Because it Scares Me

Now that the moving craziness is over, and the last two weeks we have found a fabulous new routine to our new life's chapter-the Lord is beginning to press many things upon my heart. Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if He's always been pressing these things on my heart, but I've just been too busy to pay attention. I'm not going to go into all of them today. Some of them are still so deeply personal that God and I just need to commune about them right now on our own. But, I do want to share one of them.

We received a church email last week regarding the FriendSpeak ministry that some in our congregation participate in. If you are not familiar with FriendSpeak, here's a quick synopsis: This is a ministry designed to teach individuals how to speak English using the Gospel of Luke. Most, if not all, of the individuals involved in this come from a country of Oriental origin. Most of the individuals our congregation works with are students at University of Texas at Arlington. I have always found this ministry fascinating. The goal is not to convert these sweet people, but simply to build a relationship by teaching English using the Bible. However, the "side effect" is often lengthy conversations about Jesus Christ, and many of these individuals begin exploring their own personal relationship with Him. So, back to this past week:

We received an email asking for more volunteers because UTA starts back in session this week, and it's time to be ready for these hungering students. Immediately, I realized I have the time for this now (which I always used lack of time as my excuse while I was teaching). I first thought, "I could do this." Almost immediately another thought crossed my mind, "Well, maybe I should wait and volunteer next semester instead. That way I can see how things are going to look with the college ministry. We are still so up in the air about how busy we will be with those students, and I don't want to over commit myself." I felt good about this thought process. Over committing yourself is not a great God-quality. Cause then your yes can't stay your yes...etc, etc. And, I don't want to wear myself out cause then I can't give 100% to the things I am involved in. So, I decided to go with this thought process, but run it by Taylor as well just for his confirmation. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: I was thinking about doing FriendSpeak.
Taylor: Me too.
Me: I think I'm going to wait until the Spring though.
Taylor: Why?
Me: Well, we don't know what the college ministry is going to look like, and I don't want to over commit myself and not be able to help you out.
Taylor: It's only an hour a week. We just won't schedule any college activities during that time.
Me: oh, okay. (left to my swirling thoughts)

So, just like God designed things in marriage to sometimes be - my husband, unknowingly, set me straight. My real reasons were not fear of over-commitment. There really is plenty of time in my life right now. It's true I want to use it wisely and give my best to everything unlike what I was able to do while teaching, but that was a dumb excuse in this area. Basically, I'm scared. Not of teaching someone to read in English. If you know me at all, you know I'm qualified for that! I'm terrified about what kinds of questions regarding my faith that I might be asked. I don't like doing things I'm not 100% prepared for...with 100% the "right"/"best" answers ready. Well, that's not what God calls me too. Cause He is the Answer, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Therefore, I'm going to go build a relationship with a Taiwanese student that has a need that I can meet. I can meet the need this student will have to strengthen their English reading/speaking skills. This is his/her cup of cold water that I can give! God will take care of the rest of it if I just continue to be obedient to Him! Throughout the Bible He simply encourages us to build relationships! Through that relationship, He makes the sharing of the Gospel happen! So, pray with/for me on this journey. Taylor will be doing this as well. We begin this coming Sunday at 4:00 in the afternoon! I'm very excited, but yes, a little scared. But, once again, in the quietness of this new chapter of my life, I firmly believe God is calling me to this!

The End of an Era

It's finally here. My time to begin letting my to-do list and schedule actually follow the same path as my heart's priorities. School finished today at the end of a very long, emotionally draining week that I may choose to talk about at another time. But, it's over. I moved out my personal things. I turned in my keys. And, I left. For 24 years my life has operated on a school calendar. That will happen again, of course, once we have children in school; but for now I get to revel in what I would do if my life didn't revolve around an August to May schedule. Since I was 5 years old I have dreamed about being a teacher, and for 5 years I have been one. There were parts I thoroughly loved about it. There were parts I could have done without. A brief parent note today summed up the part I enjoyed when it said, "It is because of you that [my son] reads." That touched my heart in a place that is only touched when I'm a teacher.

