Team Tuohy

White Rock Lake, Dallas, TX

I officially landed in Dallas a year ago. To fathom this is crazy to me, I had left Michael and Lincoln at this point and moved to a state I had never been to all within 10 days. We have grown and changed in ways I cannot begin to describe and all we can do is thank the Lord for He knew best! We have made lasting friendships, grown our walks with the Lord, continued to build a solid foundation for our marriage and more than anything HAD A LOT OF FUN!

It is hard to believe it was a year ago I started my first job here in Dallas, but now that chapter is coming to a close and a new fantastic chapter is opening. I have learned more than I ever imagined and my mind has been opened more than I thought possible. I will sincerely miss everyone at LVLT. I was not only blessed to gain so much knowledge but also to meet a leader there like none other I have ever encountered. He is every employee's dream manager. He sets the bar high and yet is daily helping you to get there in any way he can. He appreciates and gives credit, he encourages and he takes the time to teach you thing things you question. I am beyond grateful for my chance to work with him. I will take his teachings far with me.

As I head into my new position I am excited for the challenges that lay before me. I know that I am once again beyond blessed to have the opportunity ahead. I am excited to continue learning and work for missions my whole heart believes in. The mission of Christ and the mission of community. I am thankful and humbled that the Lord trusts me with these, for I am weak but He is strong. Not to mention, I am completely pumped for the team I am entering and all the memories to be made with my new work family!

I have learned over the past year or so that life is all about paths. Weather  your path, your parent's path, the Lord's path, etc. you are always in search of something and on your way to get there. I can honestly say though, that my path has never been so perfectly fit for me as the one I have been on since surrendering it to Him and trusting Him with the results. It is difficult and sometimes full of loose cobblestones but with Him I do not fall and with Him the desires of my heart are found (sometimes in places I did not even know they existed!). Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understandings. In all of you ways follow Him and He will make your paths straight."

Thank you Lord for bringing us to Dallas and giving me the job that got our family here, for you knew this is where we were to be. Thank you for the consistent provision over our lives and for knowing what we need even when we are unaware of it. Thank you for telling us no when we needed to hear it for you had something better planned for us. Thank you for the friends and family we have gained here in Dallas and the life you daily hand to us. We are thankful for you have blessed us beyond measure and we continue to see your goodness. Thank you for the past year with LVLT and all the ways you have grown me there, and from the absolute bottom of my heart thank you for this new opportunity you have laid in my path for I am beyond words for my excitement, it is a long awaited answered prayer. Thank you that you are a God who knew me better than I knew myself and your timing is always perfection. We love you so much God and thank you for your abundant blessings in our life, and more than anything that we can call you Father.

All this in Jesus name,

Amen.

xoxo







P.S. On my last day at LVLT I was honored to be thrown a "good riddance" party at Dave and Busters. What a fantastic way to be sent off, how truly blessed I am. Below are a few of the captures:

Photo Credit

I was inspired by a blog I recently read about being "that wife" that resembles a housewife in today's world. It strikes a cord that I so often battle myself. Asking myself if am I "old-fashioned"? Wondering how I can stand firm and be confident in cleaning the house, doing the dishes, making the meals, folding laundry and more in a society that tends to look down upon that. 

Thankfully I am encouraged daily by the women in my life who consistently point not only me back to Christ, but my marriage. I am truly blessed to have this- another beauty of living in community! However, on those days I just need simple truth I try to remember the following:

1. My approval/acceptance does not come from this world, but from Christ. I was just reminded of this in a sermon on Sunday- we are called to "suffer" for Christ. We are suppose to look funny and do things differently for this world is not our home -John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." If I belong to this world- I do not belong to Christ, I would rather be persecuted and look funny than to give up my salvation. At the end of the day the world has dramatically changed, however we are still held to the standard of the Word.

2. God intrusts me to use this as an opportunity to honor and glorify Him. A large part of the time these "roles" and equal submission (Ephesians 5:22-33) are why our marriages succeed. Your marriage is your number one ministry for others to see. USE IT! They will see differences in your marriage - as said before here- and when you are asked "why" it is an opportunity to lead them to Him. 

