Stories

In the Fall of 2017, I was grateful to be sent by Mercer Creek Church to attend the Academy of Spiritual Formation. God had so much in store for me in this eighteen-month journey. I learned about my personality type and my enneagram type. God invited me to more solitude: to a new way to practice prayer and experience him. He invited me to a new understanding of who He is and who He says I am. He invited me to write a Rule of Life, which includes specific things I want to do and focus on weekly, monthly and annually to move toward living my life in fuller relationship with him. 

During this season, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and passed away, my second granddaughter was born, and many changes happened at church—changes good and not so great were happening all around me. Even good change can be stressful. I began to desire more simplicity. As I sat with God, I saw clearly that I am a person who loves order (read control), and I often function out of a place where the “to do’s” rule my life. I desired more simplicity. I began to realize that I am NOT a spontaneous person. At all. If I want to be a person who listens to God and does what he asks in the moment, I needed to set myself up well. My daily routines and commitments did not set me up to have space for this. My husband and I began to talk about selling our house and property. With our adult children out of the house, our place had become burdensome to both of us. We had loved it and were blessed to live there for 16 years but we both started to feel that the time had come to move. 

Then Pastor Todd started talking about this idea of neighboring. I read The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon. It was so great. As I read it, the understanding started to come to me. This makes sense. This is what Jesus asks us to do. It is Biblical and it is accessible for every follower of Jesus. For me. Where I live. Where you live: Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Kittitas. Apartment or house. Farm or condo. We all have neighbors. As we rented a house and moved into town, God was giving me a new opportunity. I don’t have a yard to take care of. I don’t have projects going on around the house. And I don’t know any of my neighbors! I’m looking forward to putting this idea of neighboring into practice.