But, I've reached a point in my life right now where getting up and going to work all day everyday isn't my top priority. When I started teaching, I wasn't married. I needed the job to live on, and I needed the job to provide some substance to my life. Now, I'm married, and I'm dying to make being a wife my top job! I want to be able to serve my husband by having more energy and focus at home. I am going to be able to work from home on my jewelry business touching the lives of other women while my number one focus (after my spiritual walk, of course) gets to be towards my husband and our home. I honestly don't know what to do first. I've longed for months to be at this point because there was so much I wanted to do, and now that I'm here I don't know where to start. Granted, I've only been "here" for 4 1/2 hours. I fully expect to spend the next several days and weeks learning what the rhythm of being a full-time wife while working from home feels like. I'm beside myself excited, but I'm also quietly contemplating how fabulous this feels inside.

So, for now, the teacher part of me is taking a break. Someday, Lord willing, I will open my home and heart to other children that need help learning to read--beginning my own therapy business. There is still a part inside of me that gets such joy from unlocking the door in the child that opens them up to the world of reading; and I want to one day be back doing that again. In the meantime, I am closing the back cover on this chapter of my life, curling up with a brand new book, and longing deeply to see what's inside.

A New Season for The Belts

Today, on this cherished holiday, I get to let everyone know how the good Lord is living in our lives!!! We are embarking on a new journey together, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to share this with you.

For a couple years now, Taylor has been feeling the pull to leave band directing. He loves teaching; he loves music; and he's loved his students. But, the demanding schedule has caught up with him and neither of us are satisfied that a band director's schedule will fit into the way we would like our lives and family to look. Last June, we were blessed to join the Park Row congregation in Arlington here in the metroplex; and Taylor has been serving in a part-time role as the worship minister. Our time with Park Row has been incredibly fulfilling and has allowed Taylor to see more clearly the new passions and direction God is giving him! The elders at Park Row have invited us to stay on with Taylor serving as one of the full-time ministers, and we have accepted their invitation!!! Beginning June 1st, Taylor will be serving full time at the church; and we could not be more excited! He will continue his work with the worship ministry still fulfilling his passion for music. In addition to worship Taylor also has a little-known passion for college-aged young adults. Park Row is situated right next to The University of Texas at Arlington and there is a huge need for a college ministry in this area. This summer, Taylor is going to embark on the journey of building a college ministry from the ground up. At this point, this is one of the most exciting things for us on this new journey! We are getting to be totally open to the Lord's leading and getting an opportunity to get out into the community around the church in ways that have not yet been pursued. It's a very exciting time for both us and the congregation.

So, what does this mean for me? Well, this new season just would not be complete without me making a big change as well. After much praying and talking, Taylor and I have decided to allow this change in his career to also be the time for me to go ahead and transition to staying at home. We knew that would happen when we had kids anyway, and have just decided to go ahead and make this change a little earlier. There are really two reasons for this decision. First of all, as you know, last summer I joined the Premier Designs Jewelry team as an independent consultant. This business has filled areas of passion in my life that I did not know existed. I have loved the ease with which this "job" has allowed to me to get out into the community and minister to women outside of my congregation! I also did not realize how thoroughly satisfying having a home-based business would be to me. I love how I can help our family out financially while being at home and also fulfilling my role as wife at the same time. I am in the process of transitioning this business from part time to full time beginning in June. This will, Lord willing, be able to seamlessly transition into motherhood as well. Secondly, I wanted to have as much flexibility and time as possible to help Taylor out with his new endeavors at the church. I'm fully involved in his worship ministry, and we are still exploring all the ways I can be involved in a college ministry. It is SO exciting to us to work side by side on this journey, and by working from home I will be much more flexible to join him (and HIM) in this work.

Am I done with teaching forever? I hope not. I will be finishing up my training as a dyslexia therapist at the end of this school year. Sometime in the next year I will be taking my Academic Language Therapist exam, and intend to keep up my teacher's license and my C.A.L.T. even while working from home. My goal is to eventually begin private therapy for dyslexia children. Taylor and I are unsure as to the timeline on that journey, but it is something both of us want for me at some point in the future.

