Mann's on the Move

Our journey in St. Louis started 8 years ago when we first met at the Dream Center. Little did we know (at the time) that St. Louis, Missouri would be the place that we would start our life together. We flew straight into the snowy city after our honeymoon, unpacked our tiny apartment, and jumped right into ministry life. If I told you every detail about our time in this amazing city we would be here all day. To sum it all up: there were many highs, many tears, many God moments, many friends (who have turned into family), many Imo's pizza nights, many songs written, and a baby made in the middle of it all. It was indeed the most growing 3 and a half years of my life.

At the beginning of 2020 we started the conversation with God about what He had for us this year. He began stirring our hearts for revival. We went to Israel shortly after and I guess you could say that we came back changed. I can't fully describe into words what happened while we were there, but it was something so real and so personal to us. We fell in love with who Jesus was when He walked this earth, who He is to us now, and the Triumphant King that He will be when He comes back for us. As soon as we landed back in the U.S. we heard that COVID had taken over Israel. It broke out at the same sites that we had just visited, and a team that had just arrived was quarantined. Churches across America started shutting down, and Isaac and I continued to pray about what God's plan was in all of this. Is this the revival that He was bringing to our world that we felt at the beginning of this year? We soon found out that we were adding a baby to the mix! Okay.. maybe THIS is it! Hah! As we continued praying we felt God start transitioning our heart away from the St. Louis area, but had no clue what was next...

Here's the thing. It's always a scary moment when you realize God is calling you away from a season, city, job, church, and home that you're comfortable in. There were many restless nights asking God, "are you sure?"... We didn't really know where God was moving us next, and that was the scariest part. The funniest part is that I told Isaac at the beginning of the transition process that it was NOT Alabama. Here's the reason: I've always told Isaac that my desire is to 1) follow the voice of God, not a person 2) follow the leading of my husband and join him in his calling. Within a few weeks it was confirmed several times to us that our next season of life and ministry was to be in Mobile, AL. Hah! It was NOT because we "just wanted to be close to family in this season of life". Looking ahead, I am super thankful that I get to be close to my family with a baby on the way. It's more important to me though, that we are listening to the voice of the Lord, operating FULLY in the gifts of the spirit, pouring into people who need an encounter, and continuing to break down walls of religion and man made traditions. Family is a huge bonus- but this move is not rooted in that. I think it's funny though because God knows what we need even more than we do! Acceleration was the word that the Lord had given us- that we would be launched in a way that we could never imagine. SO- when He said "move"- we did. We put our house on the market and it sold within the first day with 8 offers on the table. We believe that what God is doing inside of us is like a baby in the womb that has to be carried to fruition. (Kinda funny that I'm pregnant right?") We still don't know what it looks like moving forward, but we know there will be growth, some labor pains, and the birthing of something so, so beautiful. We are trusting Him every step of the way and EXCITED to see it unfold.

Of course we will miss our St. Louis family, but my prayer for you is that you will let the Holy Spirit lead your life, and that you will embrace all of the WONDER that God has in store for you!

With all my love,

Naomi

Things My Mama Taught Me

There are a lot of things my mama taught me how to do, but cooking sure as heck wasn’t one of them. The only dish I learned how to make was potato salad. That was because her mom was “known for it”, and we would all ask for it every Thanksgiving (even if Granny wasn’t around). Oh! That’s another thing my mama taught me… how to stick around. I never grew up wondering where my mom was. She was ALWAYS there. And by always, I mean always. Wanting a head massage, stalking my social media, and at every single function. She was there when I made the cheerleading squad, and there when she pulled me off of the basketball team. She ran to my side when I broke my leg, and pushed me around in a wheelchair until I recovered. She taught me faithfulness.

My mama taught me how to do a back handspring, and told me that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” when I was afraid to push through. She taught me how to keep it real, and set boundaries. Her famous words- “Block and delete.” (She didn’t teach me how to be sassy.. I just picked up on that one!)

My mom saved me from heartbreak. She taught me how to stay pure. She always encouraged me to not date anyone. Now I know, she was just teaching me how to save my heart for the man that God had for me. She always owned her mistakes and taught me how to not make the same ones she did.

My mama taught me how to be a lady. Knees together- always. Chipped nail polish- NEVER. Wear a slip. Hottest is modest. Only do one dramatic thing- strapless shirt or the heels, you choose. She definitely taught me that I am tender headed. Ouch. Don’t touch my hair!! But nails… You can touch my fingernails all day long. Painting our fingernails is kinda “our thing”!

Tea parties, Christmas parties, Jewelry parties, just-because-parties… There was always a party with my mom. Our house was never empty. She taught me how to be a great host, and to make sure every detail was thoughtful. Crafts, flower arrangements, curated gifts, you name it- mom made it. Her favorite thing ever- thrift shopping. She taught me how to be resourceful and to use my creativity.

I can’t believe she actually taught me school for a couple of years. Yes- I was homeschooled. And, I bet you don’t know what a lichen is. I do, because my mama was my teacher. She taught me in a way that I would remember every detail. I still remember the small things, the diagrams on the dry erase board, and the places she would take me. My mom would take us to get lunch and we would sit in the parking lot and eat in the car. I learned to love that, and now I do it with my husband.

