When I was pregnant with Jayden (When you have been pregnant for an extended period of time you tend to mark your life based on who you were pregnant with- kind of like military families and duty stations!) we were serving at a very different kind of church. Jason was the associate pastor/student pastor and I coordinated the children's ministry. Our salary package included a parsonage on the side of town that the church was located. What that meant was that we left our home church and our families who had always been two minutes away. Our daily life was lived in this church community. And I had no friends. It wasn't that they were mean or unfriendly. I just wasn't one of them. I was viewed as a pastor's wife- and a fiesty one at that. It came with respect, with tenderness, with love, but not friendship. I don't remember anyone ever wanting to get to know me. It was a long two years.
As we moved out of that season God worked through LifeGroups at a new church to knit tight bonds with other couples. He worked through my pregnancy with Elisha and through a terribly-horrific miscarriage to bring me close to other women who I could bare my soul to, who I could call or email and ask them to hold up my arms because I just couldn't do it. He gave me the chance to cradle a sweet family in our arms when they walked through the darkest hours of their life. And those friendships have brought much gut-splitting laughter (and dr. pepper spitting as well)!
I love Zumba. But I love Jesus more and I knew from early on in my Zumba career that He could be glorified through it. I wasn't sure how it would work so I just kept praying, being friendly, introducing myself, and having fun. (All not part of my personality)
My class has been memorizing this verse:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17It's my Zumba verse. It is the prayer of my heart. It's God promise that the things we love, the things we are passionate about can be used for His Honor. So it's my honor to be allowed to lead a LifeGroup based around Zumba! And I am counting down the hours....
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