For now, this is where God is leading us. Taylor into a full-time supported ministry position, and me to stay home, minister to women through Premier Designs, and serve alongside my husband. In several ways, this is a huge "Abraham and Sarah," leap of faith decision; but it is one we are fully at peace about and so excited we can't stand it!! We will be moving from Lewisville to Arlington this summer to be closer and more involved with the congregation, so that will be a huge thing as well. :)

So many changes...so much God! We love you all! Thank you so much for praying us through this journey!

Anniversary Pictures

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! We are being lazy at our house today. Relaxing and enjoying time together. Tonight, a good friend I grew up with is getting married here in the metroplex; so we will be welcoming in the New Year by celebrating his marriage! I have a few posts up my sleeve over the next few days, but for now here's a few pics from our anniversary weekend at the Gaylord Texan Hotel!

Merry Christmas Time is Here!

Cold, snow, hot chocolate, spicey candles, evergreen trees, blue, silver, red, green, wrapping paper, warm blankets, sparkly lights, festive music, cozy fires. These things and many, many more bring this holiday season alive for me!

I have been extremely reflective pretty much since Thanksgiving. The Lord is doing some amazing things for Taylor and me these last few weeks. We are watching with wide-eyed, open-eared anticipation as God moves around and among us opening doors for our future that are beyond our wildest imaginations. As of yet, we know not what 2010 will bring for us, but we do believe it will be big and directly in the will of the Lord. We pray daily for His guidance and that we will simply be obedient, mission-minded followers of His word joyfully going wherever He next sends us. It is completely fulfilling to find ourselves this anticipatory while completely at peace knowing He is working around us in ways we cannot see but faithfully trust!

With these thoughts, anticipations, and joyful unknowns treasured deep inside me, I have entered this holiday season full of so much joy, peace, contentment, and celebration! In just 10 days, Taylor and I will be celebrating our 1st anniversary! What an amazing year this has been! We have each learned so much about each other and marriage. I find myself overcome with moments of pure amazement at how my Heavenly Prince Charming overflowed my cup of imagination when it came to my earthly prince charming! I could not ask to be married to a better man. Taylor is such a Godly man! I love watching him as he wrestles with what it means to be a Godly man, husband, and servant of the Lord. He has grown so much in the year and a half that I've known him! I cannot wait to see what the rest of our life holds!

Taylor and I have made wonderful celebration plans. We are spending next Saturday and Sunday at the Gaylord Texan Hotel here in the Dallas area. We thought it would be somewhat reminiscent of our honeymoon since we stayed at the Gaylord Opryland! :) We are very much looking forward to our weekend away just the two of us! Early Monday morning the 21st, we will be leaving to head to Albuquerque to spend Christmas with my parents and grandmother! We will get to spend a week there enjoying the company and relaxation of Christmas vacation! We are praying for a white Christmas near the mountains, but also praying it holds off til we get through the mountain pass on I40 into ABQ! :)

I'm not sure if I will blog again until the New Year. I am planning on losing myself in the celebration and time with family that this season brings so joyfully! I pray that the Lord blesses each of you with joy beyond your imaginations as you celebrate Jesus Christ and His love!

Merry Christmas!

Life in the Belt Household

It has been awhile since I caught my readers up on what is happening in our lives. We’ve been married for nine months, and we are some place completely different today than either of us could have probably imagined 9 months ago. But, we would not trade a second of this journey of marriage and life together! We are having a blast and loving doing life together! So, here’s an update of the comings and goings of The Belts!

Update on me: I cannot believe that I am in my 5th year of teaching. It has been a whirlwind for sure! I have been with Frisco ISD the entire time, and it’s so neat to see all the changes that happen in a school district through the years. This is my 2nd year doing dyslexia therapy, and I’m still thoroughly enjoying it. The training program is for 2 years, so I’m on the home stretch working towards my Academic Language Therapy certification. Summer 2010 I will be taking the ALT exam to receive my official certification. I cannot wait to be finished with this training and fully certified. It has been said by many that I am a perpetual student…and this is so true. I have loved being able to teach while going through this training because I got to be a student and teacher at the same time. I have learned so much and am continually amazed at how God created us and how He enabled us to combat difficulties that children can experience.