My mom is a leader. She taught me that everyone deserves a voice. Justice is her middle name. I learned to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves, stand up to the bullies, and never be ashamed of doing the right thing. We always did bible studies, charity events, and mission trips together. She would speak out in boldness, and help broken people. One day, it got so wild that we pulled out crisco to anoint someone. Don’t ask.

She will admit to not always getting it right, but asking God to guide her along the way. If I made a list of everything she’s taught me, we would be here for a while. She’s still teaching me things, and I’ll never stop needing her wisdom! She’s fearless, genuine, and loyal. If you know her, then you love her. There’s only one like her, and I’m glad that I get the honor of calling her my mom.

I don’t have kids, but when I do I pray that I am everything she was for me. A role-model, a real life superhero, a friend. Thank you for the legacy that you are leaving for my future children. I will teach them all of the beautiful things that you’ve taught me. I am so proud to be your daughter.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom! I love you!

Singing in the Silo

One day Isaac and I got a phone call from my in-laws, Kim and Carl. They were calling us to invite us to come share a quaint Air-Bnb with them. This Air- Bnb was unlike anything we’ve ever stayed in. It was actually a Silo remade into a house. Of course, we love to try new things, so we were totally down for this adventure! The week leading up to this “one night get-away” had been rough for Isaac and I. We had a few strange attacks from the enemy and had no clue why weird things were happening to us. We battled through them by ourselves and left our parents out of what we were going through. To make a long story short, the day eventually arrived that we would stay at the Silo. When we walked in we didn’t know our live’s would be changed forever.

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The silo was beautiful. We were the first people to ever stay inside of it. Every detail inside was picture perfect. The owner of the silo actually lived on the property, so we got to wave to her as she drove by. It was such a sweet atmosphere.

A little after we arrived, we all sat around the fire on the deck that overlooked a pond. We began to talk about all things Jesus and sharing the gospel with unbelievers. That is nothing new when it comes to either of our families. Jesus runs through our veins. As we were talking, the owner walked up to us and Isaac’s mom asked her if we could say a prayer over her and her rental property. She agreed and we all went inside, grabbed hands, and prayed. When she left we all just smiled at each other and thanked God for setting that divine appointment up for us.

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While inside, Isaac picked up his guitar, took a seat on the tall staircase, and we began to just sing. I crawled up beside him and began to sing with him. After awhile that singing turned into worship, and worship turned into sobbing. Isaac’s parents began to pray over us and then Isaac prayed over them. I am normally more vocal when it comes to prayer, but for some reason I felt restricted. I felt hushed. It was the enemy. Moments later, Isaac’s mom grabbed my hands and put them on their forehead. She began to champion the authority that I walk in and told me to pray for them. She called me out so that I would fully walk in what was on the inside of me. By the end of the prayer Isaac’s parents were both on the ground. We all couldn’t function. It was loud, it was quiet, there was laughter, there were tears, there were shouts, and lots of sniffles. Two hours went by and it only felt like 30 minutes had passed. The sun went down and it was completely dark outside. There was a point in time where we all looked up at each other and laughed. We were laughing because if anyone happened to be watching us through the open blinds, they had some great entertainment!

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After our “2 hour God encounter” AKA “cry session” I walked into the bathroom. I knew I had mascara all over my face and I probably looked a hot mess. I looked in the mirror in disgust, and began to wipe the tears off of my face. In that moment God spoke to me (in the most gentle way possible), “Naomi, stop trying to be so pretty.” I was shocked. “Um, okay God. What do you mean?” He revealed to me that His presence is all that matters. He told me that I don’t have to and I probably will never look “pretty” in His presence. But it will ALWAYS look pretty to Him. We are the most beautiful to Him when we surrender. When we fall on our face. When we worship. Get your mascara all over the place. Stop trying to be pretty- you already are. He created us for His pleasure and purpose.

After I got that revelation I realized that we hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I looked at the clock and it was after 9pm. Somehow I wasn’t hungry. God reminded me of the the scripture in John about the story of the Samaritan woman. In John 4, Jesus tells the woman to drink from His well, and she will never be thirsty again. I think I got a taste of what He meant. He truly is the bread of life. He really is the only thing that satisfies. I’m not saying to go starve yourself. What I am saying is that, He can fill us up in ways nothing else can. There’s nothing like His presence. It's hard to put into words what REALLY happened that night, but just know... His presence is real and He wants you to encounter Him. It doesn't look the same every time. Don't put God in a box. Just because it's not dramatic doesn't mean He isn't speaking to you. He loves you and wants to commune with you.

The beautiful bathroom mirror where God spoke to me.

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In Revelation 2, It talks about enduring and persevering all for the Lord’s namesake, and not growing weary in well-doing. The verse ends with saying, “I have this one thing against you, that you forgot your first love.” I don’t ever want to be so busy doing things for Jesus that I forget to love Him. I want to passionately pursue Him and not grow weary while doing that. But more importantly, I never want to forget the love that I had for Jesus from the very beginning. I never want to forget the moments of me laying on the floor with tears streaming down my cheeks. I never want to forget the hours that I would lock myself in my room just to worship, and hear His voice. I never want to forget that He has been, and always will be after my heart. I want it to be said of me, like it was said of King David, that I’m after His heart too.

Isaac's precious parents, Kim and Carl. I have the best in-loves!!