A Southern Heart

When I first moved to the South, I was in total shock. It was ... no, it is...completely different than anything that I am used to. I've been around the country and across the globe, but to live in the South is totally different than just passing through.

Even though on the surface, the South is totally different than the North, I really like the heart.

1. The Camaraderie
(Yes, I spelled that wrong the first time! Always grateful for spell check.)

Everywhere you go, everyone knows... everyone! And everyone knows that they don't know me. It's kind of funny that way. Whenever we go out with someone from Small Town Baptist Church, it seems like they know everyone that we run into!

Now, I was always a fan of the privacy and anonymity of Big City, and still lean toward that. But I do think it is neat to be able to talk to the person across the counter and know them as a person not just an employee.

2. Ease of Conversation
Back in Big City, it would be totally weird to stand and talk to the complete stranger at the checkout line. Do you know how many times I have done that since moving to Small Town? Enough times to notice. :) Again its interesting to be able to talk to someone I have never met before and might never seen again. I am used to talking to someone I don't know when it comes to inviting them to church or telling them about God's free gift of salvation, but beyond that... I always feel like my mouth is hanging open because I am so in shock.

3. Small Town Baptist Church
I love my new church! The people are simply as sweet as can be. They are always excited about coming to church and they have been so welcoming to my husband and I.

4. My Apartment
Ok, I am just going to say it... I really do love my new apartment. Even though it was bigger and newer, it took me a while to get used to it. Now I can say I love it.

5. Modest Clothing
This is totally awesome! In Big City, it is really difficult to find "naturally modest" clothing. You have to layer and layer and layer to get the tops just right. You have to spend a fortune when you find a single skirt that is just the right length. And dresses are a lucky blessing, usually I find one that is close and let the hem out. (Not that these items aren't readily available. They just aren't available at my preferred modesty level. And no... I'm not over the top.)

It has been so refreshing to go to the store and actually find clothes that fit into my style & modesty level. No, it isn't every single item, but there are a whole lot more options.

6. Fearless
The crime rate is super-low in Small Town, South! I don't have to worry about staying home alone without my husband or any of the other crimes that would have been a concern in Big City.

Infinite Importance

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
~ C.S. Lewis

Confessions of a Northerner

I am from Big City, Northeast. It is my home and my heart. My favorite places to visit are the surrounding Big Cities along the East Coast. Memories of home include bright twinkling lights on dark nights, traffic, honking horns, shopping galore, historic districts dwarfed by mammoth sky rises, and people everywhere you turn.

In my early twenties, my husband and I moved from our happy cozy condo on the corner of a busy street in the suburbs of Big City, Northeast to a significantly larger apartment on a quiet street in Small Town, South – hours from a large city or a honking horn or a sky rise. A place where people were excited that 2,000 cars drove on the main road in a single day!

Talk about a dramatic change! (No, not traumatic... although sometimes it feels like that)

Although Small Town, South, would probably never be my first choice for a place to live, this is where God wants us to be. God called my husband to be a youth pastor when he was a teenager, and God has called us to live here in Small Town to work at Small Town Baptist Church. It's new, it's different, it's a little weird... but we love it! All because God is in control.