In addition to training and teaching, I have started a new venture working for myself. In July I began my business as a consultant for Premier Designs Jewelry. I am thoroughly loving this job! It’s completely different than teaching and allows me an outlet to spend time serving women instead of children! Taylor and I hope to start our family in a couple years, and we both feel it is important for me to stay home. Premier Designs will give me an opportunity to add to our finances while being a full time wife and mom! I am loving all the things God is doing with me and through me as a teacher and as a jewelry lady. At this moment in my life this is very fulfilling for me!

Update on Taylor: Taylor is in his 3rd year teaching, and his 2nd year working for Birdville ISD. He is the percussion director for Birdville High and its cluster schools. He also teaches about 20 private lessons a week to many of his students from those schools. This time of year is incredibly busy for Taylor due to marching band. We treasure our quiet moments at home together or the occasional chance to go on a date—these are few and far between right now. But, I tag along for most of the contests and cheer him and his kiddos on which is fun for us to do together. It makes me proud to see the way he works with kids!

In May, the Lord blessed Taylor and I with an incredible opportunity! Since we met, Taylor has been talking with me about his passions towards ministry (a passion that began long before we met) and trying to weigh that against his current situation as a band director. We have been talking and praying about this for a year a half, and had agreed that Taylor would start spending some time with some worship ministers we knew and try to gain experience filling in on occasion. We had kind of placed a 2 year time table on him continuing to teach while learning everything he could about worship ministry before he started fully pursuing a position as a worship minister. To keep a long story short, God had a different time table! In May we received an opportunity to join with the Park Row congregation in Arlington in order for Taylor to serve as interim/part time worship minister while the church heads through a period of transition. We were amazed at God’s workmanship in crafting this journey. The sequence of events could only have happened at God’s Mighty Hand! So, Taylor is also working part time at Park Row making our lives incredibly full and happy as well as busy, but God’s Hand is in all of it! We do not know the timing of how much longer he will be teaching. Our hope is that this will be the last school year, but that rests in the Lord’s will. Taylor loves teaching, but his passion for ministry is significantly greater that his passion for teaching. This is where we believe God is calling us; and though overwhelming and unknown at many points right now, it is a journey we wouldn’t trade for anything!!!

So, this is us. Journeying through the will of God each day, learning where he wants us to move. There are amazing and wonderfully fulfilling things going on in our lives right now. There is a whole lot of unknown regarding our future as well. But, when is the future really known anyway? God has us in the palm of His Hand. All we really want to do, is serve Him passionately and use our lives individually and as a couple to glorify Him always!!!

The In's and Out's of Taylor Belt

A few weeks after we got married, I posted about a few things I'd learned about my husband since living in the same house. Well, it's now been 8 1/2 months of marriage and I have learned more! Here's a small sampling!

1) When my husband is tired and wants to wind down, he watches Sports Center. To me, the volume and hyperactivity of Sports Center is anything but "wind down" material; but to my husband it does the trick. So, I quietly shut the bedroom door and enjoy the silence of a book in the tub or in bed so that we can both wind down in our own ways. :)

2) We are at the time of year when marching season takes over our lives. Between teaching school and private lessons, after school marching rehearsals, and working part-time as a worship minister - several days a week find me in bed before he gets home and a quick hi in the morning before we both rush out the door. As a result of this, my husband's subconscious has figured out how to reconnect - sleep in the middle of the queen-sized bed. Yes, without doing it on purpose, Taylor has taken to sleeping in the middle of the bed. And, while I love to cuddle. At 2:00am, my half-asleep self wants to lovingly say, "I miss you too, but SCOOT OVER!" :) hehe

3) Taylor yearns to work in full-time ministry! I love watching him work towards his dreams!

