselves moving to Houston, Texas to start a
church. We had it all figured out, and knew exactly how everything would
work. We had a vision! But we forgot one thing: other people and their
ideas would also need to be a part of that vision. If I have learned one
thing in life it is this: you cannot change people or their way of
thinking. You can talk all you want, "share" all you want - but people
still hear what they WANT to hear and do what they WANT to do. Many
Christians we met were going through the motions, fulfilling an
obligation, but there was no deep desire to truly see Christ in His
glory, or live a life that glorified Him. Texas-style Christianity truly
has been an eye-opener!
In 2005 I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, which brought a whole new
direction, perspective and approach to life. So, after 5 years, we
decided to close the church. Completely whole, and FULL OF LIFE, J.C.
and I now both work for a Design
firm in Houston (J.C. as the Creative Director and me as the Operations
Director). We love the people we work with - even our boss!
But we
also know that this is not the last stop, by any means. Our hearts are
still full and there are many more interesting and quirky people to meet
and know. So, we keep moving forward and keep looking upward.
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New circles are articles offering others a glimpse into your own private
world. They are submissions by readers from around the world, friends of
Extended Circles and colleagues.
If you would like to
share your back-story - your own personal circle - with other people from
different backgrounds and walks of life, please do! Make it interesting,
short and concise, and be sure to include how you have worked in your life to
extend your circle. If you are new to extended circles, let us know your
plan for awakening your spirit to the world around you!
Click here
to submit your story.
Please keep it to about 500 words, and be advised that all submissions are
subject to editing for content or relevancy. If we publish your story on
the website, we may request
a photo and/or contact/link information to add to the page. Be sure
to include your correct contact information (which will be held in strict
confidence). If we do
not publish your story, we will do our best to inform you in a timely manner,
and offer tips / hints for further submissions. We look forward to broadening
our horizons by getting to know you! Thanks for submitting!
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