3. It is ultimately not for our husband but for Christ. By doing those things you are submitting to Christ and glorifying Him through it. This is done by taking such wisdom from proverbs and choosing to follow God's lead for what a wife's role looks like. Mike is always willing to help out when I need it or on the days I decide to be "self- righteous" but I find when I change my focus to serving God not only am I immediately humbled but I enjoy doing it even more.

4. Proverbs 31:10-33 * Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character*

  ^"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her  and lacks nothing of value.She brings him good, not harm,  all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously;her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed;  she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate,  where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them,  and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;  her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things,  but you surpass them all.”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;  but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. "

I love this! Look at all the hard work this women does, you could totally focus on that. Instead focus on all she gets from that work- she is worth more than rubies, her husband has FULL confidence in her, she has no fear about the future but laughs and is clothed with strength and dignity. She speaks wisdom that brings glory to Christ and respect to her family, her children call her blessed and her husband praises her with words so encouraging and appreciative. I want to be this wife, truly. To have my family respected, my husband love me and my children call me blessed- there is simply no greater honor. All else will fade away but this woman will be sustained by Christ for she submits, respects and follows the Lord regardless of worldly views- absolutely goodness right there.

4. It pushes me to be more like Christ, any Christian's ultimate goal. More of Him, less of me. The great news is the Lord has gone before us and He cared enough to give us a path to be more and more like Him."These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. As I heard in an example this Sunday -  At the end of it all our goal is to chip away everything that is not of Christ- Jesus he served and submitted faithfully. Take joy that He is changing you to be more like him- for it is hard now in this world, but blessed will we be when we stand before Him.

Ultimately, I believe in the role of a wife. I truly love serving my husband in these ways because I dearly love him. Every marriage will look different, every husband and wife will have different expectations. None of that is wrong. However, for all the wives out there, myself included, who enjoy being "that wife" or strive to be "that wife" - this is just a sweet reminder for why we do it. I know it encouraged me today!

In His grace,

Lately our world has relied on soaking in scripture and leaning on God to answer our questions (as it should always be). We have such a blessed life, but it is not without trials. If our life is easy peasy I would seriously question whose hands we were in =). This is not to say our lives should not be full of goodness and joy, I am just a firm believer as children of Christ living for Him that if we are not doing something to make the enemy tick, we are probably also not doing something that brings glory to our heavenly father. Think about it...

So today, we wanted to share some of the sweet promises that we are holding on to for they alone are truth. It is funny how I have struggled my entire life since becoming a believer to memorize verses, until now. When you need those sweet promises, and turn to those sweet promises daily- they penetrate your heart and are engraved there forever:

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" Exodus 14:14

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing" Psalm 34:10

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5

"Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all of your ways follow Him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13

What sweet sweet promises are these. Man, Exodus 14:14 "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" how truly beautiful is that. Right now as Team Tuohy battles through some heavy stuff from my childhood this is huge for us. So often I find myself wanting to go to battle for my heart and my feelings, for what happened but I do not need to. As long as I am living with Christ, He will go to battle for me, I need only to trust Him in that and let Him do His works. For as it is promised in Habkkuk  His works are far better than anything I could believe, even if I were told. This sweet promise I am soaking in daily. I know the Lord has a plan for my life, my life verse since I was saved was Proverbs 3:5 which tells me this. However, I have still always wanted to push forward and plan our life; deciding where to go and what to do trying to sprint this race He designed to be a marathon. I can say with full confidence He is preparing us for something with all we are going through right now, I don't know what and so we wait with an open heart for whatever He is doing here, we only want His will to be done and are guarded of making it something of our own. As I told my sweet girlfriends the other day, I welcome that plan with giant open arms and so therefore I welcome all this yuck that it takes to get us there because I believe our God is good and I know He will do things with our life that are far greater than we can even begin to fathom. How he loves us....Until then we continue to hang onto these sweet sweet sweet promises full of love in hopes that we are constantly being changed to be more like Him along the way.

Have a blessed day sweet friends!

xoxo