4) Sunday mornings = Gaither Homecoming Hour Taylor tapes these on our DVR and then watches them from time to time, but ALWAYS on Sunday mornings.

I am loving learning about my husband! So excited I get to learn about him everyday!

My Amazing Husband

I have been appreciative today of the sweet, simply ways Taylor shows his love and support for me, and I thought I’d share them with you:

-He gets the hot water going for my tea in the mornings, and if time allows he fixes it just right and brings it to me in the bathroom.
-He runs the water for my bath when I’m ready to relax and unwind at the end of the day.
-He scratches my back and plays with my hair.
-If I am laying in bed reading at night and he's not ready for bed, he sometimes comes in and gives me a kiss on the forehead just so I know he's thinking about me.
-Sometimes after a long day, Taylor will tell me to sit on the couch and read a book, catch up on email, or have my quiet time with my Bible while he makes dinner.
-If I put a clean load of laundry on the bed, and then go back to the laundry room to start more laundry, I sometimes come back to the bedroom to find him already folding the clean clothes.
-He helped me hang the curtains in our apartment yesterday at the end of a long day just because he knew I was ready to get them up.
-He brags to other people about how amazing he thinks I am at my job.
-He takes the dog out when its dark outside so I don't have to.

I have an amazing and wonderful husband, and I just had to share him with my readers. There are many, many more ways that Taylor shows me his love; but these are the ones I have been thinking of and appreciating today.

Lessons Learned in Sharing a Bed

Due to being a little on the tired side this week and nursing a little bit of a hurting heart, I needed some smiles. I thought passing them on to you might be fun for you too. The following are my lessons learned in sharing a bed:

1) I hog the covers. I don't know how it happens, but in the morning the sheets are always farther on my side of the bed than Taylor's. There has even been a time or two where the poor man woke up shivering because of the lack of covers. I promise I don't do it on purpose.

2) Taylor snores (okay, so do I-says he...but I don't like to admit it, and I don't think it's very often). Last night Taylor's loud snoring came into my dream as a rythmic noise I was trying to stop. Upon awaking (at 1:15am, mind you) I discover that the love of my life is laying on his back VERY noisily sawing logs. I gently woke him up (unfortunately, with a start) and asked him to roll over. He complied and quickly fell back to sleep with no snores. No sooner had I gone to the bathroom, rejoined him in bed, and found a comfortable position-he rolls back onto his back and promptly starts snoring again!

3) I sink lower in the bed as the night goes on. Another thing I don't know why or how it happens, but there are many mornings where I wake up with my head level with Taylor's shoulder or chest instead of his head. This is funny because you'd think my feet would hang off the bed. They don't because I end up putting them diagonally onto his side of the bed. :) The problem with scrunching lower in the bed, however, is that when Taylor wants to cover up his shoulders in the middle of the night he has accidentally covered up my head. Apparently, in a dozing stupor, I groan as I toss the offending covers off my head and go on with my dreams.

4) Three nights ago, I was having a strange dream that I don't really remember. What I do remember is Taylor suddenly swinging his fist at me from his side of the bed and whacking me on the arm. As this happens in my dream I am awakened by a horrible pain in my realistic arm. Due to the delirium of the middle of the night dream, my feelings are immediately hurt and I declare, "What was that for?" Taylor starts profusely apologizing for hitting me with his elbow as he rolled over (apparently with much gusto). I realized that the "on purpose punch" was only in my dream, but because of the early hour and the sleepies I had trouble shaking off the hurt feelings and going back to sleep.

5) The night after incident #4 mentioned above, I wake up to go to the bathroom. As I return to bed, I sit on the edge of the bed while I apply chap stick to my dry lips. While sitting on the side of the bed, Taylor moans in his sleep, jerks really big, and sends his arm wholloping extremely violently onto my pillow. Even though it is early and I am sleepy, I am aware of how awful that situation could have been if I had been laying there. Talk about a rude awakening! Thankfully I was already awake. It turned out Taylor was having a nightmare and was fighting off some attacker trying to take me hostage.

