MY BLOG POSTS

I’m a little late to the party, but I just started watching “The Chosen”. And wow. It is SO good.

Last week, I watched the episode where Simon (Peter) and his friends spent all night trying to catch fish, with no luck; and then Jesus came up in the morning and told him to cast the net on the other side. He did, and the boat was so full it almost sank.

I was reminded as I watched how good God is, how He delights in giving good gifts to His children.

This came on the heels of me complaining about some of the “new” in our lives: We have a new city and it’s really hot and humid. We have a new apartment, which I not-so-lovingly refer to as Motel 6. We have a new school for Thomas, but it takes a lot of really awful traffic to get to.

BUT, though our “boat” may not be the best and our “sea” the most comfortable, God has overwhelmed us with provision!! In the space of two weeks, Dave and I have each gotten part time jobs at Thomas’ school, and Dave got a second online teaching position! Our bills will all be paid, and we’ll even have some extra left over. We also discovered that Memphis has the largest city park in the country — 4500 acres of beautiful green space, lakes, walking and biking trails, even zip lines and horseback riding! And we can get there in less than 10 minutes!

God’s good gifts are surrounding me. I feel like Simon in that boat. And while I know trials also come — Simon Peter learned that, as well — I don’t want to ever forget that God is GOOD, and He loves us. I want to focus on that, not the heat or the awful laminate counter tops.

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. ~Mt. 7:11

I’m finishing up the first of three intensive summer semesters toward a Masters in Theater. And it has indeed been intense!! But also amazing. It’s been unique, as well, since we’re online when it’s usually an on-campus program.

Set designed by my professor (!!)

We’ve crammed 4 classes into the past month, and I was excited about all but one: Set Design. If you don’t know me well, please understand that’s it not false modesty when I say I’m not artistic. I’m just really not artistic. Seriously. One time, I tried to draw the tree split by a lightning strike in Jane Eyre for an AP Lit class, and they told me it looked just like the diagram of fallopian tubes they had just seen in Anatomy.

Anyway…Set Design. Turns out the professor is a world class set and lighting designer — he’s worked on Broadway and in London and Chicago. And I had to design a set to be graded by him. *insert a “what I have gotten myself into” emoji*

But here’s what I learned: He was not only amazing. He was also kind. He recognized we weren’t in that class because we, too, wanted to be world-class designers. We’re there to understand the art and science behind design so we can help make the shows we direct better, so we can (hopefully, eventually) work with real designers on said shows and be able to speak the same language.

That’s not to say that some of my classmates didn’t have the talent to go on to do this professionally — they do!! But that’s for another post.

As our prof explained that he enjoyed working with beginners because we are teachable, that sometimes those in the field, or those who want to be in the field, can be less-than-teachable, I thought of the ultimate Master Teacher – Jesus.

My design – go ahead and laugh. I did!

I thought of how He said we should all be like children, and that verse suddenly made more sense to me. I was very much like a child in this class. But, as a child, I did what my teacher told me! I followed his directions to the letter. When he told me to try something else or to use a different medium, I didn’t argue. Why would I? He’s a literal expert, and I, it turns out, can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler!

Then I thought, Do I do this with Jesus? When he says, “love your brother,” do I just do it, no questions asked? Sadly, no. I tend to make excuses or ask for exceptions, or explain why He couldn’t possible mean that guy. When He asks me to be content in all circumstances, do I say, “Ok!”? Ha. I whine and complain and beg Him to make the circumstances more enjoyable.

But who knows better? Me or GOD? Just as I’d never have considered telling my world-class Design prof how to create a set, why do I think I can tell the God of the Universe, who happens to love me (and others) with an unfathomable love, what He should and should not do??

I can accomplish more if I argue less and trust more. I don’t know if any of you needed to be reminded of that, but I sure did!

As I noted in the previous post — we’re moving! And we have a destination: Memphis TN (*cue Elvis playlist*).

I’ll be honest – what I was hoping when I wrote that last post was that the next one would be full of answers and exclamation points. Yes, our sweet school in California closed, but look at what we’re going to get to do now…!!!

Don’t get me wrong, there are some fabulous explanation points about Memphis. First, I’ll be near my grandmother for the first time in years. She’s 92 and fabulous, and I’ve wanted to live close to her since I was five. We’ll be much closer to my girls, who attend college in Georgia. We’ll be closer to family and friends in Florida. Also, Dave and I both love jazz and the blues…Beale Street has that in abundance.

But Dave doesn’t, as yet, have a full time job. We’re moving from our big beautiful house into a smaller second story apartment. We found a great school for Thomas but, as of right now, neither of us will be teaching there (I’ve been “in school” with Thomas since he started!). We’re most likely not putting roots down in Memphis, but just living there a year.

But God…He reminded me of the verse, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). And the image of a light there isn’t a massive spotlight, but more like a small candle. We can’t see everything that’s ahead. We just focus on what’s directly in front of us. As we move forward, we see more. But we don’t see the whole picture.

This is where God has us. I’ll be honest – I want the “big picture”! But I’ve walked with God long enough to know I can trust Him, even in the dark. Because He is the light.

Eventually, we’ll know why God had us move to Memphis, and ultimately, we’ll know all the answers (just maybe not in this lifetime!). For now, I need to be obedient to walk in the path God has placed me on. One step at a time. God is good. I know this. His ways are so much higher than mine. So even though this feels like a valley and not a mountaintop, still I will praise him. And I will cling to His words to light my way.

We are moving.

Our sweet little school that we love so much was one of the casualties of COVID-19. It’s heartbreaking, as this wasn’t just a place we worked, it was a family. I loved my coworkers, my students. I loved going to work everyday.

God was already at work, though. I have been offered a full-time job teaching online. Dave has taught part-time online for years. So we have enough to live…just not in California.

So where will we go? Great question.

I have no idea.

Well, I have some idea. We’ll live somewhere in the South, most likely, where the cost of living is lower and the number of family members is higher.

Our priorities are 1. Finding a great school for Thomas (he’ll be a senior) 2. Finding full or part-time work for Dave. I’d love your prayers for us as we seek direction.

As I’ve processed this news, God reminded me of our move to Texas 21 years ago. We moved with no job, no house, no leads — just the knowledge that this is where God wanted Dave to attend seminary. So we packed up our tiny apartment, our six-month-old baby, and we said goodbye to everyone we knew and loved in Florida. And God provided so much for us there — a home, jobs, great friends, and an amazing church family.

And, of course, that wasn’t our only move in the last two decades. God has taken us from Texas to Costa Rica to Spain, back to Florida and then to California. The McGee’s know how to move. And we know God teaches us more about Himself and each other through each move. He stretches and strengthens us, and He allows us to meet some terrific people. Best of all, He reminds us that this world is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven. So we hold on to addresses lightly, and we cling to Jesus with all our might.

Right after we got the news about our school closing, God impressed these verses on my heart: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Eph. 3:20-21.

I love those adverbs — exceedingly abundantly. He’s not just able to do “above what we could ask,” He’s able to do “exceedingly abundantly” above. And not just what we ask, but even what we imagine! 

So now, we wait and pray – and pack and say goodbyes. We don’t know all of God’s next-step plans for us, but we know He’s good, so we’re at peace. Sad, of course. Stressed at times. We’re human! But always trusting in our faithful God.