6) One Sunday afternoon, we laid down for a much needed Sunday afternoon nap. I had just gotten completely comfortable and relaxed when out of nowhere Taylor sits straight up, leans forward and starts messing around with his feet and the sheets at the foot of the bed. By doing this, he has completely uncovered me (which I guess I deserved, see #1) and the fan is now blowing directly on me making me cold. I am laying there trying to figure out if Taylor is awake or asleep because something about it struck me suspiciously like sleep "walking." Apparently the questions of "What is he doing?", "Is he awake?", "Do I wake him up?" were written all over my face because he turns around, sees my face, and says, "I'm awake!" He then dies laughing realizing how silly he suddenly looked and explains that he thought something had bitten his toe (we had been having an ant problem in our apartment). We had quite a laugh before we finally took that nap.

Needless to say it has been an adventure learning to share a bed with my wonderful husband. I wouldn't have it any other way, though, because I love knowing he is there and having his companionship even when catching z's.

Becoming a Wife

Tomorrow will be six weeks since I married Taylor. It has been a fabulous six weeks. I love him dearly, and every day I love him more. I'm am learning, however, that I have a lot to learn about being a wife. I am finding myself spending more time praying for wisdom as I mature as Taylor's wife. I also find myself praying for Taylor, for his wisdom as he leads our marriage. Last night I sat down and starting looking up verses one by one that are located under the term "wife" in the concordance. I've decided to read a few a day and let myself meditate and pray on them as I internalize each verse in a new, very applicable way. Becoming a Godly wife is a study in becoming more like Christ. It's intense and deep, but oh so wonderful. I love the depth my relationship with Christ is achieving simply because He has brought me into this marriage relationship. I love Taylor with all of my being, and I am excited to see what is in store for us in the days/weeks/months/years to come.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness."
Proverbs 31:25-27

Are We Really Married?

This is the question that Taylor and I randomly throw out at each other from time to time. Every so often it hits us that we really are married and living together, and we just have to stop and take it all in. After just a few seconds of processing, we both end up with goofy grins on our faces relishing the idea that yes...we are definitely married!

I haven't posted since 9 days before our wedding. My how time flies! It sure didn't feel like it those last few weeks when I was just dying to get to the wedding day...but looking by it sure went fast! We had an absolutely amazing honeymoon. The Gaylord Opryland in Nashville treated us like a king and queen. We had a beautiful room overlooking the garden atrium where we could look out at the Christmas lights and go to sleep in the evening with the windows open listening the waterfalls downstairs. It was incredibly relaxing and romantic. We even took in a 3 foot Christmas tree and set it up with wedding gifts underneath to help set the Christmas mood! It was fantastic. After a wonderful week we returned to our home together--which wasn't exactly a home yet.

We spent the next week running errands changing my name every place we could before school started again, going to my old apartment to pack and clean, and moving all of my stuff into our apartment. Once it was all in I felt like I had to stand somewhere and yell for Taylor so he could follow the sound of my voice to find me. No-it wasn't quite that bad, but it was VERY crowded. The next several days were spent trying to get our most used rooms liveable before school started. We managed to do that pretty well. There is still a lot of cleaning out and unpacking that needs to be done, but we can function just fine.

Married life is absolutely wonderful! It is so calming and comfortable to come home every night to Taylor knowing that he doesn't have to leave at the end of the evening. We are having fun learning how to be married. It definitely takes work and lots of patience and communication, but we are really enjoying learning how to make a strong marriage. It has only been 3 1/2 weeks...do we have it all down? Oh no! But, God has set us out with such support and strength we are off on a terrific start.

It is amazing how much depth comes to a relationship once marriage happens. All areas of our relationship have deepen ten-fold...I cannot possibly imagine how that will increase as the years go by. The one thing I do know is that I wouldn't take this journey with anyone else. The Lord has blessed me so much by giving me Taylor as my husband, and I look forward to what the years bring.

Thank you, dear Lord, for the blessing of marriage. Thank you for blessing me and Taylor on this journey together. Lead us to glorify you all the days of our life together for we have built our marriage and our lives on You.